Dubai: The irony isn’t lost on Dubai-based travel content creator Kaunain Fatima, 29, who finds herself stranded in Tanzania after what was meant to be a carefree girls’ trip to Zanzibar. “Most of the stranded tourists are hoping to fly out, but my friend and I just want to get home to the UAE,” sh»»»

The Council of Ministers has approved a decision on Bulgaria's participation with a national stand at the BIOFACH CHINA 2026, an international organic food exhibition, which will take place from May 18 to 20, 2026, in Shanghai, China. BIOFACH CHINA is among the world’s most prestigious exhibitions »»»

Dubai: The 2026 edition of Middle East Energy (MEE), the region’s leading international power and energy exhibition, will be held from September 1 to 3 at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), Informa has confirmed. Shifting the event to September 2026 allows greater flexibility for global participa»»»

Abu Dhabi: Fujairah International Airport has announced the operation of a series of charter flights as part of humanitarian efforts to support travelers wishing to return to their home countries amid current regional challenges. Emirates News Agency (WAM) said that these special charter flights ar»»»

MIDDLE EAST CRISIS Former Bulgarian deputy defence minister Rumen Kanchev described the situation in the Middle East as a “regional conflict” in an interview with Bulgarian National Radio on Wednesday. “America has concentrated colossal power in the area,” Kanchev said. He quoted statements in Wash»»»

Equans, a subsidiary of the Bouygues Group and a global leader in energy and services, has announced the opening of a new IT Hub in Romania, a strategic step aimed at supporting the company’s operations and strengthening its international digital capabilities. As part of the initiative, the company»»»

Russia ‌said on Wednesday that France's plan to expand its nuclear arsenal was a highly destabilizing move that posed a potential threat to Moscow. French President Emmanuel Macron announced the plan on Monday, saying other European countries would also be able to take part in French nuclear exerci»»»

Qognifly, a Romanian deep-tech company specializing in autonomous counter-drone systems (C-UAS), has announced the public launch and entry into a new consolidation phase for Drone Wall, an integrated detection, tracking, and interception architecture developed by Romanian engineers and validated in»»»

A regional student mobility program is currently under development, the Ministry of Science, Higher Education, and Innovation informed 24.kg news agency. According to ministry representatives, the program aims to expand access to higher education and stimulate student mobility between regions of th»»»

Oil prices rose about 1% on Wednesday as US-Israeli strikes on Iran disrupted Middle East supplies, but the pace of gains slowed from past sessions after President Donald Trump suggested the US Navy could escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz. Brent rose 91 cents, or 1.1%, to $82.31 a barrel »»»

Dubai: Visa services are slowly resuming at the Dubai centre of VFS Global, but only for some countries. VFS Global said it has restarted partial operations amid ongoing regional disruptions. Some applicants can submit fresh visa applications. However, all countries are returning passports to appli»»»

Indonesia's foreign minister ‌said talks on US President Donald Trump's Gaza "Board of Peace," of which the Southeast Asian nation is a key troop-contributing member, were on hold due to the Middle East war. The US and Israeli air war against Iran has killed scores of civilians, thrown global air t»»»

Customs officers at the Lesovo border crossing checkpoint seized a total of 14,000 boxes of smuggled cigarettes, the Customs Agency said on Wednesday. The 280,000 pieces of cigarettes were found in two trucks transporting refrigerators from Turkiye to Romania, both driven by Romanian citizens. The »»»

The march to the US midterm elections, which will determine which party controls both chambers of Congress for the second half of Donald Trump's presidency, is officially under way. Voters in a handful of states headed to the polls on Tuesday to pick the Democratic and Republican candidates for the»»»

Dubai: For months, cinema lovers in the UAE have been buzzing about Marty Supreme the critically acclaimed sports drama starring Timothée Chalamet that became one of the most talked-about films of the last year. Directed by Josh Safdie and released globally on December 25, 2025, the film finally ma»»»

Madrid: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hit back on Wednesday at US President Donald Trump’s criticisms of Madrid’s refusal to let US planes use its bases to attack Iran. “The position of the government of Spain can be summed up in four words: no to war,” he said in a televised address, a day »»»

