Lorenskog, Norway: Skiers swish down the slope, no sun or sky in sight. It may be the middle of winter high up in the North, but lack of snow has Norwegians flocking to an indoor ski centre near Oslo. In Norway, the saying goes that babies are born with skis on their feet. With opening ceremony of »»»

Come Thursday, barring a last-minute change, the final treaty in the world that restricted nuclear weapon deployment will be over. New START, the last nuclear treaty between Washington and Moscow after decades of agreements dating to the Cold War, is set to expire, and with it restrictions on the t»»»

US President Donald Trump has said that American oil companies are going to Venezuela in light of the South American country’s latest push to incentivize foreign investment in its energy sector. In early January, US commandos conducted a raid on the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, abducting President »»»

If your phone lights up with a message promising quick cash for barely lifting a finger, pause. Then pause again. Dubai Police are warning residents about a surge in fake part-time, remote job scams — and yes, they’re getting sneakier. The pitch is always dreamy: work from home, flexible hours, sim»»»

The mayor of Suakin dreams of a rebirth for his town, an ancient Red Sea port spared by the wars that have marked Sudan's history but reduced to ruins by the ravages of time. "It was called the 'White City'," for its unique buildings made of coral stone taken from the seabed, said mayor Abu Mohamed»»»

Dozens of people crowded around an automated gold recycling machine at a Shanghai mall, hoping to melt down family heirlooms for cash as prices of the precious metal hit record highs. China is the world's largest consumer of gold, which is traditionally purchased by families to mark special occasio»»»

More than 500 divorce cases were registered across four UAE jurisdictions last year, according to figures released by the Ministry of Justice. Official statistics show that 519 divorces were recorded in Ajman, Umm Al Quwain, Fujairah, and through the Sharjah Courts. Also Read: Abu Dhabi Civil Famil»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE Cyber Security Council has warned residents of a sharp rise in fraudulent messages targeting individuals across the country, urging the public to remain vigilant, report suspicious communications and avoid engaging with unknown senders. The council said scam messages increased by»»»

Dubai: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has announced customs duty relief and trade facilitation measures in Budget 2026–27 to support exports, domestic manufacturing, and critical sectors. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.For exporters of marine, leather, and »»»

On Feb. 1, 1790, the U.S. Supreme Court convened in New York City for its first session. Only three of the six justices were present so there was no quorum. 1 of 7 | On February 1, 1790, the U.S. Supreme Court convened in New York City for its first session. Only three of the six justices were pres»»»

Newly disclosed US government files on Jeffrey Epstein have prompted the resignation of a top official in Slovakia and revived calls in Britain for a former prince to share what he knows with authorities about Epstein's links to powerful individuals around the world. The fallout comes just a day af»»»

European allies and Canada are pouring billions of dollars into helping Ukraine, and they have pledged to massively boost their budgets to defend their territories. But despite those efforts, NATO’s credibility as a unified force under US leadership has taken a huge hit over the past year as trust »»»

Foreign travel activity picked up noticeably toward the end of 2025, with both outbound trips by Bulgarians and inbound visits by foreigners posting their strongest growth in months, according to data from the National Statistical Institute. In December 2025, Bulgarian citizens made a total of 773.»»»

Agricultural land prices across the European Union continued to rise in 2024, with Eurostat data showing a clear upward trend both in sales values and rental costs, although developments varied significantly by country. On average, one hectare of arable land in the EU was priced at about 15,224 eur»»»

From today, payments in Bulgaria are made exclusively in euros, with the lev no longer accepted as legal tender in everyday transactions. Despite the full switch to the single currency, the stricter oversight of pricing practices remains in force and will continue for several more months. Until Jun»»»

Hezbollah announced on Saturday that it will not cooperate with authorities in disarming its weapons north of the Litani River. Hezbollah MP Hussein al-Hajj Hassan said: “Lebanon did everything asked of it. We have absolutely nothing else to offer or speak about north of the Litani.” Army Commander»»»

Travel misery was set to continue Sunday as a powerful snowstorm blasted southern US states, bringing subzero temperatures to regions not accustomed to the deadly winter conditions. The latest bout of extreme weather came about a week after a monster storm pummeled a wide swath of the United States»»»

