US President Donald Trump on Friday took to his Truth Social platform to warn that the United States would intervene if Iran's security forces kill peaceful protesters. At least seven people, including one volunteer member of the Islamic Republic's security forces, have been killed in clashes over »»»

A quick-developing storm will spread rain over part of the lower Mississippi Valley and the central Gulf coast into Friday night before moving off the southern Atlantic coast on Saturday night. On the northern edge of the rain, there will be some snow or a mix of snow, sleet and rain. Much of the s»»»

Who would have thought serums infused with snail mucin - the sticky substance they secrete - would become a part of skincare routines around the world? Well, it's happened - and the gooey elasticity is key, according to a viral TikTok challenge promoting the serum. It made its manufacturer, the sma»»»

As Burj Khalifa marks its 16th anniversary on January 4, 2026, the iconic skyscraper continues to captivate the world as the tallest man-made structure standing at 828 meters (2,716.5 feet). Since its grand opening on January 4, 2010, the tower's distinctive Y-shaped design, inspired by the regiona»»»

Elon Musk has indicated his intention to bankroll Republican candidates in the midterm elections later this year, saying that the US will cease to exist if the Democrats reclaim power in the Congress. On Friday, Tesla and SpaceX CEO commented on a post on X by a conservative influencer, who claimed»»»

A self-proclaimed prophet in Ghana who spent months spreading fears of an imminent doomsday flood has been arrested, local police in the West African country have confirmed to several media outlets. Evans Eshun, popularly known as Ebo Noah, was detained on December, 31 after repeatedly warning that»»»

Swiss officials told a press conference on Friday that the deadly fire at a Crans-Montana ski resort bar on New Year’s Eve, which killed at least 40 people, was likely caused by sparkling flares atop Champagne bottles that came too close to the ceiling. Authorities said 113 of the 119 injured have »»»

Angelina Jolie visited the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing on Friday, meeting Red Crescent volunteers and aid truck drivers delivering supplies to Gaza. The Hollywood star assessed conditions for injured Palestinians and the flow of humanitarian aid, highlighting the urgent challenges at the bo»»»

Russia captured more than 5,600 sq km of Ukrainian territory in 2025, its largest advance since 2022, as Kyiv prepares to host allied security talks. As pressure on the battlefield continues to build, President Volodymyr Zelensky named Kyrylo Budanov his new top aide, proposed Mykhailo Fedorov as d»»»

A judge has ruled that alleged D.C. pipe bomber Brian Cole Jr. must stay in jail through his trial. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Jan. 2 (UPI) -- A Washington, D.C., federal magistrate judge ruled Friday that a man who allegedly set pipe bombs outside of political party headquarters»»»

Investigators are racing to establish how and why the deadly New Year's Eve fire at a bar in a Swiss ski resort spread so rapidly. Authorities on Friday said in a press conference that sparklers attached to champagne bottles that were held "too close to the ceiling" appear to have started the blaze»»»

Four of the five people who were injured in an arson attack in Dublin on New Year's Eve have been discharged from hospital. The victims caught up in the attack at a house in Creston Avenue in Finglas included three teenagers, a woman in her 20s and a woman in her 40s. The older woman sustained seri»»»

Massive rallies took place in Fars and Hamedan provinces in Iran today, demanding that Iranian security forces take firm action against anyone threatening public security. The rallies condemned “the destructive actions carried out by some elements in the country, exploiting peaceful protests”. Part»»»

Dubai: Saudi Arabia has officially launched an ambitious $2.7 billion (Dh9.9 billion) digital infrastructure initiative with the announcement of the Hexagon Data Centre, set to be the world’s largest government data centre and a cornerstone project of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. Classified as Tier I»»»

GERB quit the governing majority after its partners went too far, including [MRF Chair and MRF – New Beginning Floor Leader Delyan] Peevski, GERB leader Boyko Borissov said in a YouTube interview on Friday. Borissov spoke to journalist Yavor Dachkov at GERB’s party headquarters in Sofia. “Self-conf»»»

Doha, Qatar,: The opening day was attended by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, Chairperson of Qatar Foundation (QF), who visited Al Shaqab as Tour 1 of the HH The Father Amir Prix 2026 officially commenced in Doha. Tour 1 brings together international and regional riders across CSI1, CSI2 and»»»

