Dubai: The Philippines has updated its foreign investment framework, maintaining strict ownership limits in various fields while gradually opening others to global investors. Philippine president Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed executive order (EO) 113, approving the 13th regular foreign investment»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle with satellites lifted off in the interests of the Russian Defense Ministry were placed into their target orbit on Friday, with the Aerospace Forces' space troops taking over the control, the ministry said. The Russian Aerospace Forces have lifted off a »»»

South Korea's Unification Ministry said Friday that remarks by Minister Chung Dong-young on North Korea's Kusong nuclear enrichment site were based on public information. Chung is seen here testifying at the National Assembly on Wednesday. Photo by Yonhap The unification ministry has explained to t»»»

A total of 2,066 alerts for election crimes and violations, have been received by the authorities by 9 in the morning on Friday, caretaker Interior Minister Emil Dechev said in Pleven. Similar alerts ahead of the 2024 parliamentary elections totaled only 612, he said. The authorities have opened 53»»»

Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Aldabaiba inaugurated the 52nd edition of the Tripoli International Fair yesterday evening, in its centenary year, in the presence of several participating international delegations, as well as government ministers. 35 foreign companies and 250 local companiesThe exhibiti»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Alfred Kammer, head of the International Monetary Fund's European Department, warned on Friday that the European Union could be on the brink of recession with inflation approaching 5% amid the Middle East conflict. "In a more severe scenario as described in the World Economic Out»»»

Dubai: Dubai South has introduced a fresh round of incentives for companies operating within its free zone, as part of a broader push to sustain business activity and ease cost pressures amid the ongoing crisis. The measures include support for new company formation, assistance with licence renewal»»»

A fragile 10-day ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon appeared to be holding early Friday, raising cautious hopes of a broader de-escalation across the Middle East after weeks of intense fighting. The truce, announced by US President Donald Trump and agreed by Israel and Lebanon, took effect overni»»»

DOHA: Minister of Public Health His Excellency Mansoor bin Ebrahim Al Mahmoud has issued a circular authorising the use of the valid national identification (QID) card for residents instead of the health card when accessing services at Hamad Medical Corporation, the Primary Health Care Corporation,»»»

Dubai Police have impounded several vehicles after motorists were found performing dangerous stunts during recent rainfall, turning wet road conditions into incidents of reckless driving and road disorder across the emirate. Brigadier Jumaa Salem bin Suwaidan, Director of the General Department of »»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of Public Health HE Mansoor bin Ebrahim bin Saad Al Mahmoud has issued a circular adopting the valid national ID (QID) card for residents in place of the health card when visiting Hamad Medical Corporation, Primary Health Care Corporation, and other government health sector in»»»

Gold held largely steady on Friday and was on track for a fourth straight weekly gain, as hopes for a US-Iran peace deal eased fears of higher inflation and elevated interest rates. Spot gold eased 0.1% to $4,784.72 per ounce by 0646 GMT, but was up about 1% so far this week. US gold futures for Ju»»»

Beirut MPs representing most of Lebanon’s political parties met in the capital to support a government move declaring the city “safe and weapons-free,” following recent security incidents and Israeli strikes. The conference brought together most factions, except MPs from Hezbollah, the Amal Movemen»»»

Residents of southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs began returning to their towns and villages on Friday, as a 10-day ceasefire with the Israeli occupation took effect at midnight. The roads leading to southern Lebanon witnessed heavy traffic congestion, with large numbers of citizens head»»»

A federal judge on Thursday ordered all above-ground construction of the White House ballroom to stop. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo April 17 (UPI) -- All above-ground construction of the White House ballroom must be stopped amid litigation, a federal judge ordered Thursday, reprima»»»

Dubai: At a time when headlines feel heavier than usual, South African comedian Robby Collins arrives in Dubai with none of the noise and with a very clear goal: make people laugh. The towering comic, currently performing with The Laughter Factory this weekend in Dubai, is in town during what many »»»

The US decision not to extend the New START treaty's limits after it expired — combined with attacks on Venezuela and Iran “create a strong incentive to acquire nuclear weapons as a tool of last resort for self-defense,” Russian economist Professor Alexander Dynkin tells Sputnik. The economist note»»»

Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry has welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement of a ceasefire in Lebanon. "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed the Kingdom's welcome of the announcement by... Trump of a ceasefire in brotherly Lebanon. It also commended the significant positive role pl»»»

Türkiye hosts a high-stakes forum Friday bringing together the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, as Islamabad pushes diplomatic efforts to end the Middle East war. Pakistan's powerful army chief met senior negotiators in Tehran on Thursday as Washington and Iran considered a fr»»»

Romanian radar systems caught a drone breaching its national airspace during a Russian overnight attack on ‌neighboring Ukraine ‌before losing ‌contact southeast ⁠of the border ⁠village of Chilia Veche, the defense ministry said on Friday. Romania, ⁠an EU ‌and ‌NATO state, ‌shares a ‌650-km (400-mi»»»

A higher voter turnout is expected compared to the previous elections, with over 3.3 million people projected to go to the polls on April 19, around 60% of eligible voters living in the country, compared to 2.57 million who voted in the last parliamentary elections in October 2024, according to a p»»»

Washington, April 17 (SANA) Finance ministers and central bank governors of the Group of Seven (G7) countries on Thursday called for efforts to limit the global economic impact of prolonged conflict in the Middle East, urging progress toward lasting stability in the region. Reuters quoted a stateme»»»

On April 17, 2013, an explosion at a West, Texas, fertilizer plant killed 15 people, injured dozens and caused massive property damage in the community. 1 of 4 | Remains of a fertilizer plant and other buildings smolder after the plant exploded in West, Texas on April 17, 2013. File Photo by Larry »»»

Ajman: UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited His Highness Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al Nuaimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ajman, in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Ammar bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, Crown Prince of Ajman. Their Highnesses engaged in warm discuss»»»

Abu Dhabi’s Integrated Transport Centre (AD Mobility) has announced temporary road closures around Wahat Al Karama for the “Run for the Nation” 5km community race on Saturday, April 18. The event, organised by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council in partnership with the Zayed Charity Run, will begin at 8am»»»

A ten-day ceasefire deal agreed between Lebanon and Israel took effect on Friday, as US President Donald Trump said he was trying to set up the first-ever face-to-face meeting between the leaders of the two countries. The truce, which Trump said would begin at midnight local time in Lebanon and Isr»»»

US President Donald Trump expressed confidence that an agreement could soon be reached to end the Iran war and urged the Tehran-aligned Hezbollah group to hold its fire as a 10-day truce went into effect between Lebanon and Israel. Trump said the next meeting between the United States and Iran coul»»»

According to a draft emergency ordinance examined at Thursday's government meeting, the Executive will manage the admission of foreign workers to the Romanian labour market through a single national digital platform.The project, discussed in a first reading, aims to streamline procedures and shorte»»»

The Government approved, on Thursday, a draft decision that stipulates that, for 2026, the maximum ceiling for contracting loans by local authorities is set at 3 billion lei both for the financing that can be contracted and for the related withdrawals.According to a press release from the Executive»»»

The Government has regulated the manner in which the Authority for State Assets Administration takes over budgetary claims of certain companies with majority or wholly state-owned capital.To this end, two emergency ordinances have been adopted, which will allow the state to pursue its strategic int»»»

The Social Democratic Party (PSD) announced on Thursday that it opposes the steps initiated by Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and Deputy Prime Minister Oana Gheorghiu for the sale of "profitable state-owned companies", companies that have an essential role in the country's security architecture. It sa»»»

Deputy Prime Minister Oana Gheorghiu said that during Thursday's government meeting she presented an exploratory list of state-owned companies with potential for stock-exchange listing.She clarified this after being asked whether CEC Bank and Bucharest Airports National Corporation are being consid»»»

The Social Democratic Party (PSD) threatens government collapse, demands Ilie Bolojan resignation amid ultimatum claims. Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan paid a late-night visit to the National Liberal Party (PNL) headquarters in Bucharest, where some party members had gathered for their “traditional Ea»»»

