Rimini, March 4 (TAP correspondants Chayma Zenaidi & Meriem Khadhraoui) – The 4th flagship European and Mediterranean event on energy transition, KEY – The Energy Transition Expo, was inaugurated on Wednesday at the Rimini Expo Centre, Italy.Nearly...»»»

1 of 3 | Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the press before briefing senators on the war in Iran at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. The Senate is set to vote on a war powers resolution Wednesday to stop the action in Iran without congressional approval. Photo by Bonnie Cash»»»

As regional military tensions escalate and attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz recur, Saudi Arabia’s East-West oil pipeline has re-emerged as a critical safeguard in the global energy system. With markets closely watching threats to the vital maritime corridor, the Kingdom’s sovereign infra»»»

The Middle East has seen many crises that began as ‘limited’ operations and turned into open-ended wars. The familiar pattern is not caused by miscalculation alone, but by geography and structure; once the first missiles fly, the region’s tightly interlinked security and economic systems pull neigh»»»

The U.S. Southern Command said the mission began Tuesday and is aimed at “designated terrorist organizations” operating in the South American country. The United States said it is functioning in an advisory capacity, while Ecuadorian soldiers conduct the operation. Photo by Gerardo Menoscal/EPA Mar»»»

The Russian special services have intelligence data on preparations for blowing up the Blue Stream and Turkish Stream pipelines, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. The threats to blow up the pipelines under the Black Sea are 'very dangerous game' on Ukraine's part, Putin emphasized»»»

The Commission on Protection of Competition (CPC) recommended that the executive authorities take immediate coordinated actions to ensure a competitive environment and the stability of the fuel market in Bulgaria amid the complicated situation in the Middle East, the regulator’s press centre report»»»

The Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security has decided to exempt individuals who were unable to travel from fines for delayed departures due to exceptional circumstances currently affecting the region, which led to the closure of airspace and the temporary suspensio»»»

The Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) reported today that, yesterday, its Chairman, Ali Mahmoud Hassan, received the Russian Ambassador to Libya, Aydar Aganin. The LIA reported that the meeting addressed the progress of the LIA’s investments in the Russian financial markets. Discussions also focuse»»»

Egypt’s Minister of Industry, Khaled Hashem, held an extensive meeting with representatives of Elaraby Group, led by CEO Mohamed El-Araby, to review the company’s current operations, future expansion plans, and the challenges facing its production activities. During the meeting, the group outlined »»»

Minister of Transport Kamel Al-Wazir toured Alexandria to review progress on the rehabilitation and modernisation of the historic Raml Tram, a flagship national project aimed at upgrading urban mobility and easing traffic congestion across the coastal city. The 13.2-kilometre line, comprising 24 st»»»

Members of the Argentinean Jewish community and relatives of the victims of the terrorist attack in 1994 against the Jewish Society facilities that caused 85 dead rally at the streets of Buenos Aires in August 2009. File Photo by Cezaro De Luca/EPA ASUNCIÓN, Paraguay, March 4 (UPI) -- Authorities i»»»

Ajman: His Highness Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ajman, has issued Law No. (2) of 2026 concerning the handling of lost and abandoned property in the Emirate of Ajman. Also Read: Ajman Ruler issues law establishing Rental Dispute Resolution CentreThe law de»»»

Tunis, March 4 (TAP) - The market continued its decline on Wednesday for the third consecutive session. The benchmark went down by 0.24% to 14,933.02 points, on a modest trading volume of TND 5.4 million, according to the weekly analysis from broker...»»»

Authorities in Iran have postponed the funeral ceremony for the late Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as US and Israeli forces continue intense strikes across the country. An official said there had been many requests from people wanting to attend the three-day event at a Tehran prayer compl»»»

U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum visited Venezuela on Wednesday, marking a new step in the energy and diplomatic agenda between Washington and Caracas. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo March 4 (UPI) -- Venezuela state oil company Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. announced signing new con»»»

France has withdrawn its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier from the upcoming NATO exercise Cold Response and is instead deploying it to the Mediterranean amid rising tensions in the Middle East. Rather than operating with NATO forces in the Norwegian Sea, the carrier strike group will reposition sou»»»

The CIA is working on arming Kurdish forces hostile to the Iranian government to support the US-Israeli regime-change war against Tehran, CNN has reported. US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have called for a popular uprising after launching strikes against Iran»»»

