Elon Musk’s AI platform, Grok, is racing to fix flaws in its image-editing tool after users reported that it could turn pictures of children or women into sexualised content. In a statement on X on Friday, Grok acknowledged the problem. “We’ve identified lapses in safeguards and are urgently fixing»»»

Investigators say sparklers on champagne bottles likely started a fire that killed 40 people and injured 119 during a New Year’s celebration at Le Constellation bar in the Alps. The blaze erupted when sparklers came too close to the low, foam-covered ceiling. Videos show chaos and panicPartygoers, »»»

1/9According to figures from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, the emirate recorded 17.55 million overnight visitors between January and November 2025 — a 5 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.Virendra Saklani/Gulf News2/9The continued growth highlighted Dubai’s resil»»»

The poorest UK households have only become poorer under Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government despite its promises to boost living standards, several British outlets reported on Friday, citing recently published analytical data. Disposable income left after bills and essentials for the le»»»

Zohran Mamdani, 34, New York City’s first Muslim, South Asian, and youngest mayor in a century, began his first full day on the job with a subway commute from his Queens apartment. Bundled against the cold, he posed for selfies, greeted fellow riders, and reviewed briefing materials—demonstrating h»»»

Raihan Vadra, the son of India’s Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and businessman Robert Vadra, has shared the first official pictures from his engagement to Aviva Baig, offering a rare glimpse into a personal family celebration. The engagement took place last month, but the couple chose to ma»»»

Mexico City: An earthquake of magnitude 6.5 struck Mexico's Guerrero region late on Friday. The quake occurred at 7.58 am EST at a depth of 40 kilometres, with its epicentre located at latitude 16.99 north and longitude 99.26 west. India's National Centre for Seismology (NCS) stated the quake's mag»»»

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the accession of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, DAMAC Group has planned a citywide celebration, paying tribute to two decades of transformation, ambition and global excel»»»

VK Exhibitions and Decor Industry LLC, a leading player in the region’s fabrication and event infrastructure sector, hosted a grand year-end celebration on December 27, 2025. Held at the VK Group premises, the event brought together nearly 1,000 stakeholders, including blue-collar staff, senior man»»»

Kathmandu: A Buddha Air turboprop aircraft skidded off the runway while landing at Bhadrapur Airport in eastern Nepal on Friday night, prompting an emergency response but leaving all passengers and crew unharmed. The airline confirmed that all 51 passengers and four crew members on board Flight 901»»»

Abu Dhabi: Dense fog covered parts of Abu Dhabi and other UAE regions early Saturday, prompting authorities to warn motorists to exercise extra caution. Also Read: Weather update: UAE braces for dusty, windy conditions after stable FridayThe National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) has issued red and y»»»

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has claimed that his country will quickly expand its presence on the Baltic Sea in 2026. NATO has bolstered its footprint in the Baltic and stepped up patrols under the pretext of protecting undersea infrastructure from the alleged Russian threat. Moscow has denied»»»

Manila: The Philippines has unlocked 99-year land leases to foreign investors with Republic Act No. 12252, signed in September. It's deemed a "game-changer". For one, it creates certainty for capital-intensive projects spanning decades, thus giving investors — and jobs — more predictability. Also I»»»

Another 20 nations and entities are restricted from travel to the United States, raising the total number of nations banned to 39 as of Thursday. File Photo by Roger L. Wollenberg/UPI | License Photo Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Travel restrictions for 20 more nations and locales took effect on Thursday in acco»»»

In cities across the world, the effects of globalisation are producing an unexpected paradox. As urban centres become more connected and outward-looking, they risk losing the very qualities that once made them distinct. Skylines may rise, infrastructures may strengthen, but without a sense of ident»»»

The Iranian government has formally demanded action from the United Nations following a series of increasingly bellicose statements from US President Donald Trump, including a claim that Washington is “locked and loaded” to intervene in the ongoing unrest within Iran. In a letter to UN Secretary-Ge»»»

Dubai: Business travel across the Middle East continued to grow in 2025, and companies expect the trend to carry into 2026 as in-person meetings and regional cooperation remain central to how work gets done. Travel management firm musafir.com says spending on business travel in the region rose abou»»»

