Doha, Qatar: The Local Organizing Committee of the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships today announced the final organizational preparations ahead of the tournament's kickoff, which will be hosted by Qatar University at the Sports and Events Complex from December 25 to 31. Speaking at a »»»

Enea Operator, a subsidiary of Enea, has signed a funding agreement with Poland’s National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management (NFOŚiGW) to modernize and expand its electricity distribution network to increase renewable energy connections in rural areas. The project will receive »»»

Damascus: A Syria monitor said Saturday that at least five Islamic State jihadist group members including a cell leader were killed in US strikes overnight after a deadly attack on American troops last weekend. US forces said they struck more than 70 IS targets in what President Donald Trump descri»»»

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Washington is "hopeful" the Lebanese-Israeli negotiations will lead to a potential deal. "The goal everybody shares is a strong Lebanese Government that controls the country and Hezbollah is disarmed. They’re no longer an armed element that can thre»»»

RIYADH, Dec 20 (KUNA) -- Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jasem Al-Budaiwi on Saturday welcomed the United States decision to lift sanctions imposed on Syria under the Caesar Act.In a statement, Al-Budaiwi said the move represents a positive development that would support eff»»»

Dreams do come true in Dubai… twice! Sanil Kumar, a 40-year-old accountant from Kerala, is over the moon after winning Dh100,000 in the Big Ticket draw – for the second time. Also Read: First-time lucky: Indian tailor in Dubai buys Big Ticket in his name, wins Dh100,000The long-time Dubai resident,»»»

Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev said on Saturday he was heading to Miami, where another round of talks to settle the Ukraine war is set to take place. Ukrainian and European teams were also in the sunny American city for the negotiations mediated by Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and the US presi»»»

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Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has published a long-awaited banking draft bill, which distributes losses from the 2019 economic crisis between banks and the state. The draft law is a key demand from the international community, which has conditioned economic aid to Lebanon on financial reforms. In a te»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail) announced that the total number of passengers who used the Doha Metro and Lusail Tram networks during the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup Qatar 2025, from December 1 to 18, 2025, reached 4,924,919 passengers, with 4,712,758»»»

Rabat: Morocco captain and star player Achraf Hakimi is fit and ready for the host nation's Africa Cup of Nations bid but may not start in the tournament's opening game, coach Walid Regragui said on Saturday. "Tomorrow will be my decision but he has more than done his job. His injury was not an eas»»»

On October 6, 2023 - less than 24 hours before the Hamas attack that triggered the Gaza war - Israel gathered intelligence indicating the Palestinian group was planning something for the following morning, Israeli Kan public broadcaster has revealed. The information came through an intelligence-gat»»»

Astronomical winter officially begins in Bulgaria on Sunday, December 21, at 5:03 p.m. local time, marking the shortest day of the year. In Sofia, daylight will last just 9 hours and 3 minutes, according to Pencho Markishki from the Institute of Astronomy at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Space»»»

Islamabad, Pakistan: A Pakistani court ruled former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 17 years on Saturday for corruption involving gifts the jailed leader received while in office. The ruling is the latest legal setback for Khan, who has faced a multitude of cases since his gov»»»

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged the disarmament of Hamas but voiced hope for headway on reaching the next stage of a Gaza ceasefire as regional officials met. Top officials of Qatar and Egypt -- key mediators of the ceasefire -- and regional power Turkey headed Friday to Miami to meet»»»

DOHA: As part of enhancing readiness and improving the efficiency of specialized operations, the Explosives Group of the Internal Security Forces (Lekhwiya) participated in the Marine Clearance and Disposal Course, held in the Republic of France. This participation aimed to elevate the level of rea»»»

Dhaka: Tens of thousands of mourners gathered in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Saturday for the funeral of a student leader, after two days of violent protests over his killing. Huge crowds accompanied the funeral procession of Sharif Osman Hadi, a key figure in last year's pro-democracy uprisin»»»

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Mobility, the emirate’s integrated transport authority, has announced a partial closure of Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed International Road (E11) near Al Mirfa in the Al Dhafra region. The closure is scheduled from Sunday, 21 December 2025, to Saturday, 10 January 2026, affecting tw»»»

