Dubai: The UAE economy expanded steadily during the first nine months of 2025, with gross domestic product reaching about Dh1.4 trillion, supported by continued strength in non-oil sectors and broad-based growth across key industries. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.Da»»»

Cabinet Chairman Adylbek Kasymaliev participated in the capsule-laying ceremony for the construction of Tamchy Special Financial and Investment Zone (SFIT) in Issyk-Kul district. The Cabinet of Ministers’ press service reported. Speaking at the event, the Cabinet Chairman emphasized that the Tamchy»»»

Dubai: Dubai witnessed an unforgettable night of K-Pop and pop energy on Tuesday, 17 February, as the KRAZY Super Concert brought some of the biggest names from Asia’s music scene to the stage. From high energy performances to fan chants and iconic hits, the concert was everything a K-pop fan dream»»»

Bulgaria’s presidential institution has received formal notification from the Ministry of Defence that US Air Force aircraft currently stationed at Sofia Airport are present to support a planned military exercise, President Iliana Iotova said on Friday. She was speaking in a wide-ranging interview »»»

The United States under President Donald Trump is pressing Nato to significantly reduce its foreign engagements, including scaling down the alliance’s long-running peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, Politico reported on February 19, citing statements from four diplomats. »»»

The United States under President Donald Trump is pressing Nato to significantly reduce its foreign engagements, including scaling down the alliance’s long-running peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, Politico reported on February 19, citing statements from four diplomats. »»»

Onodrim Industries, a defence technology startup headquartered in Amsterdam and led by Lithuanian executive Aistis Simaitis, has raised €40mn in fresh investment to accelerate its growth, the company said in a press release.  »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukraine is trying to trample on both the principles of Olympism and the foundations of humanity, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik on Friday, commenting on Ukraine's decision to boycott the Paralympic Games. On Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Aff»»»

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger, seen here campaigning in November 2025, is to give the Democrats' response next week to President Donald Trump's State of the Union address. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has been tapped to give the »»»

Abu Dhabi: Ankabut, the UAE’s leading education cloud and network service provider, and Dell Technologies have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to advance technological innovation within the country’s education sector. The agreement, signed by Walid Yehia, Managing Director – South Gulf, »»»

Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan became the most popular destinations for Uzbeks in early 2026, podrobno.uz reports. According to the website, tourism activity among Uzbek citizens increased significantly in January 2026, with nearly 590,000 people traveling abroad. According to the National Statistical C»»»

The Veterinary, Livestock, Pastures and Feed Development Service under the Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic has announced the launch of a project to create a geoinformation system for registering and monitoring anthrax outbreak sites — GIS SUMO»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ukrainian law enforcement agencies have uncovered corruption and embezzlement by associates of Volodymyr Zelensky, the Special Inspector General report to Congress read. "Ukrainian law enforcement agencies exposed more than $100 million in corruption by government officials," the»»»

Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania are ready to deploy peacekeeping forces to Gaza, US Major-General Jasper Jeffers has said during the first ‘Board of Peace’ meeting in Washington on Thursday. The troops are to serve in the International Stabilization Force (ISF), while Egypt and J»»»

Between 2018 and 2025, a surgical team at the National Center for Maternal and Child Welfare independently performed 79 kidney transplant operations. The report by chief external specialists of the Ministry of Health of Kyrgyzstan says. Of these, 42 were related-donor transplants conducted under th»»»

Washington: US President Donald Trump said Thursday he is ordering federal agencies to begin “identifying and releasing” government files related to UFOs and aliens, a move sought for decades by some Americans. “Based on the tremendous interest shown, I will be directing the Secretary of War, and o»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump is considering a possibility to carry out an initial limited strike on Iran to force it make a nuclear deal, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources. If authorized, such a strike could follow within days and will hit a few military or govern»»»

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - The Russian and Iranian navies successfully practiced rescuing a vessel hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Oman during exercises on Thursday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said. On Wednesday, the Fars news agency reported that Iran and Russia will conduct exercises»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - It is high time for Europe to resume dialogue with Russia, and this should be done by the leader of a major European country, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said. "Some major European leader, whether French, Italian, or German, should take on the task of breaking the ice, »»»

