BusinessUnited States of AmericaWealth tax: Why are countries afraid to tax the ultrarich?Timothy RooksGrowing income inequality and public displays of billionaire power are increasing calls for new income and wealth taxes aimed at the world's richest individuals. Can wealth ever be taxed fairly? h»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar’s real estate rental market has shown strong growth, supported by rising activity and sustained demand, the Public Authority for Real Estate Regulatory Affairs (Aqarat) has said. In a post on its X account, Aqarat reported that the number of rental contracts signed in 2025 has ex»»»

Doha, Qatar: GCC economies are forecast to contract this year as recent regional escalations continue to weigh on economic activity, according to ICAEW’s latest Economic Insight Q1 2026 report, produced in partnership with Oxford Economics. Set against a softening global growth backdrop, the report»»»

Doha, Qatar: With several schools under Qatar Foundation (QF) resuming in-person classes, enhanced safety measures and emergency preparedness drills are being prioritised to ensure the wellbeing of students and staff amid the current regional situation. Qatar Foundation continues to reinforce its c»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar ports (Hamad, Ruwais and Doha) witnessed growth in handling of the container and cargo volumes in March this year. Mwani Qatar stated in a post on its X platform, yesterday “Ports received over 44,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in March 2026, in addition to handling appr»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Case Studies and Analysis Department at the State Cases Affairs Sector has announced the introduction of a new service titled “Lessons Learned.” The Ministry of Justice, in a statement, said that this service provides summaries and key takeaways from final court rulings that have b»»»

The seventh two-day meeting of the heads of ministries and agencies of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states responsible for environmental issues opened today at the Ala-Archa-1 State Residence. The press service of the Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Super»»»

In a wide-ranging conversation with Al Majalla, Palestinian Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin gave a measured yet unwavering assessment of where the Palestinian cause stands—and where it must go. She argues that Israel's conduct since the 1993 Oslo Accords has not only strained the peace pr»»»

Washington, USA: The fourth and final phase of ticket sales for the 2026 World Cup in North America began yesterday, FIFA announced. The phase for the June 11-July 19 event in the United States, Mexico and Canada involves more than three million tickets. This “last-minute” sales phase opened at 150»»»

Doha, Qatar: Al Wajba clinched the title of the third Al Thumama Ramadan Tournament with a 1-0 victory over Al Rayyan in the final, capping a strong run in the youth competition for players aged 10 to 14. The champions received QR7,000 along with gold medals, while the team’s captain marked the occ»»»

Doha, Qatar: Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education H E Dr. Ibrahim bin Saleh Al-Nuaimi continued his inspection visits to public and private schools following the students’ return to in-person learning. He visited yesterday Al-Kaaban Primary, Preparatory, and Secondary Sc»»»

From missile interceptions near Abu Dhabi to travel, education and price updates, here’s what UAE residents need to know today as regional tensions continue to impact daily life. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.Missile intercepted near Abu Dhabi e»»»

A military An-26 aircraft crashed into rocky terrain east of Sevastopol, killing seven crew members and 23 personnel on board. The Soviet-built turboprop aircraft went down at around 6 p.m. on Tuesday, 31 March, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said, citing a technical malfunction as the preliminary ca»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Equestrian Federation (QEF) Cup, part of the Doha Equestrian Tour 2026, will kick off today and will run for four days at the Longines Arena of Al Shaqab. More than 170 riders, including ranked riders representing 21 countries, will compete in one- to five-star categories for»»»

Doha, Qatar: FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 runners-up France are at the top of FIFA Men’s World Rankings for the first time since September 2018 Spain while Argentina have dropped down to second and third place, respectively. World Cup 2022 hosts Qatar, who have also qualified for the 2026 tournament, »»»

Doha, Qatar: The 40th Qatar Open Golf Championship tees off today at Doha Golf Club, with a field of 90 players competing over three days in one of the country’s leading amateur tournaments. A strong home contingent headlines the field, with Qatar’s national team competing alongside regional and in»»»

