World

NATO Secretary General: discussed Russia's attacks and energy problems with Ukraine's Zelenskiy

BRUSSELS, Jan 15 (Reuters) - ‌NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte spoke to ‌Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday to ‌discuss the latest Russian attacks on Ukraine, which have led to widespread power outages in the country.

World

Mexico says trade pact with US will survive despite Trump's skepticism

(Refiles to fix formatting in paragraph 12)

World

8 killed in road accident in eastern Iraq

BAGHDAD, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Eight people were killed and two others injured on Thursday in a road accident in Iraq's eastern Diyala province, provincial traffic authorities said.

World

Spanish defense minister refuse to rule out sending troops to Greenland

MADRID, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Spain's Defense Minister Margarita Robles on Thursday refused to rule out deploying troops to Greenland as part of a European surveillance mission, amid tensions over U.S. President Donald Trump's interest in the territory.

World

UK court backs cap on cross-border card fees

LONDON, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- A United Kingdom (UK) court on Thursday upheld the powers of the country's payments watchdog to cap cross-border card fees on online transactions, rejecting a legal challenge brought by Visa, Mastercard and fintech firm Revolut.

World

One more district in Bulgaria declares flu epidemic measures

SOFIA, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- One day after flu epidemic measures were introduced in Bulgaria's Varna District for the first time this season, neighboring Dobrich District decided on Thursday to follow suit.

World

Trump meets Venezuelan opposition leader Machado after praising interim president

WASHINGTON, Jan ‌15 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump was meeting with Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on Thursday afternoon, in a high-stakes encounter that ‌could affect how the U.S. president seeks to shape the South American country's political future.

World

Cuba to accept US aid as Washington warns against interference

WASHINGTON/HAVANA, Jan 15 - The ‌U.S. State Department's top aid official warned ‌Cuba's authorities on Thursday not to interfere with a humanitarian aid shipment and suggested President Donald Trump could ‍take action if Cuba fails ‍to comply.

World

Foreign tourist visits to Spain hit record high in 2025: minister

MADRID, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- A total of 97 million foreign tourists visited Spain in 2025, setting a new all-time record for international visitors to the country, Spanish Minister of Industry and Tourism Jordi Hereu announced on Thursday.

World

Asia to remain global growth engine in 2026 despite headwinds: UK think tank

LONDON, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Asian economies are projected to grow strongly in 2026 and remain a central engine of global expansion, despite geopolitical and global economic headwinds, according to a report released by the British think-tank Asia House on Thursday.

World

Israel's 2025 inflation eases to 2.6 pct

JERUSALEM, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Israeli inflation fell to 2.6 percent in 2025, returning to the government's target range as price pressures eased, official data showed on Thursday.

World

Georgia's ruling party files complaint against BBC over defamatory reports

TBILISI, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Georgia's ruling party has filed an official complaint with BBC over "defamatory" and "politically motivated" reports alleging the use of a World War I-era chemical agent against protesters, Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said Thursday.

Football

Soccer-Tottenham's Richarlison out for seven weeks with hamstring injury

(corrects Bissouma's country to Mali ‌in paragraph seven)

World

China donates medical supplies to Burundi

BUJUMBURA, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Burundi on Thursday donated medical supplies to the Burundian government to help the East African nation achieve sustainable development goals as well as its development vision.

World

2nd LD Writethru: Explosion, fire in Utrecht injures at least four

THE HAGUE, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- At least four people were injured in an explosion and major fire in the Dutch city of Utrecht on Thursday afternoon, local authorities said.

World

Macron says France now providing two thirds of intelligence to Ukraine

PARIS, Jan 15 (Reuters) - ‌President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that France was now providing two-thirds ‌of intelligence information to Ukraine, largely replacing the United States, which until ‌last year had delivered the bulk of those services.

World

Trump sees Iranian crackdown easing, Tehran denies man to be executed

DUBAI/WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said he ‌had been told that killings in Iran's crackdown on protests were easing and that he believed there was no current plan for large-scale executions, adopting a wait‑and‑see posture after earlier threatening intervention.

Basketball

US charges 20 people with rigging college, Chinese basketball games

NEW YORK, Jan ‌15 (Reuters) - Pennsylvania federal prosecutors charged 20 people with rigging bets on college ‌and Chinese professional basketball games, according to an indictment unsealed on ‌Thursday, the latest case to accuse athletes of cheating at legalized sports betting that has exploded in popularity in the U.S. 

World

Explosion causes large fire in Dutch town of Utrecht, four injured

AMSTERDAM, Jan 15 (Reuters) - ‌Several people were injured after a ‌major blast caused a fire in ‌a building in the center of Utrecht, one of the Netherlands' largest cities, on Thursday afternoon.

World

UK GDP edges up 0.1 percent in September-November period: ONS

LONDON, Jan. 15 (Xinhua) -- Britain's economy expanded marginally during the period from September to November 2025, with real gross domestic product (GDP) rising by 0.1 percent compared with the three months to August, estimates from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed Thursday.