Families participate in a vigil outside the Rodeo I prison in Zamora, Miranda state, Venezuela, in late January, demanding the release of relatives who are political prisoners. Photo by Ronald Pena/EPA Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Nearly 300 political prisoners held at El Rodeo I prison on the outskirts of Car»»»

The US government has ordered all non-essential staff to leave its embassy in the Lebanese capital of Beirut after a security review, a senior State Department official has told the BBC. The decision comes as there are heightened tensions in the region, with US President Donald Trump threatening mi»»»

Sharjah: A man’s long-standing habit of drinking alcohol led to threats of violence and a criminal case after he lost control of his actions while intoxicated, a Sharjah court has heard. The Sharjah Misdemeanours Court is reviewing charges against an Arab defendant accused of endangering a woman’s »»»

A vehicle set on fire at a shopping center by suspected members of organized crime is seen in Guadalajara, Mexico,, on Sunday after the killing of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. Photo by Francisco Guasco/EPA Feb. 23 (UPI) -- The United S»»»

Ras Al Khaimah Police have launched their annual awareness campaign, “Combat begging and help those in need,” in conjunction with the holy month of Ramadan, as part of ongoing efforts to promote community safety and social responsibility. The campaign aims to raise security awareness among individu»»»

Former Iraqi PM Nouri Al-Maliki affirmed he had no intention to withdraw from the bid for premiership, vowing to continue with his campaign despite US pressure and threats to cut support for Baghdad if he is elected. “I have absolutely no intention of withdrawing out of respect for my country, its »»»

Over 1,060 people on motorbikes and electric scooters were stopped and fined for not wearing crash helmets in the third week of February, police said Monday, compared to more than 1,040 a week earlier. Police said 833 of the people were driving motorcycles, 124 were driving electric scooters and 10»»»

A US judge has permanently blocked the release of former Special Counsel Jack Smith's report on his probe into President Donald Trump's handling of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago home. Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump-appointee, granted a request from the president to keep the public from seein»»»

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Monday that UK elites' accusations against the Kremlin were intended to create a false "backup" trail in the case of infamous US financier Jeffrey Epstein. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova cited a report by The Times t»»»

The EU’s top executive body has urged US President Donald Trump not to impose new tariffs on the bloc’s goods and to clarify his position following a US Supreme Court ruling that struck down most of his earlier measures. On Friday, the Supreme Court ruled that Trump had no authority to impose tarif»»»

Albania’s parliamentary Committee on Mandates began discused Monday a request from the Special Prosecution Office to lift the immunity of suspended official Belinda Balluku, as prosecutors presented additional alleged criminal findings against her. The session, focused on a request filed by SPAK. D»»»

Five opposition lawmakers on Albania’s parliamentary Committee on Immunity have formally recommended that Parliament authorize the arrest of Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku, who is under investigation in an ongoing corruption case. In their final position, the five opposition members of the c»»»

A fresh wave of anti-government protests staged by students at several Iranian universities that began on Saturday has spread to more campuses, footage confirmed by BBC Verify and BBC Persian shows. They are the first large-scale demonstrations in the country since the nationwide protests in Decemb»»»

1 of 5 | Former Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith testifies at a House Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on January 22. A federal judge on Monday blocked Smith's report on his investigation into President Donald Trump's handling of classified doc»»»

Al Habtoor Group said Monday that it has appointed one of the world’s leading international law firms specializing in sovereign disputes and treaty-based investment arbitration, to take legal action against Lebanese authorities over claims of investment losses of $1.7 billion. Al Habtoor said it ha»»»

EU states on Monday (23 February) formally endorsed the use of “safe country” designations — in a move that poses serious threats to asylum, says human rights commissioner Michael O’Flaherty. The council, representing member states, formally adopted the first EU-wide list of safe countries of origi»»»

Iran's deputy foreign minister Kazem Gharibabadi warned of a wider escalation if his country was attacked, after US President Donald Trump raised the threat of strikes. Trump has sent a major deployment of air and sea power to the Middle East and has threatened to strike Iran if it does not reach a»»»

