With the start of Cyprus’ presidency of the Council of the European Union on January 1, 2026, Bulgaria officially completed its formal integration into the EU and adopted the single European currency, the euro, Gergana Passy, chairwoman of "PanEuropa Bulgaria", noted during a discussion on the prio»»»

Judge Habib Rizkallah issued an indictment Thursday in the case filed by former state prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat against Judge Tarek Bitar, the investigative judge in the Beirut port explosion case, on charges of "impersonating an investigative judge and usurping authority." Rizkallah decided to di»»»

Nasa is considering an early return of some crew aboard the International Space Station (ISS) because of a medical issue involving one member of a four-strong team. The unnamed crew member is described as stable, but the incident has already led to the last minute cancellation of a spacewalk. Missi»»»

Israel on Thursday condemned the Syrian government over what it described as attacks against the Kurdish community in Aleppo, just days after the two sides agreed to establish a joint mechanism aimed at lowering bilateral tensions. "Attacks by the Syrian regime's forces against the Kurdish minority»»»

Syrian authorities warned civilians to leave a contested area in the northern city of Aleppo on Thursday and opened a corridor for them to evacuate for a second day as clashes continued between government and Kurdish forces. The government of Aleppo province gave residents until 1 p.m. local time t»»»

Turkey's military was ready to "support" Syria in its battle with Kurdish fighters in the northwestern city of Aleppo if Damascus asks for help, a defense ministry official said Thursday. Deadly clashes erupted this week between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Defense Forc»»»

MADRID, Jan 8 (KUNA) -- Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Thursday that his government would seek approval from the Spanish Parliament to deploy Spanish peacekeeping forces in Palestine once progress is achieved in the peace process and appropriate security conditions are met.Speaki»»»

Today began with a chill that nipped at the toes of those on Jebel Jais – it was a cool 5.1-degrees Celcius at 5.45am. And while the sun has since risen and the temperatures have gone up, it remains a pleasant day. The highest temperature recorded on the other hand was 27.3-degree C in Al Ain at 3p»»»

US President Donald Trump has spoken by phone with his Colombian counterpart Gustavo Petro, whom he had earlier accused of drug trafficking and threatened with invasion. The two struck a conciliatory tone after a war of words that reignited following the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Ma»»»

Sofia’s Vitosha Boulevard continues to hold its status as Bulgaria’s most expensive shopping street, with average rents reaching 726 euros per square meter per year, according to the latest Main Streets Across the World 2025 report by Cushman & Wakefield. This places Vitosha Boulevard 41st globally»»»

Dubai: Abu Dhabi and Dubai have been named the safest cities in the world for solo travellers, according to a new global study by long-haul travel specialists Travelbag. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The research analysed 36 international destinations using daytime a»»»

Dubai: In a welcome move for overseas Pakistanis, the Federal Cabinet has approved changes to the vehicle import policy, allowing the import of used cars up to three years old under the Transfer of Residence and Gift schemes. The decision ratifies recommendations made by the Economic Coordination C»»»

Farmers in Greece escalated nationwide protests Thursday, launching a 48-hour blockade of major highways, junctions and toll stations over soaring production costs and a contentious European Union trade deal with South American nations. Tractors lined key routes across the country, halting all traf»»»

MOSCOW, Jan 8 (KUNA) -- Russia's Foreign Ministry warned on Thursday that Western countries' plans to further militarize Ukraine are "far removed from a peaceful settlement" and represent a dangerous escalation threatening the security of Russia and other European states, stressing that any Western»»»

President Donald Trump has directed the US withdrawal from the Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU) as part of a larger move away from 66 international organizations deemed “contrary to US interests.” This move by the US President fits Donald Trump's pattern of cutting Ukraine-related ai»»»

Israel's military said on Thursday it had carried out a targeted strike on a rocket launch site near Gaza City after identifying a failed launch, as questions mount over when the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire will begin. The military said the projectile did not cross into Israeli territory and t»»»

Lebanese Speaker Nabih Berri voiced support on Thursday to Lebanese Army announcement regarding its plan south of Litani River, stressing that it would have been nearly complete were it not for Israeli attacks. In a statement, Speaker Berri said Lebanese Army achievements would have been nearly com»»»

