A naval blockade is one of the most powerful military tools available short of a full-scale invasion. It aims to prevent ships from entering or leaving an enemy's ports, disrupting trade, military logistics and energy exports. Also Read: Trump vows fresh blockade on Iranian ships through Strait of »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Sri Lankan Community Development Forum (CDF Qatar), representing the Sri Lankan community, has expressed profound sorrow over the passing of Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, paying tribute to his visionary leadership and lasting contributions to Qatar’s remarkable»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe US bid to reopen Hormuz Strait falters after Iran missile strike on two UAE tankers 14-07-2026 08:50 AM Latest News Urgent News Decisive Re»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Yemeni Armed Forces warn all international airlines against flying through Saudi airspace 14-07-2026 08:53 AM Latest News Urgent News Decis»»»

The cultivated land in Romania increased in 2025 nationwide by 40,000 hectares from 2024, reaching 8.214 million hectares, with the majority private sector having a share of 99.1%, or 8.139 million hectares, according to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).The counties that»»»

Electric vehicles (EVs) accounted for 4.74 percent of all new vehicle registrations in Romania in June, reaching a total of 2,264 units, while registrations in the first six months of the year totalled 8,947 units, according to data published by Lektri.Co, one of the country's leading electric mobi»»»

Used hybrid cars in Romania have their odometers rolled back by an average of 96,000 km?almost the same as diesel cars?according to a specialized analysis published on Wednesday.According to data compiled by the vehicle history reporting platform carVertical, diesel cars lead the way in terms of th»»»

New vehicle registrations in Romania increased by 0.3% in the first six months of this year from 2025, with battery electric vehicles (BEVs) surging 76.6% to a total market share of 8.5%, according to data published by the Association of Romanian Motor Vehicle Manufacturers and Importers (APIA).The»»»

The first university degree programme in Central and Eastern Europe dedicated to the prevention and integrated management of obesity has been launched in Romania at the "Victor Babes" University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Timisoara.The two-year programme was initiated and is coordinated by Bogdan »»»

Investments under the PNRR aimed at modernizing the healthcare system have reached an 81% absorption rate at the Ministry of Health, the institution announced.On last Thursday, the Ministry of Health made payments totaling over 162.5 million lei for projects aimed at modernizing medical infrastruct»»»

Over 90% of mobile phones active in Romania are equipped with technologies that allow for faster and more accurate location transmission to the 112 emergency service, shows the first survey conducted by the National Authority for Administration and Regulation in Communications (ANCOM) on the techni»»»

Almost four in ten hoteliers in Romania frequently face rooms left in a state that requires additional cleaning, and a third of them report the accommodation of a larger number of people than declared in the reservation, reveals a survey conducted by the booking platform Travelminit among the owner»»»

Only one in four Romanians chooses to spend their holiday abroad. Of those, 65% have opted for destinations such as Greece, Bulgaria, Italy and Turkey, while 55.6% plan to travel by private car, according to a survey conducted by CEC Bank in partnership with the banking comparison website FinZoom.r»»»

Romanians' shopping carts in summer are becoming fresher, with fruit, vegetables, dairy products and bakery products being among the categories with the highest growth, and watermelon being the star product this summer, according to data centralised by a platform for online ordering."Romanians' sho»»»

A new study by iSense Solutions finds that the pressure felt by Romanian consumers increased in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the beginning of the year, and remains at alert level. Romanians are facing higher prices, political instability, health concerns and a tense international context »»»

During the first half of 2026, companies leased a total of 80,790 sqm of office space in Bucharest, representing a 29% increase compared with the same period of 2025, according to a report by Fortim Trusted Advisors, Alliance Member of BNP Paribas Real Estate. Cluj-Napoca also recorded stronger off»»»

According to REMAX Romania, a real estate network, the main trend observed in the Romanian real estate market during the first half of 2026 was growing caution among buyers, accompanied by a significant extension of the home-buying decision process. The market remains active but is operating under »»»

