News archive of February 2022

 As the world rushed to condemn the Russian invasion of its smaller neighbor, the wealthy Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have largely kept quiet. Middle East experts say their reticence is understandable given what's at play - energy, money and security.

A cry goes up the from crowd, a sea of craning necks and suddenly hundreds of cellphones go up in the air clicking photos.

An influencer has just arrived at a fashion show.

Afghanistan's main universities have reopened six months after the Taliban returned to power, but only a trickle of women went back to now-segregated classes.

The Taliban insist they will allow girls and women to be educated this time around, but only in segregated classes and according to an Islamic curriculum.

What can be done to prevent Africa from becoming the world's biggest dumping ground for plastic?

That's one of the big questions facing United Nations members next week at a stock-taking on Earth's environmental woes.

From Antananarivo to Dakar via Nairobi and Conakry, African cities are scarred by huge landfills where plastic waste is measured in the thousands of tonnes.

E-commerce investments, which have been boosted as the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions affected store and mall shopping habits, have hit 10 billion Turkish Liras ($723.4 million) in two years, Sendeo CEO Özgün Şahin has said.

Water levels in the dams supplying Istanbul have reached 84 percent, the highest rate measured in the last 12 months, thanks to the latest rainfalls.

Data from the Istanbul Water and Sewage Administration (İSKİ) showed that the rise in the water level reached 5 percent in one week.

Jennifer Hudson was named entertainer of the year at the 53rd annual NAACP Image Awards that highlighted works by entertainers and writers of color.

After Hudson accepted the award on Feb. 26' night, the singer-actor thanked the NAACP for inspiring ``little girls like me.'' She beat out Regina King, Lil Nas X, Megan Thee Stallion and Tiffany Haddish.

The Royal Opera House has canceled a planned tour to London by Moscow's Bolshoi Ballet, while the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has said that Russia will not be allowed an entry in this year's Eurovision Song Contest because of the country's invasion of Ukraine.

A 262-year-old mansion along the Bosphorus Strait of Istanbul will be sold via a court order.

The Saffet Pasha Mansion, one of the most magnificent waterside mansions located on the Asian side of the Turkish metropolis, will be for sale after an expert examination to be held at the end of May.

Home rents in Istanbul increased by 97.7 percent in January from the same month of last year, a study has shown.