BusinessGlobal issuesWhat are the challenges facing the world economy in 2026?Srinivas MazumdaruFrom trade tensions and high debt burdens to fears of an AI stocks bubble, the global economy will face an array of risks that could dampen growth in the new year. https://p.dw.com/p/55gqlThe OECD says t»»»

Kyrgyzstan will implement artificial intelligence in tax audits in 2026. Salyk Service State Institution announced. Over the past four years, the agency has digitized all types of tax reports and launched remote payment through the cabinet.salyk.kg platform and Salyk mobile app. In 2025, developers»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Chamber hosted a press conference at its headquarters yesterday to announce the first edition of the International Exhibition on Robotics and Artificial Intelligence technologies (ROBOTECH), which will be held from October 27 - 29, 2026 in Doha, with official support from Qatar C»»»

President Donald Trump has stated that US forces destroyed a “big facility” along the shore of Venezuela, marking what appears to be the first known land strike by the US within the country. On Friday, Trump first mentioned the US military action in an interview on WABC radio, saying, “We just knoc»»»

BELGRADE - The head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic said on Tuesday 2025 had been an extremely difficult year for Serbs in the Autonomous Province of Kosovo-Metohija, and noted that Belgrade would never give up on its people and that it would be fighting everywhe»»»

Dubai: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) is set to resume flights between Islamabad and London, marking the end of a six-year hiatus in the route. The national carrier will operate four flights per week, landing passengers at London’s Heathrow Airport Terminal 4, a move aimed at enhancing trave»»»

Kyrgyzstan improved its position in the mobile internet rankings in November. The Speedtest Global Index says. However, the country slightly slipped in the fixed broadband segment. The average download speed reached 51.63 Mbps, upload speed stood at 14.77 Mbps, and average latency was 20 Mbps. Thes»»»

The Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan has approved a protocol on the dissolution of the Intergovernmental Council on Oil and Gas, signed on September 28, 2012, in Yalta. The relevant resolution was adopted as part of the completion of domestic legal procedures. The document was approved in accorda»»»

French right-wing figure Éric Ciotti has called for a national tribute to honour film legend Brigitte Bardot, prompting objections from political opponents on the left. "France has a duty to honour its Marianne," said Ciotti, referring to the emblem of French liberty whose face Bardot was chosen to»»»

DOHA: Qatar Chamber has announced the first edition of the International Exhibition on Robotics and Artificial Intelligence technologies (ROBOTECH), which will be held from Oct 27-29 of 2026 in Doha, with official support from Qatar Chamber. The press conference was attended by First Vice-Chairman »»»

The handover of Palestinian weapons resumed Tuesday as the Palestine Liberation Organization surrendered a fifth batch of heavy weapons at the Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp in the southeastern outskirts of the port city of Sidon. During a visit to Beirut in May, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and»»»

The Iranian foreign ministry designated the Royal Canadian Navy a terrorist organization on Tuesday in what it said was retaliation for Canada's 2024 blacklisting of Iran's Revolutionary Guards. In a statement, the ministry said that the move was in reaction to Ottawa declaring the Guards, the ideo»»»

Great white sharks in the Mediterranean Sea are in danger of disappearing, with illegal fishing contributing to their decline. This is according to research by US scientists, working in partnership with UK charity Blue Marine Foundation. They say some of the most threatened species - including grea»»»

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday, following threats from US President Donald Trump, that Tehran's response to aggression would be harsh. "The Islamic Republic of Iran's response to any aggression and oppression will be harsh and will make you regret it," Pezesh»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Interior has urged citizens and residents to use the “Communicate with Us” window on the Metrash app to communicate directly with the Security Systems Department and submit complaints using the “Contact Us” feature. These complaints can be made against violations by sec»»»

Thousands of people, some dressed as Vikings carrying flaming torches, marched through Scotland's capital of Edinburgh as a procession kicked off the country's world-famous New Year celebrations. Around 15,000 participants, led by bagpipers, walked through the city's historic center late Monday as »»»

The lowest temperatures in Bulgaria in January are expected to range between minus 18 and minus 13 degrees Celsius, with milder conditions along the Black Sea coast, while the highest temperatures will be between 10 and 15 degrees, reaching up to 18 degrees in some areas of the Fore-Balkan region, »»»

The Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan approved the procedure for using the names of the heroes of the Manas epic. The document was adopted pursuant to the Law «On the Manas Epic» and establishes rules for the use of the names of the trilogy’s key characters in various fields, including in names, b»»»

Abu Dhabi: The Integrated Transport Centre (Abu Dhabi Mobility) has announced a series of restrictions on labour buses during the New Year period to ease congestion and improve road safety. According to the advisory, the movement of labour buses will be restricted on Abu Dhabi–Al Ain Road E22 from »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia's Battlegroup Zapad took control of the settlement on Boguslavka in the Kharkov region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. "As a result of decisive actions, units of the Zapad group of forces took control of the village of Boguslavka in the Kharkov region," the »»»

Singapore: Facebook owner Meta has agreed to acquire Manus, an artificial intelligence agent created by a company founded in China but now based in Singapore, the two firms said. Exceeding the capabilities of AI chatbots like ChatGPT, AI agents can autonomously perform complex tasks for users, and »»»

Dubai: From midnight fireworks in Dubai to beach parties in Miami and once-in-a-lifetime safaris in Kenya, New Year’s Eve is celebrated very differently around the world. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.For UAE travellers planning a very last-minute year-end escape, he»»»

Jailed Turkish Kurd leader Abdullah Ocalan said Tuesday that it was "crucial" for Türkiye’s government to broker a peace deal between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Damascus government. Clashes between Syrian forces and the SDF have cast doubt over a deal to integrate the gr»»»

The upcoming adoption of the euro as the national currency in Bulgaria from the beginning of 2026 dominates the news media on Tuesday. Many outlets carry articles with practical tips to help people through the transition, or recall the key steps Bulgaria took to join the eurozone. TRANSITION TO EUR»»»

The fourth and fifth payments under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), worth nearly EUR 2.5 billion, must be made in the first half of 2026, as announced by the outgoing Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Innovation and Growth, Tomislav Donchev, at the start of Tuesday's Council o»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will make a public address at an annual conference on Tuesday. The conference, to be held at the eGovernment House, is scheduled for 4 pm, the presidential press office has announced. Serbia Aleksandar Vučić conference»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Deputy Amir HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Thani met at his Amiri Diwan office on Tuesday morning with Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the State of Qatar HE Ridwan Hassan, who called on His Highness to greet him on the occasion of the end of his tenure in the country. H»»»

Jailed Turkish Kurd leader Abdullah Ocalan said in a message published Tuesday that it was "crucial" for the Turkish government to broker a peace deal between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Damascus government. "It is essential for Turkey to play a role of facilitator, const»»»

Customs officers seized nearly 40 tonnes of smuggled vegetables at the Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint, the regional press centre of the Customs Agency in Svilengrad said on Tuesday. The vegetables were found during inspections of three trucks entering Bulgaria from Turkiye. The total net weight»»»

BELGRADE - The Serbian dinar's official median exchange rate against the euro is 117.2912 dinars for one euro on Tuesday, which is a slight change relative to Monday, the National Bank of Serbia said. The dinar is up by 0.1 pct against the euro m-o-m, down by 0.3 pct y-o-y and by 0.2 pct relative t»»»

Dubai: Syria has unveiled a series of redesigned banknotes as part of a sweeping monetary reform aimed at stabilising the national currency and restoring confidence in the economy after years of turmoil. The new Syrian pound removes two zeros from the old denomination and abandons portraits of form»»»

Dubai: From January 1, 2026, businesses registered with the UAE’s Federal Tax Authority (FTA) will no longer need to pay for paper tax certificates, as the Authority shifts fully to free digital registration certificates. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The move falls »»»

DOHA: Qatar Development Bank (QDB) has won the Startup Ecosystem Star 2025 award, presented by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and Mind the Bridge. The award recognizes leading institutions that have demonstrated exceptional leadership, a sustainable impact, and overall excellence in de»»»