The drop of interest rates for mortgages, recorded in the last 6 months in EU, led to better access in contracting real estate financing. Romania is 5th in the top of five state with the cheapest such loans, considering average wages and the costs of buying a two-room apartment with credit. Accordi»»»

Social networks and other digital channels have become, for many beneficiaries, the first place where they are looking for house builders, offers and models . Specialists warn that commercial practises have appeared. Those practises could create confusion and determine them to make decisions withou»»»

Sustainability criteria are increasingly being taken into account by banks when financing real estate projects in Romania, and buildings that meet green financing standards may benefit from more favourable lending terms, according to a study by real estate consultancy Colliers.The findings are base»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Sports and Youth’s Summer Activity Plan 2026 marks a significant shift from traditional activities to specialised, high-quality programmes designed to meet the evolving interests and aspirations of young people, a senior ministry official has said. Speaking to Qatar Tel»»»

Abu Dhabi: President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent a message of congratulations to President Emmanuel Macron of the Republic of France on the occasion of his country's National Day. His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Rul»»»

TEHRAN: Iran’s parliament has begun work on a bill on the Strait of Hormuz, the head of the security committee said on Tuesday, as fighting flared between Washington and Tehran over the strategic waterway.“Last night, coinciding with the downing of US drones, the ‘Strategic Action for the Security »»»

ARBONNE-LA-FORET, France: France on Tuesday battled two fires that scorched over 1,900 hectares in a forest south of Paris on Monday, as police arrested two people suspected of arson. Fires raging in the Fontainebleau forest since Sunday afternoon had burned through more than 1,900 hectares by Tues»»»

BANGKOK: The death toll from a huge fire in a Bangkok music bar has increased to 30, officials said Tuesday. More than 70 people were injured, with 24 of them still in critical condition, according to a statement by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. The blaze at the Rong Beer Na Ladprao bar »»»

Doha, Qatar: Father Amir H H Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani succeeded in firmly establishing the concept of cultural and humanitarian diplomacy for the State of Qatar, said Prof. Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh Al Nuaimi (pictured), Chairman of the Board of Doha International Center for Interfaith Dialogu»»»

Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva has sent an opinion to National Assembly Chair Mihaila Dotsova and the Chair of the Education and Science Committee, Dimitar Zdravkov, regarding the bill to amend and supplement the Preschool and School Education Act, the Ombudsman's press office said. In her opinion, D»»»

The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) said on Tuesday that it had prevented an attack with FPV drones planned by the Ukrainian Security Service, targeting a strategic defense enterprise in the Moscow Region. MOSCOW, July 14 (Sputnik) - "In the course of efforts to counter the Ukrainian special»»»

As the GCC region endures rising temperatures — with 2024 recorded as the hottest year globally and the area warming at double the world average — Levoit has introduced the Windi Mini, a compact desk fan engineered to combat urban heat island effects, stagnant air, and sleep disruption caused by th»»»

The Bucharest Court of Appeal on Monday ruled in favor of the six defendants in the Bihor illegal care home case, revoking the judicial control measures previously imposed on them. The court also rejected the DIICOT prosecutors’ request for a preventive measure. The ruling is ...»»»

The Railway Reform Authority (ARF) and the Romanian-French Association TTL Planning SRL - Systra have signed the contract for the acquisition of the scheduled train service around the major cities in Romania, ARF announced on Monday in a press release.The project is co-financed by the European Unio»»»

Inflation reached its peak in May began to decline toward 6% by the end of the year, close to the target of 5.5% assumed by BNR according to an analysis made by the Employers’ Confederation Concordia on the basis of the data of the National Institute for Statistics (INS), regarding the annual rate »»»

The slowing down of inflation in June confirms the starting of a disinflation trend but it is not the end of inflationary episode and going towards the target of 2.5% of the National bank is still a long process, considers Flavius Valentin Jakubowicz, vice-chairman of the Association of Financial-B»»»

