At the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace in Washington, President Donald Trump spoke of billions of dollars pledged to rebuild the Gaza Strip and a "new and harmonious" Middle East rising from the ashes of war. Videos aired at the meeting showed a future of gleaming high-rises and new soccer »»»

Sofia International Airport will suspend all civil flights during two short nighttime windows on February 23 and 24, allowing only military aircraft to operate, according to data published on Flightradar24 and an official notice to airmen (NOTAM). The restrictions will apply from 01:15 to 02:50 on »»»

US and Chinese fighter jets faced off not far off the South Korean coast this week, according to local media outlets. Approximately ten US Forces Korea (USFK) F-16 warplanes took off from Osan Air Base in Pyeongtaek – about 60km south of Seoul – and flew over international waters in the Yellow Sea,»»»

Washington, Feb. 20 (SANA) The US trade deficit reached a new record level last year, totaling $1.24 trillion, despite broad tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. According to CNN, US Commerce Department data showed the goods and services trade gap widened in December to $70.3 billion. The »»»

An Austrian court on Thursday fined a man and suspended his five-month sentence after finding him guilty of negligence in his climber girlfriend's death amid wintry conditions while climbing Grossglockner Mountain in January 2025. Photo by Helmut Fohringer/EPA Feb. 20 (UPI) -- An Austrian man recei»»»

Albania’s Interior Minister Albana Koçiu issued an urgent call to opposition leaders to immediately halt acts of violence and remove minors from the protests, warning that their safety is at risk. Molotov cocktails caught police officers stationed outside the prime minister’s office, media personne»»»

As soon as she heard the US Supreme Court had struck down President Donald Trump's authority to impose sweeping global tariffs, Jenelle Peterson's mind raced to the possibilities for her toy business. She might import more toys to the US and invest in designing new ones - things she had put on hold»»»

By UPI Staff A Catholic priest distributes ashes during Ash Wednesday Mass at St. Catherine’s Church in Bethlehem, West Bank, on Wednesday. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a season of fasting, prayer and repentance leading up to Easter. A Catholic priest places ashes on the forehead of a»»»

An Israeli strike on Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp killed two people on Friday, with Israel's army saying it had targeted the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The official National News Agency (NNA) later reported "heavy strikes" in the country's east, as Israel's army said it hit "He»»»

The head of the parliamentary group of Albania’s ruling Socialist Party, Taulant Balla, commented on the start of the fourth nationwide protest called by the opposition in front of the prime minister’s office. In a post on social media, Balla wrote: “Here is the square, here is the battleground, an»»»

In the latest repatriation of stolen artefacts, France on Friday handed over the Djidji Ayokwe or "talking" drum back to Ivory Coast after it was looted by colonial troops in 1916. The drum, which was used by the Ebrie tribe to transmit messages, is one of hundreds of objects France is prepari»»»

A 16-year-old boy was arrested Thursday in Thessaloniki following allegations that he pushed a 17-year-old pregnant girl, causing her to fall and sustain injuries. He was also charged with revenge pornography after a 16-year-old girl accused him of posting a private video of them on social media a »»»

Newspaper front pages feature Peru's new interim president Jose Maria Balcazar in Lima on Thursday. Congress elected Balcazar as the new interim president during an extraordinary session. But he is also on trial for financial irregularities. Photo by Paolo Aguilar/EPA Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Peru's interi»»»

London: Michael Carrick praised Manchester United's "diversity" after the club's co-owner Jim Ratcliffe caused controversy by claiming the United Kingdom has been "colonised by immigrants". Ratcliffe was widely criticised for his outburst last week and later apologised if his remarks had "offended »»»

Damascus Feb. 20 (SANA) — Canada’s decision to lift major economic sanctions on Syria—announced Wednesday by Foreign Minister Anita Anand, ending a blanket ban imposed since 2011—marks a positive shift that will empower legitimate trade and fuel rebuilding efforts, the Syrian Export and Local Produ»»»

A 38-year-old inmate accused of fatally shooting fellow prisoner Antonis Papadatos at Domokos Prison last Sunday and the prison’s chief guard, charged with complicity, were both ordered held in pretrial detention by a Lamia magistrate and prosecutor. The joint hearings lasted more than 10 hours, wi»»»

