About 98% of complaints about excessive electricity bills submitted to the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission (EWRC) are from customers who use electricity for heating, mainly with air conditioners, EWRC Chair Plamen Mladenovski reported during a hearing in Parliament on Thursday. Mladenovski s»»»

Military escalation across Iraq continues following the outbreak of the Israeli-US war on Iran, as the country is now facing a series of reciprocal attacks by multiple actors on its territory, along with mounting economic damage caused by disruptions to its oil exports. “Iraq has become one of the »»»

A second Iranian warship was heading towards Sri Lanka's territorial waters Thursday, a day after a US submarine destroyed an Iranian frigate, killing at least 87 sailors, a minister told parliament. Media minister Nalinda Jayatissa said the second Iranian warship was just outside Sri Lankan waters»»»

Dubai: Authorities in the UAE have moved to reassure the public that the country’s financial system remains strong and fully operational despite rising geopolitical tensions across the region. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The Central Bank of the UAE said banks, fina»»»

Dubai: Flights have resumed on a limited basis at Dubai’s airports, with the chief executive of Dubai Airports confirming that operations are being closely monitored during this recovery phase. Stay updated: Get the latest faster by downloading the Gulf News app - it's completely free. Click here f»»»

Dubai: The International Union of Superiors General (UISG), representing more than 1,900 congregations of consecrated women religious across six continents, has called for a global moment of “prayer, fasting, and action for an unarmed and disarming peace” on Friday, March 6. The initiative is set t»»»

Doha, Qatar: Kuwait Airways has announced that it will operate flights for citizens wishing to return to the country from several destinations, with onwards travel to Kuwait via Saudi Arabia by land. It added that flights will operate from Manchetsr, London, Barcelona, Munich, Paris, Milan, Istanbu»»»

Israel's Defense Minister Israel Katz said his US counterpart Pete Hegseth assured him of Washington's firm backing for their joint military campaign against Iran and urged him to continue the operation "to the end.” "The Secretary of Defense said: 'Keep going to the end -- we are with you,'" Katz »»»

Dubai: The day is finally here! On March 5th, cricket fans across the UAE are gearing up for one of the most anticipated clashes of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 the semi‑final showdown between India and England at Mumbai’s iconic Wankhede Stadium. It's going to be a big one! And naturally, Duba»»»

Dubai: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has called for restraint and protection of medical teams as regional tensions impact healthcare systems. The expansion of conflict across the Middle East has placed increasing pressure on healthcare services, with medical workers caught in the crossfire, a»»»

French authorities have detained two additional suspects over the recent fatal beating of right-wing activist Quentin Deranque in Lyon, with local media reporting that all principal suspects are now in custody. Eleven other individuals were arrested last month, some of whom are alleged to have link»»»

Iranian state television said Iran had struck a U.S. oil tanker in the Gulf with a missile on Thursday, the latest Iranian attack on the energy industry in the region. The ship "was hit by a missile in the north of the Persian Gulf" and "is currently on fire", Iran's Revolutionary Guards said in a »»»

Dubai: The Philippine ambassador to the UAE has reassured the Filipino community that the situation across the Emirates remains calm and stable, urging residents to stay informed and trust the UAE authorities. In an interview with Philippine radio programme DZMM, ambassador Alfonso Ver has reiterat»»»

Kazakhstan’s service sector activity declined in February, with the decline in new orders the most marked in almost four years, according to the monthly Freedom Holding and S&P Global Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) survey. »»»

Fewer than half of Ukrainian refugees now say they plan to return home after the war with Russia, according to new survey data, as the country’s demographic crisis continues to escalate. A poll conducted by Info Sapiens fo»»»

Fewer than half of Ukrainian refugees now say they plan to return home after the war with Russia, according to new survey data, as the country’s demographic crisis continues to escalate. A poll conducted by Info Sapiens fo»»»

The US is reportedly engaging with Kurdish groups in ways that position them against the Iranian regime, including discussions on arming and supporting cross-border operations to tackle IRGC forces, US media reported. The CIA is now working with some Kurdish groups, further building on historical U»»»

