Libya’s privately-owned Bank of Commerce and Development announced yesterday the launch of what it considered to be the first e-Wallet dedicated to foreign residents and foreign workers in Libya. It said this comes as a new step towards developing the e-payments system in Libya and promoting financ»»»

The emerging strength of the far left and far right is creating awkward choices for mainstream parties after the first round of French mayoral elections. In many big towns and cities, Socialists and centre-right Republicans are tempted to make electoral pacts on their outside flanks in order to bea»»»

Hollywood, United States: "One Battle After Another" triumphed at the Oscars on Sunday, winning six awards, including the coveted best picture statuette, besting "Sinners" in a thrilling finale to one of the most competitive awards seasons in recent years. Director Paul Thomas Anderson personally w»»»

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: The Foreign Ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (QCC) and the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom welcomed the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2817 (2026), which condemned in the strongest term»»»

In February, the annual inflation rate in Bulgaria registered a decrease for a fifth consecutive month, dropping to 3.3%, shows data published by the National Statistical Institute (NSI) on Monday. Compared to January, the rate went down by 0.2 percentage points. The monthly inflation rate was 0.4%»»»

Caretaker Foreign Minister Nadezhda Neynsky took part in a working dinner in Brussels on Sunday organized by Croatia in its capacity as chair of the Three Seas Initiative for 2026, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry said here on Monday. Representatives of participating countries and partners in the ini»»»

The Umm Al Quwain Government Media Office confirmed that a building in the emirate was targeted by a drone on Monday, causing a fire. Specialised emergency teams were dispatched immediately, and authorities have confirmed that no casualties or injuries occurred. Officials have urged residents to re»»»

BELGRADE - The Serbian dinar's official median exchange rate against the euro is 117.4163 dinars for one euro on Monday, which is a slight change relative to Friday, the National Bank of Serbia said. The dinar is steady against the euro m-o-m, down by 0.2 pct y-o-y and down by 0.1 pct relative to t»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic hosted a dinner for members of Kobre ("Cobras") - a Serbian Armed Forces special anti-terrorist unit in charge of the security of top state and military officials - on Sunday evening, thanking them for the loyalty, commitment and strength they were demo»»»

INDIAN WELLS - The Serbian-Kazakh duo of Aleksandra Krunic and Anna Danilina lost 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 to the US-Czech pair of Taylor Townsend and Katerina Siniakova in the women's doubles final at the Indian Wells tournament on Saturday. Townsend and Siniakova won after an hour and 34 minutes of play. E»»»

Hezbollah said it targeted overnight Israeli troops in Khiam, Odaisseh and al-Taybeh. It also targeted troops and bases in the occupied Golan and north of Kfar Yuval in the Galilee Panhandle of northern Israel. The Israeli army had said it sent additional ground troops into Lebanon for what it call»»»

Seven people, including children, were killed by Israeli airstrikes on south Lebanon Monday. A strike on a home in the southern village of Kfar Sir had killed one person early Monday. Another strike occurred after paramedics from the Islamic Health Society, Hezbollah’s health arm, arrived at the sc»»»

Gold prices dipped on Monday, pressured by concerns that surging oil costs could stoke inflation further and prompt a more hawkish policy stance by major central banks including the US Federal Reserve, dulling the appeal of the non-yielding asset. Spot gold fell 0.7% to $4,983.17 per ounce, as of 0»»»

Beijing: Air China will resume direct flights between Beijing and Pyongyang from March 30, according to tour agencies and the state-owned carrier's website, after train services between the two capitals resumed last week. China is North Korea's largest trading partner and a vital source of diplomat»»»

HEADLINES Monday’s print media highlight rising living costs, political developments and economic trends. 24 Chasa leads with a report that food prices are expected to increase ahead of Easter, warning of a more expensive traditional holiday salad followed by broader price pressures in food and tra»»»

Dubai: Just a week ago, US President Donald Trump suggested Britain did not need to send ships to the Middle East, saying the United States had already “won” the war with Iran. Now the tone appears to have shifted. Trump is urging allies — including Nato partners, Britain and even China — to help r»»»

