Prime Minister Orbán Viktor said on Friday that Hungary’s utility price reduction system and household financial security are at stake in the upcoming April parliamentary election, warning that a “Brussels-backed government” would dismantle existing protections and take money away from families. Sp»»»

Iran's foreign minister was in Turkey on January 30 as Ankara led a diplomatic push to mediate between Tehran and Washington, after US President Donald Trump cooled threats of an imminent strike on the Islamic republic. The standoff spurred calls for diplomacy from regional actors and allies of the»»»

From Lagos to Paris, the beat is getting louder. Nine French composers recently joined forces with Nigerian Afrobeats artists at the headquarters of the prestigious Nigerian label Mavin Records in an effort to create 60 tracks that could become the genre’s next international breakout hits. Will the»»»

US President Donald Trump said Friday he expected Iran to negotiate a deal to avoid military action from Washington even as he warned of a US military buildup in the region "larger than what we had in Venezuela". Iran's top diplomat earlier said Tehran was ready to negotiate but not on its def»»»

Canadian Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre delivered a speech on Friday that called for Canadians to stay united in the face of an "uncertain world", amid growing separatist sentiments in Alberta and Quebec. "A house divided cannot stand," Poilievre said in Calgary, ahead of a consequential vote»»»

If French President Emmanuel Macron is seriously interested in contacting Russian President Vladimir Putin, then this interest should be conveyed through professional channels, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told Sputnik. AnalysisFrance Needs to Restore Credibility as Negotiator »»»

Share: Saudi Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman meets Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in Tehran last April. Photo: Iranian Leader Press Office/Handout/Getty Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman (KBS) said in a private briefing on Friday in Washington that if President Trump doesn’t f»»»

Niger Gen. Abdourahamane Tiani (C) blamed France, Bejin and the Ivory Coast for the Wednesday night attack on Niger's Diori Hamani International Airport. Photo by Issifou Djibo/EPA Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Four Nigerien military personnel were injured and 20 attackers were killed during an attack on the Di»»»

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has admitted that the bloc has nothing to “offer to Russia” and therefore doesn’t expect any direct talks with Moscow. Brussels will choose “more pressure” over negotiations, she said. Asked on Friday whether she intends to reopen diplomatic channels with Russia,»»»

President Donald Trump has said Iran wants to make a deal rather than face US military action, despite Tehran's insistence that its missile and defence systems will "never" be up for negotiation. "I can say this, they do want to make a deal," Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday when a»»»

Families of Islamist prisoners at Roumieh prison carry pictures of their beloved ones during a protest outside the government palace in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, on Friday after a group of prisoners at the prison announced an open-ended hunger strike. Photo by Wael Hamzeh/EPA BEIRUT, Lebanon, Jan. »»»

Catherine O'Hara, the comedic actress best known for her starring roles in the Home Alone and Beetlejuice films, as well as her Emmy-winning turn in Schitt's Creek, has died aged 71. The Canadian star rose to fame through Toronto's Second City improvisation troupe and on SCTV, before making a name »»»

Interviewed on the Panorama talk show on the Bulgarian National Television on Friday, Bulgaria's former President Rumen Radev (2017-2026) said he intends to form a political party after the snap parliamentary elections, stressing that this would not be possible in time for the vote which is expecte»»»

Damascus, Jan. 30 (SANA) Finance Minister Mohamed Yisr Barnieh met with a delegation from the U.S. consulting firm Oliver Wyman, led by the company’s regional director Matteo De Clercq, to discuss ways of strengthening cooperation and opening new opportunities for the firm’s work in the Syrian mark»»»

The government approved Friday an agreement to transfer Syrian prisoners serving their sentences in Lebanon back to their home country. The issue of prisoners has been a sore point as the neighboring countries seek to recalibrate their relations following the ouster of former Syrian President Basha»»»

U.S. allies and partners in the Middle East again are urging restraint from both the United States and Iran as the Trump administration warns of a possible strike and builds up its military presence in the region, according to an Arab diplomat familiar with the matter. Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Oman an»»»

