Dubai: Dubai-born Leva Hotels has announced its entry into North Africa with a new project in Casablanca. The brand will launch Leva Casablanca this summer through a management agreement with Ismail Oukrid, COO of the Group, Ares Invest, Oukrid Family Office. The property, formerly known as the Was»»»

Damascus, April 3 (SANA) UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo said Syria is at a pivotal moment, with improved stability and the end of the war and violence opening the door for long-term development and investment. In an interview with SANA at the conclusion of his visit to Syria on Thursday, De C»»»

Dubai: More than 40 million students from 138,000 schools across 60 countries took part in the 10th edition of the Arab Reading Challenge, one of the world’s largest literacy initiatives, it was announced on Friday. In a post on X, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President,»»»

The Seventh Meeting of Heads of Ministries and Agencies of Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states responsible for environmental protection concluded today, the press service of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Supervision of Kyrgyzstan reported. As part of th»»»

The caretaker government has submitted to the European Commission the fourth payment request under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), amounting to EUR 900 million, caretaker Deputy Prime Minister for European Funding Maria Nedina told a briefing here on Friday. Caretaker Finance Mini»»»

Islamabad, Pakistan: State-run public transport in Pakistan's capital and most populous province will be free for the coming month, officials said on Friday, after the government drastically raised fuel prices due to spiking global energy prices caused by the Middle East conflict. The announcement »»»

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Djuro Macut chaired on Friday a session of a council coordinating activities and measures for GDP growth, at which it was noted that Serbia continued to register stable macroeconomic results and that March inflation had been at 2.8 pct. The council assessed macroeconomic and o»»»

Al Ain: The UAE’s Minister of Economy has reassured consumers that there are no signs of shortages in food supplies, urging residents to shop responsibly and avoid unnecessary stockpiling. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.During a field visit to the fruits and vegetable»»»

The war in Iran has driven up world food prices, the United Nations reported. Photo by Iranian Red Crescent/UPI | License Photo April 3 (UPI) -- The war in Iran has driven up global food prices and freight costs in March for the second month in a row, according to the United Nations Food and Agricu»»»

Tunis, April 3 (TAP)- The Financial Inclusion Observatory (FIO) announced the launch as of April 6 of the Road Trip of Financial Education as part of the Global Money Week 2026.The initiative is conducted in partnership with several institutional...»»»

Progressive Bulgaria leader Rumen Radev said on Friday that “it is absolutely impossible” for his political force to form a coalition with Movement for Rights and Freedoms leader Delyan Peevski and GERB leader Boyko Borissov. Radev spoke at a meeting with citizens in Zlatograd (Southern Bulgaria) a»»»

Filip Pavlov, top-of-the-list MP candidate for the Anti-Corruption Bloc in Vratsa, presented a vision for more sustainable and healthier cities at a meeting with citizens on Friday, he told BTA. In his words, a national programme for rooftop solar panels, funded by the state and EU funds, should be»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced on Friday his consultations with officials of political parties would be continued on Monday and that, in terms of formal law, early parliamentary elections could be held on May 31 at the earliest, or, potentially, in late March next year, in »»»

The Blue Bulgaria coalition stands for strong Bulgarian agriculture and clean food, Tsveta Kirilova, the coalition's top-of-the-list candidate in Haskovo, said during a meeting with voters, as quoted by her campaign headquarters. “Agriculture is not just a sector of the economy; it is the foundatio»»»

Dubai: As tensions continue in parts of the Middle East, Filipino seafarers operating in regional waters have been urged to remain calm, vigilant, and connected, with authorities rolling out dedicated hotlines to provide immediate assistance. In an advisory, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) »»»

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced the commencement of sidewalk maintenance and rehabilitation works across the emirate, covering a total area of 90,000 square metres, in line with approved preventive maintenance plans for 2026. The total area of sidewalks maintained and reha»»»

