Damascus, July. 9 (SANA) Director of the International Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Qutaiba Qadish received the newly appointed Representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Syria, Kevin James Allen, and accepted his cred»»»

The government on Thursday approved Bulgaria's position on the European Union's 21st sanctions package against Russia and Belarus, the government information service said. The Council of Ministers reaffirmed the reservations expressed by Prime Minister Rumen Radev regarding the EU's 21st sanctions »»»

BEIRUT: A deal between Lebanon and Israel was billed as paving the way for peace. But in Lebanon, it is deepening longtime divisions and raising fears of political paralysis or even a return to civil war. The US-brokered deal envisions an Israeli troop withdrawal from Lebanon and an eventual peace »»»

BELGRADE - The head of the Serbian operating team for EU accession Danijel Apostolovic, who is also Serbia's chief negotiator in the accession talks and head of its Mission to the EU, said on Thursday the country had also met additional conditions for opening Cluster 3 in the talks and that the EU »»»

LONDON: Rights groups said that a photograph showing a blindfolded Palestinian detainee bound and posed for the camera by Israeli soldiers on social media corroborates extensive reporting on abuse in Israeli detention and may itself be a war crime. “Both abusive treatment of detainees and the publi»»»

BELGRADE - The head of the Serbian operating team for EU accession Danijel Apostolovic, who is also Serbia's chief negotiator in the accession talks and head of its Mission to the EU, said on Thursday the country had also met additional conditions for opening Cluster 3 in the talks and that the EU »»»

The National Tax and Customs Administration of Hungary (NAV) has announced that it has found no evidence so far of criminal wrongdoing in the highly controversial investigation into the so-called Ukrainian “gold convoy” case, one of the most politically sensitive incidents of this year’s election c»»»

Brussels: What does a world leader do with a gun and six bullets? That was the conundrum NATO leaders faced after the Turkish president offered them each a revolver after the Ankara summit. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was the first Wednesday to mention the highly unusual gift presented by P»»»

CAIRO: Gazans turned out in large numbers to ‌pay their respects to a senior Palestinian member of Egypt’s main aid organization who set up World Cup screenings in the shattered enclave and was killed by an Israeli air strike on a taxi he was in this ​week. The strike killed Mohammad Al-Waheidi on »»»

BELGRADE - Serbian Minister of European Integration Nemanja Starovic met with German Ambassador to Belgrade Anke Konrad on Thursday to discuss the EU integration process, the significance of German development aid to Serbia and bilateral cooperation. Starovic noted that Germany, as one of Serbia's »»»

Brussels: Restrictions on children’s use of social media in the European Union could come as early as this summer, as a long-awaited expert report next week is expected to recommend limiting minors’ access to online platforms. After Australia became the first country in the world to ban under-16s f»»»

BRUSSELS: ‌The European Union proposed on Thursday a new sanctions framework targeting migrant smuggling, human trafficking, and other forms of organized crime, which would impose asset freezes and travel bans on offenders. “We all have a common goal. To ‌drive them out ‌of business. And to ‌save ⁠»»»

BELGRADE - The head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic met with Dutch Ambassador to Belgrade Martijn Elgersma on Thursday to discuss the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, pointing to unilateral, anti-Serb moves by the Albin Kurti-led authorities in Pristina. Petkovic conv»»»

GENEVA: The United Nations called Thursday for an immediate end to fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo between the armed forces and the M23 militia. The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group has seized vast swathes of territory since it re-emerged in 2021 in mineral-rich eastern DR Congo, »»»

British lawmakers have triggered a by-election Thursday to replace Reform U.K. leader Nigel Farage in Parliament following his abrupt resignation. File Photo by Will Oliver/UPI | License Photo July 9 (UPI) -- British lawmakers have triggered a by-election Thursday to replace Reform U.K. leader Nige»»»

BusinessGermanyWhy Volkswagen's huge workforce became a costly burdenNik MartinThe struggling German carmaker plans to cut up to 100,000 jobs from its 630,000-strong workforce. How did VW's headcount get so bloated, and will the cuts be enough to survive the Chinese EV onslaught? https://p.dw.com/p»»»

