Contract for Repair of Bulgarian An-30 Aircraft Extended until August 2, 2026, Defence Minister Says
Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said during Question Time in Parliament on Friday that the contract for the overhaul of the Bulgarian Air Force's An-30 transport aircraft with Ukrainian company Ukrainmash has been extended until August 2, 2026. Responding to a question from Vazrazhdane MP Ivelin »»»
Corruption Pressure in Bulgaria Reaches 41%, Experts Call for Stronger Safeguards Against State Capture
Experts discussed various forms of corruption and put forward recommendations for countering them at a public discussion in Sofia organized by the Center for the Study of Democracy (CSD) in connection with the presentation of its latest report, "Safeguarding the Foundations: Strengthening Instituti»»»
Sukuk market liquidity shows signs of recovery amid ongoing conflict: Fitch Ratings
RIYADH: The liquidity levels of most Fitch-rated sukuk are improving, signaling a gradual stabilization in the Islamic bond market following disruptions caused by the Iran war, according to the credit rating agency. In its latest report, Fitch Ratings warned that sukuk liquidity has not recovered t»»»
Kuwait Airways starts direct Zurich flights for summer travel
Dubai: Kuwait Airways has launched its first commercial flights to Zurich, adding the Swiss city to its summer network as demand for European travel picks up during the holiday season. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The airline will operate two weekly flights to Zuric»»»
Vucic, Gerapetritis discuss strengthening of Serbia-Greece relations, EU perspective
BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met on Friday in Belgrade with Greek FM Giorgos Gerapetritis to discuss further strengthening of Serbia-Greece relations, the region's European perspective and preservation of peace and stability in the Western Balkans. "A cordial and substantial discus»»»
Azerbaijan launches $3bn agricultural transformation programme targeting 33.8% export growth by 2030
Azerbaijan has allocated AZN5bn ($2.94bn) to a five-year state programme aimed at overhauling its agricultural sector, with public and private financing split roughly evenly and a set of structural reforms targeting higher-value output, expanded irrigation and improved land use, officials and exper»»»
Dodik: Savo Minić among SNSD’s most serious candidates for president of Republika Srpska
One of SNSD’s most serious candidates for Republika Srpska president office in the upcoming October elections is Savo Minić, the party’s leader Milorad Dodik said last evening in Bijeljina. “Minić is the best option this people has at this moment. He is full of energy, knowledge, will, and emotion »»»
NATO Commander Admits Russia is Not Seeking Conflict With the Alliance
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia is not seeking conflict with NATO, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) Alexus Grinkevich said. "I’ve watched the intelligence very closely... Russia is not looking for a conflict... They do understand the term ‘defensive alliance’, and they do understand that we »»»
India: Jaishankar defends Russian oil purchases, challenges Europe on arms exports
India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has strongly defended New Delhi’s decision to increase imports of Russian crude oil after the outbreak of the Ukraine war, arguing that the move was driven by energy security needs and helped stabilise global markets during a period of severe disrupti»»»
Bulgaria Begins Implementing New EU Migration and Asylum Rules
Bulgaria's State Agency for Refugees (SAR) is ready to implement the requirements of the European Union's Pact on Migration and Asylum, which entered into force on Friday, SAR Chair Ivan Ivanov said, as quoted by the agency's press office. Ivanov explained that the pact introduces a border procedur»»»
Indian shooting legend Jaspal Rana dies at 49
Indian shooting legend Jaspal Rana, one of the country’s most decorated athletes and a coach who helped shape a generation of champions, died in New Delhi on Friday after suffering health complications. He was 49. Rana, who was serving as India’s high-performance coach for pistol events, was admitt»»»
On This Day, June 12: 49 killed in Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Fla. - UPI.com
On June 12, 2016, gunman Omar Mateen killed 49 people in a mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. 1 of 5 | People jam the lawn of the Dr. Phillips Center for the performing arts to hold a candlelight vigil after the shooting at the Pluse nightclub in Orlando, Fla. File Photo by Gary I Ro»»»
Qatar reaffirms readiness to advance Middle East peace
