Defense funding will rise in Bulgaria’s 2027 budget, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said, although he did not give a specific percentage for the increase. Radev said the higher allocation is both necessary and required under the coalition agreement. "This is not merely a necessity dictated by the secur»»»

Baku: Two-time champion Fernando Alonso on Wednesday said some of Formula One's most classic circuits had been "assassinated" in the modern era of hybrid cars and called for change. The Aston Martin driver's remarks came after his home Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring circuit was criticised for a »»»

The Foreign Affairs magazine published an article titled, “The Stalemate With Iran Is Not Sustainable,” to discuss the diplomatic strategy to end the war. “For six months, the war with Iran was disruptive but manageable. The Strait of Hormuz was largely closed to maritime traffic, blocking a transi»»»

Doha, Qatar: Xiaomi today unveiled the new REDMI Note 17 Series, introducing three smartphones designed around long-term durability, extended battery life and flagship-grade experiences. The lineup includes the first-ever REDMI Note 17 Pro Max 5G, alongside REDMI Note 17 Pro 5G and REDMI Note 17 5G»»»

Papers on constitutional battle over Election Commission to be placed before Chief Justice Who should choose the officials entrusted with overseeing elections in the world’s largest democracy? That question is at the heart of an important constitutional battle before India’s Supreme Court, where tw»»»

Satellite-to-phone tech promises full coverage beyond the limits of 4G and 5G Before you picture streaming Netflix from the middle of the empty quarter, here's the new picture of connectivity in dead zones. Oceans, deserts, and mountain ranges, make up most of the earth’s surface, yet the people an»»»

The head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, MP Mohammad Raad, has said that Hezbollah has conducted a deep review of the course adopted since October 8, 2023, objectively identifying any flaws or shortcomings in its performance. In an interview with the al-Modon news portal, Raad noted that Hezboll»»»

A delegation from the “Sunni MPs bloc” visited President Joseph Aoun on Wednesday to discuss with him the issue of the suspended amnesty law. “The law reducing sentences does not apply to criminals and a balance must be struck between justice and the public interest,” Aoun told the delegation. “Ter»»»

Albania’s government has temporarily delegated the administrative powers of the head of the State Intelligence Service (SHISH) to Elvis Lila, director of the agency’s Operations Department, following the dismissal of Vlora Hyseni, according to an order published in the Official Gazette. Prime Minis»»»

The fight against the oligarchy waged at the expense of the poorest Bulgarians continues, MP Tsoncho Ganev of the Vazrazhdane party told journalists in Parliament on Wednesday. "Having 'frozen' the pensions and maternity benefits of 'oligarch-pensioners' and 'oligarch-mothers,' the government and t»»»

Yemeni factions fighting the Iran-backed Houthis are united mainly in one thing — their opposition to the rebels who control the country's north and have recently advanced along its Red Sea coastline. But beyond that, the groups fighting under the banner of Yemen's internationally recognized govern»»»

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa insisted at the U.N. Wednesday that the Golan Heights region will remain Syrian after Colombia last month recognized Israeli sovereignty over the strategically important territory. "Any attempts that violate our sovereignty, violate international law, will be stoppe»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia's adversary attempted to interfere with and disrupt the elections, but the lines at polling stations indicate that Russia cannot be intimidated, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday. "It is well known that they tried to interfere with and disrupt these electi»»»

Lithuania’s parliament has backed a constitutional amendment that would lift a ban on nuclear weapons, thus bringing the NATO member a step closer to hosting them on its territory. Russia has warned the Baltic country, which borders its Kaliningrad Region, that such a move would have significant se»»»

A Budapest court has ordered the detention of two men suspected of involvement in a fatal stabbing in the city’s popular nightlife district. Both men have previous criminal convictions and allegedly attempted to hide the weapon and their clothing after the attack. The Buda Central District Court ha»»»

Doha, Qatar: Doha Film Institute (DFI) today announced that Doha Film Festival (DFF) 2026 will open with the MENA premiere of The Station (Al Mahattah), the acclaimed debut feature from Yemeni-Scottish filmmaker Sara Ishaq, taking place from Nov. 19-27, 2026, in Doha. A bold and deeply human story »»»