The homepage of South Korean shipping company Sinokor Merchant Marine (Janggeum Shipping) is shown in this screenshot. Captured by Asia Today from Sinokor website March 16 (Asia Today) -- A bold bet by a South Korean shipping heir on ultra-large oil tankers is paying off handsomely as the war invol»»»

The Saudi Supreme Court has called on Muslims across the Kingdom to sight the crescent moon of Shawwal on the evening of Wednesday, March 18, marking the conclusion of the holy month of Ramadan. The announcement, issued via an official statement on Monday, follows the Umm Al-Qura calendar which sug»»»

Dubai: Families looking for ways to spend the upcoming break in the UAE may have a new option in the mountains of Ras Al Khaimah, as experiences at Jebel Jais are offering complimentary activities for younger visitors. The UAE’s highest peak has introduced a limited-time initiative aimed at familie»»»

Cairo — Egypt is preparing to establish the Middle East’s first sodium cyanide production facility, a project valued at around $200 million, as part of efforts to deepen local industrial manufacturing and support the country’s growing mining and petrochemical sectors. According to a report by Econo»»»

Cairo — Egypt’s stock market ended the week of 8–12 March mostly lower as regional tensions linked to the escalating Iran-Gulf conflict dampened investor appetite across Middle East equities. The benchmark EGX30 fell 0.86% on Thursday to 46,790.96 points, while the EGX70 index of small and medium-s»»»

New Delhi walks a policy tightrope, with public anger mounting over shortages of cooking gas as the US demands support for its war on Iran. Also in this edition: China's economy turns in stronger than expected figures, and oil prices continue to rise as Washington threatens to strike Iran's oil exp»»»

Brent crude has once again topped $100 a barrel as energy markets brace for the Iran conflict to drag on. US President Donald Trump says he is less concerned about high oil prices than about stopping Iran, while his energy secretary has confirmed the military cannot yet escort tankers through the S»»»

Logistics and service centers enabling the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier to remain operational were considered to ‌be targets ‌by Iran, ‌the spokesperson ⁠for the unified ⁠command of Iranian armed forces, Khatam al-Anbiya, said on Monday. "Aircraft ⁠carrier Gerald ‌Ford ‌in the Red ‌Sea is ‌a th»»»

The Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) will mobilize all its resources, supporters, and members of section election commissions to safeguard every vote that is cast honestly and in accordance with the voter’s will, BSP leader Krum Zarkov said after registering the BSP–United Left candidate list for So»»»

The government’s decision regarding compensation over expensive fuels is inadequate, Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov told a a press conference in Varna on Monday. According to him, a solution should not involve taking money from the budget, because that would mean that all Bulgarians would h»»»

AX Premium Properties has announced another major milestone in its real estate journey after securing the Rank 1 Award from Reportage Developer for the second consecutive year, reinforcing its position as one of the market’s top-performing real estate firms in Dubai. This recognition reflects the c»»»

Dubai: American rapper and producer Kanye West has postponed his highly anticipated debut concert in India, with organisers confirming a new performance date later this year. The show, originally scheduled for March 29, 2026, at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, has now been rescheduled to May»»»

The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced revised schedules for all its services during Eid Al Fitr from Thursday, 19 March, to Saturday, 21 March. The updates cover public parking, Customer Happiness Centres, Metro and Tram, buses, marine transport, and service provider centres (»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump's calls for Volodymyr Zelenskyy to make a deal confirm that it is the Ukrainian side that is mainly stalling the conflict settlement process, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday. On Sunday, Financial Times reported, citing officials, that the peace»»»

France's government is bolstering the country's military presence in the Middle East, dispatching its aircraft carrier and other warships, while President Emmanuel Macron engages with key players in the conflict, including Iran, in a bid to position Paris for future diplomatic talks. Macron said th»»»

Britain is sending 5 million pounds ($6.6 million) to humanitarian organizations in Lebanon. The funds are intended to help provide food, water and shelter for some of the more than 800,000 people displaced by the Israeli war. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said she is "gravely concerned about the»»»

One person was killed by an Israeli airstrike early Monday on a home in the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Sir. The agency says another strike occurred after paramedics from the Islamic Health Society, Hezbollah’s health arm, arrived at the scene. The agency says the second strike killed two par»»»

