Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev said on January 19 he would resign from office, ending his second term a year early amid deepening political turmoil and mounting speculation that he is preparing to launch his own political movement ahead of snap parliamentary elections. »»»

Doha: Qatar has lost one of its most prominent media and cultural figures with the passing of veteran journalist, novelist, and former Editor-in-Chief of The Peninsula and Al Sharq newspapers, Dr. Ahmed Abdulmalik Al Hammadi, who died yesterday at the age of 75. Dr. Ahmed Abdulmalik was widely rega»»»

Abu Dhabi: The second edition of the Sharjah African Literature Festival, organised by the Sharjah Book Authority under the theme "The African Way," concluded with the participation of 29 writers, as well as a gathering of literary figures, intellectuals, and those interested in the book and publis»»»

Iran's top police officer issued an ultimatum on Monday to protesters who joined what authorities have deemed "riots", saying they must hand themselves in within three days or face the full force of the law. But the government also pledged to tackle economic hardships that sparked the demonstration»»»

Just like during all the recent Iran protests, the language used by Western politicians and media follows a familiar script: “freedom,” “democracy,” and “support for the protesters” is what Europe and the US present as their priorities. Washington and London present themselves as moral actors, stan»»»

If Donald Trump were to consummate a purchase of Greenland, he would almost certainly secure a place in both American and global history. Beyond the spectacle, the scale alone would be staggering. Greenland spans roughly 2.17 million square kilometers – making it comparable in size to the entire Lo»»»

Relations between Helsinki and Moscow have rapidly deteriorated over the past few years, since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. Finland has ditched its previous neutral status and joined NATO. It has also reduced its relations with Moscow to near zero, even though Russia rep»»»

The EU has embraced a “potentially high-risk new geopolitical dependency” on natural gas from the US by ramping up imports, according to the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). The warning comes as relations between Brussels and Washington have sunk to an all-time low ami»»»

“Our positions are clear; Rumen Radev is yet to state his,” Nadejda Iordanova, Co-Floor Leader of Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB), told the media in the Parliament on Monday, commenting on the resignation of the head of State and in response to a question about whether CC-DB sees co»»»

Armed gangs have kidnapped dozens of people attending two churches in Nigeria's Kaduna state, according to local police. A senior church leader said more than 160 worshippers were abducted by gunmen during Sunday service. It is the latest mass kidnapping in Nigeria, where both Christians and Muslim»»»

Tunis, Jan. 19 (TAP) - Temporarily thundery rain will continue on Monday night over the northern and central regions and locally in the south. Rainfall may at times be heavy, with locally significant amounts, especially in the governorates of...»»»

Wildfires raging across southern Chile have killed at least 19 people and destroyed hundreds of homes. Chilean President Gabriel Boric has declared a state of catastrophe in the most affected areas. Wildfires raging across central and southern Chile on Sunday left at least 19 people dead, scorched »»»

A permanent seat on US President Donald Trump's "Board of Peace" aimed at resolving conflicts will cost countries $1 billion each, according to its charter. Invited world leaders include Russian President Vladimir Putin, Hungarian premier Viktor Orban and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carn»»»

Despite US President Donald Trump’s insistence on acquiring Greenland, public support for the idea remains low. A Reuters/Ipsos poll of US residents this week showed that fewer than one in five respondents back acquiring Greenland, while a separate CBS poll found that just 14 percent would approve »»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has expressed its solidarity with Pakistan following a fire at a shopping centre in the city of Karachi that resulted in a number of fatalities. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs conveyed its sincere condolences and heartfelt sympathy to the families of the victims,»»»

In a televized address to the nation Monday, Rumen Radev said this is his "last address as President" of Bulgaria. He said he will be submitting his resignation as head of State on Tuesday and expressed conviction that Vice President Iliana Iotova will make a worthy head of State President. Under A»»»

