Taxi drivers in the greater Athens area have called a new two-day strike for January 20 and 21, to protest legislation mandating that all new cabs must be electric-powered. The Attica Taxi Drivers Union, or SATA, announced the strike and taxi drivers in other parts of Greece are expected to partici»»»

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, discussed strengthening bilateral relations in a phone call with Yvan Gil Pinto, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The two sides also reviewed a number of issues of shared »»»

Newsdesk POL-KUWAIT-VATICAN-MASS Cardinal Parolin leads Mass in Kuwait's Al-Ahmadi KUWAIT, Jan 16 (KUNA) -- Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin led a Solemn Pontifical Mass celebrating Minor Basilica Status of Our Lady of Arabia in Al-Ahmadi City on Friday, making the church the first to bear»»»

President Zelensky has called Ukraine's air defence supplies "insufficient", having revealed several systems were "without missiles" until Friday morning. "I can say this openly because today I have those missiles," the president said, adding that the country had received a "substantial package" ea»»»

US President Donald Trump’s claims of a heavy Chinese and Russian military presence near Greenland are “an exaggeration,” Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson has said. Trump asserts that only US sovereignty can protect the Danish autonomous island from being taken over by Beijing or Moscow. Trump r»»»

KUWAIT, Jan 16 (KUNA) -- Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin led a Solemn Pontifical Mass celebrating Minor Basilica Status of Our Lady of Arabia in Al-Ahmadi City on Friday, making the church the first to bear such title in the Arabian Gulf region.The ceremony gathered a large number of offi»»»

Tunis, Jan 16 (TAP) - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Mohamed Ali Nafti on Friday received Poland's Ambassador to Tunisia Justyna Porazińska, who paid a farewell call on the end of her diplomatic mission in the...»»»

A Nigerian imam who gained international recognition for saving hundreds of lives from a mainly Christian community during an outbreak of violence has died at the age of 90. Abubakar Abdullahi had been suffering from a heart condition and was being treated in hospital, where he died on Thursday nig»»»

The Gaza ceasefire agreement entered a new phase on Friday with the first meeting in Cairo of a technocrat committee tasked with administering the enclave, following its formation by Palestinian consensus, a welcome from Washington, and the absence of an official Israeli objection after earlier res»»»

Tunis, Jan. 16 (TAP)- Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Mohamed Ali Nafti met Friday with Carlos Eduardo Diaz Moreira who presented him with a copy of his credentials as Ambassador of Nicaragua to Tunisia with residence in...»»»

President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable discussion on rural healthcare in the East Room of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Friday. At the meeting, he proposed raising tariffs on countries that oppose his plan to annex Greenland. Photo by Yuri Gripas/UPI | License Photo Jan. 16 (UP»»»

US President Donald Trump suggested Friday that he may punish countries with tariffs if they don’t back the US controlling Greenland, a message that came as a bipartisan Congressional delegation sought to lower tensions in the Danish capital. Trump for months has insisted that the US should control»»»

Everything has gone beautifully in Donald Trump’s Venezuela operation. An alleged narcoterrorist dictator was captured and brought to justice in a New York court, and the planet’s biggest oil wealth is now owned by the US. At least, according to Trump himself. “We’re in the oil business,” he said a»»»

NEW DELHI, Jan 16 (KUNA) -- India and ASEAN countries on Friday reaffirmed shared commitment to deepening cooperation in the digital domain.A statement from the Indian Ministry of Communications said that during the 6th ASEAN-India Digital Ministers' Meeting held virtually reaffirmed the shared com»»»

An ancient story of investors trying to recover billions of dollars of debt Russia defaulted on after the last Tsar was overthrown in the October Revolution has come up again. Russia has called on US-based Noble Capital to»»»

The Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water (RIEW) in Veliko Tarnovo Friday ordered the suspension of the particleboard production line at the Kronospan wood-processing plant following an unscheduled January 15 inspection prompted by numerous citizen complaints about strong odours and haze i»»»

Houthi supporters protest against Israel in Sana'a, Yemen, on August 29. The Treasury Department levied sanctions on nearly two dozen Houthi individuals and companies Friday. File Photo by Yahya Arhab/EPA Jan. 16 (UPI) -- The Trump administration levied new sanctions on Houthi-run organizations and»»»

Prime Minister Edi Rama criticized opposition parties on Friday, saying their use of parliamentary procedure amounts to a serious breach of ethics and does not meet European Union parliamentary standards. At the end of a long meeting of the Socialist Parliamentary Group, Rama said the allocation of»»»

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will not attend will not attend Saturday’s signing ceremony in Paraguay for the free trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union. Photo by Andre Borges/EPA Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will not attend Saturd»»»

New Delhi: A trade deal between India and the European Union will be the "mother of all deals", Delhi's Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday, as both sides seek to overcome the final sticking points. The deal comes after relations between New Delhi and Washington have soured following US P»»»

Myanmar has denied committing genocide against the Ronhingya people, saying The Gambia has failed to provide enough proof, as it begun its defence at the UN's top court. Ko Ko Hlaing, a Myanmar government representative, told judges at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that the allegation wa»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a telephone conversation with Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi to discuss the escalation around Iran, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday. "On January 16, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a telep»»»

BELGRADE - "France is on your side," French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot said on Friday in Belgrade after a meeting with Serbian FM Marko Djuric, and added that his country supported Serbia's aspirations to become an EU member. Barrot noted that the message of his visit »»»

France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu faces a desperate fight for his political survival as he comes under pressure to force his budget through parliament, potentially triggering a no-confidence vote. Lecornu's two predecessors were toppled by such votes as France's deadlocked parliament has re»»»

