71 migrants found on Lesvos, Farmakonissi
More than 70 migrants reached Greece’s eastern Aegean Sea islands on small boats from Turkey over the past 48 hours in two separate incidents, authorities said Tuesday. A coast guard statement said a 39-year-old Azeri man was arrested on the island of Lesvos on suspicion of having ferried 15 men, f»»»
Customs officials seize cash, cigarettes, drugs — and five undeclared puppies
Customs authorities confiscated nearly €1 million in cash travelers tried to smuggle into the country in the second half of 2025, authorities said Tuesday, together with millions of cigarettes, drugs and fake designer goods — as well as five puppies. The independent tax authority, AADE, said in a s»»»
‘Israel’ Lacks Clear Strategy in Gaza, Syria, Lebanon: Haaretz
Israeli Middle East affairs writer Zvi Bar’el examined what he described as the contours—and gaps—of Israel’s emerging security strategy under Benjamin Netanyahu, warning that ‘Israel’ could soon face a coherent US approach in Syria and Lebanon without a clear strategy of its own. Writing in Haaret»»»
Bulgaria: Legal Committee Rejects President’s Veto on Cap for Polling Stations Abroad
The parliamentary committee on constitutional and legal affairs has rejected President Iliana Yotova’s veto on amendments to the Electoral Code that cap the number of polling stations in non-EU countries at 20. The committee reapproved the contested provisions with 11 votes in favor, eight against »»»
Severe flooding submerges farmland in Evros border region
Torrential rain has pushed the Evros River, which forms the border between Turkey and Greece, over its banks, flooding its low-lying areas on both sides of the border. A levee breach in Kornofolia, a community south of Soufli, pushed floodwaters towards the plain submerging more than 1,000 acres of»»»
Turkish government to pay $100,000 per episode for export-quality “dizi” TV soap
In an unexpected plot twist for Turkey’s sizzling TV soap opera industry, the government has pledged financial support of up to $100,000 per episode of “exportable” series. Widely hailed as “binge-worthy” and “world-beatin»»»
Turkish government to pay $100,000 per episode for export-quality “dizi” TV soap
In an unexpected plot twist for Turkey’s sizzling TV soap opera industry, the government has pledged financial support of up to $100,000 per episode of “exportable” series. Widely hailed as “binge-worthy” and “world-beatin»»»
Romania, 5th holiday option for Romanian tourists
Romania ranks 5th as holiday option for Romanian tourists, after Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey and other European locatons. Good accommodation at a right price is the main criterium for a nice vacation, according to a specialized study, released on Wednesday. According to it, 40% of Romanian tourist »»»
Four years of war leave Russia stagnating and Ukraine exhausted
The war in Ukraine started exactly four years ago today. The Kremlin was hoping for a blitzkrieg victory but the heroic resistance by the local forces caught the Russian forces and Ukraine’s Western allies unawares. Four years on and Ukraine remains locked in a grinding war of attrition, but shows »»»
Four years of war leave Russia stagnating and Ukraine exhausted
The war in Ukraine started exactly four years ago today. The Kremlin was hoping for a blitzkrieg victory but the heroic resistance by the local forces caught the Russian forces and Ukraine’s Western allies unawares. Four years on and Ukraine remains locked in a grinding war of attrition, but shows »»»
Bulgaria Surges in Wealth Rankings: Ahead of Romania, Czech Republic, and Poland
Bulgaria is no longer Europe’s poorest nation, according to the latest Global Wealth Report from Swiss bank UBS. The study shows that in terms of average wealth, Bulgaria has overtaken Romania and Turkey, while its median wealth places it ahead of some traditionally wealthier Eastern European count»»»
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan pledge sizeable but unspecified financial backing for Trump’s Board of Peace
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has pledged to channel sizeable financial backing through the World Bank’s Gaza Reconstruction and Development Fund in a show of support for US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace (BoP). »»»
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan pledge sizeable but unspecified financial backing for Trump’s Board of Peace
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has pledged to channel sizeable financial backing through the World Bank’s Gaza Reconstruction and Development Fund in a show of support for US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace (BoP). »»»