Kuala Lumpur: Cooperation on the conservation of giant pandas is a hallmark of the close diplomatic relations between Malaysia and China, Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Arthur Joseph Kurup said on Thursday. Following a site visit to the Giant Panda Conservation Center (»»»

Protests have taken place in multiple US cities after a woman was shot dead by a federal immigration officer in Minneapolis. Federal officials said Renee Nicole Good, 37, had tried to run over immigration agents with her car and that the officer was acting in self defence. The city's mayor, however»»»

Dozens of angry farmers demonstrated on Thursday in front of France's lower house of parliament after driving about a hundred tractors into Paris to protest the European Union intention to move forward with a free trade deal with five South American nations. French farmers for years have denounced »»»

Police in southern Crete have arrested a 54-year-old man on suspicion of physically and sexually abusing his two daughters over a period of at least a year, authorities said. The arrest was made in the Mesara area Iraklio following a complaint filed by a relative, according to police sources. The m»»»

At least 201 people were killed in workplace accidents in Greece in 2025, while another 332 were seriously injured, according to the preliminary findings of an independent annual survey released Thursday. The data stem from a continuous study conducted by the Federation of Technical Enterprise Empl»»»

A member of a school committee in a large municipality took several thousand euros from its fund to gamble on an online betting platform, specifically on Champions League matches, according to audits by the Interior Ministry. The findings were uncovered during nationwide inspections of school commi»»»

President Trump said Wednesday the current "troubled and dangerous" state of the world required a massive hike in the amount the United States spends on defense. File Photo by Nicole Combeau/UPI | License Photo Jan. 8 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump said he would ask Congress to approve a massive $»»»

WASHINGTON, United States — US President Donald Trump's administration said Wednesday it will dictate decisions to Venezuela's interim leaders and control the country's oil sales "indefinitely" after toppling Nicolas Maduro.Trump's assertion of US dominance over the oil-rich South American country »»»

Ghana's former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta, who is wanted at home on corruption allegations, has been detained in the US over issues related to his immigration status, his lawyers say. Ghana has previously requested Ofori-Atta's extradition, but his lawyers are challenging this, saying the alle»»»

Dubai: Katy Perry’s first Instagram post of the year has drawn widespread attention, offering a rare, intimate glimpse into the pop star’s holiday with her partner, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The post on Instagram, part of a multi-image carousel captioned “Holidaze” appears to confirm »»»

BELGRADE - With his rhetoric and the moves he has been making in the north of Kosovo-Metohija, Pristina's caretaker PM Albin Kurti has united all supporters of a policy of no Serbs or Serbian institutions in the province, says Post of Serbia Director Zoran Andjelkovic. "You have seen that they (Pri»»»

After living with constant bladder pain for more than two decades, 53-year-old chef Mandhish Gomez can finally breathe easy, thanks to life-saving treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC). Gomez had suffered from persistent burning sensation d»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Public Works Authority, Ashghal, announced a temporary full traffic closure on Bu Silla Interchange, affecting the Exit leading to G-Ring Road for traffic coming from West Industrial Street. The closure will take effect from 12 midnight to 5am on Sunday, January 11, 2026, until Sun»»»

Venezuela's interior minister Diosdado Cabello says 100 people died in the US attack that removed President Nicolas Maduro from power, adding that the president and his wife were injured in the raid. The US on Wednesday seized a Russian oil tanker in the North Atlantic that officials said was »»»

Washington says it has intercepted two Venezuela-linked oil tankers in the Atlantic as part of President Trump’s hardline effort to control oil movements across the Americas, claiming the vessels—the Marinera and the M Sophia—were part of a so-called shadow fleet used to ship sanctioned crude from »»»

The Trump administration has indicated it intends to exert long-term control over Venezuela by directing the actions of its interim leadership and overseeing the nation’s oil exports after removing Nicolás Maduro, relying on measures such as a naval blockade and the threat of additional force to se»»»

PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, January 8: US immigration authorities ICE kill a woman in Minneapolis in "self-defence" amidst anti-ICE protests in the city. It brings back painful reminders of George Floyd's death in 2020. Also, the press explores what Europe can do to stop Donald Trump seizing Gree»»»

