In a pointed response to US President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf issued a stern warning to Washington, stressing that “all options remain on the table.” Speaking at a Wednesday gathering in Tehran with economic activists, members of t»»»

The Future Technologies Forum is a major, authoritative platform for showcasing and promoting advanced Russian technologies and projects. Sputnik brings you live coverage as Russian President Vladimir Putin takes the stage at the plenary session of the Future Technologies Forum."[The Russian Presid»»»

Syria confirmed on Wednesday the mass escape of relatives of suspected ISIS group militants from the Al-Hol camp last month following the withdrawal of Kurdish forces who had overseen the facility. "When our forces arrived, they found cases of collective escapes due to the camp having been opened u»»»

Feb. 24 (UPI) -- An Alabama family are attempting to evict an unwanted squatter from their property: a potbellied pig that has taken up residence in their yard. Jamie Watt said the pig turned up on his property Jan. 16 and has refused to leave, despite Watt's efforts to chase it away. He said the a»»»

Colombo: The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, HE Vijitha Herath, met on Wednesday with the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Sri Lanka, HE Hamad bin Mohammed Al Dosari. During the meeting, they discussed cooperation rel»»»

Cairo: Represented by the Ministry of Justice, the State of Qatar participated in the meeting of the Arab National Committees on International Humanitarian Law, which was dedicated to reviewing and adopting the final regional action plan for the application of International Humanitarian Law at the »»»

Transparency and lobbying watchdogs have called for MEP Aura Salla to be removed as a lead European Parliament legislator on the controversial Digital Omnibus proposal, due to her former employment as a lobbyist for the US Big Tech giant Meta. Salla is a Finnish centre-right politician with the Eur»»»

Radostin Vasilev, Chair of the Morality, Unity, Honour party (MECh), told journalists on Wednesday that he expects high voter turnout in Turkiye despite the small number of voting sections. Vasilev was commenting on Parliament's rejection of the presidential veto on Election Code amendments. "The a»»»

Simeonovgrad Municipality has formally opposed plans to construct a refugee center in the Bulgarian town. The proposal for the facility was approved last week during a Council of Ministers meeting, BGNES reported from Haskovo. Under the government’s decision, the State Agency for Refugees is to rec»»»

IAAPA, the global association for the attractions industry, has announced plans to strengthen its presence in the Middle East and North Africa with the launch of a new regional office and the creation of IAAPA MENA. The official launch will be celebrated during IAAPA Expo Middle East, with the new »»»

Samana Developers has contributed Dh15 million to support the Edge of Life campaign to rescue five million children from hunger. Launched in Ramadan by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the campaign aims to raise a m»»»

Vatican City: Pope Leo XIV will visit four African nations in April, the Vatican said Thursday, including Algeria -- the first time a pope will travel to the North African Muslim nation. The Vatican announced a series of international trips in the months ahead for the US pontiff, who was elected la»»»

Dubai: British citizens who also hold another nationality could be stopped from travelling to the UK from Wednesday under new border rules linked to the rollout of the country’s electronic travel authorisation system, complicating travel for British dual nationals in the UAE. Sign up for our daily »»»

Nine inmates were arrested Wednesday following cell raids in a prison in central Greece, for alleged possession of weapons and mobile phones, police said. Police carried out searches in 40 cells across two wings and in the common areas of Domokos prison following the murder of a 43-year-old lifer i»»»

US President Donald Trump has stepped back from his earlier threat to raise global tariffs to 15%, leaving current rates on US exports at 10%, according to Politico. This move spares the UK and the EU from facing higher trade barriers under the new White House regime. Yesterday, the European Parlia»»»

WASHINGTON - Serbian FM Marko Djuric met on Wednesday in Washington with US Congress member Claudia Tenney, co-chair of the Serbian Caucus in the US Congress, to discuss key topics related to Serbia and the region that are also of interest to Capitol Hill. Djuric gave a comprehensive snapshot of th»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Hungary will deploy military personnel and equipment near key energy facilities, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Wednesday. Hungary will strengthen the protection of the critical energy infrastructure in order to protect it from further hostile actions by Ukraine, O»»»

Tunis, Feb. 25 (TAP) - Seven people were killed and seven others injured on Wednesday in 11 road accidents across Tunisia, according to the latest statistics released by the National Road Safety Observatory (ONSR).Despite these figures, the ONSR...»»»

