Belitsa Mayor Radoslav Revanski was detained in handcuffs and charged following a police operation involving Bulgaria’s General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDBOP) and State Agency for National Security (SANS), with authorities holding him for up to 72 hours. Revanski was taken away f»»»

Bulgaria will abstain from financing lethal weapons for Ukraine through the European Peace Facility (EPF), with the government of Rumen Radev approving a position of “constructive abstention,” the Council of Ministers’ press office announced. The government adopted the decision at its meeting today»»»

JUBA: The death toll from a drone strike Monday on a market in an area disputed between Sudan and South Sudan has risen to 153 and is likely even higher, a local official told AFP on Wednesday. Authorities in Abyei district said the strike on the Amiet market involved the use of multiple munitions »»»

BELGRADE - Marko V and Matej A, arrested on Wednesday in Novi Sad and Vrnjacka Banja, respectively, on suspicion of planning to spark unrest in Serbia on election day, October 25, have Croatian passports, Tanjug learns. It remains unknown whether they are also Serbian nationals. Marko V was arreste»»»

US envoy Steve Witkoff is in Saint Petersburg, holding talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin. The face to face meeting comes after he met with Ukraine's president and other European leaders in Oslo. Witkoff is due to return to the Norwegian capital after his visit to Russia. Washington seeks »»»

A 23-year-old Syrian man has been charged with assaulting three young men, including stabbing two of them near Sofia’s National Palace of Culture (NDK) on October 16, the Sofia District Prosecutor’s Office announced. Evidence collected by investigators indicates that the accused, identified by the »»»

DUBAI: Every October the world turns pink. But the color that may matter most in the fight against cancer is one no one can see: the genetic code inside our own cells. For decades, cancer treatment has often worked like a carpet bomb: hit hard, hit everything, and hope the patient is still standing»»»

JEDDAH: Breast cancer awareness is reaching far beyond hospital walls in Jeddah this October. From shopping centers and cafes to schools, hotels and running clubs, organizations across the city are weaving awareness campaigns into everyday activities, using familiar community spaces to encourage co»»»

PARIS: A fighter jet crashed in eastern France, leaving at least one person dead, the French armed forces said on Wednesday. The Mirage 2000D combat aircraft was returning from a mission when it crashed late Tuesday evening, according to the armed forces ministry. The plane’s crew consisted of a fi»»»

The government on Wednesday approved a position for Bulgaria to exercise constructive abstention on European Peace Facility (EPF) measures financing purchases of new lethal weapons for Ukraine, the Government Information Service said. Bulgaria's required financial contribution under the EPF will be»»»

At its regular sitting on Wednesday, the Council of Ministers allocated EUR 250 million in additional transfers to the 2026 budget of the Regional Development and Public Works Ministry to cover the implementation of projects under the Investment Programme for Municipal Projects this year. The funds»»»

The government approved a draft cybersecurity memorandum between Bulgaria and Albania as a basis for negotiations on Wednesday, the Government Information Service said. The proposed Memorandum of Understanding between Bulgaria's State Agency for National Security (SANS) and Albania's National Cyber»»»

Bulgarian Air Force crews flying F-16, MiG-29, Su-25 and L-39 aircraft are conducting patrol, surveillance and reconnaissance missions over Bulgaria’s territorial waters in the Black Sea, the Defence Ministry press service said Wednesday. The missions aim to improve situational awareness and securi»»»

Doha: The Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) and QNB Group have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to facilitate access to banking services to QFC-licensed firms and explore opportunities to support the development of Qatar's capital markets. The agreement brings together QFC's role in attracting»»»

Samarkand: The State of Qatar, through the Ministry of Social Development and Family (MSDF), is participating in the World Summit on Investing in Children's Well-being, which started in the Republic of Auzbekistan on Wednesday. Held under the theme "Investing in Children's Well-being: A Path Toward»»»

