The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced the distribution of parliamentary seats among parties and coalitions in the 52nd National Assembly on Thursday. The Progressive Bulgaria coalition will have a majority with 131 MPs (54.58% of the total number of 240), said CEC Chair Kamelia Neykova. T»»»

Washington, United States: Getting around without Google Maps. No longer scrolling Instagram at the bus stop. Ditching your headphones to hear the birds sing. In March, a group of 20- and 30-somethings in the US capital swapped their smartphones for basic flip phones and embarked on a one-month dig»»»

Iran has the justification for its Hormuz tolls, as it can cite “severe constraint” from US sanctions and war, Professor Azmi Hassan, senior fellow at the Nusantara Academy of Strategic Research in Malaysia, tells Sputnik. It also has unique leverage in that it effectively controls the waterway, he»»»

WASHINGTON: Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei was seriously wounded in the US-Israeli airstrike that killed his father and predecessor Ali Khamenei but is mentally sharp, the New York Times reported on Thursday. Citing several Iranian officials which it did not name, the Times said Mojtaba»»»

London, United Kingdom: Anonymised medical data of half a million members of UK health database Biobank was temporarily listed for sale on a popular Chinese website, the government said on Thursday. Data minister Ian Murray told parliament that the breach involved the information of all 500,000 Bio»»»

More than 500 hectares of state forest land will be re-designated in order to build a parking area near the Zemen Monastery. This decision was made by municipal councilors at a meeting held on Thursday, the Chair of the Zemen Municipal Council, Iva Borisova, told BTA. Mayor Mihail Zlatanov submitte»»»

The US is not setting any deadlines for concluding the war against Iran, President Donald Trump has said. The remarks contrast with Trump’s earlier claim, made shortly after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, that the fighting would last “four to five weeks.” He also repeate»»»

Landlords across London and the south-east of the UK have been illegally advertising properties exclusively for Muslim tenants, in an apparent breach of Britain’s equality laws, according to an investigation published by The Telegraph on Wednesday. Listings on Facebook and Telegram posted across mu»»»

A 63-year-old man has been arrested in Aspropyrgos, on the western outskirts of Athens, after attempting to flee a police check. Authorities said he was found in possession of cocaine and forged documents. According to police, motorcycle patrol officers identified the man’s vehicle as suspicious du»»»

Berlin: The sad saga of a humpback whale stranded a month ago on the German coast has sparked a flood of compassion but also a media frenzy, angry spats, conspiracy theories and death threats. As Germans have followed the travails of the sea mammal, dubbed "Timmy" by a newspaper, on their live news»»»

GENEVA: An Iranian government spokesperson says the men’s national team are preparing for “proud and successful participation” in their World Cup games in the United States. Iran’s ability and willingness to go to the World Cup across north America starting June 11 has been unclear since the US and»»»

Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders approved the merger with Paramount Skydance Thursday morning. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo April 23 (UPI) -- Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders voted to give their preliminary blessing to the long-debated merger with Paramount Skydance Wednesday »»»

LONDON: Syrian authorities announced on Thursday the resumption of flights to Damascus International Airport from Doha and Jeddah, beginning May 1, following weeks of stoppage amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran. The Syrian General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport said that Qatar Ai»»»

DOHA: Qatar will take on El Salvador in an international friendly at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on June 6, the Qatar Football Association announced on Thursday, as Al Annabi continue their build-up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The match forms part of a crucial overseas training camp designed to fine»»»

Madrid: Aryna Sabalenka shook off some rust to post her first victory of the season on clay and extend her winning streak to 13 matches on Thursday in Madrid. The world number one, who was playing her first match since she completed the Sunshine Double by winning Indian Wells and Miami last month, »»»

A C-230 Overkill (Striker)) one-way attack drone is on display during a press tour in Taichung, Taiwan, on Tuesday. Thunder Tiger Corp. is a Taiwanese company that designs and manufactures defense-oriented unmanned vehicles, including UAVs, unmanned surface vessels, underwater ROVs and all-terrain »»»

The spa centre with mineralized water at the Grand Hotel Veliko Tarnovo spans 2,000 sq. m. The renovated hotel has once again become an attractive site for congress tourism, international events, team-building activities, and individual visits. Construction of the hotel began in 1967 and finished i»»»

