BELGRADE - On Monday, July 20, Air Serbia carried 22,098 passengers, achieving the best single-day result in its history and surpassing its previous record of more than 21,600 passengers, set on August 1, 2025, the Serbian national airline has announced. "We are currently at the peak of the summer »»»

The Progressive Bulgaria (PB) parliamentary group has proposed amendments to the Pre-school and School Education Act aimed at identifying pupils’ language difficulties at an early stage, developing moral, social and civic competences and introducing Virtues and Religion as a school subject, the PB »»»

Dubai: The conflict between the United States and Iran continues to escalate, with fresh military action, new travel warnings and growing concerns over shipping and aviation across the Middle East. While the UAE remains safe and airports are operating normally, the latest developments have prompted»»»

New Delhi: Talks between the Indian government and leaders of the youth-led "Cockroach" movement failed to make headway Friday, as protesters gathered in the nation's capital to push for an overhaul of the education system. Senior ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh met with leaders of the social»»»

New Delhi: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have been handed a direct entry into the men's knockouts of the Asian Games cricket after the draw was announced. Defending champions India along with its seeded neighbours will start from the quarter-finals of the 10-team men's competition start»»»

WELLINGTON: Governor-General of New Zealand Cindy Kirw received Secretary-General of the Muslim World League and Chairman of the Muslim Scholars Association Sheikh Mohammed Al-Issa in the New Zealand capital Wellington this week. Al-Issa also met New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon earlier»»»

Foreign buyers completed 10 acquisitions of Ukrainian assets in the first half of 2026, double the five recorded a year earlier, with disclosed value rising to $415mn from $26mn, KPMG in Ukraine said in its M&A Radar report. The rebound in inbound dealmaking sits against foreign direct investme»»»

Comments Ukraine's new commander-in-chief, General Mykhailo Drapatyi, made in a 2023 interview about the population of Donbas have resurfaced this week and are being heavily amplified by Russian state media, days after President Volodymyr Zelensky appointed him to replace Oleksandr Syrskyi amid ma»»»

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta announced Friday that the cyclospora outbreak has officially spread to four new states. File Photo by Erik S. Lesser/EPA July 24 (UPI) -- The cyclosporiasis outbreak has expanded to four new states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and P»»»

Damascus, July 24 (SANA) Agriculture Minister Basel al-Suwaidan met on Friday with Qatari Ambassador to Damascus Khalifa Abdullah Al Mahmoud to discuss strengthening agricultural cooperation and developing bilateral relations to enhance trade exchange between the two countries. Al-Suwaidan stressed»»»

ABUJA: The Ebola outbreak in Congo has killed over 1,000 people, reaching the grim milestone nearly three times faster than the 2014-2016 Ebola epidemic that is considered the worst on record. Data from Congo’s Ministry of Health shows that as of Tuesday, the current outbreak, declared on May 15, h»»»

The European Commission announced preliminary findings that TikTok is in violation of the European Digital Services Act for not properly protecting minors. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo July 24 (UPI) -- The European Commission announced Friday that it sent a warning to TikTok for»»»

TUNIS, July 24 (TAP) – The National Council of Regions and Districts (CNRD) in a plenary on Friday elected and renewed its structures, including the appointment of a new Bureau and the reconstitution of the various standing committees, in accordance...»»»

Alison Sargent is pleased to welcome Shaina Low, Communications Advisor for the Norwegian Refugee Council's Palestine mission. Despite the reduction in large scale hostilities Low argues that Gaza remains trapped in a state of structural emergency, where humanitarian actors are prevented from movin»»»

BISSAU: Guinea-Bissau opposition leader Domingos Simoes Pereira, who was being held in prison for alleged involvement in coup attempts, has been released for medical treatment in Portugal, judicial and security sources say. Pereira, leader of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cap»»»

NEW YORK CITY: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has demanded that Houthi forces immediately halt attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea, warning that a renewed assault risks widening the escalation in the Middle East and drawing Yemen “deeper into regional conflict.” In a statement issue»»»

RIYADH: Archeological coins unearthed in Saudi Arabia’s AlUla governorate are providing fresh insight into the region’s long history as a thriving commercial and cultural crossroads, underscoring its importance along ancient trade routes that connected civilizations across the Middle East. The disc»»»

