Sharjah: Paid public parking in Sharjah will operate from 8am until midnight throughout the holy month of Ramadan, Sharjah City Municipality announced on Wednesday, as part of wider preparations that include intensified inspections of food establishments and public facilities across the emirate. Th»»»

The world's main coffee-growing regions are roasting under additional days of climate change-driven heat every year, threatening harvests and contributing to higher prices, researchers said Wednesday. An analysis found that there were 47 extra days of harmful heat per year on average in 25 countrie»»»

Dubai: As US and Iranian negotiators cautiously sustain indirect talks in Geneva, diplomacy is unfolding against one of the most heavily militarised backdrops in recent US–Iran history. American carrier strike groups sit within operational reach of Iran, while Tehran conducts missile exercises near»»»

In a declaration delivered on behalf of the parliamentary group of the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms, MP Yavor Haytov said from the parliamentary rostrum on Wednesday that the day marked 153 years since the snowy February day of 1873, when on the outskirts of Sofia, amid the shouts of a crowd ga»»»

Dubai: As Ramadan brings unique traffic patterns and heightened road activity across the UAE, motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists are urged to exercise extra caution to prevent accidents, particularly during the rush hours before iftar. Most road accidents during Ramadan occur just before sunset, »»»

Long known for its olives and seaside charm, the southern Greek city of Kalamata has found itself in the spotlight thanks to a towering mural that reimagines legendary soprano Maria Callas as an allegory for the city itself. The massive artwork on the side of a prominent building in the city center»»»

Dubai: Dubai South has opened a new aviation support facility designed to help airlines repair and service aircraft equipment more quickly. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The new centre, launched at the Mohammed bin Rashid Aerospace Hub (MBRAH), will be operated by RH»»»

Eighty-five countries have signed on to a Palestinian-led joint statement condemning the recent Israeli security cabinet decisions aimed at tightening the occupation’s control of the West Bank. “We strongly condemn unilateral Israeli decisions and measures aimed at expanding Israel’s unlawful prese»»»

Dubai: Emirates NBD has approved a draft plan to merge its Indian branches with RBL Bank, subject to the acquisition of a majority stake, marking a key regulatory step in what would be the UAE lender’s largest international banking expansion. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Bal»»»

“One of the most cherished and sacred dates in our national history is the date on which Vasil Levski passed into immortality. And that date is February 19,” said in a statement from the parliamentary rostrum Vazrazhdane leader Kostadin Kostadinov, on the occasion of the 153rd anniversary of Vasil »»»

The Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Supervision of Kyrgyzstan announced measures to improve air quality, develop climate policy, and implement waste management systems. According to the ministry, as part of efforts to improve air quality, Cabinet of Ministers’ Decree No. 221 a»»»

Saudi Arabia has launched its first endowment fund dedicated to advancing environmental, water and agricultural sustainability, reinforcing efforts to strengthen the Kingdom’s non-profit sector and long-term development. Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture Eng. Abdulrahman Al-Fadhli on T»»»

At a meeting of the Environmental Council, Bishkek Mayor Aibek Dzhunushaliev commented on the situation with ash from the capital’s heating and power plant (HPP). The city is facing an environmental problem: ash dumps, previously located far from populated areas, are now located within the city lim»»»

TradeGermanyChina shock: Will Merz take on Germany's top rival?Nik MartinChancellor Friedrich Merz is scrambling to defend German industry from the economic upheaval caused by intense rivalry from China. Momentum is building for fresh trade barriers to stop unfair trade practices. https://p.dw.com/»»»

Police in northern Greece have arrested the driver of a private ambulance for drink driving, reports said. According to the voria.gr website the 41-year-old man was stopped early Wednesday in Thessaloniki’s Kalochori district and taken into custody after he failed a breathalyser test. Greek authori»»»

Nine skiers were missing after an avalanche in California's Sierra Nevada mountains on Tuesday, but six others, who had been stranded, have since been rescued, authorities said. The avalanche swept the Castle Peak area of Truckee, California, about 10 miles north of Lake Tahoe, at about 11:30 a.m. »»»

Manila: At a raucous 2022 campaign rally, the two most formidable names in Philippine politics stood side by side, sealing an alliance that seemed unstoppable. Before a sea of roaring supporters, then–vice presidential candidate Sara Duterte turned to her running mate, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., and dec»»»

