Bangkok, Oct. 16 (SANA) Syrian Finance Minister Mohammed Yisr Barnieh met with Jihad Azour, director of the International Monetary Fund’s Middle East and Central Asia Department, to discuss Syria’s financial reform agenda and preparations for the IMF’s Article IV consultations. The meeting took pla»»»

By Staff, Agencies The Handala hacking group has claimed responsibility for breaching the communications of Tzipi Livni, a former “Israeli” foreign minister and deputy prime minister, alleging that leaked documents expose undisclosed cooperation between her and the entity's Prime Minister Benjamin »»»

Experts and people with disabilities discussed accessibility in Bulgaria as part of the international AccessibleEU project, which forms part of the European Accessibility Resource Centre and is funded by the European Commission. The forum took place here on Friday. Steli Peteva, Director of the Ins»»»

Beijing: China proposed export controls on Friday for technologies in the artificial intelligence, biotech and solar sectors, as it aims to rival the United States at the forefront of innovation. China and the United States have been locked in a tech race, with both sides accusing the other in rece»»»

Shevchenko claimed the title at the U23 World Wrestling Championships, defeating Belarusian Kseniya Terene in the final of the women’s 68kg category. Japan’s Rai Hoshino and Italy’s Laura Godino took bronze. The championships run through October 18. In May, United World Wrestling (UWW) announced th»»»

Riyadh airport remains closed as Indian carriers extend Saudi flight suspensions The Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia has issued a fresh advisory urging Indian nationals to follow local authorities’ instructions and exercise caution as flight disruptions continue across the Kingdom. In an update issu»»»

US President Donald Trump has accused Ukraine of selling American-supplied missiles on the black market, questioning the whereabouts of billions of dollars in military and financial aid provided to Kiev under his predecessor, Joe Biden. In an interview with Newsmax aired on Thursday, Trump lashed o»»»

Bulgarian Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva has asked Health Minister Katya Ivkova for an update on plans to consolidate adopted children’s medical and vaccination records in the National Health Information System (NHIS), the Ombudsman’s Office said. The request follows a complaint from a Sofia woman wh»»»

Peshawar, Pakistan: The families of children killed in a roof collapse at a school in northwest Pakistan called for "justice" on Friday, the day after more than 30 pupils and a teacher were crushed to death. A woman teacher and 32 students, mostly younger than 14, died in the building collapse in t»»»

More than 75% of polling stations will use voting machines under the amendments to the Election Code, and the system is ready for the elections, Information Services Executive Director Ivaylo Filipov said here on Friday after a public demonstration of the vote-processing system for the October 25, »»»

In the third quarter of 2026, the newly registered legal entities in the country were 7,968, and those that declared bankruptcy - 791, the National Statistical Institute announced on its website on Friday. Compared to the same quarter of 2025, the total number of newly registered companies decrease»»»

President and candidate for president in the upcoming elections Iliana Iotova is portraying her opposition to sending Bulgarian troops to the front in Ukraine as the main dividing line between herself and her opponents, Anna Bodakova said on Friday in a declaration on behalf of Democratic Bulgaria »»»

ROME: Pope Leo XIV’s recovery from lung surgery has progressed so normally that the Vatican on Friday stopped providing morning updates confirming he had woken up and had breakfast, even as questions swirled about what his cancer means for the future of his young pontificate. In the near term, Vati»»»

BELGRADE - Serbia's Security Information Agency (BIA) marked its day and 127 years since the establishment of its first predecessor, the Department for Confidential Police Affairs, on Friday. BIA Director Vladimir Orlic laid wreaths at monuments to the first heads of the Department for the Protecti»»»

There will be 11 F-16 fighter pilots by the end of the year, Major General Nikolay Rusev, Commander of the Bulgarian Air Force, told journalists on Friday. He was attending a ceremonial wreath- and flower-laying event at the Monument to the Aviator in Sofia to mark Bulgarian Aviation and Air Force »»»

The National Assembly approved amendments to the Waste Management Act at second reading on Friday to halve the required bank guarantees for waste recovery organizations. Under the amendments, the bank guarantee for organizations recovering packaging waste was reduced from BGN 1 million to EUR 250,0»»»

