US Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday forcefully defended her department's handling of the files related to convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein, an issue that has dogged her tenure. With victims of Epstein seated behind her, Bondi tried to deflect from relentless criticism by m»»»

US Attorney General Pam Bondi faced intense questioning over the handling of Jeffrey Epstein files after documents released victims’ personal information while redacting many alleged abusers’ names. Bondi denied wrongdoing but faced criticism from both Democrats and some Republicans.»»»

Protests erupted in Buenos Aires as thousands, including unions, gathered outside Congress against a labour reform bill championed by President Javier Milei. Clashes broke out when demonstrators approached the building, with police using tear gas and water cannons after objects were thrown. The bil»»»

Doha, Qatar: President of the Public Works Authority, Ashghal, HE Eng. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Meer accompanied by HE Dr. Omar Mohamed Al-Ansari, President of Qatar University, and a number of officials, made a field visit to inspect the progress of the College of Medicine and College of Health S»»»

Leventer Medical Group has announced the opening of the private Băneasa Tumor Center Hospital, a project dedicated to the integrated treatment of tumor pathologies, aiming to contribute to the development of good practices within the Romanian medical system, following an investment of over 30 milli»»»

Dubai: Turkey and Singapore have officially declared Thursday, February 19, as the first day of the holy month of Ramadan, after astronomical calculations showed the crescent moon cannot be sighted on the preceding observation date. Turkey determines the start of all Hijri months using pre-calculat»»»

In early February 2026, Bulgaria was rocked by a grim discovery that would spiral into one of the country's most disturbing cases in recent memory. On February 2nd, authorities found three dead men inside the Petrohan mountain lodge: 49-year-old Ivaylo Ivanov, 45-year-old Decho Iliev, and 51-year-o»»»

Dubai: Adam Vital Hospital has announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Siemens Healthineers, in collaboration with Modern Pharmaceutical LLC (MPC). The MoU marks the start of a strategic partnership to support the development of next-generation, AI-driven diagnostic infras»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia will not be represented at a meeting of US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday. "Russia will not be represented at the meeting of the Board of Peace. Work on forming a position continues," Zakharova»»»

Bangladeshis voted on Thursday in the first election since a deadly 2024 uprising, with parties sidelined under Sheikh Hasina returning to contest power against a formidable political heir leading an Islamist-backed coalition. Long queues formed at polling stations in the capital Dhaka as voting be»»»

New York: Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations HE Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani met with Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States»»»

Dubai: What began as a romance on social media ended in a chilling murder, investigators say, with a young man’s body allegedly hidden in a septic tank for months before a grim discovery exposed the truth. Six months after a 22-year-old man was reported missing in Madhya Pradesh, police recovered s»»»

"I selected Andrey Gurov because he was the only one to resign his office as deputy governor of the Bulgarian National Bank," Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova told a news conference at the President's Administration on Thursday after mandating Gurov, in his capacity as caretaker prime minister, to»»»

A new administrative structure for the president's office will be introduced soon, President Iliana Iotova told a press conference on Thursday. Approached whether Nikolay Koprinkov continues to work as an adviser at the President’s Administration, Iotova said “No.” Koprinkov has served as senior ad»»»

BELGRADE - The Serbian dinar's official median exchange rate against the euro is 117.3710 dinars for one euro on Thursday, which is a slight change relative to Wednesday, the National Bank of Serbia said. The dinar is steady against the euro m-o-m, down by 0.2 pct y-o-y and down by 0.1 pct relative»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will pay a one-day visit to Turkey on Thursday, the presidential press office has announced in a statement. During the visit to Ankara, Vucic will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A plenary meeting of Serbian and Turkish delegations wil»»»

Dubai Police on Thursday announced the locations for this year’s Ramadan Iftar cannons, continuing a cherished tradition that marks the ending the fast during the holy month. A press conference held on Thursday at Expo City Dubai revealed the plans for 33 locations – 6 fixed cannons placed at promi»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The US Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and European Command (EUCOM) will be involved in NATO's Arctic Sentry mission, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Thursday. "With the launch of Arctic Sentry we will bring together all the assets which we have currently available in the»»»

