ST. PETERSBURG (Sputnik) - Russian special presidential envoy for economic cooperation with foreign countries, Kirill Dmitriev, during his talks in Miami should obtain information on Washington's contacts with Ukrainians and Europeans, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday. "Dmitriev shoul»»»

Gold prices in Egypt continued their upward trajectory last week, rising by 0.8% in local markets, while global gold prices gained about 1%, driven by expectations that the US Federal Reserve will maintain a monetary easing cycle in 2026, according to a report by iSagha. Saied Embaby, CEO of iSagha»»»

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has mocked EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, suggesting that she believes she can do better against Russia than Napoleon and Adolf Hitler did. Speaking at a conference in the southern Hungarian city of Szeged, Orban argued that many European countries view t»»»

One day before the announced opposition protest, workers began installing metal shields on the façade of the Prime Minister’s Office facing the main boulevard “Dëshmorët e Kombit” in Tirana. The protest is scheduled to take place on Monday, December 22, at 18:00. The protective barriers were placed»»»

Israel's security cabinet has approved the recognition of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank as the government continues its settlement expansion push. Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a settler who proposed the move alongside Defence Minister Israel Katz, said the decision wa»»»

ST. PETERSBURG (Sputnik) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said that measures aimed at further deepening interaction within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) would be discussed at the leaders' summit in St. Petersburg on Sunday. "I am pleased to welcome you all. Today, as is customary, we will su»»»

A high-profile graft scandal unfolded in Ukraine in November when the National Anti-Corruption Bureau watchdog targeted a murky scheme in the country’s energy sector. Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov appealed to FBI Director Kash Patel with a request to pro»»»

The EU’s failure to grab frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine will reinforce Washington’s view of the bloc as an irrelevant and “impotent force,” British outlet The Economist reported on Friday. EU leaders had long debated providing cash-strapped Kiev a so-called ‘reparations loan’ backed by Ru»»»

Agadir: Mohamed Salah has shown no signs of being distracted by the uncertainty surrounding his future at Liverpool as he prepares to lead Egypt into the Africa Cup of Nations, Pharaohs coach Hossam Hassan said on Sunday. "Salah's morale in training is very high, as if he were just starting out wit»»»

Tunis, Tunisia: The 36th Carthage Film Festival was capped off on Saturday evening at the Opera Theatre of the City of Culture in Tunis. The feature film The Stories was crowned winner of the Golden Tanit for feature-length fiction films, while the Silver Tanit went to the Nigerian film My Father's»»»

Share: The PM says the part of the plan on south of the Litani River is ‘only days away from completion’. Lebanon is close to completing the disarmament of Hezbollah in the south of the Litani River before a year-end deadline as part of a ceasefire deal with Israel, according to Prime Minister Nawa»»»

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Police and the Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority have urged residents to follow strict safety guidelines when using heating devices and firewood during the winter season, warning that improper use could lead to fires or dangerous cases of suffocation. The call comes as part of »»»

Saudi Arabia has surpassed its record for the number of executions carried out annually for a second year in a row. At least 347 people have now been put to death this year, up from a total of 345 in 2024, according to the UK-based campaign group Reprieve, which tracks executions in Saudi Arabia an»»»

Farmers have planned new roadblocks on Sunday in western Greece, while ongoing blockades in the country’s north continue to disrupt traffic. Some farmers’ groups have announced they will unblock highways from Tuesday through Friday to facilitate Christmas travel, before reassessing their actions ah»»»

US President Donald Trump is preparing for a more aggressive immigration crackdown in 2026 with billions in new funding, including by raiding more workplaces — even as backlash builds ahead of next year’s midterm elections. Trump has already surged immigration agents into major US cities, where the»»»

Mourners in Australia have fallen silent in honour of the victims of the Bondi beach attack. The memorial was part of a national day of reflection to mark a week since the shooting in which two gunmen opened fire on an event celebrating the Jewish festival of Hannukah. A 10-year-old girl, a British»»»

