CAIRO (Sputnik) - Russia and African countries have agreed to strengthen cooperation in the spheres of politics and security following the Second Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Saturday. "The joint statement also contain»»»

Pope Leo XIV has summoned the world’s cardinals for two days of meetings to help him govern the church, the Vatican said Saturday, in the clearest sign yet that the new year will signal the unofficial start of his pontificate. The consistory, as such gatherings are called, will be held Jan. 7-8, im»»»

DOHA:This evening, the events organised by the Ministry of Culture to celebrate the country's National Day concluded after 11 days at the Darb Al Saai site in Umm Salal. The National Day events organising committee announced that Darb Al Saai witnessed a large public turnout, reaching approximately»»»

Ivaylo Mirchev, co-chair of Yes, Bulgaria, one of the partners in the Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) coalition, has said that if any change in this country is to happen, it will only occur when they secure an absolute majority. "Anything short of 121 MPs implies compromises and a»»»

An exclusive investigation by UK’s The Guardian has found companies hiring hundreds of Colombian fighters for Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces. A one-bedroom flat off north London’s Creighton Road in Tottenham is, according to UK government records, tied to a transnational network of companies involved»»»

Doha: Weather, inshore, until 6am on Sunday will be cold and scattered clouds with chance of light rain at places, hazy by late night, the Department of Meteorology said in its daily weather report. Offshore, it will be partly cloudy with chance of scattered rain at northern area thundery at times,»»»

Former Bikram Police Station Station House Officer (SHO) Vinod Kumar in Patna has been found guilty in an internal investigation for accepting gifts during his farewell ceremony from individuals allegedly linked to sand and liquor mafia, as well as other persons with criminal backgrounds. Departmen»»»

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has spoken by phone with his British counterpart Yvette Cooper, an Iranian foreign ministry statement said on Saturday, in a rare case of direct contact between the two countries. The ministry said that in Friday's call the ministers "stressed the need to cont»»»

The UAE Lottery’s Lucky Day Draw No. 251220, held on Saturday, saw three winners each take home Dh100,000 under the guaranteed Lucky Chance ID cash prize category. The winning numbers from the Days set were set were 15, 17, 24, 6, 27 and 18, while the winning number from the Months set was 8. The L»»»

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi on Saturday reiterated calls for structural changes in the UN Security Council to grant Africa a larger role in shaping global decisions. El-Sisi made the plea for a “more pluralistic” world order at a conference of the Russia-Africa partnership held in Cairo,»»»

Three men have been arrested for allegedly raping a woman who knocked on their hotel room door by mistake on Wednesday night. The 30-year-old nurse was on her way to meet her friend, who was staying at the same establishment, when she knocked on room 205 instead of 105. Instead of pointing out the »»»

Ankara, Dec 20 (SANA) Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler underscored the strategic importance of stability and security in Syria for Turkey’s national security, highlighting the growing coordination between Ankara and Damascus. Speaking to media representatives in Ankara on Saturday, Guler said t»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE on Saturday welcomed renewed calls by the United States for an immediate halt to fighting in Sudan, stressing the urgency of easing a conflict that has pushed millions into displacement and deepened one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al »»»

The official visit of President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov to Japan, which took place on December 18–20, has concluded, the presidential press service reported. According to the press service, on December 18 the head of state met with Emperor of Japan Naruhito. During the meeting, issues »»»

A Pakistani court on Saturday sentenced former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 17 years in prison after it found them guilty of corruption over the selling of expensive gifts they were given while in office. Khan has been in prison since 2023 on multiple corruption convictions»»»

Two men have been arrested for possessing more than 400 kilograms of untaxed hookah tobacco with an estimated value exceeding BGN 100,000, Radostin Angelov, head of the Seventh Precinct Police Department in Sofia, said at a news briefing on Saturday. Angelov said that during a specialized police op»»»

During his official visit to Japan, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov held talks with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in Tokyo. According to the presidential press service, they discussed deepening bilateral cooperation in the political, economic, cultural, and humanitarian spheres, incr»»»

