Share: File photo: Former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and his foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif reportedly tried to topple Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei at the height of the nationwide unrest in January but Ali Larijani thwarted the effort A report by the French newspaper Le Figar»»»

Manila: In 2016, as he campaigned for the presidency, Rodrigo Duterte made inflammatory remarks about his planned war on drugs, saying that the fish in Manila Bay would grow fat from the bodies of criminals. The statement foreshadowed the violent anti-drug campaign that would define much of his pre»»»

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 »»»

France has summoned the US envoy after the Trump administration sounded the alarm over what it described as the rise of “violent radical leftism” in the country. The remarks came after alleged members of a left-wing group killed French right-wing activist Quentin Deranque. Deranque, a 23-year-old m»»»

In the run-up to the official visit of the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif to Moscow from the 3d until 5th of March, 2026, there will be held a long-anticipated event titled as "Media Forum Moscow-Islamabad" aimed at building a stronger bridge of communication betw»»»

What is it like negotiating with the Russians over the war in Ukraine? It is a question many are interested in knowing the answer to following several recent rounds of peace talks, which have so far appeared to bear little fruit four years after Russia's full-scale invasion. Another round of the US»»»

London police on Monday arrested former ambassador Peter Mandelson in a probe into allegations over his ties to disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein, only days after ex-prince Andrew was detained. Mandelson, a pivotal figure in British politics and the UK's former envoy to Washington, was arreste»»»

Albania’s opposition leader Sali Berisha on Monday accused Deputy Prime Minister Belinda Balluku of committing multiple criminal offenses and claimed she faces up to 36 years in prison if prosecuted and convicted. Speaking at a protest in Tirana, Berisha referenced discussions earlier in the day at»»»

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»»»

The boss of Netflix has told the BBC its takeover bid for Warner Bros is better than a rival one from Paramount because it would expand the business and the industry. Co-chief executive Ted Sarandos told the Today programme Netflix's bid was focused on "growth", adding: "We're buying a movie studio»»»

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»»»

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel was facing "complex and challenging days" as tensions escalate between the United States and Iran following President Donald Trump's threat of strikes should Tehran refuse to accept a new nuclear agreement. "We are in very complex and challe»»»

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 »»»

WASHINGTON - Serbian FM Marko Djuric began on Monday a working visit to Washington during which he will speak with US officials about the most significant topics for Serbia, ranging from regional security and the position of the Serbs - including in Kosovo-Metohija - to economic affairs and energy.»»»

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, “»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

U.S. President Donald Trump attends a bilateral summit with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the State Guest House in Tokyo, on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. File. Photo via Prime Minister's Office of Japan/UPI | License Photo Feb. 22 (Asia Today) -- Major Japanese newspapers welcomed a U.S. »»»

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»»»

The caretaker government, led by Prime Minister Andrey Gyurov, has approved the allocation of €65 million for the organization of the parliamentary elections scheduled for April 19. Speaking at the first meeting of the interim cabinet, Gyurov stressed that funding the vote is a necessary commitment»»»

New anti-asylum laws are likely to be rubber-stamped by the European Parliament amid further alarm over the far-right influence on migration. The Strasbourg assembly on Tuesday (10 February) will most likely adopt two new laws that will make it legally easier to deport asylum-seeker hopefuls to cou»»»

Global corruption is worse than it was a decade ago, with democracies particularly slipping, according to the new 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index published on Tuesday (10 February) by the Berlin-based NGO Transparency International. Governmental corruption has increasingly been a concern across t»»»

In our ongoing weekly digest, award-winning journalist Veronika Munk summarises and explains the most important political developments in Hungary. We guide readers on the route to the key April 2026 election — a poll without precedent in the region over the past 15 years. This week, we cover: An in»»»

Europe’s national leaders are meeting in a medieval castle in Belgium on Thursday (12 February) to discuss how to modernise. Europe’s economic and political system is predicated on openness and rules, built over decades, that are meant to ensure companies compete on a ‘level playing field’. But wit»»»

MEPs raised concerns about the weakening of democratic standards in Slovakia at a plenary debate on Wednesday (11 February) — while representatives of Slovak governing coalition parties called it a deliberate humiliation of the country. “No corruption, no problems with the rule of law. These are yo»»»

