Elin Pelin Municipality will provide EUR 10,000 to families for the birth of a third or subsequent child, the municipal press office said on Wednesday. The Municipality said the support is believed to be the largest of its kind in Bulgaria. Mayor Ivaylo Simeonov emphasized that the initiative aims »»»

US President Donald Trump has submitted a civilian nuclear cooperation agreement with Saudi Arabia to Congress for review, an administration official said. The classified pact, sent to Capitol Hill on Monday, is aimed at bolstering Riyadh’s nuclear programme but remains contingent on Saudi Arabia n»»»

CFA Romania’s Macroeconomic Confidence Indicator rose by 6.7 points to 44.2 points in July, amid the confirmation of Romania’s investment-grade rating by rating agencies. At the same time, the Current Conditions Indicator increased by 8.1 points to 36.9, while the Expectations Indicator rose by 6.1»»»

The US-led board overseeing the Gaza peace plan warned Hamas on Tuesday to halt militant activity, including flying kites, after Israel threatened retaliatory strikes. A Board of Peace official said Israel must also respect the ceasefire, limiting military action to responses to “genuine and immine»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa highlighted the importance of a memorandum on reorganizing the Khmeimim airbase and the logistics support facility in Tartus, the Kremlin said. “Both sides noted the importance of the memorandum of understanding sign»»»

TAIPEI: Taiwan must demonstrate its resolve to defend ​itself and pass a six-year, T$210 billion ($6.6 billion) special budget to buy military drones, President Lai Ching-te said on Wednesday ahead of a crucial vote in the opposition-controlled parliament. Taiwan’s government says the plans to buy »»»

Dubai: “For two hours I kept crying and wailing.” Jaweria had lost her newborn in the fire that swept through a maternity ward at Islamabad’s biggest public hospital. As families gathered outside on Wednesday, her grief turned to anger over why help had not come sooner. “Rescue teams arrived too la»»»

Police in Sandanski and Petrich discovered and destroyed around 421 cannabis plants weighing approximately 833 kilogrammes during a special operation on August 25, the Blagoevgrad Regional Directorate of the Interior Ministry said on Wednesday. About 214 plants weighing 551 kilogrammes were found i»»»

Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov and representatives of the German company Diehl Defence discussed the establishment of a maintenance centre for defence capabilities in Bulgaria, the Bulgarian Ministry of Defence said. Bulgaria expects that the acquisition of new defence capabilities under the SAF»»»

One million children subject to severe acute malnutrition in Afghanistan are at risk of dying if they do not receive immediate treatment, the UNICEF warned on Tuesday. Nearly 40 percent of those admitted to hospitals comprise babies under six months old. One million children in Afghanistan are»»»

AI is advancing faster than the companies using it, according to the 2026 edition of the global The State of AI study by McKinsey & Company: 80% of respondents say AI has increased productivity, and 50% say it helps them make better decisions, yet only 37% report a positive contribution to operatin»»»

Opposition parties "We Continue the Change" (PP) and "Democratic Bulgaria" (DB) are set to support Andrey Gyurov's bid for president and Georgi Kandev's candidacy for vice president, according to PP lawmaker Radoslav Ribarski. Speaking on NOVA NEWS, Ribarski said the two parties are expected to for»»»

A drone was found on Kabakum beach near Varna on Wednesday morning, prompting Border Police and Navy teams to cordon off the area as a precaution. The unmanned aircraft was discovered by people on the beach and was later secured for transport to the Varna Naval Base. The Ministry of Defense said th»»»

Bulgaria's ruling majority, represented by Progressive Bulgaria (PB), the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS) and Revival, rejected a request by Democratic Bulgaria (DB) to summon Economy, Investments and Industry Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Pulev to parliament over the Lukoil N»»»

President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping will arrive in Kyrgyzstan on August 30 for a state visit at the invitation of President Sadyr Japarov. According to the presidential administration, during the talks, the parties will discuss the further development of the strategic partnership»»»

It appears that Péter Magyar and the Tisza Party he leads will continue to shape Hungarian public life for some time to come. Yet the country’s current prime minister is making remarkably modest claims in this regard, while his intended involvement in public affairs appears strikingly limited. Vikt»»»

Russia returned 10 prisoners of war to Kiev during a humanitarian action on August 24, and Ukraine responded by handing 10 soldiers to Russia on Wednesday, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova said. "At the moment, the process of prisoner of war exchange is taking place on the territor»»»