Dubai: Mojtaba Khamenei, the son of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has emerged as the leading candidate to succeed his father as the country’s next supreme leader, according to Iranian officials familiar with internal deliberations cited by The New York Times. Senior clerics in»»»

Dubai: Fujairah International Airport has joined hands with Oman-based airline SalamAir to operate special charter flights to help travellers return home amid ongoing regional tensions. The flights will run on March 4 and 5, 2026, with a stop in Muscat. From there, passengers can travel onwards to »»»

The US dollar continued its rise against the Egyptian pound during trading on Tuesday, officially surpassing the LE50 mark in several banks operating in the local market. It made a new increase of approximately 20 piasters compared to Monday’s trading levels, amidst rapid movements in the exchange »»»

Bulgaria faces heightened risks from the escalating conflict in the Middle East, particularly the strikes on Iran, which former President Rumen Radev has described as a direct threat to national security. In a post on his Facebook page, Radev criticized the caretaker government under Prime Minister»»»

“I believe the Government is failing the state and its citizens because at this stage it is acting more like a tour operator company,” said Borislav Gutsanov, MP from the parliamentary group of BSP – United Left, commenting on the caretaker Cabinet’s actions regarding the situation in the Middle Ea»»»

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez hit back on Wednesday at US President Donald Trump's criticisms of Madrid's refusal to let US planes use its bases to attack Iran. "The position of the government of Spain can be summed up in four words: no to war," he said in a televised address, a day after Tr»»»

Trebinje Mayor Mirko Ćurić hosted a reception yesterday for the cast and crew of the short film Nuances, which addresses peer violence, and pledged support for the talented young residents in their future projects. The film has sparked strong reactions from audiences in Trebinje and is the result o»»»

This photo, taken Wednesday, shows the trading room of Hana Bank in central Seoul after the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index plunged more than 12 percent to close at 5,093.54 amid mounting concerns over the economic fallout from the escalating Middle East conflict. Photo by Yonhap Seoul »»»

Approximately €630 million will be available in 2026 for those applying to the EIC Accelerator, a Horizon Europe funding program that provides support to startups and SMEs, says Ovidiu Mihăilă, founder of fundingloop, a consulting company for deep-tech businesses interested in accelerating innovati»»»

Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov stated at the start of the government meeting that Bulgaria’s fuel deliveries remain uninterrupted despite the escalating conflict in the Middle East. The country imports oil and petroleum products from regions not currently affected by hostilities, and there is no phys»»»

Speaker of the Zhogorku Kenesh of Kyrgyzstan Marlen Mamataliev has disclosed the salaries received by members of Parliament. He made the statement during a parliamentary session. According to him, the official salary of a deputy of the Zhogorku Kenesh amounts to 58,432 soms. In addition, each MP ha»»»

Caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov told the media before the start of the Council of Ministers on Wednesday that Bulgaria has sufficient fuel reserves in the State Reserve, and fuel station owners have also confirmed that they have adequate supplies and that the market remains calm. According to»»»

Dubai: Business activity across the UAE’s non-oil private sector strengthened in February, reaching its fastest pace in a year as companies reported rising demand, strong new orders and improving supply chain conditions. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The S&P Global U»»»

South Korea’s equity market has recorded the steepest decline in its history as the widening fallout from the US-Israeli war on Iran rippled across global financial markets. According to multiple local sources, the benchma»»»

Today, March 4, two repatriation flights from Jeddah to Bishkek and Jeddah to Osh are transporting more than 200 citizens to Kyrgyzstan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kyrgyz Republic reported. According to the ministry, the Jeddah—Bishkek flight is carrying 90 citizens, while the Jeddah—Os»»»

Abu Dhabi: The US Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the US Consulate in Dubai have been closed, and services cannot be provided in those facilities until further notice, the US Embassy announced in a social media post on Wednesday. The announcement comes amid the blatant Iranian aggression on the country. F»»»

Dubai: Trading across the UAE’s main stock exchanges resumes today after regulators imposed a two day suspension designed to shield markets from sharp volatility during a period of escalating geopolitical tensions across the Middle East. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances»»»