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s General Education Law has been approved by royal decree. The new law overhauls how the sector is governed, provides the enablers needed to meet its objectives, and aims to raise the quality of the educational environment and its outcomes, spanning educational stages, the Gene»»»

MOSCOW: Russian fashion designer Viktoria Terekhova shipped virtually her entire summer collection of children’s clothes last week to the giant warehouse of online retailer Wildberries at Elektrostal, east of Moscow. Within a couple of days, it was destroyed in a Ukrainian drone strike. Terekhova s»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The new commander-in-chief of the armed forces of Ukraine Mykhailo Drapaty will answer for his words, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday. In an interview published on Thursday, the general made an extremist statement about Russians. He also insulted residents of the D»»»

SpaceX's next-generation Starship is pictured stacked on the pad at Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, ahead of its 13th flight test, which is now scheduled for Friday evening. Photo by SpaceX/UPI | License Photo July 24 (UPI) -- SpaceX pushed the 13th test flight of its Starship booster and spaceship »»»

After two days of debate and voting, Parliament adopted the 2026 State Budget Act at second reading on Friday, approving a budget framework with a projected deficit of 5.7%. The bill was passed by a vote of 125 to 84, with no abstentions, following more than five hours of voting and over 12 hours o»»»

Progressive Bulgaria should apologize to Bulgarian citizens for the 2026 State Budget Act, GERB-UDF MP and former finance minister Temenuzhka Petkova told reporters in Parliament on Friday. “A scandalous budget law with hugely inflated spending, a record deficit and EUR 10.1 billion in debt the gov»»»

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) warned the people of regional countries hosting American bases to immediately take a minimum distance of 500 meters from any covert residences or hideouts of US military personnel. The IRGC statement emphasized that should the enemy continue its war crimes»»»

Germany is paying five times as much for imported gas as it did before abandoning its long-term Russian supply contracts as part of the EU sanctions, Berliner Zeitung has reported. Berlin now has to rely on the volatile international energy market, which is reeling from the de facto closure of the »»»

Dubai: Etihad Rail, UAE’s first national passenger rail service officially began operations on June 30, 2026, with the launch of the Abu Dhabi–Fujairah route, marking a major milestone in the country’s transport network. The inaugural service connects Mohammed Bin Zayed City in Abu Dhabi with Fujai»»»

The 2026 State Budget takes Bulgaria back to the GERB era, Vazrazhdane MP Tsoncho Ganev told reporters on Friday after Parliament gave the budget final approval. Ganev said the budget froze all social benefits and shifted the main burden of what he called financial stability onto pensioners, mother»»»

FARNBOROUGH, UK: As Europe ramps up its rearmament drive, US aerospace giant Boeing is seeking a foothold in the emerging market for autonomous fighter aircraft, showcasing its capabilities at the Farnborough airshow this week. Boeing’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat is an uncrewed aircraft, developed with the Ro»»»

DUBAI: Oscar-winning US actress Zoe Saldana has signed on as an executive producer of “It’s Complicated,” a short film centered on Palestinian womanhood that will have its world premiere at Los Angeles’ HollyShorts Film Festival in August. The film was written by and stars US Palestinian filmmaker »»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE's airlines are significantly expanding their global footprint in 2026, adding new international destinations, increasing flight frequencies on high-demand routes and deepening commercial partnerships that allow passengers to reach hundreds of cities beyond their own networks. The»»»

Bulgaria's National Assembly gave final approval to the 2026 state budget on Friday, ending a monthlong legislative process that opened with a record 5.7% deficit and closed with the ruling Progressive Bulgaria party abolishing the automatic wage and minimum-wage formulas that have driven public sp»»»

1 of 2 | The Gordie Howe International Bridge is scheduled to open on Monday. Canada is having a scaled-down opening ceremony on Friday. Photo by Gordie Howe International Bridge July 24 (UPI) -- The new Gordie Howe Bridge between Windsor, Ontario, Canada, and Detroit is set to open to traffic Mond»»»

The EU preliminarily found TikTok at fault in exposing minors to danger online on Friday (24 July), with issues with the Chinese social media giant’s account settings possibly to result in a fine. TikTok is under investigation for the privacy settings of its 13-18 year old users, with the European »»»

