By Mona Alam Eldin Small and medium enterprises have been considered the backbone of the the Promising economies in most countries. The government of Egypt gave a great interest to small and medium enterprises as a part of its short and long term strategy for the development of economy in Egypt , a»»»

Doha: The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) index closed higher on Monday, rising 185.84 points, or 1.83%, to 10,346.22 points. A total of 184,030,284 shares were traded, with a turnover of QR 410,552,914.883 across 17,697 transactions in all sectors. Shares of 48 companies advanced, while three declined »»»

Gold prices were nearly steady on Monday, as market participants stayed cautious and awaited further signals on the evolving US-Iran situation and its impact on global interest rates. Spot gold was little changed at $4,669.13 per ounce by 9:26 a.m. ET (1326 GMT) after falling 1% earlier in the sess»»»

DOHA: Qatar Chamber participated in a virtual seminar organised by the Federation of Gulf Cooperation Council Chambers (FGCCC) to discuss the key challenges and obstacles facing the Gulf private sector amid current circumstances, while also addressing the views and concerns of private sector repres»»»

Monte Carlo, Monaco: Principality of Monaco, Stan Wawrinka bid farewell to the Monte Carlo Masters as the 2014 champion fell 7-5, 7-5 to Sebastian Baez in the first round on Monday, April 6, 2026. The 41-year-old three-time Grand Slam winner will retire from tennis at the end of the season and ente»»»

Tunis, April 6 (TAP)- A consular team travelled Sunday to Santa Croce Camerina, Ragusa (southern Italy) to provide services to Tunisian expatriates in the city. The massively attended event was an opportunity to listen to the concerns and proposals...»»»

The price of oil see-sawed in trading on Monday in line with developments in the Iran conflict seen either as escalatory, or likely to bring peace. Prices at the pump at U.S. gas stations, however, continued their march higher. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo April 6 (UPI) -- The p»»»

Dubai: Living rooms doubling as classrooms and parents helping tiny fingers click the right login button. This was the scene at many households in Dubai on Monday morning as Indian and Pakistani schools began the 2026-27 academic year online, with hundreds of kindergarten children experiencing thei»»»

Authorities in Bulgaria report a significant escalation in efforts to combat election-related violations, with 183 individuals detained in connection with crimes against electoral rights, according to the Coordination Council overseeing the vote. At the same time, over 1,000 alerts have been submit»»»

Dubai: Saudi Arabia is moving towards a more integrated travel experience, with national carrier Saudia and Saudi Arabia Railways signing an agreement to combine air and rail ticketing systems. The deal, announced at the Umrah and Ziyarah Forum 2026 in Madinah, will allow travellers to issue boardi»»»

Dubai: A visa-free travel agreement between Russia and Saudi Arabia will come into effect on May 11, allowing citizens of both countries to enter without a visa, according to a statement issued by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The agreement enables nationals of Russia and the Kingdom of »»»

Morocco on Monday began futures trading in financial instruments with its first listing of a standard futures contract on the MASI 20 equity index, the central bank and the AMMC - the capital markets regulator - said. The contract, called the "MASI 20 Future," is based on an index that tracks the 2»»»

Spa Hotel Kleptuza Velingrad prioritizes family tourism, and this year it is offering free access to the newly opened salt room for children with respiratory issues, the hotel manager Dochka Tsvetanova told BTA. She said that mineral water is the main feature of the spa centre and is exclusively us»»»

Doha, Qatar: Under the patronage of the Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Qatar University (QU) will hold its Graduation Ceremony for male students of Class 2026 on May 4, 2026. In a statement on Monday, QU said the graduation ceremony for female students will be held on May 5, in the presen»»»

A dedicated fund for the development of border regions is needed, Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) leader Krum Zarkov said at a campaign event in Svilengrad, South Central Bulgaria, as quoted by the party's press centre. "There is a strong small and medium-sized business sector, cultural life and pe»»»

NASA’s Artemis II mission is a milestone moment on multiple fronts. For the first time in over 50 years, the agency has sent a crewed spacecraft into deep space, marking its return to human lunar exploration in the 21st century. But alongside that historic leap comes a surprisingly modern twist: as»»»

More than 1,500 people a year participate in the National Social Security Institute’s (NSSI) prevention and rehabilitation programme at the Velingrad Balneological Hotel, its manager Petya Ferezlieva told BTA. She said that a vacation in Velingrad, one of Bulgaria’s most picturesque regions, combin»»»

