Lithuania

Bulgaria commemorates a significant milestone today as it celebrates 20 years of NATO membership. On March 29, 2004, Bulgaria, alongside several other nations including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia, officially became a member of the NATO alliance.

European governments are weighing the introduction of tougher rules on cigarette makers' new zero-tobacco heat sticks, moving to close the loopholes they were designed to exploit just months after their launch.

MIES - The Serbia men's national basketball team was on Tuesday drawn to play the United States, South Sudan and the winner of a qualifying tournament in Puerto Rico in Group C of the July 27-August 11 Olympic Basketball Tournament Paris 2024.

The group stage will be played in Lille and the knockout stage in Paris.

Data released by Eurostat reveals a notable deceleration in wage growth across the European Union (EU) and the eurozone during the final quarter of 2023. While the average hourly wage in the EU increased by 3.8%, representing a marked slowdown from the previous quarter, Bulgaria saw a notable rise of 11.9%, according to the latest figures.

Bulgaria's defense expenditure for the year 2023 amounted to $1.9 billion (3.47 billion BGN), representing 1.87 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), as detailed in the annual report released by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. This disclosure occurred during a press conference held at NATO headquarters in Brussels earlier today.

As Bulgaria prepares to commemorate the 20th anniversary of its NATO accession at the end of this month, recent data sheds light on the nation's sentiment towards its membership in the alliance and its perceptions of security.

Leonid Volkov, a prominent ally of Alexei Navalny, was viciously attacked outside his home in Lithuania. The incident, which occurred late last night in Vilnius, saw Volkov targeted with a hammer and tear gas, leaving him injured and shaken.

Russia has labeled Garry Kasparov, the renowned opposition figure and former world chess champion, as a terrorist, according to the financial regulator "Rosfinmonitoring." Kasparov, previously designated as a "foreign agent," has been added to the list of individuals and organizations suspected of involvement in extremist activities or terrorism.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has joined the debate over the possibility of sending ground troops to Ukraine, stating that Western leaders should not dismiss the option. Kallas' comments come in the wake of French President Emmanuel Macron's recent controversial suggestion, which sparked widespread discussion among allied governments.

Nine ministers of agriculture of the European People's Party (EPP) issued a joint statement on Monday emphasizing the urgent need for structural solutions to problems that have arisen in the agricultural sector following the implementation of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).