DUBAI: The Gulf is moving from importing medical innovation to shaping it, according to Baptiste de Clarens, general manager of vaccines for the Greater Gulf at Sanofi. Speaking to Arab News on the sidelines of the Future Health Summit in Abu Dhabi, de Clarens said the French drugmaker’s role in th»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s accelerating investment in artificial intelligence is increasingly reflected in how people learn and work, with new data showing surging demand for AI-related skills and professional credentials across the Kingdom. The findings come from Coursera’s latest AI-Human Skills Syne»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Minister of Interior Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif reviewed operations at security forces headquarters in Riyadh on Tuesday, inaugurating two command-and-control and cybersecurity centers and launching digital services for security personnel. The center and security drone systems»»»

Police led Radoslav Revanski, the mayor of the small southern municipality of Belitsa who a ranking representative of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF), out of his office on Wednesday. An arrest was rumoured but not officially confirmed. There was strong police presence outside the mayor's»»»

Bulgaria recorded the European Union’s steepest annual increase in fuel and lubricant prices for personal vehicles in September 2026, with costs rising by 42.2%, according to Eurostat data. The increase was 10.8 percentage points above the EU average of 31.4%, according to the bloc’s latest co»»»

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that any interference in the Yemen war by Egypt or any other country would make the situation "more difficult". "Egypt has sufficient experience to avoid entangling itself in such a highly complex conflict," said Iran's top diplomat in an in»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin told US special envoy Steve Witkoff that Russia is ready to resume trilateral talks on Ukraine in November, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said. Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov revealed key details of the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US speci»»»

The images of France's riots posted and broadcast around the world have cast a pall on the country's important tourism sector, with many fearing worse consequences if violence returns. "The surge of violence in the centers of Nice, Paris, Lyon -- it's catastrophic," said Christelle Cassagne, head o»»»

MADRID: Argentina’s far-right President Javier Milei called Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez a “dictator” in a visit to Madrid on Wednesday, urging voters to oust the Socialist leader in upcoming elections. It was yet another barb by Milei against his nemesis Sanchez, a global progressive star »»»

At its regular meeting on Wednesday, the Government approved a draft Memorandum of Understanding on Economic Cooperation between Bulgaria's Ministry of Economy, Investments and Industry and the Ministry of Economy and Planning of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Government Information Service repor»»»

Doha: Qatar Free Zones Authority (QFZ) participated in the UK-GCC Strategic Dialogue, organized by The Business Year, under the patronage of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), held in London on 20 October 2026. The participation reinforced QFZ's commitment to strengthening economic cooperation, at»»»

The case in Nigeria was detected in a woman who had travelled from Uganda to Abuja Lagos: The first Ebola case detected in Nigeria is the Bundibugyo strain, which is behind a major DR Congo outbreak, and the patient is a diplomat, an emergency meeting heard on Wednesday. The case in Nigeria, Africa»»»

Damascus, Oct. 21 (SANA) Syria’s Integrated Livestock Development Project has won the International Fund for Agricultural Development’s (IFAD) 2026 Gender Award for expanding rural women’s access to finance and strengthening their role in community decision-making. The award was announced at a cere»»»

The government approved amendments to the Ordinance on Inclusive Education on Wednesday to strengthen support for children and students with special educational needs, the Government Information Service said. The amendments clarify how teaching and support are organized and how specialists from dif»»»

The Council of Ministers approved the opening of a consulate of the Republic of the Congo in Bulgaria, the Government Information Service said on Wednesday. The consulate will be headed by Bulgarian citizen Nedelin Petrov as honorary consul, in recognition of his professional experience and repeate»»»

Kinshasa: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the National Economy of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo), HE Daniel Mukoko Samba, met with Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, HE Hamad bin Dhaen Al Kuwari. During the meeting, they discussed cooper»»»

French President Emmanuel Macron landed in Riyadh where he is due to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday, in a surprise "solidarity" visit after weeks of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia. Macron is the first Western leader to visit the kingdom since Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis intensif»»»

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's main rival in October 27 elections, ex-army chief Gadi Eisenkot, said on Wednesday that he would refuse to serve as a minister in a new government led by the current premier. With the poll just days away, and predictions that no side will win on its own, some com»»»

