Digital WorldGlobal issuesAI-fueled chip shortage drives up smartphone pricesAstrid Prange de OliveiraThe era of cheap data storage is ending. Artificial intelligence is pushing chip prices higher and exacerbating supply shortages. Anyone buying a new smartphone in 2026 should brace for higher pric»»»

Sharjah: Air Arabia has reported its strongest financial performance to date, posting a record pre-tax net profit of Dh1.8 billion for the year ending December 31, 2025. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The figure marks a 14 per cent increase compared with Dh1.6 billion»»»

Bulgaria has the potential to increase its competitiveness in the automotive industry by expanding its contribution to the sector, outgoing Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov told German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the Council of Ministers announced in a Facebook post on Thursday. The two spoke at an i»»»

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA - Elected political representatives of Kosovo-Metohija Serbs and representatives of Serbian health care and educational institutions in the province adopted on Thursday a declaration demanding legal, administrative and other facilities for Kosovo-Metohija residents in the process»»»

A meeting scheduled to be held in Doha to pave the way for the Lebanese Army support conference has been postponed, local al-Liwaa newspaper said Thursday. The daily said it had learned from informed diplomatic sources that the Doha meeting will not take place next week, as scheduled, for technical»»»

Israeli troops have recently intensified their incursions into southern border villages, where they detonate houses, bulldoze lands, uproot trees, and sometimes kill or abduct people. They've also been dropping stun grenades to scare or disperse people, sometimes during funerals. More than a year a»»»

Tunis, Feb 12 (TAP) - The Tunis Court of Appeal on Thursday has adjourned the hearing on the case of Ahmed Souab to February 23, in response to a request by his defence lawyers, while rejecting his request for release, a judicial source told TAP.The...»»»

Ports overseen by the Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) reported a 2.01% increase in container handling for January 2026, totaling 738,111 TEUs, up from 723,571 TEUs in January 2025. Transshipment containers rose significantly by 22.44%, reaching 184,019 TEUs compared to 150,295 TEUs the previous year»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) and Franklin Templeton announced the launch of the Franklin Templeton Qatar Equity Fund (the Fund). Franklin Templeton is one of the world's largest asset managers, with approximately USD 1.68 trillion in assets under management as of December 31, 2»»»

Dubai: Saudi Arabia’s King Salman bin Abdulaziz has issued a series of royal decrees reshuffling ministerial and senior government positions, relieving several officials of their posts and appointing replacements across key institutions, Saudi Press Agency SPA said on Thursday. Under the orders, Kh»»»

DOHA: Elegancia MEP, a subsidiary of Estithmar Holding QPSC, has announced that it has been awarded the contract to execute the Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) works and Extra Low Voltage (ELV) systems for the Damascus International Airport – Terminal 2 project. The project represents a »»»

The parliamentary Committee on Internal Security and Public Order Thursday approved unanimously on second reading by a vote of 13 in favour draft legislation requiring specific information on election candidates to be submitted upon registration to the Communist-Era Secret Police Files. The Committ»»»

US border tsar Tom Homan said the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota will end, telling reporters that President Donald Trump has approved his request to end the operation. "I will also remain in Minnesota a little longer to oversee the drawdown, to ensure its success," Human said during the»»»

Abu Dhabi: Amana Healthcare, part of the M42 group, has shared the recovery story of a patient whose journey after a serious accident highlights the role of both medical care and human support in healing. Claudio, who suffered severe injuries in a life-threatening incident, was admitted for long-te»»»

The Emirates Inventors Association crowned its distinguished participation in the 16th International Inventions Exhibition in the Middle East, held in the State of Kuwait, by winning the award of the Patent Office of the General Secretariat of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The recognition cam»»»

Tunis, Feb 12 (TAP) - Secretary of State to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Mohamed Ben Ayed on Thursday received Ambassador and Head of the European Union Delegation to Tunisia Giuseppe Perrone.The meeting pointed...»»»

