At a forum dedicated to women’s role in society on Monday, Eurovision Song Contest 2026 winner Dara was given as an example for overcoming self-limitations and emotional barriers. The discussion, titled “Between symbols and reality: Women as subjects of power”, was organized by More Women in Power »»»

Tunis, May 18 (TAP)- Tunisia’s primary energy deficit by the end of March 2026 widened 13% to 1.5 Mtoe (Million Tonnes of Oil Equivalent), taking into account royalties, the National Observatory of Energy and Mines said in its report on the economic...»»»

Syria will take part in a closed-door session with G7 finance ministers and central bank governors in Paris on Monday, a person familiar with the matter said, in a sign of its growing status less than two years after the ousting of Bashar al-Assad. Syrian Finance Minister Yisr Barnieh is expected t»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index dropped on Monday, losing 11.84 points, or 0.11 percent, to close at 10,956.1. The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR4.62 billion ($1.23 billion), as 63 of the listed stocks advanced, while 195 retreated. The MSCI Tadawul Index also d»»»

Israel has no military solution to the Hezbollah drone threat even if troops occupy all of south Lebanon, Israeli reports said. A security source told Israel's Kan public broadcaster that a political breakthrough is needed, as occupation will not solve the drones' problem. "Even if we occupy all of»»»

Portugal's low-cost unmanned carrier strategy highlights a shift toward AI-driven naval warfare as South Korea faces pressure to accelerate development of drone-centered maritime platforms The US Navy aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) sits anchored in Split, Croatia, 29 March 2026. Photo»»»

Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group signed today in Bucharest an agreement with Vienna Insurance Group (VIG) to acquire approximately 10% of the shares of Carpathia Pensii. A strategic partnership aimed at strengthening Romanians’ trust in private pensions. The majority shareholder »»»

Fitch Ratings has taken rating action on Romania's CEC Bank following the publication of its updated bank rating criteria.Thus, Fitch Ratings upgraded CEC Bank's long-term issuer rating (IDR) from BB to BB+, with a stable outlook, and assigned long- and short-term deposit ratings at 'BBB-' and 'F3'»»»

RIYADH: Syria will take part in a closed-door session with G7 finance ministers and central bank governors in Paris ​on Monday, a person familiar with the matter said, in a sign of its growing status less than two years after the ousting of Bashar Assad. Syrian Finance Minister Yisr Barnieh is expe»»»

This landmark project will deliver China a modern heavy helicopter tailored to its needs. “It will be a sensation when this jointly developed new helicopter enters the market,” Rostec’s Director for International Cooperation, Viktor Kladov, tells Sputnik.The new aircraft will have a 14–16 ton paylo»»»

The recent increase in Saudi bank deposits could help sustain strong lending growth, albeit at a slower pace than in recent years, according to a senior economist. Speaking to Asharq, Naif Al-Ghaith, chief economist at Riyad Bank, said credit growth in the Kingdom slowed to 8 percent in March, comp»»»

The reaffirmation of Romania's sovereign credit rating, in a context of political uncertainty, although encouraging, highlights the major impact political decisions have on investor confidence in Romania, Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare believes.The international financial rating agency S&P Globa»»»

The Board of Directors of the National Bank of Romania (BNR), meeting on Friday, decided to maintain the monetary policy interest rate at 6.50% per annum, the central bank said in a press release sent on Friday.According to the same source, the Board members also decided to keep the lending facilit»»»

Romania's annual inflation rate is expected to rise above previous forecasts in the second quarter of 2026, before posting a substantial downward correction in the third quarter, the National Bank of Romania (BNR) said on Friday.At its meeting, the BNR Board reviewed and approved the May 2026 Infla»»»

National leader of the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR) Kelemen Hunor, said, after Friday's meeting of the Council of the UDMR Representatives(CRU), that the first option of his party is to rebuild the former governing coalition, but he does not exclude the option of entering the opposi»»»