Alphabet's Google has advised some employees on US visas to avoid international travel due to delays at embassies, Business Insider reported on Friday, citing an internal email. The email, sent by the company's outside counsel BAL Immigration Law on Thursday, warned staff who need a visa ⁠stamp to »»»

In an interview for the Bulgarian National Television from Friday night, GERB-UDF MP and Chair of the parliamentary Committee on Budget and Finance, Delyan Dobrev, said that the ambition to simultaneously achieve a significant increase in revenues and implement a large investment programme that exc»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian forces have liberated the villages of Vysokoe in the Sumy region and Svetloye in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), the Russian Ministry of Defense said on Saturday. "As a result of decisive actions, Battlegroup Sever liberated the village of Vysokoye in the Sumy re»»»

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has unveiled a new 8-kilometre alternative road providing direct access to the tourist camps in the Al Awir area. The initiative aims to ensure smooth and convenient travel for visitors while meeting the needs of local residents, the RTA said in a social »»»

KUWAIT, Dec 20 (KUNA) -- Kuwaiti Minister of Justice Nasser Al-Sumait expressed his pride and appreciation on Saturday for the journey led by His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, with wisdom in preserving the nation's sovereignty and stability and strengthening its nation»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar will witness the winter solstice for 2025 tomorrow, December 21, marking the end of autumn and the beginning of winter astronomically in the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth. The Qatar Meteorology Department stated that this phenomenon occurs every year due to the 23.5° tilt of t»»»

Russian officials are set to arrive in Florida on Saturday to meet with US negotiators for the latest round of talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. The meeting comes as talks between US, Ukrainian and European negotiators on Friday ended with all sides saying progress had been made on agreeing»»»

Democrats on Friday voiced frustration that the long-awaited release of the Epstein files included many heavily redacted pages, claming it fell far short of what was mandated by the Epstein Files Transparency Act. The latest release includes photos of noted public figures in Epstein's social c»»»

Greece’s top administrative court and the Cyclades Antiquities Authority have halted further construction near the Apokofto Lighthouse on the island of Sifnos, suspending work on four adjacent properties above Chrisopigi beach. The Council of State accepted appeals by residents and ordered a freeze»»»

Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev wrote on Facebook on Saturday that the capital is ready for the adoption of the euro, with no price hikes and even lower public transport fares. He recalled that Sofia Municipality has adopted a package of amendments to municipal ordinances in connection with the introduc»»»

Dubai is once again relishing clear blue skies after heavy rainfalls, with the Government of Dubai Media Office sharing stunning images and video of the city’s skyline, popular attractions, and residents enjoying the refreshed, pleasant weather. Also Read: UAE winter alert: Temperatures dip to 3.5°»»»

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have been sentenced to further jail terms following a fraud case involving state gifts. They were convicted of breaking Pakistan's rules on gifts after Bibi was given a luxury jewellery set by Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman duri»»»

CAIRO, Dec 20 (MENA) – Egypt continued in 2025 to strengthen its regional and international leadership in environmental protection and sustainable development by implementing integrated strategies focused on the transition to a green economy, improved waste management, biodiversity conservation and»»»

The US military has carried out a wave of air strikes against dozens of Islamic State group targets across central Syria, US officials said, in retaliation for a deadly attack on American personnel. The strikes follow President Donald Trump’s pledge to respond after two US soldiers and a civilian i»»»

Washington, Dec.20 (SANA) The U.S. Department of War (Pentagon) announced that U.S. forces carried out strikes at dawn Saturday targeting dozens of ISIS terrorist sites in Syria, in response to its terrorist attack that targeted joint Syrian-American forces near Palmyra last Saturday. Ministry of F»»»

Japan unveiled a five-year goal on Saturday for business projects totalling $19 billion in Central Asia as Tokyo vies for influence in the resource-rich region. The announcement came after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hosted an inaugural summit with the leaders of five Central Asia nations -- Kaza»»»