Sen. Chris Coons, D-Vt., arrives at Industriens Hus in Copenhagen, Denmark, with an American delegation of senators and members of the House of Representatives Friday. A meeting between a number of Greenlandic, Danish, and American politicians was scheduled for the day. Photo by Sebastian Elias Uth»»»

TikTok said Friday it would bring on-stream new technology for verifying the ages of teen users as part of its commitment to protect young users. File photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo Jan. 16 (UPI) -- TikTok said Friday that it would begin rolling out enhanced age-verification technology»»»

Bulgaria has recorded the lowest refusal rate for U.S. tourist and business visas in the past two decades, at 5.11%, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday. This is shown by the official data published by the U.S. Department of State for the 2025 U.S. fiscal year, the ministry added. The achieved rate»»»

Western Europe must increase support for Ukraine rather than restart direct talks with Russia, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told Politico on Thursday. French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have previously argued it is time to negotiate directly with R»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of Interior and Commander of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya) HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani met with the Qatari security forces participating in securing the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 in Italy, set to take place from February 6 to 22. Hi»»»

Not a single euro cent has been spent by Bulgarian companies on the purchase of private plots of land at the site of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant, outgoing Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov said on Friday in Veliko Tarnovo during a meeting with GERB mayors from northern Bulgaria, broadcast live on»»»

Cairo: Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty has reaffirmed his country's support for Lebanese national institutions in maintaining security and stability across Lebanon. In a phone call with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Thursday, Abdelatty emphasised Egypt's steadfast position in backi»»»

Outgoing Deputy Prime Minister Atanas Zafirov, leader of the National Council of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) and BSP - United Left leader, said on Facebook that every future government will need a new, jointly developed vision. Bulgaria is once again heading for elections. They have become »»»

Kuwait: Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Abdullah Al Yahia held a phone call with his Omani counterpart Badr Al Busaidi and discussed bilateral relations. The Kuwaiti Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that the two sides discussed enhancing ties in all fields to advance joint interest, in addi»»»

Beijing: Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed on a raft of measures from trade to tourism on Friday at the first meeting between the countries’ leaders in Beijing in eight years. The Canadian premier hailed a “landmark deal” under a “new strategic partnership”»»»

BELGRADE - Speaking to reporters after a meeting with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, Serbian FM Marko Djuric said on Friday Serbia's goal was full-fledged EU membership and that the country would redouble reform efforts to achieve that goal. At a joint press confer»»»

Commenting on Friday's suspension of particleboard production at the Kronospan plant in Veliko Tarnovo, outgoing Environment and Water Minister Manol Genov said that the government places ecology and public health above all business interests. The measure is "a clear sign that when air quality and »»»

GERB’s new goal is the modernization of the country, said party leader Boyko Borissov at a meeting with mayors from Northern Bulgaria in Veliko Tarnovo, livestreamed on Borissov’s Facebook profile. The meeting was attended by outgoing Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, outgoing Energy Minister Zhecho»»»

Prague: Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis and his newly formed government have won a mandatory vote of confidence in parliament, one month after taking office. Lawmakers approved the right-leaning government by 108 votes to 91. Under the Czech constitution, any newly appointed government must seek »»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Lebanon: Aoun Chairs Security Meeting at Baabda Palace 16-01-2026 16:03 PM President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, on Friday chaired a secu»»»

Political reactions continued after it became clear that the country is heading toward another early parliamentary election, with parties in the National Assembly outlining their expectations and proposed timelines for the vote. Further reading: Bulgaria Officially Moves Toward Early Elections Afte»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia's Zapad battlegroup maintain control over all districts of Kupyansk, having successfully repelled Ukrainian attempts to break through in the area, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday, citing the battlegroup's commander, Colonel General Sergey Kuzovlev. "The distric»»»

Riyadh: Minister of Education and Higher Education HE Lolwah bint Rashid Al Khater has held meetings in Riyadh with her Saudi and Yemeni counterparts to discuss ways of strengthening cooperation in the education sector. HE Al Khater met Minister of Education of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, HE Youse»»»

Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday held calls with the leaders of Israel and Iran, the Kremlin said, offering mediation amid protests in Iran that have raised fears of a military confrontation in the region. Independent monitors say Iranian security forces have killed thousands in a»»»

Ombudsman Velislava Delcheva has filed a complaint with Energy and Water Regulatory Commission Chair Plamen Mladenovski and outgoing Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov due to dozens of reports from citizens about serious and repeated interruptions of the heat supply in Sofia, the press centre of the Om»»»

Vazrazhdane MP Angel Yanchev read out a statement of his parliamentary group from the parliamentary rostrum regarding the sanction imposed on Friday by the of Environment and Water Ministry on Kronospan, a wood-processing company in Veliko Tarnovo. Yanchev described the compulsory administrative me»»»

BELGRADE - Serbia and France signed on Friday in Belgrade a joint statement on a Belgrade metro project and a MoU on the construction of a sewage collector (interceptor) for waste water in the Serbian capital. With Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in attendance, the documents were signed by Serbi»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Without gas from Russia, Hungary would have problems this winter, but supplies are constant and there are enough reserves, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday. "We started the winter with more than 40% of our annual consumption. So we still have a lot of supplies»»»

Tokyo: Japan and the United States have agreed to enhance joint production of defence equipment, including missiles, and to expand their military presence in waters southwest of Japan's main islands. The agreement followed a meeting in Washington between Japanese Defence Minister Shinjiro Koizumi a»»»

Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping met on Thursday with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who is visiting Beijing, to discuss bilateral relations and ways to enhance cooperation across multiple sectors. According to China's Xinhua news agency, President Xi said the two sides should strengthen»»»

A senior US senator warned on January 16 that talk of the United States taking Greenland by force would damage American security interests and hand a strategic gift to Russian President Vladimir Putin, as Denmark, France and other allies stepped up resistance to any such move. »»»