Skopje, 2 April 2026 (MIA) - Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski will attend Thursday the cornerstone laying ceremony for a 400 kV transmission line from Transmission Substation (TS) “Bitola 2” to the Kjafasan border crossing on the Macedonian-Albanian border. According to the government press servic»»»

Iran warned of "much more devastating retaliation" if U.S. President Donald Trump follows through on "power plants and bridges day" attacks he has threatened to unleash beginning Tuesday night if Tehran does not reopen the Hormuz Strait. File Photo by Behnam Tofighi/UPI | License Photo April 6 (UPI»»»

British King Charles III has issued an Easter message to Christians, after Buckingham Palace came under fire earlier this week for stating that he would not make one. He recently delivered greetings to Muslims on Ramadan. The British monarch is traditionally the Supreme Governor of the Church of En»»»

The national initiative "Accept Me", aimed at promoting foster care, was launched at the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) National Press Club in Sofia in partnership with the Social Assistance Agency under the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy on Monday. The opening was attended by caretaker Minister»»»

Houston: The Artemis astronauts entered the final phase of their run-up to a lunar loop on Monday, a tipping point of sorts that means the Moon's gravity is now having a stronger pull on the spacecraft than Earth's. The Orion capsule will now whip around the Moon, setting the crew up to travel fart»»»

An international tourist train operated by German tour company Lernidee Erlebnisreisen GmbH, traveling along the Great Silk Road route through Central Asia, has arrived in Bishkek. According to Kyrgyz Temir Zholu state enterprise, the train arrived on April 6 at Bishkek-2 railway station. It consis»»»

Prediction platform Polymarket has apologized for allowing users to place bets on whether American airmen from a downed US fighter jet would be rescued from Iran after facing backlash over questionable ethics. On Friday, a two-seater F-15E Strike Eagle was shot down over Iran, prompting the US to l»»»

BPI Real Estate warns that uncertainty is returning to Poland’s housing market, as contractors raise prices and developers prepare for higher costs. Geopolitical tensions, especially in the Middle East, may push construction offers up by a few percent. Despite this, the company continues expanding »»»

OKAM Capital plans to deliver around 1,000 apartments in 2026, focusing on large, mixed-use projects in Warsaw, Łódź, and Katowice. Its flagship development, FSO Park in Warsaw, will transform a 60-hectare former industrial site into a new district with housing, services, schools, and a 10-hectare »»»

Bulgaria marked the start of its annual Forest Week on Monday, with Prime Minister Andrey Gurov drawing a parallel between the care of forests and the care of democracy. Speaking at the opening ceremony at a forestry enterprise near Yundola in the Rhodope mountains, the Prime Minister said, "The fo»»»

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide a $28.2 million grant to support Kyrgyzstan in emergency situations. A draft law ratifying the relevant agreement has been submitted to the Zhogorku Kenesh for consideration. According to the draft agreement, the funds will be allocated through two mech»»»

Landscaping work is underway at eight former cemeteries in Osh that underwent reclamation last year. Young trees are being planted on their grounds. Azamat Sovetbek uulu, head of the Osh Landscaping and Greenery Plant, told 24.kg news agency that his company is responsible for four sites. A total o»»»

POLITICS With early parliamentary elections in Bulgaria two weeks away, the possibility of a coalition between two of the highest-ranked political entities in public opinion polls, Progressive Bulgaria and Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB), is discussed in a comment by political ana»»»

Emar Spa Hotel in Sapareva Banya has established itself as one of the region’s most popular vacation destinations with its blend of modern elegance, comfort, and authentic Bulgarian hospitality, attracting guests with its mineral water, tranquility, and personalized service, Vesela Vaseva of the ho»»»

Dubai: Dubai’s business community is stepping in to support smaller enterprises amid the war. Businesses are navigating a difficult operating environment marked by rising oil prices, a slowdown in tourism flows, supply chain disruptions, and softer consumer demand. While activity in areas such as t»»»

Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they are completing preparations to enforce new operating conditions in the Strait of Hormuz, which has been all but shut since the war with the United States and Israel began. The Guards naval forces said in a post on X Sunday that the IRGC naval force is completin»»»

