For projects aimed at improving connectivity between Bulgaria and Turkiye to succeed, they must be viewed holistically and in the context of deeper cooperation in Southeast Europe, Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova said Thursday during a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who is on »»»

Dubai: A Dubai court has sentenced a motorist to three months in prison and suspended his driving licence for one year after he chased another vehicle, deliberately swerved towards it, forced the driver to stop and later assaulted him in a road rage incident, Dubai Public Prosecution announced. The»»»

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has sent a message to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa calling for stronger ties and closer security and economic coordination. The move reflects Baghdad’s push to rebuild regional relations while, at home, working to bring weapons under state control and prepare f»»»

Oslo: Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari met with HE Olof Skoog, Deputy Secretary-General for Political Affairs at the European External Action Service, on the sidelines of the annual Oslo Peace Forum held in »»»

Stockholm: Sweden's public health agency said Thursday it was recommending parents do not give children their own smartphones before the age of 13, citing several risks associated with their use. The Public Health Agency of Sweden said in statement that the purpose of the new recommendation, was "p»»»

Share: A satellite image shows an oil terminal at Kharg Island, Iran, February 25, 2026. 2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS HERE IS THE LATEST President Trump said Thursday that the U.S. would launch “very hard” new strikes on Iran within hours and seize vital Iranian oil infrastructure, incl»»»

Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev took part for the first time in the Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) in Luxembourg, the Finance Ministry said on Thursday. The forum is one of the most important events in the ESM's a»»»

Pope Leo XIV travels in the popemobile to the Cathedral of Saint Anne to meet with clerics in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain, on Thursday. Photo by Quique Curbelo/EPA June 11 (UPI) -- Pope Leo XIV made his first visit to the Spanish Canary Islands Thursday, meeting with immigrants and aid worker»»»

EU member states could seek to curtail the powers of the bloc’s diplomatic service, headed by Kaja Kallas, amid concerns among officials that the body is “dysfunctional,” the Financial Times has reported. The European External Action Service (EEAS) was launched in 2010 as a kind of collective forei»»»

Addis Ababa: The Ebola outbreak in Uganda is "under control", the African Union's health agency said Thursday, praising its contact-tracing efforts. The World Health Organization has declared an international health emergency over the outbreak in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, which has»»»

The son of a Hamas co-founder said that Israeli authorities released his father in the occupied West Bank on Thursday after holding him without trial for more than two years. Hassan Yousef, 71, was "freed near the southern West Bank city of Hebron" and taken to a hospital in Ramallah where he resid»»»

Doha, Qatar: The US Embassy Doha hosted a FIFA World Cup Opening Day Reception at the 3-2-1 Olympic and Sports Museum on June 11, bringing together Qatari government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, journalists, civil society leaders, and exchange alumni to mark the opening of the 2026 F»»»

DOHA: Director of the Student Assessment Department and Head of the Examination Committee for Secondary School Certificate Examinations, Ibrahim Abdullah Al Muhannadi, conducted inspection visits to a number of examination centres to review procedures and ensure readiness for the remaining examinat»»»

Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital, a FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence, continues to play a central role in supporting Arab national teams competing at the FIFA World Cup 2026, taking place from 11th June to 19th July across the United States, Mexico and Canada. As part of its ongoin»»»

Some countries in the Middle East are advancing proposals to forge a regional alliance involving Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, aimed at preventing further regional turmoil, Jordan's former Minister of Social Development and political science professor Amin Al-Mashaqba tells Sputnik. The g»»»

Damascus, June 11 (SANA) In the presence of Tourism Minister Mazen Al-Salhani and Investment Authority Director Talal Al-Hilali, Damascus Governor Maher Marwan Idlibi laid the foundation stone for Damascus Financial Center (DFC) project in Baramkeh neighborhood of central Damascus. SANA reporter sa»»»

At a news briefing on Thursday, Bulgarian President Iliana Iotova said that she had no reason to doubt Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov's statement that there are currently no available weapons stocks to be sent to Ukraine. "The Defence Minister and, by extension, the government strictly adhere to»»»