A ship was struck on Wednesday by an "unknown projectile" off the coast of Oman, near the Strait of Hormuz, sparking a fire, a British maritime security agency said. The tanker, 11 nautical miles (around 20 kilometers) off the town of Bukha, is "now at anchor", the UKMTO reported. "All crew are rep»»»

Arab Finance: The Future Hospitality Summit (FHS) Egypt will bring investors, developers, hotel operators, and government leaders to the Sofitel Downtown Cairo Nile on November 10 and 11 to examine investment opportunities across the country’s hospitality, tourism, and real estate sectors, as per a»»»

RIYADH: From refrigerated trucks carrying fresh produce from Al-Kharj to strategically located warehouses stocked with grain reserves, Saudi Arabia is quietly reshaping the way food moves across the Kingdom. Industry leaders speaking at the Saudi Agriculture Exhibition 2026 said food security was n»»»

The government approved EUR 60.7 million for the preparation and conduct of the parliamentary elections that took place on April 19, the Cabinet's press service reported on Wednesday. These expenses were already incurred, as provided for in the budget for the elections, which was adopted by the gov»»»

Doha: Chairman of Qatar Chamber HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammed Al-Thani described the Federal Republic of Germany as an important economic partner for Qatar, noting the remarkable development in relations between the two countries, particularly in recent years, and their shared commitmen»»»

Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, and Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic, HE Jean-Noël Barrot, chaired in Doha sessions of the fourth annual strategic dialogue between the State of Qatar a»»»

ANKARA: Turkiye, Qatar, Pakistan, and Indonesia signed an agreement on Wednesday to boost defense cooperation and strengthen defensive capabilities, the Turkish Defense Ministry said. In a statement, the ministry said the countries signed the “Badr Memorandum of Understanding” in Doha as a sign of »»»

Earlier in the day, US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting at the Constantine Palace in the Russian city of St. Petersburg. Russian President Vladimir Putin and US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff had a substantive conversation, Kreml»»»

Capital imposes first anti-smog curbs of season after air quality deteriorates sharply Dubai: Delhi has imposed its first anti-pollution restrictions of the season after air quality deteriorated sharply on Wednesday, triggering emergency measures across the National Capital Region (NCR) as the city»»»

Airlines to face review of civil aviation sector public sector undertakings Dubai: Representatives of Air India and IndiGo will appear before India's Parliamentary committee on November 2. The meeting is as part of a review of the performance of central public sector undertakings (CPSUs) in India’s»»»

RIYADH: The Coalition confirmed on Wednesday that it had intercepted and destroyed several drones launched towards the Kingdom. Brig. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki, the coalition spokesman, stated that five drones launched toward the Madinah and Eastern Region were intercepted and destroyed. Meanwhile, the »»»

A new wave of bomb threats has targeted 27 schools in Hungary’s Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County, with a further threat reported at a school in Budapest. Police are inspecting the affected buildings, and no explosives have been found at sites searched so far, authorities said. Another 27 bomb threats tw»»»

WASHINGTON: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky called Wednesday for freezing the front in his country’s war against Russia as a first step toward ceasefire talks. “Right now we have to freeze, and I think this is (the) real way to end this war. We call it ceasefire... freeze and stop,” Zelensky s»»»

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday blamed “foreign leaders,” including those “on the other side of the Atlantic,” for trying to exploit France’s tense social climate for their own political agenda. Protests over soaring living costs have led to widespread rioting and looting. US P»»»

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s devastating wildfires are fueling anger across the country, with protesters demanding action against the toxic haze that has for weeks engulfed Southeast Asia, leaving hundreds of thousands of people ill. Indonesia is struggling to contain fires that have been ravaging vast swa»»»

GENEVA: The El Nino weather phenomenon gripping the planet could be off the charts, the United Nations warned Wednesday, saying countries should take urgent action to prepare for the worst. “The current El Nino event could be unprecedented in strength. Literally off the monitoring charts that we ha»»»

Speed limits will increase on three roads, and reduce on two Speed limits on five key streets in Dubai are set to change starting November 1. On Al Asayel Street, the limit will increase from 60 to 80 km/h between Oud Maitha Street and Al Meydan Street. On Al Mustaqbal Street, it will increase from»»»