Four astronauts – three Americans and one Canadian – blasted off Wednesday on NASA’s Artemis II, humanity’s first lunar flight in over 50 years. The 32-storey rocket soared from Kennedy Space Center, marking the start of a decade-long plan for sustainable Moon exploration and a future landing near »»»

At a session of the Zhogorku Kenesh of Kyrgyzstan, deputies reviewed and approved in the third reading the draft law «On the Exchange of Credit Information.» Under the amendments, the retention periods for Kyrgyz citizens’ credit histories will be significantly reduced: negative information will be»»»

Madrid: Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Spain H E Salem bin Mubarak Al Shafi joined a meeting in Madrid with Spain’s foreign minister and Their Excellencies GCC ambassadors to discuss recent regional developments. During the meeting, Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Coope»»»

Doha, Qatar: Racing returned to Al Rayyan Racecourse after a fortnight and the highlight of the day did not disappoint as Dubawi Spectre stole the show to claim the Al Jassasiya Cup in a nail-biting finish last evening. The six-year-old gelding, owned by Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al Mahmoud, bided his ti»»»

Israel said it came under Iranian missile fire on Thursday after US President Donald Trump threatened to bomb the Iranian republic into the "Stone Ages" with heavy strikes in the next two to three weeks. In a speech from the White House, Trump sought to reassure war-weary Americans that the militar»»»

A small gas-canister bomb exploded early Thursday outside a block of flats in central Athens, police said, causing minor damage and no injury. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack and the target was unclear. The pre-dawn blast damaged the entrance to the building on the cor»»»

Minister of Education and Higher Education H E Lolwah bint Rashid bin Mohammed Al Khater met with Ambassador of the Oman to Qatar H E Ammar bin Abdullah bin Sultan Albusaidi. Executive Director of Oman-Qatar Joint Labour Office Ali Abdullah Al-Eisri also attended the meeting. During the meeting, th»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has resumed its educational programme, “Principles of Islamic Sciences,” delivered by a distinguished group of specialized preachers, as part of its ongoing “Ta’seel wa Tahseel” (Foundation and Attainment) initiative. Organized by the Departmen»»»

Doha: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) announced yesterday that Qatar has joined the Nice Agreement on the International Classification of Goods and Services, as part of efforts to enhance investor services and modernize its legislative and regulatory framework in line with global devel»»»

The 18.7-kilometer Osh— Kara-Suu road will be completely reconstructed and widened to four lanes, the press service of the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Kyrgyzstan reported. Deputy Minister Ulukbek Zhanibekov inspected the progress of the work during a working visit to Osh region. Acc»»»

Democrats criticized while Republicans praised President Donald Trump's Wednesday night address to the nation on the war in Iran. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo April 2 (UPI) -- Democrats late Wednesday lambasted President Donald Trump's Iran war address to the nation for shifting ti»»»

The Bulgarian Parliament has adopted a decision establishing February 14 as the official Day of Bulgarian–Polish Friendship and Cooperation. The measure passed unanimously, receiving 165 votes in favor. The decision follows a joint initiative by the presidents of Bulgaria and Poland, introduced in »»»

Gold retreated from two-week highs on Thursday after US President Donald Trump said that Washington would continue its military campaign in Iran in the coming weeks, pushing crude prices sharply higher and dampening hopes of interest rate cuts. Spot gold was down 2% at $4,664.39 per ounce, as of 04»»»

US President Donald Trump made fun of the French president and his wife during a private lunch Wednesday, as he lambasted NATO allies for not joining the war against Iran that has roiled the Middle East. "We didn't need them, but I asked anyway," Trump told a private lunch in a video posted briefly»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Social Development and Family has announced the launch of a unified digital platform that encompasses all its public services, marking a significant step in its digital transformation and efforts to enhance accessibility and efficiency. This initiative is expected to si»»»

President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov signed a decree introducing a temporary legal framework for the online registration of certain categories of vehicles and ownership rights. According to the document, the new procedure will be in effect from April 1 through December 31, 2026. During this period»»»

Doha, Qatar: The General Authority of Customs has called on shipping and logistics companies to accelerate their registration in the International Road Transport Union’s TIR system, emphasising its growing importance as regional trade routes face uncertainty. The move comes at a time when shipping »»»