US settlement sets film and worker commitments in deal backed by Gulf investors Dubai: Paramount Skydance has moved closer to buying Warner Bros. Discovery after settling lawsuits brought by 12 US states and the Writers Guild of America. The deal also has approval from the US Federal Communications»»»

Prague: Albrecht Duerer's "Feast of the Rosary", a Renaissance gem of Prague's National Gallery, is facing a painstaking five-year reconstruction designed to set right five centuries of mistreatment and damage. Experts have pointed out the poor condition of the colourful painting that the German ma»»»

Report says Gyanesh Kumar overruled objections from two members 14 times over 10 months New Delhi: India’s political opposition demanded the removal of the top election official on Wednesday after a newspaper investigation alleged that decisions behind a contentious voter-roll revision may have bee»»»

Police say 41-year-old ignored cabin crew as aircraft prepared to land in Perth A passenger on a Qantas flight in Australia allegedly tried to open an aircraft door while the plane was still in the air, after abusing another traveller and cabin crew, police said. The 41-year-old Western Australian »»»

Vessel adrift after mystery strike in Strait of Hormuz, says UK agency A cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz was struck by an "unknown projectile" on Wednesday, causing a fire and two casualties, a British maritime agency said. "The Company Security Officer of a cargo vessel reports being struck b»»»

Decision to hand back archipelago has been a bone of contention with Trump administration London: Britain will rework its deal to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, a minister confirmed Wednesday, after US President Donald Trump branded the agreement “terrible” during his first meeting with UK»»»

Cash, weapons and luxury watches uncovered in Naples Camorra stronghold Italian police found over three million euros in cash stashed inside the walls of an alleged drug lord's house following a tip-off, a top anti-mafia prosecutor told AFP Wednesday. The raid also uncovered Kalashnikovs, along wit»»»

New SIFC system gives applicants a way to submit queries and follow their progress Dubai: UAE-based Pakistanis exploring a business investment back home have a new channel for contacting Pakistan’s Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC). The council has launched a digital Ticketing Hub wher»»»

Nagoya (Japan): Qatar's shooting team secured another Asian achievement, winning two gold medals in the men's skeet competition, both in the individual and team events, at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games currently being held in Japan until Oct. 4. The first gold medal was won by the Qatari skeet »»»

An Israeli strike on a vehicle in Khan Younis killed two people Wednesday morning, Gaza’s Health Ministry said. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said one of those killed was Mohammad Abu Alwan, whom he identified as the head of Hamas’ finance department. He also said Israel would keep going aft»»»

Iran war renews push for alternative trade and energy routes through the Gulf Dubai: A corridor conceived to connect India with Europe through the Gulf is gaining fresh strategic importance as the Iran war exposes the risks of relying on vulnerable maritime chokepoints for global energy and trade. »»»

The monument gets up to 20,000 visitors a day at peak times The ancient Colosseum in Rome, a top tourist destination, was closed Wednesday due to the death of a worker inside overnight, the culture ministry said in a statement. Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she was "deeply shocked and »»»

Arab Finance: Madinet Masr has officially launched its subsidiary, Doors Real Estate, as part of its broader strategy to build an integrated ecosystem spanning the real estate value chain, according to a press release. Established in April 2024, Doors Real Estate has expanded its footprint in the E»»»

Ramey faces lethal injection a week after co-defendant executed for same killings A man found guilty of fatally shooting three people during a 2005 attempted robbery at a rural Texas home is scheduled to be executed on Wednesday, a week after the other man convicted in the killings was put to death»»»

Kyrgyzstan has proposed that China consider launching a direct air service between Bishkek and the resort city of Sanya. Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Adylbek Kasymaliev made the proposal at a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Hangzhou. The Cabinet Chairman thanked the C»»»

Damascus, Sept. 23 (SANA) The price of a gram of 21-karat gold in the Syrian market remained unchanged on Wednesday from the previous day, according to the General Authority for Precious Metals Management, while global gold prices declined. The authority’s bulletin said a gram of 21-karat gold was »»»

The Zhogorku Kenesh of Kyrgyzstan has approved in the first reading amendments to the Law «On State Registration of Rights to Immovable Property and Transactions Therewith.» The bill’s initiator, MP Dastan Bekeshev, said cases of real estate fraud are on the rise. According to him, the existing reg»»»