US President Donald Trump is ​set to be briefed by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that any expansion ‌of ‌Iran's ‌ballistic ⁠missile ​program ‌poses a threat that could necessitate swift action, NBC News reported on Saturday. Israeli ⁠officials are ‌concerned that Iran ‍is ‍reconstituti»»»

DOHA: The Qatar Meteorology Department has announced that Sunday marks the start of the Winter solstice, signalling the astronomical beginning of winter. Winter solstice marks the end of Autumn and the beginning of winter astronomically. This happens every year because of the 23.5° tilt of the Eart»»»

Twelve people, of whom six are minors, were arrested as suspected members of a criminal group selling cocaine and cannabis mainly in a private school in the northern suburbs of Athens. Police said they have captured the alleged leader of the group, aged 20, and his deputy, aged 19. Both were brough»»»

It may be getting tougher to spot conmen, especially in the digital era, but Dubai Police is quick to point out ways to be vigilant. Its most recent advice has been to be wary of people claiming to be from banks or official entities and asking for an OTP. “Remember that banks and official entities »»»

A paraplegic engineer from Germany blasted off on a dream-come-true rocket ride with five other passengers Saturday, leaving her wheelchair behind to float in space while beholding Earth from on high. Severely injured in a mountain bike accident seven years ago, Michaela Benthaus became the first w»»»

Kurdistan broadcaster Rudaw quoted the ​vice president of Iraq's state oil company SOMO as saying ‌on Saturday that ‌the ‌oil ⁠export ​deal ‌between Baghdad and Erbil is set to be renewed with ⁠out issues, Reuters reported. In September, ‌Iraq restarted ‍the ‍export of ‍oil from its Kurdish region »»»

Doha, Dec 20 (SANA) The head of Syria’s Central Authority for Control and Inspection(CACI), Amer al-Ali, affirmed that combating corruption is a strategic and irreversible choice, and a fundamental basis for rebuilding the state on the principles of good governance and the rule of law in Syria. In »»»

Gaza: The death toll from the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, has risen to 70,925 in addition to 171,185 wounded. The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip stated in a statement today that 13 martyrs arrived at Gaza Strip hospitals in the past 24 hours, along with 20 wound»»»

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight from Jeddah to Lahore made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia, reports The Express Tribune. Also Read: PIA expands network with new international flightThe incident occurred after a technical alert was received mid-air, causing oxygen masks to deploy»»»

A passenger train smashed into a herd of elephants in India's northeast, killing seven animals on the spot, officials said Saturday. No travellers were injured in the accident in Assam state, home to more than 4,000 of the roughly 22,000 wild elephants in India. Senior Assam police official V.V. Ra»»»

Doha: Qatar National Bank (QNB) confirmed that copper is currently entering a clearly defined phase of structural transformation in global commodity markets. In its weekly commentary, QNB noted that despite cyclical volatility and macroeconomic pressures, the metal remains attractively valued in re»»»

The 2024 decision to create a separate unmanned systems branch in the Russian Armed Forces created a “backbone upon which the armed forces of all other branches and services will rely,” National Defense magazine editor-in-chief Igor Korotchenko told Sputnik, commenting on the popularity of drone op»»»

Current developments regarding the Ukraine conflict are “clearly conducive to the cessation of hostilities,” Chinese political analyst Zhou Chengyang told Sputnik. “Choosing a peaceful path and bringing the conflict to an end at the negotiating table as soon as possible is the best outcome” for Rus»»»

Holding presidential elections is possible even under martial law, Lebanese expert Asef Melhem told Sputnik, commenting on Vladimir Putin’s statement about Russia’s readiness to consider ensuring security during possible elections in Ukraine. “The Ukrainian law and constitution were bypassed under »»»

A Pakistani court convicted and sentenced imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi on Saturday to 17 years in prison after finding them guilty of retaining and selling state gifts, officials and his party said. The couple pleaded not guilty when they were indicted last y»»»

Jordan's army participated ​in the US strikes on ISIS ‌targets ‌in ‌Syria ⁠on ​Friday, state-owned ‌Jordan TV said on Saturday. The US military ⁠launched large-scale ‌strikes ‍against dozens ‍of ISIS targets in Syria on ​Friday in retaliation for an ⁠attack on American personnel, US officials said.»»»

