The transaction will be completed upon obtaining all regulatory approvals. The closing of the transaction is expected for the fourth quarter of 2026. Until this process is finalized, the two entities will continue to operate independently, each functioning as before, with no changes to existing con»»»

Dubai: As holy week begins tomorrow, many UAE residents are preparing in more subdued and reflective ways, with changes in routine shaping how the season is observed this year. Among the Christian community, the focus has shifted towards personal prayer, online gatherings and small, meaningful acts»»»

In Part 1, the Kurdish-Syrian leader Sipan Hamo spoke of his upbringing, politicisation, and participation in armed struggle, which led him to found the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), and to several periods of detention, both in Syria and abroad. Recognised as a hardliner and known as a f»»»

The Libyan – Bosnian Business Forum (First Edition) will be held in Misrata from 29 to 30 March. The organisers say this high-level economic forum brings together business leaders, investors, and decision-makers from Libya and Bosnia & Herzegovina. It is designed as a platform to build long-term ec»»»

Danish container shipping group Maersk has temporarily halted its operations at the Port of Salalah in Oman, it said, following a security incident that occurred early on Saturday. All Maersk crew were safe ⁠and accounted for, and ⁠no company cargo or vessels were affected, the shipping giant said »»»

Suzuka, Japan: Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli will start from pole position for the second race in succession after beating teammate George Russell to top the qualifying for the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka on Saturday. Antonelli looked quicker than Russell for most of the session, and his bes»»»

An Israeli strike targeted a car near Jezzine and a leaflet box hit a balcony in Jnah on Saturday after an overnight strike on Dahiyeh and air raids across south Lebanon. Reports said the strike on the car killed four people. Israel had also carried out dawn airstrikes on several towns in southern »»»

Washington, United States: US President Donald Trump said Friday "Cuba is next" in his latest threat against the Caribbean island, as he dismissed concerns that recent American military actions would cost him political support. Cuba's communist government has faced mounting pressure from Trump, who»»»

Pakistan said Saturday Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt will send their top diplomats to Islamabad for talks aimed at ending the Iran war. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said in a statement that Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Egypt's Foreign Min»»»

Abu Dhabi: Dr Anwar bin Mohammed Gargash, Diplomatic Adviser to the UAE President, said some media outlets had misinterpreted the UAE’s position and stressed the need to place it in its proper context, noting that the country has been facing Iranian aggression targeting its infrastructure and threa»»»

Geneva: A huge shipment of Nestle's crunchy KitKat chocolate bars was stolen in Europe, the brand said, warning that the heist risked causing shortages in stores right before Easter. KitKat, owned by Swiss food giant Nestle, confirmed in a statement sent to AFP on Saturday that "a truck transportin»»»

Geneva: A huge shipment of Nestle's crunchy KitKat chocolate bars was stolen in Europe, the brand said, warning that the heist risked causing shortages in stores right before Easter. KitKat, owned by Swiss food giant Nestle, confirmed in a statement sent to AFP on Saturday that "a truck transportin»»»

Libya’s state National Oil Corporation (NOC) reported yesterday that the production rates of the B1-NC 216A exploration well, located within Block NC 216 in the Ghadames Basin of western Libya, have achieved outstanding and unprecedented results, exceeding expectations. The well recorded a flow rat»»»

Hezbollah is preparing for a prolonged fight in south Lebanon and is insisting on an Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory before any ceasefire takes effect, to avoid a repeat of the last war’s outcome, Lebanese sources following the group’s talks with officials said. Continued Israeli troop b»»»

In 2025, leasing in Kyrgyzstan grew significantly: 28 companies signed 6,900 contracts, 1.9 times higher than in 2024. The total value of transactions reached 14.8 billion soms, a two-fold increase, the National Statistical Committee reported. A significant shift in priorities has been noted over t»»»

Kyrgyzstan’s Cabinet of Ministers has introduced amendments to resolution No. 541 dated October 10, 2023, regulating the stay of foreign nationals in the country. According to the document, provisions governing the length of stay, procedures for obtaining permits, and visa-free entry conditions hav»»»

