BusinessGermanyChina overtakes US to become Germany's top trading partnerRana Taha with Reuters, dpaChina replaces US as Germany's top trading partner, reclaiming a position it held from 2016 to 2023. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is set to visit China next week. https://p.dw.com/p/597vtChina re»»»

Moscow: Seven tourists, reported to be Chinese citizens, died Friday when a tour bus crashed through the ice of Russia’s Lake Baikal in Siberia, local officials said. The bus fell into an ice fissure three metres wide and sank, the regional branch of Russia’s emergency situations ministry said in a»»»

The Sofia City Court has terminated proceedings for the early release of Evelin "Brendo" Banev. The ruling is appealable. According to the judge, the proceedings were initiated by the director of the Central Sofia Prison, who was later suspended, while an authorized representative of the current di»»»

Doha, Qatar: The holy month of Ramadan continues to consolidate its position as a peak season for the gold market in Qatar, despite unprecedented global price levels for the precious metal, which have recently surpassed the $5,000 per ounce threshold for the first time in history. This year's Ramad»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The issue of the Iranian nuclear dossier cannot be resolved by military means, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Friday amid an increase in the US military presence in the Middle East and an increasing number of reports of possible military actions against Tehran. In»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Volodymyr Zelensky is mentioned in the documents of infamous late financier Jeffrey Epstein more than 50 times, Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian opposition politician and chairman of the Other Ukraine movement, said on Friday. "Zelensky's name is mentioned in the documents more tha»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has discussed the situation surrounding the Iranian nuclear program with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araghchi, taking into account the outcomes of US-Iranian contacts in Geneva, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday. "On February 20,»»»

US President Donald Trump praised the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs and the leader of the anti-green and Eurosceptic Motorists for Themselves party Petr Macinka following Macinka’s participation at a debate at the Munich Security Conference where he provoked clashes with Hillary Clinton and his»»»

Poland aims to catch up with the United Kingdom in GDP per capita adjusted for price levels within five to six years, Finance and Economy Minister Andrzej Domański said this week, setting out one of the most ambitious convergence targets yet voiced by a Central European government. »»»

View of Royal Lodge, ex-Prince Andrew's residence in Windsor Great Park, where officers from Thames Valley Police were continuing to search Friday for evidence in an investigation into alleged misconduct in public office by King Charles' younger brother. Photo by Tolga Akman/EPA Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Br»»»

The European Commission has convened an extraordinary meeting of its Oil Coordination Group for February 25, following a halt in diesel deliveries from Hungary and Slovakia to Ukraine and threats that they could cut off electricity and gas supplies if repairs to the Druzhba pipeline are not complet»»»

Dubai: If your company was founded after 2015, you are more likely to have a work-from-home (WFH) policy than one founded before 1990 and that's according to new data from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), an American private nonprofit research organisation. And it's not just the age»»»

Dubai: Kuwait is moving towards introducing a regulated freelance visa, as part of an effort to overhaul its labour market and curb the long-standing trade in residency permits. Also Read: New residency fees and conditions set for expat families in KuwaitThe proposal, announced by First Deputy Prim»»»

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi have discussed the situation surrounding Iran’s nuclear program, including the outcomes of the recent US-Iran indirect talks in Geneva, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced in a statement following their telephone »»»

Dubai: The Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Commission of Filipinos Overseas (CFO) have signed a data-sharing agreement aimed at producing more accurate and reliable migration data to better protect and empower Filipinos living and working abroad. The agreement has been signed»»»

The United States and its NATO allies have moved quite a bit of military hardware around amid rising tensions in the Middle East. This infographics by Sputnik offers a detailed look on these military preparations in Europe and in the Middle East: what kind of gear was shipped and where?»»»

Dubai: A number of key roads across Al Ain will face rolling closures on Saturday, February 21, as the UAE Tour men’s cycling event passes through the city from Al Ain Museum to Jabal Hafeet, with authorities urging motorists to plan ahead and allow extra travel time. Abu Dhabi Mobility said the te»»»

Livigno, Italy: New Zealand freestyle skier Finley Melville Ives was stretchered off on Friday after a hard fall during his second qualifying run for the halfpipe event at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Ives, 19, the current world number one in the event, was treated by medical personnel after »»»

US President Donald Trump has said he would “love” to see Russia and China join his ‘Board of Peace’, established to guide the stabilization of Gaza following the Israel-Hamas war. Moscow earlier signaled that it was contemplating the idea, while China has declined, citing commitments to the UN. Sp»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian forces have carried out one massive strike and six group strikes using precision weapons and drones against military facilities in Ukraine in response to enemy strikes on civilian infrastructure, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday. "From February 14 to February 2»»»

Britain's foreign minister Yvette Cooper ‌will meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday, after President Donald Trump renewed his criticism of London for ceding sovereignty of ​the Chagos Islands, which is home to a US-UK air base. Last year, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer agreed »»»

The United Kingdom has refused to grant US forces permission to use British military bases for potential strikes against Iran, The Times reported on Thursday. According to the report, US President Donald Trump’s public withdrawal of support for UK plans to give up sovereignty over the Chagos Island»»»

The European Climate Law does not prescribe specific policies or measures, which allows flexibility for EU Member States and takes into account the regulatory framework for achieving the 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction target, Plamen Peev, an expert in environmental and climate law and poli»»»

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde has attempted to calm speculation about her stepping down early that has called into question the central bank's separation from politics, telling the Wall Street Journal she expects to complete her term. Lagarde's status as leader of Europe's most »»»

Bishkek’s budget revenues for 2026 will amount to 32.9 billion soms. The figure was announced during public hearings on the capital’s draft budget. Funds are planned to be allocated for road construction and repairs, development of engineering infrastructure, major renovations of social facilities,»»»

