The National Assembly on Thursday voted 151-36, with one abstention, to scrap the limit of up to 20 voting sections outside Bulgaria's diplomatic missions and consular posts in non-EU countries. The change was adopted at second reading as part of amendments to the Election Code. Progressive Bulgari»»»

Russia’s Federal Security Service has brought terrorism-related charges against Pavel Durov, the Russian-born billionaire behind popular messaging app Telegram, once again placing the entrepreneur at the center of a dispute over whether technology platforms should be held responsible for crimes org»»»

Islamabad: Nine police officers were killed and 28 others were wounded in an attack on a police checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan today. Pakistani police said gunmen attacked a security checkpoint in Hangu district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, killing nine officers, including a senior officer, a»»»

Riyadh: Not every journey to Saudi Arabia begins with a lifelong dream; sometimes, it starts with a single opportunity. When Susan Allen first arrived in Riyadh from the UK over eight years ago, she never imagined that the Kingdom would one day feel like home. Today, through her social media, she s»»»

LONDON: Syria’s old banknotes, bearing the image of ousted President Bashar Assad, lost their status as legal tender on Thursday, closing a monthslong exchange window that the Central Bank of Syria says has already pulled roughly 80 percent of the old currency out of circulation since January. The »»»

Sofia, Bulgaria: Sinking water levels in the Danube river have unveiled bones of a mammoth in Bulgaria and could lead to further discoveries, a local museum director told AFP on Thursday. The bone fragments found near the northeastern city of Ruse "very likely" belonged to a woolly mammoth that liv»»»

Energy prices were the driving factor in June’s slowing inflation as talks of a peace deal between the United States and Iran gained momentum. Prices for gasoline and energy goods fell by 9.2%, marking the largest decrease since August 2022. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo July 30 (UP»»»

DUBAI: Iran’s Foreign ‌Minister Abbas Araqchi urged Bulgaria to reconsider its decision to allow the temporary deployment of US military aircraft at ​the Bezmer air base, Iranian state media reported on Thursday. During a phone call with his Bulgarian counterpart, Velislava Petrova-Chamova, Araqchi»»»

Istanbul: Hundreds of Turkish firefighters on Thursday battled to contain wildfires spreading near key tourist regions on the country's Mediterranean coast. Authorities expressed particular concern over fires around the city of Antalya and the Aegean sea resorts of Fethiye, where flames gathered ne»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian FM Marko Djuric said on Thursday that demolition of properties in the Kosovo-Metohija Zubin Potok municipality, illegal works at the Serbian Orthodox monastery of Visoki Decani and administrative barriers hindering pilgrims represented "a deliberate pattern of pressure" on Serb p»»»

NATO-provided air defenses in Ukraine have failed to stop Russia’s ballistic and hypersonic missiles, as the July 30 strikes demonstrated. NATO was caught off guard by “Russia’s ability to transform its Soviet-era legacy into a new generation of high-tech weapons, such as the Zircon, Kinzhal and Or»»»

DUBAI: Adidas and Al-Nassr FC have unveiled the club’s 2026-27 home kit under the theme “We Share Our Identity With the Rest of the World,” celebrating Saudi heritage, culture and the club’s growing global connections. Inspired by Saudi Arabian postage stamps, one of the world’s most recognizable s»»»

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said on Thursday that it will "punish" the United States for their strikes on Iran. Overnight into Thursday, the US Central Command said that the US military completed a new wave of strikes against Iran, targeting military command cent»»»

TEHRAN (Sputnik) - The Iranian military in the early hours of Thursday hit the Ali Al Salem air base in Kuwait housing US forces, destroying two drone hangars and a fuel storage facility, in response to US attacks on Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said. Overnight into Thursday, »»»

Six of the Tu-95MS strategic bombers that took part in today’s deadly and devastating raids against Ukrainian towns and settlements took off from the Olenya base in the Murmansk region. At least eight people were killed and more than 50 injured in the Russian attacks on 30 July. Residential buildin»»»

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun arrived in Ankara on Thursday for an official visit to Turkiye, where he is scheduled to hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and senior officials, the Lebanese National News Agency reported. Aoun was received at Ankara Military Airport by Tu»»»