Doha, Qatar: Al Sadd SC suffered a heartbreaking exit from the AFC Champions League (ACL) Elite, going down 5-4 on penalties to Vissel Kobe after a pulsating 3-3 draw in the quarter-final at Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Sports City Stadium in Jeddah yesterday. Substitute Jean Patric scored the winning»»»

President Nicusor Dan said on Thursday that it is possible for Romania to get a minority government, but the essential question remains whether or not such an executive would enjoy parliamentary support.He said that "all options are on the table at the moment" and that, currently, he can see "the d»»»

The Russian Federation launched a new air attack in Ukraine during the night from Thursday to Friday, near the Romanian border, and a drone entered Romanian airspace, the Ministry of National Defence reports on Friday.According to the same source, the attack targeted civilian and infrastructure obj»»»

French President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Friday chair a meeting of allies to consider sending a multinational force to ensure security and free-flowing trade in the Strait of Hormuz once the current conflict between Iran and the US and Israel ends. Iran imposed the blo»»»

Washington: Robert Jimison, Megan Mineiro Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked the latest Democratic-led effort to curb President Trump’s authority to wage war on Iran, as a fragile ceasefire frays, dueling blockades choke traffic through the Strait of Hormuz and failed talks leave the next phas»»»

Five parties are certain to enter the next parliament, while three remain close to the 4% electoral threshold, according to a survey by the Myara polling agency. The data were collected for Bulgarian National Radio. The nationally representative survey was conducted between April 4 and 13 among 1,0»»»

Doha, Qatar: Al Arabi were crowned champions of the 13th Qatar Basketball Cup (2025–2026) after defeating Al Shamal 77-71 at Al Gharafa Hall yesterday, sealing their fifth title and third consecutive triumph. Al Arabi took early control, dominating the first quarter 24–13 with strong defensive pres»»»

Doha, Qatar: The total earnings for Qatari-listed companies witnessed a gain of 3.7% during fourth quarter (Q4) of 2025 to reach $3.1bn as compared to $3bn in Q4-2024. The surge in earnings was primarily driven by earnings growth in the Telecom, Capital Goods and F&B sectors. In terms of FY-2025, n»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has reported a significant expansion in its da’wah (religious outreach) ecosystem in 2025, underscoring its growing role in strengthening societal values, promoting intellectual security, and supporting family cohesion across Qatar. According t»»»

Doha, Qatar: MES Indian School, Abu Hamour Branch, (MESIS) has once again upheld its tradition of academic excellence by achieving a remarkable 100 percent pass rate in the CBSE Class X Board Examination 2025–26. Out of 142 students who appeared, all successfully passed the examination. A total of »»»

With the geopolitical architecture of Southeast Asia going through a shift of late, Indonesia and the US have taken a further, and important step in their security relationship by way of a Major Defence Cooperation Partnership (MDCP) signed at the Pentagon on April 13, Antara News reports. For Pres»»»

With the geopolitical architecture of Southeast Asia going through a shift of late, Indonesia and the US have taken a further, and important step in their security relationship by way of a Major Defence Cooperation Partnership (MDCP) signed at the Pentagon on April 13, Antara News reports. For Pres»»»

With the geopolitical architecture of Southeast Asia going through a shift of late, Indonesia and the US have taken a further, and important step in their security relationship by way of a Major Defence Cooperation Partnership (MDCP) signed at the Pentagon on April 13, Antara News reports. For Pres»»»

With the geopolitical architecture of Southeast Asia going through a shift of late, Indonesia and the US have taken a further, and important step in their security relationship by way of a Major Defence Cooperation Partnership (MDCP) signed at the Pentagon on April 13, Antara News reports. For Pres»»»

Doha, Qatar: Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) has reached a new level of selectivity for the Class of 2030, with applications rising 92 percent. The surge marks the most competitive admissions cycle in the university’s history and brings the admit rate to a record low. The admitted class refle»»»

Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan, Adylbek Kasymaliev, as part of the Spring Meetings of the IMF and the World Bank Group in Washington, held a series of meetings with the management of leading U.S. technology corporations to discuss prospects for Kyrgyzstan’s digital development. »»»

Dubai: Emirati women working in the private sector will be eligible for child allowance benefits under the Nafis programme only under specific conditions, as authorities expand support for families while tightening eligibility criteria. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app no»»»