Eighteen films have been selected for the international competition of the 13th Umut Young Cinema Forum. The announcement was made by the Cinema Development Fund of the Kyrgyz Republic. «We received a large number of excellent films. Unfortunately, we were unable to include many of them in the comp»»»

NEW YORK: An immigration judge has blocked the Trump administration from deporting Mohsen Mahdawi, a Palestinian graduate student who led protests at Columbia University against Israel and the war in Gaza. Also Read: US expands visa curbs: 39 countries affected under new immigration policyIn a ruli»»»

Dubai: Commuters faced significant delays on Wednesday morning as the first day of Ramadan brought heavy traffic and a series of incidents to the main arteries linking Sharjah and Dubai. The shift in traditional working hours and school timings, resulted in a concentrated surge of vehicles during t»»»

Dubai: Today, the UAE marks the first day of Ramadan after the official moon-sighting committee confirmed the holy month will begin on Wednesday, February 18. The arrival of Ramadan brings one of the most significant shifts in daily traffic patterns seen all year. For the next 30 days, roads across»»»

After the first meeting in Oman this month, about which very little is known, the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi are meeting in Geneva on February 17. »»»

Millions of dual nationals worldwide are suddenly facing a rush to obtain or renew British passports after the UK government tightened entry rules for people holding more than one citizenship. Many have been caught out by upcoming changes to passport rules for dual nationals, which are due to kick »»»

Manila: In a game-changing move, the government has unleashed a major policy tweak allowing a 100% electricity subsidy for poorest Filipino families. Philippine President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos recently unveiled the "auto-enrollment" scheme for millions of target beneficiaries -- families unde»»»

An avalanche in California's Lake Tahoe region has left 10 backcountry skiers missing, authorities say, with six more people stranded and awaiting rescue. The avalanche was reported about 11:30PST (19:30GMT) in the Castle Peak area near the town of Truckee, according to the Nevada County Sheriff's »»»

More than a year after a 33-year-old woman froze to death on Austria's highest mountain, her boyfriend goes on trial on Thursday accused of gross negligent manslaughter. Kerstin G died of hypothermia on a mountain climbing trip to the Grossglockner that went horribly wrong. Her boyfriend is accused»»»

Washington: India’s ambitious rooftop solar expansion plan on Tuesday secured a $197.67 million guarantee from the World Bank Group’s arm. ​ The five-year backing supports refinancing of a $500 million World Bank loan to the State Bank of India for grid-connected solar systems serving commercial an»»»

Bayer subsidiary Monsanto on Tuesday said it would pay $7.25 billion over 21 years to settle class action lawsuits filed by those claiming its Roundup weedkiller caused cancer. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Officials for Germany-based Bayer have agreed to pay $7»»»

Heavily armed Guatemalan troops and military police deployed to the country's capital Tuesday, challenging street gangs blamed for killing 11 officers and sparking a major security crisis. President Bernardo Arevala ordered the "Plan Sentinel" operation to break the stranglehold of Barrio 18 and MS»»»

Warning: This report contains accounts of sexual assault and violence that some readers may find distressing. Ramia was preparing for a family picnic, on a warm summer day in her village in Latakia province in western Syria, when a white car drove up, she said. Three armed men got out, saying they »»»

"Life is becoming more expensive," complains Alexander, a Moscow-based advertising specialist who works for a big corporation. In the course of one month his monthly food budget soared by more than 22% - from 35,000 roubles (£330; $450) to 43,000 (£406; $555). With Russia's economy hanging somewher»»»

Iran announced a "breakthrough" in Geneva talks with the US on February 17, 2026, agreeing on "guiding principles" for resolving its nuclear dispute, BBC reported. This marking progress after Oman's-hosted first round. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the indirect discussions "constru»»»

A water taxi/ferry is escorted through the ice in the Hudson River before docking in Manhattan as seen from "Edge" at Hudson Yards as sub freezing temperatures continue after the weekends major snow storm on January 29 in New York City. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo Across the United »»»

Residents of Chicago, Illinois, are mourning the loss of US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, who died at age 84, surrounded by family, according to a statement released by his relatives. The BBC's Gary O'Donoghue spoke with Chicagoans about what Jackson's passing means for the city and for the wi»»»

