The controversy over a pardon President Iliana Iotova granted as vice president in 2022 was a manufactured, rehashed scandal, Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Pekanov told journalists on Saturday. He spoke after the opening ceremony for the 2026/2027 academic year at the University of Telecommunication»»»

President Sadyr Japarov and First Lady Aigul Japarova visited a 6D cinema at Balastan children’s center in Talas. The center combines spaces for children’s recreation, learning, and development. The cinema serves as one of its venues for family leisure. During the visit, the head of state highlight»»»

Operators from Russia’s Smersh drone brigade destroyed two Ukrainian vehicles carrying personnel, ammunition, and military equipment in the rear area near the Slavyansk-Kramatorsk agglomeration, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said. The vehicles were detected during reconnaissance operations, after wh»»»

More details will be provided in a few days regarding the case of the individual who was pardoned in 2022, President Iliana Iotova told reporters here on Saturday. The issue was raised Friday by Yes, Bulgaria and Continue the Change, who separately called on President Iotova to explain why, as vice»»»

Nine-year-old Iveya Mireva and 14-year-old Boyan Tasev were honoured on Saturday as the winners of this year's Hedgehogs' Spines children's creative writing competition. President Iliana Iotova and Deputy Minister of Education and Science Senya Terzieva presented the awards at Sts Cyril and Methodi»»»

Doha, Qatar: Media City Qatar and Qatar Satellite Company, Es'hailSat, have launched a new exclusive offering for Media City Qatar's licensed companies, providing them with special packages for a range of world-class satellite services and infrastructure to support their operations and growth. The »»»

Damascus, Sept. 12 (SANA) Syria has strongly condemned the targeting of the East-West oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh and Madinah regions by drones originating from Iraqi territory, expressing full solidarity with the Kingdom and support for measures taken to protect its security and stabilit»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Labour has outlined the steps for recruiting domestic workers through Moawen, its recently launched e-platform. The platform enables users to complete recruitment procedures, deal with licensed recruitment agencies and track applications online, streamlining the process»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia is working with Washington, and US representatives are demonstrating a "constructive and amicable" attitude, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said on Saturday. "Work is underway. The President [Russian President Vladimir Putin] spoke with [US President Donald] Trump the other day»»»

Airlines are restoring some routes, but major international carriers remain suspended Dubai: UAE travellers face another weekend of mixed flight operations as some delays and cancellations were recorded at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed International Airport and Dubai International Airport, while airlines conti»»»

The Government will submit a package of legislation to Parliament next week aimed at strengthening children’s rights and safety, Prime Minister Péter Magyar said in Budapest on Saturday. He was speaking at a press conference presenting a report on the country’s child-protection system. Rules to be »»»

Isolated fires following Friday night's explosions at EMCO's ammunition depots near Gorni Varpishta are not spreading, Minister of Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev said on Saturday. Demerdzhiev spoke to journalists in Tsareva Livada, Gabrovo Region, during a visit following the fire at the depots in Dryan»»»

Every ammunition depot in Bulgaria will be inspected following Friday night's explosions at EMCO's depots near Gorni Varpishta, Minister of Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev said on Saturday. He spoke to journalists in Tsareva Livada during a visit to the area following the explosions in Dryanovo Municipal»»»

Minister of Planning and Economic Development Ahmed Rostom said the Egyptian economy has demonstrated exceptional resilience in the face of regional and international challenges, noting that the growth rate rose to 5.1 percent in fiscal year 2025/2026, up from 4.4 percent in the previous fiscal yea»»»

Sheikh Mohammed praises Maktoum’s leadership and quiet commitment to public service Dubai: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has shared a new letter addressed to Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Fir»»»

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Iran is working on joining BRICS' New Development Bank, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Saturday. "We are working on this," Araghchi's official Telegram channel quoted the minister as saying in response to journalists' questions about Iran's possible membership in»»»

The next round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon in Rome has been delayed until October, a U.S. official said. Last month, the United States had said the next round of talks in the Italian capital would take place in early September. While the Rome talks will not go ahead as planned, the L»»»