Dubai: QatarEnergy has declared force majeure on liquefied natural gas (LNG) shipments after suspending production at key facilities following a drone attack on the country’s energy infrastructure. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The state-owned energy giant said it ha»»»

Dubai: Only a small number of airlines are operating special or limited flights out of the UAE, as most scheduled services remain suspended due to regional airspace closures. Stay updated: Get the latest faster by downloading the Gulf News app - it's completely free. Click here for Apple or here fo»»»

Dubai: Dubai’s toll-road operator Salik reported strong financial results for 2025, with revenue and profit rising sharply as traffic volumes increased and pricing reforms boosted income. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The company said revenue rose 35.1% year-on-year »»»

A government aircraft is flying to Abu Dhabi, while another plane chartered by the Bulgarian government is heading to Dubai. The government plane has a capacity of 70 seats, and the aircraft bound for Dubai can carry 320 passengers, said Foreign Ministry's Situation Centre Directorate Director Iren»»»

Dubai: The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) has issued a weather advisory for the UAE, warning residents and motorists of active northwesterly winds sweeping across the country on Wednesday evening. The conditions are expected to continue until late evening, bringing fresh to strong gusts capab»»»

Dubai: UAE passengers stranded abroad have begun returning home, according to UAE travel agents. To meet overwhelming demand for travel, agents said they have begun arranging charter services with UAE and regional airlines. Stay Informed with Gulf News: Download Our App for Trusted UAE News While m»»»

The Ministry of Interior has announced the dismissal of several top officials, including the heads of the General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime, the General Directorate for National Police, and the General Directorate for Gendarmerie, Special Operations and Combating Terrorism. The outg»»»

With Iran looming in the background, EU interior ministers are meeting in Brussels on Thursday (5 March) to discuss how to best deport people ordered to leave the bloc and return to their home countries. A senior EU diplomat told reporters earlier this week that ministers will focus on ways to comp»»»

European stock markets firmed on Wednesday after a global rout driven by fears that surging energy prices from the Middle East war could fan inflation and hit the global economy. The gains followed steep losses across Asian stock markets, where rising oil prices rattled investors on the fifth day o»»»

Gold prices climbed 2% on Wednesday, rebounding from their lowest in more than a week reached in the previous session, as the dollar took a breather and mounting tensions in the Middle East drove investors toward safe havens. Spot gold gained 2.2% to $5,198.58 per ounce by 1017 GMT, after falling m»»»

DOHA: QatarEnergy announced on Wednesday that it has declared force majeure to affected buyers following its earlier decision to halt production of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and associated products. In a statement, QatarEnergy said it values its relationships with all stakeholders and will contin»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Government Communications Office (GCO) shared key facts on frequently asked questions regarding the country's air defence systems. GCO has outlined the points below. Have you recently heard unusually loud sounds? Most likely, these are the sounds of air defence systems intercepting»»»

Dubai: Trading across the UAE's main stock exchanges opened with sharp declines on Wednesday after a two-day suspension, as investors rushed to reprice assets amid rapid geopolitical developments across the region. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The Dubai Financial Ma»»»

Energy Minister Traycho Traykov briefed Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov that Bulgaria has received liquefied natural gas under contracts concluded before the recent escalation in the Middle East. The agreed prices are considerably lower than current market quotations, providing greater predictability »»»

1 of 2 | A smoke column rises above the Iranian capital capital, Tehran, on Tuesday following a U.S. airstrike. Photo by Nahal Farzaneh/UPI | License Photo March 4 (UPI) -- The U.S. military said it has hit almost 2,000 targets with more than 2,000 munitions since launching its "unprecedented opera»»»

Dubai: In the midst of heightened regional tensions stemming from the US–Israel–Iran conflict, a remarkable show of solidarity has emerged from an unexpected quarter - the everyday residents of the UAE. Across Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok, expatriates from dozens of nationalities hav»»»

Dubai: Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain, affirmed that the hostile Iranian attacks targeting Bahrain, the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and Jordan, which resulted in damage to civilian infrastructure, residential buildings, private propert»»»

In response to the current regional developments and the resulting disruptions to travel movements, Etihad Rail has decided, in coordination with all security authorities in Abu Dhabi, to operate exceptional train services from the Al Ghuwaifat border area with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Al Fay»»»

Doha, Qatar: Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) confirms that all health centres continue to operate as normal, providing a full range of primary healthcare services. All scheduled appointments and specialist clinics are running as usual. Appointment booking and enquiries Patients may book, can»»»

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 »»»