Iranian students ‌defied authorities with protests for a third day on Monday, weeks after security forces crushed mass unrest with thousands killed and as the United States weighs possible air strikes against the country. State media outlets reported students chanting anti-government slogans at Teh»»»

Dubai: The United States has instructed non-essential personnel and eligible family members to depart its embassy in Beirut, citing heightened regional tensions and concerns over the risk of military escalation with Iran. A senior State Department official said on Monday that the decision followed »»»

Kouri Richins, a Utah mother who authored a children's book about grief after her husband's death, is on trial for his murder on Monday. File Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI | License Photo Feb. 23 (UPI) -- Kouri Richins, a Utah mother of three who authored a children's book about grief after her husband»»»

A visible concentration of United States military aircraft at Sofia’s Vasil Levski Airport has sparked political debate and public speculation in Bulgaria. The buildup began in the middle of last week, when multiple large US Air Force planes were observed on the tarmac at both the civilian airport »»»

The United States has ordered nonessential diplomats and their family members at the US Embassy in Beirut to leave Lebanon, a State Department official said Monday, as tensions over Iran rise with the threat of a potentially imminent military strike. The official said a continuous assessment of the»»»

1 of 7 | Dahlia Cuartero, mother of a victim of an alleged extrajudicial killing during the war on drugs campaign of former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, holds a picture of her son before watching a broadcast of an International Criminal Court proceeding from Quezon City, Manila, Philippine»»»

There are mechanisms of pressure within the judiciary that undermine justice and the rule of law. Countering them requires institutional measures, but also support for the resilience of magistrates. These are the conclusions of a conference on the “Mechanisms of Pressure on Judges and Judicial Inde»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The United Kingdom does not rule out the possibility of imposing tariffs against the United States as a retaliation following the new 15% US tariffs, a spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer's office was quoted by Sky News as saying on Monday. "Nothing is off the table,"»»»

Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Monday that Palestinian Islamist group Hamas may soon be given a deadline to lay down its weapons. "We estimate that in the coming days, Hamas will be given an ultimatum to disarm and completely demilitarise Gaza," Smotrich said in an intervi»»»

Afghanistan has threatened retaliation after Pakistani airstrikes on its territory reportedly killed at least 18 people and left several others injured. The attack was carried out overnight on Saturday in the eastern provinces of Nangarhar and Paktika. According to Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry, “»»»

Battles between cartel gunmen and security forces have broken out in multiple cities across Mexico after a top drug kingpin was killed by the military. Airports were locked down and thousands of tourists confined to their hotels and resorts as gunmen ran rampage over city streets, burning cars, sho»»»

French President Emmanuel Macron has asked US President Donald Trump to lift the sanctions he imposed on several European officials, including former EU commissioner Thierry Breton and International Criminal Court (ICC) judge Nicolas Guillou. Breton, a French citizen who oversaw the EU’s tech regul»»»

Pro-Palestinian groups are planning a protest against the administration of the memorial to victims of the Nazi Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany, local media have reported. Supporters of the ‘Keffiyehs in Buchenwald’ online campaign have accused the managers of the memorial site of spreadin»»»

There are mechanisms of pressure within the judiciary that undermine justice and the rule of law. Countering them requires institutional measures, but also support for the resilience of magistrates. These are the conclusions of a conference on the “Mechanisms of Pressure on Judges and Judicial Inde»»»

A London-based Persian language channel on Monday said it had been forced to suspend live broadcasts after UK counter-terror police alerted its landlord to a potential threat from Tehran. Manoto TV, which launched in 2010 and is an opposition channel popular with the Iranian diaspora, said the temp»»»

Washington: President Donald Trump threatened nations Monday with punishing hikes on import duties if they choose to "play games" after the US Supreme Court struck down his global tariffs last week. "Any Country that wants to 'play games' with the ridiculous supreme court decision, especially those»»»

There are mechanisms of pressure within the judiciary that undermine justice and the rule of law. Countering them requires institutional measures, but also support for the resilience of magistrates. These are the conclusions of a conference on the “Mechanisms of Pressure on Judges and Judicial Inde»»»

