Chakan HPP OJSC signed a contract with the general contractor for the reconstruction of Lebedinovskaya Hydropower Plant (HPP) — China National Heavy Machinery Corporation. The company’s press service reported. According to the statement, specialists have already begun preparing the design and cost »»»

Doha, Qatar: Olympic, world and Commonwealth high jump champion Hamish Kerr (NZL) will return to Qatar for the Mazzraty Doha Meeting – the opening meeting of the 2026 Wanda Diamond league series – on May 8. A proven championship performer, the 29-year-old national record holder has a best of 2.36m,»»»

Doha, Qatar: The second Ramadan Blitz Chess Championship concluded at the Friends of the Environment Center, hosted in cooperation with the Doha Youth Center and organized by the Qatar Chess Association. The internationally rated event attracted 70 players and was staged at the Friends of the Envir»»»

Doha, Qatar: Al Wajba claimed a resounding 5-0 victory over Doha in the third Al Thumama Ramadan Tournament at Al Furjan Stadium on Sunday night. Mansour Khalid Al Ruwaili starred in the dominant performance and was named Man of the Match after leading his side with an impressive display. The tourn»»»

From Tuesday, February 24, the Central Election Commission (CEC) is beginning to accept documents for the registration of parties and coalitions wishing to take part in the Bulgarian early parliamentary elections on April 19, the commission said on its website. The deadline for submitting applicati»»»

Just days before France’s version of the Oscars, thousands of French actors and filmmakers have warned that AI tools are “plundering” talent across the industry. “We are facing a profound upheaval in our profession with the arrival of artificial intelligence,” said the op-ed in Le Parisien, which w»»»

Doha, Qatar: Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz extended his lead at the top of the ATP Tour rankings following his title triumph at the Qatar ExxonMobil Open in Doha, stretching his unbeaten start to the season to 12 matches. According to the latest rankings, officially released yesterday, the 22-year-old sup»»»

Doha, Qatar: Croatian Basketball legend Dino Radja is set to visit Qatar at the invitation of the FIBA Basketball World Cup Qatar 2027 Local Organizing Committee and Qatar Basketball Federation. The 58-year-old former World Cup bronze medalist will be in Doha from February 26 to 3 March and will at»»»

TradeJapanChina targets Japanese companies over 'remilitarization' Mahima Kapoor with AFP and ReutersFirst seafood, then pandas and now Japan's heavyweights. China's commerce ministry has banned selling "dual-use" goods to a list of Japanese companies over worries of military use. https://p.dw.com/»»»

The Cabinet of Ministers imposed a temporary ban on the export of used catalytic converters and waste containing precious metals from Kyrgyzstan. The corresponding resolution was adopted to prevent the illegal export of valuable materials and preserve strategic raw materials within the country. Acc»»»

Doha, Qatar: Virtuocity, Qatar’s largest purpose-built esports arena located in Doha Festival City, has marked a significant milestone with one of the most notable prize moments ever seen at the venue. One lucky guest, Mr Weam Mersel Daaibess from Lebanon, has driven away in a brand-new Tesla, turn»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has urged all residents to be more vigilant in the kitchen and implement crucial safety measures to avert cooking oil fires, which are among the most frequent causes of household accidents, particularly during this holy month of Ramadan. In an awareness c»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Municipality officially inaugurated its 2026 Ramadan Football Tournament on Sunday, at the Al Sadd Sports Club fields. Featuring teams representing various sectors of the Ministry and different municipalities, the event opened in a highly competitive atmosphere reflecti»»»

Doha, Qatar: Al Sadd have opened a four-point lead in the Qatar Stars League (QSL) following a strong run of results, but forward Rafa Mujica insists the defending champions are staying grounded as the season enters a crucial phase. After a difficult start to their title defence, Al Sadd have respo»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Tourism hosted the second edition of QT Awards Alumni Network gathering on Sunday, bringing together winners from all editions of the Qatar Tourism Awards, alongside sector stakeholders. Held during Ghabga in the holy month of Ramadan, the gathering strengthened sector engagement»»»

Dubai: The Trump Organization has unveiled plans to develop a landmark luxury hotel and residential tower on Australia’s Gold Coast, marking its first official project in the country. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The proposed Trump International Hotel & Tower, Gold »»»