Russian missile strikes on port infrastructure in Odesa, southern Ukraine, killed eight people and left 27 wounded, Ukraine’s Emergency Service said Saturday morning. The strikes came as Russian envoys are set to travel to Miami to hold talks with US negotiators aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. »»»

Ukrainian Ambassador to Bulgaria, Olesya Ilashchuk, has urged caution against speculation and political interpretations regarding her son’s detention, stressing that any assessments should rely solely on official court decisions, BGNES reported. On December 18, the Pechersk District Court in Kyiv o»»»

Abu Dhabi: Operation Gallant Knight 3 has confirmed the continuation of its extensive humanitarian efforts to support residents of the Gaza Strip, providing urgent aid to displaced communities amid extremely challenging conditions. In a post on X, the operation shared the results of Week 110 of its»»»

A suspect involved in the distribution of synthetic drugs has been detained in Bishkek, the press service of the Main Internal Affairs Department of Bishkek reported. According to the department, on December 18 the State Service on Drug Control received information that synthetic drugs were being s»»»

The Council on Rules, Mandates and Immunity held a lengthy meeting late on Friday, marked by extensive debate over the request concerning the parliamentary immunity of MP Belinda Balluku. After hours of discussion, the Council decided not to reach a conclusion yet, requesting additional time to rev»»»

FacebookTwitterWhatsAppLinkedinCopy URL Following a car bomb attack that assassinated the Egyptian Prosecutor General, Hisham Barakat, on his convoy while was leaving his home last Monday morning near the military academy in Heliopolis, the Egyptian stocks fell down as the Benchmark index, EGX30, d»»»

In a post published in his Facebook account on Friday night, Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) Deputy Floor Leader Bozhidar Bozhanov commented on the reported firing of journalists Maria Tsantsarova and Zlatimir Yochev from bTV. The MP expressed disagreement with the statement that »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Support for Kiev under the EU loan of 90 billion euros will cost participating European countries around 3 billion euros (over $3.5 billion) per year, media reported, citing a high-ranking official in Brussels. The EU loan to Kiev will cost participating EU countries around 3 bil»»»

NEW YORK (Sputnik), Lenka White - A tunnel between Russia and the United States is not only technologically feasible, but it can also help improve economic, security, and people-to-people ties between the two countries, George Papadopoulos, a foreign policy advisor to the first Trump presidential c»»»

In Russia, a citizen of Kyrgyzstan who beat a disabled child has been sentenced to 3.5 years in prison. According to the press service of the Moscow Region Courts of General Jurisdiction, the Voskresensky District Court handed down the verdict, sending the man to a correctional colony for beating a»»»

Mexico City: A pilot refused to take off and barricaded himself in the cockpit of a plane in Mexico City on Friday, staging what he said was a protest over unpaid wages, local media reported. “This plane isn't leaving until they pay us what they owe us,” the pilot told dozens of passengers onboard »»»

NEW YORK (Sputnik) Lenka White - The meeting between Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev and US Rep. Anna Paulina Luna marks "tremendous" progress toward resuming negotiations and business between Russia and the US, George Papadopoulos, a foreign policy advisor to the first Trump presidential cam»»»

DONETSK (Sputnik) - Under the worst-case scenario, shelling of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant by the Ukrainian armed forces could lead to consequences comparable to the Chernobyl and Fukushima tragedies, power plant Director Yury Chernichuk told Sputnik. Yevgeniya Yashina, communications direct»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and US special envoy Steve Witkoff have presented a draft reconstruction plan for Gaza to potential investors, The Wall Street Journal reported. The blueprint of the futuristic resort called "Project Sunrise," drafted by Kush»»»

Sharjah City Municipality announced the reopening of public parks on Saturday following temporary closures due to unstable weather. The municipality used social media to invite residents to safely enjoy the winter season. Also Read: UAE winter alert: Temperatures dip to 3.5°C after rain—what’s ahea»»»

Acting Minister of Health of Kyrgyzstan Kanybek Dosmambetov visited the Interregional Combined Clinical Hospital in Osh, where he reviewed the hospital’s medical activities and the current state of its infrastructure. Hospital Director Atabek Zhumaliev briefed the acting minister on ongoing major r»»»