WASHINGTON: The US military is dispatching roughly 9,000 troops aboard a group of ships to the Middle East, a US official said Thursday. The bolstering of the American military presence comes as President Donald Trump warned anew that new strikes against Iran could be on the horizon. He also said e»»»

Excerpts from 22 books representing 20 countries were read at 22 venues across Sofia on Thursday evening during the 15th edition of Night of Literature. Two Bulgarian books featured in this year's selection: The Artists' Borough. The Performers' Borough and Adagio for Maria. At Sofia Municipality H»»»

MILWAUKEE: G20 trade ministers agree that it is “not acceptable” for countries to target food supplies in conflicts, a French official told AFP on Thursday, adding that European leaders took aim at Russia on the issue at high-level talks. Trade officials from the Group of 20 major economies are gat»»»

Sermon stresses sincerity, knowledge, kindness and good character in education First Sermon (Khutbah One)All praise is due to Allah, who has elevated the standing of teachers and bestowed upon them abundant reward and recompense. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah, and I bear witnes»»»

RIYADH: As Saudi Arabia’s transformation under Vision 2030 continues to accelerate, Portugal says it is looking for ways to strengthen its engagement with the Kingdom through business partnerships, cultural exchanges, and the growing community of its citizens living and working in the country. In a»»»

Montevideo: The State of Qatar and the Oriental Republic of Uruguay have signed a letter of intent aimed at strengthening cooperation in international mediation, as the two countries seek to expand coordination on the peaceful resolution of conflicts. The agreement was signed in Montevideo on Thurs»»»

Sharjah Police facilities win age-friendly award for senior citizen access Sharjah: Five Sharjah Police facilities have been recognised with the age-friendly buildings award, highlighting the force’s ongoing efforts to make its services and infrastructure more accessible, comfortable and inclusive »»»

Washington, Oct. 1 (SANA) The United States has removed Syria from the list of countries subject to a comprehensive policy of denial for licenses and other approvals related to defense trade under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). The US Department of State announced on Thursday»»»

National Assembly Chair Michaela Dotsova described State Agency for Child Protection staff as Bulgaria's unsung heroes on the agency's 25th anniversary, Parliament's press service said on Thursday. She said their work was measured by the number of smiles they brought, rather than the number of repo»»»

Offensive military infrastructure is being deployed around the Kaliningrad region, Alexander Stepanov, an expert at the RANEPA Institute of Law & National Security, told Sputnik, commenting on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarks about a potential NATO attack. “Four multinational groups, comp»»»

Artificial intelligence has no intuition and no ability to truly reflect, even though it can analyze data and make decisions almost instantly, retired US Air Force Lt. Col. Karen Kwiatkowski tells Sputnik, commenting on Russian President Vladimir Putin's warning about the looming risks of AI. AI ta»»»

The annual awards for Bulgaria's insurance and pension sectors were presented on Thursday evening at an official ceremony. The 2025 Insurer of the Year awards in the General Insurance and Life Insurance categories went to DZI General Insurance and DZI Life Insurance, respectively. Pension Assurance»»»

Geneva: The State of Qatar has reaffirmed its support for the Federal Republic of Somalia's government institutions and efforts to strengthen security and stability, sovereignty and territorial integrity. Speaking during an interactive dialogue on a UN human rights report on assistance to Somalia, »»»

Tunis, Oct. 1 (TAP) - The Tunisian National Railways Company (SNCFT) said that passenger transport on the international Tunis–Annaba line in Algeria will be operated by bus from Souk Ahras to Annaba as of Thursday, October 1, 2026, due to railway...»»»