DOHA: The Crescent Moon Sighting Committee at the Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs has urged all Muslims residing in the State of Qatar to observe the Shawwal crescent on the evening of Wednesday, March 18. In a statement, the committee requested that anyone who sights the crescen»»»

Russia said on Monday that it shot down 250 Ukrainian drones heading towards Moscow over the weekend, in what officials said was the biggest attempted attack on the Russian capital in at least a year. "Over the past two days, air defense forces have destroyed about 250 enemy UAVs ‌directly on ‌the »»»

A court in Azerbaijan sentenced a French citizen to ten years in prison on Monday after finding him ‌guilty ‌of spying ‌on ⁠behalf of Paris, ⁠Russian state news agency RIA reported. Baku accuses the man, Martin ⁠Ryan, who was ‌arrested ‌in December 2023, ‌of collecting secret ‌information about its»»»

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has accused Brussels of dragging the EU into a direct war with Russia through potential troop deployments to Ukraine. Speaking at the ‘Peace March’ in Budapest on Sunday, which drew tens of thousands of supporters, Orban said Brussels had taken “the war upon it»»»

Norway will not host nuclear weapons on its territory, as it bases its security on NATO strategic deterrence, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store has said. Sweden’s and Denmark’s top defense officials have said their nations would be open to such a deployment, however. During a press conference alongsi»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Shura Council, during its regular weekly session, held at its headquarters in the Tamim Bin Hamad Hall today, under the chairmanship of HE Speaker of the Council Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim, commended the steadfastness and cohesion of Qatari society in facing the "blatant Iranian»»»

The EUR 20 fuel aid for the poorest people should be transferred to the accounts of those entitled to it by the end of the month, caretaker Labour and Social Policy Minister Hasan Ademov said on bTV's morning show on Monday. Ademov explained that all individuals with an average monthly income of up»»»

In a joint position sent to President Iliana Iotova on Monday, seven industry organizations expressed their "strong support" for the bill amending and supplementing the Social Insurance Code, adopted at second reading on March 5. The document is signed by representatives of the Bulgarian Associatio»»»

Sharjah: The Emirates Society for Consumer Protection has reported a rise in consumer awareness during recent market inspections, saying the trend has helped reduce negative purchasing behaviours such as unnecessary bulk buying. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The soci»»»

At least 10 critically ill patients died after a fire broke out in the trauma care intensive care unit of a government-run hospital in eastern India early Monday, officials said. The blaze erupted on the first floor of the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, in Odisha state, where patients»»»

Israeli forces operating in southern Lebanon found dozens of rockets at a Hezbollah site in southern Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces said Monday. Photo courtesy of Israel Defense Forces/X March 16 (UPI) -- The Israeli military announced Monday that soldiers were conducting "limited and targeted »»»

A Dubai Traffic court has reduced a traffic accident penalty to Dh5,000 after reviewing defence arguments that questioned whether the crash could be attributed solely to the driver. The case stemmed from a collision between car and a motorcycle in the Al Awir area, which resulted in injuries to the»»»

DOHA: The Shura Council, during its regular weekly session, held at its headquarters in the Tamim Bin Hamad Hall, under the chairmanship of Speaker HE Hassan bin Abdullah Al Ghanim, commended the steadfastness and cohesion of Qatari society in facing the "blatant Iranian aggression" to which the St»»»

A survey by the polling agency Sova Harris, published on Monday, shows that six parties and coalitions would enter Bulgaria's Parliament if elections were held on this day. These are Progressive Bulgaria, GERB-UDF, Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms – Ne»»»

Construction of ten new, modern mini-football pitches has begun in Batken region. The project is being implemented at the initiative of President Sadyr Japarov and is being fully financed by his fund. The press service of the Presidential Envoy to the region reported. Construction is scheduled to b»»»

The Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan has upheld the ruling of the Administrative Court of Bishkek in the case concerning the liquidation of the trolleybus system in the capital. The decision is final and cannot be appealed. This means that the actions of the Bishkek City Hall and the Bishkek City Counci»»»