LONDON: A federal judge restricted how the Justice Department could access records seized from Rep. Ilhan Omar’s Washington home before approving a search warrant, citing constitutional protections for members of Congress, CNN reported this week. US Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh required prose»»»

The ink had barely dried on an agreement between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump over Iran when events in Yemen placed fresh pressure on Beijing. The agreement nudges China gently off the fence, prompting Xi to press Tehran more than he has done to date, so the timing was»»»

Hungary has joined Italy, Poland and Czechia in demanding a delay to the EU’s planned carbon pricing scheme for heating and transport, triggering a three-hour argument at a Brussels summit. Most member states rejected the proposal, raising questions about the future of one of the bloc’s key climate»»»

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Saeed Khatibzadeh told Al-Jadeed TV on Friday that he met with a number of Lebanese officials over the past two days to exchange views and positions, describing the atmosphere of the meetings as good. He added that a recent meeting in New York with Lebanese officials»»»

Applications open October 19 for camping in Al Aqran and Al Thaniya with November 1 start Umm Al Quwain: Umm Al Quwain Municipality will begin accepting applications for temporary winter camping permits on October 19, ahead of the new season starting on November 1. Applications will remain open unt»»»

A 21-year-old man has been charged with murdering a peer whose body was found with his hands tied behind his back in the Harmanliyska River on October 15, the District Prosecutor's Office in Haskovo announced. The suspect has been detained for up to 72 hours, and the prosecution plans to ask the co»»»

The couple reportedly fell in love a year ago and have held a ring ceremony An unusual relationship has attracted attention in Auraiya district of Uttar Pradesh, India, where 75-year-old Ramsugar is reportedly set to marry 30-year-old Rani Rajput, according to local reports. The couple reportedly f»»»

By Staff, Agencies The foreign ministers of Turkey and 18 other countries on Friday strongly denounced Colombia’s inauguration of its embassy in occupied Al-Quds [“Jerusalem”], declaring that the move violates international law and undermines efforts to achieve a lasting peace based on a “two-state»»»

Russia could make a major return to the Olympics in 2028 under its national flag for the first time in years, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Paolo Zampolli, has said. Russian athletes were barred from numerous international competitions following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict i»»»

Self-contained communities help people reclaim time while promoting connection Seven hundred night-blooming jasmine plants might seem an unusual contribution to neighbourhood life. For Tariq Fahim, a resident of DAMAC Hills 2, the explanation was simple: he wanted the community to smell better in t»»»

Dubai Crown Prince visits mourning majlis in Al Ain to console the family of the deceased Al Ain: Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, offered his condolences on Friday»»»

Marra rises early to sweep the yard, feed the chickens and then have her favourite coffee Kugova: At 117, Qamile Marra is not particularly concerned with proving she may be the world’s oldest woman - or even persuading Albanian pension officials that she is not dead. For a woman born under Ottoman »»»

An operation to tow the motor vessel Chelsea 3 is under way after its anchor caught the seabed and secured the vessel’s position, the press centre of the Тransport Ministry announced on Friday. According to the statement, the vessel is located 12.5 nautical miles south of Maslen Nos and 10.7 nautic»»»

DUBAI: Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry welcomed the UN Security Council’s condemnation of the Houthi militia’s attacks against the Kingdom, including strikes against civilian facilities, airports and energy infrastructure as well as the ongoing threats to navigation in the Red Sea and Bab Al-Mandab»»»

The ban protects native vegetation and natural grazing lands until May 14, 2027 Abu Dhabi's annual camel grazing ban takes effect on October 16 and will remain in force until May 14, 2027, as authorities seek to protect the emirate's natural vegetation and desert ecosystems. The Environment Agency »»»

Romania faces a difficult path to economic recovery as weak household consumption, elevated energy costs, and fiscal consolidation weigh on growth, according to the World Bank’s October 2026 Macro Poverty Outlook. The institution expects economic activity to recover gradually from 2027, but warns t»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Iranian Army Spokesman Brigadier General Mohammad Akrami-Nia: US qarships have moved over 500km away from Gulf coast, will be pushed furthe»»»