Fitch Ratings has confirmed Bulgaria’s long-term sovereign credit rating in foreign currency at “BBB+” and maintained a stable outlook, signaling continued confidence in the country’s economic fundamentals. According to the agency, the assessment is underpinned by Bulgaria’s strong fiscal and exter»»»

Sources in Hamas and other Palestinian factions say there’s growing pessimism over a plan presented by the high representative of the US-backed Board of Peace, Nikolay Mladenov, to the movement’s leadership, proposing the full and unconditional disarmament of the Gaza Strip. Two Hamas sources, insi»»»

Islamabad, Pakistan: Foreign ministers from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt will meet in Islamabad for talks on the war in the Middle East, the government said on Saturday. It said Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar had invited his counterparts and that they would be in the Pakistani capital on S»»»

Sudan’s Muslim Brotherhood-linked Islamic Movement has remained silent after the US designated it a “foreign terrorist organization,” a decision that took effect on March 16. Nearly two weeks later, the group’s leadership, at home and abroad, has issued no statement clarifying its position or the p»»»

Dubai: What began in 2007 as a symbolic gesture has grown into one of the world’s largest environmental movements. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) International has launched "Earth Hour" to encourage people to switch off non-essential lights for one hour, raising awareness about climate change and bi»»»

A whale that was stranded for days in shallow water at a Baltic Sea resort in Germany has swum free from a sandbank overnight after a last-ditch rescue effort. But it isn't out of danger yet. An excavator spent Thursday digging an escape channel. The whale then swam through it overnight, marine bio»»»

Abu Dhabi: The National Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Management Authority (NCEMA), in coordination with the Ministry of Interior, has announced the end of the recent weather situation and confirmed that conditions across the country have stabilised. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the »»»

Abu Dhabi: The National Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, in coordination with the Ministry of Interior, has announced the end of the recent weather situation and confirmed that conditions across the country have stabilised. The announcement followed a meeting of the Joint Asses»»»

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has announced an alternative assessment policy for Class 12 students in West Asian countries, including the UAE, after board exams scheduled between March 16 and April 10, 2026, could not be held due to extraordinary circumstances. The new scheme aims»»»

Global ratings agency Fitch reaffirmed Israel's long-term foreign-currency rating at "A" with a negative outlook on Friday, adding that rising public debt levels and ongoing war-related risks could weaken the country's ⁠fiscal trajectory. Fitch forecast ⁠military expenditure will remain high in 202»»»

Softbank Group said on Friday it has secured a $40 billion bridge loan to bolster investments in ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and for general corporate purposes, marking another significant step in its artificial intelligence strategy. The Japanese investment conglomerate, led by founder Masayoshi Son, con»»»

Manila: The Philippines faces ongoing energy security pressures. This was highlighted by recent government actions amid global oil market volatility induced by the Mideast war. According to data from the Philippine National Oil Co (PNOC) and the Department of Energy references cited in recent analy»»»

Doha, Qatar: Oman, Bahrain and the UAE confirmed interceptions of missiles and drones on Saturday, March 28, 2026. Few injuries have been reported. Stay tuned for more updates: 10am Doha Time Thai PM says reached deal with Iran for vessels to transit Hormuz Strait Thailand has reached an agreement »»»

If you haven’t seen an example of collective male hysteria for a while, take a look at the comments on the news story about the opening of a women-only pub in Minsk. There are tears, threats, and even strategic plans to take over the territory. The men commenting are furious that there will be a pl»»»

Bangkok: Thailand has reached an agreement with Iran to allow Thai oil vessels safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz, the Southeast Asian nation's Prime Minister said on Saturday. Iranian forces have effectively slowed shipping through the strait to a trickle during the Middle East war, which b»»»

Brussels, March 28 (SANA) The European Commission and European Union member states said on Friday that the security of oil and gas supplies remains stable at present, despite the ongoing war in the Middle East, noting that oil reserves continue to stand at high levels. The official website of the E»»»