JAKARTA: Indonesian nationals have filed a criminal complaint against Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, their lawyer said on Thursday, as he seeks a probe over his clients’ reports of torture and illegal detention by Israel forces. The nine men, including activists and journalists, were p»»»

WEST BANK: Workers, under the protection of Israeli forces, have begun clearing and leveling land in the village of Faqqu’a, northeast of Jenin, to prepare the site for a new settlement outpost, Palestinian officials said. Barakat Al-Amri, head of the village council, said the work followed the con»»»

The slow actions of the Bulgarian prosecuting magistracy amount to a direct denial of justice, Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev said, commenting on the case from earlier this month, when the police arrested employees of the Burgas Water and Sewerage Company, the Interior Ministry said on Thursday»»»

Nairobi: Fifteen elephants found dead over the past month in one of Kenya's best-known wildlife parks were likely poisoned by cyanide, possibly from pesticides used on nearby farms, wildlife officials said Thursday. The deaths occurred in Amboseli National Park near the Tanzanian border, home to so»»»

Madrid: A new wildfire in western Spain near the Portuguese border has burned 11,000 hectares in 24 hours, a local mayor told AFP. The mayor of Fermoselle, where the fire started on Wednesday, said the village faced "hell" and a "tunnel of flame" in the blaze, which follows days of larger wildfires»»»

A handout photo made available by the Fire and Rescue Departmental Service 33 shows firefighters crew battling a fire near Le Porge, in southwestern France on Wednesday as a wildfire rages through the forest in Gironde. Photo by EPA July 30 (UPI) -- Tens of thousands of residents in Spain and Franc»»»

LONDON: Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, awarded the “Jerusalem Star Medal,” a rank within the “Order of Jerusalem” decorations, to Nicolas Kassianides, the outgoing French consul general in Jerusalem. The award was presented in recognition of his role in strengthening Pal»»»

Dubai: Kuwait's Public Authority for Manpower (PAM) has launched a new digital service, "Report to Us", through the government's unified Sahel application, allowing workers and employees to report suspected violations of labour laws directly via their smartphones as part of efforts to strengthen wo»»»

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has opened a new 820-metre pedestrian and cycling bridge linking Al Mamzar and Al Khawaneej via Al Nahda, expanding the emirate's non-motorised transport network and improving connectivity between key residential and recreational areas. The bridge connect»»»

Bulgaria will continue using its MiG-29 fighter jets to protect its airspace and fulfil its allied commitments, including the permanent Air Policing mission, until the new F-16 Block 70 aircraft are fully operational, Defence Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said in response to a question from Democratic »»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of Interior; Commander of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya); and Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Police Academy, HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani attended Thursday the graduation ceremony for the second cohort of students in the Master of Law and Ma»»»

Dubai: Botim is extending its reach beyond everyday payments into digital assets after partnering with MultiBank Group’s crypto platform, mb.io, allowing users in the UAE to fund trading accounts directly through the messaging and fintech app. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Ba»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Museums (QM) has announced its public programme for August 2026, featuring a dynamic lineup of indoor workshops, family-friendly activities, youth initiatives, cultural celebrations and sporting experiences taking place across its network of museums and creative centres throughou»»»

Washington: Most Americans say the war in Iran has not been worth fighting, and President Donald Trump's approval rating on Iran has fallen slightly since last month, according to a new AP-NORC poll. The results are a stark repudiation of the Republican president's approach to the conflict, which h»»»

Staff members prepare for the cleaning of the cruise ship MV Hondius after its arrival in the Port of Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in May. Several passengers on the Hondius were infected with the hantavirus. Three people on board died. File Photo by Jeffrey Groeneweg/EPA SANTIAGO, Chile, July 30 (UP»»»

Dubai: Dubai residents can now support the welfare of stray cats across the emirate through a new digital donation service linked to the city's innovative smart feeding stations. Digital Dubai in collaboration with Mohammed Bin Rashid Global Centre for Endowment Consultancy has introduced the servi»»»

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said Myanmar has agreed to take 5,000 Rohingya asylum seekers currently in Malaysia, where there has recently been tension between the refugees and local communities. Speaking at a campaign rally on Wednesday ahead of regional elections in Negeri»»»