London: From school and university canteens to football stadiums and theatres, venison is muscling in on beef as UK chefs hunt for greener options. As climate change concerns mount, some catering services are turning to deer meat as a low-carbon alternative to farmed livestock like beef. Since the »»»

The National Assembly building in Seoul. Photo by Asia Today Dec. 19 (Asia Today) -- A South Korean civic group said most retired National Assembly officials subject to post-employment screening were cleared to take private-sector jobs, calling the results evidence of a serious revolving-door probl»»»

Madrid: Kylian Mbappe matched Cristiano Ronaldo's club record for goals in a calendar year and Jude Bellingham also scored as Real Madrid beat Sevilla 2-0 on Saturday in La Liga. French superstar Mbappe levelled Ronaldo's tally of 59 goals in 2013 by stroking home a late penalty, after Bellingham s»»»

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the presidential office in Seoul, South Korea, on 14 October 2025. File Photo by EPA/YONHAP Dec. 19 (Asia Today) -- President Lee Jae-myung on Friday told the Unification Ministry to take the lead in easing inter-Korean hostili»»»

Dubai: Looking for a government job in 2026? Expat professionals have a growing range of opportunities in Dubai and across the UAE as the government expands roles in healthcare, technology, infrastructure, and education. Check out the latest jobs in the UAEWith federal vacancies set to rise and sev»»»

At least 16 Jeffrey Epstein–related files abruptly disappeared from the Justice Department’s public website within a day of their release. The unexplained missing files, including an image with a photo of President Donald Trump, fuelled speculation online about what was taken down and why the publi»»»

Rabat: Morocco carry a huge weight of expectation into their opening game at the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday as the hosts, with star man Achraf Hakimi returning from injury, aim to see off stiff competition to claim continental glory. Senegal, reigning champions Ivory Coast, Mohamed Salah's Egy»»»

Dubai: Pakistan continues to face shortage of US dollars in the open market, with many currency exchanges “only selling what they buy,” creating difficulties for travellers and students alike. Multiple exchange outlets in major cities of Pakistan revealed a dearth of greenbacks, with some dealers s»»»

At least 16 files disappeared from the Justice Department’s public webpage for documents related to Jeffrey Epstein — including a photograph showing President Donald Trump — less than a day after they were posted, with no explanation from the government and no notice to the public. The missing file»»»

Manila, Philippines: The Philippines' Department of Agriculture on Sunday said the ban on sugar importation will remain in place until December next year, extending protection for local producers amid improving supply conditions. "Based on the current outlook for sugar production and demand, a long»»»

Dubai: If you are one of those drivers who likes to cruise along in the fast lane, you might want to think twice. Authorities in Dubai have once again issued a stern reminder about a traffic rule that many motorists continue to violate, and it could cost you Dh400. The Roads and Transport Authority»»»

Dubai: A special court has sentenced former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 17 years in prison in the Toshakhana-II case, which revolves around allegations that the couple retained a Saudi gift at a fraction of its value. The case concerns a Bulgari jewellery set give»»»

Bulgaria has never abstained when it came to the freezing of Russian assets and voted in favor of their long-term freeze, outgoing Foreign Minister Georg Georgiev told Bulgarian National Television on Sunday. He was asked to clarify Bulgaria’s position after this country, along with Italy, Belgium,»»»

With the start of the holiday season, Bulgaria is seeing the early stages of a flu wave, and the Pernik region has already recorded a particularly high incidence of 240 cases per 100,000 people, twice the national average. Speaking on Nova TV, Prof. Iva Hristova, director of the National Center for»»»

Brussels’ policy forces local authorities to adopt strict austerity measures, cancel holiday events, and abandon traditional lighting, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. In the EU, including its economic heart, Germany, amid authorities' failure to save New Year and Christma»»»

The Kremlin on Sunday denied that three-way talks between Ukraine, Russia and the United States were on the cards, as diplomats gathered in Miami for talks on ending the conflict. "At present, no one has seriously discussed this initiative, and to my knowledge, it is not in preparation," Russian Pr»»»