Officials for Fulton County, Georgia, on Tuesday accused the FBI of lying to obtain a warrant that authorized a raid on the county's elections office on Jan. 18. File Photo by Erik S. Lesser/EPA-EFE Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Officials for Fulton County, Ga., said in a filing Tuesday that the Department of J»»»

1 of 2 | A fatal crash on I-25 near Pueblo, Colo., took place Tuesday during a high-wind event. Photo courtesy Colorado State Patrol Powerful winds kicking up dust across the Plains contributed to multiple fatal crashes and sparked rapidly spreading wildfires on Tuesday as dry grasses fueled fast-m»»»

Charismatic US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson, an eloquent Baptist minister raised in the segregated South who became a close associate of Martin Luther King Jr and twice ran for the Democratic presidential nomination, has died at age 84, his family said in a statement on Tuesday. Despite never »»»

The world’s biggest party is back as Carnival celebrations return to Brazil with glittery, outrageous costumes, samba rhythms ringing out until dawn and hundreds of raucous roaming parties flooding the streets. "It does really feel as though the whole of the city has become one huge party for this »»»

Tribune News Network Doha The greatest embodimentof Qatar Foundation’s globally unique education ecosystem are its skilled and values-driven students and across its schools and universities. 16 of these students have been recognised through the 19th edition of the Qatar Education Excellence Award. »»»

Tribune News Network Doha As part of its ongoing humanitarian efforts to alleviate the suffering of the people of Gaza, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) is working with Qatar’s Gaza Reconstruction Committee to distribute canned beef to displaced families across the blockade. This food aid is part »»»

Tribune News Network Doha Msheireb Properties, Qatar’s leading sustainable real estate developer, and Qatar Charity (QC), one of the largest humanitarian and development organisations in the world, have officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Tuesday. This partnership formalises a »»»

QNA Doha The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MECC), represented by the Wildlife Development Department, in cooperation with the Commercial Bank of Qatar (CBQ), has launched the second phase of the Rawda (meadows) fencing initiative at Rawdat Umm Laqhab in the Umm Birkah area of Al Thakh»»»

Tribune News Network Doha The Qatar Press Centre (QPC) organised a dialogue session titled “National Sport Day: Results and Legacy,” highlighting the achievements and long-term impact of the national initiative in promoting sports culture, healthy living, and community participation over the past 1»»»

In southern Gaza, volunteers from a Turkish NGO paint rubble and decorate a destroyed street as the Muslim holy month of Ramadan approaches. Gaza is facing a daunting task ahead to rebuild as more than 80 percent of buildings have been destroyed by the two years of war with Israel, according to the»»»

A report released on the Ministry of Interior's website on Tuesday specified that activities conducted by the NGO National Protected Areas Control Agency (NPACA) have triggered four alerts since the NGO was established in 2022. On February 2, 2026, the bodies of three NPACA members were found with »»»

Palantir co-founder and Chief Executive Officer Alex Karp is among those who announced the tech firm has moved its headquarters to Miami on Tuesday. Photo by Gian Ehrenzeller/EPA Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Artificial intelligence and software analytics firm Palantir Technologies Inc. has moved its headquarte»»»

1 of 6 | An image released by the FBI shows a person of interest in the kidnapping of Nancy Guthrie, mother of Today Show host Savannah Guthrie. On Tuesday, police said the DNA found on a glove nearby Guthrie's home did not find a match in the federal database. Image courtesy of the FBI | License P»»»

Geneva: The Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Office in Geneva, HE Dr. Hend bint Abdalrahman Al Muftah participated in a meeting of the Support Group of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) in Geneva. In her remarks, Her Excellency affirme»»»

Why are red and gold so prominent for the Lunar New Year? Why is it the year of the Fire Horse? How, and where, is this holiday celebrated in France? And how big is the Asian diaspora in France? In this edition of Entre Nous, we're taking a deep dive into "Le Nouvel An Chinois" or the Chinese New Y»»»

