Fewer than 1,000 families remain at a camp where relatives of suspected ISIS militants had been held in Syria's northeast, the camp's former director said on Wednesday, with thousands having fled last month as government forces seized control of the area from Kurdish-led fighters. Al-Hol, near the »»»

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday tackled Lebanon's situation in his speech at the first meeting of the so-called Board of Peace in Washington. "We have Lebanon with certain things that we're working on that are very important," Trump said. "We have to solve the problem of Lebanon, but it's r»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani has issued a pardon for a number of prisoners, as a generous royal gesture on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan.»»»

Long considered a transit route, Pakistan is now emerging as a major hub for both drug production and consumption. This shift follows the upheaval triggered by the Taliban's return to power in Afghanistan in 2021. A year later, the new Afghan authorities abruptly banned the cultivation of poppy, th»»»

Bulgaria’s President Iliana Iotova will be hosting a traditional iftar dinner on February 20 to mark the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, said the President's Press Secretariat. The event will bring together representatives of the Muslim community alongside leaders from other traditional rel»»»

Ivan Hristanov took over the post of Agriculture Minister, stating clearly his priorities: providing adequate support for the sector, ensuring proper conditions for fair elections, combating corruption and theft, closing all channels for the misuse of public resources, and building sustainable poli»»»

New Delhi: Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, has met with Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, on the sidelines of the AI Impact Summit, taking place in New Delhi until February 20, 2026. At the outset of the meeting, Sheikh Khaled conveyed»»»

Handing over his post to his successor on Thursday, Health Minister Silvi Kirilov said: "Over this past year, my team and I worked with the confidence that everything we achieved together was for the sake of Bulgarian citizens." He expressed satisfaction with the implemented projects but admitted t»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States will contribute $10 billion to the Board of Peace reconstruction efforts for Gaza, President Donald Trump said on Thursday. "The Board of Peace is showing how a better future can be built, starting right here in this room. And I want to let you know that the»»»

For more than a century, biology textbooks have stated that vision among vertebrates - people included - is built from two clearly defined cell types: rods for processing dim light and cones for bright light and color. New research involving deep-sea fish shows this tidy division is, in reality, no»»»

1 of 3 | The United States has put military forces in place in the Middle East for a potential strike on Iran but President Donald Trump has not decided whether to attack or continue negotiations on Thursday. Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo Feb. 19 (UPI) -- The United States has put milit»»»

The parliamentary group of the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (ARF) Thursday extended greetings to Muslims in Bulgaria on the occasion of the beginning of the holy month of Ramadan, calling for unity, compassion and the preservation of religious and ethnic peace. In a declaration delivered from t»»»

Gaza: Amid the rubble of destroyed homes and between worn-out tents, residents of the Gaza Strip are welcoming the holy month of Ramadan for the third consecutive time since the outbreak of the Israeli aggression on October 7, 2023. This year, however, they hold onto hope that goodness and peace wi»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States will likely be getting more clarity around the negotiations on Iran's nuclear program in the next ten days, President Donald Trump said on Thursday. "Maybe we're going to make a deal [with Iran] ... you're going to be finding out over the next, probably 10 d»»»

A notable presence of US military aircraft has been observed at Terminal 1 of Sofia Airport in Bulgaria, according to former Deputy Foreign Minister and security analyst Milen Keremedchiev. In a post on Facebook, he reported that seven US Air Force tanker aircraft, used for aerial refueling of comb»»»

As he stepped in office Thursday, the caretaker Minister of Health, Michail Okoliyski, highlighted prevention and better communication of health risks as his priorities. "I will focus my efforts on prevention, early diagnosis, prophylaxis and better communication of health risks," Okoliyski said as»»»

Wall Street stocks retreated early Thursday as worries over US-Iran tensions lifted oil prices while markets digested mixed results from Walmart. US oil futures rose to a six-month high as Iran's atomic energy chief Mohammad Eslami said no country can deprive the Islamic republic of its right to nu»»»