Dubai: Uber has introduced Uber Air, powered by Joby, offering riders a first look at how they will be able to book Joby Aviation’s all-electric aerial taxis directly in the Uber app, in collaboration with Dubai’s Road and Transport Authority (RTA). Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheque»»»

A new travel system for visitors to the UK comes into force from Wednesday for citizens of dozens of countries like the US and Australia. The government says electronic travel authorisation (ETA) will improve the immigration system. However, it has created problems for dual nationals, who have been»»»

Gucci is facing a backlash after using AI to generate images to promote its forthcoming show at Milan Fashion Week. The images have been posted on social media - where users have questioned how using AI instead of human models and photographers is in keeping with the fashion house's claim that it c»»»

An Athens taxi driver has been arrested on suspicion of regularly overcharging customers by keeping on the overnight increased fare system all day, police said Wednesday. A police statement said the 59-year-old cabbie was taken into custody around midday Tuesday after a spot check found that he had»»»

The majority that rejected the President’s proposal to reconsider a bill proposing amendments to the Election Code was predictable, as was the joint vote of Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) and Movement for Rights and Freedoms - New Beginning, former prime minister and current GERB»»»

Caretaker Interior Minister Emil Dechev told Parliament on Wednesday that he had not met with law-enforcers investigating the Petrohan–Okolchitsa case and that all other claims were untrue. Dechev was heard in Parliament following three reports alleging pressure exerted by him on investigators work»»»

The Australian government has told dependants of Australian diplomats in Israel and Lebanon to leave the two Middle East countries, citing a deteriorating security situation in the region, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. The government has also offered voluntary departures to Australian dip»»»

Under the Labour Code, the National Council for Tripartite Cooperation consists of two representatives each from the Council of Ministers of Bulgaria, the nationally representative workers’ and employees’ organisations, and the employers’ organisations. The Council is chaired by a Deputy Prime Mini»»»

Three MPs of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms – New Beginning made a mistake and will correct their votes on President Iliana Iotova's veto of Election Code amendments, the group's Deputy Floor Leader Iskra Mihaylova told journalists on Wednesday. The National Assembly overrode the presidential»»»

The Central Intelligence Agency offered help to potential informants in Iran on Tuesday, providing Farsi-language instructions on ways to safely contact the U.S. spy agency as President Donald Trump mulls possible military strikes. The post is the latest in a series of recruitment pitches in Farsi,»»»

A record 129 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2025, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday, blaming Israel for two-thirds of the deaths. It was the second consecutive annual record for press deaths and the deadliest year since the CPJ began collecting data more th»»»

The Lebanese Army continued on Wednesday confronting the Israeli occupation army in south of Khiam town, South Lebanon, in light of the ongoing Zionist violations and atacks. Al-Manar correspondent reported that a bulldozer belonging to the Lebanese army raised an earthen barrier to block the advan»»»

Dubai: Pakistani visitors heading to the UK — including those travelling from the UAE — can now use a new digital eVisa system instead of receiving a visa sticker in their passport, the British High Commission in Pakistan has announced. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.»»»

Dubai: An Indian expat from Kerala working at a Dubai typing centre has struck it rich, winning $1 million in the latest Dubai Duty Free Millennium Millionaire draw held at Concourse C of Dubai International Airport on Wednesday. Premadasan Makkalikkal, 47, won in Millennium Millionaire Series 537 »»»

Students and educators across UAE schools have welcomed the revised pattern of the CBSE Class 10 Science examination, which for the first time introduced a strict section-wise split into Biology, Chemistry and Physics. Initial feedback suggests the paper was largely student-friendly, with most desc»»»

Parliament Wednesday rejected President Iliana Iotova's veto on amendments to the Election Code, which slash the number of polling stations in Bulgarian elections in non-EU countries. Ahead of the vote, Velichie MP Stiliana Bobcheva said that her parliamentary group would back the veto, which gives»»»

