DUBAI: A new public artwork in the UAE wrapping the former Dubai Zoo site is inviting residents to reflect on the city’s natural heritage while looking ahead to the landmark’s next chapter. Puerto Rican-born multidisciplinary artist Solimar Miller has unveiled “Flora of Light,” a series of 12 origi»»»

Saudi utility giant Acwa is seeking to expand its investments in Morocco’s renewable energy sector and is also exploring opportunities in seawater desalination and green hydrogen, Omar Alaoui Mhamdi, the company’s country manager in Morocco, said in an interview with Asharq Bloomberg. The company’s»»»

RIYADH: Three local industrial companies are preparing for initial public offerings and listings on the Saudi stock market in the coming period, with some planning to list by the end of this year, according to executives and managers at those organizations who spoke to Al-Eqtisadiah. These moves re»»»

France on Wednesday announced its first confirmed case of Ebola identified on its territory, a doctor back from the Democratic Republic of Congo, which is fighting a major outbreak. The case is the first of the deadly haemorrhagic fever identified outside the African continent during the current ou»»»

Russian researchers cultured retina pieces to test gene therapy on real human tissue, as animal models often fail to predict human response due to significant retinal differences, according to a paper in Retinal Gene Therapy: Methods and Protocols. Scientists take retinal tissue from donors within »»»

North Korea commissioned its Choe Hyon 5,000-ton destroyer, seen here in a March photo, state media reported Wednesday. File Photo by KCNA/EPA North Korea has commissioned a new 5,000-ton destroyer with leader Kim Jong-un voicing expectations that the Navy's combat capabilities will be strengthened»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of Sports and Youth HE Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani and national team player Assim Madibo visited injured Canada player Ismail Koné in Vancouver to inquire about his condition after the player sustained an injury during the World Cup game against Qatar. Kone sustained a b»»»

An artificial intelligence system called an " AI lawyer" is being developed in Zhogorku Kenesh to analyze draft legislation and identify possible contradictions with existing laws. Speaker of Parliament of Kyrgyzstan Marlen Mamataliev said in an interview with 24.kg news agency. According to him, a»»»

A North Korean soldier was taken into custody after crossing the heavily fortified Military Demarcation Line separating the two Koreas, Seoul's military said Wednesday. This February 2021 photo shows a South Korean military guard post near the DMZ in Paju. File Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License»»»

Sharjah: Paid public parking hours across Sharjah emirate will be extended until midnight from July 1, 2026, under a new decision announced by Sharjah City Municipality. The move will apply to all paid parking spaces in the cities of Sharjah, Kalba, Khorfakkan and Al Dhaid, including parking areas »»»

“Is the line moving?” “The stick figure is at the same place.” “It has been three hours, how has he not moved?” Such were the conversations, during the booking of BTS Arirang tickets for Bangkok. Most ARMY’s assumed that it would be the most affordable option as Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Man»»»

Israeli military commanders say claims by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz of maintaining “absolute freedom of action” in southern Lebanon sharply contradict the reality on the ground, according to Israeli media reports on Wednesday. The newspaper Haaretz quoted co»»»

MOSCOW: Nuclear weapons are the “only” bulwark preventing the world from slipping into a global war, the Kremlin said Wednesday amid fears of a fresh multi-country arms race. The last nuclear arms control treaty between Russia and the United States, New START, expired in February, releasing restric»»»

WASHINGTON: Three candidates backed by New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani won Democratic primary elections for seats in the US House of Representatives on Tuesday, according to US media projections.Mamdani, 34, was swept to office in January on a wave of support for his Democratic socialist policies.His»»»

It is planned to introduce licensing for tourism-related activities in Kyrgyzstan. Eduard Kubatov, Director of the State Agency for Tourism Development of the Kyrgyz Republic, stated at a meeting of the Zhogorku Kenesh during a discussion of the draft law on the development of geoparks. According t»»»

Officers of the State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan (SCNS) disrupted the activities of a transnational drug trafficking group that allegedly organized the transportation of Afghan-origin narcotics through several countries into Kyrgyzstan and onward to neighboring states. According »»»

