An opening ceremony of the annual Orchid Festival was held on Wednesday at the Royal Botanic Gardens in London, gathering botanic experts and cultural enthusiasts from both the UK and China.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz praised China's economic growth and efficiency while urging the European Union to implement sweeping deregulation to boost the EU economy at the European Industry Summit in Antwerp, Belgium on Wednesday.Stressing only an economically powerful Europe will be a

The Saudi leadership has issued a royal decree dismissing the country's investment minister, Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, multiple media outlets reported Thursday.The leadership has appointed Fahad bin Abduljalil Al-Saif as the new investment minister, according to the reports.Al-Falih had been

Russian airline Aeroflot on Wednesday announced that it would begin repatriating Russian citizens stranded in Cuba amid the island nation's fuel shortage.Flights from Varadero to Moscow are scheduled for February 12, 14, 17, 19 and 21, while a Havana-Moscow flight is scheduled for February 16,

A federal immigration operation in the U.S. city of Saint Paul in the state of Minnesota ended in a car crash on Wednesday that injured several people.The Saint Paul Police Department said federal agents were pursuing a person in a vehicle when it crashed into other cars in the city's Cathedral

Palestinian factions would not give up their weapons unless Israel fully adheres to the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said Thursday.Mardawi said in a press conference that "any progress on the weapons issue is contingent upon the occupation's

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday clashed with Democratic lawmakers at a Congressional hearing on the oversight of the Department of Justice, as they questioned her over the administration's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.When Representative Ted Lieu of California asked

Thailand's consumer confidence picked up in January, mainly due to easing border tension with Cambodia and optimism about the incoming government following a general election, a survey showed on Thursday.Tourists pose for photos with a kite at the beach in Pattaya, Thailand, Feb. 27, 2023. (File

Türkiye's central bank forecasts year-end inflation for 2026 at between 15 percent and 21 percent, stressing that it will maintain a tight monetary policy stance to reinforce the disinflation process, Central Bank Governor Fatih Karahan said here Thursday.Karahan made the remarks while presenting

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied plans to announce a presidential election and a referendum on a peace agreement on Feb. 24, the Ukrinform news agency reported Wednesday.Zelensky told reporters that Ukraine would hold an election only after having security guarantees in place and a

Japan's Nissan Motor Co. said Thursday it expects a net loss of 650 billion yen (about 4.25 billion U.S. dollars) for fiscal 2025 ending next month, which would mark the second straight year in the red.The automaker, which posted a group net loss of 670.9 billion yen the previous fiscal year, cited

China will announce the final ruling on its anti-dumping investigation into rapeseed imports from Canada before March 9, 2026, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Commerce said at a regular press conference on Thursday.

Voting began across Bangladesh on Thursday morning in the country's national parliament election, with more than 127 million registered voters expected to cast their ballots.

Daily life in Khartoum, Sudan

Singapore's Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong on Thursday unveiled a series of measures in the 2026 financial year budget aimed at boosting artificial intelligence (AI), including business tax deductions, employee training, and free access to advanced AI tools for the

The Malagasy government declared a "state of national disaster" on Wednesday in response to the widespread devastation caused by Cyclone Gezani.The storm brought extensive damage to infrastructure, homes and livelihoods, along with severe flooding and significant economic losses.The decree cited