PARIS: Two thirds of the European Union’s population may have been exposed to harmful levels of ozone pollution during last month’s record-breaking heatwave, a report exclusively shared with AFP warned Thursday. Nearly 300 million people, including 100 million children and elderly people, faced hig»»»

GENEVA: Moderna said ‌on Thursday it has secured a European Commission contract to supply its respiratory syncytial virus vaccine to six countries in the region. The agreement gives the participating countries — Austria, Denmark, Ireland, Luxembourg, Norway and Portugal — ‌access to ‌up to 24 milli»»»

BusinessGermanyHow Volkswagen ended up with a huge workforceNik MartinThe struggling German carmaker plans to cut up to 100,000 jobs from its 630,000-strong workforce. How did VW's headcount get so bloated, and will the cuts be enough to survive the Chinese EV onslaught? https://p.dw.com/p/5GIWoVW »»»

A deal between Lebanon and Israel was billed as paving the way for peace. But in Lebanon, it is deepening longtime divisions and raising fears of political paralysis or even a return to civil war. The U.S.-brokered deal envisions an Israeli troop withdrawal from Lebanon and an eventual peace agreem»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of State for International Cooperation, HE Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad met today with HE Dr. Barham Salih, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), who is currently visiting Qatar. During the meeting, the two sides reviewed cooperation relations between »»»

An agreement on the European Union's 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) could be reached by the end of the year, Ireland's Ambassador to Bulgaria, Catherine Bannon, said on Thursday. She presented the priorities of Ireland's six-month Presidency of the Council of the European Union, wh»»»

DUBAI: For a few joyous weeks, those nagging concerns were put to bed. The FIFA World Cup has a habit of doing that to football fans. As the game’s flagship event kicked off across Mexico, the US and Canada, supporters from the 48 competing nations, not to mention millions of others around the glob»»»

DOHA: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani met with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Dr Barham Salih, who is visiting the country. During the meeting, they discussed relations between the State of Qatar and the UN Refugee Agency»»»

EU's climate monitor said Thursday that Western Europe this year experienced its hottest month of June on record as an intense heatwave swept across the world's fastest-warming continent. A "heat dome" weather effect – a high-pressure system acting like a lid on a boiling pot – »»»

Brussels, Belgium: Restrictions on children's use of social media in the European Union could come as early as this summer, as a long-awaited expert report next week is expected to recommend limiting minors' access to online platforms. After Australia became the first country in the world to ban un»»»

Paris, France: Western Europe this year experienced its hottest June on record as a searing heatwave swept across a continent facing increasingly frequent and intense heat extremes, the EU's climate monitor said Thursday. The report comes as a new heatwave is battering Europe this week, following a»»»

Bulgarian households are among the most electricity-dependent in the European Union, while also ranking among the bloc’s leading countries in the use of renewable energy sources for heating homes, according to the latest Eurostat data on household energy consumption in 2024. The figures highlight B»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, met on Thursday, July 9, 2026, HE Dr Barham Salih, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, who is currently visiting the country. During the meeting, the relations of »»»

No single topic dominates the news media on Thursday. POLITICS Commenting on the proposed amendments to the Election Code, Dimitar Petrov from Progressive Bulgaria told Bulgarian National Television's morning programme that these will ensure more transparent and fair presidential elections later th»»»

Parliament on Thursday gave final approval to amendments to the Credit Institutions Act, transposing two EU directives into Bulgarian law, one of which has already prompted the European Commission to launch infringement proceedings against Bulgaria. The amendments strengthen requirements concerning»»»

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived in Turkey on July 7 for the Nato summit where he said he will discuss the supply of badly needed Patriot missiles and boosting Ukraine’s air defences. "We expect a strong and productive Nato Summit. Decisions are needed now that will provide greater p»»»

Ukraine arrived at this week's key Nato summit in Turkey determined to persuade US President Donald Trump that the momentum in the war has shifted in Kyiv's favour, despite Russian forces continuing to make slow but steady territorial gains in the Donbas. Trump struck an optimistic tone ahead of th»»»