New York: The State of Qatar reaffirmed its readiness to work closely with the UN Security Council and all international partners to strengthen dialogue and mediation efforts aimed at achieving lasting peace in the Middle East, while continuing to expand its bilateral and international humanitarian»»»
Dubai gold prices rebound above Dh500 after steep midweek fall
Dubai: Dubai gold prices climbed back above the Dh500 mark on Friday morning, recovering from a sharp midweek slide that briefly pulled 24-karat gold below Dh500 per gram and gave shoppers a short buying window. (Check latest UAE gold prices here, alongside prices in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahr»»»
FM Toiu after talks with Ukrainian counterpart: We voiced concerns over war spillover effects
Interim Foreign Affairs Minister Oana Toiu held a telephone conversation on Thursday with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, during which she conveyed Romania's concerns over the spillover effects of the war in Ukraine on neighbouring countries."Neighbours and strategic partners build strong»»»
Philippine defense chief vows to press on against China’s ‘wickedness’ after sanctions
MANILA: The Philippines defense chief said on Friday he would continue to do his duty in the face of China’s “wickedness,” a day after he was sanctioned by Beijing for what it described as repeated “erroneous remarks.” Ties between China and US ally the Philippines have soured in the past few years»»»
Iran denies final agreement as Trump says war-ending deal is close
Washington: Tehran said Friday it had not reached a final decision on a deal to end the Middle East war, despite US President Donald Trump claiming an agreement could be signed in days and cancelling threatened strikes on Iran. Trump's statements fuelled a stock market rally and tanked oil prices, »»»
Budapest gets payment reprieve as government announces new measures
The government decided at its Wednesday meeting to extend the student loan interest freeze and the repayment moratorium on the baby-expecting loan scheme, while also approving a HUF 3.6 billion hospital cooling reconstruction programme. Budapest was granted a postponement until October 15 to meet i»»»
China's Ports Dominate Global Efficiency Rankings – World Bank Data
Chinese ports once again topped the World Bank and S&P Global Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) for 2025, with seven of the world's ten most efficient trade hubs located in China, according to the annual report. The port of Fuzhou in southeastern Fujian province claimed the top spot globally,»»»
UAE’s first publicly neurodivergent-owned mental health center launches in Dubai
Dubai: Uniquely You Mental Health Center, the UAE’s first publicly neurodivergent-owned and operated mental health clinic, has officially launched in Dubai. Founded by Elaine Maichin, an American neurodivergent, CDA-licensed psychologist, a US-Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), and a licensed t»»»
Saudi envoy to Kuwait vows stronger diplomatic ties
KUWAIT: The Dean of the Diplomatic Corps and Ambassador of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques to Kuwait, Prince Sultan bin Saad, affirmed on Wednesday his commitment to strengthening diplomatic cooperation and reinforcing the principles of joint action to address current challenges. Speaking to »»»
UAE-Sri Lanka trade deal could be finalised within a year
Dubai: The UAE and Sri Lanka could finalise a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement within a year once formal negotiations begin, opening the door for deeper trade, investment and services flows between the two countries, according to Alexi Gunasekera, Consul General of Sri Lanka to Dubai an»»»
Civil Aviation protests to ICAO after Iranian attack hits Kuwait airport
KUWAIT: Kuwait's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announced on Thursday that it has dispatched a third official letter of protest to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) regarding the continued hostile Iranian attacks targeting Kuwait International Airport, the latest of»»»
What Trump claimed is in the US-Iran 'deal'
US President Donald Trump has promised a "great" settlement with Iran, including security guarantees for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, which may be signed in Europe over the weekend. Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump said: "We just made a great settlement of the war with Iran, and we're g»»»
Interior minister attends conclusion of trilateral joint exercise in urban search and rescue
QNA Doha Minister of Interior and Commander of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya) HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani on Thursday attended the conclusion of the joint trilateral exercise in urban search and rescue, with the participation of special teams from Qatar, France, and Syr»»»
