Chris Brown leaves Southwark Crown Court where he entered a plea of not guilty June 20, 2025, over an alleged assault in February 2023 of a man in a Mayfair night club in London. He pleaded guilty to a lesser charge Friday. File Photo by Hugo Philpott/UPI | License Photo July 24 (UPI) -- Musician C»»»

A person walks along a street flooded after the Bellavista Canal overflowed in the Mirador de la Hacienda neighborhood of La Serena, Chile, on Monday. President Jose Antonio Kast declared a state of constitutional exception of catastrophe for the Coquimbo Region and Huasco province in response to t»»»

The worst wildfire in the Madrid region's history raged west of the Spanish capital on Friday, with around 40,000 people evacuated or ordered to remain indoors. Strong winds and scorching temperatures hampered efforts to contain the flames, which had destroyed dozens of homes and forced the closure»»»

The Ministry of Social Relations and Culture has terminated the employment of the directors of the Natural History Museum, the National Széchényi Library and the Museum of Applied Arts, following a comprehensive institutional review of cultural background institutions, aimed at ensuring workplace s»»»

Washington: A US federal court in Virginia has ruled that restrictions imposed by President Donald Trump's administration on the abortion pill mifepristone are "unlawful" and must be reconsidered. The case was brought by the nonprofit Center for Reproductive Rights in May 2023 on behalf of abortion»»»

New Delhi: India said Friday that one of its nationals was killed in an attack last week on a commercial vessel transiting the Black Sea. The foreign ministry condemned the strike, saying that the MV Omorfi -- which had three Indian nationals on board -- was attacked on July 18 "while transiting th»»»

Washington: US President Donald Trump on Friday threatened to hit the European Union with tariffs and a formal trade investigation over Brussels' latest antitrust penalty against Google. In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump said the bloc "will pay a very big price for this illegal and high»»»

The construction of a national children's hospital in Sofia remains a government priority despite the current legal deadlock, Health Minister Katya Ivkova told reporters on Friday. She said that the funding for the design of the future hospital, amounting to more than EUR 46 million, is included in»»»

The Ansar Allah movement of Yemen (the Houthis) has announced what it calls a “maritime embargo” against Saudi Arabia. The group’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree, framed the move as retaliation for what he described as 12 years of Saudi-led blockade by sea and air against Yemen. The wording itself»»»

Colt Gray faces up to life in prison with no chance of parole for allegedly killing four people at a high school in Georgia. File Photo courtesy Barrow County Sheriff's Office | License Photo July 24 (UPI) -- A Georgia teenager changed his plea to guilty Friday in the shooting deaths of four people»»»

Police officers guard the entrance to Heron House, which will house No. 10 North while another site is under construction, in Manchester, England. The bee is the symbol of Manchester. Photo by Adam Vaughan/EPA July 24 (UPI) -- New British Prime Minister Andy Burnham held his first meeting at No. 10»»»

Parliament's final approval of the 2026 State Budget Act on Friday prompted criticism across the opposition, with parties attacking the government's fiscal policy, spending priorities and lack of reforms. The budget projects a consolidated fiscal deficit of 5.7% of GDP and sets the ceiling for new »»»

GENEVA: Spain has nominated Labour Minister Yolanda Diaz to head the United Nations labor agency, potentially making her the first woman to lead the organization, as it faces a financial crisis over US non-payments. The Spanish government said Diaz’s candidacy for the top job at the International L»»»

MOSCOW: Russia believes US President Donald Trump is sincere in his efforts to end the Ukraine war and will wait for Washington to put forward new proposals, even though the US is continuing to provide weapons to Kyiv, the Kremlin said on Friday. In the meantime, Russia will keep fighting to achiev»»»

New Delhi: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have been handed a direct entry into the men's knockouts of the Asian Games cricket after the draw was announced. Defending champions India along with its seeded neighbours will start from the quarter-finals of the 10-team men's competition start»»»

Foreign buyers completed 10 acquisitions of Ukrainian assets in the first half of 2026, double the five recorded a year earlier, with disclosed value rising to $415mn from $26mn, KPMG in Ukraine said in its M&A Radar report. The rebound in inbound dealmaking sits against foreign direct investme»»»