The United States has extended the exemption allowing four Bulgarian companies in the Lukoil group to continue certain operations despite US sanctions until April 24, 2027, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Pulev said. The Bulgarian entities have received another six-month extension under a general l»»»

Bulgaria's government is moving away from trusting what companies report and towards watching what they do. In the space of two weeks, Prime Minister Rumen Radev has announced plans for a central registry of food prices and published draft rules that would require gambling operators to feed betting»»»

By Staff, Agencies A judge on Brazil’s top electoral court ordered Meta on Thursday to ensure equal treatment of presidential candidates Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Flávio Bolsonaro across its platforms ahead of the October 25 runoff, imposing a daily fine of 500,000 reais ($98,000) for noncompli»»»

Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria Chair and Democratic Bulgaria (DB) MEP Radan Kanev, speaking to reporters in the parliamentary lobby on Friday, described Bulgaria’s position in negotiations on the European Union’s long-term budget as "absurd, dangerous and inexplicable". The Bulgarian government sa»»»

AI Expertforce redefines business outcomes for GCC enterprises with Niya-X platform Dubai: Flytxt, a global Enterprise AI company, has introduced its AI Expertforce product suite in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) market, enabling enterprises to move beyond task-oriented AI agents towards specia»»»

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani held talks Friday at the Baabda Palace with President Joseph Aoun. Speaking after the meeting, Sheikh Mohammed said the discussions covered "bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to implement joint projects t»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Vladimir Zelensky does not want to take responsibility and reach a peaceful settlement, Russia agrees with US President Donald Trump on the matter, said Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday. On Ukraine"With all the desire, it is impossible to discuss anyt»»»

Damascus, Oct. 16 (SANA) Turkish Ambassador to Syria Nuh Yilmaz praised a joint operation by Syrian intelligence and Türkiye’s National Intelligence Organization that led to the arrest of Ali Kayali, known as Mihrac Ural, who is involved in several crimes and massacres, including the Reyhanli bombi»»»

Iranian Army spokesperson Brigadier General Mohammad Akrami-Nia confirmed on Friday that Iran’s air defense capabilities are now superior to what they were during the “Ramadan War,” and that new equipment has been integrated into the country’s combat systems. “In recent weeks, we have downed severa»»»

The fourth edition of the international forum CreaTech Summit Southeast Europe 2026 has officially opened at the Toplocentrala Regional Centre for Contemporary Arts in Sofia. Themed around creativity in the age of artificial intelligence, the event brings together representatives of the creative in»»»

Doha, Qatar: Governor of Qatar Central Bank and Chairman of Qatar Investment Authority HE Sheikh Bandar bin Mohammed bin Saoud Al-Thani met with Group Chair of Standard Chartered Maria Ramos on the sidelines of the 2026 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Gro»»»

Houston: Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled what he described as a "flying" car, equipped with thrusters, during a livestreamed event at his SpaceX rocket company's facility on Thursday. Technical and regulatory challenges have so far prevented the much-hyped flying car sector from getting off the ground»»»

Suspects allegedly arranged foreign licences without lessons or tests for UAE conversion Dubai:Dubai Police have arrested eight suspects accused of running a fraudulent driving licence scheme that allegedly allowed customers to obtain licences from a neighbouring country without travelling there, t»»»

BELGRADE - The City of Belgrade and Air Serbia will host the Wings of Change Europe 2027 conference, one of the most significant events in the European aviation industry, which will take place October 26 and 27, 2027, organised by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Air Serbia has a»»»

BRUSSELS (Sputnik) - The European Union increased imports of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) by 60% in September compared to August, despite existing restrictions and Brussels' policy of abandoning Russian energy resources, according to a report by the Finland-based Centre for Research on Energ»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Iran is looking to create underground storage facilities for energy resources, said Saeed Tavakoli, deputy minister of oil and head of the National Iranian Gas Company, at the Russian Energy Week. The official said this during the session "3+3 Platform: Energy Cooperation as a Pi»»»

Tunis, Oct. 16 (TAP)- "Tunisia will forever hold its head high," President of the Republic Kais Saïed highighted as he chaired a ceremony on Thursday at the Martyrs Square in Bizerte in observance of Evacuation Day. "The homeland is a sacred legacy...»»»