Viktor Orbán’s far-right Patriots for Europe (PfE) bloc in the European Parliament opposed measures aimed at tackling rule-of-law breaches in the EU’s forthcoming long-term budget. “We cannot agree to the conditionality mechanism which is used for political purposes,” said Tomasz Buczek, a Polish P»»»

Dubai: The UAE and Jordan have signed a $2.3 billion agreement to build a 360-kilometre railway linking Jordan’s mining hubs to the Port of Aqaba, targeting annual transport capacity of 16 million tonnes of phosphate and potash. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The agre»»»

Dubai: Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has emerged as the most visible power broker in Tehran, stepping into a central role in both the war effort and high-stakes diplomacy as the Islamic republic navigates a new phase following the US-Israel conflict. A pillar of the Iranian est»»»

Tunis, April 15 (TAP) - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Mohamed Ali Nafti pointed out that artificial intelligence has become a determining factor redefining diplomatic practice at every stage, from data analysis and...»»»

Economic cooperation is an integral part of the discussions that President Abdel-Fatah El-Sisi is holding with his counterparts during his visit to Germany this week. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi will meet his German counterpart Joachim Gauck in Berlin today, Wednesday, during his visit »»»

U.S. President Donald Trump has indicated peace talks with Tehran could resume this week, as the United States turned the screws Wednesday with a naval blockade it said had cut off maritime trade with Iran. Trump's hint came as Israel and Lebanon agreed to open direct negotiations after a rare face»»»

Dubai: Hotel revenues in the UAE rose 9.7% to around Dh49.21 billion in 2025, as the country’s tourism sector recorded strong growth across key indicators, the Ministry of Economy said on Wednesday. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The figures were reviewed during the s»»»

Egypt’s national security, improving citizen’s standards of living, economic development, developing and building the Egyptian citizen, and developing Egypt’s foreign policy. The government statement by the Prime Minister and Minister of Housing, Mustafa Madbouli, was presented to the House of Repr»»»

The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) has no authority to audit the pricing and procedures used to negotiate the prices of medicinal products that are not authorized or registered in Bulgaria but are intended for therapies approved under Regulation No. 2 of 2019 of the Health Ministry, the NHIF»»»

What began as a disagreement over the Iran war has escalated into a rare and highly public clash between the White House and the Vatican. US President Donald Trump and Vice-President JD Vance have repeatedly criticised Pope Leo XIV, accusing him of being “weak on crime” and overstepping into politi»»»

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Russia is ready to play a role in resolving the issue of Iranian enriched uranium in a way that is as acceptable as possible to Tehran. "We have good relations with Russia, a very successful experience of cooperation in the nuclear field..»»»

Istanbul: A student aged about 13 opened fire at random in a Turkish school Wednesday killing four people and wounding 20, just one day after a shooter wounded 16 people and then killed himself in another school, officials said. Kahramanmaras province governor Mukerrem Unluer said a teacher and thr»»»

Additional episodes of alleged illegal activity have been uncovered in the criminal case against former Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan, Chingiz Aidarbekov. The Ministry of Internal Affairs reported. Earlier, authorities had reported abuse of office related to the misuse of budget funds. During furt»»»

DOHA: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani received President of the European Council António Costa, who is visiting the country. During the meeting, the latest regional developments were reviewed, particularly those related to the ce»»»

The Public Investment Fund (PIF) Board of Directors, chaired by Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, has approved PIF’s 2026-2030 strategy, a continuation of the fund’s long-term strategy that will focus on delivering competitive domestic ecosystems to »»»

Berlin: Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs HE Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi met on Wednesday with State Secretary of the Federal Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany HE Dr. Geza Andreas von Geyr. During the meeting, the two sides discussed the lates»»»

Around three million Bulgarians are expected to vote in the snap parliamentary elections on April 19, with five political formations set to cross the 4% electoral threshold and one hovering on it. Compared with the last election in October 2024, between 200,000 and 300,000 more people are likely to»»»