Romania’s 2026 Entrepreneurial Index has dropped to its lowest level in three years, signalling a climate of widespread pessimism and distrust among the local business community. A combination of stifling bureaucracy, high taxation, and restricted access to finance has created a bleak outlook for t»»»

Meerimbek Koichumanov, Deputy Head of the National Investment Agency of Kyrgyzstan, met with representatives of the German company Lenus Health GmbH, led by Sam Azimi, and the German Global Trade Forum Berlin, including Eberhard J. Trempel, Head of China Forum Berlin, and Natallia Lenchanka, Repres»»»

Citigroup ‌has pushed back its Fed rate-cut timeline, citing unexpectedly strong US job gains and persistent inflation risks. The Wall Street brokerage now expects a total of 75 basis points of rate cuts in September, October and December ‌instead of June, ‌July and September, ‌according ⁠to a note»»»

The dollar was steady on Monday, while the yen flirted with the crucial 160 per dollar level, as nervous investors took stock of the escalating Iran war, with all eyes on the latest deadline from US President Donald Trump to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. In an expletive-laden Easter Sunday social me»»»

Dubai: US President Donald Trump’s repeated ultimatums to Iran over the Strait of Hormuz are beginning to raise a different question — not what happens if the deadline passes, but whether anyone still believes it will. For more than two weeks, Trump has issued a series of time-bound threats demandi»»»

On April 4, officers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) detained citizen B.A.T., 39, near Osh market in Bishkek. He led a radical cell of the banned religious extremist organization Hizb ut-Tahrir in Kara-Kul, Jalal-Abad region. According to t»»»

TOKYO — Crude oil prices opened higher on Monday, with US benchmark West Texas Intermediate up 1.86 percent to $113.62 a barrel, as the war in the Middle East continues to squeeze global energy supplies.North Sea Brent crude was also higher at the week's market opening, climbing 1.16 percent to $11»»»

Dubai: Borouge Plc confirmed that the incident at its Ruwais Industrial Area facilities on Sunday led to asset damage and a temporary halt in affected operations. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.The company stated: “Borouge Plc confirms that an in»»»

A debtor has been sentenced to two years in prison for evading for child support payments in Batken region, the Bailiff Service under the Prosecutor General’s Office of Kyrgyzstan reported. According to the agency, enforcement proceedings were underway in Batken regional division against a debtor D»»»

Los Angeles, USA: Universal and Illumination's animated adventure film "The Super Mario Galaxy Movie" dominated the North American box office in its opening weekend with 130.9 million U.S. dollars, data from measurement firm Comscore showed on Sunday. It is the biggest debut so far this year in Nor»»»

Tintyava Park Hotel in Varshets offers year-round therapeutic treatments using mineral water. The hotel has also been working with the National Social Security Institute (NSSI) prevention and rehabilitation programme for insured individuals for the past 28 years, hotel manager Iva Georgieva told BT»»»

Powerful explosives were found near the Balkan Stream pipeline in Serbia that carries Russian gas to Hungary, the leaders of the two countries said on Sunday, triggering political scrutiny in Hungary days before a national election.  Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said the army and police »»»

Dubai: Dubai’s property market closed March with a clear leader, with DAMAC Properties topping sales activity by a wide margin as demand held firm despite regional tensions. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The developer recorded Dh3.12 billion in sales across 1,106 tra»»»

Preparations for the Hajj season are underway in Kyrgyzstan, with 6,060 citizens set to visit the holy sites this year. Deputy Mufti Zholdoshbek azhy Abdyldaev, told 24.kg news agency. According to him, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Hajj annually issues guidelines regarding rules of stay and complianc»»»

The Saudi Space Agency announced the successful launch of its new satellite, Shams, and established contact with it as part of the Artemis II mission, marking the Kingdom’s emergence as both the leading Arab partner in the program and the first to deploy a dedicated national mission to study space »»»

Tokyo: Oil prices pared gains Monday after a spike following fresh threats in the war in the Middle East, while Tokyo and Seoul shares closed higher. Many markets in Asia and Europe were closed for holidays on Easter Monday, which coincides with China's Qingming Festival. Crude oil contracts had su»»»

Government officials reaffirmed, during the Traders–Decision Makers Forum recently organized by the Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the emirate’s ongoing efforts to support business continuity, strengthen supply chains and the flow of goods, and reinforce Abu Dhabi’s ability to navigate»»»