A man is recovering in hospital in Hania, Crete, after being struck by lightning while working at a construction site. Local media reported that the 40-year-old, a press operator, was inside a site vehicle when the incident occurred in the southwestern town of Palaiochora. He was immediately taken »»»

Demonstrators organized by the Free Brazil Movement protest against Banco Master on Thursday in front of the bank's headquarters in Sao Paulo, Brazil, after recent fraud allegations published in the press. The bank was recently liquidated and the area fenced off. Photo by Isaac Fontana/EPA SANTIAGO»»»

Israel wants to restrict the number of Palestinians entering Gaza through the border crossing with Egypt to ensure that more are allowed out than in, three sources briefed on the matter told Reuters ahead of the border's expected opening next week. The head of a transitional Palestinian committee b»»»

Davos: The Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar, HE Dr. Hind bint Abdulrahman Al Muftah took part in a panel discussion on shaping international relations through dialogue, which was held as part of the activities in the World Economic Forum 2026 in Davos. During the session, Her Excellen»»»

Spanish prosecutors have dropped an investigation into complaints of sexual abuse against the singer Julio Iglesias. They ruled that Spanish courts had no jurisdiction and were therefore not competent to investigate crimes committed abroad involving complainants who were not Spanish citizens or res»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian Deputy Parliament Speaker Marina Ragus said on Friday a delegation of European Parliament (EP) members that had visited the Serbian parliament earlier in the day had not wanted to discuss the human and civil rights of Kosovo-Metohija Serbs and the daily terror against them at the»»»

The president of Somaliland has held separate talks with his Israeli counterpart, as well as the second son of the US leader, as the breakaway region continues to seek international recognition and foreign investment. Somaliland President Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi met Isaac Herzog and businessma»»»

US officials have been pressuring Iraq to disarm Iran-backed armed factions, reported the Financial Times on Friday. “In tense meetings with senior Iraqi political leaders tasked with forming the next government, US officials have in recent weeks also pushed the Iraqis to produce a ‘credible’ plan »»»

A fracture in a straight section of track "occurred prior to the passage" of a high-speed train that derailed, causing last Sunday's rail disaster in which 45 people died, an initial report has found. A train run by private company Iryo derailed last Sunday and its rear carriages crossed on to the »»»

Bulgaria's Constitutional Court has declined a petition to declare unconstitutional a National Assembly resolution refusing to resolve on the conduct of a national referendum on a postponement of the adoption of the euro by Bulgaria, the Court said on its website Friday. The Court was petitioned by»»»

Doha, Qatar: Weather conditions inshore until 6am on Saturday will be relatively cold during the daytime, with scattered clouds, turning cold to very cold at night, the Department of Meteorology said in its daily weather report. The department also warned of strong winds. Offshore conditions are ex»»»

Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder and one of the FBI's ten most wanted fugitives, has been arrested and charged with running a transnational drug trafficking operation, US media report. The reported arrest ends a years-long search for Wedding, 44, who was wanted on drug and murder»»»

Tunis,23 janv. (TAP)- President of the Republic Kaïs Saïed Friday met in Carthage with Ambassador of Portugal to Tunisia Nuno Bello who paid him a farewell visit at the end of his mission to Tunisia. The Head of State said Tunisia wants stronger...»»»

The Kambarata Hydropower Plant-1 project, with an installed capacity of 1,860 megawatts, has entered an active implementation phase. The facility, which has strategic importance for all of Central Asia, showed significant progress in 2025 both in engineering preparations and in attracting investmen»»»

Dubai: The UAE has concluded its participation in the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, which ran from January 19 to 23. The annual gathering brings together more than 3,000 leaders and senior officials from government and business across the world to disc»»»

Russia is increasing the power of its nuclear icebreakers, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday. "This is the kind of power that no country in the world has today. Well, we are increasing, of course, this work [on the construction of nuclear icebreakers]," Putin said during a meeting wit»»»

The head of South Sudan's armed forces has given soldiers seven days to "crush the rebellion" in the east that is a potential threat to the capital, Juba. Recently, the Sudan People's Liberation Army in Opposition (SPLA-IO) has attacked and captured several areas in Jonglei state, a local journalis»»»