DUBAI: French-Algerian singer-songwriter Lolo Zouai posted a video for “Coquelicot,” the 10th track from her album “Reverie,” on Instagram this week, extending a summer of promotion for the record. The post, captioned “Track 10. Coquelicot,” carries a heavily blue-tinted, grainy video built around »»»

A drone attack caused a massive fire that destroyed a warehouse run by Russian e-commerce giant Wildberries, officials said early on Wednesday, as Ukraine pushes ahead with its campaign to hurt Moscow’s economy by targeting online retailers. Two people were wounded in ‌the overnight strike ‌in Russ»»»

President Joseph Aoun has contacted the U.S. administration to find a solution for the strategic Ali Taher hill, in order to prevent any escalation of the situation, Qatar’s al-Araby al-Jadeed news portal reported. The president “proposed the entry of the Lebanese Army into it after the withdrawal »»»

Schneider Electric has launched Easy UPS 3S Pro, a new 3-phase uninterruptible power supply (UPS) designed to provide simplified, reliable, and cost-effective protection for companies operating critical infrastructure and applications. Easy UPS 3S Pro is now available across all IEC markets worldwi»»»

Dubai: The UAE Ministry of Finance has issued new rules setting out which entities within multinational groups must file information with the Federal Tax Authority under the country's Pillar Two corporate tax framework. Ministerial Decision No. 133 of 2026 specifies the entities required to file a »»»

Parliament approved on Wednesday at first reading two bills amending the Weapons, Ammunition, Explosives and Pyrotechnic Products Act. One bill, submitted by the caretaker government of Andrey Gurov, was adopted by 132 votes in favour, with two abstentions. The second, tabled by the regular governm»»»

Vazrazhdane has submitted a request for the full record, or a copy of the record, of talks between Bulgaria and Turkiye concerning the so-called renegotiation of the contract with Turkish energy company BOTAS, party leader Kostadin Kostadinov told journalists in Parliament on Wednesday. Kostadinov »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Interior has warned the public that driving without a license constitutes a traffic violation punishable by imprisonment or heavy fines. In a social media post, the Ministry said: Driving without a license is a traffic violation that poses a risk to the safety of all ro»»»

Atomic Eagle (ASX: AEU; OTCQX: AEUXF) has agreed to terms with Niger for a new mining convention that would restore a 60% interest and operational control in the Madaouela uranium project, resolving a dispute that followed the withdrawal of the project’s mining permit in 2024. The Australian-listed»»»

Three drone incidents in 36 hours last week highlighted the growing security challenge facing Nato's Black Sea flank, culminating in Romania scrambling an F-16 to destroy an explosive-laden naval drone near the country's biggest new offshore gas project. European officials have warned that repeated»»»

A team of AI researchers led by two Slovenians has left Nvidia to launch Veeda AI, a Toronto-based startup developing virtual environments where robots can learn and practise tasks before operating in the real world, startup news media outlet The Recursive reported on August 24. Veeda AI has r»»»

A US Army Black Hawk went down during a training flight in Colorado on Tuesday, just a day after CNN reported that Apache attack helicopters are crashing at a historically high rate amid persistent mechanical problems. The Black Hawk went down on the east side of Thorodin Mountain in Gilpin County,»»»

Two people have died of measles in Pennsylvania, decades after the disease was considered eradicated. Measles is currently making a resurgence in the US, with cases at a 35-year high. The two victims were residents of Lancaster County, a largely rural county west of Philadelphia, state health offic»»»

Global fertility may have fallen below replacement level for the first time in human history, putting the world population on course for decline within roughly one generation, a new study has warned. The paper, Terra Incognita: The Economics of a Shrinking World, published earlier this month by eco»»»

DUBAI: Israeli forces were recently seen preventing Knesset lawmaker Ofer Cassif from reaching a Palestinian family whose home has been surrounded by settlers in the occupied West Bank village of Qusra. Louai Ridi, a Palestinian American, has been effectively trapped on his property since settlers »»»

Ukraine turned 35 on August 24 and its president spent the occasion asking for two things: money and missiles. Volodymyr Zelenskiy told reporters in Kyiv on August 23 that ballistic missile defence and war funding were Ukraine's "two major challenges". The defence ministry is carrying a budget shor»»»

