Dubai: The Guru Nanak Darbar Gurudwara and The Hindu Temple in Dubai on Friday announced temporary closures until further notice, following directives from Dubai authorities citing safety and security reasons. The announcements come on the same day that several of the emirate's churches suspended i»»»

The Russian Embassy in Sofia has circulated a warning issued by the Foreign Ministry in Moscow, cautioning its citizens about what it describes as a heightened risk of detention abroad at the request of US authorities. Among the countries mentioned as posing such a risk is Bulgaria, alongside a bro»»»

A train derailed early on Friday morning between the Dabovo and Raduntsi stations, Maglizh Municipality, Stara Zagora Region, Central Bulgaria, the press office of Holding BDZ – Bulgarian State Railways announced. BDZ added that the incident occurred at 7:30 a.m. involving a passenger train travell»»»

Al Ain: Abu Dhabi Police have fulfilled the wish of two young brothers by inviting them to accompany a special children’s patrol, in a humanitarian initiative aimed at strengthening community engagement and promoting road safety awareness. A team from the Traffic Awareness and Education Branch at t»»»

A Japanese water plant is harnessing the natural process of osmosis to generate renewable energy that could one day become a common power source. The possibility of generating power from osmosis -- when water molecules pass from a less salty solution to a more salty one -- has long been known. But »»»

A forum on the electoral rights of people with visual and hearing impairments will be held at the Ombudsman Institution in Sofia on Friday, the institution said. Organized by Ombudsman of the Republic of Bulgaria Velislava Delcheva, the event will focus on accessible information, technological solu»»»

Doha, Qatar: There is little room left for hesitation in the top-flight Qatar Stars League (QSL). With three rounds remaining, every point now carries weight for places in the top four, for survival and for momentum heading into the closing days of the season. That urgency frames today’s meeting be»»»

A year ago this week, Spain’s grid ran entirely on renewable power for a full day for the first time ever. Wind, solar, and hydro met all the peninsula’s electricity demand on April 16. Five days later, solar set a new record, generating 20,120 MW of instantaneous power – covering 78.6% of demand a»»»

The Cotofenesti golden helmet and two of the three Dacian gold bracelets stolen last year from the Drents Museum in the Netherlands and subsequently recovered have been returned to Romania, the Dutch Prosecution Service announced on Thursday in a press release published on its website.Stan Rares-Pe»»»

Over half of the Romanians admit the fact that they have committed at least one traffic violation, show the results of a sociological study made by IRES at the request of UNSAR – the National Union of the Societies for Insurance and Re-insurance of Romania.More specifically, six out of ten people s»»»

Industrial producer prices overall (domestic and external markets) fell by 1.1% in February this year compared to January 2026, while rising by 3% compared to February 2025, according to data published on Thursday by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).On the domestic market, the industrial »»»

Romania's permanent resident population reached 21.646 million people as of 1 January 2026, down 0.5% compared with the same period of the previous year, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS) data published on Thursday.The urban and female population remain in the majority, accoun»»»

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announced on Thursday that Romania will contact Pfizer, with which he will start a negotiation, considering that some "thoughtless decisions turn against them in a longer or shorter time"."Unfortunately, we received the news of the sentence in the first instance, unfortu»»»

Current discussions about state interventions in market mechanisms, such as price caps in various fields, bring uncertainty to the market and make companies more reluctant about future investments, claim representatives of the Romanian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (AHK Romania)."We have »»»

The Government has decided to reduce the excise duty on diesel by 0.30 lei per liter. It will also limit fuel price updates at gas stations to just one per day. The measure is expected to be adopted through an Emergency Ordinance, “most likely on Friday.” “The working group set up by the Government»»»

The Finance Ministry planned, in April 2026, to borrow from commercial banks 3.9 billion lei, to which could be added 15% of the nominal value adjudicated at reference tenders, within additional sessions of non-competitive offers organized exclusively for benchmark instruments. The total amount of »»»