Sabaa news agency quoted a Yemeni source as saying: “The lie as well as gross fabrication propagated by the Saudi regime—alleging that Yemenis targeted a power station in Medina—is completely baseless.” This new fabrication is an attempt to mask the failure of its previous lie regarding the targeti»»»

RIYADH: Gulf states on Thursday condemned a Houthi drone attack on a power distribution station in Madinah that supplies electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque, reiterating their solidarity with Saudi Arabia amid renewed attacks on the Kingdom. The UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait issued separate statements de»»»

Danish architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) has been selected to design a new tower in Rinia Park in Tirana, according to an announcement by the Albanian Prime Minister’s Office. BIG’s proposal envisions a three-dimensional structure elevated above ground level, with a series of volumes desi»»»

Politicians, academics and entrepreneurs discussed the benefits, risks and requirements for introducing and using artificial intelligence (AI) effectively in Bulgaria at a national forum on Thursday. The forum, Building with Artificial Intelligence: From Campus to Smart City, was organized by the U»»»

MONTEVIDEO: The State of Qatar and the Oriental Republic of Uruguay have signed a letter of intent aimed at strengthening cooperation in international mediation, as the two countries seek to expand coordination on the peaceful resolution of conflicts. The agreement was signed in Montevideo on Thurs»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth discussed the two countries’ strategic defence partnership and efforts to strengthen regional security during a phone call on Thursday. “In a call with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, we reviewed the Saudi-U»»»

Vladimir Putin’s spokesman has said Moscow hopes Hungary will continue its economic cooperation with Russia, while warning that Budapest’s recent actions could affect bilateral ties. Kremlin hopes Hungary will continue economic cooperation The Kremlin hopes “reason will prevail” in Hungary and that»»»

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration on Thursday imposed fresh sanctions on Iran, targeting its rail and automotive conglomerates and international suppliers to the sectors, the Treasury Department said, in the latest US push to isolate Tehran economically. The sanctions are part of the department’»»»

Three teams track complaints from the 04 platform to final resolution Dubai: Dubai Police has launched a dedicated “Pulse” Room to accelerate the handling of customer complaints, strengthen follow-up and ensure cases are resolved and closed in line with strict quality standards. The facility, which»»»

Benjamin Netanyahu’s campaign finally got the dramatic election-season image it had been waiting for when the Israeli occupation prime minister appeared at Ben Gurion Airport to greet Zionist passengers who had just survived a “potentially catastrophic Flydubai flight,” according to the Zionist pol»»»

BEIRUT: The deputy director-general of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization told AFP on Thursday that she was “deeply concerned” about the impact of the latest Israel-Hezbollah conflict on agriculture in south Lebanon. The latest war “puts additional pressure on farmers and rural communities »»»

The presidency must act as an independent counterbalance and ensure public money is put to the best possible use, presidential candidate Andrey Gurov said in Kyustendil on Thursday. He was addressing a meeting at the Regional Cultural Institute. The president should support the government when it p»»»

Some stories do not end when they are published; they remain open, and years later they return to you, or you return to them. You discover that what you thought you knew then was only part of a much bigger story. The story of Israeli spy Eli Cohen in Syria is one such example. In March 2004, I inte»»»

The last US troops belonging to the global coalition to fight the Islamic State (IS) have left Iraq, where they were stationed at Victoria Base at the Baghdad International Airport. But in reality, many had already left well before the 30 September 2026 deadline, starting when Israel attacked Iran »»»

Hungary has voted in favour of new EU rules designed to make the return of people without a legal right to stay more effective, including stricter measures and the possibility of return hubs outside the bloc. EU approves new return framework The Council of the European Union has given its final app»»»

LONDON: Police on Thursday arrested a dual UK-Iranian national on suspicion of plotting a terror attack following a security incident at a US-run military air base in England that British authorities have linked to Tehran. The 27-year-old man was arrested in London on Thursday, and police have sear»»»

The European Commission closed an infringement procedure against Bulgaria, which was launched over delays in notifying the Commission of measures fully transposing Directive (EU) 2022/2555, known as NIS2. The Innovation and Digital Transformation Ministry was notified on Thursday, the Ministry’s pr»»»

Poland’s housing market has stabilized, with developer contract signings up 15% to 19% y/y, but growth is increasingly concentrated among large companies. Their stronger brands and lower financing costs help them gain share as the fragmented sector consolidates. The market has about 800 developers,»»»

Buildings affect health, comfort and energy use because people spend about 90% of their lives indoors, said VELUX Polska’s Aleksandra Stępniak at Business PRECOP 2026. She argued that building modernization should be seen as an opportunity for lower costs, better well-being and greater energy secur»»»