Milan, Italy: Italy’s budget deficit declined in 2025 but remained slightly above the European Union’s 3 percent threshold, national statistics agency Istat said on Friday. April, 3, 2026. The deficit stood at 3.1 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), equivalent to €70bn ($81bn), down from 3.4 p»»»

BELGRADE - Speaking to reporters after his party's consultations with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Justice and Reconciliation Party leader Usame Zukorlic said on Friday the party was always ready for elections, especially when there was a consensus on that, but that all circumstances that we»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The United States needs to stop fighting against Iran and not talk about the problem of the blocked Strait of Hormuz, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday. "And when President Trump says, I think he said it the day before yesterday... As soon as we finish the fig»»»

The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure has upgraded its electronic platform into a single government portal offering 121 digital services and bundled solutions, as part of efforts to support the UAE’s zero bureaucracy drive. The platform is supported by systems that monitor performance in real t»»»

Key projects were implemented in Muntenia, Banat and Dobrogea regions and involved the modernization of existing primary stations and secondary stations, along with works for the modernization and extension of underground and overhead power lines. In 2026, the company will continue its investment p»»»

Dubai: A crucial ruling in the case against former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte will be delivered on April 22, as the appeals chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) prepares to decide whether the tribunal has the authority to proceed with the case. "The judgment will be delivered»»»

Dubai: The UAE plans to introduce 140 new locally produced food items over this year and next, in a push to strengthen domestic supply chains and reduce reliance on imports. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The move forms part of a broader strategy to scale up food prod»»»

The Defense Ministers of Kyrgyzstan and Russia held talks. According to the Russian Embassy in the Kyrgyz Republic, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov held talks with Major General Ruslan Mukambetov, the Minister of Defense of the Kyrgyz Republic. «Since our last meeting, the world has underg»»»

Russia’s services sector returned to contraction in March, as weaker demand weighed on activity despite a modest improvement in business confidence, according to data published by S&P Global on April 3.  (chart) »»»

Public debate has focused on US President Donald Trump’s planned $400 million White House ballroom, but the more consequential development may lie beneath it — a vast underground military complex now under construction. Work crews have been digging for weeks below the site of the former East Wing, »»»

The Kyrgyz Republic is strengthening its position in developing paperless trade in the Asia-Pacific region. The press service of the Ministry of Economy reported. According to it, the fifth session of the Standing Committee of the Framework Agreement on Facilitation of Cross-Border Paperless Trade »»»

Gold bullion Gold prices in Egypt saw a rise on Friday, increasing by an average of LE 15 across various karats. The benchmark 21-karat gold reached LE 7,150. As of the time of this report, gold prices in Egypt are as follows: 24-Karat Gold: LE 8,171 21-Karat Gold: LE 7,150 18-Karat Gold: LE 6,128 »»»

What does it mean to govern well, and how should governance performance be gauged? The CPC' answer is that a correct view on governance performance should proceed from reality, respect objective laws, and, through sound decision-making and hard work, create achievements that withstand the test of p»»»

Weeks have passed since the US and Israel launched wide-ranging strikes on Iran on February 28. The US government, although it had told US media on March 11 that the military operation would end "soon," later announced air raids on multiple Iranian targets, including its oil hub Kharg Island, repor»»»

Dubai: The impact of the Iran conflict is moving deeper into the real economy, with fertilizer supplies tightening across global markets and raising the risk of higher food prices in the months ahead. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.Farmers across regions are facing ri»»»

Dubai: Dubai Municipality has launched a new initiative to install electric vehicle (EV) supercharging stations across 600 parking spaces in public parks, beaches, and recreational facilities, with a planned investment of Dh150 million. The project is being implemented in partnership with Emarat EV»»»

Caretaker Finance Minister Georgi Klisurski said here Friday that part of the funds under fourth National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) payment request are at risk. Speaking at a briefing at the Council of Ministers, Klisurski said that the caretaker Cabinet submitted on Thursday the fourth N»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia sees attempts to weaken the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and will do everything to ensure they do not succeed, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday. "We will do everything to ensure that attempts to weaken our organization [the SCO], to diminish»»»

A meeting of the Council for the Development of Business and Entrepreneurship under the Speaker of the Zhogorku Kenesh was held in Kyrgyzstan. The event was attended by members of Parliament led by Marlen Mamataliev, as well as representatives of the Cabinet of Ministers and the business community.»»»

