Any attempt to link the presence of US aircraft on Bulgarian territory to operations outside NATO plans is speculation, caretaker Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov said during a parliamentary hearing on Thursday. The hearing concerned US military aircraft currently stationed at Sofia Airport, tensi»»»

1 of 2 | A pair of brothers who were prominent Brazilian politicians have been convicted in the 2018 murder of Rio de Janeiro councilor Marielle Franco. File Photo by Mario Vasconcellos/EPA-EFE Feb. 26 (UPI) -- A pair of brothers who were prominent Brazilian politicians have been convicted in the 2»»»

Moscow: Russia on Thursday denied setting any final timeline for settling with Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Moscow has specific objectives it is working to accomplish, stressing that Russia is not setting a deadline for settling with Ukraine, but rather focusing on ta»»»

Velizar Shalamanov has been appointed Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs by order of caretaker Prime Minister Andrey Gurov, the Ministry said on Thursday. Shalamanov has extensive professional experience in the field of defence and national security. He served as minister of defence in 2014 and as »»»

Cuba said on Thursday that 10 gunmen on a Florida-registered speed boat who opened fire on the Caribbean nation's coastguard had "intended to carry out an infiltration for the purposes of terrorism". The Cuban coastguard on Thursday said it killed four people and wounded six more on the vessel, whi»»»

Former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton is to testify behind closed doors Thursday (February 26) before a congressional committee investigating the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell. FRANCE 24's Jessica Le Masurier tells us more.»»»

In our ongoing weekly digest, award-winning journalist Veronika Munk summarises and explains the most important political developments in Hungary. We guide readers on the route to the key April 2026 election — a poll without precedent in the region over the past 15 years. This week, we cover: The p»»»

The FBI has fired roughly 10 members, all of whom participated in a probe into Donald Trump's handling of classified documents after his first term. Their termination on Wednesday, confirmed by the BBC's media partner CBS News, was announced shortly after FBI director Kash Patel told Reuters that f»»»

In the Dnipro region of Ukraine, soldiers from the air assault forces are equipped with Ceasar self-propelled howitzers, the French defence industry's flagship weapon. But the work of Ukrainian gunners has changed since the first Caesers were delivered. With the proliferation of drones,&n»»»

NATO member Türkiye is investigating the still unknown cause of an F-16 fighter jet crash that killed its pilot shortly after takeoff on a mission toward the Bulgarian border region, the Defense Ministry said on Thursday. Two F-16s took off simultaneously early on Wednesday from the 9th Main Jet Ba»»»

The UN expert on the Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, denounced on Thursday what she described as "toxic" attacks impacting her personal life and work, after a number of European states called for her resignation. In recent weeks Germany, France, Italy and others have called for Albanes»»»

Damascus, Feb. 26 (SANA) Defense Minister Major General Murhaf Abu Qasra received on Thursday a high-level delegation from the Turkish Defense Industries Agency in Damascus, and discussed with them prospects for bilateral cooperation in several fields. During the meeting, the importance of continui»»»

Despite headwinds from US tariffs and Chinese competition, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development's latest report shows stronger-than-expected GDP growth, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa as decelerating inflation boosts consumer spending power. In Business, we spoke to the report's»»»

Dubai: Iran and the United States held another round of indirect nuclear talks in Geneva on Thursday, as rising military tensions and a significant American force buildup in the Middle East cast a long shadow over diplomatic efforts. The Oman-mediated discussions, hosted at the Omani ambassador’s r»»»

Aramco announced Thursday major progress in its ambitious gas expansion strategy, with the start of production at Jafurah, the Middle East’s largest unconventional gas field, and the commencement of operations at Tanajib Gas Plant, one of the largest gas plants in the world. This will contribute to»»»

AMMAN — The Innovative Start ups and SMEs Fund (ISSF) on Thursday, participated in the Investors Summit organised by the Middle East Venture Capital Association (MEVCA) at the Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), according to an ISSF statement.ISSF CEO Mohammed Muhtaseb highlighted the pivotal role of s»»»