Dubai: From sky-high records to global recognition, the UAE has wrapped up 2025 with a string of impressive milestones. The nation has cemented its position as a world leader in hospitality, innovation, infrastructure, and humanitarian efforts. Whether breaking Guinness World Records, leading in ar»»»

Dubai: As the new year dawns, UAE residents are setting meaningful intentions for 2026, with a clear focus on health, family connections and self-care. Residents are prioritising what truly matters after reflecting on the year gone by. Muhammed Ridwan, an Al Ain resident, said he is looking forward»»»

Egypt and Djibouti have signed three strategic cooperation agreements covering maritime transport, logistics infrastructure, and renewable energy, underscoring a growing push to deepen bilateral economic and trade relations and strengthen regional supply chains in the Horn of Africa.The agreements »»»

Egyptian industrial and investment group “Al Masryeen for Industry and Investment”, led by prominent businessman Ahmed Abu Hesheema, has signalled a significant expansion into the Saudi Arabian market, with plans to invest in the energy and agriculture sectors by late 2026 or early 2027. The announ»»»

The Kremlin said on Tuesday that a Ukrainian drone attack on a presidential residence in ​the Novgorod region would toughen Russia's position on a possible peace deal to end the fighting. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has dismissed the Russian accusations as "another round of lies" aimed »»»

President Donald Trump warned the US could carry out further military strikes against Iran if it attempts to rebuild its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. He made the remarks to journalists alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Monday. In J»»»

Russian officials have denounced a Ukrainian drone attack on President Vladimir Putin’s state residence as an act of “state terrorism,” saying it sought to sabotage ongoing peace efforts between Moscow and Washington. Moscow revealed late on Monday that the Ukrainian military had fired a barrage of»»»

The United Arab Emirates and Nicaragua have strongly condemned the attempted Ukrainian kamikaze drone attack targeting the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kiev launched 91 long-range strike drones at Putin’s state residence in Novgorod Region on the night of December 28-29, Russian F»»»

A man died Tuesday morning after being struck by a suburban train (Proastiakos) in Ano Liosia, western Athens, authorities said. The Hellenic Train operator said the man, reportedly around 50, attempted to cross the tracks in a closed and fenced section near Liosion railway station. Emergency crews»»»

The government in 2025 worked like a programme-based cabinet despite appearing political, outgoing Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said on Tuesday at the start of the cabinet’s last meeting of the year. Zhelyazkov described the year as dynamic, complex and important on the geopolitical, European an»»»

The Kremlin on Tuesday said it was ​necessary to develop a dialogue with Iran and urged all parties to refrain from escalation after ‌US President ‌Donald Trump ‌said ⁠Washington ​would ‌support another massive strike on Iran. Flanked by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump suggested on»»»

The National Investment Agency of Kyrgyzstan has launched an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot Invest Kyrgyz AI Bot. It will simplify interaction between entrepreneurs and government resources, agency’s head Ravshanbek Sabirov announced at a press conference. According to him, the new service»»»

Taxi passengers on New Year’s Eve should be prepared to pay only in cash after 9:00 p.m., as card payments will no longer be available. Many taxi applications depend on bank cards, which means customers will need to have either Bulgarian leva or euros on hand. Drivers will accept cash payments only»»»

Russia’s nuclear-capable Oreshnik missile system has entered active service, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Tuesday, as negotiators continue to search for a breakthrough in peace talks to end Moscow’s war in Ukraine. Troops held a brief ceremony to mark the occasion in neighboring Belarus where »»»

At the beginning of Tuesday's Cabinet meeting, outgoing Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov reported that the mechanism for introducing the euro will be enhanced by establishing a coordination centre that will be headed by Vladimir Ivanov, the Chair of the Commodity Exchange and Wholesale Markets State»»»

Russian President's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov called Kiev's attempt to attack President Vladimir Putin's residence a terrorist act aimed at disrupting the negotiation process. "The attempt to strike at the president's residence in the Novgorod region is indeed a terrorist act aimed at sabotagin»»»

Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Adylbek Kasymaliev handed over 44 official vehicles to the Ministry of Agriculture. According to the Cabinet of Ministers, the total cost of the vehicles is 92.6 million soms. The vehicles were purchased with public funds and donated to the Ministr»»»