An agricultural census will be conducted in Kyrgyzstan from March 20 to April 10. Elmira Alymkulova, chief of staff of the National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic, announced on Birinchi Radio. According to her, such an event is held once every ten years and is nationwide. However, a c»»»

Pakistan has asked Saudi Arabia to route oil supplies through the Red Sea port of Yanbu after the closure of the Strait of Hormuz disrupted shipping, the petroleum ministry said in a press release on Wednesday. The request comes as war in the Middle East has disrupted shipping through the Strait of»»»

The administration of US President Donald Trump is seeking to purge “anti-American” narratives from the country’s national parks and museums, several media outlets have reported, citing a leaked government database. Among the themes reportedly identified for removal are racism and climate change. A»»»

Doha: Paris Saint-Germain and two of its strikers, Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue, have been nominated across three categories of the 2026 Laureus World Sports Awards, an event that honours the previous year’s greatest and most inspirational sporting triumphs. Following the Ballon d’Or, the Golden»»»

DOHA: Qatar Airways announced the continued temporary suspension of its flights due to the ongoing closure of Qatari airspace. The airline explained in a post on its official X platform that operations will resume as soon as the Civil Aviation Authority announces the airspace is safe to reopen. Qat»»»

Industrial production prices overall, on both the domestic and external markets, rose by 2.2% in January this year compared with December 2025, while compared with January 2025 the increase was 7.8%, according to data the National Institute of Statistics (INS) published on Tuesday.On the domestic m»»»

The factoring market in Romania reached a total volume of 10.503 billion euros in 2025, almost six times more than the level of 1.8 billion euros recorded 15 years ago, consolidating itself as an essential financial instrument for Romanian companies from all size segments and all regions of the cou»»»

Chairman of the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) Kelemen Hunor said that the draft budget could be sent to Parliament next week and debated in the plenary meeting between 15 and 17 March if the coalition reaches an agreement on this matter on Wednesday.Asked in Parliament whether, if ta»»»

Romania is taking part in talks regarding France's nuclear umbrella, but it is too early to draw any conclusions at this stage, official sources said on Tuesday.According to the cited sources, talks on the issue have been underway for some time and have also taken place at NATO level.On Monday, Pre»»»

Abu Dhabi: AD Ports Group said its operations across all business sectors continue as normal despite ongoing regional developments, stressing that precautionary measures have been activated to ensure the continuity of services and the safety of its workforce and partners. In a statement, the group »»»

The Irish government has said it will charter a flight from Oman in the coming days for Irish citizens to return from the Middle East. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Helen McEntee, said her department will be contacting Irish citizens in the Middle East on Wednesday to travel home on a charter f»»»

Dubai: Etihad Rail, in coordination with the Emergencies, Crises and Disasters Management Centre Abu Dhabi (ADCMC), operated three exceptional passenger train services between Al Ghuwaifat Station (Al Dhafra) and Al Faya Station (Abu Dhabi City). These trips safely transported over 350 passengers a»»»

Dubai: Shipping and maritime logistics firm Gulf Navigation Holding said its operations continue without disruption despite heightened tensions across the Middle East, confirming that petroleum storage facilities and tanker fleets remain fully operational. Sign up for our daily business newsletter,»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Airways flight operations remain temporarily suspended due to the closure of Qatari airspace. The airlines said that it will resume operations once the Qatar Civil Aviation Authority announces the safe reopening of Qatari airspace. It added that further update will be provided on»»»

Doha, Qatar: Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al-Ansari (pictured) has reaffirmed Qatar’s commitment to safeguarding its sovereignty, protecting its infrastructure, and maintaining stability through coordinated defens»»»

Rising geopolitical tensions are clouding the outlook for growth, inflation and capital flows across the Middle East, raising questions about the region’s ability to absorb fresh shocks. Instability is not good for any region, World Bank President Ajay Banga told Asharq Al-Awsat, saying the scale o»»»

In China, red lanterns could guide a traveler to safety in cold winter alleyways, be symbols of power outside an imperial hall, or act as a call to religious devotion when hung in a temple. They are also absolutely synonymous with lunar new year celebrations right across the vast country and link t»»»