The government approved on Wednesday a draft decision to grant a derogation from Regulation (EU) No. 833/2014. This authorizes the transit of industrial gas turbines from the UK through the territory of Bulgaria to the Russian Federation, intended for the Russian section of the Caspian Pipeline Con»»»

The Smolyan District Prosecutor’s Office has received an alert for illegal logging within the municipality’s territory, spokesperson Stancho Stanchev told BTA on Wednesday. The complaint was submitted by former acting Agriculture Minister Ivan Hristanov and forwarded by the Supreme Cassation Prosec»»»

Hezbollah said Wednesday its fighters were engaged in clashes with a force of Israeli soldiers that repeatedly tried to advance from the southern border town of Rshaf towards Haddatha. The group said in a statement that the Israeli force had tried to enter Haddatha three times in one week amid fier»»»

Rome: The State of Qatar and the Italian Republic have held high-level talks focusing on bilateral cooperation and regional security, including efforts to maintain the ceasefire between the United States and Iran and reduce tensions across the Middle East. Minister of State at the Ministry of Forei»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday talks with Hungary's MOL about its acquisition of a Russian majority stake in the Serbian oil company NIS were not going well and that he was not too optimistic about a deal being reached by May 22 - a deadline set by the US Office of »»»

A report issued by Colliers, the diversified professional services and investment management company, on the performance of the UAE real estate market during the first quarter of 2026, revealed that the sector has entered a new phase of balanced and sustainable growth following the exceptional mome»»»

Skopje, 17 May 2026 (MIA) — Deputy Prime Minister and Transport Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski said Sunday that the terms proposed by budget airline Ryanair to enter the Macedonian market were unrealistic. Nikoloski said the carrier requested a subsidy of EUR 25 per seat, which is more than double w»»»

The U.K. government has delayed some new sanctions on Russian oil in an effort to shelter Britons from the cost-of-living squeeze triggered by the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz in the Iran war. A trade license that came into effect Wednesday permits the import of Russian oil that has be»»»

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev has been appointed Chair of the Administrative Reform Council by a decision of the Council of Ministers, the Government Information Service reported on Wednesday. The Council is an advisory body to the Council of Ministers tasked with coordinat»»»

At its weekly meeting on Wednesday, the Council of Ministers adopted a legislative programme in the May-June period. The Cabinet also adopted an operational programme for the period, which provides information about the consequences of the implementation of the proposed legislation, about the goals»»»

Pension payments will be expedited, and no delays will be permitted when the payment date falls on a non-working day. Amendments to this end were adopted by the Council of Ministers on Wednesday, the Government Information Service reported. Currently, post offices, banks, and other payment service »»»

Suwon, Republic of Korea: North Korea's first sports team to visit the South in eight years reached the Asian Women's Champions League final on Wednesday as Naegohyang Women's FC beat Suwon FC Women 2-1. Naegohyang came from behind to defeat their rivals from the South amid torrential rain in Suwon»»»

Dubai: EFG Holding reported a strong start to 2026, posting an 18 per cent year-on-year increase in revenues to EGP 6.6 billion during the first quarter, supported by growth across all three of its business verticals despite mounting regional geopolitical tensions. The financial institution, which »»»

Dubai: At least 42 United States military aircraft — including fighter jets, drones, refuelling tankers and surveillance planes — were lost or damaged during the war with Iran, according to a report prepared for the US Congress, highlighting the scale and cost of a conflict that Washington initiall»»»

Five people were killed after a fire broke out in a house in Kuwait’s Jleeb Al Shuyoukh area on Wednesday, the country’s General Fire Force said. Firefighters from the Al Somoud and Ardiya fire stations responded to the blaze and brought the fire under control, according to a statement carried by K»»»

Member of Hezbollah’s Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc MP Hussein Hajj Hasan hailed Lebanese people’s resolve “The people possess an unyielding will to live, persevere, and endure despite all pain,” MP Hajj Hasan told Al-Manar correspondent in Beirut’s southern suburb, Dahiyeh, Hussein Awwa»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Islamic Resistance fighters targeted at 12:20 on Wednesday 20-05-2026 a Merkava tank at Baydar Al-Faq‘ani in Taybeh town with a loitering g»»»

