European Commission Vows Tougher Action on Trade with China
The EU's trade and investment relationship with China is "not sustainable", the European Commission said on Friday, vowing a stronger response as commissioners discussed how best to shield Europe's industries from surging Chinese imports. Commissioners were pitching ideas ahead of an EU leaders' su»»»
Heatwave makes conditions 'inhumane', say inmates at overcrowded Paris suburb prison
Villepinte, France: A damp towel hangs from a barred window, a fan churns the muggy air: Inmates at the overcrowded Villepinte prison outside Paris say enduring a heatwave that has stifled France in recent days in cramped cells is "inhumane". French MP Clementine Autain witnessed the conditions dur»»»
DR Congo end 52-year World Cup absence amid health, security crises
JOHANNESBURG: Democratic Republic of Congo will return to the World Cup in June after a 52-year absence as the vast central Africa nation reels from health and security crises. A deadly Ebola outbreak in the east of the country had recorded 10 confirmed and 223 suspected deaths by May 24. The Genev»»»
Film funding bill to support blockbusters made in Germany
MediaGermanyFilm funding bill to support blockbusters made in GermanyMarcel FürstenauThe German government wants to attract more filmmakers and make the country a 'global player' in on-screen entertainment. A new bill would require media companies to make mandatory investments in the film industry.»»»
Flights temporarily suspended at Munich Airport after reported drone sighting
Flights were reportedly paused at Munich Airport on Saturday after a possible drone sighting, with a large number of police officers attending the scene. A police spokesperson told Agence France-Presse that two pilots had reported seeing a possible drone shortly after 9:00 am. Get updated faster an»»»
'Decided on moments': PSG, Arsenal in knife-edge Champions League final
Budapest: As the hours wind down to Saturday's Champions League final in Budapest, Paris Saint-Germain's irresistible attacking force prepares to collide with the defensive steel of Arsenal in an intriguing clash of opposing styles. PSG coach Luis Enrique said that there were "no favourites" going »»»
Morocco Emerges as China's Critical Green Industry Partner
Since joining China’s Belt and Road in 2017, Morocco has pulled in major Chinese investments across renewable energy, battery manufacturing, and EV supply chains – including the giant Noor solar complex, according to a new report by the Stimson Centre think tank. Morocco holds some of the world’s l»»»
Malta holds parliamentary elections ruling Labour party looks set to win
Parliamentary elections in Malta began on Saturday as voters cast their ballots in elections likely to secure a record-setting fourth term for the Labour government, according to opinion polls, despite concerns about over-construction and corruption in the tiny Mediterranean nation. Preli»»»
US Ambassador to Greece and Rudi Giuliani Make Surprise Visit to Bulgaria, Meet the President and Energy Minister
A visit to Sofia by US Ambassador to Greece Kimberly Guilfoyle and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani has drawn attention after details of the meetings emerged primarily through social media rather than official announcements from Bulgarian institutions. In a post on X, Guilfoyle said she had trav»»»
A growing Balkan bloc objects to Ukraine's accelerated EU membership
For the last few years former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban was the most vocal opponent of Ukraine’s EU accession bid. However, behind the scenes several other EU members have also opposed allowing the agricultural superpower to join the European Union quickly. Until now their leaders have »»»
A growing Balkan bloc objects to Ukraine's accelerated EU membership
For the last few years former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban was the most vocal opponent of Ukraine’s EU accession bid. However, behind the scenes several other EU members have also opposed allowing the agricultural superpower to join the European Union quickly. Until now their leaders have »»»
President Iotova Opens Bulgaria Across Five Oceans Career Forum
President Iliana Iotova opened the second Bulgaria Across Five Oceans career forum at Inter Expo Center on Saturday. The event is organized by the Bulgaria Wants You platform. “There are so many people here, so many young people and, of course, so much enthusiasm and expectation,” Iotova told parti»»»
US Pushes Back Deadline Again for Sale of Lukoil International OperationsOpinions