President Donald Trump on Thursday night announced that he is ordering the Pentagon and other US departments and agencies to identify and release government files related to extraterrestrial life, unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP), and unidentified flying objects (UFOs). Hours earlier, Trump accu»»»

US President Donald Trump said Thursday he is ordering federal agencies to begin "identifying and releasing" government files related to UFOs and aliens, a move sought for decades by some Americans.»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Hezbollah Parliamentary Bloc Visits Speaker Berri, MP Raad Says to Run Jointly in Elections 20-02-2026 12:59 PM Hezbollah MPs pose with Spe»»»

Dubai: A new AI-generated video imagining U.S. President Donald Trump as if he were born in India, China, and other countries has gone viral on social media, amassing more than 9 million views since its release this week. The clip, shared on Instagram by creator @mobin.dxb18, uses advanced artifici»»»

Dubai: Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Alfonso Ver has recently met with Mohammed Saif Al Suwaidi, Director General of the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), to discuss ways to strengthen cooperation on development projects in the Philippines. During the meeting, both sides exchanged views on »»»

The government has designated the mountainous Prespes region in northwestern Greece as an “Untrodden Mountain,” a move the Ministry of Environment and Energy announced Friday is designed to safeguard environmental protection and preserve one of the Balkans’ most sensitive ecosystems. The ministry s»»»

"I put my trust in everyone joining this Cabinet, assuming that they join with a clear conscience, and today I accept responsibility for this choice," Bulgarian caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov told a news briefing at the Council of Ministers on Friday after accepting the resignation of Stoil »»»

The Bulgarian right-wing political party "Revival" has announced plans to hold local referendums in the municipalities of Sredets and Simeonovgrad concerning the construction of new facilities for accommodating illegal migrants. The party’s leader, Kostadin Kostadinov, made the declaration during a»»»

Iran has warned that US bases, facilities and assets would be "legitimate targets" if the US follows through on its military threats and attacks. President Donald Trump has given Iran “probably 10 days” to reach a nuclear deal amid a massive US military buildup in the region. Follow our livebl»»»

Andrew Hilliar, our international affairs editor, gives us his analysis.»»»

DOHA: The holy month of Ramadan continues to consolidate its position as a peak season for the gold market in Qatar, despite unprecedented global price levels for the precious metal, which have recently surpassed the $5,000 per ounce threshold for the first time in history. This year's Ramadan coin»»»

The UN's World Food Program (WFP) warned Friday it would have to stop humanitarian assistance in Somalia by April if it did not receive new funding. The Rome-based agency said it had already been forced to reduce the number of people receiving emergency food assistance from 2.2 million in early 202»»»

A former Conservative Party member of the British parliament has announced that he has joined Ukraine’s Azov Brigade. The unit was formed in 2014 by far-right activists and football hooligans and was subsequently incorporated into Ukraine’s National Guard. Azov’s first commander was white supremaci»»»

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the brother of King Charles III, has been released by UK police after nearly 12 hours of questioning following his arrest on Thursday. He remains under investigation on suspicion of misconduct in public office. Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his royal titles last ye»»»

Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Andrey Yankulov is convening a plenary session of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on February 26, the Justice Ministry press service reported on Friday. The single item on the agenda will be appointing an acting prosecutor general. In his r»»»

POLITICS All dailies report on the new caretaker government, headed by caretaker PM Andrey Gurov. *** Trud writes that Bulgaria’s 106th government, the 12th caretaker cabinet, is sworn in on February 19, 2026, and that political scientist Milena Stefanova warns its work risks sliding into the elect»»»

BELGRADE - The Serbian dinar's official median exchange rate against the euro is 117.4159 dinars for one euro on Friday, which is a slight change relative to Thursday, the National Bank of Serbia said. The dinar is nearly steady against the euro m-o-m, down by 0.2 pct y-o-y and down by 0.1 pct rela»»»

LILLE - Serbian football champions Red Star Belgrade defeated French side Lille 1-0 away in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 play-offs on Thursday evening. One minute into first-half injury time, Franklin Tebo Uchenna netted the winner from close range after a Nair Tiknizyan corn»»»

Mixed-use urban development projects, which combine multiple functions, from retail to office and entertainment have proven their attractiveness to communities, becoming favourite destinations. Their new generation has raised the bar, giving cities back areas that were once grey and underutilized, »»»

Acting Minister of Justice Andrey Yankulov has called a plenary session of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) for February 26, with the sole agenda item being the appointment of a new interim Prosecutor General. Yankulov cited the ongoing legal and institutional crisis caused by Borislav Sarafov, w»»»

Nearly 57% of Romanians believe it is risky to live uninsured, while 90% say they feel vulnerable to unforeseen events such as accidents, health problems, income loss, or a death in the family, according to a survey published by Allianz-Țiriac Asigurări, cited by Agerpres. Four out of five responde»»»

President Iliana Yotova said she would promptly sign a decree relieving Deputy Prime Minister for Fair Elections Stoil Tsitselkov of his duties, provided such a proposal is submitted by caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov. She made the statement in an interview with bTV, her first since assuming»»»

Caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Andrey Yankulov is convening a plenary session of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on February 26, the Justice Ministry press service reported on Friday. The single item on the agenda will be appointing an acting prosecutor general. In his r»»»

U.S. President Donald Trump promised $10 billion and Muslim-majority nations offered funding and troops for Gaza as he inaugurated his "Board of Peace," a new institution whose ultimate mission has drawn questions. Trump brought together allies from around the world -- many authoritarians, with few»»»