Secular News

President Trump and top Iranian officials exchanged dueling threats Friday as widening economic protests swept across parts of the Islamic Republic, further escalating tensions between the countries.

The Belarusian state has freed hundreds of people considered political prisoners in a bid to improve ties with the West. Among those still behind bars are some 200 convicted of fighting on Ukraine’s side, planning to do so, or otherwise supporting Kyiv’s defense against the Russian invasion.

Authorities say about 40 people were killed and more than 100 injured after a deadly fire at a New Year’s celebration in the Swiss Alps. Swiss officials say the fire caused a sudden explosive ignition. The exact cause of the blaze is under investigation. NBC's Daniele Hamamdjian reports for TODAY.

Netflix’s proposed US$72 billion takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery is stirring concern across India’s entertainment sector, with local players warning that the deal could accelerate a shift away from cinemas and intensify competition in the streaming space. The deal – one of the biggest in the global entertainment industry in years – is expected to strengthen Netflix’s position at the top of the global streaming market by giving it a more extensive content library, including titles from the...

High winds postponed the string band competition of the New Year's Day Mummers parade, but the winners of the Fancy and Wench brigades were announced.

Opinion: Government can act in the peoples' best interest and fight for their quality of life

China’s top party journal has called for a stronger package of policies implemented in one go – rather than through “piecemeal-style steps” – to stabilise the country’s struggling property sector, as the market remains vital to the domestic economy and consumer demand. The article published by Qiushi, the Communist Party’s leading theoretical journal, said policymakers should take concrete steps to stabilise the property market, urging them to implement measures that are “aligned with market...

Historical science fiction action film Back to the Past, starring actors Louis Koo Tin-lok and Raymond Lam Fung, has broken the opening-day record for a Chinese film despite a gloomy box office last year. Hong Kong’s box office sank to a 14-year low of HK$1.13 billion (US$145.2 million) in 2025 from a year earlier amid a wave of cinema shutdowns, according to data compiled by industry body Hong Kong Box Office Limited on Friday. Last year’s best performing films – both locally produced and from...

Video shows the moment a New Year’s Eve reveller attempted to put out the flames of a deadly fire at a Swiss ski resort bar that has killed at least 47 people.

Axel Clavier said he felt like he was suffocating inside the Swiss Alpine bar where moments before he'd been ringing in the new year with friends and dozens of other revelers.

Protests over Iran's economy turn deadly

James Dickens will make the first defence of his WBA super-featherweight title against Belfast's Anthony Cacace in Dublin in March.