1 of 5 | President Donald Trump shook hands with attending leaders at the Board of Peace meeting during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, in January. File Photo by World Economic Forum/Benedikt von Loebell/UPI | License Photo Feb. 19 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump's Bo»»»

Doha, Qatar: Weather inshore until 6am on Friday will be hazy, becoming misty to foggy in some places later, and cold, the Department of Meteorology said in its daily weather report, warning of expected poor horizontal visibility. Offshore, conditions will be hazy to misty at times, with some cloud»»»

An Israeli surveillance firm inadvertently laid bare the operational architecture of a global spyware apparatus after publishing what appeared to be an ordinary photo on LinkedIn—only to hastily delete it once the damaging implications became clear. Paragon Solutions failed to realize that an image»»»

US President Donald Trump presided in Washington Thursday morning over the first Board of Peace meeting, where officials discussed Phase 2 of his Gaza plan. More than 40 countries, as well as the European Union, have confirmed their attendance at Thursday’s inaugural meeting, an unnamed senior offi»»»

UK police on Thursday arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former prince who was stripped of his royal titles because of his links to Jeffrey Epstein, on suspicion of misconduct in public office. King Charles III expressed "deepest concern" over his younger brother's arrest, adding that "the la»»»

GERB leader Boyko Borissov met with ministers from the outgoing “Zhelyazkov” cabinet after they formally handed over power to the caretaker government, using the gathering to review the work of the administration and outline the party’s next political steps. At GERB headquarters, Borissov was joine»»»

The handover of duties to Bulgaria’s new acting Foreign Minister, Nadezhda Neynsky, took place in the absence of her predecessor, Georg Georgiev, who was abroad. Neynsky stated that Georgiev did not specify his location, but the two are expected to discuss the formal transfer of responsibilities on»»»

Stockholm: The Speaker of the Swedish Parliament, HE Andreas Norlen met Thursday with the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Sweden, HE Nadia bint Ahmed Al Shaibi. The meeting discussed the two countries' cooperation relations.»»»

The interior minister in Bulgaria's new caretaker government has vowed to do his best to ensure that the early parliamentary elections on April 19 are fair. “We, as the leadership of the Ministry of Interior, will do everything to give the ministry’s staff the opportunity to fulfil their share of t»»»

Klass Wagen announces the launch of its Mobility Services division, offering flexible solutions for medium- and long-term car usage. In line with its strategic goal of becoming a comprehensive provider of mobility solutions, Klass Wagen is launching the new division to develop and expand the mobili»»»

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has launched the practical phase of preparations for Bulgaria’s early parliamentary elections, scheduled for April 19, 2026 under Presidential Decree No. 58. The process is moving forward in line with the timelines and responsibilities set out in the Electoral »»»

House Speaker, Nabih Berri, received on Thursday at the Second Presidency headquarters in Ain al-Tineh, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Lebanon, Walid Bukhari. The discussion reportedly touched on the general developments and the bilateral relations between Lebanon and Saudi Arabia»»»

Feb. 18 (UPI) -- Authorities in North Carolina entered a resident's home to apprehend an unusual "bacon and entering suspect" -- a trespassing pig in search of snacks. The Rutherford County Sheriff's Office said on social media that deputies responded Monday to an Ellenboro-area home on a report of»»»

An emergency landing and evacuation of a JetBlue flight Wednesday evening after it was forced to turn back closed Newark Airport for more than an hour. File Photo by Todd Bomser/UPI | License Photo Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Newark Liberty International Airport was temporarily closed after the evacuation of »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) continues to advance the digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises through the SMEs Go Digital Program, a national initiative launched toward the end of 2024 to provide a practical pathway for SMEs to s»»»

The General Directorate Combating Organized Crime (GDCOC) will be the communication and coordination point for cybercrime related to terrorism in Bulgaria, after Parliament voted on first reading Thursday to amend the Ministry of Interior Act. The revisions were proposed by three MPs of GERB-UDF. T»»»

Beja, Feb. 19 (TAP) - Minister of Industry, Mines, and Energy, Fatma Thabet Chiboub, made a field visit to the Beja governorate on Thursday, focusing on the supply of ammonium nitrate and the upcoming restart of the Tunisian Sugar Company (Beja),...»»»

