New York: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk expressed concern over reports that more than 50 civilians were killed in four Sudanese states as a result of drone attacks, urging an end to the violence and renewed engagement in dialogue toward a ceasefire. In a press statement, Turk sa»»»

Peru will again swear in a head of state chosen by Congress rather than by direct vote, after legislators removed José Jerí from office barely 130 days into his interim presidency.  The decision, approved on February »»»

US cybersecurity giant Palo Alto Networks announced its intent to acquire Israeli startup KOI for $400mn. This comes just a week after Palo Alto acquired another Israeli information security company, CyberArk, for $25bn. T»»»

The Lebanese Cabinet's decision to increase gasoline prices and raise the value-added tax has sparked widespread protests and political opposition, with demonstrators blocking major roads in Beirut and other cities. In res»»»

President Sadyr Japarov’s sudden dismissal of his friend and security service chief Kamchybek Tashiyev on February 10 sent shockwaves through Kyrgyzstan. Japarov offered up reasons for the decision and said it will not aff»»»

The Baku Military Court sentenced former Nagorno-Karabakh state minister Ruben Vardanyan to 20 years in prison on charges including crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, terrorism and financing of terrorism on February 17. »»»

The Baku Military Court sentenced former Nagorno-Karabakh state minister Ruben Vardanyan to 20 years in prison on charges including crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, terrorism and financing of terrorism on February 17. »»»

Renewables accounted for more than 50% of Poland’s installed electricity capacity at the end of 2025, and for the first time ever their share in annual power generation surpassed 30%, the Ministry of Climate and Environment said on February 17. »»»

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković on February 17 condemned the behaviour of a lawmaker from a key coalition partner who appeared in a video praising a World War Two-era pro-fascist leader, but said the incident would not threaten the stability of his government or its parliamentary majority.»»»

Thousands of people gathered in Pristina on February 17 for what organisers described as the largest march in Kosovo’s history, rallying under the slogan “Justice, not politics” in support of former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders on trial in The Hague. »»»

For the fifth consecutive day, demonstrators gathered on the rain-soaked streets of Sarajevo on February 17, demanding accountability following last week’s fatal tram accident that claimed the life of a 23-year-old student and left four others injured. The protests were smaller than in previou»»»

In the second installment of his interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, former Jordanian prime minister and intelligence chief Ahmad Obeidat recounts details of a missile plot to assassinate King Hussein, which he says was backed by Muammar Gaddafi and carried out through operatives linked to Wadie Haddad»»»

Paris, France: Leila Shahid, the first woman diplomat representing Palestine abroad, died in southern France aged 76, her family said. "She died today," her sister Zeina told AFP. She did not provide further details. "Leila Shahid, the iconic ambassador of Palestine, has left us. This is a huge los»»»

There were no other people present at the Petrohan mountain lodge on the night when three people died there, Deputy Appellate Prosecutor of the Sofia Appellate Prosecution Office Natalia Nikolova said during a joint briefing by the prosecution service and the police. Three men were found shot dead »»»

Commenting on the Cabinet line-up proposed by caretaker prime minister-designate Andrey Gurov on Wednesday, Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) leader Krum Zarkov said that each minister will ultimately be judged by their results. ”However, one thing is clear — following the latest constitutional amend»»»

Spanish police have arrested a 20-year-old man suspected of hacking a hotel booking website and reserving luxury rooms priced at up to €1,000 ($1,180; £870) per night for just one euro cent. He was detained while staying at a Madrid hotel, where he is accused of having racked up more than €20,000 o»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Meteorology Department (QMD) has warned the public of chilly weather with lingering dust, light fog, and the possibility of further fog formation later, with northeast to northwest winds, light to moderate in speed, on Wednesday. In an advisory shared on its official platform»»»

Lawmakers from Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party on February 17 submitted a draft resolution to parliament opposing Ukraine’s EU membership and calling on the government to reject further support that could draw the bloc deeper into the war, state news agency MTI writes. »»»

The owners of Polish mobile payment system BLIK have held preliminary discussions regarding a potential initial public offering in Warsaw that could value the company at up to $2bn, Bloomberg reported on February 17. Accor»»»

Former President Rumen Radev expressed sharp criticism of the newly announced caretaker cabinet under Prime Minister-designate Andrey Gyurov, describing it as a “party cabinet” and urging the public to closely monitor its actions and the upcoming early parliamentary elections. Speaking shortly afte»»»

The Geneva peace talks on ending the war in Ukraine broke up yesterday with no concrete results. There were no announcements nor any readout of what was discussed. However, US envoy Steve Witkoff released an upbeat post on social media saying the talks were “positive”. A report by the Russian news »»»

Dubai: Iran and Russia are set to launch joint naval manoeuvres in the Sea of Oman on Thursday, Iranian media reported, as a massive US military build-up and escalating rhetoric continue to stoke tensions across the Gulf despite ongoing diplomacy between Tehran and Washington. The drills come at a »»»

THE VATICAN - The head of Serbia's parliamentary friendship group with Italy, the Holy See and the Sovereign Order of Malta, MP Jovan Palalic, met with the Holy See's Secretary of State Pietro Parolin in the Vatican on Wednesday. "Palalic and Parolin discussed the relations between Serbia and the H»»»

"The list of ministers will be made up of people with experience, expertise and decency." That was Andrey Gyurov's benchmark when he was named Bulgaria's next caretaker prime minister. A look at the names he announced shows this description largely holds up, though not without nuance. This is Bulga»»»

Dozens of film industry figures, including Oscar-winning actors Tilda Swinton and Javier Bardem, have signed an open letter accusing the Berlin International Film Festival of “anti-Palestinian racism” over its refusal to condemn Israel’s actions in Gaza. The letter, published on Tuesday in Variety »»»