LONDON — Oil surged and stocks fell on Thursday after Donald Trump threatened more heavy strikes on Iran and offered no solution to reopening the key Strait of Hormuz.Investors found little solace in the US president's address to the nation, in which he again urged countries dependent on the waterw»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday he had invited political parties to consultations because he believed that humanity was on the brink of an abyss and because Serbia needed serious decisions. "We need to try to position ourselves responsibly in a situation like this and d»»»

Dubai: In a powerful example of community giving, the UAE public have helped raise nearly Dh6 million for delivery riders, drivers, and taxi captains through a Ramadan campaign launched by Careem. Called "Tip Matching" initiative, the Everything application has maximised customer contributions by m»»»

AI-Generated image/ Egypt signs lifeline million-barrel Libyan oil deal to defy Hormuz blockade Egypt is planning to import at least one million barrels of Libyan crude oil per month, Bloomberg reported. This strategic shift is designed to compensate for the total suspension of Kuwaiti oil supplies»»»

Dubai: Emirates NBD has secured green light to move ahead with its planned acquisition of a majority stake in India’s RBL Bank, setting the stage for one of the largest cross-border deals in the country’s banking sector. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The Reserve Bank»»»

During a meeting last Wednesday (1 April) at his Tripoli Cabinet Office, Tripoli based Libyan Prime Minister, Abdel Hamid Aldabaiba, discussed with the President of the High State Council, Mohammed Takala, the Unified Development Programme. The meeting also addressed the latest political developmen»»»

Dhaka: Bangladesh cut office, shop hours and banned decorative lighting at weddings starting on Friday as it seeks to conserve energy stocks after global price hikes due to the Middle East war. Bangladesh imports 95 percent of its oil and gas needs, mostly from the Middle East and said that, while »»»

Myanmar's pro-army parliament on Friday elected Senior General Min Aung Hlaing as president days after he relinquished his top military post, as required by the constitution, and passed it to the country's former spymaster. Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of the 2021 coup, was elected after an ele»»»

Manila: The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), the $32.4-billion pension fund for state workers, has introduced the "Ginhawa Solar Energy Loan" (GSEL), which could potentially rewire how millions of Filipinos think about paying for electricity. Under this loan programme, GSIS extends the m»»»

Dubai: Legendary Franco-Lebanese pianist Omar Harfouch, fresh from performing in some of the world’s most powerful rooms, is a man on a mission in Dubai. A few days ago, he had played for Pope Francis at the Vatican, and just before that, his Concerto for Peace was staged at Mar-a-Lago, the estate »»»

Presenting GERB-UDF's governance programme Bulgaria 2030 here on Friday, GERB leader Boyko Borissov said there is no chance for his party to form a coalition with Delyan Peevski's Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF). "We brought down a government over this. How can they even mention our names in»»»

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) decided in its meeting on Thursday, to keep the key interest rates unchanged. Consequently, the overnight deposit rate, overnight lending rate, and the rate of the main operation remain fixed at 19.00 percent, 20.00 percent, and»»»

Four Artemis astronauts were zooming towards the Moon late Thursday after a major engine firing, a milestone that commits NASA to the first crewed lunar flyby in more than half a century. With enough thrust to accelerate a stationary car to highway driving speed in less than three seconds, the Orio»»»

Tunis, April 3 (TAP) — Prospects for enhanced cooperation between Tunisia and the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation (GATF) were at the heart of a meeting held Thursday between Director General of Tunisian Customs Mohamed Hédi Safer and a GATF...»»»