In a world constantly shaken by news of wars, crises, and disasters, an almost deafening silence surrounds one of the most pressing issues. There have been no press conferences or urgent statements regarding the expiring New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START). Russia has officially stated »»»

EU leaders will plunge member states further into debt if they back programs worth $1.5 trillion to cover Ukraine’s expenses, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban warned on Friday. Speaking at a press conference in Brussels, Orban said he had received an internal EU document he cannot disclose pub»»»

Abu Dhabi: The Federal Supreme Council of the Judiciary has announced the launch of an integrated legislative and regulatory framework for mediation and conciliation in civil and commercial disputes, in implementation of Federal Decree-Law No. (40) of 2023 concerning Mediation and Conciliation in C»»»

Tunis, January 23 (TAP) – President of the Republic, Kaïs Saïed, had a meeting on Friday morning at Carthage Palace with Poland's Ambassador to Tunisia, Justyna Porazińska, on a farewell visit marking the end of her mission in Tunisia.According to a...»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian Deputy Parliament Speaker Elvira Kovac, who also chairs the parliamentary committee on EU integration, said on Friday a meeting with a delegation of European Parliament (EP) members earlier in the day had addressed reforms, the Regulatory Authority for Electronic Media (REM) and »»»

Major contacts over Lebanon are being led by Washington and the Vatican and Israeli, U.S. and Iranian officials are meeting in Oman, Lebanon’s Nidaa al-Watan newspaper reported on Friday. “Shuttle meetings are taking place in the Sultanate of Oman revolving around rearranging the regional landscape»»»

Damascus, Jan. 23 (SANA) The Syrian Network for Human Rights has reported that at least 22 civilians were killed, and several others injured, in Raqqa province on January 18, 2026, most of them by sniper fire from SDF militants. According to the network, the violence erupted during a popular uprisi»»»

Singapore: The US dollar was poised for its biggest weekly drop in a year, amid market volatility triggered by US President Donald Trump's initial threat to impose new tariffs on several European countries over the Greenland dispute, followed by his later decision to step back from those threats an»»»

Modern cities with sleek high-rises, a pristine coastline that attracts tourists, and a state-of-the-art port that juts into the Mediterranean. This is what Jared Kushner, U.S. President Donald Trump's son-in-law and Middle East adviser, says Gaza could become, according to a presentation he gave a»»»

BusinessUnited States of AmericaUS–EU economic ties show why neither side can decoupleAstrid Prange de OliveiraDespite a pause in tariff escalation, US–EU trade remains volatile under Donald Trump. From deficits and energy to services and the dollar, the transatlantic relationship reveals deep ties»»»

The European Commission said on Friday it would propose suspending for another six months an EU package ​of retaliatory trade measures against the US worth 93 billion euros ($109.19 billion) that would otherwise kick in on February 7. The package, prepared in the first half of last year when the Eu»»»

Madrid: An investigation into last weekend's high-speed train collision in Spain that killed 45 people suggests the track was cracked before the catastrophe, according to a preliminary report published on Friday. The shellshocked country is searching for answers to one of Europe's deadliest such ac»»»

Dubai: The Dubai Commercial Court has ordered the dissolution and liquidation of a land transport company after finding that its capital had been fully eroded and its liabilities had climbed to nearly Dh34 million, leaving it unable to continue operating. The ruling followed a lawsuit filed by one »»»

The Constitutional Court has ruled that the powers of the President of Bulgaria, Rumen Radev, are to be terminated prior to the expiry of his term of office after establishing the resignation. The decision is final and takes effect on January 23, 2026. It was adopted unanimously by the twelve judge»»»

Manila: Barbie C. just turned 60, and instead of slowing down, she stumbled into what might be the Philippines’ best-kept life hack: being a senior citizen. Home for the holidays from her nursing job in the Middle East, Barbie quickly discovered that turning 60 in the Philippines comes with perks. »»»

One of the oldest local non-governmental organizations, the UN Association of Bulgaria (UNAB), is organizing a simulation model of the European Parliament in Sofia. From Friday to Sunday, 34 students from Bulgaria, Slovenia, and the Republic of North Macedonia will take part in a debate forum, assu»»»