The European Central Bank should not rush to raise rates in response to surging energy costs, as its “baseline” outlook remains intact and there is no sign yet that inflation is becoming entrenched, Cypriot central bank chief Christodoulos Patsalides said. With energy prices surging on the US-Israe»»»

Perhaps the worst-case scenario long feared in decision-making circles has come true. With the assassination of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Washington and Tel Aviv used the same “shock and awe” approach Israel has relied on in recent years, one that delivers rapid gains before losing momentum by t»»»

Washington: US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff said today that the US and Iran could hold talks this week. Witkoff did not provide further details on the potential meeting, but confirmed that Iran had received its 15-point plan, and that Washington was still awaiting Tehran's respons»»»

Washington: President Donald Trump has listed five objectives that the US wants to achieve before ending its war with Iran. Now, one month into the conflict, he has suggested the US may soon be “winding down” the operation, even though some of his key aims remain undefined or unfulfilled. Trump las»»»

In a week of movable ultimatums set by President Trump, to “obliterate Iran’s power plants”, a deadline was set initially of Monday at Midnight, then extended by five days on account of “very productive conversations”, then to ten days with Trump claiming “talks are ongoing” and “going very well”. »»»

Fifteen years after the revolution that deposed Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, our team reports from the eastern city of Benghazi. Although the security situation there is now relatively stable, reunification does not seem to be on the immediate agenda, with Libya still ruled by two differen»»»

France is "more and more keen" on investing in Australian critical minerals projects, Australia's Resources Minister Madeleine King said Thursday, as countries across the world race to secure access to rare earths and other much-needed minerals. Canberra is hunting for billions in foreign investmen»»»

The Kuwait Airways Corporation (KAC) announced it will resume commercial flights to and from Istanbul, Turkey, via Saudi Arabia’s Dammam Airport starting April 1, with two weekly flights on Wednesdays and Fridays. Acting CEO Abdulwahab Al-Shatti told KUNA that KAC continues to operate efficiently, »»»

The ultra-conservative Catholic organisation Opus Dei was founded a century ago in Spain. Today, it's an international movement with around 90,000 members. In its home country, it has managed to infiltrate all spheres of modern society, from schools to hospitals. Despite serious allegations against»»»

Eighty years ago, Moldova was struck by a famine that killed more than 150,000 people. Long shrouded in silence, this episode remains a blind spot in the country's history. But gradually, survivors' accounts, combined with the work of researchers, have shed light on a tragedy largely orchestrated b»»»

Europe must speed up its push for energy independence and break free from "excessive dependence on fossil fuels" as the continent grapples with a more volatile and hostile global order, the head of the world's largest public bank told FRANCE 24's Douglas Herbert in Talking Europe. Nadia Calviño, th»»»

India has been actively managing the threat of scarcity of essential commodities born out of the ongoing conflict in West Asia, between Iran on one side and the US and Israel on the other. Just as in the 2022 supply chain »»»

India has been actively managing the threat of scarcity of essential commodities born out of the ongoing conflict in West Asia, between Iran on one side and the US and Israel on the other. Just as in the 2022 supply chain »»»

All of Nato’s members have met the alliance’s 2% of GDP defence spending target for the first time, pushing total military expenditure to a record $1.4 trillion, according to data reported by Euractiv on March 20. »»»

India has been actively managing the threat of scarcity of essential commodities born out of the ongoing conflict in West Asia, between Iran on one side and the US and Israel on the other. Just as in the 2022 supply chain »»»

Russia’s share of cashless payments in retail turnover fell by 3 percentage points to 71.1% in January 2026, while cash withdrawals reached RUB1.6 trillion ($17.4bn), the highest since the 2022 full-scale military invasion of Ukraine, according to The Bell citing SberIndex and VTsIOM. »»»

All of Nato’s members have met the alliance’s 2% of GDP defence spending target for the first time, pushing total military expenditure to a record $1.4 trillion, according to data reported by Euractiv on March 20. »»»

India has been actively managing the threat of scarcity of essential commodities born out of the ongoing conflict in West Asia, between Iran on one side and the US and Israel on the other. Just as in the 2022 supply chain »»»