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky, whose term expired in 2024, essentially just parrots cues coming from European and British globalist circles, Alexander Dudchak, a leading researcher at the Institute of CIS Countries, tells Sputnik. That's why he is emboldened to throw around public jabs — like openly»»»

Türkiye said on Thursday it opposed Greece's "unilateral activities" in energy fields south of Crete with a consortium led by US major Chevron as a violation of international law and good neighbourly relations. Athens responded that its policies abide international law. The Chevron-led consortium s»»»

Ukraine’s decision to block the delivery of Russian oil to Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline is “blatant political blackmail,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said. The transit of oil via the pipeline has remained on hold since late January, with Kiev blaming Russia and accusing it of dama»»»

Doha, Qatar: Most parents are keen to train their children to observe the obligation of fasting during the holy month of Ramadan and to accustom them to this practice. However, they sometimes overlook the medical considerations related to ensuring safe fasting, particularly in later childhood. Cons»»»

The U.S. trade deficit slipped modestly in 2025, a year in which President Donald Trump upended global commerce by slapping double digit tariffs on imports from most countries. The gap the between the goods and services the U.S. sells other countries and what it buys from them narrowed to just over»»»

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Wednesday expressed hopes of deepening her relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump and strengthen cooperation between the two countries in rare earths development and other areas of economic security when she visits Washington next month. Takaichi, at»»»

Eileen Gu and all the other freestyle skiers wait for their scores by a large Powerade-branded cooler, then glide away without taking a drink. Bottles of the blue sports drink are stacked in hockey penalty boxes. Even the tissues in figure skating's drama-packed "Kiss and Cry" area are branded. One»»»

Iran's atomic energy chief Mohammad Eslami said Thursday that no country can deprive the Islamic republic of its right to nuclear enrichment, after U.S. President Donald Trump again hinted at military action following talks in Geneva. "The basis of the nuclear industry is enrichment. Whatever you w»»»

Clashes in the Israeli-occupied West Bank killed a 19-year-old Palestinian-American man late Wednesday night, the Palestinian Health Ministry said. The ministry said Nasrallah Muhammad Jamal Abu Siyam was shot by settlers in the village of Mukhmas, north of Jerusalem. The Israeli military said sold»»»

Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended the company’s policies on children and platform design during a landmark US trial examining whether social media firms knowingly harmed young users, as internal documents and testimony highlighted tensions between safety claims and growth s»»»

ISTANBUL: The patrol boats Al Wakrah and Al Ghariya, belonging to Qatar Amiri Naval Forces, were officially launched in Istanbul, Turkiye. The vessels were manufactured by Dearsan Shipyard and the ceremony was attended by Deputy Commander of Qatar Amiri Naval Forces Brig (Navy) Khalid Nasser Al Haj»»»

Germany's military has "temporarily" moved some troops out of Erbil in northern Iraq because of "escalating tensions in the Middle East," a German defense ministry spokesman told AFP on Thursday. Dozens of German soldiers had been relocated away from the base in Erbil, capital of Iraq's autonomous »»»

Tunis, Feb. 19 (TAP) - The stock market closed on a positive note on Thursday, with the benchmark index rising 0.71% to 14,730.2 points on a volume of TND 9.8 million, according to broker Tunisie Valeurs.CITY CARS was the best performer of the...»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The administration of US President Donald Trump plans to establish a military base in the Gaza Strip for 5,000 personnel, the Guardian reported on Thursday, citing Board of Peace contracting documents. The base would serve as headquarters for the International Stabilization F»»»