Interior minister attends conclusion of trilateral joint exercise in urban search and rescue
Minister of Interior and Commander of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya) HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani on Thursday attended the conclusion of the joint trilateral exercise in urban search and rescue, with the participation of special teams from the State of Qatar, the French »»»
Qatar reaffirms readiness to advance lasting M-E peace with UN, partners
QNA New York The State of Qatar reaffirmed its readiness to work closely with the UN Security Council and all international partners to strengthen dialogue and mediation efforts aimed at achieving lasting peace in the Middle East, while continuing to expand its bilateral and international humanitar»»»
Why Russian trucks in Ukraine are covered in ‘zebra’ camouflage
Images shared by military bloggers show Russian forces using black-and-white striped camouflage on their trucks. The technique aims to deceive the AI recognition systems of Ukrainian drones, underscoring the constant adaptation of tactics in the conflict. "An attempt to confuse the guidance systems»»»
Iran war poses Middle East’s biggest economic shock in five decades
RIYADH: The Iran war has delivered the broadest economic shock to the Middle East and North Africa in at least half a century of regional upheaval, according to an analysis produced by Asharq Business with Bloomberg. Its report, based on analyzing International Monetary Fund data dating back to 198»»»
Iran war poses Middle East’s biggest economic shock in five decades
RIYADH: The Iran war has delivered the broadest economic shock to the Middle East and North Africa in at least half a century of regional upheaval, according to an analysis produced by Asharq Business with Bloomberg. Its report, based on analyzing International Monetary Fund data dating back to 198»»»
Judicial Council Plenum Adopts Decision on Restricted Access to Certain Case Files
The Plenum of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) adopted a decision on Thursday instructing courts to immediately mark certain categories of cases as "restricted access". Case files in some proceedings will not be public, while in other cases only the operative parts of the judgments will be access»»»
Kuwait says morning Iran strikes hit airport radar, caused injuries
KUWAIT CITY: Kuwait said Iranian strikes that targeted its territory on Thursday morning and forced a temporary airspace closure had damaged an airport radar and caused injuries. This marked the second Iranian attack on Kuwait’s only international airport in just over a week, after a drone strike k»»»
Trump calls off Iran strikes, touts imminent peace deal
US President Donald Trump withdrew his threat to launch a more devastating wave of bombings against Iran on Thursday and promised instead that he would soon be able to announce the signing of a deal with Tehran to end the war. As the World Cup opening ceremony got underway in Mexico, Trump posted n»»»
Trump cancels new Iran strikes, announces 'approved' peace deal - UPI.com
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that he had cancelled planned airstrikes on Iran after the regime, along with other regional stakeholders, had reached a peace deal -- an agreement that Iran later denied it has reached. Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo June 11 (UPI) -- Presiden»»»
Report: Trump said Iran deal imminent after 'gaps narrowed' between US, Iran
U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he canceled planned strikes against Iran on Thursday and claimed Iran's leadership "approved" a draft agreement that would extend the ceasefire, reopen the Strait of Hormuz and launch 60 days of negotiations on Iran's nuclear program. Trump has claimed an »»»
Trump cancels planned bombing of Iran
Washington US President Donald Trump reverses course and calls off major US strikes on Iran that he had announced just hours before for Thursday evening. Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said since discussions with Iran "have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and ap»»»
Education Ministry Presents Draft 2026 Budget Providing for 5% Pay Indexation
The Education Ministry's draft 2026 budget was presented at a meeting of the Sectoral Council for Tripartite Cooperation in Preschool and School Education on Thursday, the Education and Science Ministry said. Diyan Stamatov, head of the Union of Employers in the Public Education System in Bulgaria,»»»
Foreign Minister, Committee Discuss North Macedonia Restrictions on Bulgarian Citizen's Treatment in Bulgaria
Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova said Bulgarian citizen Iva Mihaylova cannot receive adequate medical treatment in the Republic of North Macedonia. Speaking at a meeting of the Committee on Policies for Bulgarians Abroad on Thursday, Petrova said Mihaylova already has a scheduled admission to the»»»
Saudi Reopening to Lebanese Exports Boosts Economic and Agricultural Hopes
Saudi Arabia’s decision to resume receiving Lebanese exports has revived hopes among Lebanese business and farming circles for the return of one of the country’s most important foreign markets after five years of disruption that left deep scars on Lebanon’s production and export sectors. The move i»»»
Trump cancels strikes against Iran planned for Thursday evening
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said he hascanceled planned strikes against Iran on Thursday, hours after threatening more bombings and a desire to “take” oil export hub Kharg Island. “Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highes»»»
Live Updates: U.S. to hit Iran “very hard,” Trump says, threatens to take Kharg Island – Ya Libnan
Share: A satellite image shows an oil terminal at Kharg Island, Iran, February 25, 2026. 2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via REUTERS HERE IS THE LATEST President Trump said Thursday that the U.S. would launch “very hard” new strikes on Iran within hours and seize vital Iranian oil infrastructure, incl»»»
Finance Minister Attends ESM Board of Governors Annual Meeting
Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev took part for the first time in the Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) in Luxembourg, the Finance Ministry said on Thursday. The forum is one of the most important events in the ESM's a»»»
Israel Releases Hamas Co-founder After 2 Years of Detention
The son of a Hamas co-founder said that Israeli authorities released his father in the occupied West Bank on Thursday after holding him without trial for more than two years. Hassan Yousef, 71, was "freed near the southern West Bank city of Hebron" and taken to a hospital in Ramallah where he resid»»»
Israel releases Hamas co-founder after two years of detention: son
RAMALLAH: The son of a Hamas co-founder said that Israeli authorities released his father in the occupied West Bank on Thursday after holding him without trial for more than two years. Hassan Yousef, 71, was “freed near the southern West Bank city of Hebron” and taken to a hospital in Ramallah wher»»»
Djuric meets with Koopman
BELGRADE - Serbian FM Marko Djuric met with Director-General of the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement and Eastern Neighbourhood Gert Jan Koopman in Belgrade on Thursday, noting that it was important to keep the EU enlargement policy one of the priorities of EU institutions a»»»
Kyrgyzstan asks China to expedite extradition of convicted compatriots - | 24.KG
Interdepartmental consular consultations between the Kyrgyz Republic and China were held in Bishkek to discuss the issue of extradition. The Kyrgyz side asked their Chinese counterparts for further assistance and to expedite the consideration of applications for the extradition of citizens of Kyrgy»»»
Nikolay Nenovsky Appointed BNB Governing Council Member
President Iliana Iotova signed a decree appointing Nikolay Nenovsky as a member of the Governing Council of the Bulgarian National Bank (BNB), effective June 13, the President’s Press Secretariat said on Thursday. Iotova will attend the official ceremony for Nenovsky’s inauguration, which will take»»»
BTA, CEM Discussion Focuses on Future of Regional News and Need for Greater Support
The discussion "The Future of Regional News", organized by the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) and the Council for Electronic Media (CEM), took place in Sofia on Thursday. All regional journalists, regardless of their media outlet, were invited to the event. At the opening of the discussion, BTA Direct»»»
KAUST tests innovative solar panel coating
JEDDAH: Researchers at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology have developed a coating that allows solar panels to clean themselves while simultaneously capturing moisture from the air. Dust accumulation is one of the most significant challenges facing solar energy systems, particularly»»»
Hormuz Shock Hits Gulf Economies, Saudi Arabia Takes Center Stage in 2026
The global economy is entering an extremely sensitive phase in 2026 amid escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, which have cast a heavy shadow over the fragile global recovery and reshaped the global credit and financial landscape. At the heart of these turbulent developments, Gulf Co»»»