Washington, United States: The United States "apprehended" an oil tanker off Venezuela on Saturday, a move Caracas deemed a "theft and kidnapping," in the latest salvo of a pressure campaign by Washington, the US government said. It was the second time in two weeks that US forces have interdicted a»»»

The head of Iraq's highest judicial body said Saturday that the leaders of armed factions have agreed to cooperate on the sensitive issue of the state's monopoly on weapons. However, the powerful Kataib Hezbollah group said that it would only discuss giving up its arms when foreign troops leave the»»»

Germany’s mass-circulation tabloid Bild published a sharply critical piece targeting outgoing Bulgarian Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov, focusing on his behavior during a high-level EU summit dedicated to major geopolitical and economic decisions. In the article, Bild describes how Zhelyazkov drew »»»

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said he is confident that provisions that Europeans and Ukrainians are trying to introduce into the draft peace plan will not bring about long-term stability. "I am more than confident that the provisions that Europeans and Ukrainians have introduced and are trying to impl»»»

North Korea said on Sunday that Japan's nuclear ambitions "must be prevented at any cost", after a Tokyo official reportedly suggested the country should possess atomic weapons. Pyongyang's reaction came after the unnamed official in the prime minister's office was quoted by Kyodo News on Thursday »»»

Bulgaria has received close to 70 billion leva, or roughly 35.8 billion euro, in grant funding from the start of the transition period (1990s) up to 2024, according to an analysis by the Institute for Market Economy. The volume of grants has grown steadily over time, with more than half of all fund»»»

The Saudi capital underwent an unprecedented structural shift in its real estate market in 2025, driven by a forward-looking agenda led by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. Far from incremental regulation, the year’s measures amounted to a deep corrective overhaul aimed a»»»

US forces on Saturday stopped an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela for the second time in less than two weeks, following President Donald Trump’s announcement of a blockade on sanctioned vessels. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the operation, carried out with the Defense Department»»»

The civic movement Third March (Treti Mart) has formally launched procedures to register as a political party, announcing its intentions at a meeting in Nessebar, Bulgaria. The decision was presented by the chairman of the movement, Tihomir Atanasov, who said an initiative committee has already bee»»»

EU taxpayers will have to pay €3 billion a year in borrowing costs to finance Kiev’s collapsing economy and military under a newly approved loan scheme, Politico reported on Friday, citing senior bloc officials. Kiev’s European backers this week failed to approve a ‘reparations loan’ that would hav»»»

Dubai: Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has opened two new bridges under the Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project, marking a significant milestone in efforts to ease congestion at one of the city’s most critical transport nodes. The bridges, which opened ahead of the planned mid-J»»»

Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri denied on Saturday that the appointment of civilian negotiators between Lebanon and Israel means that political negotiations have been launched between the two neighbors. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the negotiating team is primarily tasked with ensuring »»»

Damascus, Dec. 21 (SANA) Syria’s General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport said it is close to completing the installation of an advanced air navigation system at Damascus International Airport, aimed at reducing disruptions caused by poor weather, particularly dense fog. In a statement»»»

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»»»

Doha, Qatar: Oil prices edged up on Friday on possible disruptions from a US blockade of Venezuelan tankers as the market waits for news about a possible Russia-Ukraine peace deal. Brent crude futures settled at $60.47, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude finished at $56.66. For the week, »»»

Dubai: Motor insurance policies in the UAE classified as comprehensive will cover damage caused by heavy rain and flooding, provided the weather event is not officially declared a natural disaster, a senior insurance official has confirmed. Mohammed Mazhar Hamadeh, Vice Chairman of the Higher Techn»»»

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi is moving at an accelerated pace toward developing one of the region’s most intelligent and integrated transport systems, with the implementation of a real-time smart traffic safety management system that represents a qualitative leap in monitoring, analysis, and decision-makin»»»

US intelligence reports continue to warn that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not abandoned his aims of capturing all of Ukraine and reclaiming parts of Europe that belonged to the former Soviet empire, six sources familiar with US intelligence said, even as negotiators seek an end to the war »»»