New Delhi: India will spend a record $133 billion on infrastructure, the finance minister unveiled on Sunday in her national budget speech, with plans for new high-speed train links and tech investments. The figure is an almost nine percent jump from last year's budget. Data centres, artificial int»»»

Share: The new head of the US diplomatic mission to Venezuela arrived in the country on Saturday and was welcomed by the South American country’s foreign minister, as relations gradually warm after the ouster of Nicolas Maduro in a US military raid. The new head of the US diplomatic mission for Ven»»»

The choice of a caretaker prime minister is up to the President, but the logical option from the standpoint of ensuring fair elections is most likely Andrey Gyurov, Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) MP Ivaylo Mirchev told reporters on Sunday. Mirchev was speaking at a commemoration »»»

Iran's supreme leader on Sunday likened recent anti-government protests to a "coup", warning that any U.S. attack on the Islamic republic following Washington's military deployments in the Middle East would trigger a regional war. The Iranian authorities' deadly response to the protests sparked thr»»»

Abu Dhabi : Member states of the Abu Dhabi Dialogue (ADD) convened in Dubai for the Eighth Ministerial Consultative Meeting to discuss enhancing workforce skills, productivity, and governance of labour mobility between sending and receiving countries. The meeting focused on a forward-looking vision»»»

Bulgaria is expected to post economic growth of over 3% in 2025, one of the highest rates in Europe, but this is still not sufficient, outgoing Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Innovation and Growth Tomislav Donchev told Bulgarian National Radio on Sunday. According to him, in the medium and l»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Europe has tried and is still trying to drive a wedge between Russia and the United States, seeing in the policy of US President Donald Trump a certain tilt in favor of Russia at the expense of Europe's interests, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Sunday. "It's hard »»»

Iraq's parliament has again postponed the election of the country's new president, state media reported on Sunday, amid intense political horse-trading and US pressure over the new prime minister. It was the second time parliament has delayed the presidential vote, which had first been due last wee»»»

Dubai: Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, has approved a Dh500 million development plan for the Umm Suqeim Beach master plan, a major public-realm project designed to enhance Dubai’s coastal infrastructure and quality»»»

KUWAIT, Feb 1 (KUNA) - His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah signed a decree on Sunday, reshuffling the cabinet.The Amiri decree changed the title of the following cabinet member, Omar Saud Al-Omar, to Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology.The decr»»»

Iran's top security official said Saturday that progress had been made towards negotiations with the United States, even as the Islamic republic's army chief warned Washington against launching military strikes. U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed the two sides were talking, while keeping the thr»»»

Nabil Safiya had taken a break from studying for a biology exam to meet a cousin at a pizza parlor when a gunman on a motorcycle rode past and fired, killing the 15-year-old as he sat in a black Renault. The shooting — which police later said was a case of mistaken identity — stunned his hometown o»»»

While Israel’s security forces are celebrating a dramatic collapse in Palestinian terror attacks, a different and far more uncomfortable trend is taking hold in the West Bank. Jewish extremist violence against Palestinians has surged to its highest level in years, leaving villages burned, civilians»»»

DUBAI, Feb 1 (KUNA) -- Dubai Press Club announced on Sunday that a UAE media delegation will visit Kuwait, aimed at strengthening media cooperation and exchanging expertise between media institutions in the two countries.In a statement to KUNA, the Dubai Government Media Office said the visit comes»»»

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly highlighted the unprecedented progress Egypt achieved in localizing food industries and processing agricultural crops. He pointed to the ongoing efforts to attract both domestic and foreign investments, which boost the country’s export capacity, improve its competiti»»»

Dubai: Indian expatriate business leaders based in the UAE broadly welcomed India’s Union Budget 2026, describing it as stable, continuity-driven, and strategically aligned with long-term growth. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.Their reactions underline support for NRI»»»

BEIJING (Sputnik) - Russia's Security Council Chairman Sergey Shoigu said on Sunday that he intends to discuss important issues of bilateral relations and the global agenda with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. "On the instructions of the Russian president [Vladimir Putin], we will discuss a numbe»»»

Cairo is seeking a role for Egyptian companies in projects to be implemented under Angola’s Lobito Development Corridor, while also coordinating to convene the next edition of the Egyptian–Angolan Business Forum at the earliest opportunity. The move came during a phone call on Saturday between Egyp»»»

Dubai: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Sunday warned that any US military strike would trigger a wider regional conflict, even as US President Donald Trump said Washington and Tehran were in talks aimed at averting escalation. “The Americans should know that if they start a war, thi»»»