JEDDAH: Chairperson of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) and a member of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) HE Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah affirmed that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Ban»»»

The drama over the EU’s efforts to seize Russian Central Bank assets trapped in the bloc’s jurisdiction continues to intensify, with President Putin characterizing the plans as “robbery” in broad daylight, and Viktor Orban calling the move to deprive Hungary of a voice on the matter a “crossing the»»»

Elon Musk's 2018 pay package from Tesla, once worth $56 billion, was restored by the Delaware ​Supreme Court on Friday, nearly two years after a lower court struck down the compensation deal as "unfathomable." The ruling overturns a decision that had prompted a furious backlash from Musk and damage»»»

Danish shipping company Maersk said that one of its vessels had successfully navigated the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait for the first time in nearly two years, as shipping companies weigh returning to the critical Asia-Europe trade corridor. The company stated that while it had no firm plans to»»»

WASHINGTON: The following text was issued by the governments of the State of Qatar and the United States of America: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HESheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani,and Secretary of State of the United States of AmericaHE Marco Rubio held the sev»»»

Doha, Qatar: Lawh Wa Qalam: Maqbool Fida Husain Museum, established by Qatar Foundation, has launched a Learning and Outreach Program, beginning a new phase of educational programming following the museum's recent opening to the public. The Learning and Outreach Program will run from December 21-31»»»

Boeing on Friday asked the Federal Aviation Administration for a waiver of airplane emissions rules to allow ​it to sell another 35 Boeing 777F freighters, citing strong customer demand and a delay in the next-generation plane's certification. The rules take effect in 2028. Boeing said the next-gen»»»

Jeddah: Chairperson of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) and a member of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), HE Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah affirmed that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Ba»»»

Washington: The following text was issued by the governments of the State of Qatar and the United States of America: HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and HE Marco Rubio, Secretary of State of the United States of America, held t»»»

Amman, Dec 20 (SANA) – The Jordanian Armed Forces announced Saturday that the Royal Jordanian Air Force joined coalition operations in carrying out airstrikes against ISIS positions in southern Syria. In an official statement, the military confirmed that the strikes were conducted in coordination w»»»

Every animal with a brain needs sleep — and even a few without a brain do, too. Humans sleep, birds sleep, whales sleep and even jellyfish sleep. Sleep is universal “even though it’s actually very risky,” said Paul-Antoine Libourel, a researcher at the Neuroscience Research Center of Lyon in France»»»

Christmas is a Christian holiday that observes the birth of Jesus. But did you know that the earliest followers of Jesus did not annually commemorate his birth? Or that Santa Claus is inspired by the acts of kindness of a fourth-century Christian saint? And have you heard about the modern-day Japan»»»

Sometimes kids drop the phone after hearing Santa won't show up if they're not asleep. Others who call the NORAD Tracks Santa hotline wonder if St. Nick will be able to find them. Adults who also remain devoted to the jolly figure said to deliver presents around the world are checking up on his jou»»»

KUWAIT, Dec 20 (KUNA) - Kuwait's Minister of Commerce and Industry Khalifa Al-Ojail congratulated on Saturday His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on the second anniversary of assumption of power.Speaking to KUNA, Al-Ojail said His Highness the Amir's directives have embod»»»

Poland’s president stated that strategic security cooperation with Ukraine remains strong and that President Volodymyr Zelensky’s visit to Warsaw sends a negative signal to Moscow. Speaking after talks at the Presidential Palace, President Karol Nawrocki emphasized that Poland, Ukraine, and democra»»»

The EU has placed housing affordability at the center of its policy agenda, but in Poland the main obstacle is not funding alone. According to industry experts, the European Affordable Housing Plan correctly diagnoses key problems such as insufficient supply, high construction costs, lengthy admini»»»

After eight years of administrative and court proceedings, the Portico Marina project has obtained a final, legally binding building permit. The delays were caused mainly by repeated appeals from neighboring residents and unclear provisions in the local zoning plan, not by regulatory non-compliance»»»