Kiev cannot carry out terrorist attacks against Russia without UK and US support, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday. Russia will not support any temporary solutions in the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis, Sergey Lavrov said."For Russia, the issue is of a fundamental nature»»»

Foreign and Arab investors remain buyers, but large-cap weakness pulls benchmark below 52,000 points Cairo — Egyptian equities fell sharply on Tuesday as parliament’s approval of amendments to the stamp-duty regime added a new test for market liquidity, pushing the benchmark EGX30 below the 52,000-»»»

Tokyo: A Tokyo suburb has announced an emergency spending plan to buy 700 anti-bear sprays for schools and community organisations, the local government told AFP on Wednesday, as the animals increasingly encroach into built-up areas around Japan. Hachioji is on the outskirts of the vast Japanese ca»»»

In a bold statement, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly outlined Egypt’s ambitious targets to attract over $20 billion in Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) annually and elevate exports to more than $140 billion by the year 2030. “This is an achievable dream,” Madbouly confidently remarked during a rec»»»

Hagag Energy, the energy investment platform of international investor Hagag Europe, advances the consolidation of its local management structure through the appointment of Pavel Ciubotaru as Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Natural Gas Division. With over 25 years of experience in the energy s»»»

Dubai: Every expatriate arrives in the UAE carrying some version of the same promise. A promise to parents growing older back home. To children whose school fees need to be paid. To a spouse waiting for a better future. Or simply to themselves, that the sacrifice of living far from family will one »»»

Dubai: The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE) has announced that labour accommodations must be at least five kilometres away from family residential areas and close to industrial zones and transport networks, as part of standards aimed at ensuring safe and integrated living condi»»»

Speaker of the Iranian Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the Islamabad memorandum of understanding (MoU) demonstrated the failure of US pressure policies, stressing that Iran has proven the era of imposing will on independent nations is over. Addressing the 20th Conference of the Parliamenta»»»

CIVIL SERVANTS WILL BEGIN TO PAY SOCIAL SECURITY CONTRIBUTIONS 24 Chasa writes that the salaries in the public administration and judicial system will be increased so that employees can begin to pay their own social security contributions. This will happen in two stages. The first stage will take e»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Postal Services Company (Qatar Post) has announced the launch of the new version of CONNECTED, an integrated international shipping service which enables customers in Qatar to enjoy a seamless global shopping experience from leading online retailers worldwide using international »»»

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll reveals that a majority of Americans remain unconvinced by President Donald Trump’s military campaign against Iran, with deepening public anxiety over the fragility of the ceasefire and mounting skepticism about the administration’s broader strategy. The five-day survey, co»»»

The Russian armed forces hit a center of unmanned systems of the special operations forces of the Ukrainian army, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. The Russian armed forces have taken control of the Ivolzhanskoye settlement in the Sumy region, the Russian Defense Ministry said."As a r»»»

Few European foreign ministers have cultivated as close (and as conspicuously cordial) a relationship with Russia’s top diplomats in recent years as Hungary’s Péter Szijjártó has with Sergei Lavrov. While the public façade suggested a partnership of equals, audio recordings leaked before and after »»»

The deal between Iran and the United States to end the Middle East war is "America's declaration of defeat", Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the head of the Iranian negotiating team, said on Wednesday. "The Islamabad understanding was not the result of pressure and coercion, but rather the result of the »»»

SEOUL: North Korea has commissioned a 5,000-ton destroyer that leader Kim Jong Un touts as a symbol of the country’s growing naval and nuclear capabilities, state media reported Wednesday, as Pyongyang seeks to expand its ability to project military power at sea. North Korea’s official Korean Centr»»»

Romania’s asset management industry attracted more than 33,000 new investors in May, bringing the total number of people who have chosen to invest in investment funds to a record 1,376,325, according to data centralised by the Romanian Fund Managers Association (AAF). According to AAF, in May this »»»

The banking sector in Central, Eastern and South-Eastern Europe (CESEE) has strong growth potential, according to a new survey by the European Investment Bank (EIB). Credit demand from both businesses and households in the region is robust, supported mainly by consumer and housing loans, the CESEE »»»

