London: The UK no longer plans to make a new digital ID card mandatory to work in Britain, finance minister Rachel Reeves confirmed Wednesday The climbdown follows an intense backlash to plans to introduce a free digital ID for both nationals and those residing in the country in a bid to curb illeg»»»

Dubai: Pakistan’s federal government has signed a memorandum of understanding with SC Financial Technologies LLC, an affiliate of World Liberty Financial, to explore the potential use of World Liberty’s dollar-linked stablecoin in cross-border transactions. Sign up for our daily business newsletter»»»

Minister of Planning, Economic Development, and International Cooperation, Rania al-Mashat, said on Tuesday that the government has implemented 16 economic and structural measures as part of the first tranche of the second phase of the Macroeconomic Support and Budgetary Assistance Mechanism, sched»»»

The Ministry of Economy and Trade reported today that its Minister, Mohamed Al-Hwej, met at the Ministry’s Tripoli headquarters with the UK Ambassador to Libya, Martin Reynolds, to discuss aspects of trade and investment cooperation between the two countries. Calling on UK to renew and activate sig»»»

On Wednesday, Bulgarian media focus primarily on the upcoming snap parliamentary elections and changes to the electoral process. Coverage highlights last-minute proposals for the Electoral Code, including active voter registration and the introduction of optical scanners, as well as debates over fu»»»

Russia's stance on the US's illegal operation in Venezuela remains unchanged, as it is a gross violation of international law, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said. Lavrov said that Russia and Venezuela share a long history of strong strategic relations and emphasized that Moscow's position »»»

Syria's army was moving reinforcements east of Aleppo city on Wednesday, a day after it told Kurdish forces to withdraw from the area following deadly clashes last week. The deployment comes as Syria's government seeks to extend its authority across the country, but progress has stalled on integrat»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, HE Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi met on Wednesday with the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Australia, HE Milton Dick, who is currently visiting the country. During the meeting, the two sides reviewed cooperation relations, as well as »»»

Lebanese Joseph Aoun met with representatives of Quintet Committee, which includes Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, and discussed preparations for a conference to support the Lebanese Army and the Internal Security Forces. Saudi Foreign Ministry Adviser Prince Yazid bin Fa»»»

China’s trade surplus surged to a record of almost $1.2 trillion in 2025, the government said Wednesday, as exports to other countries made up for slowing shipments to the United States. China's exports rose 5.5% for the whole of last year to $3.77 trillion, customs data showed, while imports flatl»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Iran FM Calls Riots ‘ISIL-Style Crimes,’ Extension of US-Israeli War 14-01-2026 12:23 PM Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has described the »»»

The outgoing government Wednesday approved the participation of the Bulgarian Energy Holding (BEH) in the project for offshore exploration and prospecting of oil and natural gas in Block 1-21 Khan Asparuh in the Black Sea. Outgoing Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov said the decision was "most importan»»»

Dubai: Saudi Arabia has banned commercial establishments from printing or writing the sacred names of Allah on bags, packaging and other materials that may be discarded or used inappropriately, in a move officials say is intended to safeguard religious reverence. The decision was announced by Abdul»»»

Unknown vandals damaged two tractors belonging to farmers from the Nikaia blockade near Larissa in central Greece who attended Tuesday’s meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at Maximos Mansion, reports said Wednesday. According to Skai TV, the perpetrators punctured the tractors’ tires a»»»

Following the return of the second exploratory mandate by “We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria” (WCC-DB) to President Rumen Radev, former Finance Minister Asen Vassilev commented on the ongoing debate over changes to Bulgaria’s Electoral Code. He stressed that the proposed introduction of ne»»»

Syrian authorities have asked Lebanese security forces to hand over more than 200 senior officers who fled to Lebanon after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, following a Reuters investigation that showed how the neighboring country was a hub for insurgent plotting. On December 18, a ​top Syrian security»»»