The head of the Democratic Party parliamentary group, Gazment Bardhi, reacted after Special Prosecution against Corruption (SPAK) refused to meet with the parliamentary commission known as “Xhafaj 2.” In a social media post, Bardhi said the government’s attempt to intimidate prosecutors had been fi»»»

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (C) on Friday announced China ended its sanctions on six ministers of Parliament a day after arriving for a state visit to China in Beijing. Photo by Lauren Hurley/EPA Jan. 30 (UPI) -- Six British ministers of Parliament, including two peers, no longer are sancti»»»

The Yemeni government welcomed a European Union decision to designate Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organization, saying the move marked a long-awaited shift toward confronting a central driver of instability and security threats across the region and beyond. In an official statement, »»»

Abu Dhabi: Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, received a phone call from Marco Rubio, US Secretary of State, during which they discussed the strong strategic relations between the two countries, as well as key regional developments. During th»»»

Lagos: Nigeria's Afrobeat king Fela Kuti will this weekend be posthumously recognised by the Grammys with a Lifetime Achievement Award, becoming the first African artist to receive the distinction. After a lifetime of clashes with successive powers in Nigeria, the recognition comes nearly three dec»»»

A circular issued by Lebanon’s Justice Minister Adel Nassar, now in force, has placed notaries public on the front line of the country’s fight against money laundering, requiring them to verify the source of funds and the identities of parties involved in sales contracts, purchase agreements, and p»»»

As momentum builds around efforts to advance the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement, the risk of a broader confrontation between the United States and Iran is resurfacing, threatening to upend regional priorities amid Israeli moves that are fueling growing concern. Experts speaking to Ash»»»

Iran is ready for dialogue to resolve tensions with the United States but that there are no concrete plans for talks with Washington, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Friday, even as Tehran faces the threat of US military action in response to the killing of peaceful demonstrators and over poss»»»

US President Donald Trump has threatened to “decertify” aircraft made in Canada and hit Canadian plane sales with a 50% tariff amid rising tensions with Ottawa. Trump made the comments in a post on Truth Social on Thursday, tying it to Canada’s refusal to certify several types of Gulfstream busines»»»

Dubai: Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Civil Aviation Authority, affirmed that the civil aviation sector is a fundamental pillar for supporting economic and tourism growth, enhancing trade flows, and connecting countri»»»

BELGRADE - The Operating Team for Serbia's EU accession, chaired by Danijel Apostolovic, who is also Serbia's ambassador to the EU, held its first meeting on Friday, highlighting opening Cluster 3 in Serbia's EU accession talks as one of the main objectives. The meeting, which took place in the Ser»»»

Madrid, Spain: Spain's prime minister has defended his government's plan to grant legal status to undocumented residents after criticism from tycoon Elon Musk on social media. The plan approved Tuesday by Pedro Sanchez's government could affect around 500,000 undocumented workers, and bucks a trend»»»

Tourism can play a central role in boosting Bulgaria’s overall economic development, but this requires a clearly defined long-term strategy, particularly when it comes to cooperation with neighboring countries. This was emphasized by former Minister of Tourism Nikolina Angelkova during the sixth So»»»

President Iliana Iotova met with Bulgarian National Audit Office (BNAO) President Dimitar Glavchev and Vice Presidents Margarita Nikolova and Silvia Kadreva at the President's administration in Sofia on Friday as part of the constitutional procedure for appointing a caretaker government. All three »»»

The Trump administration imposed sanctions Friday against Iran 's interior minister, accusing Eskandar Momeni of repressing nationwide protests that have challenged Tehran's theocratic government. The penalties are the latest by the United States and the European Union targeting high-ranking offici»»»

United States Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent speaks as US President Donald J Trump participates in a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington, DC on Thursday, January 29, 2026. Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo Jan. 29 (Asia Today) -- U.S. Treasury Sec»»»

Venezuela's interim president, Delcy Rodriguez, speaks in Caracas, Venezuela, on Thursday. Rodriguez signed the reform to the Organic Hydrocarbons Law after the approved text was handed to her earlier in the day by her brother, Jorge Rodriguez, president of the National Assembly, amid a march by oi»»»