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., on April 8. An air quality issue related to a hazardous materials incident has caused multiple floors to be locked down at the Pentagon on Thursday. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo June»»»

Some companies already have begun to anticipate the Argentine government's tariff cut, with discounts being offered on the Ford Mustang, among other vehicles. File Photo by Kamil Krzaczynski/EPA BUENOS AIRES, June 11 (UPI) -- Argentina is preparing to partially open its automotive market to vehicle»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman excused himself on Thursday from attending a G7 summit meeting he was invited to by France’s president due to prior commitments. In a letter to Emmanuel Macron, the crown prince thanked the president for the invitation to attend the G7 session in the F»»»

RAMALLAH: The son of a Hamas co-founder said that Israeli authorities released his father in the occupied West Bank on Thursday after holding him without trial for more than two years. Hassan Yousef, 71, was “freed near the southern West Bank city of Hebron” and taken to a hospital in Ramallah wher»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Islamic Resistance fighters targeted the Jall al-Hammar site south of the town of Al-Odaisseh with two loitering drones: statement 10 11-06»»»

The current state of the defence industry, prospects for its development, and opportunities for expanding the partnership between the State and the business sector were discussed at a working meeting between Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy, Investments and Industry Alexander Poulev an»»»

1 of 4 | The Ultimate Fighting Championship arena is seen as preparations continue for the UFC Freedom 250 event on the South Lawn of the White House on Thursday. Court documents show the event will cost at least $60 million. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo June 11 (UPI) -- Ultimate Fighti»»»

Prime Minister Péter Magyar has defended his government’s plans to tighten restrictions on guest workers, insisting that Hungary’s labour shortages should be addressed through higher wages and better working conditions rather than increased reliance on foreign labour. PM Magyar says companies shoul»»»

The US’ inability to deliver the Patriot missiles it promised to allies does not bode well for its reputation, former US Department of Defense analyst Karen Kwiatkowski tells Sputnik. The US showed that paying for US arms and even being a US ally does not make one a priority. “The priority is whate»»»

The International Monetary Fund cut its growth forecast for the euro zone on Thursday and raised its expectation for inflation because of the US-Israeli war on Iran, adding that the economic situation could worsen if high energy prices persisted. In its regular report on the economy of the 21 count»»»

AMMAN — The Amman Chamber of Commerce (ACC) board of directors met on Thursday with President of the Erbil Chamber of Commerce and Industry Kilan Haji Said, and head of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq’s Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, to discuss boosting economic, trade and investmen»»»

WASHINGTON, United States — US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent vowed Thursday to use Iranian funds to pay for damages that the country causes on Gulf allies, warning of sharp economic consequences from Tehran's attacks."Any damage it inflicts on our allies in the Gulf will be paid for with funds e»»»

LONDON: Dr. Mohammed Al-Issa, secretary-general of the Muslim World League and chairman of the Organization of Muslim Scholars, met in London with Islamic religious leaders and businessmen from across the UK, to discuss topics related to concerns of Muslim communities in non-Muslim countries. Atten»»»

Part of the Pentagon went into lockdown on Thursday, a spokesman said, in response to what a local fire department described as a "hazardous materials incident" at the US military headquarters. The Arlington County Fire Department said in a post on X that it had units "including our Hazardous Mater»»»

LONDON: Around 1.3 million people returned to Syria in 2025, marking one of the largest refugee return movements in the world in that year, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The number of Syrian refugees has now dropped to 4.9 million as more people have returned to their homes fo»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian FM Marko Djuric met with Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood Gert Jan Koopman in Belgrade on Thursday, noting that it was important to keep the EU enlargement policy one of the priorities of EU institutions a»»»

The first meeting of the organizing committee to run and coordinate the preparation and holding of the 2027 Eurovision Song Contest took place at the Council of Ministers, the Government press service said on Thursday. Bulgaria will host the contest after Dara won 2026 Eurovision Song Contest with »»»