Dubai: An Egyptian man has been arrested for allegedly beating his wife, who was battling cancer, to death after repeated arguments in which she urged him to stop taking drugs and find work to support their five children, authorities said. The incident came to light after police in Alexandria recei»»»

1 of 5 | Artemis II moon rocket sits on Launch Complex 39B at sunset at Kennedy Space Center, Fla., on February 6. On Thursday, the mission had a successful dress rehearsal and is planning to launch as soon as March 6. Photo by Pat Benic/UPI | License Photo Feb. 20 (UPI) -- The NASA Artemis II seco»»»

People walk past sargassum clumps on the sand in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, in July. File Photo by Orlando Barria/EPA Feb. 20 (UPI) -- The Dominican Republic opened the year with 1.22 million tourists in January, a 5.5% increase compared with the same month last year. The increase was driven b»»»

TradeUnited States of AmericaTrump tariffs struck down: What's his plan now? Timothy RooksThe US Supreme Court has ruled that most of the president's tariffs are unconstitutional because of how he implemented them. But the administration is prepared to reinstate them, starting with a 10% temporary »»»

Budapest has imposed a veto on a €90 billion ($106 billion) EU loan for Ukraine agreed in December, Financial Times has reported. Hungary, along with several other EU members, had previously opted out of the scheme, which was expected to be covered through joint EU borrowing. The Hungarian represen»»»

1 of 4 | Chair of the House Democratic Women's Caucus Rep. Teresa Leger Fernandez, D-N.M., speaks during a press conference with advocates and survivors of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, including the family of Virginia Giuffre, at the U.S. Capitol on February 10. Two executors of Epstein'»»»

The FBI is planning to make it easier for existing employees to become special agents by eliminating two long-standing vetting steps, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing sources. The change comes as Director Kash Patel seeks to reshape the bureau amid an agent shortage. According to the report, Pa»»»

NASA chief Jared Isaacman has slammed Boeing for failures that plagued the botched debut mission of its first crewed spaceship, Starliner, which left two astronauts stranded for nine months last year.A billionaire private astronaut and close associate of SpaceX founder Elon Musk, Isaacman, who was »»»

Washington: The US dollar fell on Friday, heading towards ending a four-session winning streak, following a US Supreme Court decision to overturn the sweeping tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump under a law intended for use in national emergencies. The dollar had risen earlier in the day, dri»»»

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has allocated the seats to the multi-member constituencies for the parliamentary elections scheduled for April 19, 2026, the Commission said on Friday. The CEC determines the number of seats for each multi-member constituency according to a uniform national rep»»»

BELGRADE - The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Department of the Treasury has extended an operating licence issued to the Serbian oil company NIS for 30 more days, until March 20. NIS is under US sanctions due to its Russian-majority ownership. "Good news for Serbian citizens - th»»»

US President Donald Trump will travel to China from March 31 to April 2 for a highly anticipated meeting between the world's two biggest economies, following the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Trump's sweeping tariffs against imported goods. A White House official confirmed the trip on Friday»»»

Lebanon said an Israeli strike on the country's largest Palestinian refugee camp killed two people on Friday, with Israel's army saying it had targeted the Palestinian group Hamas. The official National News Agency said "an Israeli drone" targeted a neighborhood of the Ain al-Hilweh camp, which is »»»

MAJDANPEK - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday he had had a very successful meeting with Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood Gert Jan Koopman earlier in the day, and noted that Serbia would remain on the EU path »»»

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: Former Brazil captain Neymar said he is thinking of retiring at the end of the year after being hampered by injuries but hopes to go to the World Cup first. The ex-Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain striker returned in January 2025 to his boyhood club Santos from Saudi club A»»»

There are many obstacles to a peace deal in Ukraine, but a diplomatic solution remains the only viable option, the newly appointed head of the UN refugee agency said Friday, warning that humanitarian operations are increasingly overstretched because of multiple global crises. Barham Salih, Iraq’s f»»»

More than 22,000 companies have closed and more than 300,000 formal jobs have been lost in Argentina over the past two years as a result of a trade liberalization policy that reduced tariffs with the promise of lowering consumer prices, a trade association says. File Photo by Juan Ignacio Roncoroni»»»