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta announced Friday that the cyclospora outbreak has officially spread to four new states. File Photo by Erik S. Lesser/EPA July 24 (UPI) -- The cyclosporiasis outbreak has expanded to four new states, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and P»»»

BISSAU: Guinea-Bissau opposition leader Domingos Simoes Pereira, who was being held in prison for alleged involvement in coup attempts, has been released for medical treatment in Portugal, judicial and security sources say. Pereira, leader of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cap»»»

In this edition of Europe Rendezvous, we travel to Italy, one of the European Union's founding members, to examine how the country's democratic institutions have come under increasing pressure. It may be the season of la dolce vita, but life ha»»»

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia’s General Education Law has been approved by royal decree. The new law overhauls how the sector is governed, provides the enablers needed to meet its objectives, and aims to raise the quality of the educational environment and its outcomes, spanning educational stages, the Gene»»»

MOSCOW: Russian fashion designer Viktoria Terekhova shipped virtually her entire summer collection of children’s clothes last week to the giant warehouse of online retailer Wildberries at Elektrostal, east of Moscow. Within a couple of days, it was destroyed in a Ukrainian drone strike. Terekhova s»»»

After two days of debate and voting, Parliament adopted the 2026 State Budget Act at second reading on Friday, approving a budget framework with a projected deficit of 5.7%. The bill was passed by a vote of 125 to 84, with no abstentions, following more than five hours of voting and over 12 hours o»»»

Lausanne: The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced Friday that Senegal's appeal of the decision to strip them of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) title in favour of Morocco has been set for October 8. At the January 18 final in Rabat, Senegal won 1-0 thanks to Pape Gueye's extra-time goa»»»

The 2026 State Budget takes Bulgaria back to the GERB era, Vazrazhdane MP Tsoncho Ganev told reporters on Friday after Parliament gave the budget final approval. Ganev said the budget froze all social benefits and shifted the main burden of what he called financial stability onto pensioners, mother»»»

FARNBOROUGH, UK: As Europe ramps up its rearmament drive, US aerospace giant Boeing is seeking a foothold in the emerging market for autonomous fighter aircraft, showcasing its capabilities at the Farnborough airshow this week. Boeing’s MQ-28 Ghost Bat is an uncrewed aircraft, developed with the Ro»»»

Bulgaria's National Assembly gave final approval to the 2026 state budget on Friday, ending a monthlong legislative process that opened with a record 5.7% deficit and closed with the ruling Progressive Bulgaria party abolishing the automatic wage and minimum-wage formulas that have driven public sp»»»

It has now been made official that the Groupama Arena will host a prestigious international pre-season fixture this summer, as Ferencváros welcome Real Madrid to Budapest on Saturday, 8 August. The encounter will form part of the Spanish giants’ Austrian training programme and is set to rank among »»»

The National Assembly on Friday approved the development of a new mechanism for determining the country's minimum wage. Until the new system is adopted, the minimum wage will remain at its 2026 level of EUR 620.20 per month. The decision came as MPs approved provisions in the 2026 State Budget Bill»»»

Abu Dhabi: UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received the top-performing Year 12 students for the 2025-2026 academic year, along with a number of outstanding teachers and education leaders. At the start of the meeting, Sheikh Mohamed congratulated the students, their fam»»»

LONDON: Politicians in Ireland have insisted that the government send observers to Germany ahead of the trial of an Irish citizen detained over an incident at an Israeli-owned arms factory. Daniel Tatlow-Devally is one of five pro-Palestine activists who entered the facility owned by Elbit Systems »»»

LONDON: Grammy-winning singer Chris Brown pleaded guilty Friday to affray over an altercation in a London nightclub in a fight that injured a music producer. Brown, 37, made the change of plea during a hearing at London’s Southwark Crown Court. He had previously denied more serious charges over wha»»»

Dubai: Dubai has recorded the fastest climb in the global rankings of cities attracting wealthy individuals, with the emirate now home to 81,200 millionaires, including 237 centi-millionaires, people with investable wealth exceeding $100 million, and 20 billionaires, according to the Henley & Partn»»»