Capital Park plans to begin construction of Nowy Wełnowiec, a mixed-use district in Katowice, in spring 2027, starting with three residential buildings. The project will cover more than 30 hectares and is expected to take about 10 years to complete. Later phases will add recreation areas and retail»»»

Tauron plans to repurpose sites at four coal power plants, in Jaworzno, Siersza, Łaziska and Łagisza, for new energy and industrial projects, reusing existing land and grid connections. In Jaworzno, it signed a letter of intent with the city to study a waste-to-energy plant that could produce elect»»»

RIYADH: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Deemah Al-Yahya as a member of the UN High-Level Panel on Freedom of Transit for Landlocked Developing Countries. Al-Yahya represents the Arab region on the panel, a role that reflects her expertise and contributions in the fields of the d»»»

Since the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, which led to the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime, Iraq has undergone a qualitative shift in regional and international balances of power. The two main players in the Iraqi arena are the US and Iran, and both compete for influence. Iran has invested patiently a»»»

Attack knocked out transformer but did not disrupt electricity network Dubai: A Houthi drone struck a civilian electricity distribution station in Medina that supplies power to the Prophet’s Mosque, knocking one transformer out of service but leaving the wider electricity network unaffected, the Co»»»

WASHINGTON: The United States on Thursday announced fresh sanctions targeting Iran’s largest automakers, as well as major rail, manufacturing and metals companies, as Washington seeks to exert maximum pressure in its war against the country. “Because the rail and automotive sectors represent some o»»»

LONDON: Smit Machchhar, the FlyDubai captain who was attacked mid-air by his co-pilot, has been moved from Saudi Arabia to Abu Dhabi for continued medical treatment.The Indian pilot was initially taken to hospital in Tabuk, where the flight made an emergency landing on Wednesday morning after he wa»»»

Manama: Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi said that the GCC states' economies have demonstrated strong fiscal and macroeconomic resilience. In this regard, he underlined that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) commended the resilience of GCC economie»»»

PARIS: A high school entrance hall caught fire in one French city and teenage protesters blocked trams in another on Thursday, as secondary pupils upped their strike over what they denounce as poor learning conditions. The movement in the lycees, which students aged 15 to 18 attend for their final »»»

RIYADH: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed Deemah Al-Yahya as a member of the UN High-Level Panel on Freedom of Transit for Landlocked Developing Countries. Al-Yahya represents the Arab region on the panel, a role that reflects her expertise and contributions in the fields of the d»»»

AMMAN — Minister of Investment Tareq Abu Ghazaleh on Thursday met with Italian Ambassador to Jordan Pier Luigi Zamporlini to discuss ways to strengthen investment cooperation between the two countries.Abu Ghazaleh highlighted the importance of building on the longstanding relations between Jordan a»»»

AMMAN — The industrial sector grew 4.6 per cent in the second quarter and contributed about 40 per cent of the Kingdom’s economic growth, the Jordan Chamber of Industry (JCI) said in a statement on Thursday.The chamber said manufacturing grew 6.2 per cent year-on-year, its highest quarterly growth »»»

AL-MUKALLA: At least 30 Houthis were reportedly killed over the past 24 hours in Yemen’s Taiz province after government forces repelled what officials described as the largest and most coordinated offensive by the Iran-backed group against government-held areas of the province in years. Heavy morta»»»

RIYADH: The official spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen said the Houthis targeted the Taiba power distribution station in Madinah on Tuesday morning. Major General Turki Al-Maliki said an investigation into the incident and findings by authorities have proven the involvem»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian caretaker Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic told Tanjug on Thursday talks between Hungary's MOL and the Russian energy company Gazprom about an acquisition of a Russian majority stake in the Serbian oil company NIS by MOL had not collapsed, as also confir»»»

Russia launched its heaviest combined assault on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure in months on Wednesday, killing seven people and triggering emergency power cuts in Kyiv and nearby regions. The strikes came as officials warned of a difficult winter amid Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power and heatin»»»

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has welcomed the US withdrawal from Iraq, adding that the Americans should also leave all other countries in the region. On Wednesday, the Pentagon announced that the last American troops had departed from Iraq after being there for 23 years. In its s»»»