The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office on Wednesday issued a stinging rebuke to French President Emmanuel Macron's UN speech denouncing settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank. Macron's remarks that "Hamas has never struck in the West Bank" was a "grotesque absurdity"»»»

Iranian President Massoud Pezeshkian is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Wednesday in his first speech at the world body since the US and Israel launched the Iran war. His address comes a day after President Donald Trump told the UNGA he could "annihilate the Islamic Republic" an»»»

Beijing: Chinese street dancer Wu Yufei has spent most of his 13-year career performing solo, but this year, he found some new partners -- a crew of robots with sleek moves. The 27-year-old Sichuan native, together with his fellow robot performers, has made it to the final of "America's Got Talent"»»»

Sri Lanka’s 2019 Easter bombings, one of the deadliest attacks in the country’s history, killed more than 260 people. After a trial lasting nearly five years, 15 men have now been convicted over the attacks, which were inspired by the Islamic State group. All those convicted are members of Sri Lank»»»

Seoul, Sept. 23 (SANA) South Korea plans to reduce its reliance on crude oil imports from the Middle East to below 50% by 2035 under a 10-year resource security strategy aimed at diversifying energy supplies and strengthening supply chains. The Industry Ministry said the country would reduce depend»»»

New Delhi: India's political opposition demanded the removal of the top election official on Wednesday after a newspaper investigation alleged that decisions behind a contentious voter-roll revision may have been taken illegally. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has been under scrutiny in rec»»»

Police say lecturer forced 20-year-old to consume pesticide and staged her suicide Dubai: The death of a 20-year-old engineering student in Telangana, initially believed to be suicide, has turned into an alleged murder case after CCTV footage and phone records led police to her former lecturer. Tan»»»

Boeing 787-9 turned back after technical issue and landed safely An IndiGo flight bound for New Delhi returned to London Heathrow after declaring an emergency following a technical issue, according to reports and flight-tracking data. Flight 6E4, operated by a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, departed Heat»»»

Julian Petrov, President of the Education Union at the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour, Wednesday said the voice of Bulgarian teachers must be at the centre of future education policies. He was speaking at the presentation of the results of a national survey conducted by the union on Education 202»»»

Phnom Penh: Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet told an anti-fraud summit Wednesday that his country would never be a "safe haven" for cyberscams, as international partners touted law enforcement successes but warned more must be done. Southeast Asia, especially Cambodia and Myanmar, has emerged as »»»

London: Britain announced Wednesday that it will launch a new military space squadron charged with defending the country's satellites, in the latest move as various countries rush for military space capabilities. The new Royal Air Force (RAF) squadron will protect critical satellites used in commun»»»

The global economy has weathered the energy shock caused by the conflict in the Middle East better than expected, helped by adjustments in energy markets, government support and continued investment in artificial intelligence, according to the OECD’s latest Interim Economic Outlook. The OECD now ex»»»

The head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, MP Mohammad Raad, has said that Hezbollah has conducted a deep review of the course adopted since October 8, 2023, objectively identifying any flaws or shortcomings in its performance. In an interview with the al-Modon news portal, Raad noted that Hezboll»»»

Women officers to patrol schools, metros and hotspots amid fresh safety fears Dubai A six-year-old girl. A teenager who had stepped out to buy stationery. A 16-year-old allegedly gang-raped and murdered. And, most recently, a 17-year-old allegedly attacked in a park. Four cases involving minor girl»»»

France convenes a UN Security Council meeting Wednesday on artificial intelligence (AI) and international security, which includes briefings by leading industry figures, including the heads of OpenAI and Anthropic. The meeting comes as world leaders jostle over how to address the risks of the new t»»»

On Tuesday, September 22, Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met in New York to discuss the war in Ukraine. Ahead of Zelensky’s address to the UN General Assembly today, he said he wants the war to end before winter, stressing that people across Ukraine are living in increasing»»»

A Mahan Air commercial flight from Tehran landed in southern China today, a tracking data website says, despite the US threatening to “shut down” Tehran’s carriers and punish anyone doing business with them starting today. Flight IRM093 landed in Guangzhou at 4:39 pm local time on Wednesday, accord»»»