The construction of 17 small hydropower plants is planned for 2026, and 19 new hydropower plants in 2027. Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Adylbek Kasymaliev said at a session of the Zhogorku Kenesh. According to him, total energy production was increased to 117.8 megawatts in 2024. «Eight smal»»»

Russia’s Perm Krai has increased timber exports to Kyrgyzstan sixfold. Statistics from the regional office of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor) say. It is noted that Perm Krai is expanding economic cooperation with Central Asian countries. From Janu»»»

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi-based sovereign investor ADQ has closed a $5 billion syndicated financing deal with Asian financial institutions, marking its first borrowing in the Greater China region and drawing demand more than three times the initial target. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheq»»»

Doha, Qatar: “Working with sourdough teaches you to listen,” goes a popular quote by American baker and educator Peter Reinhart. This is probably why expat baker and the Managing Director of Bloom Bakehouse, formerly Bakemart Qatar, T K Khaleel, sitting in his Qatar office speaks sparingly. A perso»»»

Doha, Qatar: Hamad Medical Corporation’s Rumailah Hospital has achieved a major international milestone after its Department of Geriatrics became the first service worldwide outside the United Kingdom to receive Developmental Accreditation from the Memory Services National Accreditation Programme (»»»

Fifty-two residents of a Ukrainian village have been taken to Russia by invading forces in a cross-border raid on the village of Hrabovske, authorities in Kyiv say. Thirteen Ukrainian soldiers were also captured in the border village in the northeastern Sumy region. The attack occurred at night on »»»

The National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (NIMH) has issued a first-level yellow code alert for heavy precipitation on Wednesday for seven regions across Bulgaria, according to the institute’s weather warning map. In the northwestern regions of Vidin, Vratsa and Montana, rain is expected »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani held a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday. "I know that yesterday [on Tuesday] you had a very good conversation with president Putin, during which you discusse»»»

A fire broke out in a central bank branch in Gorna Oryahovitsa after banknotes contaminated with mothballs ignited, destroying around 30,000 leva, while another 170,000 leva stored in the vault remained intact. The incident happened late on Tuesday afternoon. An elderly man went to the bank to depo»»»

They’ve done it! It took three years to develop but now, a new ‘quick-release’ system has been designed in the UK that will help hijab-wearing police officers in their line of duty. BBC has reported that the new headwear, which takes both modesty and practicality into account, was designed by resea»»»

Dubai: A digital creator behind the viral Emirates Dubai Air Hotel video that fooled millions has spoken out about how news outlets transformed his AI-generated concept into a real project proposal with fabricated price tags and specifications that never existed in his original post. On Sunday, Gul»»»

The Transfusion Hematology Centre of Sofia's Military Medical Academy (MMA) marked its anniversary on Tuesday with a record number of blood donors, the MMA press office said. Nearly 8,000 people donated blood over the past 12 months, the highest number in the Centre’s history. In previous years, th»»»

In Kyrgyzstan, 45 kidney transplants were performed using state budget funds in two years. Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Adylbek Kasymaliev said at a plenary session of the Zhogorku Kenesh. He stated that this demonstrates that healthcare remains a key social policy priority. «In 2024, 36.3 »»»

Every time you think the Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor story must have finished, there is another twist. The latest batch of documents from the Epstein files includes emails that could further damage his reputation. Or perhaps his reputation is already at rock bottom and this will only reinforce exist»»»

An email sent from an individual named "A", saying they are at Balmoral and asking Ghislaine Maxwell for "inappropriate friends", is among the latest tranche of Epstein files released on Tuesday. The message, sent to Maxwell on 16 August 2001, begins: "I am up here at Balmoral Summer Camp for the R»»»

London. BP agreed to sell a 65% stake in its Castrol lubricants business to Stonepeak Partners at an enterprise value of $10.1 billion, generating around $6 billion in net proceeds to slash net debt. The deal marks a key step in BP's $20 billion divestment push, with over half now completed or anno»»»