LONDON: More than 25 Saudi brands are being showcased at Selfridges in London as part of a new initiative aimed at helping homegrown companies reach international consumers. Milaf Global, a Public Investment Fund company, launched the six-week “Saudi: Sky’s The Limit” initiative in partnership with»»»

Abu Dhabi: Healthy Living, in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Registration Authority (ADRA), the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development’s (ADDED) arm for regulating and developing the business sector in the emirate, has launched a new policy redesigning the in-store layouts and online interf»»»

CACAK - All the time, Pristina is attempting to falsify history and, by tearing down weekend homes owned by people loyal to Serbia, it is trying to impose the use of force in Kosovo-Metohija, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday. Vucic was speaking to reporters during a visit to a gl»»»

Tehran: Mediator Pakistan insisted on Thursday that negotiations between Iran and the United States were ongoing, even as Washington carried out a "heavy wave of strikes" on its foe in retaliation for fresh attacks targeting Jordan. The last two days have seen Saudi Arabia join the US in striking m»»»

Bulgaria's Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova held a phone conversation with her Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araghchi on Thursday. Regarding the deployment of US tanker aircraft in Bulgaria, Petrova stressed that no direct military action related to the conflict in the Middle East would be carried o»»»

Bulgaria's Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant has taken measures to ensure the safe and reliable operation of its nuclear facilities due to record-low water levels in the Danube River, the plant said in response to a question from the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) on Thursday. A special task force was esta»»»

Former Wall Street lawyer and federal prosecutor Jay Clayton has been confirmed as the next US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) despite having no traditional intelligence background, following his nomination by President Donald Trump. Following US Senate approval in a 51-47 vote on Tuesday, »»»

Strikes on Ukraine’s military-industrial facilities are severely degrading the Ukrainian military’s ability to carry out deep hits inside Russia, military experts tell Sputnik. Ukraine's Strike Capabilities Under Fire The July 30 strikes specifically targeted Ukraine’s production capabilities for: »»»

Ukrainian emergency workers assess the site of a Russian missile strike on a market in Kyiv on Thursday. Photo by Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA July 30 (UPI) -- At least eight people were killed and 50 injured overnight in Ukraine in a major Russian airborne assault targeting Dnipropetrovsk province, Kyiv a»»»

Dubai: Tensions between the US and Iran have escalated with fresh military strikes and retaliatory attacks disrupting air travel across the Middle East. The latest round began after the US struck Iranian targets following Tehran's attack on a base housing US troops in Jordan. Explosions have been r»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - As long as Israel's territorial expansion continues, the Middle East will not be able to achieve stability, Scottish political activist and former UK Ambassador to Uzbekistan Craig Murray told RIA Novosti on Thursday. "Israel now occupies much more territory than it did two years»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Former top US infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci refused to answer questions from US senators over 100 times during his three-hour-long testimony on the COVID-19 pandemic, The New York Times has reported. On Wednesday, Fauci invoked his right under the Fifth Amendment of»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian delegation at the 31st session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) Assembly called on the United States to join the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a statement from the Russian delegation, reviewed by RIA Novosti on Thursday, read. For decades»»»

The Movement for Rights and Freedoms (MRF) has appealed the Council of Ministers' July 22 decision revoking its right to use its headquarters at 23 Vrabcha Street in Sofia, the party said on Facebook on Thursday in response to questions from journalists. Under Bulgarian law, the appeal suspends the»»»

Damascus, July 30 (SANA) Syria has received more than 2.5 million tons of wheat from this season’s harvest, the Syrian Grain Establishment (SGE) said, as the government seeks to strengthen domestic food security and expand grain reserves. Director General of the SGE Hassan al-Othman said the volume»»»

DUBAI: “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” is the most somber, inward-looking outing yet for Marvel’s friendly neighborhood hero, and Destin Daniel Cretton (“Short Term 12,” “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Wonder Man”) proves an unexpectedly perfect fit for this tonal swerve. Long praised for»»»

Lebanon's judiciary postponed a Thursday hearing for former central bank governor Riad Salameh over alleged embezzlement after he failed to show up due to illness, a judicial official told AFP. Salameh, who headed the central bank from 1993 to July 2023, is accused of having amassed a fortune durin»»»