TOKYO (Sputnik) - Japan continues to adhere to its policy of resolving the territorial issue and concluding a peace treaty with Russia, and also proceeds from the necessity of resolving existing problems by ensuring appropriate interaction and communication, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said »»»

Deputy Prime Minister for Fair Elections Stoil Tsitselkov announced his resignation on Friday, stating that his departure is intended to keep attention focused on the upcoming elections. Speaking at a briefing at the Council of Ministers, Tsitselkov emphasized that the recent attacks on his profess»»»

Construction work on the territory of TSUM Aichurek (Central Department Store) in Bishkek has been found to be inconsistent with the approved design documentation. By order of Mayor of Bishkek Aibek Dzhunushaliev, the erected metal structure is subject to dismantling. An inspection revealed that th»»»

Washington, United States: An airport in Florida will soon be renamed after US President Donald Trump, after a bill proposing the change was approved by the state's legislature on Thursday. Trump, a real estate mogul who has plastered his name on buildings around the world, has sought to leave his »»»

Ichikawa, Japan: Dozens of fans flocked to a Japanese zoo on Friday to catch a glimpse of a baby macaque who shot to social media stardom months after being abandoned by his mother. Six-month-old Punch became an internet sensation after footage of him clinging forlornly to zookeepers and dragging a»»»

Dubai: A shocking case of alleged medical negligence has emerged from Alappuzha after surgical forceps were discovered inside a woman’s abdomen five years after her operation at Alappuzha Medical College. The instrument was only detected recently when the patient, 51-year-old Usha Joseph, sought me»»»

Stoil Tzitzelkov resigned as Bulgaria's deputy prime minister on Friday. Prime Minister Andrey Gurov accepted his resignation, the Government Information Service said. Presenting his caretaker cabinet on Thursday, Gurov said that Tzitzelkov would be in charge of fair elections. His resignation come»»»

The arrest of Britain’s former prince Andrew underscored the stark contrast between Europe's response to the Epstein files and that of the United States, where only Ghislaine Maxwell is facing justice for her links to the convicted sex offender. Members of Congress from both parties have called for»»»

Doha: Qatar is demonstrating significant momentum in artificial intelligence advancement within the GCC, recording a remarkable AI maturation shift according to a comprehensive new study by Boston Consulting Group. The report, “Unlocking Potential: How GCC Organizations Can Convert AI Momentum into»»»

Doha: QNB Group has announced international football star Achraf Hakimi (pictured) as its new Global Brand Ambassador, marking the start of the partnership with the release of its Ramadan “No matter how big we grow, those who matter most to us remain bigger” TV commercial. The appointment of Hakimi»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The United States plans to complete its troop deployment in the Middle East by mid-March in case of a possible operation against Iran, The Washington Post newspaper reported, citing US officials. US President Donald Trump's national security advisers met in the Situation Room on »»»

On Friday, Israeli occupation forces continued their violations of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip for the 132nd consecutive day, launching airstrikes, shelling with artillery, opening fire, and demolishing homes in several areas of the Strip. Palestinian sources reported that “occupation forces de»»»

NASA on Thursday blamed what it called engineering vulnerabilities in Boeing's Starliner spacecraft along with internal agency mistakes in a sharply critical report assessing a botched mission that left two astronauts stranded in space. The US space agency labeled the 2024 test flight of the Starli»»»

Dubai: Abu Dhabi’s real estate market recorded its strongest performance on record last year, with total transactions reaching Dh142 billion across more than 42,800 deals, reflecting sustained investor demand and rising market confidence. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balance»»»

The Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan has approved a labor migration quota of 52,000 people for 2026. Arlen Aliyasov, head of the Department for Work with Foreign Citizens at the Ministry of Labor, Social Security, and Migration of the Kyrgyz Republic, said. According to him, the quota was initial»»»