Iran launched a new wave of attacks Thursday morning at Israeli and American bases and threatened that the United States would "bitterly regret" torpedoing an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean and a religious leader called for "Trump's blood," while Israel said it had begun a "large-scale" attack»»»

Sharjah: Al Hamriyah Municipality honoured a worker from Bee’ah Company after he returned a mobile phone he found while carrying out his duties in a public area, in a gesture reflecting honesty and professional integrity during the holy month of Ramadan. The worker discovered the phone while perfor»»»

UK Defence Secretary John Healey is due to travel to Cyprus later after the Cypriot government criticised the way the UK has handled its response to the drone attacks against an RAF base on the island. Cypriot High Commissioner to the UK Dr Kyriacos Kouros told BBC Newsnight Cypriots were "disappoi»»»

"It's so good to be home." The statement sums up how almost 400 people felt after their flight from Dubai arrived in Dublin on Wednesday night. The Emirates flight was the first in a number of days after the United States-Israeli attacks on Iran led to the closure of nearly all airspace in the Midd»»»

Greenvolt Group, through Greenvolt Power, a leading global developer of large-scale wind, solar and battery energy storage projects, has secured EUR 348m financing package for the construction of the 253.1 MW wind project in Ialomita County, south-eastern Romania. With a signed sale agreement with »»»

The National Bucharest Airports Corporation (CNAB) has started a tender for the design and execution of a photovoltaic park that will be built in the vicinity of Runway 2 of the Henri Coanda Bucharest International Airport, as well as for its connection to the airport's power plant.According to CNA»»»

The Intesa Sanpaolo Group has granted an 85 million loan euros to an independent energy producer for the development of a hybrid photovoltaic solar and storage project in Romania, one of the largest hybrid renewable energy investments in Europe, the bank informs on Tuesday.The loan is intended for »»»

The US is reportedly engaging with Kurdish groups in ways that position them against the Iranian regime, including discussions on arming and supporting cross-border operations to tackle the Iranian regime, US media reported. The CIA is now working with some Kurdish groups, further building on histo»»»

Dubai: The Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has expressed its gratitude to the UAE government, as well as to other host countries in the Middle East, for their ongoing support in ensuring the safety and security of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) amid the increasing conflict in the r»»»

A 24-year-old Yryskeldi Akhatzhanov, convicted of drug-related offenses in Kursk, will be deported to Kyrgyzstan. The decision was issued by the Kirov District Court of the city. According to the joint press service of the courts in Kursk Oblast of Russia, an administrative claim filed by the regio»»»

A steep selloff ‌in US Treasuries extended into a fourth straight day on Thursday, as investors fretted that surging energy prices from the war in the Middle East could stoke inflation and derail the Federal Reserve's rate outlook. The benchmark 10-year US Treasury yield jumped as much as 5 basis p»»»

In Bansko, the winter tourism season is facing a severe crisis as the war in the Middle East triggers widespread cancellations. Reservations from Israel and other affected countries have been entirely scrapped, leaving hotels nearly empty. The local tourism sector warns that the season is on the br»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Germany has been left thinly protected against aerial attack due to the transfer of military systems to Ukraine and NATO's eastern flank, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing German officials familiar with the matter. Germany, Ukraine's largest European backer, o»»»

Israel carried out strikes on Dahieh and South and east Lebanon Thursday, while Lebanese state media reported an Israeli drone strike killed a Hamas official in Tripoli's Beddawi. Two people were also killed in an Israeli strike on the Zahle highway Thursday. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East »»»

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said on Wednesday that the war in the Gulf region has pushed up fuel prices as a result of the partial blockage of traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important energy corridors.In a call-in with B1 TV, Bolojan explained that around 90% of traff»»»

A snow avalanche occurred at the 304th kilometer of Bishkek—Naryn—Torugart road, near Kara-Unkur gorge, the press service of the Ministry of Transport and Communications of Kyrgyzstan reported. According to the ministry, traffic on this section of the road has been temporarily suspended. Road servi»»»

