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»»»

Manila: Chinese coast guard ships pulled 17 Filipino sailors, including two dead, from disputed waters in the South China Sea on Friday after a cargo vessel capsized, China's military said. The Singapore-flagged M/V Devon Bay and its crew of 21 Philippine sailors sent a distress signal at around 8:»»»

Donald Trump has made clear he covets Greenland. Now he claims to have secured the "framework" of a future deal, to address defence on the island - a deal that he says includes rights to rare earth minerals. So what natural resources does Greenland have? Greenland is believed to sit on top of large»»»

Revival leader Kostadin Kostadinov commented on Bulgaria’s participation in the US-led Council of Peace, emphasizing that while the country should maintain strong ties with US President Donald Trump, such relations should not be pursued under the current Cabinet. According to Kostadinov, the existi»»»

A 22-year-old Afghan woman who was reportedly running a taekwondo gym for girls has been released after spending 13 days in jail, a spokesman for the Taliban's supreme court confirmed. Khadija Ahmadzada was detained for being in "violation" of rules "regarding women's sports gyms", a spokesman for »»»

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 »»»

Sharjah: Sharjah Police have announced a temporary road closure in Khor Fakkan on Saturday to facilitate the Khor Fakkan Theatrical Carnival parade. According to the advisory, the closure will affect the Ring Road at the entrance of Khor Fakkan City, specifically the lane leading towards the Univer»»»

Abu Dhabi: Russia said it was not dropping its key demand that Ukraine pull out of its eastern Donbas region, ahead of three-way talks between Ukrainian, Russian and American officials in the UAE later on Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said territory remained the key issue and would»»»

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. »»»

Abu Dhabi: A UAE-based company has signed a Dh1 billion lithium supply agreement with German carmaker Mercedes-Benz. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi (Kezad) – based Titan Lithium Industries said in a statement that it has entered a long»»»

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»»»

Madrid: Commuter trains resumed for hundreds of thousands of passengers in Spain's Catalonia region on Friday after a deadly accident caused their suspension, in a week of rail disasters that have shaken the country. A service on the northeastern region's Rodalies short-distance network ploughed in»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE Cybersecurity Council has warned against the growing risks linked to the misuse of artificial intelligence, cautioning that rapid advances in the technology are making it easier to manipulate videos, images and audio recordings in ways that appear convincingly real. In a statemen»»»

The Libyan Business Council (LBC) reported that it had held a meeting with the Libyan side of the Libyan Egyptian Business Council at its Tripoli headquarters yesterday. The meeting discussed ways to enhance and activate the frameworks of economic and trade cooperation between Libya and Egypt at th»»»

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»»»

More than 160 million Americans are expected to face an unusually brutal winter storm from Friday, with heavy snows and freezing rains forecast. The storm is expected to sweep through much of the United States, leaving "extremely dangerous" conditions in its wake as it tracks eastwards from the Hig»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Israeli Enemy Pushes on with Ceasefire Violations in Bekaa, South Lebanon 23-01-2026 14:17 PM The Israeli enemy on Friday went ahead with v»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Israeli occupied forces stationed in the newly established post in Jabal Al-Bat occupied area open fire towards Lebanese border town of Ayt»»»

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 »»»

Children sliding around on plastic bags, boys engaging in lively snowball fights, and families taking selfies on white-covered streets: residents of Kabul rejoiced on Friday at the long-awaited first snowfall of the winter. Snow usually comes to the Afghan capital in December, but its six million i»»»

Dubai Police marked the graduation of a new batch of male and female cadets during a ceremony held at the Dubai Police Academy. Lieutenant General Abdulla Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, presented graduation certificates to the cadets at the Academy’s main graduation field. Th»»»

SIRBAI, a company specialising in autonomous defence solutions and swarm technologies, has signed a strategic partnership with EDGE to explore new ways of advancing AI-powered swarming capabilities for unmanned aerial systems. Also Read: EDGE makes DIMDEX debut with wide defence showcaseThe agreeme»»»

Misrata Chamber of Commerce held a meeting at its headquarters yesterday to discuss the proposed tax bill recently submitted to the House of Representatives ( HoR – parliament). The meeting was headed by Misrata Chamber Chairman, Fathi Al-Amin Al-Turki, along with the Vice Chairman, a member of the»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Israeli tank at Al-Hamames post open fire towards Lebanese Army unit and UNIFIL force in Al-Khiam southern Lebanese border town” Al-Manar c»»»

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 recent Putin–Witkoff meeting in Moscow to discuss the Ukraine conflict shows that “European and Ukrainian attempts to derail US-Russian relations has failed,” former Swedish Army officer and politician Mikael Valtersson told Sputnik. He recalled that “better relations” between Russia and the US»»»

