Bulgaria’s Regional Development Minister Ivan Shishkov has announced that all payments linked to construction projects using the old indexation methodology will be suspended, marking a significant shift in infrastructure financing policy. Speaking to Nova TV, Shishkov said the decision follows the »»»

Bulgaria’s Finance Ministry has formally launched the budget procedure for 2026, with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev outlining a broad package of austerity and restructuring measures that he said would put an end to what he described as years of “financial acrobatics” and un»»»

Tariff benefits have been granted to Mailuu-Suu Electric Bulb Plant, the company reported. According to the enterprise, a tariff exemption from import customs duties has been introduced for certain types of LED modules classified under EAEU Foreign Economic Activity Commodity Nomenclature code 8539»»»

Nearly 48 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated value exceeding 4.4 million euros have been seized in a coordinated operation by Bulgaria’s State Agency for National Security (SANS), customs officials, and the prosecutor’s office near the Kapitan Andreevo border checkpoint. The operation was launc»»»

A 35-year-old man has been detained after allegedly setting fire to multiple vehicles and construction equipment in the town of Beloslav in Varna Region during the early hours of the morning. According to initial information, the fire destroyed or damaged five cars along with a road roller. Authori»»»

Freestyle wrestler from Kyrgyzstan Malik Shavaev won the Ali Aliyev Memorial International Tournament held in Kaspiysk, Russia, from May 15 to 18. The Wrestling Federation of Kyrgyzstan reported. Competing in the 86-kilogram weight category, he secured five victories and claimed the gold medal. Mal»»»

The history museum in Karakol will be completely reconstructed, the Ministry of Construction reported. The project is being implemented using the republican budget, with a total cost of 159 million soms. The work is being carried out by the state-owned enterprise Kyrgyzkurulush. ​​Dismantling work »»»

An earthquake with an intensity of approximately magnitude 3.5 hit Jalal-Abad region, the Institute of Seismology of the National Academy of Sciences of Kyrgyzstan reported. According to the Institute, seismic activity was recorded on May 18 at 8:25 p.m. The earthquake’s epicenter was located in Ba»»»

Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings has improved Bulgaria’s credit outlook from “stable” to “positive,” while confirming the country’s long-term and short-term foreign and local currency ratings at “BBB+/A-2,” according to information released by the Finance Ministry. The agency said the revised o»»»

On a sunny May 15, Bulgaria’s solar generation briefly reached a level where photovoltaic production alone could match the country’s instantaneous electricity demand, "Capital" reported. Around midday, solar plants delivered more than 3.7 GW, while system consumption stood at roughly 3.2 GW, accord»»»

President Iliana Yotova visited an industrial facility near Baku that was fully financed by Bulgarian investment, as part of a broader visit to Azerbaijan focused on economic cooperation and urban development initiatives. The plant is located in the Sumgait industrial free economic zone, around 25 »»»

Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Galab Donev has stated that any decision on a potential state buyback of the Lukoil Neftokhim refinery must be preceded by a detailed assessment of its value, risks, and long-term benefits for the country. Responding to a question about how such an acquisi»»»

The Polish government published its first official list of companies designated as beneficiaries of the EU SAFE programme — the defence financing instrument under which Poland, the first EU member state to sign a loan agreement with the European Commission, can access up to €43.7 billion. Some 41 c»»»

Poland ranks as the sixth most complex country in Europe and 19th globally for doing business, according to TMF Group’s 2026 Global Business Complexity Index. The report, which covers 81 jurisdictions representing more than 90% of the global economy, compares 292 indicators across accounting and ta»»»

Poland's Defence Ministry dispatched two deputy ministers — Cezary Tomczyk and Paweł Zalewski — to Washington on Monday for emergency consultations at the Pentagon. They carry a message from Prime Minister Donald Tusk that Poland is ready to host a larger American military presence, in direct respo»»»

Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Defence Minister Kosiniak-Kamysz oversaw the signing on Monday of an agreement between state-owned Military Aviation Works No. 1 in Dęblin and US engineering giant Honeywell. Under the deal, Dęblin will host an Authorised Service Centre for the AGT1500 engines that po»»»