A French court on Tuesday handed a one-year suspended sentence to a former Senate adviser for collecting over 1,800 mostly sexual images taken in public places or in the Senate building. The man went on trial in 2023 after his colleagues discovered a hard drive in a common area containing the image»»»

Iran and the United States reached an understanding Tuesday on "a set of guiding principles" laying the groundwork for a broader deal during talks in Geneva, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Tuesday. This came as the US ramps up military forces in the region and Iran said it»»»

Fireworks lit the skies and incense smoke filled the air as millions rang in the Lunar New Year on Tuesday. From bustling temple fairs in Beijing to a high-tech Spring Festival gala, the Year of the Horse began in a swirl of prayer, pageantry and cutting-edge spectacle. Traditional prayers, firewor»»»

Evanan Romero, who was detained for four days, is part of a committee of about 400 former state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela technicians and executives dedicated to developing proposals for rebuilding the energy sector under a future government. File Photo by Henry Chirinos/EPA Feb. 17 »»»

Feb. 17 (UPI) -- A Connecticut woman captured video when a pair of wild turkeys set their sites on a UPS driver attempting to make neighborhood deliveries. The video, posted to TikTok by Hindy Jaffee, shows the UPS driver luring the turkeys to the side of his truck so he could evade them to make hi»»»

An Ohio man who stuck with the same set of lottery numbers for 22 years found his persistence rewarded with a $3.5 million Classic Lotto jackpot. Feb. 16 (UPI) -- An Ohio man who stuck with the same set of lottery numbers for 22 years found his persistence rewarded with a $3.5 million jackpot. The »»»

A protester holds a sign during a demonstration against the election process led by the state university and the candidacy of Guatemalan Attorney General Consuelo Porras for a Constitutional Court magistrate position in Antigua Guatemala, Guatemala, on Monday. The University of San Carlos, the stat»»»

What a relief, it’s over. This year’s Munich Security Conference (MSC) has ended. In reality, the meeting has never had much to do with increasing anyone’s security. Otherwise, its Western participants would, for instance, not have laughed at the warning Russian President Vladimir Putin issued ther»»»

Two new investigations have been announced in the EU into Elon Musk’s social media platform X amid reports that its AI chatbot Grok produced sexualized images of real people, including children. Grok, developed by Musk’s AI venture xAI and integrated into X, has come under global scrutiny since its»»»

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has accused French President Emmanuel Macron of failing to deliver on his calls for European “strategic autonomy,” urging Paris to increase its military expenditure at the expense of social spending. Macron has pushed for European defense autonomy since propo»»»

Ukrainian service members will train German troops in drone warfare as well as the use of modern command and control technologies as part of a new program, several German media outlets have reported. The Ukraine conflict has seen the mass deployment of strike and reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehi»»»

Steve Bannon, a former White House strategist and prominent MAGA figure, has defended his extensive communications with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, insisting they were part of an effort to produce a documentary. His comments come after the release of millions of pages of Epstei»»»

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during an Assumption of Command Ceremony for Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday in January. Noem's spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin is leaving her position next week. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Feb. 17 (UPI) -- Tric»»»

Abu Dhabi: A man and his son have been ordered to jointly pay Dh5,000 as compensation to a woman they were convicted of assaulting. The decision was issued by the Abu Dhabi Family, Civil and Administrative Court, which also directed the two men to cover court fees, expenses and legal costs. The civ»»»

Ras Al Khaimah Police have completed preparations for the holy month of Ramadan, announcing a comprehensive security plan aimed at ensuring public safety and maintaining smooth traffic flow across the emirate. The plan focuses on enhancing field readiness and increasing security and traffic patrols»»»

France on Tuesday allowed a tanker called Grinch suspected of being part of Russia's sanctions-busting "shadow fleet" to leave territorial waters after its owner paid a fine of several million euros, a minister said. French forces and their allies boarded the oil tanker last month between Spain and»»»

Sharjah: Al Hamriyah has been illuminated with vibrant Ramadan decorations after Al Hamriyah Municipality completed its annual project to adorn streets and public spaces with distinctive light installations reflecting the spirit and values of the holy month. The decorations feature innovative desig»»»