MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Cuba will resolutely defend its independence while maintaining readiness for an equal dialogue with any country in the world, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez Parrilla said on Thursday. "The government and people of Cuba will resolutely defend their independence and sovereignty a»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Sputnik on Thursday that the UK law enforcement system should have dealt with problems of its own country long ago. Earlier in the day, media reported that UK police have detained the brother of British King Charles III, A»»»

Russia, China and Iran will conduct joint naval exercises as part of growing military cooperation aimed at reshaping the global balance of power at sea, Russian presidential aide Nikolay Patrushev has said. Warships from the three countries have been dispatched for maneuvers in the waters off Iran,»»»

Emirati President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met US Senator Lindsey Graham on Wednesday in Abu Dhabi, the senator said in a post on X. It comes as the biggest American ‘armada’ in decades builds in the Middle East. As US and Iranian representatives met in Geneva on Tuesday, a steady flow o»»»

Vladimir Zelensky has said he would refuse to discuss the historical issues underpinning the Ukraine conflict during any potential meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin has highlighted the shared history between the neighboring countries and argued that Moscow has a duty to protect t»»»

The former Prince Andrew was being held by British police on Thursday after being arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office in connection with his relationship with the late Jeffrey Epstein. File Photo by Julien Warnand/EPA Feb. 19 (UPI) -- Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Prince A»»»

Bishkek Mayor Aibek Dzhunushaliev, together with members of the Urban Development Council, inspected construction work on a section of Chui Avenue, paying particular attention to the preservation of the fountain and green areas. During the inspection, the mayor stated that the structure being built»»»

A mass fight involving senior students broke out at one of the schools in Bishkek, the press service of the Internal Affairs Department of Sverdlovsky district of the capital reported. After receiving information about the incident, police officers promptly arrived at the scene. The conflict was br»»»

The Philippines’ transport chief has relieved a senior enforcement officer from his post after an ambulance carrying a critically ill patient was stopped from using a dedicated bus lane, resulting in the death of the patient. With this, acting Department of Transportation (DOTr) secretary Giovanni »»»

Karachi: A building collapse caused by an explosion in Pakistan’s southern megacity of Karachi killed at least 16 people on Thursday, including children, officials said. More than a dozen people were injured in the incident in the Soldier Bazaar neighbourhood of Karachi at around 4:00 am, when Musl»»»

Former justice minister Georgi Georgiev told journalists as he left the Justice Ministry on Thursday that he was leaving with his head held high and with more than 50 draft laws and regulations prepared, as well as progress on reforms related to the Recovery and Resilience Plan. He handed over the »»»

Caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov and his cabinet took the oath of office before the National Assembly on Thursday, with President Iliana Iotova in attendance. Earlier on Thursday, Iotova signed decrees appointing the caretaker government and setting National Assembly elections for April 19, 20»»»

Handing over the post of Labour and Social Minister to Hasan Ademov at a ceremony on Thursday, Borislav Gutsanov expressed confidence that the Ministry will continue to develop in the most beneficial way for the people. He described it as good news that the Labour Ministry will be headed by someone»»»

Bulgarian sports are celebrating a successful year with investments in infrastructure and consistent support for competitors, said former sports minister Ivan Peshev at the handover of the post to Dimitar Iliev. "We are sending off a successful year - a year with many new investments in sports infr»»»

Active support for Bulgarian athletes and creating better opportunities for young people in Bulgaria - these are the main priorities that Dimitar Iliev highlighted when taking over the management of the Ministry of Youth and Sports from Ivan Peshev on Thursday. "Among my main goals are providing st»»»

Former finance minister Temenuzhka Petkova said the caretaker government was inheriting stable and sustainable public finances from the regular cabinet at a handover ceremony at the Ministry of Finance in Sofia on Thursday. Petkova added that she had briefed Caretaker Minister of Finance Georgi Kli»»»

