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) - Russia's air defenses shot down 149 Ukrainian drones overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement. "This past night, from 11:00 PM [20:00 GMT] on February 19 to 7:00 AM [04:00 GMT] Moscow time on February 20, air defense systems on duty intercepted and destroyed 14»»»

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)»»»

"Every minute Stoil Tzitzelkov remains deputy prime minister is an offence to Bulgarian society, democracy and parliamentarianism," There Is Such a People (TISP) Floor Leader Toshko Yordanov said, addressing Parliament on Thursday. He further explained that on September 23, 2014, Tzitzelkov was fou»»»

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»»»

Sharjah: The Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure has announced a temporary road closure in Sharjah as part of ongoing development works, with motorists urged to plan alternative routes over the weekend. The Ministry said the Mosque Road and the distributor road at the Al Badee intersection, in th»»»

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»»»

DOHA: Defending champions Al Sadd SC will aim to protect their narrow lead at the top of the Qatar Stars League (QSL) when action resumes this weekend, while Al Gharafa SC look to bounce back after surrendering first place. The Wolves climbed to the summit with a commanding 4-0 victory over Al Shah»»»

Doha: World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz extended his strong start to the 2026 season with a hard-fought 6-7(1), 6-4, 6-3 victory over Karen Khachanov to book a Qatar ExxonMobil Open semi-final clash against title-holder Andrey Rublev yesterday. Alcaraz recovered from a tight opening-set loss to seal his ma»»»

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»»»

Dubai: India is set to establish one of its most powerful artificial intelligence (AI) supercomputers through a new partnership between Abu Dhabi-based technology group G42, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), US chipmaker Cerebras, and India’s Centre for Development o»»»

Commenting on allegations of having been arrested for marijuana use and driving under the influence of alcohol, caretaker Deputy Prime Minister for Fair Elections Stoil Tzitzelkov wrote in his Facebook page on Friday morning that there are no charges, no convictions, and no restrictions in effect a»»»

Three major Romanian business and investment organisations have issued a joint statement urging authorities to position the country in the first wave of deeper integration under the Capital Markets Union, arguing that the initiative could provide faster access to cross-border capital and strengthen»»»

DOHA: The 11th Annual Interprofessional Education (IPE) Student Association Forum at Qatar University (QU) marked a significant milestone in the ongoing development of collaborative health profession education. The forum brought together students, health professionals, educators, and leaders in the»»»

DOHA: The Ministry of Municipality has announced the launch of four new electronic services for fisheries sector, as part of the Ministry’s ongoing Digital Transformation Project aimed at enhancing efficiency and improving public service delivery. The newly introduced services include: Marine Vesse»»»

Doha: Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) is preparing to launch the Ramadan Sports Festival 2026, taking place from February 22 to March 6, 2026 across various venues within the Foundation. The festival will be held daily from 8pm until midnight, offering a well-rounded Ramadan experience that combines c»»»

At a zoo outside Tokyo, the monkey enclosure has become a must-see attraction thanks to an inseparable pair: Punch, a baby Japanese macaque, and his stuffed orangutan companion. Punch's mother abandoned the macaque when he was born seven months ago at the Ichikawa City Zoo and when an onlooker noti»»»

Most Asia equities fell and oil prices rose on Friday after Donald Trump ratcheted up Middle East tensions by hinting at possible military strikes on Iran if it did not make a "meaningful deal" in nuclear talks. The remarks fanned geopolitical concerns and cast a pall over a tentative rebound in ma»»»

Discussions on Gaza's future must begin with a total halt to Israeli "aggression", the Palestinian movement Hamas said after US President Donald Trump's Board of Peace met for the first time. "Any political process or any arrangement under discussion concerning the Gaza Strip and the future of our »»»

The Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), shown on a screen in the trading room at Hana Bank in Seoul, topped a record-high 5,800 on Friday. Photo by Yonhap South Korean stocks topped the 5,800-point mark for the first time Friday to end at a fresh record high amid expectations that upcoming i»»»

Abu Dhabi: In a move that could reshape how driving tests are conducted in the UAE, Emirates Driving Company (EDC) has announced plans to acquire a 51 per cent majority stake in Performise Labs, a homegrown artificial intelligence firm behind an automated “virtual examiner” system. Sign up for our »»»

A parachute jump training exercise took place at Ala-Too training center, the Ministry of Defense of Kyrgyzstan reported. More than fifty servicemen participated in the training jumps. While most of them were scheduled exercises, the training took place in conditions as close as possible to combat »»»

Scientists say the world is now a significant step closer to developing a universal vaccine that could protect against common respiratory ailments — including the common cold, influenza, COVID-19 and even certain allergies — after promising results in early animal studies. The research marks a prom»»»

President Iliana Iotova will decide whether to run for a new term after the snap parliamentary elections scheduled for April 19, she said in an interview for bTV aired on Friday morning. Iotova said: "I make no secret of the fact that I have received proposals from various public figures, groups, a»»»

Vazrazhdane Floor Leader Kostadin Kostadinov told journalists in Parliament on Friday that every minister in the caretaker cabinet gives cause for concern, singling out as the most flagrant case caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Fair Elections Stoil Tzitzelkov, who should resign. Kos»»»

Global energy technology leader Schneider Electric has once again been recognized by global environmental, social, and governance (ESG) organizations for the strength, consistency, and long-term credibility of its sustainability performance. Schneider Electric was highly recognized in the latest Wo»»»

President Iliana Yotova said she would promptly sign a decree relieving Deputy Prime Minister for Fair Elections Stoil Tsitselkov of his duties, provided such a proposal is submitted by caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov. She made the statement in an interview with bTV, her first since assuming»»»

US President Donald Trump said on 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 other rele»»»

Israel has raised the alert level of its military along the border with Lebanon, raising questions that Lebanon’s south may again be involved in a regional confrontation should the US attack Iran. Given the heightened tensions between the US and Iran, questions have been asked over whether Hezbolla»»»

Yellow Letters, a film that tells the story of a Turkish man who faces the damaging consequences of making a call for peace on social media is a candidate for the Golden Bear award at the 76th Berlin film festival. Th»»»

Yellow Letters, a film that tells the story of a Turkish man who faces the damaging consequences of making a call for peace on social media is a candidate for the Golden Bear award at the 76th Berlin film festival. Th»»»

Late January’s election in Myanmar may go down not as a turning point for peace, but as a moment that crystallised the country’s descent into an even deeper level of fragmentation while heightening the risk of a wider regional crisis. »»»

Late January’s election in Myanmar may go down not as a turning point for peace, but as a moment that crystallised the country’s descent into an even deeper level of fragmentation while heightening the risk of a wider regional crisis. »»»