At least 28 people have died and 64 others left injured after a construction crane fell onto a moving train in north-eastern Thailand. The crane derailed the train and crushed some of its carriages, one of which caught fire. Official records say some 195 passengers had been onboard the train when t»»»

DOHA: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani chaired the Cabinet's regular meeting on Wednesday morning at the Amiri Diwan. Following the meeting, Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs HE Ibrahim bin Ali Al Mohan»»»

Egypt has taken a major step in scaling up its clean energy infrastructure after the Ministry of Electricity and Renewable Energy and the Suez Canal Economic Zone signed two renewable energy and energy storage agreements with combined investments exceeding $1.8 billion, according to a cabinet state»»»

Egypt is entering 2026 with a calmer macroeconomic backdrop than it has seen in years, as easing inflation, rising foreign reserves, and record remittance inflows begin to reinforce confidence in the country’s economic reset. Data released by the Central Bank of Egypt show annual core inflation fal»»»

Ukrainian veteran politician Yulia Tymoshenko's party offices were searched by National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) as part of an expanding parliamentary vote-selling corruption investigation on January 14. “T»»»

French President Emmanuel Macron will open an international conference in support of the Lebanese Army in Paris on March 5, the Lebanese presidency said in a statement Wednesday. The statement came after French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, Saudi envoy Prince Yazid Bin Farhan, and the ambassadors of th»»»

Ukrainian veteran politician Yulia Tymoshenko's party offices were searched by National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) as part of an expanding parliamentary vote-selling corruption investigation on January 14. “T»»»

Egypt and the Czech Republic signed two agreements to boost economic cooperation between the two countries. An agreement was signed between Egypt’s Social Fund for Development and the Czech foundation for small and medium industries, while the other was signed between Egypt’s General Authority for »»»

Dubai: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai, will recognise six distinguished laureates on Thursday, January 15, at the Museum of the Future during the annual Great Arab Minds Award ceremony. The event marks the third year of wha»»»

BEIJING — China reported strong trade numbers for 2025 on Wednesday, as its surplus rose year-on-year to a record $1.2 trillion despite a slump in exports to the United States after President Donald Trump hiked tariffs.Last year's bruising trade war between Washington and Beijing -- which at one po»»»

President Lee Jae Myung (L) and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi play drums together during an informal meeting that followed their summit talks in Nara, Japan, on Tuesday. Pool photo by Yonhap President Lee Jae Myung on Wednesday wrapped up his two-day visit to Japan that raised prospects fo»»»

Strong winter winds collapsed walls onto flimsy tents for Palestinians displaced by war in Gaza, killing at least four people, hospital authorities said Tuesday. Dangerous living conditions persist in Gaza after more than two years of devastating Israeli bombardment and aid shortfalls. A ceasefire »»»

Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan Jeenbek Kulubaev and his Uzbek counterpart Bakhtiyor Saidov highlighted the need to coordinate efforts to ensure uninterrupted cargo transit and create conditions for the growth of regional trade. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported following a telephone conversa»»»

Dubai: Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung struck an unexpectedly upbeat note at their latest summit, ending formal talks with a light-hearted cultural exchange set to K-pop hits. After agreeing to deepen bilateral cooperation, the two leaders surprised ai»»»

AMMAN, Jan. 14 (SANA) Jordan on Tuesday strongly condemned the storming of al-Aqsa Mosque (Al-Haram al-Sharif) by Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, calling it a flagrant violation of international law. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Fuad al-Majali described the act as an unaccep»»»

Nadezhda Yordanova of Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB), the second largest group in Parliament, returned an exploratory mandate to form a government as unfulfilled immediately after receiving it from President Rumen Radev on Wednesday. On January 12, outgoing Prime Minister Rosen Zhe»»»

A train derailed in northeastern Thailand on Wednesday after a construction crane fell on three ​of its carriages, killing at least 25 people and injuring about 80, police said. The accident took place on Wednesday morning in the Sikhio district of Nakhon Ratchasima province, 230 km (143 miles) nor»»»