BEIRUT: The death toll in the latest round of fighting between Israel and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon surpassed 3,000, Lebanon’s health ministry said Monday. The ministry said the toll is now 3,020 killed in the Israeli strikes, including 292 women and 211 children. Fighting began on Ma»»»

A former boss of a notorious Libyan prison faces three days of hearings at the International Criminal Court from Tuesday, accused of war crimes including murder, rape and torture. Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, 47, is suspected of 17 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes allegedly committ»»»

New Delhi, May 19 (IANS) In a significant breakthrough against rising street crime and mobile snatching incidents, the Anti-Auto Theft Squad (AATS) of the South District Police apprehended a mobile phone snatcher on Tuesday. It recovered six stolen and snatched mobile phones from his possession, an»»»

LONDON: Traffic through the Strait of Hormuz was slightly higher last week, returning to levels in line with the average recorded since the start of the Middle East conflict after hitting a wartime low. A total of 55 commodities vessels crossed the strategic waterway between May 11 and 17, accordin»»»

LOS ANGELES: Billie Jean King raised her right arm in triumph. Not for another victory on the tennis court. This time, she was celebrating earning a college degree 65 years after she first took classes. The 82-year-old sports and equality icon received her bachelor's of art in history from Cal Stat»»»

A shooting Monday at a mosque complex in southern California killed three people, with two suspected teenage gunmen later found dead in a car from apparent self-inflicted gunshot wounds, police said. Police said emergency response teams found the victims outside the sprawling Islamic Center of San »»»

Kurman Ait will be celebrated in Kyrgyzstan on May 27, 2026. The Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of Kyrgyzstan (SDMK) reported. The date of one of the most important Muslim holidays is determined according to the lunar calendar and changes every year. Kurman Ait marks the completion of the Hajj pi»»»

President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov spoke at the 13th session of the World Urban Forum (WUF13) in Baku, Azerbaijan, on May 18. The presidential press service reported. The head of state is participating in the forum at the invitation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Around 20 heads of state»»»

People look at a mural depicting Colombian-Venezuelan businessman Alex Saab in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sunday, a day after he was extradited to the United States. On Monday, Saab made his initial appearance in a Miami courtroom. Photo by Miguel Gutierrez/EPA May 18 (UPI) -- Alex Saab, a billionaire »»»

BEIJING: Russian President Vladimir Putin is traveling to China to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping less than a week after US President Donald Trump wrapped up his own trip to Beijing. Putin is scheduled to be in China on Tuesday and Wednesday in a visit likely to be closely watched as Beijing s»»»

Saudi Arabia’s National Centre for Meteorology (NCM) has forecast hot to extremely hot weather, accompanied by dusty winds, in Mecca and the holy sites during the 2026 Hajj season, with temperatures expected to reach as high as 47°C. The NCM said strong surface winds could stir up dust and sand, pa»»»

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Municipalities and Housing has completed large-scale road and infrastructure upgrades in Mecca and the holy sites for the 2026 Hajj season as part of efforts to improve mobility and reduce congestion for pilgrims. The ministry said the works included the implementation of»»»

The United States said Monday it had approved the sale of more than $4 billion in military helicopters to South Korea, which has vowed to buy more US weapons as it defends against the North. The State Department said it had given its approval for South Korea to spend $3 billion on 24 "Romeo" Seahaw»»»

Starbucks Korea's chief executive has been dismissed following backlash over the launch of a line of reusable drinkware, the company said Tuesday. The furore centred on the company's use of the words "Tank Day" to promote a series of coffee cups known as "Tank tumblers", which were launched on May »»»

The UAE is expected to see generally fair weather this week, with fluctuating temperatures and active winds of up to 40 km/h causing blowing dust and rough sea conditions, according to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM). The NCM said the country is being affected by an extension of a weak sur»»»

Dubai: Born in Abu Dhabi, forced to leave the UAE as a child, and returning years later on a bus from Jordan with almost nothing in his pocket, Ali Al Najjar transformed hardship into one of the UAE’s most inspiring corporate success stories. Speaking to Gulf News, Jordanian expatriates Al Najjar s»»»

THE HAGUE: A former boss of a notorious Libyan prison faces three days of hearings at the International Criminal Court from Tuesday, accused of war crimes including murder, rape and torture. Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri, 47, is suspected of 17 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes allege»»»

