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) »»»

The volume of cash in circulation in Kyrgyzstan amounts to approximately 280 billion soms. Kumushai Artykova, chief expert of the Cash Management Department at the National Bank, told journalists. According to her, the ratio of cash to non-cash money in the country currently remains roughly balance»»»

A clash is occurring between Libya’s secular and religious orders as to the permissibility of merchants imposing an extra charge for receiving payments, for goods or services, electronically versus in cash. The religious viewLast Wednesday (1 April), the Libyan Fatwa House in Tripoli (Dar Al-Ifta) »»»

Doha, Qatar: Aneed Al Shahania clinched the H H Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani Trophy while Basalt emerged the Ebraz Cup winner to light up the Al Rayyan Racecourse, which hosted major races last evening. Competing in the Local Purebred Arabians, Aneed Al Shahania returned to winning form for»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI), in cooperation with Qatar Development Bank (QDB), held a coordination meeting yesterday bringing together major suppliers in Qatar and a number of relevant local companies to enhance the resilience and sustainability of supply chains at the»»»

Albania has security measures in place after the United States Embassy in Tirana warned that groups linked to Iran may target Americans and US-associated entities in the country. In a security alert issued on April 1, the »»»

Poland’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 48.7 points in March from 47.1 in February, signalling a slower deterioration in manufacturing conditions but remaining below the 50-point threshold that separates growth from contraction, S&P Global said on April 1. »»»

The Czech manufacturing PMI index compiled monthly by the market intelligence company S&P Global Market Intelligence posted 52.8 in March, the best result since April 2022. It is also the first time since spring 2022 w»»»

Albania has security measures in place after the United States Embassy in Tirana warned that groups linked to Iran may target Americans and US-associated entities in the country. In a security alert issued on April 1, the »»»

Tunis, April 2 (TAP) - "Ways to further develop digital trust services (DTS) in Tunisia and the drafting of a roadmap for the widespread adoption of e-signatures and invoicing" took centre stage at a two-day workshop held on April 1-2 under the...»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), during its 237th session, adopted a firm resolution based on a joint working paper submitted by the State of Qatar, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the State of Kuw»»»

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - The Iranian military has attacked US-linked steel and aluminum industry facilities in the Middle East, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday. Iran has previously said that US and Israel attacked facilities of the Iranian metallurgical companies Khouzest»»»

Poland will not relocate its American-made Patriot air defense missile systems to the Middle East to help the US intercept attacks from Iran, Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz has said. Despite US President Donald Trump claiming that the Pentagon has an “unlimited” stockpile of weap»»»

Umm Al Quwain: Umm Al Quwain Police General Headquarters has urged parents to prevent children from using unlicensed motorcycles and electric bikes in residential areas, citing rising safety risks and noise complaints. The Traffic and Patrols Department said reckless riding by untrained youngsters—»»»

At year-end 2025, inflow of foreign direct investment to Kyrgyzstan amounted to $950 million. Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Adylbek Kasymaliev, said in his speech at the second meeting of the Heads of Government/Vice Presidents of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) in Bak»»»

Tunis, April 2, 2026 (TAP) – A hybrid information session on a call for applications destined to Tunisian SMEs in the services sector will be held on Friday, at the initiative of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Tunis (CCIT), in partnership...»»»

Dubai: Dubai's Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has published a comprehensive framework setting out minimum quality standards that private K-12 schools must meet during periods of distance and online learning. The guidelines, titled Quality Expectations for Effective Distance Learni»»»

Romanian digital book streaming platform Voxa has secured more than EUR 4 million in a funding round led by Catalyst Romania. The capital is earmarked for regional growth and product development as the company eyes a dominant position in South Eastern Europe. The investment marks the 12th transacti»»»

Beirut: President of Lebanon H E General Joseph Aoun met yesterday with Ambassador of Qatar to Lebanon H E Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. At the outset of the meeting, the Ambassador conveyed the greetings of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to the President of Lebanon, wishing His E»»»

Jakarta: Speaker of Indonesian People’s Consultative Assembly of the Republic of Indonesia H E Dr. Ahmad Muzani met with Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Indonesia H E Sultan bin Mubarak Al Dosari. During the meeting, they reviewed cooperation and relations between the two countries.»»»

On April 2, 2005, Pope John Paul II, head of the Roman Catholic Church for more than a quarter century, died at his Vatican apartment. 1 of 6 | Bishop Robert Hermann celebrates a mass in honor of the late Pope John Paul II at the Cathedral Bascillica in St. Louis on April 3, 2005. The pontiff died »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Transport has moved the 2nd edition of the Autonomous e-Mobility Forum to Sept 7-9, 2026, against the backdrop of the current regional situation. The Forum was initially scheduled this April 7-9. Organied by Just us & Otto Marketing Services, the 2026 Forum will feature»»»

Doha, Qatar: Director General of Qatar Press Centre (QPC), Sadiq Mohammed Al-Amari met with Ambassador of Sudan to Qatar H E Badreddine Abdullah Mohammed Ahmed. They discussed ways to enhance media cooperation and reviewed the most prominent challenges facing Sudanese journalists amidst the ongoing»»»

Tripoli: The State of Qatar has taken part in a high-level Arab event on implementing the Arab strategy for older persons, held in the Libyan capital, Tripoli. Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Libya, H E Dr Khalid Mohammed bin Zaben Al Dosari, represented the country at the event.»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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 »»»

