HEADLINES The draft 2027 budget dominates the coverage, with debate over borrowing, inflation, social-insurance changes and spending reform. Disputed correspondence about private pension contributions prompts demands for the finance minister’s resignation, while GERB seeks a presidential veto if th»»»

Opportunities to deepen bilateral investment and economic cooperation between Bulgaria and Israel were discussed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Investment and Industry Alexander Poulev and Israeli Ambassador to Bulgaria Yosi Levi Sfari, the Economy Ministry here said on Monday. T»»»

RIYADH: Record exports helped push the UAE’s non-oil foreign trade up 10.1 percent year on year in the first nine months of 2026, reaching 2.94 trillion Emirati dirhams ($801.9 billion). Non-oil exports increased 21.6 percent to 706 billion dirhams, while imports climbed 11.5 percent to 1.66 trilli»»»

Reports allege that Megaspeed executive Alice Huang was spying on Nvidia’s CEO for China Dubai: Alice Huang, a Chinese tech executive also known as Huang Le, sits at the centre of the scandal engulfing Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang. Media reports describe her as the woman accused of spying fo»»»

By Staff, Agencies The US Democratic Party is preparing a new $15 billion assistance package for Ukraine, alongside plans to tighten sanctions against Russia, in a move that could complicate President Donald Trump’s efforts to negotiate an end to the Ukraine conflict, the Financial Times [FT] repor»»»

New system aims to cut routine permit approvals from days to minutes, with human oversight Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi has partnered with OpenAI to turn government laws, policies and regulations into machine-readable formats, allowing artificial intelligence systems to assess routine applications and comp»»»

By Staff, Agencies The Iranian Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Esmail Baqaei stressed that Tehran’s two-day proposal is the most logical roadmap for restoring security in the Strait of Hormuz, saying the waterway will remain insecure as long as the US continues its hostile actions against Iran. Spe»»»

From deadly Hormuz attacks to midterms, Trump addresses war, peace and political future Dubai: US President Donald Trump has signalled that he is not seeking fresh military escalation against Iran, while defending the war despite its political costs and expressing confidence that Tehran will eventu»»»

Prominent MAGA influencer Laura Loomer, who traveled to Kiev earlier this year to promote Ukraine and downplay its neo-Nazi problem, has secretly received tens of thousands of dollars for political posts on social media, the Washington Post has reported, citing financial records and people familiar»»»

Etihad keeps Riyadh and Dammam grounded; flydubai and Saudi carriers face fresh disruption Dubai: UAE travellers heading into the new week face another round of flight disruptions, with Saudi Arabia remaining one of the most affected destinations. While Emirates, Etihad Airways, flydubai and Air Ar»»»

RIYADH: The Federation of Saudi Chambers has launched the International Business Concierge, a support platform designed to help international companies explore investment opportunities, establish operations and expand their presence in the Saudi market. The initiative aims to help international com»»»

Proposed Dispute Resolution Oracle aims to bridge the gap between law and blockchain Dubai: The Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Courts has published a new white paper proposing a global framework for resolving disputes in the on-chain economy and enforcing decisions directly against the»»»

With two major manufacturing facilities, a nationwide customer-care network, and a growing multi-brand commercial operation, Romania has developed into a major industrial and business hub for Beko in Europe. As the home appliances industry faces more cautious consumption, cost pressures, and accele»»»

Bulgaria's Finance Ministry plans to raise an additional €100 million in domestic borrowing through an auction of government securities, according to an announcement published on the Bulgarian National Bank's website. The bonds will have a 10-year maturity and carry an annual coupon rate of 3.5%. S»»»

Romania’s regional cities are entering a new phase of development, one in which large-scale urban regeneration projects are becoming powerful tools for economic transformation. Over the past decade, cities such as Iași, Timișoara, and Cluj-Napoca have evolved from secondary markets into increasingl»»»

Two trains collided Sunday south of the Egyptian capital of Cairo, killing seven people and injuring at least 125, authorities said. The train's conductor was among those killed. The Health Ministry gave the casualty toll, saying in a statement that over 70 of the injured were discharged after rece»»»

Doha, Qatar: Temperatures across Qatar are expected to drop noticeably towards the end of the week, the Qatar Meteorology Department (QMD) forecast on Monday. In a social media post, the department said the expected change in temperatures is due to strengthening northwesterly winds, according to th»»»

