Former Bulgarian Development Bank (BDB) chief executive Stoyan Mavrodiev was released on bail of 50,000 euro after spending only several hours in custody following his extradition from Serbia. Mavrodiev was transported to Bulgaria yesterday at noon in a convoy and handed over to Bulgarian authoriti»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Minister of Defense Prince Khalid bin Salman expressed his condolences on Wednesday to Qatar’s prime minister after the passing of the country’s former emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. In a phone call with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, Prince Khalid praye»»»

The Bulgarian Parliament adopted in a single sitting, at both first and second readings, a bill to denounce the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) and the Protocol on Energy Efficiency and Related Environmental Aspects, which were signed in Lisbon on December 17, 1994. The bill, submitted by the Council o»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s benchmark Tadawul All Share Index closed 0.1 percent lower at 10,704.51 on Wednesday. The MT30 index declined 0.05 percent to 1,424.07, while the NomuC index rose 0.19 percent to 22,581.79. A total of 205.8 million shares changed hands on the main market, with trading valued »»»

Bulgaria's National Assembly adopted the draft 2026 state budget on first reading on Wednesday, approving a deficit of 5.7% of GDP, or 7.191 billion euros, the highest in the eurozone and nearly double the figure that brought down the previous government seven months ago. The bill passed with 143 v»»»

1 of 3 | People attend a rally for birthright citizenship held by the American Civil Liberties Union outside the U.S. Supreme Court as the justices hear oral arguments in President Donald Trump's attempt to limit birthright citizenship in Washington, D.C., on April 1. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI »»»

RIYADH: The Heritage Commission has announced the results of the fourth season of archeological excavations at the ancient Hillit mining settlement as part of its ongoing efforts to preserve the Kingdom’s antiquities. Located about 110 km northwest of Al-Dawadmi in Riyadh region, the site is listed»»»

BELGRADE - There is nothing more natural and more logical than Serbia, Israel and the US being allies and strategic partners as, throughout history, they have shared the same values, Serbian-American Friendship Congress (SAFC) President Vladimir Marinkovic said on Wednesday. In changed geopolitical»»»

At least a dozen people were killed and 90 injured overnight in Russian missile, drone and guided-bomb strikes across Ukraine. File photo by Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA July 15 (UPI) -- At least 12 people were killed and 90 injured overnight in a major Russian airborne assault on targets across Ukraine, a»»»

Damascus, July 15 (SANA) Kuwait Airways resumed scheduled flights to Damascus on Wednesday, restoring its direct service to Syria after years of suspension as international air links with the country continue to recover. Damascus International Airport welcomed the carrier’s first inbound flight fro»»»

Riyadh, July 15 (SANA) Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani met Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in Riyadh on Wednesday for talks focused on strengthening bilateral relations and reviewing regional developments. Syria’s Foreign Ministry »»»

HAVANA: Cuba has restored its power grid, authorities said Wednesday, after the third total blackout in less than ten days as the island faces an energy crisis amid a US oil blockade. The island’s electrical system was fully functioning at 7:00 am local time (11:00 GMT), the state-owned electric co»»»

FRANKFURT: Frankfurt prosecutors said they executed a search warrant at a Deutsche Bank branch in central Frankfurt on Tuesday but disclosed no ‌further details. Deutsche Bank ‌declined to comment. The ‌branch ⁠is at the ⁠foot of the bank’s global base, but prosecutors said that the headquarters we»»»

KAMPALA: Ugandan opposition leader Kizza Besigye refused to accept the lawyers being forced upon him for his treason trial on Wednesday after his chosen advocates were arrested or barred from the country. Besigye, 70, a long-time rival of President Yoweri Museveni, has been in jail since late 2024 »»»

DOHA: His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani met on Wednesday at Lusail Palace with Vice President of Nepal HE Ram Sahaya Prasad Yadav and his accompanying delegation, who offered condolences on the passing of HH the Father Amir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani»»»

Dubai: The UAE has introduced a five-year multiple-entry tourist visa, making it easier for international visitors to travel to the country without the need for a local sponsor or host. The long-term visa allows eligible travellers to enter and leave the UAE multiple times over a five-year period, »»»