A group of men and children gathered at a vantage point overlooking their village in southern Lebanon, watching from a distance as Israeli drones descended, carrying boxes laden with explosives to be dropped on houses. It has become a daily ritual for residents of Mansouri, who fled the village wee»»»

President Joseph Aoun visited the country's south on Saturday morning, in a surprise trip to Nabatieh, a city close to a strategic Hezbollah position recently captured and blown up by Israel. Official Lebanese media said he arrived in the city of Nabatieh unannounced and accompanied by Army chief G»»»

Doha, Qatar: Under the patronage of Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, Doha will host the 6th World Conference on International Arbitration on November 3-4. The conference, organized by the Qatar International Center for Conciliati»»»

Paris, France: Investigators suspect that a train derailment in northwest France which injured 44, one gravely, was the result of sabotage, a police source told AFP on Saturday. A fragment of rail was found on the track, with the possibility of a malicious act being treated as the main line of inqu»»»

Dozens injured as Rouen–Caen service derails near Renault factory Clion: Investigators suspect that a train derailment in northwest France which injured 44, one gravely, was the result of sabotage, a police source told AFP on Saturday. A fragment of rail was found on the track, with the possibility»»»

The Lebanese Army has arrested a relative of ousted Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, as well as the son of famous Lebanese drug lord Nouh Zaiter, a security source told AFP. The source, requesting anonymity, said that the military "arrested three people, including Suleiman Hilal al-Assad, the son of o»»»

The Iran-backed Houthis controlled Yemen's entire Red Sea coast on Saturday after capturing three strategic islands in a lightning offensive the previous day, cementing their hold on a vital shipping corridor linking Europe and Asia. The developments are likely to deepen the Middle East war's impac»»»

Iran's foreign ministry said the country would meet with Gulf states in Oman on Monday to discuss the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which the Islamic republic has blockaded during the Middle East war. "This meeting is intended to promote better understanding among the countries of the region and help»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US peacemaking efforts on Ukraine have intensified, and Russia hopes they will prove fruitful, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday. "There are US peacemaking efforts, for which we are very grateful, which continue and have now intensified again. And we sincerely hope»»»

Abu Dhabi has given her a home built around family, nature, culture, sport, community Dubai: For Sabrina Spillner, home is not defined by one address or a single favourite place. It is a walk along Saadiyat Beach with her children. A run along the Corniche. A morning on Hudayriyat Island. Exploring»»»

Saudi authorities said drones launched from Iraq led to the temporary closure of a crucial oil export route used to bypass the lockdown of the Strait of Hormuz. Riyadh has increased its use of the East-West pipeline, which links Abqaiq, near the Gulf, to the port of Yanbu on the Red Sea, since the »»»

President Iliana Iotova is considering convening the Consultative Council on National Security (CCNS) following further explosions at EMCO depots, she told journalists on Saturday. Iotova spoke before taking part in the awards ceremony for the Hedgehogs' Spines children's creative writing competiti»»»

Washington, United States: US President Donald Trump asked the Smithsonian Institution on Friday to install statues of George Washington, in his latest bid to reshape the treasured museum he has faulted over its presentation of American history and values. Trump, who has sought to root out what he »»»

The two-day BRICS summit kicks off in New Delhi, India on September 12, bringing together heads of state and government from an expanded 11-member group. Sputnik brings you a live broadcast from New Delhi where world leaders and delegations are arriving to take part in the 2026 BRICS Summit.The off»»»

Arab Finance: The UAE and affiliated investment entities have led a $3 billion Series D funding round in Elon Musk’s tunneling startup The Boring Company, with Dubai-based diversified investment firm Shamal Holding also joining the investment. The financing valued the company at $23 billion. The ca»»»

BRICS Summit sidelines talks highlight shared vision for prosperity and stability Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, has met with Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of the Republic of India, and discussed the longstanding friendship and cooperation between the two »»»

Tunis, Sept. 12 (TAP)- Thundery and sometimes heavy rain is expected Saturday in the north. Affected regions are the midland and the south during the afternoon with localised hailstorms, the National Institute of Meteorology said.Temperatures are...»»»

