New anti-asylum laws are likely to be rubber-stamped by the European Parliament amid further alarm over the far-right influence on migration. The Strasbourg assembly on Tuesday (10 February) will most likely adopt two new laws that will make it legally easier to deport asylum-seeker hopefuls to cou»»»

Global corruption is worse than it was a decade ago, with democracies particularly slipping, according to the new 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index published on Tuesday (10 February) by the Berlin-based NGO Transparency International. Governmental corruption has increasingly been a concern across t»»»

In our ongoing weekly digest, award-winning journalist Veronika Munk summarises and explains the most important political developments in Hungary. We guide readers on the route to the key April 2026 election — a poll without precedent in the region over the past 15 years. This week, we cover: An in»»»

Europe’s national leaders are meeting in a medieval castle in Belgium on Thursday (12 February) to discuss how to modernise. Europe’s economic and political system is predicated on openness and rules, built over decades, that are meant to ensure companies compete on a ‘level playing field’. But wit»»»

Greek authorities have issued a European arrest warrant against Norwegian human rights activist Tommy Olsen, who leads an organisation supporting migrants. Olsen runs the Aegean Boat Report, a Norwegian non-governmental organisation (NGO) set up in 2018 to monitor and share data on people seeking r»»»

MEPs raised concerns about the weakening of democratic standards in Slovakia at a plenary debate on Wednesday (11 February) — while representatives of Slovak governing coalition parties called it a deliberate humiliation of the country. “No corruption, no problems with the rule of law. These are yo»»»

When EU leaders met at a medieval castle this week to discuss how to ramp up Europe’s economic power, they were confronting a stark reality: Europe is lagging behind the innovation race with China and the US. In its 2026 competitiveness report, the European Commission admitted that Europe “risks lo»»»

“At the beginning of the full-scale war, we were most afraid of artillery,” says Vasyl Barninets, a manager at a large grain farm in the Zaporizhzhia region in southern Ukraine. “Now, the biggest fear is the drones.” “If we work close to the frontline, the staff have to put on bulletproof vests,” h»»»

The Spanish government asked its public prosecutor on Tuesday (17 February) to investigate TikTok, X, and Meta for potentially spreading AI-generated child sexual abuse material (CSAM) on their platforms.The move is an escalation in tension after the EU and national regulators stepped up scrutiny o»»»

Hailed as a “new gateway to European justice”, the redesign of the main portal to access EU case law, InfoCuria, has drawn the ire of legal scholars from around Europe. “It’s a disaster,” one law professor wrote to EUobserver. A letter seen by EUobserver, dated 9 February, and signed by law practit»»»

Teenagers’ access to social media has emerged as a topic of concern among politicians, not just parents, as more and more countries in Europe (and beyond) consider social media bans. Spain, France, Denmark, Portugal, Germany, Greece, Austria, and others have either initiated or announced plans, or »»»

Sensational claims that Ukraine blew up a German gas pipeline are being thrown around by Hungary’s populist prime minister Viktor Orbán ahead of upcoming elections. “Ukraine is trying to ensure that Russian energy reaches Europe only on its terms. Nord Stream bypassed Ukraine, so it was destroyed,”»»»

The caretaker government is allocating EUR 65 million for the snap parliamentary elections on April 19, Prime Minister Andrey Gurov announced at the beginning of the first regular meeting of the new Council of Ministers on Monday. "We have a task that is both simple and difficult at the same time. »»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Third Round of Iran-US Talks Set for February 26 in Geneva 23-02-2026 15:40 PM The third round of indirect Inuclear negotiations between Ir»»»

Yes, Bulgaria co-chair Bozhidar Bozhanov called on GERB to debate Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB)’s bill to expand the powers of mayors in small settlements on Monday. Bozhanov posted on social media after GERB leader Boyko Borissov met mayors in Stara Zagora earlier in the day and »»»

Caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Germany to Bulgaria Irene Maria Plank, the Council of Ministers reported on Monday on its Facebook page. During the conversation, Gurov presented the government's main priorities, which include holding fa»»»

Bulgaria has a constitution, a parliament, and a president. What it has struggled to maintain, with remarkable consistency over the past decade, is an actual functioning government. Since 2021 alone, the country has cycled through five caretaker cabinets, two of them led by the same man. By the tim»»»