On a day when NATO has promised new help for Ukraine, while thousands more people in the country have been left without power after Russian attacks, a Ukrainian analyst has offered his hopes to FRANCE 24. Peter Zalmayev, director of the Eurasia Democracy Initiative, says he is not very hopeful that»»»

The Kremlin said on Thursday said that US messenger app WhatsApp has been completely blocked in Russia for failing to comply with local law, suggesting Russians turn to a state-backed "national messenger" MAX instead. Critics say MAX is a surveillance tool, something the au»»»

NATO defence ministers hold a key meeting on Ukraine and Greenland this Thursday. Leaders discuss keeping weapons flowing to Ukraine while pressuring countries that haven’t contributed enough, and launch the ‘Arctic Sentry’ mission to strengthen security in Greenland and the Arctic. FRANCE 24's Ket»»»

Doha, Qatar: Baladna Q.P.S.C., Qatar’s leading dairy and juice company, announced its full year and fourth quarter results for the period ended 31 December 2025. Performance for the year reflected strong growth, primarily attributed to returns from the Strategically Diversified Investment Portfolio»»»

Doha, Qatar: Elegancia MEP, a subsidiary of Estithmar Holding Q.P.S.C., has announced that it has been awarded the contract to execute the Mechanical, Electrical, and Plumbing (MEP) works and Extra Low Voltage (ELV) systems for the Damascus International Airport – Terminal 2 project. The project re»»»

Tunis, Feb 12 (TAP) - The Ministry of Agriculture, Water Resources and Fisheries on Thursday called on farmers and fishermen to exercise vigilance following a warning issued by the National Institute of Meteorology (INM) announcing strong winds over...»»»

Dubai: When Flipkart announced it would sponsor Namibia’s cricket team for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, the internet had questions. Flipkart doesn’t operate in Namibia, so why back a team from a market where it has no business presence? At first glance, it seemed random. In reality, it’s a cal»»»

Dubai: Love will be in the air — quite literally — for Emirates passengers this Valentine’s Day. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.On February 14, the Dubai airline is adding chocolate treats, pink desserts, romantic movies and even special beverages across cabins and lo»»»

Outgoing Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov Thursday met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Zhelyazkov's cabinet said in a social media post. The meeting took place on the sides of a pre-summit meeting on the invitation of European leaders. The two discussed strengthening energy sec»»»

Ramadan is a time to connect, with friends, family, and yourself. Dubai is going all-out to offer up some community-bonding time. From gatherings that call for traditional eats to shows that glitter the sky, there’s something planned for everyone. Here’s a look at 14 highlights: Ramadan Street Food»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Venezuela's Acting President Delcy Rodriguez has said that she is in charge of the country, but stressed that despite his detention in the United States, Nicolas Maduro remains the legitimate Venezuelan president. Rodriguez made the remarks in the wake of US Secretary Chris W»»»

In a rare move, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives has approved a resolution to undo President Donald Trump's ability to impose tariffs on Canadian goods. We take a closer look. Also in this edition: EU leaders meet for an informal retreat aimed at setting a course to improve compet»»»

Riyadh’s hosting of the Microsoft AI Tour this week delivered a headline with concrete weight: customers will be able to run cloud workloads from a local Azure data center region starting in the fourth quarter of 2026. The announcement was more than a technical update. It marked a shift in posture.»»»

Bangladesh is voting in its 13th general elections on Thursday, a year and a half after an uprising led to the ouster of the Awami League government headed by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. A referendum on constitutional and institutional reforms is also being held in the South Asian country.»»»

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s cabinet approved a draft law on Wednesday authorizing naval blockades to prevent migrant boats from entering the country’s territorial waters. The proposal comes amid a crackdown on illegal migration in the EU country. The bill, which must still pass both hou»»»

Dubai; India has cleared a massive proposal to acquire 114 Rafale fighter jets from France, marking one of the country’s largest defence procurements as New Delhi accelerates efforts to modernise its ageing combat fleet. The approval, granted by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) chaired by Defe»»»

The death toll from a crackdown over Iran's nationwide protests last month has reached at least 7,002 people killed with many more still feared dead, activists said Thursday. The slow rise in the number of dead from the demonstrations adds to the overall tensions facing Iran both inside the country»»»