Dubai: Most Muslim countries are expected to attempt to sight the crescent moon marking the start of Ramadan on Tuesday, February 17, but astronomers say the sighting will be astronomically impossible or unfeasible across the Arab and Islamic world, making Thursday, February 19, the most likely fir»»»

KUWAIT, Feb 1 (KUNA) -- The NATO-ICI Regional Centre in Kuwait, in cooperation with the Regional Public Affairs Centre (PARC), is hosting a training course on the fundamentals of public affairs from February 1 to 5, 2026.The training course is with the participation of 24 representatives from membe»»»

Doha: Amid an incredible attendance of spectators marked by epic success, the curtain fell on the 8th Katara Boxing Championship in Doha yesterday. The three-day competition, organised by the Qatar Boxing and Wrestling Federation (QBWF), was held in both the amateur and professional categories. The»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Municipality (MoM) has invited stakeholders and specialists to attend a specialised agricultural field guidance day organised by the Agricultural Research Department, focusing on the study of the impact of using plant-based biopesticides on the quality and safety of tom»»»

Doha, Qatar: The draw ceremony for the Second GCC Women’s University Sports Tournament was held last Wednesday at Education City Stadium. The event will be hosted by the Qatari capital, Doha, from February 6 to 11, with wide participation from female students representing universities across the Gu»»»

By Yousef Al-Tattan KUWAIT, Feb 1 (KUNA) -- Ambassador of Switzerland to Kuwait Tiziano Balmelli said the upcoming visit of the Swiss President Guy Parmelin to Kuwait represents a landmark moment in bilateral relations between the two countries.In a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), Ambassado»»»

Doha, Qatar: As part of efforts to strengthen cooperation with international institutions and organisations, the General Directorate of Civil Defence received a delegation from the International Civil Defence Organiation (ICDO). Major General Hamad Othman Al-Duhaimi, Director General of Civil Defen»»»

Doha, Qatar: HSBC Qatar successfully hosted the HSBC Charity Run at Al Bidda Park, bringing together colleagues, clients, and members of the community for a 5km and 10km run in support of the Qatar Cancer Society. The event was fully sold out with 100% of ticket proceeds donated to the Qatar Cancer»»»

Doha: The Arab Book Award has opened nominations for its fourth edition, accepting submissions until May 28 via the award’s official website. Launched by the State of Qatar in March 2023, the Arab Book Award recognises authors, publishers, and institutions contributing to the advancement of Arabic »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Press Centre, in cooperation with the Media Development Department at the Qatar Media Corporation (QMC), concluded the sixth edition of the Political Analysis Course for media professionals and diplomats. The five-day programme was delivered by Dr. Abdullah Al-Shayji, Profess»»»

The speaker of Iran's parliament said Sunday that his country now considers all European Union militaries to be terrorist groups, lashing out after the bloc declared the country's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard a terror group over its bloody crackdown on nationwide protests. The announcement by M»»»

Israel is set to partially reopen the Rafah crossing between the war-devastated Gaza Strip and Egypt on Sunday, following months of urging from humanitarian organizations, though access will be limited to the movement of people. The reopening comes amid ongoing violence in the Palestinian territory»»»

Dubai Marathon's 25th turn today saw a huge turnout. Both winners came from Ethiopia. Dubai Marathon 2026 offered runners of all stamina a way to participate. There was the full marathon (42.2 km) for the ultimate test of endurance, or the half-marathon (21.1 km) for a challenging yet achievable di»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Interior has urged the public to remain vigilant against cybercrimes by avoiding interaction with suspicious electronic links that falsely claim affiliation with government institutions or ministries within the country. In a public awareness message, the Ministry emphas»»»

Doha, Qatar: Maysara provided a fitting conclusion to yesterday’s Al Uqda Race Meeting, producing an authoritative performance to land the Marmi Cup, the Local Thoroughbred Open Race over 1200m. The six-year-old mare, trained by Hamad Al-Jehani for Mohammed Abdulhadi Al-Hajri, returned to winning f»»»

Bitcoin, the world's largest cryptocurrency by market value, was down by 6.53% at $78,719.63 at 12:48 p.m. ET (1748 GMT) on Saturday, continuing its decline from the previous session. On Friday, bitcoin fell to as low as $81,104, the lowest since November 21, while the US dollar gained after former»»»