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly underscored the importance of maintaining a balanced reform path that takes into account social dimensions, while continuing measures to support growth, stimulate the private sector and enhance the efficiency of public spending. Madbouly made the remarks during a mee»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi held a phone call on Thursday with Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), HE Philippe Lazzarini. During »»»

At least 21 people drowned when a boat sank in the Nile River in northern Sudan, according to the local state government and eyewitnesses interviewed by AFP. River Nile State said Thursday that 21 bodies had been recovered after the accident, listed their names and warned that some passengers were »»»

The Grand Theatre, a majestic building in the heart of Geneva which opened in 1879, is selling around half of its stock of extravagant costumes, calling it "a rare opportunity to step behind the scenes and take home a living fragment of the show". The pieces will go on sale on February 14 and »»»

Israeli occupation forces launched a large-scale raid and arrest campaign in several West Bank governorates early Thursday morning, targeting dozens of Palestinians, including women and former prisoners. The raids were accompanied by house searches and assaults. Israeli occupation forces and police»»»

Traffic disruptions are expected in central Athens from Friday afternoon as farmers protesting high production costs are planning a rally with tractors outside Parliament. Protest organizers said they plan to stay on the spot overnight. The demonstration will start at 4 p.m. Rainstorms are also for»»»

Dubai: The Child Digital Safety Council held its inaugural meeting today, marking a foundational step in establishing a coordinated national effort to protect children and support their balanced development in the digital world. The initiative is built on a collaborative framework that integrates t»»»

Dubai: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, paid a heartfelt tribute to his wife, Sheikha Hind bint Maktoum bin Juma Al Maktoum, congratulating her on her birthday. In a message expressing love, companionship and deep a»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A senior official of the French Foreign Ministry visited Belarus on February 5-6 to discuss the possible resumption of dialogue between the two countries, French media reported on Thursday, citing sources. Last week, media reported that French President Emmanuel Macron's diplomat»»»

Adilet Orozbekov has been appointed Secretary of the Security Council of the Kyrgyz Republic. The corresponding decree was signed by President Sadyr Japarov. Adilet Orozbekov was born in 1978. He graduated from the International University of Kyrgyzstan with a degree in Diplomacy and International »»»

Officers of the State Tax Service of Kyrgyzstan uncovered underground workshops producing alcoholic beverages in Bishkek as part of enhanced controls over the circulation of excisable goods. According to the State Tax Service, inspections led to the seizure of 902 liters of alcohol, 381 bottles of »»»

Caretaker Prime Minister-designate Andrey Gurov said he is beginning consultations on the composition of a caretaker government after President Iliana Iotova tasked him with forming a caretaker cabinet. Meetings and talks are forthcoming, Gurov said, adding that the main task at the moment is to en»»»

POLITICS – FUTURE CARETAKER CABINET President Iliana Iotova’s decision to appoint central bank Deputy Governor Andrey Gurov as caretaker prime minister and task him with forming a government until the upcoming snap parliamentary elections is covered extensively by the media. Capital: Deputy Governo»»»

Dubai Creek now offers a new pinnacle of urban luxury as Al Bandar Rotana and Al Bandar Arjaan by Rotana introduce their private indoor plunge pool suites. Opening to guests from February 2026, these suites feature private indoor plunge pools designed for year-round enjoyment in a climate-controlle»»»

MOSCOW, February 12 (Sputnik) - Russian soldiers are tortured in secret prisons of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, being kept in cages, beaten, and denied food and water, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large on the Ukrainian regime's crimes Rodion Miroshnik told Sputnik. "The greatest amount of»»»

On February 11, 2026, the President of the Kyrgyz Republic signed a decree establishing National Organic Agriculture Day. From now on, the country will annually mark the day dedicated to the development of organic production on the last Friday of September. The Ministry of Agriculture announced. Ac»»»