Dubai: Saudi Arabia plans to generate more than 340,000 additional jobs for its citizens in the private sector over the next three years, as the government rolls out a new phase of its flagship labour market localisation programme. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development announced on»»»

TALLINN - Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic said on Friday in Tallinn Serbia would continue to develop economic cooperation with Estonia, especially in the ICT sector. Brnabic, who is on a two-day visit to Estonia, said the ICT sector was the fastest-growing sector of the Serbian economy, and »»»

The topics of Bulgaria joining President Trump’s Board of Peace, President Rumen Radev’s potential new party, and Election Code amendments dominate Friday’s news media. BULGARIA JOINS TRUMP’S BOARD OF PEACE 24 Chasa’s front-page story highlights three major reasons for Bulgaria to join US President»»»

San Francisco: E-commerce giant Amazon is preparing a fresh round of corporate job cuts that could see thousands of roles eliminated as soon as next week, according to a Reuters report citing people familiar with the matter. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The layoffs »»»

The Spiritual Directorate of the Muslims of Kyrgyzstan (SDMK), together with government agencies, is conducting preventative and educational work among followers of Yakyn-Inkar movement. The muftiyat reported. The main goal of the events is to expose the inconsistency of the movement’s ideology and»»»

Modern cities with sleek high-rises, a pristine coastline that attracts tourists and a state-of-the-art port that jut into the Mediterranean. This is what Jared Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and Middle East adviser, says Gaza could become, according to a presentation he gave at an ec»»»

OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu plans to visit Bishkek. It was announced at a meeting of the Deputy Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan Meder Abakirov with Volker Frobarth, Head of the OSCE Programme Office in the Kyrgyz Republic. According to the Foreign Ministry’s press service, the parties»»»

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu survived a no-confidence vote Friday following his move to force his budget through parliament, in a symbolic victory with more such challenges expected. Lecornu on Tuesday used a constitutional power to ram part of the 2026 budget through parliament without »»»

Dubai Police have cautioned that posting offensive or insulting content on social media and digital platforms can lead to legal action under UAE law. The Cybercrime and eSecurity Department at the General Department of Criminal Investigation said that using online platforms to insult individuals or»»»

The Democratic Bulgaria coalition, part of the broader Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) alliance, has insisted that the ratification of the document on Bulgaria’s accession to US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace should not be considered by the National Assembly before a ruli»»»

IKEA announces the opening of a new Plan and Order Point in Brașov, located in Magnolia Shopping Center, on Strada Crișului nr. 18. The new studio operates in the same location as the former IKEA Pick-up Point (PuP), which is now becoming an integrated part of IKEA’s Plan and Order Point retail con»»»

Dubai: Saudi Arabia has formally brought into force new regulations governing real estate ownership by non-Saudis. The Saudi Real Estate General Authority announced on Thursday that the Regulation on Real Estate Ownership by Non-Saudis has officially entered into effect, marking the start of its im»»»

Cloud9, part of the real estate division of Alfa Group, a developer with more than three decades of experience in delivering landmark residential projects on the Bucharest market, announces the completion of the structural works for the three buildings included in the first phase of the Cloud9 Evol»»»

BRUSSELS - The head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic said on Thursday evening discussions held in Brussels earlier in the day as part of the EU-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina dialogue had been difficult and that he had insisted on urgent establishment of a Communit»»»

The BBC has been given access to detention facilities on former United Arab Emirates military bases in Yemen, confirming long-standing allegations of a network of secret prisons run by the UAE and forces allied to it in Yemen's decade-long civil war. One former detainee told the BBC he had been bea»»»

Dubai: A touching moment unfolded during a public rally addressed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday, when a young boy holding up a hand-drawn sketch of the Prime Minister caught his eye from the crowd. As he spoke to supporters, the Prime Minister paused mid-speech»»»

Dubai: The Indian rupee slipped to an all-time low on Friday, pushing the exchange rate close to 25 to the UAE dirham and sharpening the impact on millions of residents who send money home, hold rupee-linked savings or plan near-term travel to India. (Check live forex rates here) Sign up for our da»»»