An 87-year-old man died Thursday after falling from a second-floor balcony in the Sykkies neighborhood of Thessaloniki. Neighbors alerted emergency services around 1:30 p.m., and paramedics found the man unconscious at the scene. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police are »»»

ASTANA - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke by phone on Thursday with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to whom he extended best wishes for his 72nd birthday, and said he expected him to pay an exceptionally important visit to Belgrade and Serbia soon. In a post on his buducnostsrbijeav»»»

A complaint has been filed in Switzerland accusing Iranian deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi of crimes against humanity linked to anti-government protests in his country in recent years, lawyers said Thursday. The complaint, filed by an Iranian-Swiss citizen, said Gharibabadi "may have comm»»»

The Central Election Commission (CEC) has adopted the terms and procedure for the participation of observers in the parliamentary elections scheduled for April 19, 2026, the CEC said on Thursday. The CEC will accept applications for the registration of observers until 5:00 p.m. on April 17. Observe»»»

Feb. 25 (UPI) -- A Florida woman who became the world's oldest competitive pool player at the age of 94 is still going strong at 98 and is headed to a tournament in Las Vegas. Jensen Beach resident Maggie Kennedy was dubbed the world's oldest competitive pool player by Guinness World Records in 202»»»

Student and university associations staged and completed a rally in central Athens on Thursday afternoon ahead of the third anniversary of the Tempe railway disaster, organizers said. The groups organized the gathering to commemorate the victims of the February 28, 2023 train crash, Greece’s deadli»»»

The US military planes currently stationed at Sofia’s civil airport “Vasil Levski” are not assigned to participate in any ongoing or planned combat operations, officials clarified during a parliamentary hearing. Acting Defense Minister Atanas Zapryanov, Acting Foreign Minister Nadezhda Neynski, and»»»

Armenia’s prospective shift towards US-backed small modular reactor (SMR) technology could add as much as 30% of GDP to public debt in a worst-case scenario, even as it reduces the country’s long-standing strategic reliance on Russia, according to Ivan Tchakarov of GlobalSource Partners. »»»

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that only a "madman" could propose a permanent ban on oil imports from Russia, as planned by the European Union, Reuters reported. The European Commission will submit a legal proposal to permanently ban Russian oil imports on Apr»»»

The U.S. military seized a third oil tanker moving from the Caribbean Sea to the Indian Ocean, the Pentagon said Tuesday. Photo by Department of War/X Feb. 24 (UPI) -- The U.S. military seized a third oil tanker moving from the Caribbean Sea to the Indian Ocean, the Pentagon said Tuesday. The Berth»»»

1 of 5 | Secret service personnel and local law enforcement prepare to do a security sweep of the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center where Bill and Hillary Clinton are to be deposed by the House Oversight Committee regarding the Epstein probe in Chappaqua, N.Y., Thursday. Former Secretary of State Hi»»»

AMMAN — The Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC) is implementing a package of upgrades at Aqaba's King Hussein International Airport to enhance passenger comfort and streamline arrival and departure procedures in line with growing air traffic.The works include infrastructure and service-system upgra»»»

DOHA: The Cruise Terminal at Old Doha Port on Thursday welcomed the luxury cruise ship 'AROYA' on its maiden voyage to Qatar. Operated by Saudi-based AROYA Cruises, the vessel arrived carrying 1,023 passengers and 1,103 crew members. As one of the largest ships to dock at the terminal, AROYA is sch»»»

Student demonstrations erupted on Saturday (February 21) at several major universities in the capital Tehran, with campuses in other cities joining in the days that followed. Pro- and anti-government groups faced off during rallies on the university campuses.»»»

A French court on Thursday (February 26) sentenced Iranian national Mahdieh Esfandiari for justifying terrorism in a case linked to a possible prisoner swap with two French citizens held in Iran. FRANCE 24's Olivia Bizot tells us more.»»»

Tunis, Feb. 26 (TAP)- The stock market closed Thursday's session on a negative note with the benchmark index slipping 0.34 % to 15, 122.84 points in a sustained volume of TND 12.1 million, broker Tunisie Valeurs said. SOTRAPIL posted the best...»»»

