BARCELONA: UEFA banned Benfica winger Gianluca Prestianni for six matches on Friday after a controversial incident in the Champions League clash against Real Madrid in February. The European football governing body said they had taken the decision to ban the Argentine “for discriminatory (i.e. homo»»»

LONDON: Everton manager David Moyes returns ‌to the London Stadium on Saturday armed with the inside knowledge that could harm West Ham United’s hopes of avoiding Premier League relegation. Moyes had two spells as West Ham manager, saving them from relegation in his first short stint before leading»»»

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a press briefing Friday that the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has gone global after seizing two vessels in the Indo-Pacific region this week. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo April 24 (UPI) -- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said during a p»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The United States would welcome a "serious" European effort regarding the Strait of Hormuz instead of "silly" conferences, US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said on Friday. Last week, the United Kingdom and France held an international conference on Strait of Hormuz navigation»»»

The Egypt amon coalition, a strategic partnership between Poland’s Hynfra and Egypt’s Coxswains, has announced a major green ammonia initiative in Egypt with an initial investment of 5 billion dollars, Bloomberg reported. The project aims to commence production by 2031, with total investments proje»»»

The acting Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior, Georgi Kandev, said on Friday he had been pressured. In a video on Facebook, Kandev said that on Thursday he received a message urging him to "go home". In his words, he received several calls on Thursday. Within ten minutes, from hidden num»»»

HAMBURG: Tunisia’s state grains agency is believed to have purchased ​about 25,000 metric tons of animal feed barley in an international tender on Friday, European traders said. The barley was said to have been ‌bought in ‌one ​consignment at ‌an ⁠estimated $265.45 ​a ton ⁠cost and freight (c&f) in»»»

Dubai: International Airlines Group (IAG) announced Friday it will raise ticket prices to offset rising jet fuel costs linked to the ongoing US-Israel-Iran war, even as it says supply remains stable, according to a Reuters report. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The ai»»»

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has played down a leaked Pentagon email suggesting his country could face being suspended from NATO for not supporting the United States in its conflict with Iran. File Photo by Chris Kleponis/UPI | License Photo April 24 (UPI) -- Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sa»»»

President Joseph Aoun told a non-official EU summit in Cyprus on Friday that Lebanon has engaged in a diplomatic negotiation process under the auspices of the U.S. and with the support of the European Union and Arab states in order to "reach a sustainable solution that puts an end to Israeli aggres»»»

JEDDAH: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived in Jeddah on Friday for his second visit to Saudi Arabia in a month. During the visit, Zelensky met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, where the two leaders discussed ways to strengthen ties between Kyiv and Riyadh and expand cooperat»»»

BELGRADE: Serbia’s recent judicial reforms were rushed through without adequate public debate, a Council of Europe expert body warned on Friday, as it suggested revisions to some of the controversial aspects of the law. Serbia’s parliament adopted the package of changes in late January without cons»»»

World-renowned Japanese writer Sayaka Murata visited Bulgaria for the first time during the Literary Talks Festival (April 23–25) in Sofia's City Stage on Thursday. Moderator of the discussion was Bulgarian literary critic Darin Tenev, with interpretation from the Japanese by Albena Todorova. Often»»»

Beijing: Thousands squeezed into the world's biggest car show Friday, snapping selfies beside Chinese electric vehicles as automakers showcased AI, humanoid robots and flying-car ambitions in a cut-throat market. Rows of influencers posed in front of gleaming models at the capital's cavernous inter»»»

The senior officer, who has been accused by Ukrainian military intelligence of involvement in criminal activities on European territory, has been appointed head of the FSB Border Guard Directorate for Karelia. Vladimir Shchemelinin is the new head of the FSB directorate responsible for guarding the»»»

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Friday urged NATO allies to stick together, after a report that the United States was mulling action against Spain over its refusal to support operations against Iran. "NATO must remain united. I believe it is a source of strength," Meloni told reporters as »»»

The Association for the Development of Bulgarian Healthcare (ADBH) will submit a complaint on Monday to the Commission for Protection against Discrimination against the Bulgarian Medical Association and the National Health Insurance Fund over their refusal to include a procedure for financing bioma»»»