Renovation work on one of Hungary’s busiest railway lines has reached Kőbánya-Kispest station, where tracks and platform canopies are being upgraded. The works are also expected to remove several existing speed restrictions, helping to shorten journey times and reduce delays. Transport and Investme»»»

Muscat: The 2025 energy sector indicators for the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, released by the Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf (GCC-STAT), show that global demand for GCC crude oil grew at an average annual rate of 3.1% over the period »»»

Raiffeisen Bank Romania recorded a net profit of 1.26 billion lei in the first nine months of this year, a period during which it also reported a 35% increase in new clients compared to the same period last year, the bank announced in a press ...»»»

Romania's insurance market grew 15% in the first half of 2026 compared with the same period last year, reaching 14.2 billion lei, while assets managed by the private pension system totalled 246.2 billion lei, according to Financial Supervisory Authority (ASF) President Alexandru ...»»»

Mandatory private pension funds registered assets worth 236.8 billion lei at the end of September 2026, up 29% compared with the level recorded on the same date last year, according to the report of the Financial Supervisory Authority ...»»»

Voluntary pension funds had assets worth 8.75 billion lei at the end of September, an increase of 30% compared with the level recorded on the same date a year earlier, according to a report by the Financial Supervisory Authority ...»»»

Savings and investment accounts designed to accumulate additional income for retirement will be available starting January 1, 2027, and the Financial Supervisory Authority (ASF) is tasked with drafting the implementing regulations, stated Gabriela Horga?chair of the Senate's Committee on Budget, Fi»»»

By Mohamad Hammoud The Nuclear Threshold No country has used nuclear weapons in combat since the United States bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945. Despite decades of wars and confrontations between nuclear powers, the fear of catastrophic consequences has helped preserve that restraint. Now, all»»»

Dubai 24-karat price rises to Dh496.75 a gram, up Dh26.50 in a week, just after Diwali Dubai: Gold climbed on November 9, erasing Friday’s decline, as oil extended its slide and the AI tech stock rout deepened with Nvidia CEO now being probed. Spot gold rose 1.02 per cent to $4,110 an ounce at 11:0»»»

Retail trade turnover (except for motor vehicles and motorcycles) fell in the first nine months of 2026 compared with the same period last year, both in gross terms, by 4.6%, and in terms of business day and seasonally adjusted data, by 4.9%, according to figures released on Friday by the National »»»

91% of the state aid granted by Romania went to companies running on Romanian capital, and only 9% went to those with majority foreign capital, Chairman of the Competition Council, Bogdan Chiri?oiu, said on Friday at a specialist event."Yesterday we presented the report. We periodically present the»»»

Variable weather is expected this week, with precipitation arriving in several waves. Peak temperatures at the start of the week are forecast to range between 5 and 13 degrees Celsius, before a warming trend begins — on Friday, up to 21 degrees is possible in the southern part of the country, and n»»»

Doha, Qatar: The University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST) announces that six of its academics have been recognised in the 2026 World’s Top 2% Scientists List, published by Stanford University Professor John P. A. Ioannidis in collaboration with Elsevier, highlighting their research cont»»»

Doha, Qatar: Bilateral relations between Qatar and Azerbaijan are witnessing continued growth, driven by historical ties, shared interests and an increasing exchange of high-level visits, Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Qatar H E Dr. Adish Mammadov has said. “Relations between the State of Qatar and th»»»

Arab Finance: VIE Communities has launched VIE HALO, its second project in the Egyptian market, with total investments of up to EGP 50 billion, according to an emailed press release. Located in New Cairo, the development project has already recorded sales exceeding EGP 6 billion during its early-la»»»

Paris: Lille beat Rennes 2-1 away yesterday to climb second in Ligue 1 just two points behind European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the French Ligue 1 table. Coached by Davide Ancelotti Lille go into the international break with 21 points from 10 games one ahead of Paris FC in third. Italian An»»»