AI labs face scrutiny after agents target multiple coding platforms worldwide San Francisco: ChatGPT maker OpenAI confirmed on Friday that autonomous software built on its models targeted another website during testing a couple of months before a separate attack on the coding site Hugging Face. The»»»

Units of Russia's Tsentr battlegroup have liberated the settlement of Veseloye in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday. "As a result of decisive actions by units of the Tsentr battlegroup, the settlement of Veseloye in the DPR has been liberated," the m»»»

Minister of Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev and senior officials were at the scene of the fire near EMCO's ammunition depots outside Gorni Varpishta on Saturday. Others at the scene in Dryanovo Municipality, Gabrovo Region, included Acting Interior Ministry Chief Secretary Chief Commissioner Lyubomir Nik»»»

More than half of Bulgaria’s 15-year-old pupils fall below minimum proficiency in reading and mathematics, according to the National Network for Children. Proposals to tackle learning difficulties range from language checks at kindergarten entry to changes in school funding. In its assessment of PI»»»

Cairo: Standing outside a bakery in Cairo's working-class El-Marg district, Eman Abdel Fattah thumbed a handful of crumpled banknotes, calculating how much bread she could afford after her family's food subsidy card was suspended. "We used to worry about having enough money for meat," the 42-year-o»»»

Doha, Qatar: Misty to foggy conditions are expected over the coming days, the Qatar Meteorology Department (QMD) warned in its latest alert. It added that relative humidity is expected to remain high over the coming days, with weather conditions expected to be relatively humid to humid. It further »»»

Uralvagonzavod company, an incorporation of State Corporation Rostec, has sent new batches of T-90M Proryv and T-72B3M tanks to the Russian Army ahead of Tankman's Day. The vehicles feature upgraded omnidirectional protection, with further improvements ongoing based on frontline crew feedback. “Thi»»»

Bulgaria's 2027 budget will focus on gradual fiscal consolidation, social and income policies, and improving the investment climate, Parliamentary Budget and Finance Committee Chair and Progressive Bulgaria MP Konstantin Prodanov said in a television interview on Saturday. Prodanov said efforts to »»»

Berlin, Sept. 12 (SANA) The United Arab Emirates and Germany stressed on Friday the importance of preserving Syria’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity. In a joint statement issued on the occasion of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s visit to Germany and published by the »»»

Coron, Philippines: The bodies of passengers killed in a ferry fire off the Philippines arrived at a port near the resort town of Coron, Palawan on Saturday morning, as the country's coast guard warned the death toll of 35 would grow. AFP watched tents being set up to accept 30 bodies brought from »»»

Bulgaria is preparing targeted support for those most in need and businesses if fuel prices become unaffordable, Parliamentary Budget and Finance Committee Chair and Progressive Bulgaria MP Konstantin Prodanov said in a television interview on Saturday. Prodanov said the state was ready to act at a»»»

Hong Kong: China and Nepal have taken different approaches to information after a Himalayan flood, shaping what the public saw of a disaster that killed more than 1,400 people. The August 26 tsunami-like surge of water, mud and debris from a glacial mountain collapse on the China-Nepal border left »»»

Security, protests and business questions as Trump mixes diplomacy with golf Dublin: US President Donald Trump lands in Ireland under tight security Saturday for two days of diplomacy and golf, on a trip that again blurs the lines between his presidency and personal business interests. At least 4,0»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian armed forces carried out a massive strike overnight, hitting metallurgical plants in Zaporozhye, Dnepropetrovsk and Krivoy Rog that supply Ukrainian forces, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday. "Overnight, the Russian armed forces launched a massive strike u»»»

Riyadh decries ‘dangerous escalation’ after drones force pipeline shutdown Riyadh: Saudi authorities said Friday drones launched from Iraq led to the temporary closure of a crucial oil export route used to bypass the lockdown of the Strait of Hormuz. Riyadh has increased its use of the East-West pi»»»

Danube water levels continued to fall slightly over the past 24 hours, the Executive Agency for Exploration and Maintenance of the Danube River said on Saturday. Water levels fell by between 1 and 6 centimetres across the Bulgarian stretch of the river. The largest fall was at Silistra, where the l»»»