The Committee on Social Affairs, Labor, and Housing of the Shura Council held a meeting yesterday, chaired by Speaker of the Shura Council H E Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim. During the meeting, the committee discussed the statement of the government regarding the proposal made by the Shura Council »»»

Dubai: When universities across the UAE moved classes online or went hybrid, the challenge wasn’t just academic continuity, it was keeping thousands of students emotionally steady through an uncertain time. At Zayed University, Assistant Provost for Student Affairs Jane Tatterton says the solution »»»

Acting Foreign Minister Nadezhda Neynski said that the diplomatic note sent by Iran to Bulgaria should be viewed as standard communication in a period of heightened international tension, stressing that it does not constitute a threat but rather a formal warning. She underlined that Bulgaria mainta»»»

Heavy storms lashing most of Greece have left one person dead east of Athens overnight and caused flooding and considerable disruptions, largely due to trees toppled by high winds. The Fire Service said the body of a man was recovered from under a car that had been swept away by racing floodwaters »»»

Strong winds, reaching as high as 9 on the Beaufort scale, were keeping morning ferries tied up in many parts of the country, including at Greece’s main port. As a stormy weather front dubbed Erminio continued to wreak havoc, authorities in Piraeus said all ferry departures were canceled early on T»»»

The Department of Chemicalization, Plant Protection, and Quarantine under the Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry of Kyrgyzstan announces the adoption of Order No. 280 by the General Administration of Customs of China on October 14, 2025, effective June 1, 2026. This d»»»

The Bailiffs Service under the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Kyrgyz Republic reported that its Pervomaisky District division in Bishkek has enforced a court ruling on the confiscation of property. As part of enforcement proceedings, six gold bars with a total weight of 3,971.04 grams were conf»»»

The Council of Ministers has adopted the Report on the State of Defense and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria for 2025, which was submitted to both the National Assembly and the public, outlining an overall assessment of military readiness and progress achieved over the past year. The do»»»

The BBC has been embroiled in yet another scandal involving child sexual abuse allegations against one of its top presenters. On Monday, the British state broadcaster confirmed that it fired the star of its Radio 2 breakfast show, Scott Mills, “following allegations about his personal conduct.” It »»»

Dollar effectively functions as a second currency in Kyrgyzstan. This is due to the structure of foreign trade and consumer practices. Guras Japarov, Doctor of Economics, stated on Birinchi Radio. He noted that when exports increase, the national currency strengthens, and when import growth exceeds»»»

Manado, Indonesia: A major 7.4-magnitude quake struck off the coast of eastern Indonesia on Thursday, killing one person, damaging buildings and sending people running into the streets in panic. The early-morning tremor in the Molucca Sea between the Sulawesi and Maluku island groups triggered wave»»»

Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Interior has warned the public against scam messages impersonating the ministry, as scammers attempt to obtain personal information. In a statement, the ministry said the messages falsely claim recipients have committed legal violations and urge them to follow urgent inst»»»

Oil prices spiked and stocks sank on Thursday after Donald Trump reiterated that US forces would hammer Iran for another two to three weeks but offered no solution to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz that has crippled global markets. Investors appeared to be unimpressed with the US president's m»»»

Violence by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank has reached unprecedented levels since the start of the war with Iran, with NGOs and opposition figures denouncing an environment of impunity. While so-called "Jewish terrorism" has drawn widespread condemnation b»»»

Singapore’s reclaimed oil refining region, the 32-square-kilometre Jurong Island, has become the primary driver of record-high petrol prices in Australia as Middle East supply shocks ripple through the Asia-Pacific energy corridor, ABC Australia reports. »»»

Singapore’s reclaimed oil refining region, the 32-square-kilometre Jurong Island, has become the primary driver of record-high petrol prices in Australia as Middle East supply shocks ripple through the Asia-Pacific energy corridor, ABC Australia reports. »»»

Singapore’s reclaimed oil refining region, the 32-square-kilometre Jurong Island, has become the primary driver of record-high petrol prices in Australia as Middle East supply shocks ripple through the Asia-Pacific energy corridor, ABC Australia reports. »»»