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan pledge sizeable but unspecified financial backing for Trump’s Board of Peace
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has pledged to channel sizeable financial backing through the World Bank’s Gaza Reconstruction and Development Fund in a show of support for US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace (BoP). »»»
CENTRAL ASIA BLOG: Role in attack on Iran or some golf course chitchat? Speculation in overdrive on Turkmen leader’s trip to US
Base permissions in Turkmenistan for US Air Force planes that could be involved in an attack on Iran? A US role in building a Caspian Sea pipeline that could enable exports of Turkmen gas to flow to Europe? Meetings with American experts who will build golf courses in the Central Asian country? »»»
Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan pledge sizeable but unspecified financial backing for Trump’s Board of Peace
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has pledged to channel sizeable financial backing through the World Bank’s Gaza Reconstruction and Development Fund in a show of support for US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace (BoP). »»»
Fitch Solutions forecasts 2.5% GDP growth for Azerbaijan in 2026, expects cautious monetary and fiscal stance
Azerbaijan’s economy is projected to expand by 2.5% in 2026, accelerating from an estimated 1.4% growth in 2025, according to a new forecast by Fitch Solutions. The firm expects growth to be driven primarily by domestic de»»»
Kyrgyzstan updates list of legal agencies for employment abroad - | 24.KG
Kyrgyzstan has updated its list of legal agencies for employment abroad. According to the Center for Employment Abroad, the decision was made by an interdepartmental commission. Applications for the issuance, extension, and revocation of work permits in Turkey, Germany, Bulgaria, Slovakia, and the »»»
Somaliland willing to give US access to minerals and military bases, says minister
Somaliland – a breakaway region of Somalia seeking international recognition – is willing to give the United States access to its minerals and military bases, a minister told AFP on Saturday. Israel became the only country in the world to recognise Somaliland's independence in Decemb»»»
Romania sees slowdown in startup investments amid regional recalibration – report
Romanian startups attracted total investments of EUR 103.2 million in 2025 across 40 transactions, according to the Venture in Eastern Europe 2025 Report by How to Web, a study that analyses venture capital investments in Eastern Europe. The total investment volume in Romania was around 20% lower t»»»
Former top diplomat Vladislav Jovanovic dies aged 92
BELGRADE - Former FM and one-time ambassador to the UN Vladislav Jovanovic died on Saturday at the age of 92, his family has announced. Born in Zitni Potok, southern Serbia, in 1933, Jovanovic graduated from a grammar school in Belgrade in 1951 and went on to obtain a degree from the Belgrade Facul»»»
Djedovic Handanovic, Rosatom director general discuss cooperation in nuclear power sector
BELGRADE - Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic met on Monday with a delegation of the Russian state-owned nuclear power corporation Rosatom, headed by the firm's Director-General Alexey Likhachev, to discuss bilateral cooperation in the nuclear power sector. Djedovic »»»
Planning Ramadan travel? Air Arabia just cut airfares by 40%
Sharjah: UAE residents planning Ramadan or early summer travel can now save on flights, with Sharjah-based Air Arabia announcing discounts of up to 40 per cent. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The low-cost carrier has rolled out a Ramadan promotion offering savings acr»»»
Emergencies Ministry of Kyrgyzstan receives 116 units of specialized equipment - | 24.KG
Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Adylbek Kasymaliev presented the keys to 116 units of new specialized equipment to the Ministry of Emergency Situations today, February 23, at Turdakun Usubaliev Square in Bishkek. The ceremony was timed to coincide with Defender of the Fatherland »»»
Uzbekistan signs several big business deals during Mirziyoyev's Board of Peace trip to US
Uzbekistan signed a series of bilateral agreements with companies in the US after the country’s president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, travelled to Washington for the inaugural meeting of American President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace. »»»