Doha, Qatar: Demand for dates is witnessing a marked increase during the holy month of Ramadan, driven by dietary traditions associated with fasting. At the same time, market supply remains diverse and robust, benefiting from continued government support that has strengthened domestic production to»»»

Dubai: The rapid buildup of US military forces in the Middle East has progressed to a stage where President Donald Trump now has the option of launching military action against Iran as soon as this weekend, The New York Times reported, citing administration and Pentagon officials. The report unders»»»

Wizz Air, the leading airline in Bulgaria by market share, has announced the launch of a new direct route connecting Burgas with Radom, Poland. Flights on this line will operate twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, beginning on July 21, 2026, at the peak of the summer travel season. Tickets are»»»

Rumyana Bachvarova has been appointed Chef de Cabinet to caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov, the government’s press service told BTA on Thursday. Earlier in the day, she attended the handover ceremony at the Council of Ministers. Bachvarova holds a degree in sociology from Sofia University St. K»»»

An appeals court in Athens has sentenced the founder of a Greek child charity to nine years and six months in jail for his role in a case involving the abuse of minors under his care, converted into a financial penalty of 10 euros per day. Earlier on Thursday, the court upheld and expanded a guilty»»»

National Assembly Chair Raya Nazaryan announced on Thursday that Parliament received on the same day a letter from caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov, in which he states that taking into consideration his appointment as a Caretaker Prime Minister, he hands in his letter of resignation as a deput»»»

Representatives of GERB-UDF said they disagreed with claims that President Iliana Iotova bears no responsibility for the caretaker government. “With regard to the prime minister, we agree that the choice was limited, but as for the composition of the cabinet, we cannot agree that Iotova carries no »»»

Bangkok: Thai police donned a lion dance costume during this week's Lunar New Year festivities to arrest a suspect accused of stealing about $64,000 worth of Buddhist artefacts, police said Thursday. Officers dressed as a red-and-yellow lion made the arrest on Wednesday evening after receiving a re»»»

Lima, Peru: Peru's Congress on Wednesday elected lawmaker Jose Balcazar as its new leader, who assumes the country's presidency under constitution. Balcazar was sworn in as Peruvian president shortly after the vote. His term will run through July 28, 2026, in accordance with the current presidentia»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The UK police have detained the brother of British King Charles III, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, amid the scandal over his involvement into the Epstein case, the Telegraph newspaper reported on Thursday. The police visit coincided with the prince's birthday; he turns 66 on Februa»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Moscow has nothing to add to the description of the latest round of negotiations on Ukraine in Geneva given by head of the Russian delegation and Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. "At the moment, we have nothing to add »»»

UK police arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The Thames Valley Police, an agency that covers areas west of London, including Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home, said it was “assessing” reports that the former Prince Andrew sent trade reports »»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe West Bank: Israeli occupation forces begin demolishing a Palestinian home in the Ein Al-Bayda area of the northern Jordan Valley 19-02-2026»»»

The poultry population in Kyrgyzstan reached 8.6 million in 2025, the National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic reported. Total livestock figures at the end of 2025 According to the National Statistical Committee, farms also own 23,751 donkeys, 11,290 rabbits, and 217 camels. Regional d»»»

A 19-year-old Palestinian succumbed to his wounds on Wednesday evening after being shot by Israeli settlers, as Israeli occupation forces (IOF) simultaneously launched a large-scale arrest campaign across multiple areas of the West Bank, detaining more than two dozen Palestinians. Young Man Martyre»»»

On the day the caretaker cabinet took the oath of office, There Is Such a People (TISP) again tied the new government to the Petrohan crime case, echoing allegations circulated on Wednesday by TISP itself, Vazrazhdane and MRF-New Beginning. Reading a declaration on behalf of his parliamentary group»»»

Authorities on the eastern Aegean Sea island of Chios started efforts Thursday to locate and raise a migrant boat that sank after colliding with a Coast Guard patrol vessel this month, killing 15 people. Coast Guard vessels and divers were in the area of the accident, some 1.5 nautical miles off th»»»