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan engaged in a telephone conversation on Friday to address ongoing regional developments, with particular emphasis on the escalation of military tensions by the US. The two presidents reviewed bilateral relations bet»»»

A regular railway connection between Sofia and Thessaloniki will be restored next year, Bulgarian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport and Communications Grozdan Karadjov announced during the first working meeting between Bulgaria, Greece, Romania and the European Commission on the “Blac»»»

Jakarta: The Indonesian government has decided to accelerate the demutualisation of the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) amid negative market sentiment following index rebalancing and a recent two-day decline in the benchmark Jakarta Composite Index. "The government wants to fast-track the demutualis»»»

Dar Es Salaam: The Tanzanian government on Friday announced a two-billion-Tanzanian-shilling (about 776,788 US dollars) fund to support digital content creators nationwide, part of its strategy to bolster the country's creative economy. Speaking in the capital, Dodoma, Minister for Information, Cul»»»

Getting into business with China posed great danger for Britain, U.S. President Donald Trump said as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer embarked on the second day of a visit to China, the first by a British leader since 2018, aimed at re-setting relations and boosting trade. Photo by Aaron Schwart»»»

‎Tripoli based Minister of Economy and Trade, Mohamed Al-Hwej, held an extensive meeting last Thursday (29 January) with the Undersecretaries of the Ministry, the President of the General Authority for Exhibitions and Conferences, the Chairman of the Privatisation and Investment Board, the Chairman»»»

Iran's top diplomat said Friday that his country's missile and defense capabilities would "never" be on the negotiating table, as US President Donald Trump appeared to cool on threats of a strike after a military build-up in the region. Tehran and Washington have been trading warnings since Trump f»»»

Skopje, 29 January 2026 (MIA) - At their meeting in Zagreb, Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Nikoloski and Marijana Petir, Member of the Croatian Parliament, reaffirmed strong support for Macedonia’s EU integration path and for deepening political and economic ties between Macedonia and Croatia. As»»»

Panama: Advisor to the Prime Minister and the Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr. Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari met separately in Panama with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Panama, HE Javier Martinez-Acha, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic »»»

The northern port city of Thessaloniki’s metro will shut down for 15 days in March to complete the extension to the suburb of Kalamaria, Deputy Infrastructure Minister Nikos Tachiaos announced. Authorities will carry out final safety and operational tests on the new line. Commuters are warned of li»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, HE Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi met on Friday with Secretary General of the National Security Council (NSC) of the Kingdom of Thailand, HE Chatcai Bangchuad, currently visiting the country. During the meeting»»»

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has said she “will be very smart” by the end of her term thanks to her reading habits. Kallas made the remark at a press conference on Thursday after a journalist offered to give her a book on Kurdish history by Masoud Barzani, the first president of Iraq’s auton»»»

A historic moment took place in the grand surroundings of the Presidential Palace in Lisbon as the UAE's cultural ties with Portugal were marked with a prestigious honour. His Highness Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, became the first Arab figure»»»

Four individuals were detained in an operation to shut down torrent sites violating copyright laws, outgoing Interior Minister Daniel Mitov told journalists on Friday in Dimitrovgrad, where he attended the opening ceremony for the renovated building of the local fire department. He described the ac»»»

A decree setting the dates of the upcoming parliamentary elections was issued Friday in Lebanon’s official gazette, signed by President Joseph Aoun, PM Nawaf Salam and Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar. The decree says expats would vote abroad on May 1 and May 3, election workers would vote in Leba»»»

Dubai: By the time the Dubai Tram neared its launch, everything appeared ready for another carefully choreographed milestone in the city’s transport story. Then a fault surfaced during trial operations. What followed, according to those closest to the project, revealed far more about leadership tha»»»

U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer arrived in the Chinese financial center of Shanghai on Friday in his bid to boost business opportunities for British firms in the world's second-largest economy, just hours after U.S. President Donald Trump signaled a possible opposition to any deal between Beijing »»»