The Government approved on Thursday the National Strategy of State Reserves (SNRS) for the period 2026-2030, a document through which Romania strengthens its capacity to respond efficiently to exceptional situations and ensures a high level of resilience and national security, aligned with good Eur»»»

The Ministry of Finance is reorganising the Romanian Customs Authority to align the customs system with the current demands of the economy and with the new European and international guidelines.According to the Ministry of Finance, the reform aims to transition to a modern customs model, based on c»»»

Romania already has a "country project" represented by its accession to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), now in the final stage, and the next strategic objective will be the adoption of the euro, after rebalancing the economy and reducing the major fiscal deficit, »»»

The total number of citizens registered to vote in Romania's Electoral Register on 31 March is 19,028,813, down by 3,715 compared with 28 February.According to a Permanent Electoral Authority (AEP) release sent on Thursday, 19,032,528 Romanian voters were registered in the Electoral Register on 28 »»»

Buzau mayor Constantin Toma said many Social Democrats support Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan staying in office, warning the party risks "a bad outcome" if it follows leader Sorin Grindeanu's line, while also referring to the case involving ARR head Cristian Anton.Constantin Toma made the remarks afte»»»

Romania represents a direct gateway to the European Union, having a special importance for Uzbekistan, stated on Thursday, Amirsaid Agzamhodjaev, the ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan to Romania with residence in Warsaw, at an event organized by the Bucharest Chamber of Commerce and Industry»»»

The Sfantu Gheorghe branch of the Danube on Thursday hosted an inter-institutional training exercise that dealt with the management of a refugee crisis in the Danube Delta area and prisoners of war, an event that was part of a wider Sea Shield exercise.The military exercise designed to secure the i»»»

The escalation of tensions in the Middle East has already produced visible effects on energy markets and continues to amplify volatility in international financial markets, while external developments overlap with Romania's already known domestic economic vulnerabilities, such as persistent twin de»»»

Japan’s cabinet has approved a shift towards a demand-driven rice production policy, alongside new measures to address supply shortages, as prices of the staple have risen sharply in recent years. The government of Sanae T»»»

Doha, Qatar: Al Arabi clinched the Qatar Basketball Federation (QBF) League title for the 2025-2026 season, sealing the prestigious title for a third time in a row, with a 91-79 win over Al Rayyan in the second game of the best-of-three finals at Al Gharafa Hall yesterday. Al Arabi had won the open»»»

Cuba said Thursday that it will release more than 2,000 inmates. File Photo by Ernesto Mastroscusa/EPA-EFE April 3 (UPI) -- The Cuban government has announced it will pardon more than 2,000 prisoners, its second such release in less than a month. The Embassy of Cuba in Washington announced Thursday»»»

Doha, Qatar: Aneed Al Shahania clinched the H H Sheikh Mohammed Bin Khalifa Al Thani Trophy while Basalt emerged the Ebraz Cup winner to light up the Al Rayyan Racecourse, which hosted major races last evening. Competing in the Local Purebred Arabians, Aneed Al Shahania returned to winning form for»»»

Milan: The head of Italy’s football federation (FIGC) resigned yesterday, falling on his sword after the men’s national team failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time. Gabriele Gravina revealed he would step down as the country’s top football official following a meeting held»»»

Doha, Qatar: England’s Andrew Sanders fired an opening round of 72 to take the first-round lead at the 40th Qatar Open Golf Championship, which got underway at Doha Golf Club yesterday. In a field of 90 players competing over three days, Sanders set the early pace in the singles stroke-play format,»»»

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un petted puppies and kittens with his delighted daughter as they toured a new Pyongyang housing district, state media said Friday. The Hwasong area, formerly mostly farmland, is a newly developed residential district with about 40,000 housing units built through a seri»»»

A man armed with knives was arrested after setting off pyrotechnics on a high-speed train in Germany, injuring 12 people, police said Friday. The incident occurred late Thursday on an Intercity Express train, the German equivalent of France's TGV, bound for Frankfurt in western Germany, with around»»»

