US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Caribbean leaders on Wednesday that the removal of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro has improved regional stability, despite objections over its legality. Speaking at a summit in St Kitts and Nevis, he urged closer cooperation while tensions persist over Cuba, migra»»»

PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, February 26: We look at reactions from the Indian and Israeli press after Narendra Modi's speech to the Israeli parliament. His visit is controversial back home. Also: the Berlin Film Festival's future leadership is in jeopardy after a film director's anti-Israel speec»»»

Dubai: Dubai Municipality has awarded contracts for five new projects under Phase Two of the Tasreef Programme to expand and strengthen Dubai’s stormwater drainage network. Cumulatively valued at Dh2.5 billion, the new projects will serve 30 vital areas spanning approximately 430 million square met»»»

Manila: A volcano erupted in the central Philippines on Thursday evening, sending a billowing plume of ash about 2,500 metres (1.5 miles) into the nighttime sky. The two-minute eruption began at 7:04 pm (1104 GMT), state volcanology agency director Teresito Bacolcol told AFP, saying "there might be»»»

GENEVA Borge Brende announced Thursday he was resigning as head of the World Economic Forum, which organises the annual Davos summit, after revelations of his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. “After careful consideration, I have decided to step down as President and CEO of the World »»»

JERUSALEM India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that Israel and India agreed there was “no place for terrorism in the world”, as he wrapped up a two-day visit aimed at strengthening ties with Israel. The trip, which has drawn criticism at home, marks Modi’s second visit to Israel as»»»

Newly released emergency call recordings and autopsy findings have brought renewed attention to the case of Indian-origin pediatrician Dr. Neha Gupta, who is accused of killing her four-year-old daughter and staging the incident as a drowning at a Florida vacation rental. According to investigators»»»

KUWAIT, Feb 26 (KUNA) -- Acting Director General of the Environment Public Authority (EPA) Nouf Behbahani on Thursday extended her warmest congratulations to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah and the P»»»

Newly unsealed court filings have revealed that US singer D4vd - real name David Anthony Burke - is the target of a grand jury investigation into the apparent murder of a 14-year-old girl, whose remains were found in his car in September. The filings were released after D4vd's family were summoned »»»

In 2025, for the first time since the Great Depression, the US experienced negative net migration, according to analysis by The Wall Street Journal and a Brookings Institution report. There was a significant drop-off in entries to the US in 2025 relative to 2024.2025 net migration was estimated bet»»»

According to an internal analysis of consumer behavior in February, the two celebrations showed different ordering patterns: on February 14, most orders were placed between 9:00 PM and 11:00 PM, while February 24 recorded a peak at lunchtime and in the early evening. On both days, fast-food restaur»»»

Dubai: Dubai Police have launched the 44th edition of their annual Ramadan religious competitions, offering prizes worth a total of Dh500,000. The initiative aims to promote religious awareness, strengthen cultural knowledge, and encourage community engagement during the holy month. Organised by th»»»

COPENHAGEN - Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic, who is on an official visit to Denmark, said on Thursday in Copenhagen Denmark was interested in EU enlargement but had still not agreed to opening further chapters in Serbia's accession talks, and added that Denmark saw two outstanding issues on»»»

Jailed Hong Kong democracy activist and media tycoon Jimmy Lai (C), seen here in February 2021, won an appeal against a conviction for fraud on Thursday but remains in prison serving a 20 year sentence for endangering "national security." File photo by Jerome Favre/EPA-EFE Feb. 26 (UPI) -- Imprison»»»

Real Madrid are through to the next round of the Champions League but, once again, the biggest talking point was not the football. A 2-1 win over Benfica at the Santiago Bernabeu sealed a 3-1 aggregate victory. Arbeloa’s side had already done the hard work in Lisbon with a 1-0 win at the Estadio da»»»

Vehicle technical inspections in Ajman now take just seven minutes — down from 20 — following the launch of a new AI-powered smart inspection lane that has reduced procedures by 50 per cent. The initiative, introduced by Ajman Police General Headquarters, comes in line with the UAE Cabinet’s drive »»»

