LONDON: A Norwegian teenager convicted of traveling to Britain to carry out a contract killing on behalf of an international crime gang linked to Iran was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison. Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19, was found guilty in July of conspiracy to murder for agreeing to shoot an»»»

As they met separately with Finance Minister Galab Donev in Sofia Friday, trade union and employer organizations disagreed on the minimum wage and public-sector wage increase in the government's 2027 budget plan. Representatives of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) a»»»

KYIV: Kyiv has begun installing mobile concrete shelters at public transport stops, an AFP reporter saw Friday, as it grapples with air attacks and concern about the city’s preparedness for the looming winter. The Ukrainian capital has faced an increased number of Russian aerial strikes over the pa»»»

LONDON: Downing Street Friday distanced itself from comments by the wife of the British prime minister’s national security adviser who voiced support for banned activist group Palestine Action. Sarah Helm, a journalist and author and wife of Jonathan Powell, Andy Burnham’s national security adviser»»»

The United Nations aviation agency has found Lebanon’s main airport lacks valid certification, according to a report summary seen by Reuters, in a setback to US President Donald Trump’s move to revive direct US-Beirut flights. Trump made the announcement in July and signed an order last month for t»»»

UAE residents urged to monitor security and flight updates amid regional tensions UAE residents are being urged to monitor regional security developments and check flight updates before travelling as Saudi Arabia faces continued missile and drone attacks and widespread aviation disruption. The late»»»

Former Budapest mayor István Tarlós has made unusually sharp remarks about Viktor Orbán’s responsibility for corruption under Fidesz. However, the veteran politician was far from complimentary about Péter Magyar’s Tisza government either. Former Budapest mayor István Tarlós has spoken openly about »»»

LONDON: US President Donald Trump ruled out using nuclear weapons against Iran but raised the possibility of further strikes on its nuclear facilities, saying Washington wanted to ensure Tehran could never develop an atomic weapon. “No, I wouldn’t use nuclear. We don’t have to,” Trump said in an in»»»

Kyiv, Ukraine: Ukraine's Health Ministry is launching a government-approved experimental pilot project to transport donor organs using drones. Ukraine will start delivering organs for transplant by drone, the health ministry said Friday. Kyiv touts itself as a world leader in drone technology, chur»»»

New York: Wall Street stocks were mixed early Friday at the end of a volatile week marked by unease over rising US inflation and hefty artificial intelligence spending. Appearing at the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok, Federal Reserve Chief Kevin Warsh said the global economy had showed u»»»

Presidential candidate Iliana Iotova called on Friday for the next budget to support Bulgaria's poorest and most vulnerable people as part of efforts to overcome poverty. Speaking in Vratsa, Iotova said every effort must be made to lift Bulgaria out of poverty. Around 30% of the population lived in»»»

MOSCOW: Russia has seized local assets of four companies from France, Germany, Sweden and Belgium, according to a decree by President Vladimir Putin, in retaliation for Europe’s wartime support for Ukraine. Thursday’s decree listed assets belonging to French flooring maker Tarkett, German packaging»»»

PARIS: After weeks of student protests, France is set to be swept by broader, nationwide demonstrations Saturday over the cost of living, setting up a potentially fraught period ahead of presidential elections next year. The prospect of the two movements merging, perhaps with outbreaks of violence,»»»

BAGHDAD: Iraq has lost around $60 billion during the Middle East war, Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said on Thursday, with Iran blockading a waterway that is crucial to global energy flows. OPEC member Iraq was producing about four million barrels of oil per day before the conflict, exporting about»»»

BANGKOK: Rising energy and fertilizer costs are hitting smallholder farmers and driving up prices of agricultural commodities, fueling fears of a global food crisis, the head of the UN agriculture development fund told AFP. Global agricultural prices jumped 13 percent in the third quarter of the ye»»»

KALEMIE, DR Congo: US businessman Erik Prince and his mercenaries have emerged as key players in the war-stricken Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), fighting for its government as Washington vies for strategic minerals in the country, researchers and local sources told AFP. Numerous foreign parami»»»

Beirut: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani has met HE Bahia Hariri, Vice-President of Lebanon's Future Movement. The meeting took place in Beirut on Friday as part of HE Sheikh Mohammed's visit to the Lebanese capital. The two sides»»»