AeroMexico topped the world's global airlines with an on-time rate of 90.02% in 2025, global airlines analyst Cirium announced on Friday, marking the second straight year the Mexican airline finished at the top. Photo by Jose Mendez/EPA Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Mexico-based AeroMexico won Cirium's On-Time P»»»

At least two people have died after a powerful earthquake hit southern and central Mexico on Friday. CBS, the BBC's news partner in America, reported that as of Friday evening local time, two people were killed and several injured. The epicentre of the 6.5 magnitude earthquake was near the popular »»»

On the first freezing winter day of 2026, surrounded by thousands of cheering New Yorkers and progressive Democratic allies, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani pledged to tell a "new story of our city". "City Hall will deliver an agenda of safety, affordability, and abundance - where government loo»»»

For the Indian film industry, 2025 felt like a return to familiar ground. The year before that, women-led stories had briefly reshaped India's global cinematic image, bringing accolades and new attention. But last year, Bollywood's violent, male-driven action thrillers dominated the domestic box-of»»»

The Oscar-tipped Hamnet, starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, is a film that shows the full range of human emotions, from elation to despair. It begins with a young William Shakespeare falling in love with Agnes (the other name by which the playwright's wife, historically referred to as Anne Ha»»»

Maggie Hildebrand's first apartment in Toronto had a kitchen, a dining table, a workspace and a bed – all in the same 300-square-foot room. It was a decent home at first, close enough to her job downtown and with all the bare necessities for daily living. But it didn't take long for the 28-year-old»»»

Share: Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday he had asked the interior ministry to “listen to the legitimate demands” of protesters after several days of demonstrations by shopkeepers in Tehran. Student protests also broke out on Tuesday as Iran’s embattled currency hit new lows on the»»»

President Donald Trump speaks during an event in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on December 19. He signed an executive order Friday blocking a semiconductor deal between U.S. and Chinese companies. Photo by Will Oliver/UPI | License Photo Jan. 2 (UPI) -- President Donald»»»

Share: Iranian opposition leader and son of the last Shah of Iran Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Reza Pahlavi holds a press conference in Paris on June 23, 2025. Iran’s exiled opposition leader, Reza Pahlavi, has issued a New Year’s message to his compatriots that “the current regime has reached the end of»»»

Seven Pakistanis were tried in absentia and sentenced to life in prison on Friday for "digital terrorism" amid riots following the 2023 arrest of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. File Photo by Rahat Dar/EPA Jan. 2 (UPI) -- An anti-terrorism court in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Friday sentence»»»

In tonight's edition: Nigerian police detain the driver of the vehicle involved in the Lagos highway smash in which two people were killed and boxer Anthony Joshua was injured. Also, supporters of Guinea's former junta chief-turned-president-elect celebrate his win of the weekend's election. P»»»

US President Donald Trump has promised to assist the Iranian protesters if needed, saying that Washington was ready to intervene at any moment. The Islamic Republic has been hit by the worst unrest since 2022, triggered by an economic crisis. The demonstrations began in late December when merchants»»»

US President Donald Trump on Friday took to his Truth Social platform to warn that the United States would intervene if Iran's security forces kill peaceful protesters. At least seven people, including one volunteer member of the Islamic Republic's security forces, have been killed in clashes over »»»

A quick-developing storm will spread rain over part of the lower Mississippi Valley and the central Gulf coast into Friday night before moving off the southern Atlantic coast on Saturday night. On the northern edge of the rain, there will be some snow or a mix of snow, sleet and rain. Much of the s»»»

Who would have thought serums infused with snail mucin - the sticky substance they secrete - would become a part of skincare routines around the world? Well, it's happened - and the gooey elasticity is key, according to a viral TikTok challenge promoting the serum. It made its manufacturer, the sma»»»

As Burj Khalifa marks its 16th anniversary on January 4, 2026, the iconic skyscraper continues to captivate the world as the tallest man-made structure standing at 828 meters (2,716.5 feet). Since its grand opening on January 4, 2010, the tower's distinctive Y-shaped design, inspired by the regiona»»»

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Thursday denied trafficking drugs to the United States and said he is willing to meet with President Donald Trump to discuss that matter and the seizure of sanctioned oil tankers. Photo courtesy Venezuelan President's Office | License Photo Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Ven»»»

