The Sofia Military District Prosecution Office has opened a pre-trial proceedings following a report alleging a criminal offence involving the Malta-flagged vessel Chelsea 3 in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone in the Black Sea, the prosecution service said on Friday. The general cargo ship Chelse»»»

The Justice Ministry published proposed Judicial System Act amendments for public consultation, introducing new rules on magistrates' secondment and competitive selection, the Ministry said on Friday. The changes aim to strengthen competitive selection, curb indefinite secondments and provide more »»»

Trump suggests Zacharia may step down after harsh coverage President Donald Trump signalled that his embattled new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, may be on her way out - a mere week after he picked her for the post. Speaking to reporters on the White House lawn as he left for a rally in Georgia, »»»

NOVI SAD - Addressing a rally of the Aleksandar Vucic-United Serbia electoral list in Novi Sad on Friday evening, Slovak PM Robert Fico said Vucic was defending Serbia's sovereignty and not letting the country be run by someone abroad, however mighty they might be. A large number of people who had »»»

Riyadh airport operations suspended amid missile and drone attack concerns The US Mission to Saudi Arabia has warned American citizens of potential attacks on airports, airspace closures and flight disruptions following recent missile and drone attacks on airports in the Kingdom. In a security aler»»»

The Ministry of Innovation and Digital Transformation Friday announced the completion of certification of the type of voting machines to be used in the presidential elections on October 25, 2026. The Minister of Innovation and Digital Transformation, the acting President of the Bulgarian Institute »»»

Elisa Spiropali has called on Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama to convene the Socialist Party’s leadership structures and initiate internal reforms, arguing that the party must embrace change and greater democratic accountability. In a lengthy letter addressed to Rama, Spiropali called for genuine »»»

ISTANBUL: Catastrophic flooding in Istanbul in recent days is the worst in more than 80 years, Turkiye’s interior minister said Friday as the death toll rose to four. Istanbul, Turkiye’s largest city with 16 million residents, was hit by more rain in the 48 hours up to Thursday morning than the com»»»

Tunis, Oct. 16 (TAP) - The weather will be partly cloudy on Friday night across most regions, with a possibility of locally dense fog developing late at night in northern coastal areas, according to forecasts by the National Institute of Meteorology...»»»

LONDON: A Norwegian teenager convicted of traveling to Britain to carry out a contract killing on behalf of an international crime gang linked to Iran was sentenced Friday to 20 years in prison. Johannes Kongsnes Natland, 19, was found guilty in July of conspiracy to murder for agreeing to shoot an»»»

Jakarta: Smoke from spreading forest and land fires in Kalimantan has reached Jakarta, prompting Indonesia’s meteorological agency on Friday to advise capital residents to restrict outdoor activities. Satellite images showed smoke spreading across Kalimantan and Sumatra and reaching Banten, West Ja»»»

Drivers in Abu Dhabi advised to prepare for upcoming weekend traffic changes Abu Dhabi Mobility has announced temporary road closures on key routes in Abu Dhabi and Al Ain over the weekend, urging motorists to plan their journeys and allow extra time for travel. The closures affect Shakhbout Bin Su»»»

Tunis, Oct. 16 (TAP) - Tunisia is targeting economic growth of 3.1% in 2027, compared with an expected 2.7% for the full year 2026, according to the 2027 Economic Budget Report, a copy of which was obtained by TAP news agency. Data in the...»»»

As they met separately with Finance Minister Galab Donev in Sofia Friday, trade union and employer organizations disagreed on the minimum wage and public-sector wage increase in the government's 2027 budget plan. Representatives of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) a»»»

KYIV: Kyiv has begun installing mobile concrete shelters at public transport stops, an AFP reporter saw Friday, as it grapples with air attacks and concern about the city’s preparedness for the looming winter. The Ukrainian capital has faced an increased number of Russian aerial strikes over the pa»»»

NAIROBI: Kenya's Ministry of Health on Friday confirmed the country's third case of Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease. The patient, a 65-year-old woman, is a close relative of the first and second cases and was identified as a primary contact, the ministry said. "She has been in quarantine since Oct. »»»

Damascus, Oct. 16 (SANA) Syria is seeking to expand domestic seed production to lower farming costs and reduce reliance on imports, as agricultural institutions restore seed-multiplication facilities and work with research centers and farmers to develop higher-yielding varieties. The General Establ»»»

