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The United Arab Emirates has announced it will withdraw from the OPEC and OPEC+ oil alliances, a dramatic move that lands a significant blow on the producers' bloc as an extraordinary energy crisis sparked by the US-Israeli war on Iran lays bare growing rifts across the Gulf. The departure of the UAE, a longtime OPEC member, threatens to erode the group's influence. OPEC has typically worked to project unity even when disputes over geopolitics and output targets have simmered beneath the surface. UAE Energy Minister Suhail…

By Maha El DahanTuesday April 28, 2026 Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al Saud receives United Arab Emirates' Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan ahead of an exceptional meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the first in-person meeting of Gulf leaders since their states became a front in the Iran war two months ago, In Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, April 28, 2026. Saudi Press Agency/Handout via REUTERS Purchase Licensing Rights The United Arab Emirates said on…

Russia has moved to tighten its crackdown on LGBTQ activism, with a court declaring the country’s leading LGBTQ rights group “extremist” — a ruling that effectively bans the organisation and exposes its supporters to prosecution. The decision marks the latest step in a years-long campaign against LGBTQ organisations, one that has intensified sharply since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and deepened an already forceful conservative shift. A court in Saint Petersburg sided with a case filed by the…

A 37-year-old Irish man identified by Spanish authorities as “one of the leaders” of the Hutch Organised Crime Group is set to fight efforts to send him back to Ireland, after appearing before a court in Lanzarote. Spanish police arrested the man yesterday under a European arrest warrant issued by the High Court in Dublin. Gardaí want him returned to Ireland, where he is sought to face criminal charges. He appeared by video link before a judge in Lanzarote this morning and was remanded in custody after refusing to consent to…

After a week in captivity in Baghdad, US journalist Shelly Kittleson has been freed by Iraq's powerful armed faction Kataeb Hezbollah, according to statements from the Iranian-backed group and the United States. News of her release came just hours before the United States and Iran reached a ceasefire agreement, ending more than a month of war. "In recognition of the national stances of the outgoing prime minister, we have decided to release the American defendant Shelly Kittleson, on the condition that she leave the country…

A recent report by Human Rights Watch has uncovered a harrowing reality in Burkina Faso, revealing that over 1,800 civilians have lost their lives in the turmoil following Ibrahim Traoré's ascent to power three years ago. The document outlines incidents that constitute both war crimes and crimes against humanity, with 1,837 civilians—including many children—reported killed across 57 events from January 2023 to August 2025. The majority of these killings have been linked to the military and its allied militias, while a…

Police have launched an investigation into an anti‑Semitic hate crime after four ambulances operated by the Jewish Community Ambulance service were apparently set alight in London, the Metropolitan Police said. Officers were dispatched to Highfield Road in Golders Green at about 1.45am today following reports of a fire, the force added. The Metropolitan Police confirmed the incident is being treated as an anti‑Semitic hate crime, and the London Fire Brigade said there were no reported injuries. Superintendent Sarah Jackson,…

Kneecap, the Irish-language rap trio from Belfast, said they joined an international aid convoy to Cuba because they could not stand by while the island — which they described as being "strangled" by a US fuel blockade — suffered acute shortages. The group travelled with a wider contingent of public figures and humanitarian organisations bringing medicine, drinking water, food, solar panels and other relief supplies to the Caribbean nation this week by air and sea. Speaking at a Havana press conference flanked by former UK…

Analysis: U.S.-backed airpower reshapes Somalia’s fight with al-Shabab — but can gains hold as peacekeepers depart? Somalia’s government says a combination of U.S.-supported airstrikes and newly expanded ground operations has shifted the momentum in its long war with al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab. Officials tout battlefield gains, especially the retaking of territory long held by the militants and strikes on leadership nodes and bomb-making networks. The turn comes as African Union peacekeepers draw down and Somali forces assume…

Somali opposition says ex-president, ex-PM blocked from Mogadishu airport meeting; government cites security breach Friday, Feb. 13, 2026 MOGADISHU — Somalia’s opposition-aligned Somali Future Council on Friday accused security forces of preventing former President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and former Prime Minister Mohamed Hussein Rooble from entering Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport to attend a scheduled political meeting, escalating tensions ahead of anticipated talks with the federal government. In a…