MP Bolot Ibragimov has been elected Vice Speaker of the Zhogorku Kenesh of Kyrgyzstan. Members of Parliament made this decision at a meeting on February 19. His candidacy was proposed by Mekenchil parliamentary group. It was previously reported that Bolot Ibragimov, who had not previously belonged »»»

New Delhi: Bill Gates has cancelled his speech that was scheduled for Thursday at a major AI summit in India, the Gates Foundation said, after the Microsoft founder was named in the Epstein files. “After careful consideration, and to ensure the focus remains on the AI Summit’s key priorities, Mr Ga»»»

Abu Dhabi: The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre has enhanced its readiness to welcome visitors during the holy month of Ramadan as part of a wider national initiative. A coordination meeting with strategic partners was held to align efforts and strengthen cooperation, attended by Dr. Yousef Al Obai»»»

Greece’s authority against money-laundering has issued an additional report on a farmer’s union official from Crete, as part of an investigation into an EU farm subsidies scam on the southern island, stating that he concealed a total of €8 million from tax authorities. According to information, an »»»

BELGRADE - The Serbian dinar's official median exchange rate against the euro is 117.4176 dinars for one euro on Thursday, which is a slight change relative to Wednesday, the National Bank of Serbia said. The dinar is steady against the euro m-o-m, down by 0.2 pct y-o-y and down by 0.1 pct relative»»»

MP Elvira Surabaldieva has been elected Chair of the Committee on International Affairs, Defense, Security and Migration of the Zhogorku Kenesh. The decision was adopted during a parliamentary session on February 19, with 69 deputies voting in favor of Surabaldieva and one voting against. The commi»»»

"I have always believed that nothing ever starts with us and nothing ends with us. I will try to build on the useful work you have done," caretaker Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Minister Andrey Yankulov said as he took over the post from Georgi Georgiev at the Justice Ministry, quoted by the in»»»

Bulgaria must be consistent and visible in its foreign policy, said Nadezhda Neynsky, Minister of Foreign Affairs in the new caretaker government, told journalists upon taking office on Thursday. “A challenge in today’s time of exceptional geopolitical change is for Bulgaria to have a consistent, a»»»

The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced Thursday that it has adopted a timeline for the snap parliamentary elections on April 19, 2026. The announcement came shortly after the Office of the President announced that Head of State Iliana Iotova had signed a decree scheduling elections for the»»»

Outgoing Tourism Minister Miroslav Borshosh handed over the Ministry of Tourism to Caretaker Minister of Tourism Irena Georgieva, the Tourism Ministry press service said here on Thursday. They discussed priorities for the ministry, results so far and projects to be developed, with a focus on sustai»»»

Nestlé reports its financial results for 2025 and announces organic growth of 3.5%, consisting of 0.8% real internal growth and 2.8% pricing. Nestlé is the largest food and beverage company in the world. It is present in 189 countries around the world, and its 277,000 employees are dedicated to Nes»»»

Sputnik international news agency and radio held another SputnikPro session for Daffodil International University, one of the leading private universities in Bangladesh, based on its cooperation agreement with Sputnik. Senior Social Media Editor at Sputnik’s Foreign Language News Production, Denis »»»

DOHA: Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan represents a golden opportunity to reset one's lifestyle and enhance both physical and mental well-being. By granting the body a period of physiological rest, fasting can help improve key health indicators such as blood sugar regulation, weight managem»»»

Following the swearing-in of the caretaker cabinet, Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov addressed the National Assembly, emphasizing a government guided by reason rather than hysteria. He made it clear that his administration would not promise immediate reforms or miracles, but would focus on ensuring fai»»»

A British couple detained in Iran since January 2025 have been sentenced to 10 years in jail for espionage, their family announced on Thursday. The UK government has condemned the prison terms for Lindsay and Craig Foreman as "completely appalling and totally unjustifiable". An Iranian co»»»

Israeli warplanes carried out strikes on the southern area of Tabna near Sidon overnight, with Israel claiming that it targeted Hezbollah arms depots, launchpads and military sites. Troops also entered the southern border towns of Yaroun and Khiam and detonated two houses there, as incursions into »»»

Sharjah: The Sultanate of Oman has been named Guest of Honour at the 45th edition of the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF), organisers announced on Wednesday. The decision was revealed by Sheikha Bodour bint Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairperson of the Sharjah Book Authority (SBA), who said the choice»»»

“One of the issues I will address during my meeting with Mr. Georgiev is what exactly has been signed. I want to examine the actual documents, because up to this point I am not sure that there has been full transparency regarding all the commitments that this signature entails,” said Caretaker Fore»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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) - 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 »»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»