Crunchy, gooey, sweet and easy to make, crispy rice treats are a dessert that delivers joy and invites creativity. The recipe as we know it first appeared on a box of Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal in 1940 and is a simple combination of the cereal, marshmallows, butter and vanilla. It has not only »»»

US President Donald Trump has shared a letter deriding India and China as “hellholes.” Trump reposted the letter from former radio host Michael Savage’s podcast Savage Nation on Truth Social on Wednesday. The post was a criticism of the US birthright citizenship laws, which referred to India, China»»»

Italian officials have rebuked a US proposal for their national football team to replace Iran at the upcoming FIFA World Cup. Italy lost the chance to participate at the World Cup for a third successive time after a humiliating penalty shootout defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in a playoff last mon»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia will continue seeking recognition of Nazi crimes against Soviet people as genocide, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday. "Our diplomacy will consistently strive to ensure that the crimes of the Nazis and their collaborators against Soviet citizens of al»»»

Kuwait: Kuwait Ministry of Interior announced the reinstatement of permission to hold social activities in the country effective from Friday April 24, 2026. In a statement by the ministry “With reference to Statement No. (11) regarding the prohibition of holding weddings, parties, and theatrical pe»»»

DOHA: The General Authority of Customs and Qatar Aviation Services signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday to enhance cooperation in the field of general customs clearance for personal imports, aiming to improve service quality, simplify procedures, expedite transactions, and enhance the e»»»

RIYADH: A pact between a Saudi Arabia university and Japanese space exploration company has raised hopes of using the Kingdom’s expertise in oil and gas infrastructure for a lunar economy. Dr. Julien-Alexandre Lamamy, CEO of ispace-Europe, told Arab News recently that the company envisages tangible»»»

The abrupt departure of US Navy Secretary John Phelan has come at a particularly sensitive moment — with American naval forces deeply engaged in operations linked to the Iran conflict and a fragile ceasefire still holding. The Pentagon announced that Phelan was leaving “effective immediately,” offe»»»

ANKARA: Turkiye is making efforts to revive negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and bring together the leaders of the warring sides, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in a meeting in Ankara, the Turkish presidency said on Wednesday. Earlier on Wednesday, Ky»»»

Dubai: Dubai's flagship Emirates is confident it will rebound quickly from disruptions caused by the Iran conflict, with President Tim Clark saying strong demand will help the airline recover lost ground and fend off competition. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.Speakin»»»

1 of 2 | The Justice Department announced that it is immediately seeking to reschedule FDA-approved cannabis products including state-licensed medical marijuana, to Schedule III. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said this open the door for research into the substance. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI |»»»

Authorities investigating the death of a 43-year-old woman in Crete are focusing on her former partner, a 40-year-old man, as the main suspect, after he was found dead on Tuesday from a gunshot wound in what is believed to have been suicide. The woman was discovered on Wednesday in the back seat of»»»

New York: Warner Bros. Discovery on Thursday said shareholders approved its sale to Paramount Skydance, giving a green light to a hostile takeover bid valuing the combined company at $110 billion. The agreement ends a lengthy takeover saga and creates an entertainment behemoth whose impact on a str»»»

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia's main stock index closed lower on Thursday, falling by 135.40 points to settle at 11,109.59, with total trading value reaching SAR 6 billion. A total of 331 million shares were traded, with 45 companies posting gains, while 212 stocks declined. Meanwhile, the par»»»

The United Nations said Thursday it was "working on" maintaining a presence in Lebanon once the mandate for its UNIFIL peacekeeping force expires at the end of the year. "In terms of the post-UNIFIL, we're currently in the process of working on these options," said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the U.N. Und»»»

BARCELONA: Lamine Yamal will miss the rest of Barcelona’s season but should be healed from a leg injury in time to play for Spain at the World Cup, the club said on Thursday. Barcelona said 18-year-old Yamal will miss the remaining six La Liga games for the leaders as he follows a “conservative tre»»»

Malta is on collision course for another legal dispute with the European Commission over its online gambling industry, after the European Court of Justice’s top advisor said that its law which forbids Maltese courts from recognising rulings from other member states breaks EU law. In a legal opinion»»»