Minister of Defence Dimitar told reporters here on Friday that he sent letters to both his Polish and Hungarian counterparts to inquire what Poland and Hungary intend to do with their MiG-29 aircraft and whether Bulgaria can obtain spare parts from them. Once Stoyanov receives a reply, his Ministry»»»

EKN Solutions, a company specialized in marketing and technology solutions and part of the multinational Numatec group, expanded its activities in Romania, one of the most competitive and challenging markets in the CEE region. BR sat down with Olimpia Norsesovici, Country Manager, and discussed the»»»

July 23 (UPI) -- A pink stuffed donkey found on a British Columbia ferry is back with its 5-year-old owner after taking an adventure chronicled on social media. BC Ferries posted photos of the toy to social media after it was found aboard the Salish Raven ferry following a trip between Victoria and»»»

Swiss prosecutors have requested a life sentence for a right-wing politician who backed multiple child-protection bills and now faces charges including drugging and raping a minor. Patrick Frei, formerly of the Swiss People’s Party, allegedly sedated a woman and her daughter, who was underage at th»»»

The Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) sent an open letter to Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva requesting that she refers certain provisions of the 2026 State Budget Act relating to the minimum wage and length of service to the Constitutional Court. The trade union said that »»»

Defense Minister Dimitar Stoyanov said the planned deployment of US military tanker aircraft at Bulgaria’s Bezmer Air Base has been delayed and is now expected to begin next week rather than as originally scheduled. Stoyanov made the announcement after meeting with mayors from municipalities in the»»»

Dubai: A Kuwaiti court has sentenced a Kuwaiti national to life imprisonment after overturning an earlier 10-year jail term in a case involving espionage for Iran and the Lebanese group Hezbollah. The State Security Court of Appeal found the defendant guilty of seeking to cooperate with foreign ent»»»

The Speaker of Albania's Parliament on Friday presented a review of the legislature's work during the first two sessions of the 11th Legislature, describing the period as one of institutional reform and modernization aimed at supporting the country's goal of joining the European Union. Addressing t»»»

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Police have warned motorists not to leave their vehicles running while shopping, visiting fuel stations, using ATMs or stopping for prayers, saying the practice increases the risk of theft, vehicle fires and other safety hazards. The Directorate of Traffic and Security Patrols »»»

President Sadyr Japarov has signed a law amending the procedure for terminating criminal cases and clarifying rules for insurance payments to military personnel. Under the new provisions, a criminal case cannot be terminated if its resolution requires a court decision confirming the defendant’s gui»»»

The new set of measures on semiconductors, AI and cloud infrastructure aims to strengthen the EU’s position as an “AI continent”, while strategies on open-source and energy sustainability support implementation. Authors: Flavius Florea (Counsel), Cătălin Velişcu (Associate) – Wolf Theiss On 3 June »»»

Bahrain activated its sirens early Friday, warning residents to shelter from detected fire hours after the U.S. military said it had wrapped up its 13th night of strikes against Iran. The Gulf states have come under frequent fire over the past week as the U.S. and Iran exchange escalating strikes i»»»

TradeUnited States of AmericaWhy Trump's 'forced labor' tariffs leave the world puzzledNik MartinAfter the US Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump's emergency tariffs, the White House has turned to another trade law linked to alleged human rights abuses. DW explains the new tariffs and the debate»»»

DOHA:ONE Championship, one of the world’s largest mixed martial arts organisations, and Visit Qatar have announced the renewal of their partnership for three years, paving the way for the return of a series of the championship’s most prominent events to Qatar, starting in March 2027. The partnershi»»»

At first, nobody was sure what they were looking at. High above a rural New Mexico road, a black bear was stretched across the top of a utility pole, almost motionless. Some motorists thought it was already dead. Then it moved. Cars slowed. People turned around for another look. Phones came out. Th»»»

Starting this Friday, the United States will impose new tariffs on imports from 60 trading partners, covering 99 percent of all goods entering the country. The new measures replace the temporary 10 percent global tariff introduced 150 days ago after the Supreme Court struck down President Donald Tr»»»

Six candidates vying to become the next UN secretary-general presented their visions for the organisation on Thursday, as the United Nations faces a financial and confidence crisis ahead of a selection process that will determine its leadership from January 2027. The six candidates to lead the Unit»»»