The Judges College of the Supreme Judicial Council released Caretaker Minister of Interior Emil Dechev from his post as a judge at the Sofia City Court on Thursday. The decision, taken under the Judicial System Act, took effect from the date of his appointment by decree of the President of the Repu»»»

London, United Kingdom: Britain's former prince Andrew has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct during his time as a trade envoy, police said Thursday. "As part of the investigation, we have today (19/2) arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office," th»»»

Tokyo: Osaka has received an unusual donation -- 21 kilograms of gold -- to pay for the maintenance of its ageing water system, the Japanese commercial hub announced Thursday. The donation worth $3.6 million was made in November by a person who a month earlier had already given $3,300 in cash for t»»»

MIAMI - Serbia's top-ranked tennis player Novak Djokovic is on the list of participants of the upcoming Miami Masters tournament, the organisers have announced. The 2026 Miami Masters will be played from March 18 through 29. Last year, Djokovic lost to Czech Jakub Mensik in the final. Other partici»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A Brazilian mercenary was beaten to death at a base of the foreign legion of Ukraine's Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) in Kiev, Kyiv Independent reported. A Kyiv Independent investigation revealed that a 28-year-old recruit from Brazil died after being subj»»»

Delyan Peevski, leader of the DPS-New Beginning parliamentary group, issued a strongly worded statement in response to the swearing-in of the “Gyurov” caretaker government before the National Assembly. Peevski said his group did not honor the oath of the new cabinet, arguing that it “does not repre»»»

A drone strike on a displacement camp in Sudan killed at least 15 children earlier this week, the United Nations reported late on Wednesday. "On Monday 16 February, at least 15 children were reportedly killed and 10 wounded after a drone strike on a displacement camp in Al Sunut, West Kordofan," th»»»

Dubai: Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, attended the opening session of the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on behalf of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, joining global leaders in discussions focused on expanding international coopera»»»

Commenting on the composition of the new caretaker cabinet, Radostin Vasilev, Chair of the Morality, Unity, Honour party (MECh), said that the line-up contained what he described as “shocking names” that could not receive his party’s backing. Vasilev singled out Stoil Tzitzelkov, noting that he had»»»

Part of the data in the National Register of Cases of Paedophilia will be made public, the National Assembly decided on Thursday. The legislature approved unanimously, at first and second reading in one sitting, a bill amending the Child Protection Act, submitted by Kostadin Kostadinov (Vazrazhdane»»»

Deputy Chairwoman of the GERB parliamentary group, Denitsa Sacheva, voiced strong criticism of the new caretaker government immediately after its swearing-in, calling the appointment of the Deputy Prime Minister responsible for fair elections a “false start.” Speaking to journalists in the National»»»

The head of Doctors Without Borders in the Palestinian territories told AFP the charity would continue working in Gaza for as long as possible, following an Israeli decision to end its activities there. In early February, Israel announced it was terminating all the activities in Gaza by the medical»»»

The ninth edition of the Egypt International Petroleum Conference and Exhibition (EGYPS 2026) is scheduled to take place from March 30 to April 1, 2026, under the auspices of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. The Supreme Committee for the Egypt International Petroleum Conference and Exhibition (EGYPS»»»

Personnel changes are ongoing at the Osh City Hall. Deputy Mayor Mirlan Kazybai uulu has been relieved of his post at his own request. The municipality’s press service announced. According to the press service, he submitted his letter of resignation voluntarily. Mirlan Kazybai uulu served as Deputy»»»

The Ala-Too parliamentary group has a new leader. Deputy Baktiyar Kalpaev announced this at a meeting of the Zhogorku Kenesh. He noted that following the appointment of the previous group leader, Zhanarbek Akayev, to another position, the Ala-Too members held an extraordinary meeting and elected a »»»