Sweden said that it plans to ban so-called “forever chemicals”, technically known as PFAS, in consumer products such as clothing and kitchenware from 2028. “Sweden has no intention of standing by while ‘forever chemicals’ continue to spread in our homes, in nature and in our bodies,” environment an»»»

It has now been made official that the Groupama Arena will host a prestigious international pre-season fixture this summer, as Ferencváros welcome Real Madrid to Budapest on Saturday, 8 August. The encounter will form part of the Spanish giants’ Austrian training programme and is set to rank among »»»

Bulgaria is not a target and will not become one, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said on Friday at a news briefing after meeting mayors from the southeastern region of Yambol to discuss the upcoming deployment of US aerial refuelling aircraft at Bezmer Air Base. Asked where the aircraft would be»»»

The National Assembly on Friday approved the development of a new mechanism for determining the country's minimum wage. Until the new system is adopted, the minimum wage will remain at its 2026 level of EUR 620.20 per month. The decision came as MPs approved provisions in the 2026 State Budget Bill»»»

The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) proposed introducing optical ballot scanners, the party said on Friday. The proposal was submitted between the bill’s first and second readings. MRF said the scanners combined the advantages of paper and machine voting and had proved reliable, having been »»»

MANILA - Serbian FM Marko Djuric said on Friday a Serbian delegation at an ASEAN conference in Manila had accomplished all of its three objectives, including a confirmation of support by several Southeast Asian countries for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia. Speaking to reporters»»»

Abu Dhabi: UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received the top-performing Year 12 students for the 2025-2026 academic year, along with a number of outstanding teachers and education leaders. At the start of the meeting, Sheikh Mohamed congratulated the students, their fam»»»

Dubai: Blackstone, the world's largest alternative asset manager, is planning to open an office in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), marking its return to Dubai six years after relocating its regional base to Abu Dhabi, according to Reuters, citing two people familiar with the matter»»»

LONDON: Politicians in Ireland have insisted that the government send observers to Germany ahead of the trial of an Irish citizen detained over an incident at an Israeli-owned arms factory. Daniel Tatlow-Devally is one of five pro-Palestine activists who entered the facility owned by Elbit Systems »»»

Opening of a central park took place in the city of Talas. The ceremony was attended by Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Adylbek Kasymaliev during a working visit to Talas region. At least 165 million soms were allocated from the budget for the park’s construction. Modern amusement rides, green»»»

Dubai: Dubai has recorded the fastest climb in the global rankings of cities attracting wealthy individuals, with the emirate now home to 81,200 millionaires, including 237 centi-millionaires, people with investable wealth exceeding $100 million, and 20 billionaires, according to the Henley & Partn»»»

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed a forceful response Friday after a clash in the West Bank killed an Israeli and four Palestinians, while the military announced preparations for a new operation in the occupied area. Violence in the West Bank has surged since the Gaza war began with H»»»

July 24, 2026, marks the 243rd anniversary of the birth of Simón Bolívar, the great liberator of Latin America and a man whose name became a symbol of the continent’s struggle for independence and unity. He was born in Caracas in 1783 into a wealthy Creole aristocratic family. His background seemed»»»

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s Authority for the Care of People with Disabilities on Friday launched the sixth edition of Purple Saturday, with support from government bodies, private companies, nonprofit organizations and several Gulf Cooperation Council states. The campaign encourages retailers and servi»»»

EKN Solutions, a company specialized in marketing and technology solutions and part of the multinational Numatec group, expanded its activities in Romania, one of the most competitive and challenging markets in the CEE region. BR sat down with Olimpia Norsesovici, Country Manager, and discussed the»»»

July 23 (UPI) -- A South Carolina zoo revealed the animal whose escape prompted the facility to remain closed Thursday was an Amur leopard. The Greenville Zoo said on social media that Irina, a 4-year-old Amur leopard, left her enclosure Thursday morning and was loose within the zoo grounds. The le»»»

July 23 (UPI) -- A pink stuffed donkey found on a British Columbia ferry is back with its 5-year-old owner after taking an adventure chronicled on social media. BC Ferries posted photos of the toy to social media after it was found aboard the Salish Raven ferry following a trip between Victoria and»»»