Three people have been arrested in northern Greece on suspicion of belonging to an international drug smuggling gang that imported cocaine hidden in household appliances, police said Wednesday. A police statement said that another two people were wanted in connection with the case. The arrests were»»»

Beijing: Chinese firm DJI, the world's largest drone manufacturer, has sued the US Federal Communications Commission for adding it to a blacklist which restricts sales in the United States, the company said Wednesday. DJI has faced growing scrutiny from Washington in recent years, including for its»»»

Mexico City: Director of Protocol Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico HE Jonathan Chait received a copy of the credentials of HE Mohammed bin Sultan Mohammed Al Kuwari as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Qatar to the United Mexican States.»»»

JERUSALEM Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off a two-day visit to Israel on Wednesday aimed at focusing on strengthening security, economic and technological cooperation between the two countries. The Indian leader stepped out of the plane beaming and descended the staircase to a big hug »»»

Parliament Wednesday rejected President Iliana Iotova's veto on amendments to the Election Code due to 8 MPs of BSP - United Left, BSP leader Krum Zarkov told journalists after the National Assembly's sitting. Zarkov specified that these MPs were three of the ministers in the Zhelyazkov cabinet, Dr»»»

The GERB-UDF coalition submitted documents to the Central Election Commission (CEC) on Wednesday to register for participation in the snap parliamentary elections scheduled for April 19. "We are entering this latest campaign in the spiral of elections we have been experiencing in recent years with »»»

Speaking during a hearing in Parliament's debating chamber on Wednesday, Angel Papalezov, head of the Criminal Police Department at the National Police General Directorate, said that he did not feel pressured to act beyond his duties, nor were any instructions given to him regarding the investigati»»»

The Council of Ministers approved financing of up to EUR 900 million for expenditure in February 2026, covering personnel costs, social payments and other state budget spending, as well as transfers from the State Budget to the budgets of the Public Social Insurance, the National Health Insurance F»»»

The Foreign Office in Berlin has warned of a deterioration in the security situation in Lebanon should a war be waged on Iran, cautioning that “in the event of further escalation, flight restrictions could occur at any time.” It advised German nationals to closely follow travel and security advice »»»

The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said that the UK and France are preparing to transfer nuclear weapons to Ukraine. The UK and France’s plan to transfer atomic weapons to Ukraine is a blatant act of nuclear blackmail aimed at Russia, Alexander Stepanov, a military expert at the Institu»»»

Dubai: In a landmark step toward a unified and digitally secure identity ecosystem, the Federal Government has formally upgraded Pakistan’s National Identity Card (NIC) and Pakistan Origin Card (POC) frameworks. The amendments introduce QR-based verification, enhanced biometric features, stronger f»»»

Miroslav Rashkov on Wednesday categorically rejected all reasons cited for his proposed removal as Secretary General of the Ministry of Interior. He made the statement from the parliamentary rostrum during a hearing of the caretaker Minister of Interior Emil Dechev and heads of departments in the M»»»

The Council of Ministers adopted a decision on the preparation and conduct of parliamentary elections on April 19, 2026. The Cabinet assigns the Minister of Electronic Governance to coordinate the implementation of activities related to the organizational and technical preparation of the elections,»»»

Parliament Wednesday rejected President Iliana Iotova's veto on amendments to the Election Code due to 8 MPs of BSP - United Left, BSP leader Krum Zarkov told journalists after the National Assembly's sitting. Zarkov specified that these MPs were three of the ministers in the Zhelyazkov cabinet, Dr»»»

BELGRADE - The head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic met on Wednesday in Belgrade with the EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Peter Sorensen and pointed out the scale of potential consequences for Serbs in the province in case Pristina started enf»»»

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was evacuated from his residence in Canberra for several hours Tuesday after a bomb threat was received by a U.S.-based performing arts group linked to China's Falun Gong movement. File photo by Lukas Coch/EPA Feb. 25 (UPI) -- Australian police evacuated P»»»