Mark Savaya, named by US President Donald Trump as special envoy for Iraq in October, is no longer in that role, sources familiar with the move said. The move comes amid growing tensions between Washington and Baghdad over Washington's push to curb Iranian influence in Iraqi politics. Savaya, a Chr»»»

Doha, Qatar: In boardrooms worldwide, contracts are signed with optimism, yet value often slips away unnoticed. Studies show that enterprises lose 8% to 10% of contract value annually amounting to millions on major projects through weak contract management, lack of understanding of all clauses, mis»»»

Dubai: India Budget 2026 announced several tax-related measures that affect NRIs. Taxpayers will be allowed to update income tax returns even after reassessment by paying an additional 10% tax. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The time limit for revising returns has bee»»»

On February 1, Bulgaria marks the Day of Gratitude and Homage to the Victims of the Communist Regime. The largest single spate of executions in Bulgarian history was carried out on this date 81 years ago. February 1 bears a tragic mark in Bulgarian history, National Assembly Chair Raya Nazaryan wro»»»

Germany's national debt has increased by almost a fifth since the first quarter of 2021. Germany's national debt hit a record high in the third quarter of 2025, against the background of the European Union's sanctions policy against Russia, according to Sputnik's calculations based on data publishe»»»

Russia will not accept the deployment of the European Union or NATO forces on Ukrainian territory as part of security guarantees for Kiev, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Sputnik. "We have said that this is unacceptable, there will be no NATO membership and no foreign militar»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of Commerce and Industry H E Sheikh Faisal bin Thani bin Faisal Al Thani conducted a field visit yesterday to a number of factories operating in the construction and building sector, as well as the metal industries sector, in the Small and Medium Industries Zone. The visit com»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar International Center for Conciliation and Arbitration (QICCA) of the Qatar Chamber, announced that it has approved its updated conciliation rules, which will take effect on February 1. This step is part of QICCA’s ongoing extensive efforts to enhance dispute resolution mechan»»»

US President Donald Trump on Saturday said India will buy Venezuelan oil, as opposed to purchasing oil from Iran. "We've already made that deal, the concept of the deal," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he traveled to his vacation home in Florida from Washington. Reuters reported on Fr»»»

Doha, Qatar: Al Sadd tightened the Qatar Stars League title race with a 3-1 victory over leaders Al Gharafa in a top-of-the-table clash at Thani bin Jassim Stadium yesterday, closing the gap at the summit of the standings. The Round 14 encounter saw both sides share possession in a goalless first h»»»

Doha, Qatar: The point of sale and e-commerce transactions in Qatar witnessed impressive growth in December last year. The total value of transactions registered in Qatar through point of sale (POS) terminals and e-commerce platforms saw a surge of around 7.4 percent in December 2025 compared to sa»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah delivered another commanding performance in international rally-raid competition by winning the Hail Baja, the opening round of the FIA Baja World Cup, in Saudi Arabia, yesterday. Representing Nasser Racing and partnered by French co-driver Max Delfino i»»»

On December 1, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held Russian-Chinese consultations on strategic security in Moscow. Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu arrived in China to discuss international and regional security issues with Chine»»»

Doha, Qatar: Britain’s Scott Brash claimed his third straight CSI5* Grand Prix triumph as the inaugural H H The Father Amir’s Prix came to a thrilling close at the packed Longines Outdoor Arena at Al Shaqab yesterday. Brash, riding 17-year-old gelding Hello Jefferson, clocked a fast 52.97 seconds i»»»

Abu Dhabi City Municipality, affiliated with the Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT), has completed lighting upgrades on a number of key bridges, covering both vehicular and pedestrian structures. The project utilises advanced smart lighting systems that incorporate the latest remote m»»»

By Amna Al-Shemmeri (report) KUWAIT, Feb 1 (KUNA) -- President of the Swiss Confederation, Guy Parmelin, begins an official visit to Kuwait Sunday aimed at strengthening nearly 60 years of bilateral relations and opening broader horizons for joint cooperation between the two countries in various fi»»»

Doha, Qatar: M7, Qatar’s hub for innovation in fashion, design, and technology, is inviting the public to experience The Circle: Summer Edition, a pop-up presented in collaboration with InStudio Club, taking place from May 31 to June 3, 2025 at M7’s Gallery 1, Ground Floor. The pop-up opens to the »»»