Sofia Mayor Urges State to Act Beyond Party Interests After Elections
Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev Wednesday urged the State to act beyond party interests after the April 19 snap parliamentary elections. "My task is to protect the interests of all Sofia residents - regardless of their political choice. And I expect the same from the state - an attitude driven not by pa»»»
More expensive flights ahead as Philippine fuel surcharge jumps levels
Dubai: Airfares have been expected to rise again, with authorities increasing fuel surcharges to near-maximum levels. The Philippine Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) has raised the passenger and cargo fuel surcharge to level 19 for the second half of April. In an advisory released today, the CAB has n»»»
Thousands of London commuters walk to work in underground strike
London: Workers streamed into the British capital by foot, bike and bus Wednesday, April 22, 2026, as strike action on the London Underground train network disrupted services. Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) walked out from 12:00pm (1100GMT) on Tuesday for 24 hours over plan»»»
Iran Guards say 'seized' two ships attempting to cross Strait of Hormuz
Tehran: Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Wednesday that their naval forces stopped two ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz and directed them to the territorial waters of the Islamic Republic. "The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps naval force this morning identified and stopped in the»»»
Mesarovic, Guangzhou mayor discuss potential investments in Serbia
GUANGZHOU - Serbian Deputy PM and Minister of Economy Adrijana Mesarovic, who is on a visit to Guangzhou, China, met with the city's mayor Sun Zhiyang on Wednesday to discuss opportunities for investments in Serbia by Guangzhou-based companies. "This city is famous for research and development cent»»»
Israeli FM: Hezbollah Sole Remaining Obstacle to Normalization with Lebanon
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Wednesday described Hezbollah as the sole remaining obstacle to “peace” and normalization with Lebanon, calling on the Lebanese Government to cooperate in disarming the Lebanese resistance group. In remarks cited by Israeli media, Gideon Sa’ar said the Zioni»»»
PIF backs State Street’s new Saudi equity ETF in latest global market push
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has become an anchor investor in a newly launched exchange-traded fund by State Street Investment Management, one of the world’s largest asset managers. The newly launched ETF, State Street Saudi Arabia Enhanced Active Equity UCITS ETF, or SAQL, activel»»»
Norway’s government takes over planning for Europe’s largest rare earth deposit
OSLO: Norway will take over planning for the Fen rare earth deposit — Europe’s largest — to speed up development after a resource upgrade nearly doubled its estimated size, the government said on Wednesday. Fen was estimated last month to hold 15.9 million metric tons of rare earth oxide in indica»»»
Makkah Route expands in Indonesia as first Hajj flights take off
JAKARTA: Indonesia started its Hajj flights on Wednesday with expanded access to the Makkah Route, as Saudi authorities added a new major Indonesian airport to the flagship initiative that streamlines immigration procedures for pilgrims. Indonesia, the world’s biggest Muslim-majority country, will »»»
MOI adds ‘Other Vehicle Violations’ option to Metrash app
Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Interior, MOI, announced the addition of a new feature on Metrash App that allows users to pay for family and friends’ traffic violations. The ministry in a social media post stated that to access this feature, users should log into the Metrash app, navigate to “Traffic»»»
Chief of Staff: Israel Ready ‘to Return Immediately and Forcefully’ to Fighting on All Fronts
Israeli Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said Wednesday that the military remained on high alert and was ready to return to fighting on all fronts, amid the fragile truces in Iran and Lebanon. “Since the inferno of October 7, we have been working to reestablish our military strength through conti»»»
Russia is back in international sports with flag and anthem (VIDEO)
A Russian national team has appeared at a major team sport event under the national flag and anthem for the first time since 2022. The women’s water polo team became the first Russian squad to participate in a competition in a full-fledged status after the World Aquatics lifted all the restrictions»»»
MRF Sees Reshuffle of Acting Prosecutor General as Enforcement of Constitutional, Legal Norms within Independent Judiciary MRF Sees Reshuffle of Acting Prosecutor General as Enforcement of Constitutional, Legal Norms within Independent Judiciary
The reshuffle of the acting Prosecutor General is a process of implementing constitutional and legal norms within the independent judiciary, and in particular within the Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Bulgaria, the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) said in a statement sent to the media»»»
UAE President, Moroccan King hold phone talks on Middle East developments
Abu Dhabi: President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) HH Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan discussed in a phone call on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, with King Mohammed VI of the Kingdom of Morocco the developments taking place in the Middle East and their serious implications for regional and inter»»»
Revolutionary Guard attacks third ship in Strait of Hormuz
