PRISTINA - A basic court in Pristina on Monday re-convicted Kosovo-Metohija Serb Dusko Arsic to 13 years in prison for an alleged war crime against civilians during the 1999 conflict in Kosovo-Metohija. Arsic, who is from the Maticane village near Pristina, was sentenced in second-instance proceedi»»»

U.S. Ambassador Michel Issa and Saudi Ambassador Walid Bukhari have openly raised the issue of postponing the parliamentary elections with Speaker Nabih Berri but he did not show cooperation, al-Akhbar newspaper reported. “It is currently being discussed that any potential postponement of the elect»»»

Doha, Qatar: Old Doha Port has announced that registration is now open for the third edition of the Old Doha Port Fishing Competition, taking place alongside the second edition of the Fishing Exhibition in March 2026. The competition is organized in collaboration with Doha Marina Sports Club. Regis»»»

Abu Dhabi Police have urged motorists to strictly follow traffic safety measures and reduce their speed to no more than 80 km/h when fog or poor visibility develops, as misty conditions are forecast to affect parts of the UAE in the coming days. The warning comes as the National Centre of Meteorolo»»»

A new draft report by Green MEP Sergey Lagodinsky suggests amending the EU’s AI Omnibus proposal to prohibit artificial intelligence apps that can generate nonconsensual sensualised content. The draft was published on Monday (2 February), with the German MEP leading the file for the legal affairs c»»»

New anti-asylum laws are likely to be rubber-stamped by the European Parliament amid further alarm over the far-right influence on migration. The Strasbourg assembly on Tuesday (10 February) will most likely adopt two new laws that will make it legally easier to deport asylum-seeker hopefuls to cou»»»

The European Commission preliminarily found TikTok in violation of the Digital Services Act (DSA) on Friday (6 February), for breaching the EU’s addictive design rules. Under the DSA, online platforms have certain risk assessment and mitigation obligations. Brussels has reason to believe that TikTo»»»

Global corruption is worse than it was a decade ago, with democracies particularly slipping, according to the new 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index published on Tuesday (10 February) by the Berlin-based NGO Transparency International. Governmental corruption has increasingly been a concern across t»»»

The EU’s €650bn pandemic era fund remains wide open to fraud with weak accountability and oversight, according to financial watchdogs. “This vast sum of money offers huge potential scope for fraudulent activity,” says Katarína Kaszasová of the Luxembourg-based European Court of Auditors (ECA). Spea»»»

In our ongoing weekly digest, award-winning journalist Veronika Munk summarises and explains the most important political developments in Hungary. We guide readers on the route to the key April 2026 election — a poll without precedent in the region over the past 15 years. This week, we cover: An in»»»

Europe’s national leaders are meeting in a medieval castle in Belgium on Thursday (12 February) to discuss how to modernise. Europe’s economic and political system is predicated on openness and rules, built over decades, that are meant to ensure companies compete on a ‘level playing field’. But wit»»»

Greek authorities have issued a European arrest warrant against Norwegian human rights activist Tommy Olsen, who leads an organisation supporting migrants. Olsen runs the Aegean Boat Report, a Norwegian non-governmental organisation (NGO) set up in 2018 to monitor and share data on people seeking r»»»

MEPs raised concerns about the weakening of democratic standards in Slovakia at a plenary debate on Wednesday (11 February) — while representatives of Slovak governing coalition parties called it a deliberate humiliation of the country. “No corruption, no problems with the rule of law. These are yo»»»

Gibraltar will finally obtain free movement into Spain within the coming days, after the European Commission confirmed it had published the draft law that will govern the UK territory. In a statement on Tuesday (17 February), the EU Commission said that it had finalised the legal text of an agreeme»»»

When EU leaders met at a medieval castle this week to discuss how to ramp up Europe’s economic power, they were confronting a stark reality: Europe is lagging behind the innovation race with China and the US. In its 2026 competitiveness report, the European Commission admitted that Europe “risks lo»»»

“At the beginning of the full-scale war, we were most afraid of artillery,” says Vasyl Barninets, a manager at a large grain farm in the Zaporizhzhia region in southern Ukraine. “Now, the biggest fear is the drones.” “If we work close to the frontline, the staff have to put on bulletproof vests,” h»»»