Moscow, Dec. 24 (SANA) Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani on Wednesday affirmed that Syrian-Russian relations are entering a new era based on mutual respect. During his meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Moscow, al-Shaibani said: “We continue the r»»»

New York, Dec. 24 (SANA) The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Wednesday that humanitarian needs across Syria “remain severe,” with 16.5 million people, nearly two-thirds of the population, still requiring assistance. The UN News website quoted OCHA as s»»»

Tunis, Dec. 24 (TAP)- The weather on Wednesday is slightly to partly cloudy in most regions, the National Institute of Meteorology said. The wind is blowing west relatively strong to strong near coasts and light to moderate elsewhere. Wind gusts are...»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE is leveraging its booming tourism sector to create jobs, foster innovation, and empower entrepreneurs, supported by over Dh33 billion in national funding programmes. Tourism, which contributes significantly to GDP, has emerged as a cornerstone of the UAE’s economic diversificatio»»»

Global technology company, SLB, has been awarded a five-year contract by Saudi Aramco to provide stimulation services for its unconventional gas fields, the company said in a statement on Tuesday. The move is part of a broader multi-billion contract, supporting one of the largest unconventional gas»»»

Spokesperson of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi said on Tuesday that his country’s naval, ground, and missile forces are ready to confront any threat or hostile scenario. Speaking at a meeting at Sharif University, Shekarchi said much of Iran’s military capabilities ha»»»

The Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry of Kyrgyzstan has launched a pilot automated information system (AIS) for processing applications for tariff quotas. The platform has transitioned meat import management to a digital format, eliminating paperwork, the ministry rep»»»

In 2024, at least 263,100 jobs were created, and another 229,200 were created in the first nine months of 2025. Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Adylbek Kasymaliev announced during a plenary session of the Zhogorku Kenesh. According to him, the country has seen significant employm»»»

Skopje, 22 December 2025 (MIA) – Construction of energy facilities with a total capacity of 1,265 MW is planned for 2025, representing about €1.4 billion in investments, Minister of Energy, Mining and Mineral Resources Sanja Bozhinovska said Monday. As Bozhinovska informed during a briefing with jo»»»

Kyrgyzstan is set to undergo large-scale transformations over the next five years. Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Adylbek Kasymaliev said today at a session of the Zhogorku Kenesh. According to him, the state continues to implement major strategic infrastructure projects outline»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want to engage in a direct conflict with NATO, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has said. NATO chief Mark Rutte claimed earlier this month that “we are Russia’s next target” once the Ukraine conflict ends. He suggested that Moscow “could be ready to »»»

Dubai: Father Christmas is making his annual dash around the world, and Flightradar24’s live tracker has him locked in. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.According to a festive version of global flight monitoring, Santa 1 — aircraft type: Sleigh — departed the North Pole»»»

Doha, Qatar: Under the patronage of Qatar International Islamic Bank, the seventh edition of the Padel Championship for Qatari students in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland concluded. The tournament was organised by the Cultural Attaché in cooperation with the Qatar Padel Federation, w»»»

Dubai: British buyers arriving in the UAE property market often bring expectations shaped by the UK’s predictable mortgage system, slower price cycles and uniform ownership structures. Those assumptions can lead to costly mistakes when they try to move quickly in a market that functions differently»»»

Turnover from market services mainly provided to businesses rose in the first ten months of the year, both in unadjusted terms, by 1.5%, and working day and seasonally adjusted series, by 1.4%, compared with the same period in 2024, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INS),»»»

* A recent study reveals the pressure on holiday spending: lower budget for 51% of Romanians, up 17% compared to last year. The annual study conducted by Reveal Marketing Research ahead of the holidays aims to provide a clear picture of how Romanians’ plans for the winter holidays are evolving, as »»»

Almost half of Romanians expect to spend much less or less over the winter holidays compared with last year, while 18% say they will spend more or much more, according to a survey conducted by the Avangarde Group for Socio-Behavioural Studies.Some 25% said they will spend much less (22% in urban ar»»»

