Dubai: Filipinos planning overseas holidays this summer have more destinations they can visit with fewer visa requirements. The Philippine passport climbed three places to 72nd in the 2026 Henley Passport Index, up from 75th last year and its best showing since before the COVID-19 pandemic. Filipin»»»

JEDDAH: Three young Saudi boxers gave the home crowd plenty to celebrate before the international stars stepped into the ring at Jeddah Dome on Saturday night at “The Comeback.” Sultan Mohammed, Mohammed Alakel and Ziad Al-Maayouf all emerged victorious in the opening bouts, a clean sweep that high»»»

As millions of travellers prepare for the peak summer holiday season, the July 2026 Henley Passport Index highlights how global mobility has transformed over the past two decades. The 20th anniversary edition shows that the average passport now offers visa-free access to 108 destinations worldwide,»»»

In this edition of Europe Rendezvous, we travel to Italy, one of the European Union's founding members, to examine how the country's democratic institutions have come under increasing pressure. It may be the season of la dolce vita, but life ha»»»

Migration was at the heart of Giorgia Meloni's successful 2022 election campaign. Promising a tougher approach to irregular migration helped propel her to power, but what has her government achieved since then? One of its flagship policies was&»»»

Romania and Albania have an undertapped potential for economic cooperation, and intensifying dialogue on taxation and the legal framework applicable to companies could contribute to the development of bilateral relations, according to Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania (CCI»»»

TIRANA: Albanian police used water cannons ‌and tear gas on Thursday to disperse protesters who threw eggs and bottles at officers, in the latest flare-up of demonstrations triggered by Jared Kushner’s plans to build a multi-billion-dollar resort. The unrest outside parliament was a rare clash in t»»»

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said on July 14 that his government would amend legislation governing protected areas to bring it into line with European Union standards, in a move welcomed by protesters who have opposed a controversial luxury tourism project linked to US investors. Speaking at a »»»

Parliament was thrown into disruption on Monday after opposition lawmakers from the Democratic Party (PD) blocked the speaker’s podium, preventing the normal proceedings of a plenary session. The lawmakers refused to allow the scheduled presentation by Ombudsperson Endrit Shabani, arguing that his »»»

Bulgaria has ranked among the European Union's top performers for bathing water quality, placing third in the latest annual assessment by the European Environment Agency for the 2025 season. According to the report, 96.9% of the country's monitored bathing sites achieved the highest possible classi»»»

According to a new report by UN Women, women are increasingly shaping migration patterns in Europe and Central Asia. They currently account for 54 percent of all migrants in the region. According to the UN News Service, more than 13 million women born in Europe and Central Asia are currently living»»»

The Bulgarian government will ask Parliament to authorize the temporary deployment of up to eight U.S. military tanker aircraft at Bezmer Air Base after receiving an official request from Washington linked to American operations in the Middle East. Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced that the requ»»»

Newsmax, the US cable news network that describes itself as the country’s fourth-largest cable news channel and is available in more than 100 countries, is preparing to expand its brand into Bulgaria, Mediapool reports. The company has announced that it has reached agreements for further internatio»»»

Confusion erupted after the fifth Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit in Kyiv on July 15, with claims circulating on social media that Bulgarian Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova had signed the so-called Kyiv Declaration, thereby committing Bulgaria more deeply to support for Ukraine and the Coalition»»»

Anti-government protesters gathered outside Albania's Prime Minister's Office for the 49th consecutive day on Saturday, reaffirming five key demands that organizers say must be met before the demonstrations come to an end. "We will not leave the square until our five demands are fulfilled," one pro»»»

The European Union's renewed drive to expand eastwards could face its biggest political obstacle yet if French far-right leader Marine Le Pen wins the 2027 presidential election, potentially derailing accession hopes for Ukraine and the Western Balkans at one of the most critical moments in the blo»»»