The Spanish government asked its public prosecutor on Tuesday (17 February) to investigate TikTok, X, and Meta for potentially spreading AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on their platforms.The move is an escalation in tension after the EU and national regulators stepped up scrutiny o»»»

Hailed as a “new gateway to European justice”, the redesign of the main portal to access EU case law, InfoCuria, has drawn the ire of legal scholars from around Europe. “It’s a disaster,” one law professor wrote to EUobserver. A letter seen by EUobserver, dated 9 February, and signed by law practit»»»

Our weekly Thursday digest offers a comprehensive guide to the most significant political developments of the week in Hungary. We accompany our readers along the historic road to the April 2026 election – a journey unlike anything seen in the region over the past decade-and-a-half. This week we exa»»»

Negotiations and divisions on the EU’s deportation bill remain entrenched among European lawmakers, ahead of a committee-level vote scheduled for 9 March. Malik Azmani, a Dutch liberal from the Renew Europe faction, is the lead MEP on the so-called returns regulation that seeks to make it easier to»»»

Teenagers’ access to social media has emerged as a topic of concern among politicians, not just parents, as more and more countries in Europe (and beyond) consider social media bans. Spain, France, Denmark, Portugal, Germany, Greece, Austria, and others have either initiated or announced plans, or »»»

Sensational claims that Ukraine blew up a German gas pipeline are being thrown around by Hungary’s populist prime minister Viktor Orbán ahead of upcoming elections. “Ukraine is trying to ensure that Russian energy reaches Europe only on its terms. Nord Stream bypassed Ukraine, so it was destroyed,”»»»

The caretaker government is allocating EUR 65 million for the snap parliamentary elections on April 19, Prime Minister Andrey Gurov announced at the beginning of the first regular meeting of the new Council of Ministers on Monday. "We have a task that is both simple and difficult at the same time. »»»

Oil prices steadied near a six-month high on Monday as the US and Iran prepared for a third round of nuclear talks while increased economic uncertainty was also in focus after the latest US tariff upheaval. Brent crude futures were up 9 cents at $71.85 a barrel by 1308 GMT while US West Texas Inter»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Iraq: Former PM Nouri Al-Maliki affirms has no intention to withdraw from bid for premiership 23-02-2026 15:31 PM Latest News Urgent News S»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Third Round of Iran-US Talks Set for February 26 in Geneva 23-02-2026 15:40 PM The third round of indirect Inuclear negotiations between Ir»»»

Yes, Bulgaria co-chair Bozhidar Bozhanov called on GERB to debate Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB)’s bill to expand the powers of mayors in small settlements on Monday. Bozhanov posted on social media after GERB leader Boyko Borissov met mayors in Stara Zagora earlier in the day and »»»

Caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Germany to Bulgaria Irene Maria Plank, the Council of Ministers reported on Monday on its Facebook page. During the conversation, Gurov presented the government's main priorities, which include holding fa»»»

Bulgaria has a constitution, a parliament, and a president. What it has struggled to maintain, with remarkable consistency over the past decade, is an actual functioning government. Since 2021 alone, the country has cycled through five caretaker cabinets, two of them led by the same man. By the tim»»»

On the first anniversary of the solemn funeral of former Hezbollah secretary generals Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah and Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, the Lebanese group leader Sheikh Naim Qassem stressed that the “resistance endures, through its leadership, its fighters, and its people.” Sheikh Qassem’s remar»»»

It began with a tragedy that no amount of money could fix. For Indian expat Avinav Nigam, the journey into AI-driven recruitment didn't start in a boardroom, but in a hospital ward. It was born from the grief of losing a close friend to healthcare workforce shortages and the outrage of seeing his n»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with the director-general of Russia's state-owned nuclear power corporation Rosatom Alexey Likhachev in Belgrade on Monday to discuss possibilities for using nuclear power in the pharmaceuticals, health care and energy sectors. "Also, we discussed t»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - At least 26 people died in Mexico during the operation targeting Jalisco New Generation cartel leader El Mencho and the ensuing riots, La Jornada newspaper reported. A pregnant woman and 17 security officers fell victim to the wave of armed violence, the newspaper reported. So fa»»»