Iranian Foreign Minister Abas Araghchi on Thursday accused the United States of committing an atrocity by sinking an Iranian navy ship off Sri Lanka and warned it would "bitterly regret" the precedent set. "The US has perpetrated an atrocity at sea, 2,000 miles away from Iran's shores. Frigate Dena»»»

Dubai: Several major attractions in Dubai have extended temporary closures as a precautionary safety measure amid ongoing regional tensions linked to the US-Israel-Iran conflict. Authorities have stressed that daily life in the UAE continues as normal, but some venues have paused operations in line»»»

Dubai: A civil court in Dubai has ordered a man of Arab nationality to repay Dh3.5 million he misappropriated under a trust receipt, along with Dh200,000 in compensation, following a final criminal conviction for breach of trust. According to court records, the case began when the claimant filed a »»»

Sharjah: A woman arrested for begging during the early days of Ramadan was found carrying nearly Dh12,000 in different currencies, highlighting how some individuals exploit the generosity of residents during the holy month, Sharjah Police said. The arrest was part of a wider campaign that led to th»»»

Doha, Qatar: Social Consultations Officer at the Ministry of Social Development and Family Sabika Al-Nasr has underscored the critical importance of psychological and social support for families in light of the current regional developments, emphasising that the family remains the cornerstone of so»»»

Doha, Qatar: The General Directorate of Endowments at the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing rehabilitation programmes and promoting sustainability through its ongoing partnership with Qatar Society for Rehabilitation of Special Needs (QSRSN), underscor»»»

Doha, Qatar: The “Efaf” project, an initiative of Thani Bin Abdullah Foundation for Humanitarian Services, is investing in building stable and sustainable families by combining financial assistance with education and guidance, according to Dr. Shafi Al-Hajri, Chairman of the Scientific Committee of»»»

Polls opened Thursday in Nepal's first nationwide election since last year’s violent, youth-led uprising forced the government from power. Nepal voted on Thursday for a new parliament in a high-stakes showdown between an entrenched old guard and a powerful youth movement, six months after deadly an»»»

Beijing, March 5 (SANA) China has ordered major oil refiners to temporarily suspend exports of refined fuel products as risks to global oil supplies rise amid the conflict in the Middle East, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing sources familiar with the matter. Officials from the National Develo»»»

United Nations: Two more candidates have been nominated for the position of the next UN secretary-general, according to documents published on the official website of the president of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Wednesday. Burundi, the current chair of the African Union, has nominated Macky S»»»

Doha, Qatar: As part of its multi-sector response to the floods in Sudan, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) has initiated the distribution of shelter tents to affected families in River Nile, North Kordofan, and White Nile States, with 866 family tents delivered, out of a total of 1,066 tents to be»»»

Decorating their soldiers with colorful garlands, hundreds of Afghans rallied in border provinces to decry Pakistan killing civilians and to show support for their troops battling at the frontier. A week of border fighting between the two neighbors has killed dozens of Afghan civilians and displace»»»

US President Donald Trump claims his country has a "virtually unlimited supply" of key weapons. Iran's defence ministry says it has "the capacity to resist the enemy" for longer than the US had planned. Weapons stocks and supplies alone will not decide the outcome of this conflict – Ukraine has lon»»»

Dubai: The owl post has arrived, and the news is very good indeed. Warner Bros. World Abu Dhabi is building a Harry Potter-themed land, and if the plans are anything to go by, it is going to be unlike anything that exists anywhere else in the wizarding world. Consider it the theme park equivalent o»»»

Doha, Qatar: One of the most significant achievements of 2025 was the marked increase in both zakat revenues and expenditures, with total disbursements exceeding QR 300 million. The milestone reflects an expanding base of beneficiaries and growing public confidence in the Zakat Affairs Department’s»»»

For the last 500 years the West has grown rich from exploiting the income delta between its home markets and the rest of the world. It works because incomes in the "emerging markets" are so low compared to the Global North. The human capital wealth of the Global South is exported to the N»»»

A decisive shift in global economic power is under way, driven by China’s industrial strategy focused on robots and AI. China’s accelerating technological self-sufficiency is a game changer, according to George Noble, f»»»