DHAHRAN: It took Riyadh-resident Amal Sghaier nearly 22 hours and several detours to return home from her vacation in South Korea this week. Airport closures due to recent unrest meant her original journey was not possible, so she entered the Kingdom by car via King Fahd Causeway. While she enjoyed»»»

PAPHOS, Cyprus: A British man who pleaded guilty in the fatal fall of his 3-year-old son from a hotel window is free to return home after a Cyprus court fined him 3,000 euros ($3,380). Joshua Patric Foster, 38, wept Friday in Paphos District Court as Judge Froso Christodoulidou ruled a prison term »»»

LONDON: Downing Street Friday distanced itself from comments by the wife of the British prime minister’s national security adviser who voiced support for banned activist group Palestine Action. Sarah Helm, a journalist and author and wife of Jonathan Powell, Andy Burnham’s national security adviser»»»

ADEN: Yemen’s Armed Forces said they carried out 1,292 strikes against Houthi military targets over 24 hours, claiming more than 430 militia members had been eliminated and over 100 military vehicles and other assets destroyed or disabled. In a statement issued as part of Operation Dawn of Yemen, t»»»

Doha: The Qatar Football Association (QFA), represented by its President HE Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Ahmed Al-Thani in his capacity as a member of the FIFA Council, participated in the Council's 37th meeting today. Chaired by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the meeting took place via video con»»»

TUNIS, Oct. 16, 2026 (TAP) - Sri Lanka's Ambassador to Tunisia, based in Cairo, Appuhamige Sisira Kumara Senavirathne on Friday extended an official invitation to the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA) to participate...»»»

ROME: Italy’s air traffic capacity recovered to 75 percent on Friday after overnight problems hit the data transmission network supporting air traffic control services nationwide, air navigation company ENAV said. ENAV ruled out a cyberattack and said flight operations remained safe. The company sa»»»

The United Nations aviation agency has found Lebanon’s main airport lacks valid certification, according to a report summary seen by Reuters, in a setback to US President Donald Trump’s move to revive direct US-Beirut flights. Trump made the announcement in July and signed an order last month for t»»»

UAE calls for full implementation of Trump’s Gaza plan and an end to West Bank escalation New York: The UAE has called for the full implementation of US President Donald Trump's comprehensive plan to end the conflict in Gaza and its accompanying roadmap, while urging an end to the dangerous Israeli»»»

BANGKOK - A National Bank of Serbia (NBS) delegation presented Serbia's economic results at a meeting with representatives of leading international investors during the International Monetary Fund-World Bank Group Annual Meetings in Bangkok. "The discussions with investors focused on the performanc»»»

Since the beginning of the year, 310 settlements have been liberated, he added. Russian president visited the auxiliary command post of the Joint Group of Forces and he held another meeting with the command staff.Other Key StatementsAbout 10% of the territory of the Donetsk region and around 16.5% »»»

UAE residents urged to monitor security and flight updates amid regional tensions UAE residents are being urged to monitor regional security developments and check flight updates before travelling as Saudi Arabia faces continued missile and drone attacks and widespread aviation disruption. The late»»»

TUNIS, Oct. 16, 2026 (TAP) - The Bureau of the Assembly of the People's Representatives (ARP) scheduled the opening plenary session of the fifth ordinary parliamentary session of 2026-2027 on October 27, 2026.At its 20th meeting of the fourth...»»»

TUNIS, Oct. 16, 2026 (TAP) - The Tunis Stock Exchange closed Friday’s session in negative territory, with the benchmark index shedding 0.36% to 18,638.99 points in trading volume of TND 4.3 million. No block trades were recorded during the session,...»»»