Abu Dhabi: Global logistics firm DHL Express has signed a deal to explore using delivery aircraft built by an Abu Dhabi-based drone manufacturer in its regional operations. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.DHL Express and LODD Autonomous have signed a Memorandum of Unde»»»

Every day, Iranians go to stores and find prices rising. Some post photos on social media of the shrinking contents of their shopping carts as they struggle to buy enough basic staples for their families. The mounting cost of living is an extra weight bearing down as Iranians prepare for a possible»»»

Both China and Iran have asked to replicate the Belarus-Russia Union State's region-to-region cooperation model, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said at the Supreme State Council of the Union State in Moscow on February 26, as Russian President Vladimir Putin co-chaired the session, BelTA»»»

Both China and Iran have asked to replicate the Belarus-Russia Union State's region-to-region cooperation model, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said at the Supreme State Council of the Union State in Moscow on February 26, as Russian President Vladimir Putin co-chaired the session, BelTA»»»

An 85-year-old man was detained early Thursday after allegedly brandishing a weapon to intimidate students outside a middle school in the Athens suburb of Agios Ioannis Rentis. No injuries were reported. According to a complaint filed by the school principal, the man pointed the weapon at students »»»

Parliament adopted at second reading amendments to the Public Offering of Securities Act, which will transpose Regulation (EU) 2023/2859 establishing a European single access point (ESAP), providing centralized access to publicly available information of relevance to financial services, capital mar»»»

A Tunisian court on Thursday rejected demands to suspend operations at a fertilizer factory, a lawyer told AFP, after thousands of protesters blamed the plant for a rise in health problems. The facility in the city of Gabes emits sulphur gases, nitrogen and fluorine, according to an audit last July»»»

Germany's government convened an emergency meeting of the organizers of the Berlin Film Festival on Thursday, saying it wanted to discuss the event's "direction" after debate and protests over Gaza dominated the programme. The Bild newspaper reported on Wednesday that the government's Commissioner »»»

Cuba’s government said late Wednesday (February 25) that the 10 passengers on a boat that opened fire on its soldiers were armed Cubans living in the U.S. who were trying to infiltrate the island and unleash terrorism. The announcement came hours after Cuba said its soldiers killed four people and »»»

Doha, Qatar: The National Museum of Qatar (NMoQ) has received the Platinum rating under the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS) Operations' sustainable green building certification system, further underscoring Qatar Museums' position as a global pioneer in sustainable cultural institutio»»»

A 47-year-old man drove his car into the entrance of a shop in Iraklio, Crete, in the early hours of Thursday, following a minor dispute, according to the store’s owner. Speaking to local news website Cretalive, the owner said the man had entered the shop shortly before the crash and appeared to be»»»

Borge Brende, the president and CEO of the World Economic Forum, which organises the annual Davos summit, announced his resignation on Thursday, weeks after the forum launched an independent investigation into his links with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.  The president and CEO o»»»

Specific information on election candidates will be submitted upon their registration to the Communist-Era Secret Police Files Committee, according to legislative revisions that Bulgaria's Parliament passed conclusively on Thursday. The bill to amend the Act on Access to, and Disclosure of, Documen»»»

Bulgarian banks are 99% ready to implement the Instant Payments Regulation, which will take effect in Bulgaria on January 1, 2027, Radoslav Daskalov, Deputy Chair of the Payment Infrastructure Committee at the Association of Banks in Bulgaria (ABB), told BTA. "We can confidently say that the bankin»»»

For at least 34 years, Canada held an unbroken grip on the top spot in US trade. In 2025, Mexico ended it, and the timing could hardly be more consequential. According to reports from Bloomberg and Forbes, M»»»

Russia has accused the United States of irresponsibly stoking regional tensions over Iran, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying Moscow continues to see "unceasing threats" against Tehran on February 26. »»»

Russia has accused the United States of irresponsibly stoking regional tensions over Iran, with Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying Moscow continues to see "unceasing threats" against Tehran on February 26. »»»

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has announced early elections - hailing the next four years as "decisive" for her country. "We as Danes and as Europeans will really have to stand on our own feet," Frederiksen told parliament. "We need to define our relationship with the United States," she »»»