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev has been appointed Chair of the Administrative Reform Council by a decision of the Council of Ministers, the Government Information Service reported on Wednesday. The Council is an advisory body to the Council of Ministers tasked with coordinat»»»

At its weekly meeting on Wednesday, the Council of Ministers adopted a legislative programme in the May-June period. The Cabinet also adopted an operational programme for the period, which provides information about the consequences of the implementation of the proposed legislation, about the goals»»»

Bulgaria's Deputy Prime Minister Ivo Hristov has been appointed head of the Central Commission for Juvenile Antisocial Behaviour by a government decision adopted on Wednesday. The change comes after a new cabinet stepped into office on May 8, the Government Information Service reported. Under the C»»»

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri postponed Wednesday a parliamentary session that was scheduled for Thursday to discuss the amnesty draft law, after "sectarian" protests across Lebanon. "Despite the efforts made by the parliamentary departments and joint committees to reach a national consensus (on t»»»

Dubai: For decades, treating Alzheimer's has largely meant managing symptoms. A new drug launched in India this month is trying to change that, though the reality is more nuanced than the headlines suggest. US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly, one of the world's largest drugmakers, has launched donan»»»

London: Taiwanese author Yang Shuang-zi and translator Lin King won the International Booker Prize on Tuesday for “Taiwan Travelogue”, a playful postcolonial novel with a culinary bent. The prestigious award, which was handed out in a ceremony at London’s Tate Modern gallery, recognises works of fi»»»

Sharjah: His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, has ordered the release of 227 inmates from punitive and correctional institutions in the emirate ahead of Eid Al Adha. The pardon applies to prisoners of various nationalities who were serv»»»

Iranian Revolutionary Guard members now regularly show the public in Tehran how to handle Kalashnikov-style assault rifles. Parades through the capital feature military vehicles mounted with belt-fed Soviet-era machine guns. And at one mass wedding, a ballistic missile, like the one that rained dow»»»

New Delhi: India's weather agency warned on Wednesday of the risk of upcoming "extreme" heat made worse by the potentially powerful El Nino weather pattern, issuing heatwave preparedness guidelines as temperatures soared. "Heat waves in India are becoming longer, stronger, and more frequent," the I»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received Chinese Ambassador to Belgrade Li Ming ahead of a trip to China, and noted that he looked forward to meeting with President Xi Jinping again and that the support and friendship demonstrated by the Chinese leader towards Serbia remained a lastin»»»

Abu Dhabi: The Embassy of Tajikistan and the United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office, in coordination with the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, organised a press briefing in Abu Dhabi on preparations for the upcoming Fourth High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Ac»»»

Cairo — Egypt’s stock market rebounded on Tuesday, 19 May 2026, recovering part of the previous session’s losses as local buying returned to the market following several days of broad-based declines. The benchmark EGX30 rose 1.48% to 52,774.98 points, according to data from the Egyptian Exchange (E»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Islamic Resistance fighters targeted at 11:00 on Wednesday 20-05-2026 a gathering of vehicles and soldiers belonging to the “Israeli” enemy»»»

Parliament ratified on Wednesday at two readings in a single sitting the Treaty Establishing the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) and its amendments. The motion was supported by 189 MPs from Progressive Bulgaria, GERB-UDF, Movement for Rights and Freedoms, Democratic Bulgaria and Continue the Cha»»»

Standing before their devastated building in central Beirut, childhood neighbors Wael Sabbagh and Ghida Krisht vow to fight for justice after an Israeli strike killed their family members. On April 8, hours after a ceasefire was announced between the United States and Iran, Israel launched a massiv»»»

MAKKAH: Minister of Health Fahad AlJalajel inspected several healthcare facilities at the holy sites operated by the private sector, reviewing the readiness of health services, operational efficiency, and overall preparedness for the Hajj season. The inspection aimed to ensure integrated, high-qual»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic received Chinese Ambassador to Belgrade Li Ming ahead of a trip to China, and noted that he looked forward to meeting with President Xi Jinping again and that the support and friendship demonstrated by the Chinese leader towards Serbia remained a lastin»»»