The Mayor of Timisoara and Save Romania Union leader, Dominic Fritz, stated on Saturday, following a meeting with interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, that they had discussed Monday's consultations at Cotroceni Palace, convened by President Nicusor Dan, agreeing that both parties would not support »»»

CTM360 has achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first-ever Arab World software technology to be named among the 17 globally leading companies for “Cyber Threat Intelligence (CTI)”. This is reflected in Gartner’s First CTI Magic Quadrant report, published on 4th May, signifying that the glo»»»

Serbia will submit its final position to Hungary’s MOL Group on the potential takeover of a majority stake in Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) on May 15, with the Hungarian firm expected to respond early next week, Energy Minister Dubravka Dedovic Handanovic said. MOL’s board is expected to decide on»»»

US President Donald Trump’s trip to Beijing ends today and he has been forced to eat humble pie after coming out of the gate last year with an extremely aggressive policy on China. If you remember in the heady days of Trump's first term in office we still lived under the pax Americana. Trump launch»»»

Closures among Russia’s small and medium-sized enterprises accelerated in the first quarter of 2026, after the economy contracted in the first quarter of this year in real terms and economic pressure on small companies mounts. Russian Forbes reported that about 209,000 SMEs ceased operations during»»»

Russia accounts for 40 of the 50 tallest skyscrapers currently under construction in Europe, according to 2026 data published by World of Statistics, underscoring the country’s continued push into large-scale urban development despite sanctions and economic pressure linked to the war in Ukraine. Th»»»

Serbia will submit its final position to Hungary’s MOL Group on the potential takeover of a majority stake in Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) on May 15, with the Hungarian firm expected to respond early next week, Energy Minister Dubravka Dedovic Handanovic said. MOL’s board is expected to decide on»»»

The White House is making prayer a focal point of this weekend’s celebrations marking the US's 250th anniversary, staging a large-scale mass prayer that underscores the Trump administration’s wider push to amplify Christianity’s role in public and political life. Thousands of people gathered Sunday»»»

French prosecutors investigating Jeffrey Epstein’s alleged trafficking network say around ten previously unidentified suspected victims have recently contacted authorities, widening a probe into possible abuse committed in France or involving French accomplices linked to the late financier. Around »»»

The Israeli military said on Saturday that it had killed the head of Hamas's military wing Ezzedine Al-Haddad during an air strike carried out the previous day in Gaza. Haddad's wife and daughter were also killed in the attack, according to a Hamas source. Israel said Saturday it had killed Ha»»»

Yasser Abbas, the 64-year-old son of ageing Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, won a seat Sunday on the central committee of the Fatah party, initial results showed. The election extended the family's grip on the movement that has dominated the Palestinian Authority (PA) for decades. The PA is un»»»

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel is close to finishing a key war aim in Gaza: killing the planners of the October 7 attacks. The comments came after Israel said it had killed senior Hamas commander Ezzedine Al-Haddad in an airstrike, as its campaign against the group’s lead»»»

A drone strike sparked a fire near the United Arab Emirates’s Barakah nuclear power plant on Sunday, authorities said, in an attack Abu Dhabi condemned as a threat to regional security. The strike highlighted the possibility of renewed war amid a fragile ceasefire between the United States and Iran»»»

On Sunday, US President Donald Trump warned Iran to move quickly towards a peace deal or face destruction, as Washington’s war with Tehran and its allies continues to stall negotiations, drive up energy prices, and fuel instability across the Middle East. President Donald Trump issued a fresh warni»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping during a two-day trip to Beijing next week, the Kremlin said Saturday. The meeting comes days after US President Donald Trump's state visit to China, which ended with warm diplomatic optics but few resolutions to key trade an»»»

Russian air defences intercepted around 600 Ukrainian drones in a massive overnight attack that killed four people. The interceptions took place across Russia's 14 regions, as well as the annexed Crimean peninsula. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday said the attack was a "justified" r»»»