London: Igor Tudor believes there is still enough time for his Tottenham Hotspur side to avoid relegation from the Premier League provided they "stay humble". Spurs were overwhelmed 4-1 at home to league leaders and arch-rivals Arsenal in a lopsided north London derby, with Sunday's defeat leaving »»»

A tragic incident occurred on February 23 in Kara-Balta at a railway crossing on Kozhomberdiev Street, the Internal Affairs Department of the city reported. A young man, estimated to be between 20 and 25 years old, was hit by a train. He was transported by ambulance to a hospital and placed in inte»»»

By the end of 2025, at least 15,278 electric vehicles were registered in Kyrgyzstan, accounting for 0.8 percent of the total number of vehicles. The Ministry of Natural Resources, Ecology, and Technical Supervision reported. However, according to the ministry, the dynamics of recent years have demo»»»

Dubai: The Endowments and Minors’ Funds Authority – Awqaf Abu Dhabi has contributed Dh100 million to support the ‘Mother of the Nation Endowment for Orphans’ initiative, as it remains committed to long-term social development and economic resilience in the UAE. Launched under the patronage of the P»»»

Dubai: A schoolboy refused to return to class after classmates circulated a fabricated explicit image of him online. Aisha Al Kendi, social worker and head of activities at the Awareness and Juvenile Care Association, said the incident reflects a troubling shift in youth behaviour driven by revenge»»»

Sirma Group, a Bulgarian technology holding, has officially entered the international financial arena, becoming the second domestic company to be listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. Trading will symbolically begin on February 24 with a bell-ringing ceremony in the German financial center. This »»»

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas arrives for a Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels on Monday. She vowed to find a solution to a threat by Hungary to veto the bloc's latest round of sanctions against Russia. Photo by Olivier Matthys/EPA F»»»

Rob Jetten has become the youngest and first gay prime minister of the Netherlands, after his minority government was sworn in. The 38-year-old claimed victory in October's general election with his Democrats 66 party (D66) in a nail-biting election, narrowly beating anti-Islam populist Geert Wilde»»»

A memorial rally was held at Ata-Beyit complex to honor Border Service members who died while carrying out combat and service duties to protect the state border of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Border Service of Kyrgyzstan reported. The event was attended by the head of the Border Service, veterans of t»»»

Dubai: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Monday rejected media reports suggesting serious damage to an Indian Air Force (IAF) Tejas fighter jet, clarifying that the episode involved only a minor technical issue on the ground. In an official statement, HAL said there had been no crash involving»»»

Dubai: As more Filipinos move to Europe for work and permanent residence, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) has stepped up its efforts to deepen engagement with the diaspora, not just as remittance senders, but as long-term partners in nation-building. During a recent forum titled “The Eur»»»

Nataliya Efremova and Rumyana Petkova have been appointed Deputy Ministers of Labour and Social Policy by order of caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov, the Ministry's press centre announced on Monday. Both have extensive experience in social policy, labour, and employment, having held various lea»»»

Iraqi prime ministerial candidate Nouri al-Maliki told AFP on Monday that maintaining a good relationship with the U.S. is essential but that Baghdad's ties with Iran are defined by shared interests. "I believe that a relationship with the American side is essential for Iraq's progress," Maliki sai»»»

Deir Ezzor, Feb. 23 (SANA) Syria’s Energy Ministry has begun extensive repair and rehabilitation work on the electricity network in Deir Ezzor and Raqqa provinces, in a bid to restore regular power supply after years of damage caused by war. In a statement, the ministry said electricity maintenance»»»

Caretaker Minister of Agriculture and Food Ivan Hristanov presented the Ministry’s new political team at a meeting with directors of the Ministry’s directorates and heads of its executive agencies and other bodies under the Ministry, the Ministry press service said here Monday. Ivana Murdzheva, Nik»»»

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has firmly dismissed speculation regarding an interim agreement between Tehran and Washington, clarifying that such claims have no basis in reality. The senior Iranian diplomat made the remarks during a press conference on Monday morning, addressin»»»

Dubai: The Ministry of Finance has issued the UAE’s official Electronic Invoicing Guidelines, providing businesses with a detailed framework to prepare for the country’s upcoming national e-invoicing system. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The guidelines serve as a com»»»