Germany’s Federal Chancellor Friedrich Merz congratulated Rumen Radev in a phone call on Thursday on the overwhelming victory of Progressive Bulgaria in the parliamentary elections and expressed the German government’s readiness to work with Bulgaria’s future regular government, the press office of»»»

Frankfurt, Germany: Elon Musk's automotive and robotics company Tesla said Thursday that it would hire more than 1,000 people in Germany, a rare bright spot in the country's struggling auto industry. A thousand employees will be added at Tesla's factory outside Berlin by the end of June, a company »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH), represented by the Information Systems Department, was recognized as an outstanding entity at the 12th National Cyber Drill 2025, organized by the National Cyber Security Agency (NCSA) under the theme “Cross-Border Attacks.” The Ministry attained c»»»

BERLIN: The son of the ‌former Shah appealed to Western countries to join the war against Iran and criticised the decision of the German government not to meet him during his visit to Berlin on Thursday. Reza Pahlavi, whose father was deposed in the revolution that brought Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomei»»»

RIYADH: Aquarabia, the Middle East’s largest water park, opened on Thursday at the Qiddiya City entertainment complex on the outskirts of Riyadh. The park features 22 rides and attractions with eight themed zones spread across 250,000 sq. meters. There are also an additional seven dry rides and att»»»

Tripoli — Sulzer has launched a joint venture with Jawaby Services & Investments Ltd, a subsidiary of the National Oil Corporation, marking a significant step toward rebuilding and localizing Libya’s industrial and energy services sector. The new entity, Jawaby Sulzer Services, will operate from th»»»

Alexandria — Pharco Pharmaceuticals has inaugurated a new ophthalmic drops production line at its Al Amreya facility, with investments of approximately $5.8 million (EGP 300 million), as part of a broader expansion programme valued at EGP 500 million. The company stated that the new line will produ»»»

Paris, France: Bernard Arnault, chief executive of the world's biggest luxury conglomerate LVMH, brushed off speculation of his retirement on Thursday, telling shareholders that "we'll talk about all this again in seven to eight years". The 77-year-old founder of the French group whose brands inclu»»»

MALABO, Equatorial Guinea: Pope Leo XIV wrapped up his African odyssey on Thursday with a final Mass in Equatorial Guinea, bringing to an end one of the newsiest papal trips in the history of popes on the road, thanks to his extraordinary back-and-forth with President Donald Trump. A powerful rains»»»

BEIRUT: Lebanon will formally urge Israel to immediately halt attacks on journalists and paramedics during US-sponsored talks in Washington, a day after an Israeli strike killed a Lebanese reporter and wounded another in southern Lebanon. An official source told Arab News that the demand was added »»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Navigation (Milaha) - Qatari public shareholding company - announced a strategic reorganization of its business sectors aimed at enhancing operational efficiency and supporting its future direction. In a statement published on the Qatar Stock Exchange website, the company said th»»»

The Pentagon blasted as cherry picking and false on Thursday a news report saying that the department assessed it could take six months to completely clear the Strait of Hormuz of Iranian-laid mines. The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the Pentagon shared the six-month estimate during a »»»

Senate Republican Leader John Thune, R-S.D., helped the Senate pass a bill to begin the budget reconciliation process early Thursday Morning. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo April 23 (UPI) -- Senate Republicans were up all night voting, eventually adopting a budget reconciliation pack»»»

Sharjah: His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, has issued an Emiri Decree on the establishment of “Wadi Al Qarha” Nature Reserve in the Emirate of Sharjah. The decree stipulates that a natural reserve named “Wadi Al Qarha Nature Reserve”»»»

SPA Hotel Devin aims to turn the Rhodope area into a leader in health tourism by continuing its balneotherapy traditions, the hotel manager Dzheylyan Kokalova told BTA. Even before the mass development of tourism, the area was known as a natural sanatorium for respiratory problems, bone diseases, a»»»

NOVI SAD, Serbia (Sputnik) - Russia's response to the latest round of EU sanctions will follow a careful review of its contents, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Sputnik on Thursday. European Union countries adopted the 20th round of sanctions against Russia on Thursday. "Our »»»