Singer Bad Bunny is to take on his first lead acting role, starring in a film alongside Javier Bardem and Edward Norton. Porto Rico, described as a love letter to the 31-year-old's home of Puerto Rico, will be directed by rapper René Pérez, known as Residente. The film, which has been in developmen»»»

President Joseph Aoun on Thursday received an official invitation from his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to join him in presiding over the Lebanese Army support conference that will be held in Paris on March 5, the Presidency said. “Your personal participation in this conference will represent»»»

New York, Feb. 19 (SANA) The Arab Group at the U.N. Security Council renewed its condemnation of Israel’s recent measures aimed at asserting control over the West Bank, expanding settlements, enabling settler violence and forcibly displacing Palestinians. The group said these unilateral actions vio»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) has called on all citizens and residents planning to travel to the Holy Sites to perform Umrah to take the initiative to receive the essential vaccinations that will ensure a safe and healthy journey, foremost among them the meningococcal meningitis»»»

Dubai: I started thrifting five years ago and I haven’t looked back. It's not just cheap, but makes me feel like I am saving the planet, one Jean Paul Gautier top (yes, I got one in a bin) at a time. Let's also not forget that the fashion industry is one of the world’s biggest polluters, from texti»»»

OVERVIEW All media report on the caretaker cabinet proposed by Prime Minister-designate Andrey Gurov to President Iliana Iotova on Wednesday. Iotova signed a decree appointing the caretaker government on Thursday morning. POLITICS In an interview with the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), Continue th»»»

Hasan Ademov took over as caretaker Minister of Labour and Social Policy from Borislav Gutsanov at a ceremony at the Ministry on Thursday. Earlier in the day, the caretaker government of Andrey Gurov was sworn in before the National Assembly. Assuming the post, Ademov said that the caretaker cabine»»»

Caretaker Minister of Finance Georgi Klisurski said the caretaker government’s three priorities for his ministry were funding the April 19 elections, extending the budget law and ensuring fair distribution of funds earmarked for municipalities, during a handover ceremony at the Ministry of Finance »»»

Doha, Qatar: Demand for dates is witnessing a marked increase during the holy month of Ramadan, driven by dietary traditions associated with fasting. At the same time, market supply remains diverse and robust, benefiting from continued government support that has strengthened domestic production to»»»

Dubai: The rapid buildup of US military forces in the Middle East has progressed to a stage where President Donald Trump now has the option of launching military action against Iran as soon as this weekend, The New York Times reported, citing administration and Pentagon officials. The report unders»»»

Wizz Air, the leading airline in Bulgaria by market share, has announced the launch of a new direct route connecting Burgas with Radom, Poland. Flights on this line will operate twice weekly, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, beginning on July 21, 2026, at the peak of the summer travel season. Tickets are»»»

Rumyana Bachvarova has been appointed Chef de Cabinet to caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov, the government’s press service told BTA on Thursday. Earlier in the day, she attended the handover ceremony at the Council of Ministers. Bachvarova holds a degree in sociology from Sofia University St. K»»»

An appeals court in Athens has sentenced the founder of a Greek child charity to nine years and six months in jail for his role in a case involving the abuse of minors under his care, converted into a financial penalty of 10 euros per day. Earlier on Thursday, the court upheld and expanded a guilty»»»

National Assembly Chair Raya Nazaryan announced on Thursday that Parliament received on the same day a letter from caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov, in which he states that taking into consideration his appointment as a Caretaker Prime Minister, he hands in his letter of resignation as a deput»»»

Representatives of GERB-UDF said they disagreed with claims that President Iliana Iotova bears no responsibility for the caretaker government. “With regard to the prime minister, we agree that the choice was limited, but as for the composition of the cabinet, we cannot agree that Iotova carries no »»»

Bangkok: Thai police donned a lion dance costume during this week's Lunar New Year festivities to arrest a suspect accused of stealing about $64,000 worth of Buddhist artefacts, police said Thursday. Officers dressed as a red-and-yellow lion made the arrest on Wednesday evening after receiving a re»»»

