An initiative committee is being formed to nominate Andrej Gurov for president, the Chair of Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria (DSB) and MP from the Democratic Bulgaria coalition, of which DSB is part, Atanas Atanasov, said in a Bulgarian National Television interview on Saturday. Atanasov said that »»»

Dubai: Pakistan has decided to phase out machine-readable passports and transition fully to e-passports, a move aimed at enhancing security, reducing fraud and improving international travel, according to reports by Dawn and Pakistan Today. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi announced the decision whil»»»

Polling station officials count votes on Election Day in Medellin, Colombia,on May 31. Conservative businessman Abelardo de la Espriella and leftist Sen. Iván Cepeda will face off in a runoff to determine the country's next president on Sunday. File Photo by Stringer/EPA June 19 (UPI) -- Colombia w»»»

VIENNA: A Saudi delegation, represented by the Communications, Space and Technology Commission and the Saudi Space Agency, participated in the 69th session of the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space, held in Vienna from June 10 to 18. The Kingdom’s participation reflects its commitment»»»

Bulgaria has lost its earlier position as a leading voice in shaping the EU’s approach to enlargement in the Western Balkans, according to Maria Simeonova, director of the Sofia office of the European Council on Foreign Relations. Speaking to Bulgarian National Radio, she argued that the country wa»»»

Germany came under fresh US trade scrutiny on Thursday as the United States launched an investigation into the country's pharmaceutical pricing policies, a move that could pave the way for new tariffs. Washington said it would examine whether Germany's pricing practices unfairly underpay for innova»»»

US Vice President JD Vance says he doesn’t know if he’ll be headed to Geneva on June 19 where he was due to attend a signing ceremony for an initial deal to end the war in Iran. But an agreement has already been signed by Donald Trump and Iranian officials, so Vance said that further negotiations c»»»

Talks ⁠that had ​been planned for ​June 19 between the United States and Iran ⁠in Switzerland were abruptly called off, as the Trump administration faces mounting criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. This comes after Iran delayed sending its delegation to Switzerland over Israel’s ongoing»»»

WASHINGTON: The US Defense Department will ask Congress to approve around $80 billion to cover costs from the Iran war and other expenses, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.President Donald Trump has faced backlash from Americans who accuse him of pouring billions of taxpayer dollars into t»»»

Milan, Italy: A robot with expressive eyebrows that is designed to perform basic tasks to free up healthcare workers is being given a trial run by a hospital in Milan. Named "Alter-Ego", the 1.2-metre tall robot can stand in for a doctor working remotely, bring a patient a bottle of water or guide »»»

MUMBAI: Amazon said on Friday its Indian operations had reached a major milestone in water conservation, at a time when ​global tech giants face increasing pressure over their expansion of resource-hungry AI data centers. The US-based company announced it had turned “water positive” in India this y»»»

Dubizzle Group, the leading online classifieds platform in the Middle East, today announced a strategic partnership and investment in Tern, the UAE's first-of-its-kind rental rewards platform. The partnership will bring a more flexible, digital, and rewarding rental payment experience to tenants, l»»»

Bo Wang ‘The Revolution will not be air conditioned’ While the Gil Scott-Heron lyric poem on which this work’s title plays (“The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”) was a call to action for Black America in the 1970s, the Chinese artist’s video — a still from which is seen here — “begins with images»»»

On June 19, 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that prayers led by students at public high school football games aren't permitted under the constitutional separation of church and state. 1 of 6 | Demonstrators pray in front of the U.S. Supreme Court on June 27 2022. On June 19, 2000, the U.S. Supre»»»

Former US President Barack Obama opened his presidential center in Chicago on Thursday, calling for the defense of democracy in a star-studded event attended by three former presidents. “I hope this center will serve as an affirmation of how precious our democracy truly is,” Obama said, a»»»

Wednesday’s vote in the European Parliament on toughening migration rules in the EU has highlighted a major rift between right-wing and left-wing MEPs. The new measures, which include speeding up the deportation of rejected asylum seekers, were originally proposed by the European Commission last ye»»»