Berlin/Zagreb: German carmaker Porsche announced on Friday the sale of its stakes in sports car manufacturer Bugatti Rimac to a consortium led by a US fund founded by the Egyptian billionaire Sawiris family. The amount of the transaction, which still has to be approved by regulators, has not been d»»»

The dollar was on track for its first weekly gain in three weeks on Friday in broadly muted trading, as stalled peace negotiations between the US and Iran dampened hopes for an immediate easing of Middle East tensions. While Lebanon and Israel extended their ceasefire for three weeks ahead of its e»»»

President Joseph Aoun met Friday with French President Emmanuel Macron in Nicosia, on the sidelines of a European summit. European leaders vowed during the summit to do more to de-escalate conflicts in the Middle East, as they prepared for discussions with regional counterparts from Egypt, Lebanon »»»

Reacting to the statement of Interior Ministry's acting Secretary General Georgi Kandev that he had been pressured to step down, Continue the Change (CC) leader Assen Vassilev wrote on Facebook: "Apparently, in Bulgaria, as soon as someone starts doing their job, they immediately try to frame them »»»

Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva has supported draft amendments to a 2015 ordinance on general education, tabled by the Education Ministry, to officially integrate artificial intelligence and digital literacy into the curriculum from third to twelfth grade, her office said. In her opinion addressed to »»»

The Sofia Appellate Court Friday upheld a decision by a first-instance court to deny the early release of Evelin "Brendo" Banev who is serving a sentence in Sofia for drug trafficking. The early release application was first denied by the Sofia City Court on March 27, 2026. The application was subm»»»

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Friday stressed his country was a "reliable member" of NATO, after a report the United States was considering possibly trying to expel Spain over its refusal to support operations in the Middle East war. The Reuters news agency cited an anonymous US official »»»

Skopje, 23 April 2026 (MIA) - A call for tender has been issued to select supervision services for the third phase of the railway to Bulgaria, and in about ten days a call for tender to select a contractor should also be issued, which will allow work on the ground to begin during the summer, Deputy»»»

Skopje, 23 April 2026 (MIA) - Minister of Energy, Mining, and Mineral Resources Sanja Bozhinovska participated Thursday in the Engineering the Infrastructure of Energy Security panel discussion at the Delphi Economic Forum, as part of which high government representatives and energy leaders discuss»»»

Skopje, 23 April 2026 (MIA) - Parliament Speaker Afrim Gashi will host on Friday the 20th Conference of Presidents/Speakers of Parliaments of the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative (AII) held as part of the country’s chairmanship of the AII. The meeting will be attended by presidents, vice‑presidents, and »»»

Skopje, 23 April 2026 (MIA) - Parliament Speaker Afrim Gashi met Thursday with the Chairman of Bosnia and Herzegovina's House of Peoples, Kemal Ademović. Speaker Gashi expressed satisfaction with the excellent relations between the two countries, highlighting the role of Bosniaks in the country and»»»

Struga, 23 April 2026 (MIA) - Solid waste management and wastewater treatment are the top priorities through which the European Union will do everything in its power so that Struga and Ohrid keep their UNESCO status, said EU Ambassador Michalis Rokas after a meeting with Struga Mayor Mendi Qyra on »»»

Skopje, 23 April 2026 (MIA) - Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski says Arben Fetai will no longer serve as Minister for Good Governance and Transparency, while reiterating that the Government reshuffle will most probably happen by the end of May or the start of June. "We talked a couple of weeks ago »»»

Skopje, 23 April 2026 (MIA) - Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski says he congratulated Rumen Radev on the win at the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria, highlighting the commitment to dialogue and goodneighborly relations. "I called Radev the next day and congratulated him. The people's will must b»»»

As part of BR’s new interview series with professionals in the Media & Marketing sector, we sat down with Irina Mateescu, Founder at Digitalee, and talked about the agency’s present and future, the expectations for the industry in 2026, the changes that are about to happen, as well as how will AI i»»»