Elon Musk has indicated his intention to bankroll Republican candidates in the midterm elections later this year, saying that the US will cease to exist if the Democrats reclaim power in the Congress. On Friday, Tesla and SpaceX CEO commented on a post on X by a conservative influencer, who claimed»»»

A self-proclaimed prophet in Ghana who spent months spreading fears of an imminent doomsday flood has been arrested, local police in the West African country have confirmed to several media outlets. Evans Eshun, popularly known as Ebo Noah, was detained on December, 31 after repeatedly warning that»»»

Swiss officials told a press conference on Friday that the deadly fire at a Crans-Montana ski resort bar on New Year’s Eve, which killed at least 40 people, was likely caused by sparkling flares atop Champagne bottles that came too close to the ceiling. Authorities said 113 of the 119 injured have »»»

Angelina Jolie visited the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing on Friday, meeting Red Crescent volunteers and aid truck drivers delivering supplies to Gaza. The Hollywood star assessed conditions for injured Palestinians and the flow of humanitarian aid, highlighting the urgent challenges at the bo»»»

Russia captured more than 5,600 sq km of Ukrainian territory in 2025, its largest advance since 2022, as Kyiv prepares to host allied security talks. As pressure on the battlefield continues to build, President Volodymyr Zelensky named Kyrylo Budanov his new top aide, proposed Mykhailo Fedorov as d»»»

3269144 KUWAIT -- Minister of Information and Culture, and Minister of State for Youth Affairs Abdurrahman Al-Mutairi inaugurates Kuwait Geopark. 3269145 RIYADH -- The Saudi Data and AI Authority launches a 480 MW data center on 30 million sq. feet in Riyadh. 3269136 GAZA -- Israeli occupation forc»»»

A news broadcast shows the latest developments in the conflict between Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces and southern separatists in Sanaa, Yemen, on Friday. Photo by Yahya Arhab/EPA Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Saudi Arabia's military struck United Arab Emirates-backed separatists in Yemen on Friday, promp»»»

New York: The US dollar climbed in late trading on Friday. The dollar index, which measures the greenback against six major peers, added 0.1 percent to 98.424 at 3 p.m. (2000 GMT). In late New York trading, the euro was down to 1.1724 dollars from 1.1746 dollars in the previous session, and the Bri»»»

A judge has ruled that alleged D.C. pipe bomber Brian Cole Jr. must stay in jail through his trial. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Jan. 2 (UPI) -- A Washington, D.C., federal magistrate judge ruled Friday that a man who allegedly set pipe bombs outside of political party headquarters»»»

Investigators are racing to establish how and why the deadly New Year's Eve fire at a bar in a Swiss ski resort spread so rapidly. Authorities on Friday said in a press conference that sparklers attached to champagne bottles that were held "too close to the ceiling" appear to have started the blaze»»»

Four of the five people who were injured in an arson attack in Dublin on New Year's Eve have been discharged from hospital. The victims caught up in the attack at a house in Creston Avenue in Finglas included three teenagers, a woman in her 20s and a woman in her 40s. The older woman sustained seri»»»

Massive rallies took place in Fars and Hamedan provinces in Iran today, demanding that Iranian security forces take firm action against anyone threatening public security. The rallies condemned “the destructive actions carried out by some elements in the country, exploiting peaceful protests”. Part»»»

Dubai: Saudi Arabia has officially launched an ambitious $2.7 billion (Dh9.9 billion) digital infrastructure initiative with the announcement of the Hexagon Data Centre, set to be the world’s largest government data centre and a cornerstone project of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. Classified as Tier I»»»

GERB quit the governing majority after its partners went too far, including [MRF Chair and MRF – New Beginning Floor Leader Delyan] Peevski, GERB leader Boyko Borissov said in a YouTube interview on Friday. Borissov spoke to journalist Yavor Dachkov at GERB’s party headquarters in Sofia. “Self-conf»»»

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has announced the completion of the return of all UAE Armed Forces personnel from the Republic of Yemen. The ministry stated that the return of the UAE forces follows the implementation of a previously announced decision to conclude the remaining missions of counter-te»»»

Doha, Qatar,: The opening day was attended by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation (QF), who visited Al Shaqab as Tour 1 of the HH The Father Amir Prix 2026 officially commenced in Doha. Tour 1 brings together international and regional riders across CSI1, CSI2 and»»»