Slavi Trifonov, leader of the There Is Such a People (TISP) party, welcomed Rumen Radev "to the political arena of Bulgaria" on Monday minutes after Radev announced that he is resigning as the country's President. Writing on Facebook, Trifonov also spoke about his own political agenda: "I will cont»»»

BUDAPEST - Hungary's MOL Group announced on Monday it had signed a binding heads of agreement with Russia's Gazprom neft to acquire its 56.15 pct stake in the Serbian oil firm NIS. "Once the transaction is completed, MOL will assume significant shareholder responsibilities and control rights in the»»»

Tunis, Jan 19 (TAP) - Tunisia’s national electricity production reached 18,953 GWh (including renewable self-generation) as of end-November 2025, up 5% compared with 18,013 GWh during the same period in 2024, according to the “Economic Outlook...»»»

French President Emmanuel Macron held an emergency defence council meeting at the Élysée Palace on Thursday to discuss Greenland and Iran, among other issues. He then visited a military base in the south of France. In his speech to the troops, Macron highlighted the tense geopolitical situation and»»»

Billionaire wealth surged at three times ‍its recent pace ​last year to reach its highest level on record, deepening economic and political divides that threaten democratic ⁠stability, anti-poverty group Oxfam said on Monday. In France, 53 billionaires are as wealthy as 48 percent of citizens. Mean»»»

France's General Inspectorate of Justice has exposed failings in an investigation into Dominique Pelicot, accusing authorities of not acting on DNA evidence against him for a dozen years. Pelicot's DNA was taken by police after he was first apprehended in 2010 in a suburban Pari»»»

A staff strike at the Louvre in Paris on Monday led to its closure for the third time in a month as trade unions pressed for more recruitment, higher pay and better maintenance of the museum. The prior closures in December and earlier in January resulted in a loss of "at least one million euro»»»

French ​Prime ⁠Minister Sébastien Lecornu confirmed on Monday that he will invoke a special ​constitutional power, Article 49.3, to force a budget ‍for 2026 ​through parliament without a vote. The decision, he said, was made with "regret" after budget negotiations came to an impasse. The use of Art»»»

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is set to ram his budget bill through parliament without a vote, parliament and government sources said on Monday, after weeks of stalled negotiations. Any use of "Article 49.3", a constitutional power to push legislation through parliament without a vote, ca»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Chamber Board Member, Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Obaidli met Monday with Presaident of the Arab Federation for Artificial Intelligence, Jamal Ahmed Kamal. The meeting discussed ways to enhance cooperation between Qatar Chamber and the Federation in the fields of artificial intelligenc»»»

A decade after ending China's longtime one-child policy, authorities are pushing a range of ideas and policies to try to encourage more births – tactics that range from cash subsidies to taxing condoms to eliminating a tax on matchmakers and day care centers. The efforts haven't paid off yet a»»»

Police in western Athens have arrested a man suspected of burgling and then accidentally burning down a plastic manufacturing plant, in a blaze that mobilized dozens of firefighters and prompted public health warnings earlier Monday. The 37-year-old suspect is believed to have entered the premises »»»

EU lawmakers are shelving a 2025 transatlantic trade deal after Washington slapped on new tariffs and reignited its Greenland push. "[Trump] announced that he will increase or has already increased tariffs on a list of countries of Europe by 10% now and 25% in a few months," Paulo Nogueira Batista »»»

EU leaders are set to discuss countermeasures at an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday in response to US President Donald Trump's tariff threats. One option is a package of tariffs on 93 billion euros ($107.7 billion) of US imports that could automatically kick in on February 6 after a six-mo»»»

Spanish police said Monday that at least 39 people are confirmed dead in a high-speed train collision the previous night in the south of the country. The crash occurred Sunday at 7:45pm when the tail end of a train carrying 289 passengers on the route from Malaga to the capital, Madrid, went off th»»»

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Transport Minister Oscar Puente were among those making their way to the crash site on Monday morning. Sanchez cancelled his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland after the accident. FRANCE 24's Sarah Morris brings you the latest from Madrid»»»