Ukraine's violation of the treaty of friendship, cooperation and partnership with Russia led to Moscow's decision to launch the special military operation, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik. "For a number of years, the Ukrainian leadership has pursued a policy of gro»»»

The European Union's top diplomats met Monday in Brussels with the director of the Board of Peace after a shaky and controversial embrace of US President Donald Trump's efforts to secure and rebuild the war-ravaged Gaza Strip. Nikolay Mladenov, a former Bulgarian politician and UN diplomat chosen b»»»

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen arrived in Kyiv on Tuesday to mark the fourth anniversary of Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Europe’s bloodiest conflict since World War II. Tens of thousands of lives have been lost, cities and infrastructure remain devastated, and Kyiv faces the monumental t»»»

Coast Guard Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday held a mandatory meeting with all nearly 900 recruits and staff at Training Center Cape May about the recent discovery of a swastika on the premises. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Feb. 24 (UPI) -- The U.S. Coast Guard has launched an internal»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Civil Service and Government Development Bureau (CGB) unveiled two major national initiatives aimed at reinforcing the country’s human capital in priority sectors, including legal professions and nuclear engineering. In a statement yesterday on X, CGB stated that it has launched th»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of State for International Cooperation H E Dr. Mariam bint Ali bin Nasser Al-Misnad met yesterday with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees H E Dr. Barham Salih, on the sidelines of the High-Level Segment of the 61st session of the Human Rights Council held in Gen»»»

Warning: This story contains details of extreme violence and reference to suicide. Four Russian soldiers have exposed the horror and brutality of conditions on their side of the front lines in Ukraine, with two men telling the BBC they saw soldiers being executed on the spot for refusing orders. On»»»

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has finalized the official schedule for organizing and conducting the parliamentary elections on April 19, following the presidential decree issued on February 19. The chronogram outlines all key deadlines and the responsibilities of various institutions involv»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Municipality has recorded a remarkable year in customer service performance, delivering a total of 984,787 services in 2025 through its Customer Service and Unified Call Center Department. The achievement reflects the Ministry’s ongoing commitment to faster response tim»»»

The Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan has approved new regulations on mandatory banking support for contracts concluded by state and municipal enterprises, as well as companies in which the state holds a 50 percent or greater share in the authorized capital, including their subsidiaries. The docum»»»

Dubai: Oman Air has announced the launch of direct flights between Muscat and Tashkent, marking its entry into the Central Asian market as part of its ongoing international expansion. The new service will begin on 1 June 2026 and operate twice weekly, linking the capitals of Oman and Uzbekistan. Th»»»

STARKE, Florida: A man convicted of killing a grocery store owner during a robbery is set Tuesday evening to become the second person executed in Florida this year. Melvin Trotter, 65, is scheduled to receive a three-drug injection starting at 6 pm at Florida State Prison near Starke. Trotter was i»»»

Dubai: Dubai’s rental sector recorded solid growth through 2025. According to the data released by the Dubai Land Department, registered tenancy contracts rose 6% in volume and 17% in value compared with the previous year, reaching 1.38 million contracts worth Dh126.4 billion. The increase points t»»»

Dubai: The remains of an 18th-century mudbrick residential city, and a Coptic necropolis dating to the Byzantine period, have been uncovered by a joint Egyptian–French archaeological mission, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities said. The discovery was made at the Sheikh Al Arab Hammam site »»»

Dubai: Veteran Saudi singer Mohammed Abdu will scale back his musical engagements in the coming period due to health and personal considerations, his office said, while reaffirming his commitment to participating in major national events. Badr Mohammed Abdu, director of the artist’s office, said in»»»

On the fourth anniversary of Russia's war on Ukraine, the Bulgarian government said that the Defence Ministry has provided 13 aid packages to Ukraine since the outbreak of the conflict. The information is available on the Council of Ministers’ Public Access to Information Platform. The Defence Mini»»»

The Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan has amended the rules on electricity use in force since 2012. The primary objective of the changes is to adapt legislation to the rapid development of renewable energy and microgeneration, as well as to strengthen the safety of the national power system. The p»»»

The Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan approved amendments to Resolution No. 105, dated March 3, 2025, concerning the identification of animals and animal products. The updates are aimed at aligning the regulations with the law and clarifying the procedure for visual livestock identification. Accor»»»

Washington, United States: Fresh US tariffs on imported goods came into effect Tuesday, as President Donald Trump moved to rebuild his trade agenda after the Supreme Court ruled against a swath of his global duties. The new tariffs, initially set at 10 percent, are justified as a means "to deal wit»»»

The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, in collaboration with the IUCN Mangrove Specialist Group, has launched a monitoring guide for mangrove ecosystems in the Arabian Gulf region—marking the first initiative of its kind in the region to advance scientific knowledge and conservation practices for mang»»»

The Cabinet of Ministers has imposed a temporary ban on the export of mineral fertilizers from Kyrgyzstan outside the Eurasian Economic Union. The ban will be in effect for six months and will come into effect in five days. The ban applies to all types of mineral fertilizers, except those previousl»»»

Dubai: Saudi Arabia’s National Centre for Meteorology has warned of increased dust storms, strong winds and rising wave heights from today through Saturday, February 28, as unstable weather conditions affect large parts of the Kingdom. The centre said the regions most exposed to the weather system »»»

A Paris criminal court will on Monday review former president Nicolas Sarkozy’s request to combine sentences handed down in separate convictions for corruption and illegal campaign financing. Sarkozy, who served from 2007 to 2012, has faced multiple legal cases since leaving office. His lawyer said»»»

Ukraine will need $588 billion to rebuild from the destruction caused by Russia's full-scale invasion, a World Bank report said on Monday – a figure almost three times the country's annual economic output. Russian strikes killed three people and wounded several others overnight, regional authoritie»»»

As Ukraine prepares to mark the fourth anniversary of Russia’s brutal invasion, FRANCE 24 spoke to Maryna Kumeda, the Ukrainian author of “Love in Wartime”, about how the war is reshaping attitudes to love and relationships. How to love amid the uncertainty of war? It takes many forms in Maryna Kum»»»

In undisclosed locations, volunteers meet regularly in the Belgian capital to assemble drones destined for Ukraine. Teachers, European civil servants, members of the Ukrainian diaspora and former military personnel are participating in this initiative coordinated by the NGO Wings for Europe. Funded»»»

PRESS REVIEW – Monday, February 23, 2026: First, ahead of the four-year anniversary of the war in Ukraine, papers discuss Russia's war plans, and their new agents. Next, the Guardian takes a closer look at "El Mencho". Also, as the Olympics come to an end, Olympians are celebrated in papers ar»»»

The European Parliament will suspend the approval of a key trade agreement between the EU and the US on Monday, pending clarification from Washington on the impact of the US Supreme Court's decision last week invalidating many of President Donald Trump's tariffs. European Union lawmakers were set M»»»

As the world marks the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Swedish ambassador to France has spoken of her country's commitment to the Ukrainian cause. It is now almost two years since Sweden joined NATO after years of being a nonaligned country. Caroline Vicini says i»»»

Four years after Russia's full-scale invasion, the EU has established itself as Ukraine's main source of support. With a loan of €90 billion voted through in February 2026, the EU has confirmed its massive commitment to Kyiv, while the Trump administration has pulled back. But the EU's support »»»

Britain's royal family is facing its worst crisis in generations. As more information emerges about the relationship between Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Jeffrey Epstein, we take a look at the relationship between the palace and the press. Our guest this week on FRANCE 24’s media show Scoop is jo»»»

Hungary maintained its veto on Monday against a new EU package of sanctions against Russia and a €90 billion loan to Ukraine, while a Ukrainian strike against a Russian pumping station serving the Druzhba oil pipeline threatened to further worsen relations between Kyiv and Budapest. Hungary maintai»»»

London police arrested former UK ambassador to the US Peter Mandelson on Monday as part of a misconduct probe over his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Emails released by the US Department of Justice in January appeared to show Mandelson sharing information with the disgraced financi»»»

London police on Monday arrested former ambassador to the United States Peter Mandelson in a probe into allegations over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein, only days after ex-prince Andrew was detained. Mandelson was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office following allegations arising from »»»