A student aged about 13 opened fire at random in a Turkish school Wednesday killing four people and wounding 20, just one day after a shooter wounded 16 people and then killed himself in another school, officials said. Kahramanmaras province governor Mukerrem Unluer said a teacher and three student»»»

The conflict between the US and Iran is close to being settled, President Donald Trump has claimed, adding that the second round of peace talks between the two sides could take place in the next few days. The US president gave interviews to several outlets on Tuesday, where he detailed Washington’s»»»

Hezbollah’s Military Media released a defiant message on Tuesday from its fighters addressed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly boasted that ‘Israel’ has “eliminated” the group’s capabilities. The video shows a rocket attack by Hezbollah fighters against Kiryat Shmona,»»»

Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani met on Wednesday with President of the European Council HE Antonio Costa, who is visiting the country. During the meeting, they discussed the latest developments in the region, particu»»»

Kyrgyzstan and China discussed expansion of exports of agricultural products, the Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry reported. According to the ministry, the issue was raised during a meeting of Agriculture Ministers of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Org»»»

Former Defense Minister Prof. Todor Tagarev has commented on Bulgaria’s military aviation situation, noting concerns about the condition of the country’s current fighter fleet and the pace at which new aircraft are being integrated. In an interview with News.bg, Tagarev said it would be “very stran»»»

Acting Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov has warned that authorities have received intelligence about a significant volume of counterfeit euros allegedly intended for use in vote-buying schemes ahead of the elections. At a briefing of the Coordination Council on election preparations, Gyurov said the In»»»

Acting Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov has warned that authorities have received intelligence about a significant volume of counterfeit euros allegedly intended for use in vote-buying schemes ahead of the elections. At a briefing of the Coordination Council on election preparations, Gyurov said the In»»»

United Nations refugee chief Barham Salih on Wednesday called on the international community to provide urgent support to Lebanon, with a fifth of the country's population displaced by the Israel-Hezbollah war. "I call upon the international community to provide urgent support and relief to Lebanon»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Transport, in collaboration with relevant departments of the Ministry of Interior (MOI), has concluded its inspection campaigns planned for Q1 of 2026 on limousine companies and the companies that provide passenger transportation services via electronic applications. Th»»»

Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Presidential Court, held a phone call with Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Speaker of the Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran, during which they discussed regional developments and ways to de-escalate tensions»»»

A total of 10,897 voting screens have been distributed to all municipalities in order to put an end to at least some of the practices involving vote-buying and manipulation, said Vanya Nusheva, advisor to the caretaker Prime Minister on election matters. She was speaking at a briefing of the Coordi»»»

Deputy Interior Minister Ivan Anchev told Wednesday's briefing of the Coordination Council for the preparation of the April 19 snap parliamentary elections that EUR 5,000 and GBP 6,000 intended for vote buying had been seized. Over the past month, every single regional directorate of the Interior M»»»

Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Expatriates Badr Abdelatty said empowering the private sector is a key priority for the Egyptian government, describing it as the main engine of economic growth. His remarks came during a meeting on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, with Managing Di»»»

United Nations refugee chief Barham Salih on Wednesday called on the international community to provide urgent support to Lebanon, with a fifth of the country's population displaced by the Israel-Hezbollah war. "I call upon the international community to provide urgent support and relief to Lebanon»»»

First published in Respekt. Defending the status quo cannot be exciting for anyone. Europe must be able to imagine a society that is better than ours and see opportunities even where there are objectively many risks. Where do you think the world is heading? In 1643, an English Protestant priest tol»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian First Deputy PM and Finance Minister Sinisa Mali will on Thursday begin a working visit to Washington, where he will attend the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings, held on April 13-18. The conference has brought together central bank governors, ministers of finance and development an»»»