The unemployment rate registered at the national level at the end of November was 3.28%, higher than the previous month by 0.07 percentage points, with the number of unemployed men exceeding that of women, the National Employment Agency (ANOFM) reported on Tuesday.The total number of registered une»»»

The volume of non-performing loans outsourced by September was 351,6 million lei and in 2024 it was 231,8 million lei (non-financial companies and population), stated Cristian Popa, member in the Board of the BNR.Almost half of Romanians say they will spend less over the winter holidays (survey)The»»»

The Government okayed, in Tuesday's meeting, at the proposal of the Ministry of Development, an emergency ordinance prioritizing investments financed by Ministry of Development, Public Works and Administration (MDLPA) in 2026.According to a press release from MDLPA , for the objectives financed by »»»

The minimum turnover tax (IMCA) will be reduced from 1% to 0.5% starting in 2026, with the system set to be completely eliminated from the 2027 fiscal year, while a single flat rate of 1% is proposed for the micro-enterprise income tax, according to the draft Emergency Ordinance on certain fiscal m»»»

The budget deficit recorded in November stood at 6.4% of GDP, compared with 7.15% of GDP last year, amounting to RON 121 billion versus RON 125 billion, Finance Minister Alexandru Nazare announced on Tuesday evening at a briefing held at the end of the Government meeting."I have good news regarding»»»

A recent IRSOP survey titled “Fear of the Neighbor’s Fire” highlights widespread concerns among Romanians regarding global security risks and the country’s own safety amid ongoing tensions in Eastern Europe. The survey, conducted between December 15–19, 2025, interviewed 1,010 adults across Romania»»»

The "Ambassador Mihnea Constantinescu" National Award for outstanding merits in combating anti-semitism, xenophobia, radicalization and hate speech was awarded for 2025, on the recommendation of the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, Canada, to Pat Johnson - a public figure with over 30 years »»»

Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Sorin Grindeanu met on Tuesday with Ambassador of the Republic of Korea Rim Kap-soo, at the end of his mission in Romania, occasion on which the two officials reviewed the progress achieved in recent years in bilateral relations."A true friend of Romania and of Ro»»»

The new ministers in the Bolojan Government - Radu Miruta (Defence) and Irineu Darau (Economy) - took the oath of office on Tuesday, within a ceremony held at the Cotroceni Palace. Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan also attended the ceremony.President Nicusor Dan signed on Tuesday the decrees appointing »»»

Foreign Affairs Minister Oana Toiu, who was on a visit to Chisinau on Monday, attended the Annual Meeting of the Diplomacy of the Republic of Moldova and held political consultations with her Moldovan counterpart Mihai Popsoi.The head of Romanian diplomacy was also welcomed by Republic of Moldova P»»»

The Bear Grylls Explorers Camp at Jebel Jais has reopened to visitors after completing safety assessments and maintenance work. The popular adventure camp in Ras Al Khaimah temporarily closed its doors to conduct necessary inspections following recent rainfall in the area. The camp's management dec»»»

On Dec. 24, 1923, President Calvin Coolidge lit the first national Christmas tree on the White House lawn. 1 of 4 | On December 24, 1923, President Calvin Coolidge lit the first national Christmas tree on the White House lawn. File Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress Dec. 24 (UPI) -- On this »»»

If you've never experienced Бъдни вечер (Badni vecher) in Bulgaria, you're missing out on one of the most beautiful and meaningful celebrations in Bulgarian culture. First things first: Christmas Eve in Bulgaria is a fasting day. But don't worry, this doesn't mean you'll go hungry. Quite the opposi»»»

Russia plans to put ​a nuclear power plant on the moon in the next decade to supply its lunar space program and a joint Russian-Chinese research station as major powers rush to explore the earth's only natural satellite. Ever since Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to go into spa»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qur’anic Botanic Garden (QBG), a member of Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU), has collaborated with Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Herfah Program to develop the first Dye Plants Garden at the historic Al Khater house in Education City. This collaboration marks a milestone in strengtheni»»»