Kazakhstan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yermek Kosherbayev, will pay an official visit to the Kyrgyz Republic on February 12–13, 2026. During the visit, talks are scheduled with Kyrgyzstan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeenbek Kulubaev, as well as meetings with the country’s leadership. At the me»»»

US messenger app WhatsApp, owned by Meta Platforms, accused authorities in Russia on Thursday of trying to fully block its service in order to drive Russians to a state-owned app, which it alleged was used for surveillance. "Trying to isolate over 100 million users from private and secure communica»»»

WhatsApp said Thursday that Russia was trying to block its service. File Photo by Hayoung Jeong/EPA-EFE Feb. 12 (UPI) -- Russia has attempted to block access to WhatsApp, the Meta-owned encrypted smartphone messaging application said, accusing the Kremlin of trying to force its citizens to use a st»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukraine will ask countries that have granted asylum to Ukrainians to help organize voting at polling stations abroad, as well as require the participation of foreign intelligence services to vet local officials to prevent alleged Russian interference, The Times newspaper reported»»»

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) - Russia remains India's largest oil supplier, Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov said in an interview with Sputnik. "Despite Western opposition and a temporary decline in volumes to 1.2 million barrels per day in December-January, we remain India's largest oil supplier," Alipov sa»»»

Skopje, 11 February 2026 (MIA) – At the end of January 2026, foreign exchange (FX) reserves amounted to €5,600.5 million, marking an increase of €675.3 million compared to the previous month, the National Bank said. The majority of foreign exchange reserves are invested in securities (74.8%), follo»»»

Leaders from across the European Union are meeting Thursday in a Belgian castle as the 27-nation bloc faces antagonism from U.S. President Donald Trump, strong-arm economic tactics from China and hybrid threats from Russia — challenges that have prompted a rethink of Europe's approach to diplomacy »»»

Police officers in Bishkek have detained a man suspected of systematically torturing his ex-wife. According to the Department of Internal Affairs of Leninsky district of the capital, on February 11, 2026, M.E., 34, contacted the police. She asked to take action against her ex-husband. According to »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Meteorology Department (QMD) warns of poor horizontal visibility at some areas in the country from today until tomorrow, February 13, 2026. On Friday, weather conditions will be misty to foggy in some places at first, followed by moderate temperatures to relatively hot daytim»»»

Dubai: Allegations of racial discrimination have surfaced against Phuket’s Yona Beach Club after an Indian tourist claimed he and others were denied entry despite confirmed reservations and valid tickets. The floating beach club has denied any wrongdoing, saying its policies are not based on nation»»»

Dubai: “I wish Gen Zs all the very best in their experiences. But I’ll buy property,” says Bollywood actor John Abraham with an open laugh during a sit-down interview in Dubai with Gulf News. Hear him out, he adds. “You need a roof on your head. You need that security. And I encourage everybody, in»»»

IT and digital transformation company Zitec has announced the acquisition of Romanian technology company Equilobe, specialised in the development of complex software solutions based on .NET technologies. The transaction creates one of the strongest .NET capability hubs in Romania, strengthening Zit»»»

Israeli President Isaac Herzog was due to end a contentious four-day visit to Australia on Thursday that brought comfort to Sydney's Jewish community traumatized by a recent antisemitic mass shooting, but also attracted large-scale demonstrations protesting the civilian toll of the Gaza war. Herzog»»»

The Agriculture Ministry on Thursday reported a drop in new cases of the sheep and goat pox epidemic causing havoc in Greece’s livestock breeding industry, which has seen nearly 477,000 animals culled so far. A ministry statement said 10 new cases were recorded in seven regions in the first week of»»»

Over the last two decades, we have witnessed something genuinely unusual in public health: a medical breakthrough that has rapidly moved from specialist clinics into everyday conversation. GLP-1 drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro are no longer just diabetes medications but have become symbols of hop»»»

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Chairman of the Education, Human Development and Community Development Council, has issued a decision to establish the National Identity Committee. The Committee will be chaired by Sheikha Mariam bint Moh»»»