President Iliana Iotova said on Friday she was reassured of the readiness of the Bulgarian Navy after observing the national naval exercise "Breeze 2026" aboard the frigate Drazki. "I am extremely pleased with what I have seen so far. I feel reassured about the sovereignty of our maritime border an»»»

Participants in the Breeze 2026 national naval exercise with international participation will demonstrate their capabilities during a Distinguished Visitors and Media Day in Burgas, the Defence Ministry said on Friday. The demonstrations will begin in the morning and continue until 1:30 p.m. Presid»»»

The head of Albania's Socialist Party parliamentary group, Taulant Balla, accused Democratic Party leader Sali Berisha of personally signing a master plan for the development of the Zvërnec area, escalating political tensions during a parliamentary debate. Balla made the remarks in Parliament while»»»

A day after Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev announced that Bulgaria would not join the “Coalition of the Willing” supporting Ukraine, Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova signed a declaration in Kyiv confirming the country’s commitment to the initiative and expressing readiness to increase its i»»»

A day after Prime Minister Rumen Radev declared that Bulgaria was not part of the "Coalition of the Willing," Foreign Minister Velislava Petrova signed the Kyiv Declaration, which recognizes the coalition's role in supporting Ukraine and expresses Bulgaria's readiness to strengthen its participatio»»»

Albania will reestablish its diplomatic presence in Ireland after the government approved the reopening of the country's embassy in Dublin, reversing a decision that had left the mission closed for several years. The decision was approved by the Council of Ministers following a proposal from the Mi»»»

KYIV - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has arrived in Kyiv, where he will attend a Southeast Europe-Ukraine summit on Wednesday. The summit will also be attended by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and top officials of Albania, Moldova, Romania, Croatia, Slovenia, North Macedon»»»

CAIRO: An Israeli airstrike killed a man, his wife and their six-year-old daughter in the Gaza ​Strip on Wednesday, Palestinian health officials said as talks to advance the US-brokered Gaza ceasefire deal faltered. The strike on an apartment building in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza killed Omar Ab»»»

LONDON/BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic says Brussels should abandon an increasingly merit-based approach to EU enlargement, under which Montenegro and Albania are frontrunners, and instead admit the Western Balkans together. "What do you want to build? Stronger borders between everybo»»»

Romania has joined the founding group behind the Defence, Security and Resilience Bank, a Canada-led multilateral financial institution designed to mobilise public and private capital for defence, security and resilience projects. The joint declaration was signed on the sidelines of the NATO Summit»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi, received on Sunday a copy of the credentials of the Ambassador of the Republic of Albania to the State of Qatar, Jeta Kreka and the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Qatar, Hong Jeepio.HE Minister of State for For»»»

TIRANA, Albania: Thousands of Albanians marched in Tirana Saturday calling for the resignation of the country’s prime minister and protesting a tourism project linked to the Trump family — the 42nd consecutive night of such demonstrations. The marchers were also protesting a concert Saturday by con»»»

Germany will continue allowing citizens from 62 countries outside the European Union and Schengen Area to enter without a visa for short stays of up to 90 days in 2026, according to the German Federal Foreign Office. The policy, outlined in the government's official visa requirements list, permits »»»

JERUSALEM: In spite of the ongoing risk of renewed fighting in Gaza, stakeholders have spent months preparing for the post-war phase. Plans for governance, security and humanitarian relief have begun to take shape, but remain largely theoretical in the absence of a political agreement, credible sec»»»

TIRANA: A Miami-based businessman wanted in Albania for allegedly laundering drug money is suspected of faking the deeds to land where Jared Kushner wants to build a multi-billion-dollar resort, the country’s organized crime-fighting agency said in case files reviewed by Reuters. The businessman, A»»»

As summer travel demand reaches its peak, Pakistani passport holders continue to have access to 30 destinations through visa-free entry, visa-on-arrival (VOA) or electronic travel authorisation (ETA) schemes, according to the latest Henley Passport Index July 2026 update. Pakistan’s passport rankin»»»