The first of 16 new F-16 fighter jets from the US land in Bulgaria
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Bulgaria received on Wednesday the first of 16 new F-16 military jets from the United States that the Balkan country needs to upgrade its defense and bring its air force in line with NATO standards.
Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov hailed the arrival of the first jet at the Graf Ignatievo air base in central Bulgaria.
'This is not just a fighter jet, but a symbol and embodiment of Bulgaria's strategic partnership with the United States … a partnership that offers a new perspective for the Bulgarian Army," the prime minister said.
Bulgaria contracted to buy eight multi-role F-16 Block 70 aircraft in July 2019 for $1.3 billion. Plans initially called for the first planes to arrive in Bulgaria in 2023, but the coronavirus pandemic delayed their delivery.
In 2022, the Bulgarian government signed a contract with American aerospace company Lockheed Martin for a second batch of another eight of the F-16 fighter jets by the end of 2027.
Bulgaria, which joined NATO in 2004, has for two decades sought to update its military's air fleet of aging Soviet-made MiG-29 jets, but financial problems forced repeated postponements.
Amid Russia's ongoing war on Ukraine, Bulgaria has been relying on assistance from other NATO countries to fulfill its air policing obligations as an alliance member.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Germany to hire 11,000 more military personnel this year, Bild reports
FRANKFURT (Reuters) -The German government will provide funds for an extra 11,000 military personnel by the end of the year, an increase of around 4%, tabloid Bild reported on Saturday, citing government sources. The money will be provided for 10,000 soldiers and 1,000 civilian employees for the military by end-2025, the newspaper said, adding the move was part of this year's budget planning to be approved by the cabinet next week. The new jobs will cover armed, air, naval and cyber forces, the report said. Germany's Defence Ministry declined to comment. Germany needs up to 60,000 additional troops under new NATO targets for weapons and personnel, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said earlier this month, as the alliance beefs up its forces to respond to what it sees as an increased threat from Russia.
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Greenland celebrates its National Day to mark the summer solstice
NUUK, Greenland (AP) — Greenlanders celebrated National Day, the Arctic island's biggest summer festival, on Saturday to mark the solstice with songs, cannon salutes and dances under 24 hours of sunlight. Revelers across the semi-autonomous Danish territory, which is also coveted by U.S. President Donald Trump, honored the longest day of the year north of the equator, where the solstice marks the start of astronomical summer, with a march through their hometowns waving flags and participating in a seal hunting competition. The national holiday was declared in 1985, following a referendum on home rule six years earlier, with the inaugural raising of the red-and-white Greenlandic flag. As the sun came out, locals gathered for the day of festivities, visiting friends and families, eating and dancing together. Greenland's roughly 56,000 inhabitants look forward to the midnight sun each year from May 25 to July 25, before the long, dark winter reappears. The strategic, mineral-rich island has made headlines after Trump declared it his mission to make it part of the U.S., saying it's crucial for American security in the high north. Trump has not ruled out military force to seize Greenland despite strong rebukes from Denmark, a NATO ally, and Greenland itself. Danish and Greenlandic leaders say the island is not for sale and have condemned reports of the U.S. stepping up intelligence gathering there. On Saturday, Greenlanders tried to leave politics behind to enjoy the seemingly endless summer sunshine. Locals in traditional clothing made of pearl collars and seal hides started the day by marching toward the Colonial Harbour with Greenland's national flags. Johannes Ostermann, 20, said he loved the holiday because 'you get to go out in the city and you get to meet the people you haven't met in a while, and you know they're going to be there because it's a big day for Greenland and we enjoy each other's company.' 'Everyone says congratulations to each other, everyone's saying hi, everyone's being very very nice because it is a very nice day for us all,' he added. At 9 a.m., a cannon salute marked the beginning of the annual seal hunting competition, with participants in boats rushing into the sea. It took about an hour for the first hunter to come back with the seal. The animal was cut open for an inspection. The organizer said the meat will be distributed to nursing homes, and all other parts will be used to make clothing. Pilo Samuelsen, one of the winners of the competition, enjoyed his victory and the fact that the holiday brings together the community and keeps their culture alive. 'The seal hunt competition is a nice tradition,' Samuelsen said. 'It's a day of unity and the celebration." Sofie Abelsen, 33, said she hoped her people would continue their celebrations because 'modernization and globalization is a danger to all Indigenous people and Indigenous countries.' 'So I hope they will continue the traditions ... so they don't disappear,' she added.
