SOFIA: A van smuggling 12 Syrian migrants crashed into a police car near the Bulgarian capital on Tuesday after the driver fled a police checkpoint, injuring an officer and some passengers.
The EU member has seen a sharp increase in the number of migrants trying to cross its border to move farther north to the Schengen visa-free zone in western Europe.
The driver of the minibus refused to stop at a checkpoint south of Sofia and sped away. He then crashed into a police car dispatched to stop it.

CAIRO: In coordination with Palestinian Airlines, EgyptAir has opened an air bridge to Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport to transport 5,000 Palestinians for Umrah this year.

This follows directives from the Ministry of Civil Aviation to ensure the transport of “Palestinian brothers to the holy land during the Hajj and Umrah seasons,” said Yehia Zakaria, board chairman of EgyptAir Holding Company.

For the season — from Nov. 15 to Feb. 20, 2023 — 14 special flights have been scheduled for the pilgrims.

BEIRUT: Lebanon will on Tuesday ditch its traditional military parade for 79th Independence Day celebrations due to the continued presidential vacuum in the country.

Army chiefs said the decision had been made with the “national interest” in mind and to maintain “security and stability.”

CAIRO: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah El-Sisi for the first time on the sidelines of the inauguration of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
In what has been described as a historic moment, the two presidents shook hands with each other, with Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad standing next to them.

King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa issued a royal decree on Monday accepting the resignation of the government, state news agency BNA reported. 

The king appointed the Crown Prince, Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa, as Prime Minister and tasked him to form a new government and appoint members for the new cabinet.