Tribune News Network Doha The Ministry of Transport (MoT) has moved the 2nd edition of the Autonomous e-Mobility Forum to September 7-9, 2026, against the backdrop of the current regional situation. The Forum was initially scheduled this April 7-9. Organised by Just us & Otto Marketing Services, th»»»

Russia’s manufacturing sector slipped further into the red in March, as weakening demand, falling output and declining business confidence highlighted mounting pressure on industrial activity, according to the latest data from S&P Global. (chart) »»»

Doha: Under the gracious patronage of Amir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Ministry of Social Development and Family (MSDF) has announced to organise the inaugural ceremony of the Rawda Award for Excellence in Social Work on April 5 to honour the winning social initiatives. The “Rawda” Awa»»»

Yango Drive, the car rental service and part of the global tech company Yango Group, has published its 2025 Mobility Report, an industry analysis exploring how AI is reshaping mobility across the UAE. Based on publicly available government and market data, the report examines shifting traveller beh»»»

Dubai: Dubai Taxi Company announced Wednesday the launch of fully driverless commercial ride-hailing services — a day after the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) confirmed the rollout of autonomous taxis in parts of the city. On March 31, RTA announced the launch of commercial autonomous taxi ope»»»

Doha, Qatar: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs HE Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al-Thani, met with H E Nikolaos Georgios Dendias, Minister of National Defense of the Republic of Greece, during his visit to the State of Qatar. During the meeting, the two sides »»»

Should the U.S. decide to send in military forces to secure Iran's uranium stockpile, it would be a complex, risky and lengthy operation, fraught with radiation and chemical dangers, according to experts and former government officials. U.S. President Donald Trump has offered shifting reasons for t»»»

Dubai: Abu Dhabi Investment Office has launched a new supply chain support platform in collaboration with 7X, aiming to strengthen trade continuity and business resilience across Abu Dhabi and the wider UAE. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.The pla»»»

The news of caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov signing a ten-year security agreement with Ukraine during a Bulgarian delegation’s visit to Kyiv on Tuesday dominates Wednesday's news media. POLITICS 24 Chasa’s headline reads that President Iliana Iotova reacted strongly to the agreement’s signing»»»

Should the US decide to send in military forces to secure Iran’s uranium stockpile, it would be a complex, risky and lengthy operation, fraught with radiation and chemical dangers, according to experts and former government officials. US President Donald Trump has offered shifting reasons for the w»»»

Dubai: Filipinos planning to travel abroad have been warned against dealing with fixers offering to process Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) requirements for a fee. Authorities have stressed that such shortcuts can lead to offloading at the airport, where passengers are prevented from boardin»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Public Works Authority, Ashghal, announced the closure of Messaimeer Interchange Tunnel for vehicles coming from Mesaieed Road towards the E-Ring Road. The closure, in coordination with General Directorate of Traffic, to carry out essential maintenance works will be on Friday, Apri»»»

Minister of Labour and Chair of the Workforce Planning Committee (WPC), H E Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri, chaired yesterday the Committee’s regular meeting, which discussed progress on initiatives and projects under the National Development Strategy for an effective and highly productive workforce. »»»

Chairman of Qatar Tourism (QT) H E Saad bin Ali Al-Kharji hosted the Ambassador of France H E Arnaud Pescheux (pictured). Meanwhile, the CEO of Visit Qatar Eng. Abdulaziz Ali Al-Mawlawi met with Ambassador of Paraguay H E Jose Aguero Avila. During the two meetings, discussions focused on strengthen»»»

Melbourne, Australia: Watford striker Nestory Irankunda bagged a brace as Australia hammered fellow World Cup qualifier Curacao 5-1 yesterday in Melbourne, ensuring they head to North America on a high. It was the Socceroos final home game before the global showpiece in June-July, building on a 1-0»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MoEHE) continued to intensify its field visits to public and private schools for the second consecutive day as students returned to their classrooms for in-person learning. These visits aim to monitor the progress of the educational proce»»»

Mogadishu: Ambassador of Qatar to Somalia H E Dr. Abdullah bin Salem Al Nuaimi participated in a meeting of President of Somalia H E Dr. Hassan Sheikh Mohamud with Ambassadors accredited to Somalia. During the meeting, an urgent briefing was given on the latest political and security developments i»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of Transport H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulla bin Mohammed Al Thani and the EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism H E Apostolos Tzitzikostas discussed bilateral cooperation and ways to enhance Qatar-EU relations in transportation, particularly in terms of utilis»»»

Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity of the State of Libya H E Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh met with Ambassador of Qatar to Libya H E Dr. Khalid Mohammed bin Zaben Al Dosari. During the meeting, they discussed cooperation between the two countries.»»»

Dubai: Regional tensions continue to shape daily life on day 33 of the US–Israel war with Iran, as authorities respond to air defence debris incidents, announce significant fuel price changes, and extend distance learning across the country. Here are the key developments UAE residents should know t»»»

Doha, Qatar: Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari has called on all parties to the war to refrain from targeting vital civilian infrastructure. Al-Ansari further called upon all parties to the conflict to refrai»»»

Lower-denomination banknotes — 20, 50, and 100 soms — tend to wear out within a year, while larger denominations such as 500, 1,000, and 5,000 soms can remain in circulation for up to five years. Economic expert Baktybek Shamkeev spoke about this on Birinchi Radio. Worn-out cash is withdrawn from c»»»