DOHA: The 48th edition of the Dakar Rally kicks off on Saturday, in Saudi Arabia, which is hosting the event for the seventh consecutive year. A total of 812 competitors are participating, including Qatari driver Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah of the Dacia team and Saudi driver Yazeed Al Rajhi of the Toyo»»»

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bellingham Herald (@bellinghamherald) Jan. 2 (UPI) -- A Washington city may have broken a Guinness World Record by gathering nearly 5,000 people to take a "polar bear dip" into frigid water at the same time. The Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce, Blaine Birc»»»

The BYD Sea Lion 7 is on display at the Tokyo Auto Salon 2025 at Makuhari messe in Chiba-Prefecture, Japan, in January. BYD delivered more cars in 2025 than Tesla. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Chinese electric car maker BYD surpassed Tesla in annual sales in 2025. BY»»»

The FBI worked with local law enforcement to arrest an 18-year-old accused of plotting a violent attack on a Mint Hill, N.C., grocery store and fast food restaurant. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Jan. 2 (UPI) -- The FBI foiled a terror plot to attack people at a grocery store and fa»»»

Official data show Argentines held about $254 billion outside the banking system as of September. Photo by QuinceCreative/Pixabay BUENOS AIRES, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Argentina's government has enacted the so-called Fiscal Innocence Law, which changes tax evasion thresholds and seeks to encourage declarin»»»

New Year’s Eve 2025 at the Sheikh Zayed Festival featured record-breaking moments, international broadcast coverage, and drew hundreds of thousands of participants and spectators to a night marked by five new Guinness World Records. The Sheikh Zayed Festival closed the year with a series of record-»»»

Senior sources in Hamas have played down what they described as an Israeli “scare tactic” over the group’s weapons, rejecting Israeli demands to disarm as a condition for moving to the second phase of a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Hamas possesses only light we»»»

Iran's latest bout of economic protests has ceased to be reactive spasms of discontent triggered by the newest price shock and currency collapse. They have become something rather more persistent and worrying for Tehran's authorities: the steady drumbeat of a population whose resilience has been gr»»»

Oman has expanded visa-free travel arrangements for diplomats and tourists as part of a broader effort to ease mobility, boost tourism and strengthen regional ties, government statements and regional media reported. The mo»»»

Kyrylo Budanov, 39, has been named President Volodymyr Zelensky's new chief of staff. File Photo by Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Friday that he named spy boss Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov as his chief of staff. "I had a meeting with Kyrylo Budanov»»»

Eastern Yemen’s Hadhramaut province entered a critical phase on Friday as government-backed National Shield forces began deploying against an insurgency by the Southern Transitional Council (STC), seeking to regain control of military camps and restore the state’s grip over security and military in»»»

Farmers at the Malgara roadblock near Thessaloniki signaled a willingness to open talks with the government, spokesperson Kostas Anestidis said, ahead of a nationwide farmers’ meeting on Sunday. “We will drop anchor to open a channel of communication with the government,” he added, noting that some»»»

Dubai: The National Center of Meteorology has warned of a chance of fog formation and reduced horizontal visibility, dropping to near zero at times, across some internal and coastal areas of the country between midnight and 10am tomorrow, January 3, 2026. In an advisory, the NCM urged motorists to »»»

A hiker in Colorado has died in the state's first suspected fatal mountain lion attack in over 25 years, authorities said. The woman was found unresponsive by other hikers on the Crosier Mountain trail northeast of Estes Park around noon on Thursday. The hikers saw a mountain lion near the woman's »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Information about the alleged Friday strike by the Russian armed forces on the city of Kharkov is untrue, the Russian Defense Ministry said. "Information about the alleged strike on the city of Kharkov by the Russian Armed Forces on January 2 of this year is untrue," the ministry»»»

Tunis, Jan. 2 (TAP) - Partly cloudy skies are expected over most regions Friday night, according to forecasts from the National Institute of Meteorology (INM). Winds will blow from the south to the west, relatively strong to strong near the eastern...»»»

