Headlines

Luciano Benavides wins Dakar bike title by two seconds

Argentina's Luciano Benavides won the Dakar Rally bike title by a mere two seconds in Saudi Arabia on Saturday. Second in the 13th and closing stage was enough for the 30-year-old KTM rider to deny Honda's American two-time champion Ricky Brabec and secure his debut Dakar

Trump taps Tony Blair, US military head for Gaza

US President Donald Trump on Friday gave a key role in post-war Gaza to former British prime minister Tony Blair and appointed a US officer to lead a nascent security force. Trump named members of a board to help supervise Gaza that was dominated by Americans, as he promotes a

Syrian president declares Kurdish a national language

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decree on Friday declaring Kurdish a "national language", in an apparent gesture of good will towards the minority following clashes in recent days. The decree is the first formal recognition of Kurdish national rights since Syria's

Death toll in Iran protests over 3,000, rights group says

DUBAI, Jan 17 (Reuters) - More than 3,000 people have died in Iran's nationwide protests, rights activists said on Saturday, while a "very slight rise" in internet activity was reported in the country after an eight-day blackout. The U.S.-based HRANA group said it had verified

Local UK police chief retires amid Maccabi fan ban row

A top UK police chief who oversaw a contentious decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans from a Birmingham match retired on Friday after public pressure for him to step down. West Midlands Police and its chief constable Craig Guildford, 52, have been under mounting