A luminous outline of Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores loomed over Caracas against the night sky in January. The steady light of hundreds of drones in a show put on by the government in Venezuela, suspended their image in front of the clouds, before rearranging to call for their return: "El»»»

It was May 1999, and US Army sergeant Andrew Ramirez had been held captive for over a month by Yugoslav forces, enduring days of dark confinement and interrogations. Just a few weeks earlier, Ramirez and two other soldiers had been on a routine patrol near the Macedonian-Yugoslav border during the »»»

Damascus, Feb.18 (SANA) Finance Minister Mohammed Yisr Barnieh discussed priorities for technical support to public finances with an International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission on Tuesday, alongside talks with the UN Resident Coordinator on strengthening cooperation in recovery and development initia»»»

Dubai: After 20 years of discovering singing talent across India, Indian Idol, the iconic music reality show has finally packed its bags and gone international, and Gulf News was given exclusive access to it. The reality show cast and crew landed in Abu Dhabi earlier this week to film special episo»»»

School bus driver Ali al-Dorr averts his gaze every time he passes the rubble of his son's home -- destroyed by an Israeli strike in south Lebanon despite a year-old ceasefire. Though his son managed to evacuate in time, the attack left notebooks, papers and furniture strewn among the debris of the»»»

Dubai: The UAE is set to add around 390,000 new homes by 2030, marking one of the largest residential expansion cycles in recent years, according to a new industry report. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The first-ever Alpen GCC Real Estate 2026 report by Alpen Capital»»»

Iraqi Former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki declined at the last minute to attend a meeting of the pro-Iran Coordination Framework on Monday night that was aimed at settling the crisis over his nomination as prime minister. Instead of declaring that he was pulling out as candidate, as had been expe»»»

Al-Bunyan Engineering Consulting Company reported last Monday (16 February) that over the past few months it had completed the first phase of a technical study assessing existing damage at the Zumurrud (Emerald) Shopping Mall Investment Project. The project is part of the Tripoli Gate (Bab Trabulus»»»

Damascus, Feb. 18 (SANA) Syria is seeking to expand economic ties with Uzbekistan in a move aimed at opening Central Asian markets to Syrian exports and attracting investment in key sectors as part of efforts to support the country’s economic recovery. A Syrian economic delegation visited Uzbekista»»»

This Ramadan, Marsa Malaz Kempinski, The Pearl–Doha invites guests to discover Sultana, A Royal Ramadan Experience, an opulent sanctuary where revered traditions are gracefully reinterpreted through contemporary sophistication, in harmony with the hotel’s distinguished identity as The Palace of Exp»»»

Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Search-and-rescue personnel working through dangerous weather conditions recovered six skiers who were stranded in Northern California's backcountry following an avalanche on Tuesday, according to authorities, who said rescue efforts were ongoing to locate nine more people unaccoun»»»

Dubai: Emirates Skywards is marking Ramadan with a major rewards campaign, giving members the chance to win a share of 2 million Skywards Miles. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.In a statement issued on February 18, a day after Ramadan was announced in the UAE, the loya»»»

Dubai: eNovate, a subsidiary of eFinance Investment Group, and Cobi, a UAE-headquartered AI-native customer intelligence platform, today announced the integration of Cobi’s AI-powered intelligence infrastructure across its digital payment ecosystem to redefine how young people across Egypt engage w»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Next Generation School (TNG) marked its “Efforts for Excellence” team appreciation event, honouring the dedication and impact of educators, researchers, and team members who bring the school’s vision to life each day. The evening brought together distinguished guests from the Minis»»»

Tripoli Port reported yesterday that a joint technical team from the Libyan Ports Company’s head office and its Tripoli Port branch, led by technicians from the Turkish supplier, Portunus, begun assembling and installing the new Kone Crane-type grab, which recently arrived from head office. The por»»»

The European Commission said it is closely following a proposed amendment to Albania’s Criminal Procedure Code that would bar courts from suspending senior government officials from office. The draft changes, presented Feb. 16 by the ruling majority led by Prime Minister Edi Rama, seek to amend Art»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Press Center marked 15 years of the State’s National Sport Day with a panel discussion titled “National Sport Day: Results and Legacy,” held as part of its Press Club activities. The session reviewed the achievements of the initiative since its launch in 2011 and examined its»»»

