Latvia

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.

The most recent data from Eurostat, released on Thursday, indicates that in 2022, life expectancy at birth within the European Union is on an upward trajectory compared to the years preceding the pandemic. Nonetheless, it still falls short of the levels observed in 2019.

Turkish pop singer Sertab Erener will take the Eurovision stage after a 21-year hiatus. The singer, who won the Eurovision Song Contest in 2003 with her song "Everyway That I Can," which was Türkiye's first and only victory in the event, has been invited to this year's contest in Malmö, Sweden, on May 7 and 11.

Embassies from a coalition of countries, including Latvia, Canada, South Korea, Sweden, Germany, and the Czech Republic, have synchronized their efforts to warn about an elevated threat of terrorism in Russia, amplifying concerns initially raised by the US embassy.

Todor P. Todorov's novel "Hagabula" has been nominated for the European Union Prize for Literature, reported BTA. Todorov is competing for the prize alongside 12 other authors from Albania, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, and Tunisia.

In 2022, renewable energy sources (RES) made up 41.2% of gross electricity consumption in the EU, Eurostat said on Wednesday.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has garnered backing from over two-thirds of NATO's 31 member nations for the role of the alliance's next secretary general, according to sources cited by Politico.

Senior diplomats in Brussels revealed that Rutte's candidacy gained significant traction following extensive discussions and negotiations, making him the primary contender thus far.

The world reacts with shock and condemnation following the announcement of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's death in prison, triggering a wave of responses from global leaders.

In a bold statement following the announcement of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's death by the Russian prison services, Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics minced no words, declaring that Navalny "was just brutally murdered by the Kremlin," as reported by AFP.