The phrase “shadow fleet” refers to ageing oil tankers that operate under false flags to bypass Western sanctions on Russian, Iranian, and Venezuelan crude, a practice Russia has reportedly invested billions of euros in since 2022 to maintain its oil exports. But how these shadow, or so-called “gho»»»

Donald Trump has softened his stance toward Colombian President Gustavo Petro, saying on Wednesday that the two had a cordial phone conversation and that he had invited Petro to visit the White House, a marked shift from comments made just days earlier after the U.S. operation in Venezuela, when Tr»»»

KUWAIT, Jan 8 (KUNA) -- The Supreme Committee for Kuwaiti Citizenship held a meeting on Thursday, chaired by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Yusuf Saud Al-Sabah. In a statement, the Committee said it decided to revoke Kuwaiti citizenship from number of cases, with »»»

KUWAIT, Jan 8 (KUNA) -- Kuwaiti Minister of State for Municipal Affairs and Minister of State for Housing Affairs Abdullatif Al-Meshari inaugurated on Thursday the "Home of a Lifetime 2026" exhibition held at the Kuwait International Fair (KIF) in Mishref area.During his visit, he reviewed the most»»»

US Vice-President JD Vance says Greenland is "critical" for the defence of the US and the world against possible Russian or Chinese missile attacks - and that Europe and Denmark have "not done a good job" in securing the area. Vance told Fox News that they had not only under-invested in Greenland's»»»

Madrid: Spain is ready to send troops to Palestine for peacekeeping "when the opportunity presents itself," just as it is willing to deploy forces to Ukraine, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Thursday. "I will propose to parliament, when the opportunity presents itself, that we send peacekeeping t»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Syrian Army starts intensive shelling of SDF positions in Aleppo’s Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods: SANA quotes military source»»»

Paris, France: Eating some common food preservatives is linked to a slightly higher risk of eventually developing cancer and diabetes, according to two large French studies published Thursday. However, outside experts called for more research and emphasised that these kinds of observational studies»»»

KUWAIT, Jan 8 (KUNA) -- Boursa Kuwait closed trading on Thursday with its general index declining by 21.76 points, or 0.25 percent, to reach 8,838.08 points, with 285.4 million shares traded through 19,763 cash deals, valued at KD 76.8 million (about USD 234.2 million).The Main Market Index decline»»»

KUWAIT, Jan 8 (KUNA) -- Acting Minister of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy, Acting Minister of Finance, and Acting Minister of State for Economic Affairs and Investment Dr. Subaih Al-Mukhaizeem said the Kuwaiti government regularly reviews strategic projects and strengthens coordination wit»»»

A suspect involved in the distribution of synthetic drugs has been detained in Bishkek, the press service of the city’s Main Internal Affairs Department reported. According to police, on January 7 the Drug Control Service of the Bishkek Main Internal Affairs Department received information about a »»»

Oil prices rose on Thursday after two days of declines as investors assessed Venezuela developments and reports on progress of proposed US sanctions legislation against countries doing business with Russia. Brent crude futures were up 59 cents, or 0.98%, at $60.55 a barrel by 1038 GMT. US ‌West Tex»»»

Russia said on Thursday that any troops sent to Ukraine by Western governments would be "legitimate combat targets", after Britain and France announced plans to ​deploy a multinational force there in the event of a ceasefire. A Russian Foreign Ministry statement said "militaristic declarations" by »»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE has appointed a special envoy to reinforce its international engagement in countering extremism and terrorism, as part of its continued commitment to global cooperation in the field. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, has a»»»

CAIRO, Jan 8 (KUNA) -- The Arab League announced on Thursday that Arab Youth and Sports Ministers will hold their 49th session next Tuesday, chaired by the UAE, to discuss programs for empowering and supporting Arab youth and developing joint sports initiatives.Supervisor of the Social Affairs Sect»»»

Speaking at a discussion on the priorities of the Cyprus Presidency here on Thursday, deputy Foreign Minister Nikolay Pavlov said that as a full member of the eurozone, Bulgaria will participate in the decisions and policies of the European Central Bank and the financial institutions of the monetar»»»