When EU leaders met at a medieval castle this week to discuss how to ramp up Europe’s economic power, they were confronting a stark reality: Europe is lagging behind the innovation race with China and the US. In its 2026 competitiveness report, the European Commission admitted that Europe “risks lo»»»

“At the beginning of the full-scale war, we were most afraid of artillery,” says Vasyl Barninets, a manager at a large grain farm in the Zaporizhzhia region in southern Ukraine. “Now, the biggest fear is the drones.” “If we work close to the frontline, the staff have to put on bulletproof vests,” h»»»

Our weekly Thursday digest offers a comprehensive guide to the most significant political developments of the week in Hungary. We accompany our readers along the historic road to the April 2026 election – a journey unlike anything seen in the region over the past decade-and-a-half. This week we exa»»»

Negotiations and divisions on the EU’s deportation bill remain entrenched among European lawmakers, ahead of a committee-level vote scheduled for 9 March. Malik Azmani, a Dutch liberal from the Renew Europe faction, is the lead MEP on the so-called returns regulation that seeks to make it easier to»»»

Bulgaria has a constitution, a parliament, and a president. What it has struggled to maintain, with remarkable consistency over the past decade, is an actual functioning government. Since 2021 alone, the country has cycled through five caretaker cabinets, two of them led by the same man. By the tim»»»

On the first anniversary of the solemn funeral of former Hezbollah secretary generals Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah and Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, the Lebanese group leader Sheikh Naim Qassem stressed that the “resistance endures, through its leadership, its fighters, and its people.” Sheikh Qassem’s remar»»»

Dubai: As more Filipinos move to Europe for work and permanent residence, the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) has stepped up its efforts to deepen engagement with the diaspora, not just as remittance senders, but as long-term partners in nation-building. During a recent forum titled “The Eur»»»

Caretaker Minister of Agriculture and Food Ivan Hristanov presented the Ministry’s new political team at a meeting with directors of the Ministry’s directorates and heads of its executive agencies and other bodies under the Ministry, the Ministry press service said here Monday. Ivana Murdzheva, Nik»»»

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has firmly dismissed speculation regarding an interim agreement between Tehran and Washington, clarifying that such claims have no basis in reality. The senior Iranian diplomat made the remarks during a press conference on Monday morning, addressin»»»

Islamabad: Pakistan has approved measures to simplify documentation requirements for thousands of its citizens residing in Spain, enabling eligible applicants to obtain one-year Spanish residency cards, according to Geo News. The policy direction was finalised during a high-level meeting jointly ch»»»

Media reports earlier said that Zelensky is poised to continue fighting despite the Ukrainian military’s huge losses and the Russian army’s ongoing advance on all front lines. Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly announced Ukraine’s readiness to fight Russia “for another three years" just as “the repercus»»»

Hezbollah chief Sheikh Naim Qassem has emphasized that the 2025 funeral ceremony of slain Hezbollah leaders Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Sayyed Hashem Safieddine was “a pledge and renewal of the covenant to continue the resistance, a reclaiming of the initiative in rebuilding the resistance’s capabi»»»

European Union diplomats scrambled Monday to overcome Hungary's veto threats as they seek to finalize new sanctions on Russia and a massive new loan for Ukraine. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc's 27 foreign ministers gathering in Brussels would likely not agree on the 20th package»»»

The caretaker government of Bulgaria, which took office on February 19, is a government of Assen Vassilev and his Continue the Change party, Ahmed Dogan and his Alliance for Rights and Freedoms, and former President Rumen Radev, said GERB leader Boyko Borissov on Monday in Stara Zagora, where he me»»»

Donald Trump's tariff policy "hasn't changed", the US president's trade representative has insisted, despite the Supreme Court moving on Friday to strike down a legal justification used by Trump to impose many such tariffs. "The legal tool to implement it - that might change, but the policy hasn't »»»

Former caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Stoil Tzitzelkov said on Sunday he will not resign from the Public Council with the Central Election Commission (CEC), speaking on bTV. Tzitzelkov, who stepped down as deputy prime minister on Friday, said there was no legal or moral reason for him not to work»»»