President Donald Trump speaks during a Governors Working Breakfast in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Friday. He told a reporter he's considering limited military strikes on Iran. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Feb. 20 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump said »»»

As Ramadan begins, New York City’s first Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has shared his reflections on the holy month, calling it his favourite time of year for its spirit of reflection and the sense of community it inspires. “Right now, I feel parched,” Mamdani joked to reporters. “This is a month o»»»

Eric Dane, known for his roles on "Grey’s Anatomy" and "Euphoria," died this week from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at age 53. The fatal nervous system disease, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, killed Dane less than a year after he announced his diagnosis. According to the Centers for Disease C»»»

Hundreds of thousands of people in Aden, in southern Yemen, are calling for the return of the pre-1990 state of South Yemen, creating a gaping rift with the legitimate Saudi-backed government. Led by the Southern Transitional Council (STC), this desire for independence is hampered by a brutal reali»»»

French police will be out in force at a weekend rally for slain far-right activist Quentin Deranque, the interior minister said Friday, as the country seeks to contain anger over the fatal beating blamed on the hard left. His death has fomented tensions ahead of municipal elections next month »»»

UK police on Friday searched properties belonging to the British royals for a second day after the sensational arrest of disgraced ex-prince Andrew tipped the British monarchy into crisis. Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested and later released as police probe misconduct claims over»»»

As part of FRANCE 24’s and Talking Europe’s coverage of the fourth anniversary of the war in Ukraine, we host veteran diplomat Vsevolod Chentsov, Ukraine’s ambassador to the European Union. He highlights the critical assistance the EU is providing for the country’s military, budgetary, and energy n»»»

An Israeli strike on Lebanon's largest Palestinian refugee camp killed one person on Friday, state media reported, with the Israeli army saying it had targeted the Palestinian group Hamas. The official National News Agency said "an Israeli drone" targeted a neighborhood of the Ain al-Hilweh camp, w»»»

TradeUnited States of AmericaTrump tariffs struck down: What's his backup plan? Timothy RooksIn a much-anticipated decision, the US Supreme Court has ruled that most of the president's tariffs are unconstitutional because of how he implemented them. But the administration is prepared to reinstate t»»»

Greece has rejected a Ukrainian request to extradite a former pro-Russian city councilor wanted on an international warrant for alleged fraud involving municipal real estate, ruling that he would face safety risks if returned to his war-torn country. The 54-year-old, a former city councilor in Odes»»»

Venezuela's parliament passed amnesty legislation on February 19 by unanimous vote, potentially freeing hundreds of individuals imprisoned for political opposition to the regime of deposed president Nicolas Maduro. But the measure explicitly excludes those accused of promoting foreign military inte»»»

1 of 5 | Picketers hold signs outside at the entrance to Mount Sinai Hospital on Jan. 20 in New York City. On Friday, the final group of nurses on strike reached a tentative deal with New York-Presbyterian/Columbia hospital to end the strike. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo Feb. 20 (UPI»»»

1 of 2 | The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that President Donald Trump does not have the unilateral authority to impose tariffs. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Feb. 20 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Friday that President Donald Trump does not have the unilateral authority to»»»

NASA on Friday set March 6 as the earliest possible launch date for Artemis 2, the first crewed flyby mission to the Moon in more than 50 years. Lori Glaze, a senior official with the US space agency, cautioned that pad work, a flight readiness review and a dress rehearsal analysis needed to be com»»»

Ali Khamenei has crushed unrest and survived foreign pressure before but, with his envoys racing to avert threatened American airstrikes through ongoing talks, Iran's Supreme Leader faces the gravest crisis of his 36-year rule. An embittered population toils under a sanctions-hit economy. Huge prot»»»

The US Supreme Court ruled Friday that President Donald Trump exceeded his authority by imposing a broad set of tariffs that disrupted global trade. The six-three conservative-majority decision blocked a key economic tool Trump used to pursue his agenda. The court found that the International Emerg»»»

The National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH) issued a yellow code warning (first degree) for ice and significant rainfall and snowfall in 11 regions for Saturday. An orange code (second degree) has been issued for nine regions, the map with warning codes for dangerous meteorological p»»»