1 of 2 | President Donald Trump stops to speak to the media as he departs on Marine One from the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., December 19. He said Friday his doctors announced he was in "perfect health." Photo by Will Oliver/UPI | License Photo Jan. 2 (UPI) -- President Donald»»»

Contributing to employment is Chinese company Build Your Dreams' factory, which will serve as the base for future expansion into the Latin American electric vehicle market. The factory is in Camacari, about 30 miles from Salvador. File Photo by Americo Roberto/EPA Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Brazil ended 2025 »»»

An employee works in a manufacturing plant) in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, in March. Mexico closed 2025 with weak economic growth and is heading into 2026 with limited expansion prospects. File Photo by Luis Torres/.EPA Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Mexico closed 2025 with weak economic growth and is heading into 202»»»

A hiker is believed to have been killed by at least one mountain lion in the US state of Colorado on Wednesday, according to wildlife officials. If confirmed, it would be the first fatal attack there since 1999. A group of hikers found the woman's body on a remote trail and spotted a lion nearby. A»»»

A 77-year-old woman aboard the Holland America Niew Statendam went overboard Thursday. Photo courtesy of Holland America Jan. 2 (UPI) -- A search has been suspended for a 77-year-old woman who went overboard from a cruise ship near Cuba on Thursday. "We are deeply saddened to confirm that while sai»»»

Iran’s Ministry of Defense Export Center, known as Mindex, is prepared to negotiate military contracts for payment in digital currencies, Financial Times has reported, citing promotional documents and and analysis of payment terms. Payments can also be made through barter arrangements or in Iranian»»»

A fire at a bar in a Swiss ski resort appears to have been caused by sparklers placed on bottles of champagne that came "too close to the ceiling", authorities said. Forty people died after the blaze in the early hours of New Year's Day in Crans-Montana, while 119 were injured. Valais Attorney Gene»»»

International charity Doctors Without Borders Friday condemned a "grave blow to humanitarian aid" after Israel revoked the status it needs to operate in Gaza for refusing to share Palestinian staff lists. Israel on Thursday confirmed it had banned access to the Gaza Strip to 37 foreign humanitarian»»»

Anthony Joshua's driver has been charged after a crash in Nigeria injured the boxer and killed two of his team members, police have said. Adeniyi Mobolaji Kayode, 46, was charged at the Sagamu Magistrate Court on Friday. Police sources told the BBC the charges included causing death by dangerous dr»»»

Talaat Moustafa Group (TMG) is set to launch “The Spine”, a 2.4 million square metre project in East Cairo utilizingpost-artificial intelligence technologies, and will commence deliveries of the first phase of its Noor city development in 2026. The Spine project, located within the group’s Madinaty»»»

BusinessUnited States of AmericaChina's BYD overtakes Tesla as world's top EV seller Louis Oelofse with AFP, AP, ReutersElon Musk's Tesla has had a tough year and faced intensifying competition from Chinese and European rivals. https://p.dw.com/p/56FJIMusk once dismissed BYD as a threat to Tesla [F»»»

A judicial investigation into a sophisticated impersonation plot has sent shockwaves through Lebanon’s political establishment this week, as authorities peel back the layers of the “Abou Omar” scandal -- a years-long fraud that allegedly manipulated high-level government appointments and parliament»»»

A woman in Colorado is believed to have been killed by a mountain lion on a hiking trail. File Photo by Gary C. Caskey/UPI | License Photo Jan. 2 (UPI) -- A woman in Colorado has died after a suspected mountain lion attack Thursday, officials said. The woman's identity hasn't been released, but she»»»

The FTSE 100 index has climbed above 10,000 points for the first time, passing a significant stock market milestone, on the first trading day of the year. Shares included in the index performed strongly in 2025, leaving the benchmark more than 21% higher than a year ago, when it stood at just over »»»

Skopje, 2 January 2026 (MIA) — After a brief disruption in passenger rail service that began Thursday at 4:47 pm due to National Railways Transport staff going on strike over their November pay, trains are back in service. According to National Railways Transport representative and Train Drivers La»»»

A 6.5-magnitude earthquake shook Mexico City and southwestern Guerrero state on Friday, sending people rushing into the streets but causing no serious damage, according to preliminary reports. President Claudia Sheinbaum was forced to evacuate the presidential palace during her regular morning pres»»»

Tunis, Jan. 2 (TAP) - Japanese travel agency Hankyu Travel will organise a series of special tourist trips to Tunisia, The Tunisian Embassy in Tokyo, Japan, announced.These trips are scheduled over several months in 2026, starting in February and...»»»

Dubai: Swift action by the Dubai Events Security Committee led to the successful reunion of an Omani father with his two young daughters after they were separated amid the New Year’s Eve crowds in the Burj Khalifa district. The incident occurred as hundreds of thousands gathered in the area to welc»»»