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»»»

Kyrgyzstan’s electricity deficit amounted to 3.9 billion kilowatt-hours last year. The figures were announced at a board meeting of the Ministry of Energy. In 2025, the country consumed 19.3 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, while domestic generation totaled 15.4 billion kWh. The main share of»»»

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»»»

Rome: Anne Hathaway and Donatella Versace were among the stars who attended the funeral Friday of legendary Italian designer Valentino Garavani, with some mourners wearing touches of his trademark red in tribute. Rome's Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels and of the Martyrs was decorated with wrea»»»

Weeks ahead of the UAE SWAT Challenge 2026, elite police tactical units from 21 Asian countries have confirmed their participation, underlining the event’s rising regional and global profile. The seventh edition of the competition will take place from February 7–11 at Training City, Al Ruwayyah, Du»»»

Fujairah: The Fujairah Environment Authority (FEA) has recorded a major environmental milestone at Wadi Wurayah Biosphere Reserve, reinforcing its standing as one of the UAE’s most important habitats for migratory and nocturnal birds, particularly within the Hajar Mountains. During routine environm»»»

Benghazi Chamber of Commerce reported yesterday that it had received Said Benkiran, Consul General of Morocco, at the Chamber’s Benghazi headquarters. The Consul was received by Munim Al-Saity, Chairman of Benghazi Chamber of Commerce and Muhanad Ramadan, Director General of Benghazi Chamber. The m»»»

Two Israeli drone strikes missed twice on Friday their target, a car on a road in southwest Baalbek. The strikes in Majdaloun and later in Douris only caused material casualties, media reports said. Under heavy U.S. pressure and fears of expanded Israeli strikes, Lebanon has committed to disarming »»»

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»»»

The Constitutional Court of Bulgaria has formally accepted President Rumen Radev’s resignation, paving the way for Vice President Iliana Yotova to assume the presidency. Pavlina Panova, president of the Constitutional Court, served as rapporteur on the case. With the court’s unanimous decision, eff»»»

Brussels, Belgium: NATO chief Mark Rutte and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen agreed Friday the alliance should boost work on Arctic security, after US President Donald Trump backed off his threats to seize Greenland. "We're working together to ensure that the whole of NATO is safe and secur»»»

Dubai: Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has completed a major set of infrastructure works in Al Quoz Creative Zone, improving access, safety and movement across one of the city’s fastest-growing cultural districts. The projects are part of a wider plan to turn Al Quoz into a fully integr»»»

In a statement released Thursday, the Romanian Business Leaders Foundation welcomes the positive results reflected in Romania’s budget execution for November 2025. Official data point to notable progress on several fronts. VAT revenues increased by 30% compared to November 2024, reaching RON 12.2 b»»»

UAE banking sector is entering a new phase of digital transformation as open finance begins to roll out, allowing individuals and businesses to securely share and initiate services such as payments through regulated third-party providers, all within a strict, consent-based framework. Jamal Saleh, D»»»

It's been another week of big international news, from Donald Trump's desire for Greenland to the creation of a 'Board of Peace' . At Gulf News, information and updates can come at us fast and from different angles. We have to check facts and verify sources, which sometimes slows down how speedily »»»

Pro-Hezbollah journalist Hassan Olleik said Friday he will not appear before criminal investigators, after he was summoned by the Central Criminal Investigation Department, over a video he posted on his platform, al-Mahatta, in which he criticized President Joseph Aoun. Olleik accused Aoun of purch»»»

Two Israeli drone strikes missed twice on Friday their target, a car on a road in southwest Baalbek. The strikes in Majdaloun and later in Douris only caused material casualties, media reports said. Under heavy U.S. pressure and fears of expanded Israeli strikes, Lebanon has committed to disarming »»»

Skopje, 21 January 2026 (MIA) - The second day in Davos started with a meeting with the owner of 4iG, the company granted the license to operate as Macedonia’s third mobile operator. We discussed his plans following the payment of the funds required to obtain the license. He informed me that more t»»»

The amount of cash held by the population is estimated at 200–300 billion soms. Marat Pirnazarov, Chairman of the Financial Market Regulation and Supervision Service, said today at a press conference at the Kyrgyz Stock Exchange. According to him, this is a large sum and a worrying trend amid ongoi»»»

A South African court has dismissed an appeal by the country's heritage body to stop the sale and export of various artefacts connected to anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela. The 70 personal items include a cell key from Robben Island, where Mandela was imprisoned for 18 of the 27 years he was lock»»»

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 »»»

US President Donald Trump has rescinded an invitation to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney to join his ‘Board of Peace’, a new global body he hopes to make central to resolving world conflicts. Trump invited dozens of heads of state to sit on the board, which he initially created to oversee the g»»»