In this edition, our reporters look at Haiti, which is still in the grips of a long-running battle against armed gangs in the capital and some provinces. A new international security force is being deployed but has yet to make widespread progress. Against this backdrop, the humanitarian crisis in t»»»

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) suspended the use of traffic stops to detain immigrants across the country, US media reported Tuesday, a day after an ICE agent shot and killed a Colombian driver in Maine. The fatal shooting came a week after an ICE officer killed a motorist in Texas, r»»»

After closing the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran on Wednesday threatened to shut additional energy export routes including the Bab el-Mandeb gateway to the Red Sea, a major global shipping route through which Saudi Arabia exports its oil. The warning comes after the US launched a fresh round of strikes o»»»

RIYADH: CEER, Saudi Arabia’s first automotive company and Saudi-born electric vehicle brand, recently celebrated the graduation of its Saudi engineers from the WAA’ID Program under the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Scholarship Program. The event was held at the Ministry of Industry and Mineral »»»

JEDDAH: Nestled among green valleys and terraced hillsides in the mountains of southern Saudi Arabia, Haswa Mango Farm is using artificial intelligence and smart agricultural tools to improve crop quality, conserve water and increase production. Located in the village of Hiswah, about an 80-minute »»»

The United States launched a wave of strikes against Iran on Wednesday, after it reimposed a naval blockade in a return to war between the two foes. Nearly a month after they signed a memorandum of understanding towards ending the Middle East war, the two sides resumed fighting with strikes on targ»»»

An Israeli NGO on Wednesday condemned a government plan to invest around $2.7 billion in infrastructure and thousands of new residential units across several settlements in the occupied West Bank. Since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took office in 2022, his government has rapidly expanded settl»»»

The Gulf monarchies of Kuwait and Bahrain on Wednesday confirmed they had intercepted fresh aerial salvos from Iran as Tehran and Washington exchanged fire over control of the vital Strait of Hormuz. Kuwait's military said it was intercepting attack drones, and blamed "nefarious Iranian aggression"»»»

The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had sentenced an active-duty soldier to five years in prison for sending videos of missile interceptions to an Iranian agent. The soldier sent two such videos during the 12-day war with Iran in June last year and "received payment for them," the military sa»»»

London: The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Wednesday a revamped format for the men's 2027 one-day international World Cup that could lead to an additional fixture between arch-rivals India and Pakistan. While next year's edition in southern Africa remains a 14-team competition, th»»»

TAIF: Taif’s distinctive stone architecture remains one of the governorate’s defining cultural landmarks, reflecting centuries of history while enhancing its appeal as a heritage tourism destination. Stone houses, castles and fortresses are scattered across mountain peaks, valleys and historic vill»»»

WASHINGTON: Multiple book publishers sued Google on Tuesday for allegedly stealing copyrighted content, using it to train artificial intelligence (AI) models and then generating content that “directly” competes with the original authors’ work. “The scale and speed at which Gemini can create books a»»»

The draft law approving the Free Trade Agreement (FTA), which was signed with Ukraine on 3 February 2022, was adopted yesterday (July 14) at the Plenary Session of the Ukrainian Parliament. The entry into force of the Agreement, the approval process of which has already been completed in Türkiye, w»»»

Ukraine and the European Union have signed a "drone deal" to combine Kyiv's expertise with Europe's industrial capacity in order to boost production, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Wednesday. Her visit comes as Russian strikes killed six people and wounded at l»»»

The parliamentary group of “Revival” launched sharp criticism against the government’s foreign policy, with MP Angel Georgiev presenting a declaration in parliament. The statement was made following Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova’s visit to Kyiv. According to Georgiev, Bulgaria’s foreign policy»»»

The parliamentary group of “We Continue the Change” (PP) has launched a petition calling for the gradual replacement of dangerous metal road barriers with concrete safety barriers in order to improve traffic safety. The initiative was presented by MP Yordan Terziyski, who said urgent action was nee»»»

The Sofia City Prosecutor's Office has set a EUR 50,000 bail on Stoyan Mavrodiev, the former Chairman of the Management Board and Chief Executive Officer of the Bulgarian Development Bank (BDB). Mavrodiev has been formally charged with embezzlement under Bulgaria’s Criminal Code, the Sofia City Pro»»»