The United States has extended the deadline for companies interested in acquiring international assets from Russian oil company Lukoil, allowing negotiations to continue until June 27, according to the US Treasury Department. The decision effectively gives potential buyers an additional month to en»»»
Regional Turmoil Drives Growth at Egyptian Ports While Cutting Suez Canal Revenues
The Suez Canal may have incurred heavy losses due to regional tensions and instability in recent years — from the war in Gaza to the conflict involving Iran — those same disruptions have contributed to a significant surge in activity at Egyptian ports and in transit trade. However, Egyptian economi»»»
US hegemony is becoming a trap Washington cannot escape anymore
The United States is caught in a trap of its own making. It wants to preserve its unique position in world politics, while at the same time freeing itself from the growing burden that this position imposes. Yet Washington hasn’t found any way to do so except by insisting, ever more loudly, on its o»»»
Raise Defense Spending or Else, Hegseth Tells NATO, Europe
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took another swipe at Washington's NATO and European partners on Saturday, saying those that do not hike defense spending sufficiently "will face a clear shift in how we do business". NATO members pledged last year to ramp up defense-related spending to five percen»»»
Raise defence spending or else, Hegseth tells NATO, Europe
Singapore: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth took another swipe at Washington's NATO and European partners on Saturday, saying those that do not hike defence spending sufficiently "will face a clear shift in how we do business". NATO members pledged last year to ramp up defence-related spending to »»»
EU or EAEU: Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan issue statement on Armenia - | 24.KG
Russia’s discussion with Armenia regarding its future in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) can only be frank and open, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in Astana while answering journalists’ questions. According to him, the peoples of Russia and Armenia have been linked by ties of friendship »»»
Bulgaria’s President Expresses Solidarity with Romania After Russian Drone Attack in Galati
Vice President Iliana Yotova expressed solidarity with the Romanian people following the Russian drone strike on a residential building in the city of Galati that left civilians injured, according to a statement released by the Bulgarian presidency. In a letter addressed to Romanian President Nicus»»»
Bulgaria Tops Europe for Highest Net Income From a €100,000 SalaryOpinions
Bulgaria ranks first in Europe when it comes to how much of a 100,000-euro annual salary employees actually keep after taxes and social security deductions, according to a comparative analysis covering 31 European countries. The study examined net income levels across all EU member states, along wi»»»
From Soviet antihistamine to Alzheimer's breakthrough: a UK biotech bets on a molecule the world forgot
A small UK-registered biotech company believes it has found an Alzheimer's treatment that is safer, cheaper and more effective than anything currently on the market — and it has done so by revisiting a molecule that Soviet chemists first synthesised in the 1970s and that Pfizer abandoned as a failu»»»
Timur Turlov’s Freedom Holding Corp: From a niche broker to a global fintech player
Who is Timur Turlov? Where did his billions come from? And how did he turn a small brokerage firm into a transnational financial ecosystem? Freedom Holding Corp. is a Kazakhstan-born international fintech company listed on the Nasdaq and valued at nearly $9 billion. In recent years, the company - w»»»
Putin deepens ties with Kazakhstan with nuclear power plant deal and renewed friendship declaration during state visit
Vladimir Putin arrived in Astana on Wednesday for a three-day state visit to Kazakhstan — his second to the country in a single presidential term — trailing a delegation of more than 30 senior officials and business figures and bearing a package of economic agreements designed to anchor Moscow's ti»»»
Timur Turlov’s Freedom Holding Corp: From a niche broker to a global fintech player
Who is Timur Turlov? Where did his billions come from? And how did he turn a small brokerage firm into a transnational financial ecosystem? Freedom Holding Corp. is a Kazakhstan-born international fintech company listed on the Nasdaq and valued at nearly $9 billion. In recent years, the company - w»»»