EU member states on Monday are exploring countermeasures in response to US President Donald Trump's tariff threats over Greenland, which he has expressed interest in acquiring despite opposition from Denmark and the EU. “This is not only about trade; it is putting enormous, unexpected stress on the»»»

Trump on Saturday threatened to impose more tariffs on eight European nations until the US is allowed to buy Greenland, citing US national security concerns. EU governments are drawing up retaliatory measures, including possibly ​hitting the US with 93 billion euros' worth of tariffs or the so far »»»

The Spanish government vowed Monday to conduct a full investigation into the causes of a high-speed train collision that killed at least 39 people, with officials warning the death toll could rise as rescuers worked among the wreckage. FRANCE 24's Sarah Morris reported that 48 injured are still in »»»

Protesters gathered in Davos, Switzerland, on Sunday ahead of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting to denounce the concentration of wealth among global elites. Meanwhile, Oxfam released a report showing that the collective wealth of the world’s billionaires surged to a record level in 2025.»»»

Ethiopian Orthodox Christians have been celebrating the festival of Timket, or Epiphany, which commemorates the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan. In the town of Batu, on the shores of Lake Dambal in Ethiopia's Oromia region, priests from the local churches escort replicas of the Ark of Covenant»»»

Tunis, Jan. 19 (TAP) – Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, Mohamed Ali Nafti will pay a working visit to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on, Tuesday, at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs...»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar's Ministry of Public Health has intensified its efforts to improve the health and wellbeing of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These efforts come in line with the National Health Strategy 2024-2030 and Qatar National Vision 2030, which place individual and family heal»»»

In a landmark address to the nation, President Rumen Radev announced that he will resign from his post before the Constitutional Court in order to participate in the upcoming elections. For weeks, speculation has swirled about the president’s potential resignation and plans to lead a political proj»»»

Italian fashion designer Valentino Garavani, known as Valentino, has died at the age of 93. In a statement posted on Instagram the Valentino Garavani and Giancarlo Giammetti Foundation said: "He passed away peacefully in his Roman home, surrounded by the love of his family." The foundation said Val»»»

Syrian government troops tightened their grip on Monday across a swathe of northern and eastern territory after it was abruptly abandoned by Kurdish forces in a dramatic shift that has consolidated President Ahmed al-Sharaa's rule. A day after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), once th»»»

Under Article 97 of the Constitution, the president of the Republic may tender his resignation to the Constitutional Court prior to the expiry of his term of office. In such case, the vice president must assume the office of president for the remainder of the term of office. Within a period at its »»»

In a televized address to the nation Monday, Rumen Radev said this is his "last address as President" of Bulgaria. He said he will be submitting his resignation as head of State on Tuesday and expressed belief that Vice President Iliana Iotova will make a worthy acting President. Under Article 97 o»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Djuro Macut met with the head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Andreas von Beckerath on Monday to discuss the issue of Schengen area stay restrictions for professional drivers, faced by Serbian drivers in their daily work. Macut presented to von Beckerath a non-paper with propos»»»

Syria’s government on January 18 declared it has entered into a ceasefire with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with the Kurdish-led militia that controlled the northeast of the country for more than a decade to be dissolved and merged with the national military. »»»

Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has moved to dissolve parliament barely three months after taking office, setting the stage for a snap general election in early February that she hopes will consolidate her grip on power and strengthen her authority within the ruling bloc, the nation’s Kyodo»»»

Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has moved to dissolve parliament barely three months after taking office, setting the stage for a snap general election in early February that she hopes will consolidate her grip on power and strengthen her authority within the ruling bloc, the nation’s Kyodo»»»

Syria’s government on January 18 declared it has entered into a ceasefire with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), with the Kurdish-led militia that controlled the northeast of the country for more than a decade to be dissolved and merged with the national military. »»»

Japan’s prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, has moved to dissolve parliament barely three months after taking office, setting the stage for a snap general election in early February that she hopes will consolidate her grip on power and strengthen her authority within the ruling bloc, the nation’s Kyodo»»»