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard attacked a third ship Wednesday in the Strait of Hormuz, semiofficial Iranian news agencies reported. Nour News, Fars and Mehr all reported the attack by the Guard on a vessel called the Euphoria. They said the vessel had become “stranded” on the Iranian coas»»»
OneClickDrive expands car rental marketplace across Morocco, including Marrakech
OneClickDrive, the mobility marketplace that has established a strong presence across the UAE and wider Middle East, has extended its platform to Morocco, offering travelers, residents, and tourists a structured way to compare and book vehicles across the country's major cities. The platform is now»»»
Drought-affected Area in Bulgaria Reached 17-Year High in 2024
In 2024, 156,703 square kilometers of the European Union’s territory were affected by drought, according to data from Eurostat, published on Wednesday. Over the period 2014–2024, there were significant increases in areas affected by drought, particularly in 2018 (520,817 sq km) and 2022 (558,313 sq»»»
Lufthansa scales back operations, canceling 20,000 flights amid fuel shortages
Berlin, April 22 (SANA) Lufthansa announced it will cancel around 20,000 flights from its schedule amid a sharp rise in fuel costs and growing concerns over jet fuel (kerosene) supplies, highlighting mounting pressure on Europe’s aviation sector. According to Germany’s Bild magazine, the airline sa»»»
Putin: Russia Provides Full Assistance to Africa to Ensure Biological Security
MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin stated in his greeting to participants and guests of the second Russian-African international conference on combating infectious diseases that Russian agencies are providing full assistance to their African counterparts in biological security. "Ru»»»
Dinar-to-euro exchange rate at RSD 117.4045
BELGRADE - The Serbian dinar's official median exchange rate against the euro is 117.4045 dinars for one euro on Wednesday, which is a slight change relative to Tuesday, the National Bank of Serbia said. The dinar is steady against the euro m-o-m, down by 0.1 pct y-o-y and down by 0.1 pct relative »»»
China Has Developed Into Indispensable Nation for Green Transition in World
In an era marked by ecological challenges, development dilemmas and geopolitical dynamics are increasingly intertwined. Through a series of innovative practices, Chinese modernization offers a "green solution" to some of humanity's pressing questions of survival and development. Rooted in the wisdo»»»
Defeat to Barcelona ends Red Star's EuroLeague campaign
BARCELONA - Red Star Belgrade have failed to qualify for the final of the basketball EuroLeague play-in by losing 80-72 (29-21, 18-12, 16-18, 17-21) to Barcelona on the road on Tuesday evening. The defeat ended Red Star's campaign in European basketball's top-tier competition this season. Codi Mill»»»
IMF mission to begin official visit to Serbia Thursday
BELGRADE - An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission will begin an official visit to Belgrade on Thursday, with the opening meeting to be held at the National Bank of Serbia (NBS). A plenary meeting of the IMF mission and a Serbian delegation at the NBS is scheduled for 10 am, the central bank h»»»
Iran Detains Two Unauthorized Vessels Trying to Transit Strait of Hormuz
TEHRAN (Sputnik) - Iran's military has detained two unauthorized vessels that tried to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, the naval forces of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Wednesday. "The IRGC naval forces detained and escorted to the coast of Iran two violating vesse»»»
Homestay horror: US tourist alleges spiked drink, rape, WiFi cut off
Dubai A woman tourist from the United States has alleged that she was sexually assaulted at a homestay in Karnataka’s Kodagu district, with police arresting two men, including the property owner and a staff member, following a complaint, according to multiple media reports. The incident took place »»»
Planning child travel? Philippines names pages to avoid fake travel clearance services
Dubai: Parents planning to send children to travel have been advised to avoid relying on unverified social media services, as Philippine authorities have officially named Facebook pages offering fake travel clearance assistance. The Philippine Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), th»»»
Vista Bank makes debut on Bucharest Stock Exchange with bond issue worth EUR 17 million
The bonds listed today are part of a broader Medium‑Term Notes (MTN) Programme, under which the Bank may issue bonds in several tranches. The maximum nominal value of all tranches under the programme amounts to EUR 100 million. Key features of the bond issue VISTA36E: “We welcome Vista Bank to the »»»
ING Bank launches 3-year fixed-rate mortgage, with promotional interest rate starting at 4.79%
Customers can apply for the offer 100% online via Home’Bank and benefit from a transparent discount structure that helps them customize their interest rate. With these offers, ING Bank Romania ranks among the top three most competitive mortgage solutions on the local market, according to an analysi»»»
China denies US-detained ship in Middle East contained ‘gift’ for Iran
BEIJING: China on Wednesday denied again that a ship intercepted by the United States contained a “gift” from Beijing for Iran, a day after US President Donald Trump made the accusation. Trump had said that an Iranian-flagged ship seized by US forces in the Gulf of Oman on Sunday contained “a gift »»»
Dubai Basketball clinch top-seed position with dominant win in Sarajevo
DUBAI: Dubai Basketball secured first place in the ABA League Top 8 stage with a commanding 92-64 victory over Bosna BH Telecom in Sarajevo on Tuesday, locking in pole position ahead of the 2026 playoffs. The result ensures Dubai will carry home-court advantage into the quarterfinals in May, with t»»»