Putin deepens ties with Kazakhstan with nuclear power plant deal and renewed friendship declaration during state visit
Vladimir Putin arrived in Astana on Wednesday for a three-day state visit to Kazakhstan — his second to the country in a single presidential term — trailing a delegation of more than 30 senior officials and business figures and bearing a package of economic agreements designed to anchor Moscow's ti»»»
Trump gives resounding endorsement to Armenian PM Pashinyan ahead of election
US President Donald Trump endorsed Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on May 27 ahead of Armenia’s June 7 parliamentary election, praising him as “a great friend and leader” as Washington steps up its engagement in the South Caucasus. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Pashinyan “completely»»»
Sulyok requests constitutional assessment
President Tamás Sulyok has asked the Council of Europe’s constitutional advisory body, the European Commission for Democracy through Law, better known as the Venice Commission, to assess the existing constitutional issues and provide expert assistance in resolving the controversial situation while »»»
The World This Week - Iran: Is Trump “Bored”?, Bolivia at “Breaking point” A Spanish Scandal
It’s been a week where, 90 days into the conflict and ceasefire stand-off with Iran, both Tehran and Washington are insisting time is on their side — each claiming the other needs a deal more urgently. Pressure is growing on the Trump administration with soaring energy prices and midterm elections »»»
Putin alleges drone that struck Romanian apartment building could have been Ukrainian
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday questioned if the drone that crashed into an apartment block in Romania earlier in the day was from Russia, as Bucharest has said, suggesting instead that it could have been a Ukrainian drone. He called for the debris to be handed over to Moscow for wha»»»
Russia accused of launching drone that hit apartment block in Romania, but Putin demands proof
A drone struck a residential building in Romania’s city of Galati near the Ukrainian border, injuring two people and triggering a fire after impact, authorities said on Friday. While Bucharest condemned the strike as an "irresponsible escalation" by Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin maintain»»»
Former RT France chief Xenia Fedorova fuels concerns over pro-Kremlin influence in French media
French officials and analysts are raising the alarm after former RT France chief Xenia Fedorova began appearing regularly on major conservative media outlets in the country. They warn that Kremlin-aligned narratives are gaining visibility ahead of crucial elections, testing the limits of »»»
France to investigate treatment of nationals on Gaza flotilla after reports of abuse
France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Friday that Paris had asked the public prosecutor to investigate the treatment of nationals on board the recent flotilla heading for Gaza. This comes after reports that activists were subjected to abuse while in detention, including humiliati»»»
Talking Europe - Europe's population reckoning: How can the EU avoid falling off a demographic cliff?
It has been called Europe’s demographic time bomb: Older people are living longer, while younger people are having fewer children. Last year in France, for example, deaths outpaced births for the first time since the end of World War II, prompting President Emmanuel Macron to call for "demogra»»»
Talking Europe - Europe’s fight to stay in the AI race
This week’s special edition of Talking Europe asks whether the EU is ready for the disruption that comes with Artificial Intelligence. It is the most important technological revolution of the century, and is set to impact every aspect of our lives. Whether you are working in a small busin»»»
EU to unlock 16 billion euros for Hungary as Magyar pushes ahead with post-Orban reforms
The European Union will unlock more than €16 billion in frozen funds for Hungary, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Friday, praising what she described as "long overdue reforms" by newly elected Prime Minister Peter Magyar. The EU had frozen the funds while the country was under the lead»»»
Spotlight - 'We need Operation Eastern Sentry': NATO's eastern flank 'facing Russian threat every week'
Gavin Lee is pleased to welcome prominent Romanian journalist, TV anchor and military analyst Radu Tudor. As tensions continue to rise along NATO's eastern frontier, the latest drone incident in Romania has once again exposed the growing security dilemmas facing frontline alliance states.»»»