Oslo: India and Norway on Monday marked a significant upgrade in bilateral ties with the signing of 12 agreements and initiatives during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official visit to the Nordic country, signalling a broad expansion of cooperation across climate, technology, maritime, and scienti»»»

Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Monday endorsed former San Francisco City Manager Connie Chan in the race to take her seat in Congress. File Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI | License Photo May 18 (UPI) -- House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi on Monday endorsed San Francisco City Supe»»»

Unidentified gunmen opened fire on pedestrians in the Egyptian town of Abnoub in Assiut province late on Monday, leaving 10 people dead and wounded in what witnesses described as a chaotic attack. The shooting took place near Al Central Street, where residents said armed men travelling in a black J»»»

Egypt’s Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, has unveiled an ambitious plan to propel the nation’s economic landscape by listing 11 state-owned enterprises on the stock market by 2025. This strategic movement is a part of Egypt’s expansive Initial Public Offering (IPO) program, designed to optimize st»»»

GENEVA: The Middle East war is undermining wages and working conditions worldwide, according to a new report. The conflict could cost millions of jobs and force earnings down in 2026 and 2027, with a particular risk for migrant workers who send home remittances, the UN’s International Labour Organi»»»

Oil prices fell sharply in early Asian trade, extending losses after recent volatility tied to disruptions around the Strait of Hormuz began to ease and tanker traffic showed tentative signs of recovery. Market data at 9:27 a.m. Tokyo time showed: WTI crude at $102.5, down $1.87 (-1.79%) Brent crud»»»

Lee Zeldin, administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, is shown in April at a subcommittee hearing at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. On Monday, Zeldin announced the EPA will roll back some protections on chemicals called "forever toxins" in drinking water. Photo by Annabelle Gordon»»»

Dubai: For UAE residents worried about global inflation and rising prices worldwide, the country’s latest economic outlook points to something increasingly valuable: stability. Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.The UAE is projected to maintain one o»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting the Chinese capital at the invitation of Xi Jinping as part of the joint efforts to promote the entire range of relations between the two countries and unlock their truly limitless potential. "Today, Russia-China relations have reached a truly unpreceden»»»

WASHINGTON: Statistically, attending a weekly worship service is a remarkably safe thing to do. Global annual attendance totals many billions; the number of people killed in attacks on individual houses of worship in any given year is generally less than a few hundred. Killings in the US are even m»»»

ANCHESTER, United Kingdom: Pep Guardiola is set to bring his trophy-laden decade in charge of Manchester City to an end this weekend, according to multiple reports on Monday. Guardiola, 55, has won six Premier League titles and City’s first Champions League among 20 trophies since arriving in Engla»»»

After weeks of near-standstill traffic through the world’s most critical energy chokepoint, maritime movement through the Strait of Hormuz suddenly spiked — offering a glimmer of normalisation amid one of the most disruptive conflicts in recent global trade history. Data from maritime intelligence »»»

US President Donald Trump has posted a glitchy AI-generated image of himself alongside a shackled alien in his latest flurry of space-themed Truth Social posts on Sunday. The post came just over a week after the US War Department declassified a batch of government files on unidentified flying objec»»»

Elon Musk on Monday lost a lawsuit against OpenAI after they formed a for-profit division to what had originally been a non-profit because he had waited too long to file the suit. Fil Photo by Francis Chung/UPI | License Photo May 18 (UPI) -- A jury on Monday threw out Elon Musk's lawsuit against O»»»

ABU DHABI: The Muslim Council of Elders, under the chairmanship of His Eminence Dr. Ahmed Al-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, strongly condemned the targeting of the vicinity of the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in the Al Dhafra region of the United Arab Emirates by a drone, noting that no casualties w»»»

HAVANA: Cuba’s leader warned Monday of a “bloodbath” in the event of an American attack, while the US Treasury sanctioned Cuba’s main intelligence agency and top leaders as tensions spiked between the arch-foes. President Miguel Diaz-Canel stressed Cuba’s right to defend itself a day after US news »»»

WASHINGTON, United States: The United States announced Monday it is bolstering precautions to prevent the spread of Ebola, including screening air travelers from outbreak-hit areas and temporarily suspending visa services. The public health measures shared by the US Centers for Disease Control and »»»