The top Democrat on the congressional committee investigating Jeffrey Epstein has accused the US justice department of withholding files containing allegations of sexual abuse of a minor made against President Donald Trump. Robert Garcia, who sits on the House Oversight Committee, said he had perso»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The process of deepening the integration of Russia and Belarus is natural and mutually beneficial, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday. "The process of deepening integration between our two countries is logical, natural and, I would like to emphasize this, mutually »»»

Dubai Police’s traditional Iftar Cannon has once again become a major community attraction during the holy month of Ramadan, drawing large crowds of residents and visitors who gather daily to witness one of the UAE’s most cherished traditions. Families have been flocking to fixed and mobile cannon »»»

Sharjah: Sharjah City Municipality has expanded its smart parking infrastructure across the emirate, providing 10 smart parking yards offering a total of 2,421 spaces, as part of ongoing efforts to enhance public services and keep pace with urban growth and rising tourism activity. The municipality»»»

Doha, Qatar: President of the Public Works Authority, Ashghal, HE Eng. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Meer, has received the Ambassador of the Republic of France, HE Arnaud Pescheux, at Ashghal's headquarters. The meeting discussed areas of cooperation and explored fields of mutual interest.»»»

Canada has said it now believes India is no longer linked to violent crimes on its soil, marking a significant shift in its position ahead of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first official visit to India. The statement, made by senior Canadian officials during a media briefing and reported by the Toro»»»

A Greek Orthodox priest went on trial in Thessaloniki Thursday accused of allegedly defrauding members of his flock out of at least €1.3 million in donations that would supposedly have helped him to jockey for power within the Church. The 70-year-old cleric, who had been stationed at the city’s chu»»»

BELGRADE, Feb 26 (Tanjug) - Serbia's Tanjug News Agency and the Kazakh news agency Kazinform signed a contract on inter-agency cooperation on Thursday. The contract was signed by Jovana Joksimovic, director of Tacno doo - the company that has acquired the Tanjug trademark following an ownership tra»»»

Darryl Nirenberg was sworn in as the United States’ new ambassador to Romania on Thursday. “The United States Embassy in Bucharest looks forward to working under his leadership to further deepen the strong and enduring partnership between the United States and Romania,” the US Embassy wrote in a so»»»

Dubai Police launches specialised career tracks to strengthen fight against money laundering New framework integrates investigative, legal and analytical expertise to enhance financial crime detection and align with global compliance standards. Dubai Police has introduced advanced specialised caree»»»

Dubai: Daniil Medvedev produced a clinical 6-2, 6-1 performance against Jenson Brooksby on Thursday to advance to his third Dubai semi-final. The former world number one boasts 22 career titles but has never won the same tournament twice. He is trying to change that this week in Dubai, where he lif»»»

Phones at municipal offices across Greater Athens and other major cities are ringing constantly as digital platforms fill with complaints from angry residents demanding repairs to streets and sidewalks riddled with holes and potholes. Utility crews installing or repairing networks – from electricit»»»

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has denied any American government involvement in a deadly gunfight between Cuban border guards and a US-flagged speedboat, describing the incident as “very unusual.” Cuban authorities announced on Wednesday that border guard forces had killed four armed men aboard»»»

"We used to eat out twice a month," says Marjan, who lives in Iran's second largest city, Isfahan. "Now we just can't. We have to save that money to pay the rent." For the last six years, she had been selling wooden crafts and keyrings through a page on Instagram - one of hundreds of thousands of I»»»

New Delhi: In a major relief for air travellers, India’s aviation regulator has introduced a 48-hour “look-in” period allowing passengers to cancel or amend tickets without paying additional charges, while also tightening refund timelines and easing name correction rules. The Directorate General of»»»

Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates has expressed its solidarity with Brazil over the victims of heavy rains, flooding, and landslides in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais, which resulted in dozens of deaths, injuries, and missing persons, as well as significant damage. In a statement, the Min»»»

Dubai: The Dubai Court of First Instance has ordered a borrower to pay $2.4 million in a dispute over a $2 million loan after a disagreement over the applicable late-payment penalty. The lender had sought $6 million, arguing that the contract included a penalty clause of 1 per cent per day of the t»»»

The Bulgarian Navy Commander, Rear Admiral Kiril Mihaylov, Thursday gave a new conference about the search and rescue operation and inspection of a Bulgarian fishing vessel with a crew of three which has been unaccounted for since February 18. He said that no mine-like objects were reported from th»»»