Military personnel have destroyed parts of an unmanned aerial vehicle found by fishing vessels, the Defence Ministry said on Thursday. A specialized team from the Burgas Naval Base carried out reconnaissance of parts of a drone located 14 nautical miles east of Cape Kolokita. The drone debris had b»»»

Western Balkan countries are unlikely to complete their sections of the European Union's core transport network by the bloc's 2030 target date because of persistent project delays, weak oversight and concerns over long-term sustainability, the European Court of Auditors (ECA) said on June 9. The re»»»

Washington, United States: Part of the Pentagon went into lockdown on Thursday, a spokesman said, in response to what a local fire department described as a "hazardous materials incident" at the US military headquarters. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said a "shelter-in-place order" had been issue»»»

RIYADH: Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, adviser at the Royal Court and general supervisor of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center, met with Carl Skau, acting executive director of the UN World Food Programme, in Riyadh on Thursday. The two sides discussed matters of mutual interest related t»»»

DAMASCUS: Syria has said it is investigating a cyberattack that leaked sensitive information from the foreign ministry, with internal documents appearing on messaging app Telegram. In a statement carried by Syria’s official SANA news agency, the ministry said it had begun “taking the necessary meas»»»

Egypt signed an agreement on Thursday with Taqa Arabia to transfer ownership of a stake in 172 state-owned Wataniya fuel stations through a newly established company, Quick Fuel, according to a ⁠cabinet statement. Under the ⁠agreement, Taqa Arabia will acquire a 10% stake in Quick Fuel and will als»»»

Arab Finance: The Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) has received the mandatory tender offer (MTO) submitted by UAE-based Black Caspian Logistics Holding Limited to acquire a 90% stake in Alexandria Container and Cargo Handling Company, according to a bourse filing. The transaction, announced in »»»

President Iliana Iotova signed a decree appointing Nikolay Nenovsky as a member of the Governing Council of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB), effective June 13, the President’s Press Secretariat said on Thursday. Iotova will attend the official ceremony for Nenovsky’s inauguration, which will take»»»

The discussion "The Future of Regional News", organized by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) and the Council for Electronic Media (CEM), took place in Sofia on Thursday. All regional journalists, regardless of their media outlet, were invited to the event. At the opening of the discussion, BTA Direct»»»

Paris, France: A leather bag made from Tyrannosaurus rex cells will be auctioned off on Thursday by Paris auction house Giquello, estimating the "one-of-a-kind" piece could sell for more than $500,000. Unveiled in the spring in Amsterdam, the bag was created from traces of collagen from the femur o»»»

DHAKA: Bangladesh speedster Nahid Rana has been recalled to the T20 squad for a three-match home series against Australia after a nearly year-long absence, selectors announced Thursday. The 23-year-old Rana, who played his only T20 international against the UAE in May 2025, has been impressive in o»»»

HONG KONG: Just hours before the World Cup kicked off, Hong Kong authorities announced they seized 230,000 suspected counterfeit items worth an estimated $20 million, including jerseys tied to the tournament. The seizure included about 30,000 jerseys, some so finely made that they’re hard to distin»»»

1 of 2 | Racing pigeons, like this one in Portugal, participate in contests that range from 62 miles to more than 800 miles, testing speed and stamina across vast distances. Photo by Nelson Ferreira June 11 (UPI) -- As tourists in Portugal's historic city of Tomar dodge pigeons swooping for pastry »»»

Washington, United States: World Cup matches in the 11 US host cities will be "very secure," the country's top official overseeing tournament security said Thursday, though he voiced concern over lone wolf attacks, especially in public areas. "We feel like we're as safe as we can possibly be. But w»»»

JEDDAH: Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology have developed a coating that allows solar panels to clean themselves while simultaneously capturing moisture from the air. Dust accumulation is one of the most significant challenges facing solar energy systems, particularly»»»

GENEVA: Somali referee Omar Artan who was barred by the United States from the World Cup was picked on Thursday for the showcase UEFA Super Cup game in August. European soccer body UEFA said Artan will referee the Aug. 12 game between Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain and Aston Villa, the»»»