DOHA: Qatar’s total residential stock reached 404,612 units by the end of second half (H2) of last year, including 255,959 apartments and 148,653 villas. An estimated 1,975 units were delivered during H2 2025. The notable completions included 799 homes in Yasmeen City Phase 1, 350 homes in La Plage»»»

DOHA: Return To Senders returned to winning form in the seventh race on Wednesday night, claiming the Al Jumayliyah Cup over 1700m for 4-year-old and older Thoroughbreds at Al Rayyan Racecourse. The nine-year-old bay, owned by Al Eida Racing and trained by Gassim Al Ghazali, produced a powerful fin»»»

Doha: The volume of real estate trading in sales contracts at the Department of Real Estate Registration at the Ministry of Justice during the period from Feb. 8-12, 2025 reached QR367,854,098. Meanwhile the total sales contracts for residential units in the Real Estate Bulletin for the same period»»»

DOHA: The National Planning Council (NPC) has released the new Monthly Industrial Production Index (IPI) of December 2025, calculated using 2018 as base year. The relatives of the four main industrial sectors were as follows: “Mining” (weight: 82.46 percent), “Manufacturing” (weight: 15.85 percent)»»»

President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday called on Giorgia Meloni to stop "commenting on what is happening in other people's countries," after the Italian prime minister expressed shock at the fatal beating of a far-right activist in France. Quentin Deranque, 23, died from head injuries after being at»»»

DOHA: British rider Scott Brash topped the CSI5* 1.50m Faults & Time class as the 13th edition of CHI Al Shaqab Presented by Longines Doha 2026 began at Al Shaqab on Wednesday evening. The championship, the sixth leg of the Doha Equestrian Tour 2026, features 303 riders and 469 horses from 40 natio»»»

Doha: The Katara International Ramadan Open Classical Chess Championship will begin today at Hall 15 of Katara Cultural Village, with 86 players set to compete in a nine-round Swiss format event. Organised by the Qatar Chess Association (QCA), the tournament will run until March 1. Each round will »»»

Dubai: OGold, the region’s leading digital platform for fractional precious metals ownership, has announced the launch of Silver Wakalah Earnings, becoming the first app in the Middle East to offer a Shariah-compliant Wakalah-based earnings solution for silver investments. This milestone innovation»»»

On February 16, a delegation from Kyrgyzstan led by First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Daniyar Amangeldiev paid a working visit to Russia. In Moscow, talks were held with Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev on cooperation in the fuel and energy sector. The meeting was attended by»»»

Doha: The second phase of the 2025-2026 Women’s Basketball League, overseen by the Qatar Basketball Federation, tips off on this evening, following a competitive first phase that showcased rising team standards and intensified rivalries. The opening round features two key matchups: Al Gharafa faces»»»

Turkish authorities detained 32 suspects, including executives of football clubs, on Friday as part of a widening investigation into alleged match-fixing and illegal betting in the country’s professional leagues, the prosecutor’s office in ⁠Istanbul said. The prosecutor’s office ⁠said in a statemen»»»

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un vowed to lift living standards as he opened a landmark congress, state media said Friday, offering a glimpse of economic strains within the sanctions-hit nation. Supreme Leader Kim took center stage with a speech to start the Workers' Party congress, a gathering that»»»

British police were searching the former mansion of King Charles' younger brother Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on Friday after a photograph of the royal emerging from a police station was splashed on newspapers around the world. Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on Thursday, his 66th birthday, on susp»»»

1 of 3 | Elfateh Abdullah Idris Adam is one of three leaders of Sudan's Rapid Support Forces sanctioned by the United States on Thursday. Photo courtesy U.S. Treasury/Release Feb. 20 (UPI) -- The United States is sanctioning three leaders of Sudan's warring Rapid Support Forces on accusations of co»»»

Dubai: Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Health Board of Directors, launched ‘The Cancer Fund’ of Al Jalila Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dubai Health, in the presence of Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice Chairman of the Dubai Health Board of Dire»»»

On February 16, a delegation from Kyrgyzstan led by First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Daniyar Amangeldiev paid a working visit to Russia. In Moscow, talks were held with Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev on cooperation in the fuel and energy sector. The meeting was attended by»»»