LONDON: His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland attended the 20th Anniversary Celebration of the Turquoise Mountain Foundation in London, joined by Her Majesty the Queen Consort. The event was also attended by Chairperson of Qatar Museums HE Sheikha Al Mayas»»»

Dubai: Lulu Group has opened a new Xpress store at Ghalilah Mall in Ras Al Khaimah, close to the UAE–Oman border, as part of its expansion into suburban areas. The outlet aims to offer easy access to groceries and daily essentials for residents in the emirate and travellers crossing the border. The»»»

Outgoing Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov took part in an informal meeting at the invitation of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever. The meeting preceded Thursday’s European Council meeting, reported the Council of Ministe»»»

ANKARA - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who is on a one-day visit to Ankara, said on Thursday important discussions with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan were ahead about topics of mutual importance for the two countries and peoples, as well as about regional issues. "I am confident that»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia's Proton-M rocket with a DM-03 upper stage and the Elektro-L No.5 weather satellite lifted off on Thursday during the first launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in 2026 and put it on low-Earth orbit. Russia's state space corporation Roscosmos livestreamed the launch. The ro»»»

A total of 320 complaints linked to unusually high electricity bills in Bulgaria had been filed with the Energy and Water Regulatory Commission by Tuesday, EWRC Chair Plamen Mladenovski said during a hearing before the parliamentary Energy Committee on February 11. The majority of the complaints ta»»»

Russia has blocked the popular messaging service WhatsApp over its failure to comply with local legislation, the Kremlin said Thursday, urging its 100 million Russian users to switch to a domestic alternative. Moscow has for months been trying to shift Russian users onto Max, a domestic messaging s»»»

Digital WorldGlobal issuesAI-fueled chip shortage is driving up smartphone pricesAstrid Prange de OliveiraThe era of cheap data storage is ending. Artificial intelligence is pushing chip prices higher and exacerbating supply shortages. Anyone buying a new smartphone in 2026 should brace for higher »»»

DOHA: The General Directorate of Passports has concluded a two-week training course titled 'Forgery Detection and Biometric Investigation', organized by the Internal Training Center of the Administrative Affairs Department in cooperation with the Federal Police of the Federal Republic of Germany. T»»»

A fiery exchange unfolded Thursday in the Bulgarian Parliament between There Is Such a People (TISP) and Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (PP-DB) over child protection and the handling of a recent high-profile multiple murder (the Petrohan-Okolchitsa Case). The session began with a stateme»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - NATO member states are concerned that adversaries could use artificial intelligence to influence their populations by testing manipulation techniques through AI modeling, Sputnik revealed on Thursday after reviewing a report from NATO Strategic Communications Centre of Excell»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US Republican Senator Ted Cruz called for a classified briefing over the airspace shutdown near El Paso International Airport in Texas. On Wednesday, CBS reported that the closure stemmed from a misunderstanding between the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Pentago»»»

Tunis, Feb 12 (TAP) - The National Civil Protection Office called on Thursday citizens to remain vigilant and strictly observe safety instructions following a bulletin issued by the National Institute of Meteorology announcing meteorological...»»»

Tunis, Feb. 12 (TAP) – Director General of Civil Protection and Disaster Management of Burundi, Nibaruta Anicet visited, on Wednesday, the National Civil Protection School on Wednesday.The visit focused on ways to boost bilateral cooperation and...»»»

Dubai: In a soot-darkened workshop, Japanese swordsmith Akihira Kawasaki watches as his apprentice hammers glowing red steel — continuing a craft that dates back more than a thousand years. Despite a shrinking and ageing community of swordsmiths, Japan’s iconic katana is experiencing a revival in p»»»

Dubai: Iran appears to be expanding fortifications at its key nuclear facilities as tensions with the United States simmer. Fresh satellite imagery shows tunnel entrances at the Isfahan site buried under soil, along with new structures observed at Isfahan and Natanz — developments analysts say may »»»

Tunis, Feb 12 (TAP) - The Assembly of the People's Representatives (ARP) on Thursday started the consideration of tw bills validating amendments to a loan agreement concluded between Tunisia and the French Development Agency (AFD).The first bill...»»»