On the first anniversary of the solemn funeral of former Hezbollah secretary generals Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah and Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, the Lebanese group leader Sheikh Naim Qassem stressed that the “resistance endures, through its leadership, its fighters, and its people.” Sheikh Qassem’s remar»»»

Caretaker Minister of Finance Georgi Klisurski urged government institutions, ministries and municipalities to apply the 5% salary indexation as stipulated in the budget extension, during the regular briefing of the Coordination Centre under the Euro Mechanism in Parliament on Monday. According to »»»

London: Igor Tudor believes there is still enough time for his Tottenham Hotspur side to avoid relegation from the Premier League provided they "stay humble". Spurs were overwhelmed 4-1 at home to league leaders and arch-rivals Arsenal in a lopsided north London derby, with Sunday's defeat leaving »»»

European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas arrives for a Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels on Monday. She vowed to find a solution to a threat by Hungary to veto the bloc's latest round of sanctions against Russia. Photo by Olivier Matthys/EPA F»»»

Rob Jetten has become the youngest and first gay prime minister of the Netherlands, after his minority government was sworn in. The 38-year-old claimed victory in October's general election with his Democrats 66 party (D66) in a nail-biting election, narrowly beating anti-Islam populist Geert Wilde»»»

Elnar Subakozhoev has been appointed Deputy Minister of Digital Development and Innovative Technologies of the Kyrgyz Republic. The order was signed by Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Adylbek Kasymaliev. Elnar Subakozhoev began his career in 2008 at MegaCom as a contact center intern. Over the»»»

Dubai: Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) on Monday rejected media reports suggesting serious damage to an Indian Air Force (IAF) Tejas fighter jet, clarifying that the episode involved only a minor technical issue on the ground. In an official statement, HAL said there had been no crash involving»»»

Dubai: As more Filipinos move to Europe for work and permanent residence, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) has stepped up its efforts to deepen engagement with the diaspora, not just as remittance senders, but as long-term partners in nation-building. During a recent forum titled “The Eur»»»

Caretaker Minister of Finance Georgi Klisurski urged government institutions, ministries and municipalities on salary indexation by 5%, as stipulated in the budget extension, during the regular briefing of the Coordination Centre under the Euro Mechanism in Parliament on Monday. According to Klisur»»»

Nataliya Efremova and Rumyana Petkova have been appointed Deputy Ministers of Labour and Social Policy by order of caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov, the Ministry's press centre announced on Monday. Both have extensive experience in social policy, labour, and employment, having held various lea»»»

Iraqi prime ministerial candidate Nouri al-Maliki told AFP on Monday that maintaining a good relationship with the U.S. is essential but that Baghdad's ties with Iran are defined by shared interests. "I believe that a relationship with the American side is essential for Iraq's progress," Maliki sai»»»

Caretaker Minister of Agriculture and Food Ivan Hristanov presented the Ministry’s new political team at a meeting with directors of the Ministry’s directorates and heads of its executive agencies and other bodies under the Ministry, the Ministry press service said here Monday. Ivana Murdzheva, Nik»»»

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has firmly dismissed speculation regarding an interim agreement between Tehran and Washington, clarifying that such claims have no basis in reality. The senior Iranian diplomat made the remarks during a press conference on Monday morning, addressin»»»

Islamabad: Pakistan has approved measures to simplify documentation requirements for thousands of its citizens residing in Spain, enabling eligible applicants to obtain one-year Spanish residency cards, according to Geo News. The policy direction was finalised during a high-level meeting jointly ch»»»

By order of Prime Minister Andrey Gurov, effective February 23, 2026, Victor Stoyanov has been appointed Deputy Minister of Culture. He is taking up the post for the third time, having previously served in 2014 and again in 2023 and 2024, the press centre of the Ministry of Culture said here on Mon»»»

Daniela Dasheva and Ivo Katsarov have been appointed deputy ministers, the Ministry of Youth and Sports announced on Monday. Professor Dasheva served as caretaker youth and sports minister in 2017 and was an MP in the 48th National Assembly, where she was deputy chair of the Committee on Children, »»»

Diseases, lack of natural pasture and high mortality among bees are among the main problems facing beekeepers, Assoc. Prof. Julian Stanchev, President of the Balkan Federation of Apicultural Associations (BFAA), told BTA on Monday. Stanchev, who is also the chair of the Regional Beekeepers' Union i»»»