May 19 (UPI) -- A customer brought home a bag of lettuce from an Australian grocery store and discovered a live frog among the leaves. Laura Jones and Billie Le Pine, who are originally from New Zealand, said their roommate returned to their Esperance home from a trip to Woolworths and called their»»»

Hali Rieman, a turf care influencer known as the "Lawn Queen," broke a Guinness World Record in Kentucky by mowing a football field-sized area in under 15 minutes. Photo courtesy of TurfMutt May 19 (UPI) -- An influencer known as the "Lawn Queen" broke a Guinness World Record in Kentucky by mowing »»»

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Guinness World Records (@guinnessworldrecords) May 19 (UPI) -- An Ohio family broke a Guinness World Record by sending their Slinky down a flight of 53 stairs at a local stadium. Joe and Christelle Luchsinger visited Otterbein Stadium in Westerville with»»»

An elite interational dive rescue team begins a complex operation on Wednesday to recover the remains of the last two of four Italian divers from underwater caves more than 200 feet down off the Maldives' Vaavu Atoll. Photo courtesy Maldives President's Media Division/EPA May 20 (UPI) -- The final »»»

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the Lebanese government "is moving forward with steady steps and will not back down from any decision it takes to rescue the country from the crises it is floundering in." In remarks published Wednesday in the Kuwaiti newspaper al-Anbaa, Salam reiterated his commitme»»»

Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani chaired on Wednesday morning the Cabinet's regular meeting at the Amiri Diwan. Following the meeting, Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs HE Ibrahim bin Ali A»»»

MADINAH: The Ministry of Islamic Affairs has launched a video call service at Al-Qiblatain Mosque and Sayyid Al-Shuhada Mosque in Madinah to answer inquiries from pilgrims and worshippers. The initiative is part of the ministry’s Hajj operational plan and aims to enhance religious guidance and outr»»»

MAKKAH: The Presidency of Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque announced that this year’s Arafat sermon will be translated into 35 languages and broadcast via its digital platforms and affiliated channels. These efforts aim to convey the sermon’s message to Muslims worldwi»»»

RIYADH: Saudi ministries are implementing operational plans for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage with regulatory, supervisory and social initiatives aimed at improving services and the pilgrim experience. The ministry of interior has initiated strict measures for the Hajj season under the slogan “No Haj»»»

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow and Beijing have built a strategic partnership strong enough to withstand Western pressure, pointing to expanding energy cooperation, growing technological coordination and a trade turnover exceeding $200 billion. Lavrov said relations between Mosc»»»

Dubai: Insurance premiums in the UAE could become more expensive as insurers face rising claims, higher technology costs and tougher regulatory demands, according to a new Alpen Capital report released Wednesday, May 20. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The warning come»»»

Dubai: Pakistan has reopened its offshore oil and gas exploration sector after nearly two decades, with the government signing agreements for 23 offshore blocks in a move aimed at attracting foreign investment and reducing reliance on imported energy. The Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs) and Ex»»»

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has strongly condemned the terrorist drone attack launched from Iraqi territory targeting the peaceful Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant, after one of the drones struck an electricity generator outside the plant’s inner perimeter on Sunday. In a statement, the ministry sa»»»

From January to April 2026, food industry enterprises in Kyrgyzstan produced goods worth 35,512.1 billion soms. The National Statistical Committee recorded a 17 percent growth in the sector. The main drivers were beverage production and bakery products. The bulk of food production remains concentra»»»

For third consecutive day, opposition political forces and Progressive Bulgaria (PB) clashed over the amendments to the National Assembly’s rules of procedure proposed by the ruling coalition. On Wednesday, opposition parliamentary groups warned of democratic backsliding, while PB denied accusation»»»

The death toll of an Israeli airstrike on the village of Deir Qanoun al-Nahr rose Wednesday to 12, including four women and three children of the same family and a Syrian national. Three were wounded, including a child. Israel's military did not immediately comment on the casualties or specific inc»»»