Slovakia has declared a state of emergency following Ukraine’s decision to block vital Russian oil supplies to the country, TASR news agency has reported. The state of emergency will be in effect from Thursday until September 30 at the latest, it added, citing Kiev’s refusal to transit Russian oil »»»

Doha, Qatar: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al-Thani chaired the Cabinet's regular meeting held on Wednesday morning at the Amiri Diwan. Following the meeting, Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs H»»»

His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Fujairah, has ordered the release of 125 prisoners from punitive and correctional institutions in Fujairah on Ramadan. The inmates of various nationalities were selected based on good conduct and behaviour. For Ra»»»

There Is Such a People (TISP) Deputy Floor Leader Stanislav Balabanov told reporters in Parliament on Wednesday that the Andrey Gurov caretaker cabinet can be named Petrohan. Balabanov was making a reference to the three bodies found with gunshot wounds near the Petrohan Pass on February 2, which w»»»

The latest internal analysis conducted by Dental Elite, a chain of dental clinics providing comprehensive dental treatments in Bucharest and Brașov, highlights a growing interest among Romanians in preventive oral healthcare over the past three years. Between 2023 and 2025, Dental Elite doctors tre»»»

Occupied Jerusalem: Dozens of settlers on Sunday stormed the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan, under the protection of Israeli occupation forces. WAFA news agency reported that dozens of settlers entered the compound and performed Talmudic ritu»»»

After a challenging economic year that affected most business sectors, Veltol Holding – the Romanian technology company specializing in renewable energy, energy storage systems, intelligent energy management solutions (EMS), as well as building management systems (BMS) and automation – doubled its »»»

His Highness Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, has ordered the release of 407 prisoners from the emirate's correctional and punitive establishments and pledged to settle their financial liabilities on the advent of Ramadan. The prisoners’ release co»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE), in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MECC) and the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau (CSGDB), on Wednesday launched the National Scholarship Initiative to sponsor Qatari students pursui»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla exchanged views on current issues on the global and regional agenda at a meeting in Moscow, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. "On February 18, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey »»»

Modular Services, an outsourcing company specializing in IT, financial, and cybersecurity operations, expanded its office premises in the United Business Center 3 (UBC 3) building in Palas Iași. The international company has thus doubled its leased area, now occupying 1,300 sqm across two floors. T»»»

A US immigration judge has blocked the deportation of a Palestinian graduate student who helped organize protests at Columbia University against Israel's war in Gaza, according to US media reports. Mohsen Mahdawi was arrested by immigration agents last year as he was attending an interview to becom»»»

Dubai: The UAE is set to experience generally fair and moderate weather during the holy month of Ramadan, which falls this year in the latter half of February and the first half of March, the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) said. In a report covering the period from the start of Ramadan until »»»

A Bulgarian fishing vessel with a three-member crew went missing on Wednesday in the area of Cape Maslen Nos in the southern part of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast. Radar contact with the vessel has been lost, the press office of the Ministry of Transport and Communications reported. Coastal Centre »»»

Paris: From tracking the trajectory and speed of a footballer's strike to monitoring a Tour de France rider's real-time power output, performance athlete data is deepening its reach in sports, with specialised firms eyeing to score big business. The potential is huge, analysts say, not just for hel»»»

An inspection report into the deadly January 26 explosion at the Violanta biscuit factory in Trikala, central Greece, has identified an unexplained removal of a fire suppression system and detailed the path of a gas leak and explosion that killed five workers. According to findings, propane gas lea»»»

Meta Platforms CEO and billionaire Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is set to be questioned for the first time in a US court on Wednesday about Instagram's effect on the mental health of young users, as a landmark trial over youth social media addiction continues. While Zuckerberg has previously te»»»

Zhenishbek Toktorbaev has been relieved of his duties as Mayor of Osh city. The municipality of the southern capital of Kyrgyzstan confirmed the information to 24.kg news agency. Toktorbaev was appointed mayor on January 23 last year. He turned 58 on February 14. Prior to his appointment, he served»»»

Sheikh Ali Khatib, Deputy Head of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, delivered a message marking the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, emphasizing unity, resilience, and strategic awareness. “We are approaching the blessed month of Ramadan, a month of mercy, goodness, and blessing. On this o»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE’s National Center of Meteorology has forecast generally clear skies with periods of partial cloud on Thursday, as humid conditions are expected to develop overnight and into early Friday, raising the possibility of fog or mist in parts of the country’s western regions. In its dai»»»

Jos Plateau: Thirty-eight lead miners were killed when gas exploded at a pit in central Nigeria's Plateau state, local sources told AFP. Twenty-seven others were injured in the blast at the Kampanin Zurak mining site in Plateau state's Bashar district, the acting traditional ruler told AFP. "So far»»»

Vatican City: Pope Leo XIV has urged Catholic organisations to include a direct feed of official Vatican news on their websites as the Holy See battles a flood of AI-generated content. Vatican News, the Holy See's official news outlet, reported Wednesday that the pontiff had written to bishops invi»»»

DOHA: As the holy month of Ramadan began, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) initiated the activities of its annual Ramadan Campaign under the theme 'Keep Your Balance of Good Deeds Alive', the drive involves numerous humanitarian projects and charitable initiatives to be implemented in Qatar and 17»»»

Israel announced that it will cap the number of Palestinian worshippers from the occupied West Bank attending weekly Friday prayers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in east Jerusalem at 10,000 during the holy month of Ramadan, which began Wednesday. Israeli authorities also imposed age restrictions on West Ba»»»