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., introduced a bill to block the president from sending troops to polling stations. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo June 18 (UPI) -- Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., introduced a bill Thursday called the Protect Our Polls Act that would block the president from sen»»»

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that a Texas man can't be prosecuted for being a regular user of marijuana and owning a gun. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo June 18 (UPI) -- The Supreme Court said Thursday that a Texas man can't be prosecuted under a law that bans regular use»»»

NASA has tapped Relativity Space, a 3D-printing rocket startup led by former Google executive Eric Schmidt, to deliver the Aeolus Mars orbiter mission, targeting a launch in 2028. China's Tianwen-3 Mars sample-return mission is well on track for the same launch window.The contrast is striking: NASA»»»

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon speaks at an education roundtable on June 11. The department announced Tuesday that it's moving four segments to other agencies. Photo by Daniel Heuer/UPI | License Photo June 16 (UPI) -- The Department of Education will shift two of its major departments, civil»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has introduced a new digital spokesperson named Zayed — an artificial intelligence-powered platform designed to communicate the work and initiatives of the International Affairs Office at the UAE Presidential Court. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.Th»»»

A new study in England showed that among those women vaccinated for HPV, there are nearly zero deaths from cervical cancer. File Photo by Neil Hall/EPA June 18 (UPI) -- Women have nearly zero chance of death from cervical cancer if they were vaccinated against human papilloma virus at age 12 to 13,»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE Cabinet has issued a landmark resolution setting a minimum age for social media use, banning children under 15 from creating or using personal accounts on any platform. The rules come with strict obligations for platforms, parents, and caregivers and even parental permission cann»»»

LONDON: A new report from the World Economic Forum says that “geopolitical tensions, supply disruptions and rising demand” are slowing global progress toward more secure, sustainable and affordable energy systems. According to the 16th WEF annual Energy Transition Index, overall progress “has flatl»»»

Far-right MEPs in the plenary in Strasbourg on Wednesday (17 June) chanted “send them back”, with some pumping their fists, after the EU’s deportation bill was voted through with a clear majority. “It’s up to them how they want to yell and scream. It’s not my type of politics, it’s not how I am as »»»

Abu Dhabi: The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MoHESR) has launched an updated version of its registration and admissions platform, Edu Hub, aimed at making the university application process easier and more efficient for students across the UAE. The platform, developed in col»»»

PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, June 18: An Israeli paper slams the US's deal with Iran as a "catastrophic capitulation". While Trump sees the US as the big winner, the press says Iran's chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz shows that it has set a new status quo. Also, EU leaders scramble to find anti-C»»»

The political and strategic decisions adopted at NATO and European Union level mark the beginning of a new economic cycle for the defence industry. The accelerated increase in military budgets, the adoption of unprecedented investment targets, and the pressure on existing production capacities are »»»

The solution enables the rapid alerting of certified Red Cross volunteers located nearby, transforming a residential management application into an active community safety tool. Developed by Realtynno in partnership with Cosmopolis and the Romanian Red Cross, the new feature expands the role of res»»»

Autonet uses the space within the logistics park as its main storage and distribution hub for Bucharest and southern Romania. From this location, the company manages the import and distribution of a wide range of automotive parts, accessories and motor oils to its extensive network of partners, inc»»»

JD Vance was supposed to be spending the week promoting his new book, the kind of event a potential presidential candidate like the vice president typically uses to speak to a wide audience about his life and values ahead of a campaign. Instead, the rollout of Vance's second book, "Communion: Findi»»»

Bosch has agreed to pay a $36 million fine to the U.S. government for exporting millions of dollars of restricted goods to Chinese company Huawei. File Photo by James Atoa/UPI | License Photo June 18 (UPI) -- German engineering and technology firm Bosch has agreed to pay a $36 million fine to resol»»»

Dubai: The US Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged on Wednesday, but borrowers hoping for relief received a clear warning after nearly half of policymakers signalled support for at least one rate hike later this year. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The decisi»»»

State Republicans on Wednesday rejected Gov. Brian Kemp's call to consider redrawing the state's district maps. File Photo by Chris Kleponis/UPI | License Photo June 17 (UPI) -- Georgia Republicans on Wednesday rejected GOP efforts to redraw the state's congressional and legislative maps amid a wid»»»