French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, Saudi envoy Prince Yazid Bin Farhan, and the ambassadors of the U.S., Qatar and Egypt met Wednesday with President Joseph Aoun in Baabda. Upon his arrival on Tuesday evening to Beirut, Bin Farhan visited Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, local media reports said. The meet»»»

On Jan. 14, 1954, Marilyn Monroe married baseball star Joe DiMaggio. The two would divorce less than a year later. 1 of 4 | On January 14, 1954, Marilyn Monroe married baseball star Joe DiMaggio. The two would divorce less than a year later. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo Jan. 14 »»»

Hungarian President Tamas Sulyok has set the date for Hungary's next parliamentary election as April 12, the earliest possible day under Hungary's constitution and election law, the presidential office announced on Facebook on January 12. »»»

A public hearing began at the Supreme Judicial Council building for the seven candidates nominated as European Prosecutor from the Republic of Bulgaria. The candidates are Boyko Atanasov, Desislava Pironeva, Dimitar Belichev, Ivaylo Iliev, Mihaela Raidovska, Plamen Petkov and Svetlana Shopova-Kolev»»»

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan met on Tuesday with a delegation of Wizz Air, with discussions focusing on expanding the network of destinations and ensuring high-quality services.The delegation present at Victoria Palace of Government was led by Chief Executive Officer Jozsef Varadi and Dorottya Duruc»»»

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan sent on Tuesday to President Nicusor Dan the proposal to revoke Daniel David from the position of Minister of Education, following his resignation.The interim position would be taken over by the Prime Minister, according to a press release sent by the Government."Prime M»»»

The Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, on Tuesday discussed with the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Romania, Ali Yerlik, about the state of bilateral cooperation and the initiation of a Memorandum of Understanding to support joint development in the field of agriculture, the Minist»»»

Minister of National Defense Radu Miruta met on Tuesday with ambassador of the Republic of Turkey to Romania, Ozgur Kivanc Altan, with the two discussing - among others - the development of bilateral defense cooperation, with an emphasis on joint participation in multinational exercises and activit»»»

Romania won the mandate to serve as President of the Executive Board of some of the most important UN development agencies - UNDP, UNOPS and UNFPA - for 2026 and will be represented by its Ambassador to the UN Cornel Feruta, announced Foreign Minister Oana Toiu.'Romania's activity at the UN has str»»»

Relations between Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Hezbollah have grown visibly strained, with contacts confined to what ministerial sources described as “the bare minimum.” The chill has deepened following Aoun’s recent remarks on Hezbollah’s weapons, which widened the rift between the two sides»»»

Advisor to the Prime Minister and Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari met yesterday with Press Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan Kitamura Toshihiro, who is currently visiting the country. The meeting discussed bilateral cooperation a»»»

The United States on January 13 unveiled the first detailed framework for a US-administered transit corridor across Armenia designed to link Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave.  The Trump Route for International P»»»

The United States on January 13 unveiled the first detailed framework for a US-administered transit corridor across Armenia designed to link Azerbaijan with its Nakhchivan exclave.  The Trump Route for International P»»»

1 of 2 | South Korean President Lee Jae Myung (R) and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi shake hands Wednesday at Horyu-ji, a World Heritage-listed Buddhist temple in Nara Prefecture. Photo by Yonhap South Korea has reaffirmed its bid to join the trans-Pacific trade pact during the summit talks»»»

A surreal drum duet between two East Asian world leaders has set the internet abuzz - and put a spotlight on Japan and South Korea's diplomatic relationship. Decked out in matching blue jackets, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Japan's Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday played drums t»»»

Doha, Qatar: Under the patronage of Minister of Interior and Commander of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya), H E Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Qatar is set to host the Joint Tactical Exercise of the security agencies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (Arabian Gulf Security 4) fr»»»

The President will hand over a government-forming mandate to the prime minister designate of this National Assembly's second-largest parliamentary group, Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria, at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, the head of State's press centre said. The previous mandate - to GERB-UDF - w»»»