London: Manchester United rescued an incredible 4-4 draw against Aston Villa as two stoppage-time goals gave Michael Carrick renewed hope of avoiding the sack, while Chelsea suffered a shock 1-0 loss at Sunderland yesterday. United boss Carrick was seconds away from heading into the international b»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Clasico lived up to expectations as Al Rayyan produced a sensational 4-3 victory over defending champions Al Sadd in a seven-goal thriller at Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium yesterday to return to the top of the Qatar Stars League standings. The victory lifted Al Rayyan to 21 points»»»

Doha, Qatar: Spain completed a brilliant double in Doha, winning both the men's and women's FIP World Cup titles at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex late Saturday night. The men's final, which stretched past midnight, saw Spain defeat defending champions Argentina 2-1 in a thrill»»»

The man had been in critical condition after police shot him to end the attack Krakow, Poland: The 24-year-old who opened fire in a city square in Poland, killing six people and wounding 15 on Saturday, died in the hospital Monday morning, police said. The man had been in critical condition after p»»»

Lusail, Qatar: Marco Bezzecchi bounced back from his sprint disappointment with a clinical performance to win the MotoGP Qatar Airways Grand Prix of Qatar in front of 27,000 spectators at floodlit Lusail International Circuit yesterday. The victory for the Aprilia Racing rider meant Ducati’s Marc M»»»

Doha, Qatar: Under the patronage of Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, H E Ibrahim bin Ali bin Issa Al Hassan Al Mohannadi, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) convened yesterday its inaugural banking sector forum in the State of Qatar, under the motto of a shared vision for e»»»

Doha, Qatar: The working group on trade and investment, established under the first strategic dialogue between the State of Qatar and the Federal Republic of Germany, held a meeting via videoconference yesterday. The meeting was co-chaired on the Qatari side by HE Minister of State for Foreign Trad»»»

Minister of Regional Development and Public Works Ivan Shishkov, will visit the Pazardzhik region on Monday, the Ministry of Regional Development reported. At 10:30 a.m., the Minister - accompanied by the Mayor of Peshtera Municipality, Yordan Mladenov, and Regional Governor Borislav Bogoslovov - w»»»

Nvidia has been down 22% from its October peak even before Huang admitted to the affair Dubai: Nvidia shares fell as much as 4.2 per cent in overnight trading on November 8 after CEO Jensen Huang admitted being unfaithful to his wife. The board has launched an investigation in to the alleged affair»»»

Net profit hits Dh2.90b as record fuel volumes and 71 new stations drive 9-month growth Abu Dhabi: ADNOC Distribution’s net profit rose 37 per cent year on year to $791 million or Dh2.90 billion in the first nine months of 2026, the Abu Dhabi-listed fuel retailer reported on November 9. EBITDA clim»»»

Pope Leo XIV arrived in Argentina on Sunday from Uruguay, where his tour began, facing calls to help bridge divisions after three years of austerity under President Javier Milei. The visit to Buenos Aires is the first by a pontiff to the late Pope Francis’ homeland in nearly four decades. Pope Leo »»»

AMMAN — Pension expenditure rose by 3% during the first eight months of 2026, reaching approximately JD1.227 billion, compared with the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Finance’s monthly financial bulletin.The bulletin, cited by Al Mamlaka, showed that pension payments to retired»»»

AMMAN — The meeting between HRH Crown Prince Hussein and European Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva on the sidelines of the Tallinn Digital Summit in Estonia could open new opportunities for Jordanian start-ups, researchers and technology companies to access Eur»»»

The 57-year-old president and CEO of UFC, and is a long-time friend of the president West Palm Beach, United States: US President Donald Trump said Sunday that he was only joking when he offered the role of White House press secretary to Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) chief Dana White earlier»»»

Deadly apartment fire in China claims 14 lives, investigation underway A fire that broke out in an apartment building in northern China killed at least 14 people, state media said Monday, raising the death toll from the previous night. Deadly fires are relatively common in China due to lax building»»»

In the first three quarters of 2026, 9,803 new dwellings were built, 31% more than a year earlier. The number of dwellings to be built based on issued construction permits and simple declarations was 22,331, 12% more than in the same period of 2025. In quarters 1-3 2026, 9,803 dwellings were put in»»»

In September 2026, the volume of retail trade in both raw and calendar-adjusted data was 4.3% higher than in the same month of the previous year. Compared to the same period of the previous year, calendar-adjusted sales volumes fell by 0.1% in specialized and non-specialized food shops, while they »»»