Media reports earlier said that Zelensky is poised to continue fighting despite the Ukrainian military’s huge losses and the Russian army’s ongoing advance on all front lines. Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly announced Ukraine’s readiness to fight Russia “for another three years" just as “the repercus»»»

Dubai: Saudi Arabia’s Presidency of Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque has deployed more than 40 multilingual interactive screens to disseminate trusted religious content during the holy month of Ramadan. Also Read: Hajj and Umrah Ministry issues step-by-step visit guide»»»

Dr Angel Mavrovski has been appointed Executive Director of the Bulgarian Food Safety Agency (BFSA). Presenting him to the Agency’s staff, caretaker Minister of Agriculture and Food Ivan Hristanov said he expects the new management to ensure transparency, efficiency and uncompromising control in th»»»

Chevron has entered into exclusive talks with Iraq over the giant West Qurna 2 oilfield, moving closer to acquiring the field from sanctioned Russian oil firm Lukoil. The talks, which Chevron said will include the exchange of confidential data, could expand the US oil major's footprint in ‌Iraq aft»»»

European Union diplomats scrambled Monday to overcome Hungary's veto threats as they seek to finalize new sanctions on Russia and a massive new loan for Ukraine. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc's 27 foreign ministers gathering in Brussels would likely not agree on the 20th package»»»

The caretaker government of Bulgaria, which took office on February 19, is a government of Assen Vassilev and his Continue the Change party, Ahmed Dogan and his Alliance for Rights and Freedoms, and former President Rumen Radev, said GERB leader Boyko Borissov on Monday in Stara Zagora, where he me»»»

Donald Trump's tariff policy "hasn't changed", the US president's trade representative has insisted, despite the Supreme Court moving on Friday to strike down a legal justification used by Trump to impose many such tariffs. "The legal tool to implement it - that might change, but the policy hasn't »»»

Iraq's foreign minister said on Monday Türkiye had agreed to take back Turkish citizens from among thousands of ISIS detainees transferred to Iraq from Syria when camps and prisons there were shut in recent weeks. Iraq took in the detainees in an operation arranged with the United States after Kurd»»»

The Supreme Court's ruling against U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs has countries like China and South Korea watching for Washington's next steps, while financial markets took the news in stride. The decision announced Friday could potentially disrupt arrangements worked out in trade negotiati»»»

A dispute between Iraq and Kuwait over their maritime border that reignited over the weekend has prompted Gulf Arab countries to side with Kuwait, putting Baghdad on the defensive on Monday over its demand. The dispute came after Iraq recently submitted a map and geographic coordinates to the Unite»»»

1 of 6 | Farmer Ma Yong-un, seen here in his apple orchard in November, is one of five plaintiffs in a landmark civil suit against state-owned utility KEPCO for climate-related agricultural damages. Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI HAMYANG, South Korea, Feb. 23 (UPI) -- As harvest season approached last»»»

Former caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Stoil Tzitzelkov said on Sunday he will not resign from the Public Council with the Central Election Commission (CEC), speaking on bTV. Tzitzelkov, who stepped down as deputy prime minister on Friday, said there was no legal or moral reason for him not to work»»»

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine four years ago launched Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II, causing immense suffering for civilians and harrowing ordeals for soldiers while rewriting the post-Cold War security order. The fighting enters its fifth year on Tuesday, and it shows no signs of sto»»»

Pallekele, Sri Lanka: Pakistan on Monday warned England's inconsistent batting line-up to expect a trial by spin when the teams clash in the T20 World Cup Super Eights. Pakistan batsman Sahibzada Farhan told reporters that England struggled to 146-9 against Sri Lanka's spinners on Sunday. Farhan sa»»»

EU lawmakers said on Monday they would put on hold a key trade deal with the United States after a Supreme Court ruling struck down President Donald Trump's tariffs. European Parliament negotiators will meet later on Monday to formally agree to freeze plans to approve the deal agreed last year. The»»»

Abu Dhabi: In a landmark effort to fight food waste, ne’ma, the National Food Loss and Waste Initiative, is scaling up its ‘Valuing Our Roots’ campaign for Ramadan 2026, marking the largest nationwide food rescue operation in the UAE to date. The initiative will operate simultaneously across Abu Dh»»»