Bulgaria Condemns the Russian Drone Strike in Romania
Bulgaria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the drone incident in the Romanian city of Galați, where a Russian armed drone Geran-2 struck a residential building and injured two civilians during overnight attacks connected to the war in Ukraine. In a statement posted on social media, t»»»
Bulgaria, Romania's Special Forces Conduct Joint Training for Trojan Footprint 26 Military Exercise
The international Special Operations Forces exercise Trojan Footprint 26 brought together 3,000 military personnel from Bulgaria, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, the United States, the Republic of North Macedonia, Hungary, and Croatia, who participated in trai»»»
Denmark claims Iran poses ‘terror threat’
COPENHAGEN: Danish intelligence said on Friday that Iran was playing a larger role when it came to the threat of terrorism against the Scandinavian country, adding that the threat assessment was mirroring global developments. The Danish national security and intelligence service, PET, said the over»»»
Russia Has Means to Destroy Anyone Targeting Its Air Defense Bases - Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia has all the means to destroy anyone who attempts to destroy its air defense bases. “Russia has all the means to flatten anyone who tries to do this,” Putin told journalists during a press briefing following his visit to Kazakhstan, commenting on t»»»
Historic Péter Magyar-von der Leyen agreement about EU funds
“We have agreed with the President of the European Commission on the release of 16.4 billion euros, approximately 6,000 billion forints, in EU funds,” Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced in Brussels on Friday. Péter Magyar promises aid for many in Hungary At a joint press conference with Presiden»»»
Cabinet Cancels Two Government Decisions in Field of Defence
The Council of Ministers has revoked two of its decisions in the field of defence and modernization of the armed forces on Friday. The Council of Ministers decision No. 263 of April 2, 2026, approving the Report on the State of the Defence and Armed Forces of the Republic of Bulgaria for 2025 is re»»»
Brnabic: Visit to Andorra aimed at stronger cooperation in international institutions
ANDORRA LA VELLA - Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic, who visited Andorra on Friday, said she hoped Serbia-Andorra relations would be much better in the future and that it was important to advance bilateral political ties. Brnabic said much better cooperation in international institutions, pri»»»
From instinct to intelligence: How Omnicom and Google are using AI to rethink ad creativity
LONDON: When Omnicom Advertising and Google launched what they describe as the first artificial intelligence-powered creative intelligence system in the Middle East this April, the promise was unusual: that a machine could tell a creative director not just what was weak in an ad, but what it would »»»
EU's Six Biggest Economies Agree on Capital Markets Supervision
Finance ministers from the EU's six biggest economies (E6) agreed among themselves on Friday to support more centralized capital markets supervision, in a breakthrough crucial for deeper integration of Europe's fragmented capital markets. The push for financial market players to be supervised at a »»»
Half of France Hits New Monthly Records in Heatwave
Towns and villages in more than half of France have smashed temperature records for the month of May over the past week during an unusually early heatwave, a climatologist said Friday. "More than half of France has experienced at least one monthly heat record -- whether in minimum and/or maximum te»»»
Half of France hits new monthly records in heatwave
Paris, France: Towns and villages in more than half of France have smashed temperature records for the month of May over the past week during an unusually early heatwave, a climatologist said Friday. "More than half of France has experienced at least one monthly heat record -- whether in minimum an»»»
Travelling from the UAE to Europe? Expect longer waits at border control
Dubai: UAE travellers heading to Europe should gear up for a long wait of at least five to six hours at European airports, as the rollout of the EU’s new electronic Entry/Exit System (EES) plunges major hubs into operational disruptions. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances»»»
Magyar blames corruption for blocked EU funds after new government secures billions from Brussels
Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced in Brussels on Friday that an agreement had been reached with the president of the European Commission to unlock €16.4 billion in EU funding, equivalent to approximately 6,000 billion forints. The Hungarian prime minister said the government had reached agreeme»»»
Brnabic meets with members of Andorran parliamentary committee on foreign affairs
ANDORRA LA VELLA - Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic, who is on an official visit to Andorra, met on Friday with members of the country's parliamentary committee on foreign affairs. In an Instagram post, Brnabic wrote that special attention at the meeting had been devoted to EU integration and»»»