The United States has paused or rescheduled visa appointments at diplomatic missions around the world as the State Department conducts a global training programme for consular officers, according to reports by Reuters and the Financial Times. The move comes as President Donald Trump’s administratio»»»

Danube water levels in the Bulgarian section remained largely unchanged over the past 24 hours, with only slight increases recorded at Novo Selo, Nikopol and Vidin, the Executive Agency for Exploration and Maintenance of the Danube River said on Wednesday. No change was recorded at the gauging stat»»»

Waste collection in Sofia's Poduyane, Slatina and Izgrev districts has been operating according to schedule since last week, Sofia Deputy Mayor for Environment Nikolay Nedelkov said at a briefing on Wednesday. Other services in Zone 3, including street washing, emptying of waste bins and sweeping, »»»

In this Parliament, the only consistent opposition is Vazrazhdane, party leader Kostadin Kostadinov said from the rostrum of the National Assembly in a declaration on Wednesday. “We heard declarations in which some of the parties distanced themselves from the ruling party,” Kostadinov said. He comp»»»

Kyrgyzstan will introduce temporary restrictions on drone flights and flights by general aviation aircraft from August 27 due to the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the VI World Nomad Games. According to the State Civil Aviation Agency, fr»»»

The main events of the World Nomad Games on Nomad TV will be narrated by well-known Russian and experienced Kyrgyz commentators. Mikhail Mossakovsky and Sergey Deryabkin, together with their Kyrgyz colleagues, will bring each broadcast to life with engaging commentary on sport, traditions and the c»»»

LONDON: It is almost 38 years since Pan Am Flight 103 was destroyed by a bomb, killing all 259 people on board and 11 residents of the Scottish town of Lockerbie, on Dec. 21, 1988. Now, with the news that the trial of the last remaining suspect in the bombing has been postponed, just days before it»»»

JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a diplomatic deal was not possible with the “savages” who rule Iran as he hailed US President Donald Trump’s new campaign of economic pressure. Recounting a recent meeting with Trump, Netanyahu told an event late Tuesday that they had discus»»»

Six months after the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran, the conflict has evolved. The campaign of airstrikes has turned into a grinding contest over energy, shipping and economic pressure. The war began on Feb. 28, 2026, when the United States and Israel launched major strike»»»

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a diplomatic deal was not possible with the "savages" who rule Iran as he hailed U.S. President Donald Trump's new campaign of economic pressure. Recounting a recent meeting with Trump, Netanyahu told an event late Tuesday that they had discussed the p»»»

Sydney, Australia: The "Five Eyes" intelligence-sharing group of Britain, the United States, Australia, Canada and New Zealand held talks Wednesday in Sydney on using artificial intelligence to combat terrorism and organised crime. Australia's Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the "massive acce»»»

Doha, Qatar: Northwestern University in Qatar is expanding its faculty with four new appointments whose work engages some of the defining questions shaping media, technology, culture, and society today—from artificial intelligence and mobile communication to environmental media and the evolving rol»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s industrial occupancy exceeded 90 percent across key markets in the second quarter, while the number of industrial establishments rose to 13,660 in April, JLL said. Occupancy in Riyadh, Jeddah and the Dammam Metropolitan Area remained above 90 percent, supported by lease renew»»»

The UAE, represented by the Ministry of Sports, participated in the 2026 BRICS Sports Ministers’ Meeting convened in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India, under the theme "Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation, and Sustainability". Led by Sheikh Suhail bin Butti Al Maktoum, Assistant Und»»»

Uniforms, backpacks, stationery, water bottles...shoes. SHOES! You can guarantee that every parent mutters the same chant in their sleep, and invariably, realise that they have forgotten about shoes. And for all you know, the shoes would either be too tight, or the soles have worn down (Double sigh»»»

Mumbai: When Gulf News tracked down Miss Universe India 2026 Kaziah Liz Mejo, the Abu Dhabi-bred law student was in Jaipur, caught in a whirlwind of pageant rehearsals, photo shoots and media requests. The 19-year-old's life had changed almost overnight and, by her own admission, it was yet to full»»»

ISLAMABAD: At least 14 newborn children have been killed in a fire that broke out in the nursery of a government-run hospital in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said, as he ordered an investigation. The fire broke out on Wednesday on the third floor of the Mother and Ch»»»