High voter turnout is stronger than all criminal schemes, caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov told a briefing of the Elections Coordination Council on Wednesday updating the media on the preparations for the early parliamentary elections this Sunday. Gurov said that acting Interior Ministry Secre»»»

IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited), India’s largest fertilizer cooperative, has formally launched the IFFCO Nano Urvarak Jagrukta Maha Abhiyaan — a comprehensive Integrated nationwide awareness campaign to drive adoption of nano fertilizers among Indian farmers. The launch event »»»

A close aide to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was rushed to hospital after collapsing during a government conference early Wednesday. Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister Giorgos Mylonakis, 52, was reportedly diagnosed with a brain aneurysm and intubated in intensive care. Deputy Prime Minist»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani chaired on Wednesday the Cabinet's regular meeting at the Amiri Diwan. Following the meeting, HE Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Ibrahim bin Ali Al Mo»»»

During his working visit to Tokyo on April 14, Minister of Labor, Social Security, and Migration of Kyrgyzstan Kanatbek Sagynbaev met with Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Health, Labor, and Welfare of Japan Masayuki Kamiya. During the meeting, the parties discussed the current state and prospects of»»»

MP candidates of GERB-UDF Yordanka Fandakova and Krasimir Valchev, alongside Plovdiv Mayor Kostadin Dimitrov, Deputy Mayor Vladimir Temelkov, and educational institutions representatives attended a roundtable discussion on education in Plovdiv, the coalition’s press centre reported Wednesday. Openi»»»

Dubai: The United States has hosted the first direct talks between Lebanon and Israel since 1993 in Washington, DC, in what officials describe as a high-level diplomatic push to contain escalating violence. Both sides agreed to hold direct negotiations after “productive discussions” between the env»»»

Wednesday’s Bulgarian media coverage is dominated by the April 19 parliamentary elections, with outlets focusing on coalition arithmetic, vote-buying and the possibility that the Hemus Motorway tunnel blockage was a political provocation. Energy security also remains high on the agenda after Washin»»»

Israel's High Court was on Wednesday hearing four petitions backed by the country's attorney general that seek to oust hardline National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The case is the latest example of the tension between the judiciary and one of the most right-wing governments in Israel's hist»»»

Bologna: The United Arab Emirates has been selected to host the 42nd International Congress of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) in 2030, marking the first time the prestigious global event will be held in the Arab world. The congress will take place in Sharjah under the them»»»

Vote buyers will remain the target of the Interior Ministry's attention even after the snap elections this coming Sunday, acting Interior Ministry Secretary General Georgi Kandev told Prime Minister Andrey Gurov on Wednesday. In a Facebook post, the Prime Minister repeated an announcement made by K»»»

South Korean Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Kim Kyung-ryul (L) and U.S. Pacific Fleet Commander Adm. Stephen Koehler (R) hold talks in Seoul on Wednesday. The two were also set to meet with Japan's top naval commander for trilateral talks on strengthening maritime cooperation. Photo courtesy of Sou»»»

The government directed all its weight to the continent in order to increase Egyptian exports to them and take advantage of trade agreements with countries in the continent especially COMESA and SADC. The Egyptian government is involved represented by the Minister of Commerce and Industry Tariq Al »»»

Acting Interior Ministry Secretary General Georgi Kandev has reported that police operations against vote buying in Bulgaria have so far led to the seizure of around 1 million euros, alongside thousands of inspections and a sharp rise in citizen alerts ahead of the elections. “We are already at 1 m»»»

North Korea on Wednesday accused Japan of a “grave provocation” after Tokyo expressed concern about Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs in an annual diplomatic report. In this February 2026 photo, Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi delivers a speech at the National Diet in Tokyo. File»»»

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, seen here in June meeting of the Group of Seven, announced a suspension to Canada's Fuel Excise Tax on Tuesday. File Photo by Alexandros Michailidis/EU/UPI | License Photo April 15 (UPI) -- Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada has announced a temporary suspensio»»»