USA Today
21 minutes ago
- USA Today
Activist Mahmoud Khalil speaks out after release from ICE custody
NEWARK, NJ − Mahmoud Khalil emerged though the airport gate, fist raised and smiling to a cheering crowd, as he pushed his newborn baby's stroller with his arm around his wife. Arriving at Newark International Airport the afternoon of June 21, a day after a federal judge ordered his release from immigration detention, the 30-year-old Columbia University graduate and Palestinian activist vowed to keep up his advocacy. Standing with his family and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, he declared he wouldn't be deterred. 'Your words of support, your messages, have kept me going,' Khalil said in brief remarks. 'Still, the fight is far from over.' He planned to continue speaking out against what he called a genocide in Gaza, and American support, including from Columbia, for Israel's siege of the Palestinian territory after the 2023 Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel. Israel has denied this accusation, though some human rights observers have reached this conclusion. At the airport, Khalil approached the crowd to take a Palestinian flag from a friend, then draped it over the stroller of his son Deen, who was born 2 months ago, while Khalil was detained in Jena, Louisiana. Asked if he had a message for the Trump administration, Khalil said, 'My existence is the message. Palestinian existence is a message.' A day earlier, a federal district judge in New Jersey ordered Khalil's release after over three months in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody following his advocacy at the Ivy League campus. The order marked a blow to the Trump administration's crackdown on pro-Palestinian student protests. Ocasio-Cortez said Khalil's detention by the Trump administration was solely political. "It is an affront to every American," she said. "We will continue to resist the politicization and the continued political persecution that ICE is engaged in. We welcome Mahmoud home." Why was Khalil in ICE detention? Khalil, a lawful permanent resident born in a Syrian refugee camp, was a student negotiator and spokesperson for pro-Palestinian demonstrators in spring 2024. Students called on Columbia to divest from its investments in Israel that helped propel war efforts. Israel's siege of Gaza has killed 55,700 Palestinian people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's health ministry. The mounting death toll came after Hamas-led attacks in Israel that killed 1,200 people and took 251 others hostage, Israeli tallies show. Critics, including university administrators, accused the protesters of creating an unwelcoming environment for Jewish students. Organizers have denied accusations of antisemitism, and Khalil spoke out against antisemitism on CNN. Columbia's encampment demonstrations triggered similar protests on college campuses across the country. On March 8, federal agents detained Khalil, without a warrant, at his university-owned apartment building lobby in Manhattan. His wife Noor Abdalla, who is born in the United States and was 8 months' pregnant then, was by his side as they returned from dinner with friends. In recorded cell phone video, Abdalla repeatedly asked agents why he was being taken and what agency they represented. They gave her no responses before taking Khalil, who appeared calm in footage. His detention triggered waves of protests in New York City calling for his release. Eventually, Khalil arrived to a Louisiana ICE detention center, where he'd stay for over 3 months. During that time, his son was born and other international students were detained in the Trump administration's sweeping crackdown on immigration. Khalil's case was the first of several high-profile incidents in which pro-Palestinian student activists were detained by immigration authorities and targeted for deportation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio alleged Khalil participated in "antisemitic protests and disruptive activities" that "undermine U.S. efforts to combat anti-Semitism." Rubio cited an obscure provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 to revoke Khalil's green card on the basis that he threatened American foreign policy interests. What did the judge rule in Khalil's case? Federal district Judge Michael Farbiarz of New Jersey ruled June 11 that Rubio had no authority to detain or deport Khalil on foreign policy grounds. Farbiarz said the government's other argument, that Khalil 'fraudulently or willfully' misrepresented material facts on his application for permanent residency, could still be used to detain him. On June 20, Farbiarz called Khalil's months-long detention in a Louisiana detention center potentially punitive. "Extraordinary circumstances" warranted Khalil's release, Farbiarz said. Among those were findings that Khalil − who has no criminal record nor has been charged with any crimes − didn't pose a flight risk or a danger to others in the community. Farbiarz, an appointee of former President Joe Biden, also raised concerns about the chilling effect his detention had on free speech, and the ability of an immigration judge to take on such issues. Justice Department lawyers didn't object to evidence presented. They also didn't present proof alleging Khalil committed violence, property destruction or incitement to violence, Farbiarz added. After the ruling, the Trump administration disputed Farbiarz's order, arguing he had no authority in immigration removal proceedings. Meanwhile, administration officials said Khalil was twice removable on foreign policy grounds − namely over accusations of antisemitism and support for the Hamas militant group, and that he misrepresented information to obtain legal status. While Farbiarz has ruled out the foreign policy argument, the court is considering information he submitted to immigration officials. Khalil's lawyers have called the administration's allegations "meritless." Khalil has a pending lawsuit in New Jersey federal court against the Trump administration. Khalil's lawyers say the Trump administration violated his constitutional rights around free speech and due process. A day after his arrival to Newark, demonstrators planned to rally in New York City in support of Khalil. Columbia didn't respond to an email request for comment. Smiling alongside his wife and son, who he'd only seen once during his detention, he looked at the crowd and vowed to continue demonstrating. "This is why I will continue to protest with every one of you," Khalil said. "Not (even) if they threaten me with detention, even if they would kill me, I would still speak up for Palestine." Contributing: Michael Karas, The Bergen Record; Michael Loria, USA TODAY.