Washington, United States: The US military said it had completed its latest wave of strikes against Iranian targets on Wednesday that "further degraded Iran's ability to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz." US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X that it "launched precision munitions»»»

Former Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has announced that he will resign his parliamentary seat and take up an international position at Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD. Szijjártó revealed the decision in a Facebook post, saying he had submitted his resignation because he had r»»»

Dubai: The UAE has introduced a five-year multiple-entry tourist visa, making it easier for international visitors to travel to the country without the need for a local sponsor or host. The long-term visa allows eligible travellers to enter and leave the UAE multiple times over a five-year period, »»»

MADRID: Burglars tried to break in to the Barcelona home of Spain star Lamine Yamal on Wednesday, shortly after he helped La Roja reach their second World Cup final, police and media said. “There was an attempted” burglary “at a home in Esplugues de Llobregat” in Barcelona’s outskirts, a spokespers»»»

DHAKA: Saudi developer Red Sea Gateway Terminal has announced plans to invest up to $1 billion in Bangladesh’s logistics sector, as it launched full-capacity operations at the country’s largest port in Chittagong. Chittagong Port is the main gateway for Bangladesh’s ocean cargo import and export, a»»»

Qatar Airways is ending its operations in Bulgaria, bringing an end to more than 15 years of direct flights between Doha and Sofia in a move that the country's tourism industry says will significantly weaken Bulgaria's air links with Asia, Africa, and Australia. According to Dimitrina Goranova, Vic»»»

Sofia has failed to secure a place in the prestigious Michelin Guide after inspectors completed their assessment of the Bulgarian capital this year. According to chef Boris Petrov, who spoke to TravelNews, the decision was based on a combination of shortcomings involving service standards, restaura»»»

The planet’s seas are on their way to being as warm as bath water as the predicted super El Niño arrives. It is already clear that this year’s oceanic heating event will be the most powerful on record. Global sea temperatures have already climbed past their previous all-time high, smashing records »»»

Dubai: One year after the Air India AI171 crash that claimed 260 lives, India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) says it has made "significant progress" in its investigation but has stopped short of saying when the final report will be released. In an interim statement issued on Thursd»»»

Dubai: Thousands of documents allegedly linked to India’s largest nuclear power project have been published on the dark web, prompting cybersecurity concerns and an official investigation into what experts say could pose a significant security risk. The leaked files are said to relate to the Kudank»»»

The planet’s seas are on their way to being as warm as bath water as the predicted super El Niño arrives. It is already clear that this year’s oceanic heating event will be the most powerful on record. Global sea temperatures have already climbed past their previous all-time high, smashing records »»»

The EU has asked the United States for tariff exemptions on more products, a spokesman said on Wednesday, including cheese and wine. Brussels and Washington struck a tariff deal last year that set levies of 15 percent on most EU exports to the United States, and zero tariffs for US industrial goods»»»

RIYADH: Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah, the supervisor general of the Saudi aid agency KSrelief, has signed a cooperation agreement to support vulnerable groups in Yemeni governorates and help strengthen their resilience, the Saudi Press Agency reported. The agreement was signed with Carl Skau, acting exe»»»

The Smolyan District Prosecution Office has ordered the detention for up to 72 hours of a Romanian driver who allegedly offered a bribe to police officers during a roadside check in Chepelare, District Prosecutor Nedko Simov told BTA on Wednesday. Pre-trial proceedings have been initiated on suspic»»»

Book publishers sued Google on Tuesday, accusing the tech giant of illegally using copyrighted works to train its artificial intelligence models and generate content that competes with human authors. The lawsuit marks the latest legal battle over how AI developers use books and other creative works»»»

Dubai: Dubai residents and visitors can now book an autonomous taxi ride in Umm Suqeim and Jumeirah for Dh5, following an update from the Roads and Transport Authority on Wednesday. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The service, operated in partnership with Apollo Go, ca»»»

Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates has condemned in the strongest terms the renewed hostile attacks by Iran targeting the Kingdom of Bahrain, the State of Kuwait, and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan with missiles and drones. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) affirmed that thes»»»