"My idea is for the next caretaker prime minister to respond to the expectations of Bulgarian citizens," President Iliana Iotova told reporters in the village of Delchevo, Gotse Delchev Municipality, on Sunday. Iotova said she will announce the appointment of a caretaker prime minister after holdin»»»

Cairo is seeking a role for Egyptian companies in projects to be implemented under Angola’s Lobito Development Corridor, while also coordinating to convene the next edition of the Egyptian–Angolan Business Forum at the earliest opportunity. The move came during a phone call on Saturday between Egyp»»»

Dubai: The United States on Sunday strongly condemned a wave of coordinated terrorist attacks across Pakistan’s Balochistan province and reaffirmed its support for Islamabad, after security forces killed at least 145 militants in nearly 40 hours of operations following assaults that left 17 securit»»»

The Albanian government has announced compensation for 15 municipalities affected by wildfires during last summer, covering the period June 15 to September 15, 2025, Prime Minister Edi Rama said Sunday. Rama stated that the payouts have been processed through the National Agency for Civil Protectio»»»

The last rites of Dubai-based businessman and Confident Group chairman CJ Roy, who allegedly died by suicide on January 30, were held in Bengaluru on Sunday morning. Public viewing of his mortal remains took place at Nature's Cascade on Bannerghatta Road from 9 am to 2 pm IST, followed by funeral p»»»

President Trump has confirmed Iran is in "serious discussions" with the US following the steady build-up of American military forces in the Gulf. The US president said he hoped negotiations with Iran would lead to something "acceptable", as tensions between the two countries remain high. Iran's top»»»

Qatari prime minister visited Tehran on Saturday and held meetings with Iranian foreign minister and a top security official, Iranian Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, who is also Qatar’s Foreign Minister, met with Secretary of Iran’s Supreme»»»

Israel partially reopened the Rafah crossing between the devastated Gaza Strip and Egypt on Sunday following months of urging from humanitarian organizations, though access is limited to the movement of people. The reopening comes as violence continues despite a ceasefire in the Palestinian territo»»»

KUWAIT, Feb 1 (KUNA) -- His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, patronized and attended the flag hoist ceremony at Bayan Palace, marking the beginning of national celebrations.His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, His Highness the Prime Ministe»»»

Elon Musk said on Sunday that steps SpaceX had taken to stop the 'unauthorized' use of Starlink by Russia seemed to have worked. "Looks like the steps we took ‌to stop ‌the unauthorized ‌use of ⁠Starlink by ‌Russia have worked. Let us know if more needs to be done," SpaceX CEO Musk said on ⁠X. Ukra»»»

Doha, Qatar: Web Summit Qatar 2026 opens tonight at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Centre (DECC), building on the strong momentum of previous editions and reinforcing Qatar’s position as a growing global hub for technology, innovation and startups. Addressing a press conference today, February »»»

The national security adviser to Slovakia's prime minister has resigned after documents released by the US showed he exchanged messages about girls and diplomacy with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Robert Fico announced he had accepted Miroslav Lajčák's departure in a video message on Satur»»»

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 »»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

Dubai: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented her ninth consecutive Union Budget on February 1, outlining targeted steps to sustain economic growth amid global uncertainty. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The Budget focuses on manufacturing, infrastructure, stra»»»

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»»»

The Bulgarian lev passed peacefully in the first minute of Sunday, just months short of its 146th birthday. After circulating alongside the euro for cash payments in January, the lev ceased to be legal tender exactly one month after the euro officially became Bulgaria's currency on January 1, 2026.»»»

The State of Qatar participated yesterday in the ministerial meeting of the second session of the Arab-India Cooperation Forum, held in New Delhi. Minister of State for Foreign Affairs H E Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi, headed the Qatari delegation to the meeting. Minister of State for Foreign Affair»»»

Doha, Qatar: The third edition of Web Summit Qatar opens today at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center, drawing a capacity crowd of global tech leaders and innovators. Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani will address the opening night, an»»»

Protesters on Saturday gathered at Milan's Piazza XXV Aprile, a square named for the date of Italy’s liberation from Nazi fascism in 1945, to protest the deployment of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during the upcoming Winter Olympics there. Demonstrators in the Italian city de»»»

Ukraine reported mass power outages across its power grid on Saturday due to a "technical malfunction" affecting international power lines. The power cuts come as Ukraine faces a particularly harsh winter and increased Russian attacks on energy infrastructure that have caused major disruption to he»»»

The Red Sea has long been a strategic maritime artery sustaining global commerce, but today it is far more than that. It has evolved into an arena shaping the contours of an emerging regional order. Across this vital corridor, stability-seeking sovereigns vie with non-state forces that flourish ami»»»