The annual inflation rate could continue to fall in the second half of the year to around 6% at the end of 2026, but the risks generated by the developments in energy prices, the geopolitical context and possible fiscal changes remain high, economic consultant Adrian Negrescu said."The downward tre»»»

Electricity (+59.97%), rent (+43.29%) and diesel fuel (+28.16%) topped price increases in Romania in June 2026, year-over-year, while potatoes (-14.47%), fresh fruit (-9.48%) and corn (-5.49%) became the cheaper, according to an analysis published on Monday by the National Institute of Statistics (»»»

Annual inflation rate falls to 10.42% in June from 10.85% in May, with services rising by 13.67%, non-food goods by 12.29% and food goods by 5.75%, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS) data published on Monday."The consumer price index in June 2026 compared with May 2026 was 100.»»»

The European Commission approved the proposal to renegotiate the NRRP on Monday, and formal approval by the Council of the European Union is expected on August 7, according to the interim Minister of Investments and European Projects, Dragos Pislaru."Good news, exclusively, from Brussels: the Europ»»»

Liberal MEP Siegfried Muresan, proposed by the National Liberal Party (PNL), the Save Romania Union (USR) and the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) for the post of prime minister, explained on Monday why the Liberals no longer trust handing over the rule to the PSD now, "with the promise»»»

Senate President ,the liberal Mircea Abrudean, maintains that Romania cannot afford to waste any more time on political disputes, as reforms must be adopted to access European funds and strengthen budgetary balance."Instead of calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan (who, in any »»»

UDMR President Kelemen Hunor announced on Monday that, during the consultations at Cotroceni, he had proposed an "armistice" government, as a "comfortable" majority could not be found."It was a Zen atmosphere, so to speak. In the first part, we discussed the bills that need to be approved during an»»»

National leader of the Save Romania Union (USR) Dominic Fritz on Monday said that Romania needs a "courageous" government that delivers results for the citizens, and if it is not possible to outline a parliamentary majority to support it, perhaps the decision should belong to the public."We need a »»»

Social-democrat chairman Sorin Grindeanu (PSD) stated on Monday that no names for the position of prime minister were discussed during the consultations at Cotroceni with President Nicusor Dan.When asked at Parliament whether Alexandru Nazare's name had been discussed, Grindeanu replied that there »»»

Romania fully respects the sovereignty and the right of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova to democratically decide their future, the Romanian Embassy in Chisinau stated. The message was conveyed in the context of recent statements made by the Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to C»»»

The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, will pay a state visit to the Republic of Moldova on July 20, followed by a state visit to Romania over July 23 - 25, the Embassy of India in Bucharest announced."The two state visits highlight India's deepening engagement with Europe and reaffirm its determi»»»

Romania has provided information regarding several individuals suspected of carrying out cyberattacks through the Noname platform, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.With acting Foreign Minister Oana Toiu participating in the Foreign Affairs Council meeting, the legal validity of Romani»»»

Romania "firmly" condemns, together with the other EU member states and allied countries, the hostile cyber activities carried out by groups controlled by Center 16 of the Russian Federation's Federal Security Service (FSB), including APT TURLA, targeting EU Member States, NATO Allies and their par»»»

Ukraine must be able to negotiate peace from a position of strength, President Nicusor Dan said on Monday, after participating in the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris.According to him, Romania's immediate priority remains ensuring freedom of navigation and protecting trade routes in»»»

Romania strongly condemns hostile cyber activities carried out by groups controlled by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation targeting European Union member states, NATO allies and their partners, including Romania, President Nicusor Dan conveyed on Monday.The head of state stresse»»»

Dear readers, We are back with a new issue of the Secrecy Tracker – your regular update on what the EU institutions prefer to keep under wraps. I am Nikolaj Nielsen, a reporter at EUobserver, who has for years struggled to gain access to EU documents. I wrote this newsletter with the help of EUobse»»»

Dubai: UAE passengers faced flight cancellations on Tuesday after Yemen’s Houthis targeted Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia with missiles and drones, disrupting services connecting the city with the UAE and other parts of the kingdom. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & B»»»