Ministry alerts public to dangers of drifting containers in Musandam waters Oman has issued a maritime safety warning to fishermen and seafarers after containers began drifting in waters off Musandam Governorate following the sinking of a cargo ship, with authorities cautioning that some of the con»»»

A historic monastery complex in southern Slovakia, purchased with Hungarian public money under the former Orbán government, remains unusable despite HUF hundreds of millions of being spent on its renovation. The Orbán administration paid approximately EUR 219,000 for the properties in Šahy (Ipolysá»»»

NAIROBI: Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has named a caretaker government to stabilize the northern Tigray region and prepare for an election within six months, after fighting erupted between a rebel alliance and federal troops. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) led an offensive last»»»

Following US President Donald Trump's October 9 announcement of an agreement signed with Russian President Vladimir Putin to import Russian diesel into the United States, a number of pro-Russian social media accounts began claiming that a Russian oil tanker was already carrying thousands of barrels»»»

As the international context becomes more challenging for the European Union, the bloc is looking to boost its ties with like-minded allies. Canada is part of that architecture that the EU says it wants to build. The big news of EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's State of the Union spee»»»

Critically acclaimed Irish novelist Sally Rooney's announcement that her books could no longer be sold in the UK due to her support for proscribed group Palestine Action has left British booksellers rushing to stock up on her works before distributors run out. The British government's ban on the gr»»»

Our guest is veteran French journalist and commentator Bernard Guetta, who is a Member of the European Parliament for the centrist Renew group. He tells the programme that Donald Trump is "a liar, because he tried to tell the American people that Zelensky and the Ukrainian resistance were responsib»»»

Bulgaria marked Aviation and Air Force Day on Friday with the laying of wreaths and flowers at the Monument to the Aviator in Sofia. In 2026, Bulgarian military aviation marks the 114th anniversary of its first combat flight. President Iliana Iotova inspected the guard of honour and laid a wreath i»»»

SOFIA: A string of drone attacks on at least seven cargo vessels in the Black Sea this month, off the coasts of NATO members Romania and Bulgaria, has some members of the alliance wondering if Russian President Vladimir Putin is seeking escalation to test their support for Ukraine in its war agains»»»

LONDON: US President Donald Trump said he trusted no one in politics when asked whether he trusted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, even as he described their relationship as “very good.” “I don’t trust anybody, honestly,” Trump told the conservative US cable news outlet Newsmax on Thursd»»»

DP World says an east coast gateway could give cargo owners faster, alternative routes Dubai: Fujairah’s location on the UAE’s east coast could give cargo owners an alternative gateway to global markets and cut sailing times on some Indian Ocean services by up to five days, according to DP World. T»»»

DAMASCUS/LONDON: Iran has managed to export some liquefied petroleum gas and jet fuel since July, despite a US naval blockade, shipping intelligence showed and people involved in security said. Tehran has in recent weeks been concealing such cargoes among a growing volume of ship-to-ship transfers »»»

Beirut: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani has reaffirmed the State of Qatar's full support for the Lebanese Republic in any measures it takes in response to Israeli occupation actions. Speaking to journalists at the Baabda Palace i»»»

BAGHDAD: Iraq’s prime minister completed his cabinet line-up by appointing a US-designated terrorist after receiving Washington’s approval, in a bid to advance efforts to disarm Iran-backed groups in the country, diplomatic sources told AFP. On Thursday night, Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi announced »»»

RIYADH: The restraint shown by Saudi Arabia to prevent escalation is highly appreciated and demonstrates the Saudi leadership’s commitment to a return to normalcy in the region, the Indian ambassador to the Kingdom has said. In an interview with Arab News, Shri Vipul said: “India has consistently c»»»

Singapore: Singapore said on Friday it would issue warnings to seven companies in Indonesia it identified as responsible for fires that have sent toxic smoke across Southeast Asia, warning the worst may be yet to come. The city-state has beefed up measures to combat the months-long fires and had vo»»»

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has welcomed Ukraine’s first steps towards strengthening the rights of the Hungarian minority in Transcarpathia following talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels. The meeting also raised the prospect of a landmark visit to Budapest, where Zelensky h»»»