Political developments involving Rumen Radev’s Progressive Bulgaria electoral dominance and Borislav Sarafov’s resignation as acting prosecutor general dominate Friday’s news media, highlighting broader debates on power consolidation and judicial independence in Bulgaria. POLITICS Capital leads wit»»»

French energy major TotalEnergies on Friday said it would invest in a Kazakhstan-based onshore wind and energy storage project, valued at $1.2 billion, and plans to sell the produced electricity to the country's government under a 25-year agreement signed in 2023. The Mirny project, which is schedu»»»

The United States’ war effort against Iran is reshaping more than just the Middle East battlefield — it is beginning to test the limits of Washington’s global military readiness. In just over a month of fighting, the US has burned through thousands of high-end missiles and munitions, raising concer»»»

Tokyo, April 24 (SANA) The US dollar edged higher on Friday and was set for its first weekly gain in three weeks, as a lack of progress in Washington–Tehran talks weighed on expectations for a near-term easing of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Market analysts, cited by Rueters, said the »»»

Dubai: Across the UAE, temperatures have surged well above what is typical for April, catching many residents off guard after weeks of surprisingly mild and even cool weather. The mercury has already broken 44°C in parts of the country this week and the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) has sign»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar will take on El Salvador in an international friendly at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on June 6, the Qatar Football Association announced yesterday, as Al Annabi continue their build-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The match forms part of a crucial overseas training camp designed to»»»

The senior officer, who has been accused by Ukrainian military intelligence of involvement in criminal activities on European territory, has been appointed head of the FSB Border Guard Directorate for Karelia. Vladimir Shchemelinin is the new head of the FSB directorate responsible for guarding the»»»

Norway said on Friday it would present a bill in parliament by year-end to ban children from using social media until they turn 16, making technology companies responsible for the task of age verification. Several European nations seeking to rein in children's ⁠use of social media ⁠after Australia »»»

Oslo: Norway said Friday, April 24, 2026, it will present a bill this year making it the latest country seeking to ban social networks for under 16s, adding that technology companies will be responsible for verifying the age of its users. "We are introducing this legislation because we want a child»»»

NICOSIA: French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday it was in “everyone’s interest” for stability to return to the Middle East, as the spillover of the Iran war rattles the global economy. “It is in everyone’s interest for stability to return as soon as possible and for the world’s economies to b»»»

Doha, Qatar: Aspire Academy has completed the European debut of its flagship “Aspire in the World Fellows – The Workshop Tour” in Bucharest, Romania, reinforcing Qatar’s growing role in global youth football development and international sports cooperation. The three-day programme, held from April »»»

The concept of sustainable construction is familiar to 86% of Romanians, well above the European average of 69%, according to the 2026 edition of the Sustainable Construction Barometer, published on Thursday by the Sustainable Construction Observatory by Saint-Gobain.Globally, awareness of the conc»»»

The Commission for Juridical Affairs of the European Parliament favorably approved with 17 votes for and a single abstention, the report requesting that the immunity of European deputy Diana Ivanovici Sosoaca be lifted, Brussels sources declared. The report made by European deputy Dominik Tarczynsk»»»

The Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) in the European Parliament (EP) voiced its support for the Social Democratic Party (PSD) in a statement released in Brussels, in which it also criticises European People's Party (EPP) Group leader Manfred Weber, for a "lack of »»»

Airlines worldwide have begun canceling flights as the war in the Middle East strains jet fuel supplies and pushes up prices — but the disruption doesn’t end there. For travelers, it can mean having to navigate a confusing web of passenger protections that vary widely depending on where they’re fly»»»

At the European Economic Congress in Katowice, Rafał Brzoska said Poland’s biggest barrier to investment is not access to capital, but slow administrative procedures that delay projects and discourage investors. He argued that projects which can be completed within a year often wait several years f»»»

Poland’s National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOŚiGW) plans a record PLN 37 billion budget in 2026 to finance the energy transition and environmental projects. A major share will support thermal upgrades to public buildings, including schools and hospitals, alongside tr»»»

Central Asian countries and European partners pledged to deepen cooperation on water and energy challenges exacerbated by climate change, officials said at the Regional Ecological Summit 2026 (RES2026). Central Asia is amo»»»