EU Council president António Costa and commission president Ursula von der Leyen will be travelling to Mexico for a summit taking place on Friday (22 May) focused on trade and international relations. The last EU-Mexico summit was held back in 2015. Mexico is seen as one of the EU’s main strategic »»»

Thirty-six states, mostly European, have formally backed the creation of a special tribunal aimed at prosecuting Russian President Vladimir Putin over the crime of aggression linked to the war in Ukraine. Bulgaria is among four EU members that did not join the initiative, which will be headquartere»»»

With the summer season approaching, discussions are emerging over whether beach service prices along Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast will rise, as operators also prepare for the country’s transition toward euro-based pricing. For the first time, tariffs for sunbeds and umbrellas will be displayed in eur»»»

Officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Sunday they were responding to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda. File Photo by Erik S. Lesser/EPA-EFE Vice President JD Vance speaks during a news conference on anti-fraud initiatives in the Ind»»»

A 17-year-old statute once viewed as largely symbolic has moved to the centre of a national debate over whether Philippine authorities may arrest and surrender former officials to face crimes-against-humanity charges before the International Criminal Court (ICC). The law is Republic Act No. 9851, e»»»

European Chief Prosecutor Laura Kovesi Sunday rejected claims that disciplinary proceedings against Bulgaria's suspended European prosecutor Teodora Georgieva are politically motivated, saying the case is based on evidence and decisions taken unanimously by independent prosecutors from across the E»»»

А host of Bulgarian artists, intellectuals and politicians, including some of the brightest stars on the national entertainment and intellectual scene and top government leaders, congratulated the singer Dara on winning the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna with her song "Bangaranga". The firs»»»

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama has welcomed the agreement reached between the ruling Socialist Party and the opposition Democratic Party over the approval of a parliamentary resolution related to Albania’s European Union membership process. Speaking during his podcast “Flasim” on Sunday, Rama des»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index slipped on Sunday, losing 27.50 points, or 0.25 percent, to close at 10,967.94. The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR2.91 billion ($768 million), as 77 stocks advanced and 179 retreated. Similarly, the Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu »»»

Tunis, May 17 (TAP) — Tunisia plans to reduce the carbon intensity of its economy by 46.4% by 2030 and by 62% by 2035, according to its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), which was discussed over the weekend in Gammarth during a...»»»

RIYADH: Egypt’s vast New Delta project will transform a swathe of desert west of the mouth of the Nile River into arable land and include infrastructure investments worth 800 billion Egyptian pounds ($15 billion), President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi said. El-Sisi made the remarks during the inauguration»»»

Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev said that the capital is the best prepared city in Bulgaria to host Eurovision 2027. In an interview on Nova Television on Sunday, he said he is “extremely happy” about Dara's triumph at this year's edition of the song contest. “It is incredible that despite all the attem»»»

DUBAI: French Algerian actress Lyna Khoudri is at the Cannes Film Festival to promote her latest project, “In Waves.” The actress attended a screening of the film before she headed to a red carpet event for “Fatherland,” by director Pawel Pawlikowski. The film “centers on the relationship between t»»»

Palestinian activist Ramy Shaath is facing deportation proceedings from France, as his presence in the country is now considered a “serious threat to public order” by authorities, his lawyer said on Friday. The activist, a co-founder of the Urgence Palestine organisation, had been detained in Egypt»»»

A French investigative magistrate is set to investigate a complaint filed by rights groups against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its crown prince, Mohammed Bin Salman, also known as MBS, over the 2018 assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, according t»»»

Taiwan on Saturday maintained it is a "sovereign and independent" nation and that US arms sales were part of Washington's security commitment to the island. The foreign ministry statement came a day after President Donald Trump warned Taiwan against declaring formal independence following his meeti»»»

The 2026 Eurovision Song Contest final kicked off Saturday night in Vienna with Finland and Australia among the favorites in this 70th edition, which was marked by the absence of five countries protesting Israel’s participation. Thousands of glammed-up fans were excitedly queueing Saturday ahead of»»»