Lima, Peru: Peru's Congress on Wednesday elected lawmaker Jose Balcazar as its new leader, who assumes the country's presidency under constitution. Balcazar was sworn in as Peruvian president shortly after the vote. His term will run through July 28, 2026, in accordance with the current presidentia»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The UK police have detained the brother of British King Charles III, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, amid the scandal over his involvement into the Epstein case, the Telegraph newspaper reported on Thursday. The police visit coincided with the prince's birthday; he turns 66 on Februa»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Moscow has nothing to add to the description of the latest round of negotiations on Ukraine in Geneva given by head of the Russian delegation and Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday. "At the moment, we have nothing to add »»»

UK police arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on Thursday on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The Thames Valley Police, an agency that covers areas west of London, including Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home, said it was “assessing” reports that the former Prince Andrew sent trade reports »»»

Ukrainian officials will boycott the Paralympic Winter Games, Kyiv said on Wednesday, after the International Paralympic Committee allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flag. The EU's sports commissioner Glenn Micallef said he would also skip the opening ceremony. »»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe West Bank: Israeli occupation forces begin demolishing a Palestinian home in the Ein Al-Bayda area of the northern Jordan Valley 19-02-2026»»»

The poultry population in Kyrgyzstan reached 8.6 million in 2025, the National Statistical Committee of the Kyrgyz Republic reported. Total livestock figures at the end of 2025 According to the National Statistical Committee, farms also own 23,751 donkeys, 11,290 rabbits, and 217 camels. Regional d»»»

A 19-year-old Palestinian succumbed to his wounds on Wednesday evening after being shot by Israeli settlers, as Israeli occupation forces (IOF) simultaneously launched a large-scale arrest campaign across multiple areas of the West Bank, detaining more than two dozen Palestinians. Young Man Martyre»»»

On the day the caretaker cabinet took the oath of office, There Is Such a People (TISP) again tied the new government to the Petrohan crime case, echoing allegations circulated on Wednesday by TISP itself, Vazrazhdane and MRF-New Beginning. Reading a declaration on behalf of his parliamentary group»»»

Authorities on the eastern Aegean Sea island of Chios started efforts Thursday to locate and raise a migrant boat that sank after colliding with a Coast Guard patrol vessel this month, killing 15 people. Coast Guard vessels and divers were in the area of the accident, some 1.5 nautical miles off th»»»

The Judges College of the Supreme Judicial Council released Caretaker Minister of Interior Emil Dechev from his post as a judge at the Sofia City Court on Thursday. The decision, taken under the Judicial System Act, took effect from the date of his appointment by decree of the President of the Repu»»»

London, United Kingdom: Britain's former prince Andrew has been arrested on suspicion of misconduct during his time as a trade envoy, police said Thursday. "As part of the investigation, we have today (19/2) arrested a man in his sixties from Norfolk on suspicion of misconduct in public office," th»»»

Tokyo: Osaka has received an unusual donation -- 21 kilograms of gold -- to pay for the maintenance of its ageing water system, the Japanese commercial hub announced Thursday. The donation worth $3.6 million was made in November by a person who a month earlier had already given $3,300 in cash for t»»»

MIAMI - Serbia's top-ranked tennis player Novak Djokovic is on the list of participants of the upcoming Miami Masters tournament, the organisers have announced. The 2026 Miami Masters will be played from March 18 through 29. Last year, Djokovic lost to Czech Jakub Mensik in the final. Other partici»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A Brazilian mercenary was beaten to death at a base of the foreign legion of Ukraine's Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) in Kiev, Kyiv Independent reported. A Kyiv Independent investigation revealed that a 28-year-old recruit from Brazil died after being subj»»»

Delyan Peevski, leader of the DPS-New Beginning parliamentary group, issued a strongly worded statement in response to the swearing-in of the “Gyurov” caretaker government before the National Assembly. Peevski said his group did not honor the oath of the new cabinet, arguing that it “does not repre»»»