Romania has adopted Law No. 189/2025, a significant legislative development aimed at strengthening the rules governing transitions between public office and private-sector roles. The law introduces a clearer and more centralised framework for managing conflicts of interest arising before and after »»»

Paris, France: Temperatures climbed across Europe again on Wednesday, as a record-breaking heatwave left tens of thousands of people without power and boosted air conditioner sales on a continent unused and ill equipped to handle searing heat. The extreme weather is being driven by atmospheric patt»»»

Looking out from a friend's balcony, Milia el-Cheikh struggled to find her own home in the ruins of her now-deserted village, its entrances strung with barbed wire. Her village of Dibbine is one of several Shiite-majority communities across southern Lebanon destroyed by Israeli forces battling Iran»»»

Authorities in Bishkek plan to install payment terminals at public transport stops as part of a transition away from cash payments on municipal buses. The initiative was discussed at a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Bishkek City Council on Housing and Communal Services, Transport, Communi»»»

RIYADH: New regulations governing non-Saudi ownership of real estate will boost business expansion and competitiveness of the Kingdom’s investment environment, ministers have said. The changes, including the geographical zones for non-Saudi real estate ownership, were approved by the Cabinet — chai»»»

Romania recorded a solid performance in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2025, contrasting with the broader trend in Europe, where the number of projects declined and job creation slowed. According to the Attractiveness Survey Romania 2026, conducted by EY, Romania is consolidating its»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Only nuclear weapons are now safeguarding the world from global war, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday. "Now it [world security] is pretty eroded, in many ways, in fact. Apart from nuclear deterrence, we have nothing left in the world. This is the only thing that »»»

Fortech Ventures announces the launch of a €34 million investment fund and its transition to a new public identity, Nucleo Ventures. Developed in partnership with the North-West Regional Development Agency (ADR Nord-Vest), the fund will invest in startups and innovative companies across Romania and»»»

The President of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB), Plamen Dimitrov, warned on Wednesday that if civil servants start paying their own social security contributions, there will be no point in having a Civil Servants Act that brings them only disadvantages and no bene»»»

DUBAI: Sotheby’s has launched a new summer auction in the UAE capital, further strengthening its presence in the Middle East and building on the success of a series of high-profile luxury events held in Abu Dhabi over the past year. Titled “Abu Dhabi Collectors’ Edit: Materiality,” the online sale »»»

In Kyrgyzstan, the volume of unmarked alcohol has decreased 16 times. Alexey Artemyev, Deputy Director of the Department of Customs Tariff, and Non-Tariff Regulation of the Eurasian Economic Commission, said. The Eurasian Economic Commission notes that digitalization of sales has increased the reve»»»

The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) has held the first meeting of the VAT Business Advisory Group for 2026 as part of its ongoing commitment to strengthening communication with the UAE business community. The meeting was held in the presence of Abdulaziz Al Mulla, Director General of the FTA, with the »»»

The draft 2026 State Budget projects a deficit of more than 3%, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said at the start of the regular government meeting on Wednesday. Radev said Finance Minister Galab Donev would present the main budget parameters later in the day at a briefing at the Ministry of Finance. Ac»»»

Oman said it would keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping without imposing any tolls and had designated two temporary routes north and south of the existing shipping lane to facilitate the safe passage of vessels departing the region. In coordination with the International Maritime Organization»»»

Dubai: Most entrepreneurs start with a product idea. Rashid Gargash started with a question. The Emirati entrepreneur has found himself thinking about something bigger than snacks, health trends, or consumer demand. He has wondered what would happen if a crisis disrupted global supply chains and th»»»

Dubai: Emirates has issued a summer travel advisory for passengers flying from Dubai, warning of higher passenger volumes during the peak holiday season. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The airline said in an advisory that travellers should arrive at least three hours »»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia raised SR10.57 billion ($2.81 billion) through its June sukuk issuance, up 338.58 percent from the previous month, official data showed. In a press statement, the Kingdom’s National Debt Management Center revealed that the June issuance was divided into six tranches, maturing b»»»