Deputy Foreign Minister Ivanka Tasheva held a meeting with the Ambassador of The Netherlands to Bulgaria, Arthur den Hartog, on Wednesday, the Ministry said on Thursday. The two sides discussed a wide range of issues related to the development of bilateral relations. They reaffirmed their shared co»»»

Jenin — PSE: A Palestinian journalist said Israeli prisons have become a “graveyard” for the living, following a dramatic decline in his health after being released earlier this year. Mujahed Bani Mufleh, 37, spent six months in jail after being accused of inciting violence against Israel through h»»»

Despite US attempts to sabotage and manipulate the event, the UN General Assembly has followed the request of the Cuban delegation to debate the “Necessity of ending the economic, commercial and financial embargo imposed by the United States of America against Cuba.” While this debate has been an a»»»

Dubai: DP World has acquired 700 trucks to expand its road freight network across the GCC, giving businesses more capacity to move cargo between ports, warehouses, economic zones and final delivery points. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The investment will add up to 3»»»

Romania is the largest beneficiary of the latest funding tranche from the European Union’s Modernisation Fund, set to receive €636.9 million for investments in the energy sector out of a total €2.5 billion allocated to 11 EU member states. The announcement was made by the European Commission and th»»»

Almost eight in ten companies in Romania (77%) are investing in renewable-energy use as part of their transition toward a circular-economy model, driven by new EU regulations and the need to reduce operational costs, according to a Deloitte study.The report "Circular Economy. Perception and Impleme»»»

The European Commission (EC) on Wednesday announced having decided to open infringement procedures by sending letters of formal notice to Cyprus, Malta and Finland, and to send reasoned opinion to Croatia, Italy, Austria, Portugal and Romania for not notifying the transposition of Directive (EU) 20»»»

The European Commission decided, on Wednesday to send Romania to the EU Court of Justice for failing to ensure that the CNAS (National Health Insurance House)makes payments to pharmacy operators within the time limits set by the Late Payment Directive (Directive 2011/7/EU.According to a press relea»»»

Hungary’s Ministry of Finance says it has uncovered almost HUF 400 billion (EUR 1.1 billion) in previously undisclosed spending commitments during its review of the 2026 state budget, claiming the country’s inherited fiscal position was significantly worse than officially presented. According to Fi»»»

Bulgaria's Council of Ministers is due to approve the country's position on the European Union's 21st package of sanctions against Russia and Belarus at its regular meeting on Thursday, according to the government's agenda. Earlier this month, Prime Minister Rumen Radev said that he will oppose the»»»

SINJIL: On a cool night in June, some 15 Palestinians from the town of Sinjil in the occupied West Bank gathered on a hilltop to watch the shadowed valleys below for any sign of movement that might ​signal an impending Israeli settler attack. They are part of a grassroots volunteer group — similar »»»

The Irish EU presidency should recuse itself from any legislative files on tax because of its “questionable track record regarding the protection of EU digital rights and the EU’s fiscal base,” a group of 60 leading academics urged on Wednesday (8 July). In a letter seen by EUobserver, the group of»»»

Bulgaria's Parliament will hold a second reading of amendments to the Credit Institutions Act on Thursday as the first item on its agenda. The government-proposed amendments transpose two EU directives into national legislation. They introduce new sanctions that may be imposed on banks and financia»»»

The construction industry of the Visegrád countries (V4) is expected to continue growing, though each country faces different challenges. In Hungary, the sector’s development continues to be shaped by a lack of orders, while in the other three Visegrád countries the main constraint is capacity bott»»»

POLISTENA: Italy’s southern Calabria region is the rare place in Europe where Cuba sends medical professionals under a long-running program that the United States wants to stamp out. Cuba’s doctors for decades have worked in developing nations such as Gambia and Venezuela, skilled in providing care»»»

This year's budget inventory has been completed; according to the schedule, the new deficit target will be set at the end of August and a comprehensive legislative amendment covering 2026 will be submitted, while the 2027 budget and a medium-term fiscal plan will be submitted by the end of October,»»»

Greek shipping companies have earned at least $3.8bn transporting Russian crude oil since mid-2023, as a leading member of Russia’s shadow fleet, the Financial Times reported on July 7. Analysis by the FT found that Greek-owned tankers have remained among the largest carriers of Russian crude under»»»