The transition of power in Bulgaria was marked by a formal ceremony in the Granite Hall of the Council of Ministers, where former Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov handed over authority to Acting Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov. Zhelyazkov described the moment as one of responsibility both accepted and »»»

Dear Readers, As we welcome the Holy Month of Ramadan, Gulf News is proud to launch the Safe Roads during Ramadan campaign. This initiative serves as a vital reminder of the importance of patience, responsibility, and respect on our roads during this significant time. Ramadan is a month of reflecti»»»

NEW DELHI - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday in New Delhi, where he is attending the India AI Impact Summit 2026, that Serbia must build infrastructure for greater use of artificial intelligence (AI) and change its education system. "Many young Indians came to our booth, and we e»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian air defense systems shot down two guided aerial bombs, 10 HIMARS shells, and 301 UAVs of the Ukrainian armed forces, while Russian troops hit a fuel storage facility and energy infrastructure facilities used in the interests of the Ukrainian armed forces, the Russian Defe»»»

Osaka has received an unusual donation -- 21 kilograms of gold -- to pay for the maintenance of its ageing water system, the Japanese commercial hub announced Thursday. The donation worth $3.6 million was made in November by a person who a month earlier had already given $3,300 in cash for the muni»»»

Israeli forces are on alert on Lebanon’s border out of concerns of a possible escalation with Hezbollah in connection with the growing possibility of a war with Iran, the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation reported. The Israeli media outlet also said that the United States would inform Israel »»»

Once established, the Multinational Staff Element will become Nato’s Forward Land Forces’ permanent presence in the region. Defence Minister Antti Häkkänen (NCP) has chosen Finnish Lapland’s capital of Rovaniemi as the location of Nato’s Forward Land Forces (FLF) headquarters, according to a minist»»»

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor has been arrested by UK police on suspicion of misconduct in public office, the BBC has reported. Police are currently considering allegations including that a woman was trafficked to the UK by the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein for the former prince. Andrew has consis»»»

Tunis, Feb 19 (TAP) - Phase III of the Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC) phase-out management plan, targeting substances harmful to the ozone layer, has been launched by the National Agency for Environmental Protection (ANPE) in partnership with the...»»»

DOHA: The General Directorate of Coasts and Borders Security celebrated the graduation of four specialized training courses: Watchtower Officer Course, Inland Waters Boat Commander Course, Basic Marine Engineering Course, and Advanced Marine Engineering Course. The courses were attended by 31 train»»»

Thai police donned a lion dance costume during this week's Lunar New Year festivities to arrest a suspect accused of stealing about $64,000 worth of Buddhist artifacts, police said Thursday. Officers dressed as a red-and-yellow lion made the arrest on Wednesday evening after receiving a report earl»»»

Romania’s central bank slightly revised its inflation forecast (chart) in the Inflation Outlook published on February 18, maintaining the overall projected trajectory while raising the year-end inflation estimate to 3.9%, from 3.7% previously. »»»

A Chinese fisherman prepares to move his fishing nets onto his boat and go to sea in the East China Sea in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, southeast China. File Photo by Wu hong/EPA Feb. 19 (UPI) -- For decades, China's maritime identity has been defined by scale: It produces and consumes the most sea»»»

Former Speaker of the Zhogorku Kenesh (Parliament) Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu has announced his early resignation as a member of Parliament. He published the statement on Facebook. In his address, the ex-speaker congratulated Kyrgyzstanis on the beginning of the fasting month and wished the country p»»»

Dubai: Blockchain for Innovation & AI (BCAI), a UAE-based research and strategic consultancy, has announced the launch and expansion of Khwarizmi Chain, a cutting-edge digital infrastructure ecosystem designed to help enterprises, institutions, and governments digitise real-world processes using bl»»»

Dubai: The controversial trailer of Hindi-language film The Kerala Story 2: Goes Beyond has dropped and it's as provocative and polarising as its first instalment. The movie, which deals with forced religious conversions, has understandably set social media on fire and activated the meme/troll army»»»