Nearly a third of the entries in a signature petition for holding a local referendum to block the construction of a gunpowder factory in the village of Iganovo are flawed, Karlovo Municipal Council chair Donyo Todorov said on Thursday. He noted that he had received a letter from the Plovdiv unit of»»»

Bulgaria is facing a serious rule of law crisis stemming from the fact that the acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov is effectively holding office in violation of the law, caretaker Justice Minister Andrey Yankulov said on Thursday. He was speaking at the opening of a sitting of the Supreme J»»»

Washington – President Donald Trump has announced a sweeping increase in the baseline tariff on imports into the United States to 15 percent, escalating trade tensions a day after the U.S. Supreme Court curtailed key elements of his tariff authority. In a statement published on his Truth Social pla»»»

Abu Dhabi: Dr Mohammed Hamad Al Kuwaiti, Chairman of the UAE Government Cybersecurity Council, has warned the public about online fraud schemes that use fake videos and social media accounts to trap victims and demand large sums of money. Speaking during the third Ramadan majlis on drug prevention,»»»

Preventing sanctions circumvention will not cause economic losses for Kyrgyzstan. EU Special Envoy for Sanctions David O’Sullivan said at a briefing in Bishkek. Brussels is concerned about a sharp increase in exports of machine tools and radio equipment over the past year. «They are not produced in»»»

Dubai: After nearly 40 years, British retailer Marks & Spencer (M&S) is set to close all its stores in the Philippines on May 2 this year. Following the announcement, Filipinos have expressed their sentiments on how the merchant became part of their shopping culture. M&S first opened in the Philipp»»»

A major Iranian university has suspended three students for burning the national flag during recent anti-government protests, local media reported Thursday. Student demonstrations erupted on Saturday at several major universities in the capital Tehran, with campuses in other cities joining in the d»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The United States still prefers to fully link the negotiation track on the settlement in Ukraine with the one on economic cooperation with Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. "No, it does not mean that. As before, the American side prefers to fully link thes»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has asked the EU to organize a mission to check the condition of the Druzhba oil pipeline, through which Ukraine stopped pumping oil, according to his letter to European Council President Antonio Costa on Thursday. "Hungary supports the idea »»»

IOM Libya reported yesterday that thanks to support by the UK government, it has helped strengthen counter-trafficking operations at Benghazi’s Benina Airport by equipping the airport’s Passport Authority with new IT systems, document-verification tools, and secure communication devices. Empowering»»»

Russian oil company Lukoil has formally accused Bulgaria of unlawfully seizing its assets in the country, signaling its intention to pursue legal action. On February 19, the Swiss-based Litasco, part of the Lukoil group and a shareholder in Lukoil Neftochim Burgas AD and Lukoil Bulgaria EOOD, submi»»»

Meder Aliev has been elected First Deputy Speaker of the Zhogorku Kenesh. The decision was adopted following a secret ballot during a parliamentary session. His candidacy was nominated by the parliamentary group El Umutu Ata-Zhurt. Previously, Chyngyz Azhybaev stepped down from the position of Firs»»»

Dubai: Days before she was found dead at her rented apartment in Hyderabad, 21-year-old science student and part-time YouTuber Bonu Komali wrote a deeply emotional diary entry reflecting her lingering attachment to a former partner. “I’m scared to move on because what if he comes back?” Komali wrot»»»

Dubai: Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has kicked off a major programme of traffic improvements across eight strategic locations as part of its 2026 mobility plan. The initiative, which forms part of more than 45 planned enhancements, is designed to improve road efficiency, streamline t»»»

Islamabad, Pakistan: Sparks fly and metal groans in a cavernous workshop on the outskirts of Islamabad, where Pakistani artist Ehtisham Jadoon fuses discarded car parts into colossal pieces inspired by "Transformers" movies and dinosaurs. The 35-year-old sculptor's studio brims with cogs, chains, h»»»

The financing was structured alongside a banking pool composed of UniCredit Bank S.A., Erste Group Bank AG, Raiffeisen Bank S.A., Société Générale, BRD (Groupe Société Générale SA) and Siemens Bank GmbH, and includes ancillary facilities. “A project of this scale and characteristics naturally requi»»»