Caretaker Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov stated on Monday that Bulgaria has not been asked to provide territory or any military participation in a hypothetical future operation of the US armed forces against Iran. He made this statement at a briefing in the Council of Ministers in connection »»»

Israeli settlers vandalized a mosque in the Israeli-occupied West Bank early Monday, spray-painting offensive phrases and setting a fire, according to the Palestinian Authority's Ministry of Religious Affairs. Worshippers arriving for the day's first prayers found the damage and a smoldering fire t»»»

Israeli settlers vandalized a mosque in the Israeli-occupied West Bank early Monday, spray-painting offensive phrases and setting a fire, according to the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Religious Affairs. Worshippers arriving for the day's first prayers found the damage and a smoldering fire t»»»

1 of 2 | Firefighters and members of the Morelia police work at the scene where a vehicle is set on fire by suspected members of organized crime after the killing of Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, in Morelia, Mexico, on Sunday, February »»»

The Hague: A new Dutch government took power on Monday, with 38-year-old centrist Rob Jetten sworn in as the country's youngest-ever prime minister and the first openly gay one. "Sworn in. We're going to get started. Let's get to work," Jetten posted on X, formerly Twitter, with a picture of his ca»»»

The family of prominent Tunisian lawyer Ahmed Souab said the Court of Appeal decided on Monday to release him. Souab, a strong critic of President Kais Saied, had been serving a five-year prison sentence. Tunisia’s judicial counterterrorism unit issued a warrant in April 2025 ordering the imprisonm»»»

The State Department is pulling out non-essential government personnel and their eligible family members from the US embassy in Beirut, a senior State Department official said on Monday, amid growing concerns about the risk of a military conflict with Iran. "We continuously assess the security envi»»»

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio may push back a trip to Israel in which he is expected to speak to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about potential strikes on Iran, a US official said Monday. "Secretary Rubio is still planning to travel to Israel but the schedule remains subject to change," the »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Interior (MOI) has issued a public safety advisory through its official social media platforms, urging residents to take necessary precautions to prevent cooking oil fires at home. The ministry stressed that awareness of preventive measures plays an important role in en»»»

1 of 4 | President Donald Trump, alongside Ambassador to France Charles Kushner, right, watches as a U.S. flag is raised on the South Lawn at the White House in June. The French foreign minister said Sunday that he would summon Kushner for comments he made about the beating death of a far-right act»»»

Vazrazhdane has submitted documents for holding a referendum at Sredets Municipality, Burgas Region against the establishing an immigration detention centre, the press centre of the political party said on Monday. At a meeting with residents, the procedure for creating an initiative committee was l»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Hungary blocked the 20th package of anti-Russia sanctions, as well as the 90 billion euro ($106 billion) loan to Ukraine, due to Kiev's shutdown of the Druzhba oil pipeline, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Monday. "At today's meeting, I made it clear that we do»»»

PRISTINA - A basic court in Pristina on Monday re-convicted Kosovo-Metohija Serb Dusko Arsic to 13 years in prison for an alleged war crime against civilians during the 1999 conflict in Kosovo-Metohija. Arsic, who is from the Maticane village near Pristina, was sentenced in second-instance proceedi»»»

Tunis, Feb. 23 (TAP) - The Criminal Chamber of the Court of Appeal in Tunis has upheld the first instance against former lawyer and administrative judge Ahmed Souab, modifying the sentence in the first charge of “threats punishable by criminal law...»»»

The European Commission preliminarily found TikTok in violation of the Digital Services Act (DSA) on Friday (6 February), for breaching the EU’s addictive design rules. Under the DSA, online platforms have certain risk assessment and mitigation obligations. Brussels has reason to believe that TikTo»»»

The EU’s €650bn pandemic era fund remains wide open to fraud with weak accountability and oversight, according to financial watchdogs. “This vast sum of money offers huge potential scope for fraudulent activity,” says Katarína Kaszasová of the Luxembourg-based European Court of Auditors (ECA). Spea»»»