WASHINGTON: The interim deal between the United States and Iran is supposed to usher in a two-month period that would address the most divisive issue between the longtime adversaries — Tehran’s nuclear program. Preventing Iran from attaining a nuclear bomb is a key reason that President Donald Trum»»»

Traders work June 10 on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street in New York City. Stocks of the company once known as Allbirds jumped Wednesday as it rebranded as Smartbird and named a new CEO. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo June 17 (UPI) -- Former shoe company Allbirds»»»

Ierapetra, Greece: On his fishing boat moored in the Greek port of Ierapetra in southwestern Crete, Alexis Charlambakis pries open the mouth of a freshly-caught pufferfish to reveal two massive teeth on each jaw. "If one of these bites you, it will take your finger clean off," the 43-year-old said.»»»

LONDON: Six multinational construction firms may be aiding and abetting war crimes by providing excavators and bulldozers to the Israeli military, human rights experts have said. It comes after widespread documentation of Israeli forces using the vehicles to systematically demolish villages across »»»

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during a roundtable on education at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. Photo by Daniel Heuer/UPI | License Photo June 17 (UPI) -- The Trump administration has joined a lawsuit Wednesday to stop a housing reparations program for Bl»»»

KYIV: Ukraine has won key pledges of further support for its fight against Russia from world leaders attending the Group of Seven summit in France, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday. The leaders of the world’s leading industrial economies promised to strengthen Ukraine’s air def»»»

Rex Heuermann, of Massapequa Park, Long Island, N.Y., will be sentenced Wednesday for the murders of seven women. Photo courtesy of the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office June 17 (UPI) -- Rex Heuermann, who pleaded guilty in April to the murders of seven women in Long Island, N.Y., and admitted to one»»»

The Department of Justice is trying to block a lawsuit against Elon Musk's xAI. File Photo by Fazry Ismail/EPA June 17 (UPI) -- The Department of Justice is trying to quash a lawsuit against a power plant that supports an xAI data center and is arguing that the turbines are essential to national se»»»

KABUL: Government workers in different parts of Afghanistan have started switching off their smartphones, following an order imposed Wednesday that they told AFP came from Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. A letter announcing the ban on smartphones for all government employees started circulati»»»

Trump threatened Tuesday to block renewal of warrantless surveillance unless it was attached to his voter ID bill in a spat with Congress over key security and law enforcement nominations. Photo by Yoan Valet/EPA June 17 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump said Wednesday that he would not approve any r»»»

Georgia Republicans delivered a split decision for Donald Trump in runoffs, opting for the president’s preferred U.S. Senate candidate but rejecting his choice for governor - although Trump's endorsement still weighs heavy in ruby-red states. Among Democrats, the primaries hinge on longstanding div»»»

US law enforcement on Tuesday said it had foiled an alleged plot to attack the White House during a crowded mixed martial arts event attended by President Donald Trump. "Multiple individuals are now in custody and allegedly planned attacks were stopped cold," FBI Director Kash Patel said. The Depar»»»

Rep. Mike Collins of Georgia, seen here at the "Justice for J6" rally in September 2021, won the state's GOP Senate primary runoff on Tuesday night. File Photo by David Tulis/UPI | License Photo June 17 (UPI) -- Rep. Mike Collins was projected Tuesday night to win Georgia's Republican Senate primar»»»

France’s domestic spy agency will swap software from US defense tech giant Palantir for a French-made alternative, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has said. Palantir, however, has said that the change won’t happen for years. In a video statement released on Tuesday, Lecornu said that the General D»»»

Dubai: For Vivan Panda and Kushal Pagarani, both 17-year-old Indian students in Dubai, the UAE is more than a place they grew up in. It is the foundation of how they see people, community, and identity. Growing up surrounded by people from across the world, they have learned early on that every ind»»»

1 of 2 | Tens of thousands of people march through downtown Minneapolis on Jan. 30 as they protest the federal government's immigration enforcement surge. On Tuesday, federal prosecutors announced charges against 15 people it said “conspired to impede or injure federal officers” as part of direct a»»»