US: The United States is making an unprecedented attempt to revive three shuttered nuclear plants to meet rising energy demand, including from large-scale data centers. No commercial nuclear reactor is known to have resumed generating electricity after beginning the decommissioning process that tak»»»

Qatar will help revive Lebanon's ailing energy sector and solve its chronic problems in providing reliable electricity, the Lebanese and Qatari prime ministers said Friday. "We have agreed to establish a comprehensive framework for cooperation in the energy sector and to present viable solutions," »»»

Israel said commercial goods usually delivered into Gaza by private merchants have not entered the beleaguered territory for days because of Hamas threats and a taxation scheme, an accusation the group rejected. Despite a fragile ceasefire observed since October 2025, the Gaza Strip remains engulfe»»»

Friday sermons condemn violence, urge prayers for Saudi Arabia's security Dubai: Imams of the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina condemned the Houthi attack on King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh during Friday sermons, denouncing violence against civilians, travellers »»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Al-Manar correspondent: Israeli enemy forces carried out a sweeping operation toward the towns of Hadatha and Aita al-Jabal in southern Leb»»»

The Ministry of Defence has received emails in October reporting alleged explosive devices, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said on Friday in response to a question from Vazrazhdane MP Ivelin Parvanov about threats made against public buildings and institutions. The emails were sent to official c»»»

Sharjah says it diverts 93 per cent of waste from landfills, with plans to double capacity Sharjah: The UAE plans to produce half of its crops locally as part of efforts to strengthen food security, while Sharjah is preparing to double the capacity of a waste-to-energy plant after diverting 93 per »»»

Crammed with beds and stretchers, the dilapidated Al Jumhuri hospital in Yemen's besieged city of Taiz is running so low on fuel and medicine that it may have to close, officials warn. With pro-Iran Houthi fighters surrounding Taiz and blocking all supplies, the facility is symptomatic of a collaps»»»

Iraq's prime minister completed his cabinet line-up by appointing a U.S.-designated terrorist after receiving Washington's approval, in a bid to advance efforts to disarm Iran-backed groups in the country, diplomatic sources told AFP. On Thursday night, Zaidi announced the completion of his governm»»»

Only 400 million jobs are forecast for 1.2 billion new workers, leaving a major shortfall Abu Dhabi: The world faces a potential shortfall of nearly 800 million jobs over the next 10 to 15 years, with 1.2 billion young people expected to enter the labour market but only 400 million jobs projected t»»»

Bulgaria’s minimum wage will increase by more than 6.5%, while public-sector salaries will rise by over 5%, Progressive Bulgaria (PB) Floor Leader Petar Vitanov told reporters here in Parliament on Friday. Teachers’ salaries are expected to increase by more than 7.5%, while the government also plan»»»

BRUSSELS: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday hailed his first meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar as “very good,” as Kyiv and Budapest sought a thaw in relations after years of friction. Since Hungary’s pro-EU conservative leader took office in May, both countries have »»»

Prime Minister Edi Rama has issued a new statement on social media, addressing the country’s current situation and latest developments. In a brief but pointed message, Rama struck a defiant tone, reaffirming his commitment to Albania and suggesting that the country is now stronger than ever. “I hav»»»

KABUL: Lying in her hospital cot, the 3-year-old girl roamed the room with her gray-green eyes, but her body was listless. Her mother sat by her bedside, quietly weeping. Just a few months ago, she lost her 5-year-old daughter, Khadija, to the same condition: malnutrition. Both girls had the same s»»»

Iran-linked espionage networks raise concerns across Gulf and Arab nations Abu Dhabi: Dr Ali Rashid Al Nuaimi, Chairman of the Defence, Interior and Foreign Affairs Committee at the Federal National Council (FNC), said the UAE faced multiple security challenges during the Iranian missile and drone »»»

The first injectable flu vaccines are expected to arrive in Bulgaria by the end of October, Health Minister Katya Ivkova told reporters in Veliko Tarnovo, where she attended the graduation ceremony for the Class of 2026 at the Veliko Tarnovo branch of Varna's Prof. Dr. Paraskev Stoyanov Medical Uni»»»