The UN Security Council has postponed a vote scheduled for Friday on authorizing the use of "defensive" force to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz from Iranian attacks, according to the official program. The 15-member body was set to vote Friday morning on a draft resolution brought by Bahra»»»

A fresh 20 cm of snow fell on Rozhen Peak, bringing the total snow cover there to 59 cm, meteorologists at the station told BTA on Friday. Snow fell in the higher parts of the Rhodope Mountains over the past 24 hours, while rain fell elsewhere. The Mountain Rescue Service in Pamporovo told BTA that»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI), in cooperation with Qatar Development Bank (QDB), held a coordination meeting yesterday bringing together major suppliers in Qatar and a number of relevant local companies to enhance the resilience and sustainability of supply chains at the»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Stock Exchange (QSE) index ended the week’s trading up by 0.66 percent, raising its balance by 66.85 points to reach 10,227 points, supported by the positive performance of five sectors, particularly the industrial sector, which recorded an increase of 1.62 percent. In this c»»»

Seoul: French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday Donald Trump’s mocking comments about his marriage did not merit a response, calling them “neither elegant nor up to standard”. But after days of tensions over US-Israeli strikes on Iran and over NATO, an apparently irritated Macron launched »»»

The Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan has amended several resolutions governing the licensing of alcoholic products. Under the new decree, provisions related to retail alcohol sales have been removed from the regulatory framework. Specifically: As a result, licensing regulation in the sector has b»»»

Dubai: Gold prices in Dubai edged slightly higher on Friday morning, offering a pause after the sharp declines seen through much of March. (Check latest UAE gold prices here, alongside prices in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and India.) Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Chequ»»»

Dubai: UAE authorities have confirmed that the country’s air defence systems are actively intercepting incoming missiles and drones launched from Iran, as regional tensions rise. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said in an advisory that the sounds heard in parts of the country were due to air defence »»»

Berlin: The German government announced the implementation of new regulatory measures to curb frequent fuel price fluctuations by limiting the number of price increases to once per day. Price increases are permitted once at midday, whereas price decreases may be made at any time without limit. The »»»

Doha, Qatar: Surging global oil and gas prices are creating a new set of economic challenges for countries worldwide. The most prominent of these challenges is the fight against stagflation, with major fears of stagflation, central banks are now facing a dilemma over raising interest rates to contr»»»

The UN Security Council is set to vote Friday on a draft resolution allowing a “defensive” force to protect shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran’s actions disrupt a vital global trade route. Backed by the United States, the measure comes amid rising tensions and concerns over energy supplies a»»»

North Korea will hold a ceremony this month to bury the remains of its soldiers killed while fighting overseas alongside Russia against Ukraine, state media said Friday. Pyongyang has sent thousands of troops -- as well as missiles and munitions -- to support Russia's war in Ukraine. Seoul estimate»»»

The NATO alliance has in recent years survived existential challenges - ranging from the war in Ukraine to multiple bouts of pressure and insults from US President Donald Trump, who has questioned its core mission and threatened to seize Greenland. But it is the US-Israeli war with Iran, thousands »»»

Doha, Qatar: As part of its institutional responsibility and commitment to the safety of its community, Qatar University (QU) confirmed that it continues to implement measures aimed at strengthening institutional preparedness in response to the directives issued by the Ministry of Interior and rele»»»

Doha, Qatar: Hamad, Doha, Ruwais Port handled over 291,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in first quarter (Q1) of 2026, along with around 237,000 tonnes of general cargo and more than 200,000 tonnes of bulk cargo. The ports also processed nearly 25,000 RoRo units and 75,779 heads of livestock»»»

Doha, Qatar: LuLu Hypermarket marked World Autism Awareness Day 2026 by illuminating its D-Ring Road branch in blue, demonstrating support for individuals with autism and promoting awareness across the community. Aligned with this year’s global theme, “Autism and Humanity – Every Life Has Value “wh»»»

The official opening ceremony of a Traditional Crafts Center was held at the Gapar Aitiev Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts. This event was made possible through cooperation between the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Korea. The initiative aims to modernize production and introduce digital ma»»»