New York: Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations H E Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani met with President of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly H E Annalena Baerbock at the UN headquarters in New York. During the meeting, the President of the General Assemb»»»

Ambassador of Qatar to Sweden H E Nadia bint Ahmed Al Shaibi, took part in the meeting of Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden H E Maria Malmer Stenergard, with Their Excellencies the Ambassadors accredited to Sweden. The meeting discussed challenges facing women’s rights on the global stage, amid»»»

Japan's lower house formally reappointed Sanae Takaichi as prime minister on Wednesday, 10 days after her historic landslide election victory. Takaichi, 64, became Japan's first woman premier in October and won a two-thirds majority for her party in the snap lower house elections on February 8. She»»»

A rare inherited disorder affecting brain development and muscle strength has been officially named after an Abu Dhabi-based specialist at Burjeel Medical City, marking a milestone for the UAE’s medical research community. The condition, now known as El-Hattab-Schmidts syndrome, was identified thro»»»

At a meeting of the Ecological Council in Bishkek, urban ecologist Dmitry Pereyaslavsky called for daily publication of emissions data from the new waste-to-energy plant located at the sanitary landfill near Altyn-Kazyk residential area. He noted that the facility is located in a district that has »»»

With the background of price rises in basic commodities, shortages of cooking oil, LC fraud and attempts to preserve Libya’s hard currency reserves, the Minister of Planning, Mohamed Al-Zaidani, met last Monday (16 February) with the Executive Director of the Libyan Industry Union (LIU) to discuss »»»

Dubai: Gold prices in Dubai moved higher on Wednesday morning, though they remained below the closely watched Dh600 mark that continues to shape buying decisions across the local market. At 9:50 am, 24K gold stood at Dh594.50 a gram compared with Dh590.75 on Tuesday, while 22K rose to Dh550.50 from»»»

Commercial "air taxi" service has been pushed back. Again. Reason: It's not because the technology doesn't work or is unproven. It's because US certification timeline for the next-generation electric vertical-landing-and-takeoff (eVTOL) aircraft — a new mode for human flight — poses complex challen»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of Commerce and Industry, H E Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al Thani, chaired the Ministry of Commerce and Industry's (MoCI) fourth quarterly performance review meeting for 2025, in the presence of H E Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Sayed, Minister of State for Foreign Trade A»»»

The jailed leader of the Kurdistan Workers Party, Abdullah Ocalan, has said that the Ankara-PKK peace process has entered its “second phase,” as the Turkish parliament sets the stage to vote on a draft report proposing legal reforms tied to peace efforts. A delegation from the pro-Kurdish Peoples' »»»

Doha, Qatar: The year 2025 marked a significant acceleration in the development of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s services which is evident by stronger performance indicators, improved procedural efficiency, and the rapid advancement of digital transformation initiatives. In a post on its »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs honoured the winning departments of its Institutional Motivation Awards for the second half of 2025 during a ceremony held under the patronage of Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs H E Ghanem bin Shaheen bin Ghanem Al Ghanim. The event was a»»»

Doha, Qatar: Barzan University College (BUC), in partnership with Swinburne University of Technology, hosted a senior delegation from the State of Victoria, Australia, on February 8, 2026, reinforcing the growing strategic partnership between Qatar and Australia in higher education, innovation, and»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar General Electricity & Water Corporation (Kahramaa) has unveiled its new sonic identity, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture represented by the Music Affairs Center, during the official ceremony held in celebration of the corporation’s silver jubilee. The sonic identity »»»

Minister of Culture, Information, and Youth Policy of the Kyrgyz Republic Mirbek Mambetaliev held a meeting with archaeologists on the quality of archaeological research and the preservation of historical and cultural heritage during land transformation. The Minister noted the need to strengthen jo»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education reviewed its achievements and initiatives for 2025 during an extensive meeting held at the Rosewood Hotel in Doha. The event was attended by Minister of Education and Higher Education H E Lolwah bint Rashid bin Mohammed Al Khater, Undersec»»»