TUZ GOLU, Turkiye: Turkiye’s second-largest lake has become a stark symbol of a growing water crisis, with drought and intensive groundwater use threatening an ecosystem that supports wildlife, industry and tourism. Known for its stunning natural beauty, Tuz Golu — Turkish for Salt Lake — is a shal»»»

Former Budapest mayor István Tarlós has made unusually sharp remarks about Viktor Orbán’s responsibility for corruption under Fidesz. However, the veteran politician was far from complimentary about Péter Magyar’s Tisza government either. Former Budapest mayor István Tarlós has spoken openly about »»»

BELGRADE - Serbian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff Gen Milan Mojsilovic met on Friday in Belgrade with KFOR Commander Maj Gen Roberto Vergori to discuss the current security situation in Kosovo-Metohija, problems and challenges facing the Serb community in the province and activities by the Ser»»»

H.E. Hakan Fidan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye, will participate in the 52nd Session of the Council of Foreign Ministers ­(CFM) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), to be held in Baghdad on 17–18 October 2026. Minister Fidan, as Chair of the 51st CFM, will del»»»

We welcome the new appointments to the Iraqi Cabinet following the vote of confidence held on 15 October in the Iraqi Council of Representatives, and extend our best wishes for success to the Iraqi Government under the leadership of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi. We are confident that this developmen»»»

BAKU: Azerbaijan said Friday it had charged a Turkish newspaper columnist with calling for the violent overthrow of the government, amid tensions between the close allies over restrictions on Islamic headscarves in schools. The case comes amid a rare public row between Baku and Ankara, with critici»»»

LONDON: US President Donald Trump ruled out using nuclear weapons against Iran but raised the possibility of further strikes on its nuclear facilities, saying Washington wanted to ensure Tehran could never develop an atomic weapon. “No, I wouldn’t use nuclear. We don’t have to,” Trump said in an in»»»

Cairo: Minister of Interior and Commander of the Internal Security Force “Lekhwiya” HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani met with Minister of Interior of the Arab Republic of Egypt HE Major General Mahmoud Tawfik, during His Excellency’s visit to the Egyptian capital, Cairo. During the »»»

VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone on Friday, calling for a ceasefire in a Russian-occupied city in southern Ukraine, as he recovers in hospital from a lung cancer operation. The Vatican said that Pope Leo “expressed his deep concern about the grave huma»»»

Kyiv, Ukraine: Ukraine's Health Ministry is launching a government-approved experimental pilot project to transport donor organs using drones. Ukraine will start delivering organs for transplant by drone, the health ministry said Friday. Kyiv touts itself as a world leader in drone technology, chur»»»

HANOI: Vietnam will keep its annual public debt ceiling at 60 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) during the 2026-2030 period under the government's adjusted public debt strategy, local daily Tien Phong reported Friday. Under the strategy, signed on Thursday, government debt will remain capped »»»

Australia warns citizens of Saudi airport disruptions amid security concerns Australia has advised its citizens not to travel to King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh following recent security incidents that disrupted operations, warning that flight cancellations, delays and airspace closures»»»

New York: Wall Street stocks were mixed early Friday at the end of a volatile week marked by unease over rising US inflation and hefty artificial intelligence spending. Appearing at the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings in Bangkok, Federal Reserve Chief Kevin Warsh said the global economy had showed u»»»

BELGRADE- Aleksandar Vucic, who heads the Aleksandar Vucic-United Serbia electoral list for the October 25 early parliamentary polls in Serbia, said on Friday he expected more than four million voters to cast their ballots, taking the turnout to 63-64 pct. The higher the turnout, the higher the sup»»»

TUNIS, Oct. 16, 2026 (TAP) - FAO Sub-regional Coordinator for North Africa and Representative in Tunisia Nabil Assaf indicated on Friday that "Tunisia is brimming with abundant human skills in the agricultural field, enabling it to increase its...»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and his Syrian counterpart, Asaad Al-Shaibani, met on Friday in Riyadh to discuss strengthening ties and addressing shared regional challenges. During the talks, Al-Shaibani reaffirmed Syria’s solidarity with Saudi Arabia following recent Hout»»»

Indian authorities on Friday detained Abhijeet Dipke, the founder of the satirical youth movement "Cockroach Janta Party", ahead of a new protest in New Delhi, live images from the group showed. Police earlier closed a central New Delhi park in an attempt to stifle near-daily demonstrations ca»»»

Doha: Weather inshore tonight until 6:00 am on Saturday will be some clouds at times, the Department of Meteorology said in its daily weather report. Offshore, it will be some clouds at times, the report added. Wind inshore will be variable mainly southeasterly southwesterly at a speed of 02 to 12 »»»

TUNIS, Oct. 16, 2026 (TAP) - An expanded practical guide on compliance with anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing and counter-proliferation financing requirements, intended for stockbrokers and third-party portfolio management...»»»