The Dubai Government Media Office confirmed on Friday that all main roads across the emirate remain open and accessible, citing information from the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). Click here to go to the live weather blog In a post on its official X account, the Media Office expressed appreci»»»

During Central Asia + Japan Business Forum in Tokyo, Ravshanbek Sabirov, head of the National Investment Agency under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, met with Nobumitsu Akai, the management of JFR Co. Ltd., to discuss prospects for cooperation in biotechnology. The National Investment Agency’»»»

Israel is weighing extraordinary legal measures that could result in the execution of up to 100 Hamas fighters accused of taking part in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack. Defense Minister Israel Katz and Justice Minister Yariv Levin have discussed the creation of a dedicated military court to try hundreds o»»»

China's military will step up training and "take forceful measures to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity," its defense ministry said ‌on Friday ‌in ‌response ⁠to a ‌planned $11.1 billion US arms sales package to Taiwan. The ministry urges the US to "immediately ⁠cease arms ‌sa»»»

Democrats on the US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform have released a new batch of photographs obtained from the estate of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, offering a disturbing and fragmentary glimpse into materials investigators say point to his network, methods, and contacts»»»

EU leaders agreed on Friday to provide a massive interest-free loan to Ukraine to meet its military and economic needs for the next two years, but they failed to bridge differences with Belgium that would have allowed them to use frozen Russian assets to raise the funds. Follow our liveblog for the»»»

Moon Geun-sik, a special professor at Hanyang University’s Graduate School of Public Policy, appears on Ato TV’s live program “Koo Pil-hyun’s Military” on Nov. 12. Photo by Asia Today Dec. 18 (Asia Today) -- Nuclear-powered submarines should be viewed as an industrial, technology and energy strateg»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his annual year-end address on Friday, December 19, reviewing the key results of 2025 and outlining priorities for 2026. Putin is addressing the public live from Moscow’s Gostiny Dvor, where the president is holding his year-end press conference.The event c»»»

President Rumen Radev has concluded consultations with all political parties represented in the National Assembly and emphasized the need for urgent measures to restore trust in the electoral process. He announced that he will hand over the first exploratory mandate to form a new government after t»»»

On December 19, during his official visit to Japan, President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov met with Emperor Naruhito of Japan. During the conversation, the two sides discussed strengthening friendly ties, developing cultural and humanitarian cooperation, and expanding mutual understanding a»»»

Washington: Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) announced that Qatar Investment Authority has increased its stake in the company. MSE is a leading firms that integrate sports, media, and entertainment. The Authority first invested in MSE in 2023, as part of its focus on long-term, high-value in»»»

Damascus, Dec. 19 (SANA) Syria’s Central Bank (CBS) Governor Abdulkader Husrieh welcomed on Thursday the Australian government’s decision to lift sanctions on the Syrian financial sector. In a statement on his Facebook page, Husrieh said that Syrian financial institutions can now conduct banking ac»»»

When yesterday's afternoon downpour began, it transformed Dubai's bustling streets into scenes of hurried chaos within minutes. Outside Business Bay Metro Station, commuters emerged from the underground to find themselves facing sheets of rain with nothing but briefcases and handbags for protection»»»

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of “sanctioned oil tankers” into and out of Venezuela, US forces seized an oil tanker off the country's coast and the military attacked three more alleged drug-smuggling boats in the region — all in the course of a week. Also Read: 8 killed as 3»»»

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young speaks during a briefing to President Lee Jae Myung on the ministry's 2026 policy plan on Friday. The ministry called for a "year of peaceful coexistence" with North Korea. Photo by Yonhap Dec. 19 (UPI) -- South Korea's Unification Ministry on Friday said it ai»»»

Russia's President Vladimir Putin (center R) and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un (center L) leave after their meeting in Beijing, China, on Wednesday, September 3, 2025. File Photo by Kremlin Press Office/UPI | License Photo Dec. 18 (Asia Today) -- North Korean media increasingly refer to Kim Jong»»»

DOHA: Qatar's retail sector in the country remained stable during the third quarter of 2025, underpinned by resilient consumer spending and continued growth in tourism, according to market insights from Cushman & Wakefield. While overall activity was steady, performance varied notably across retail»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The European Union's sanctions against Russia have deprived France of more than half of its exports to the Russian market, Sputnik calculated on Friday, using Eurostat data. According to the figures, over the first 10 months of 2025 Paris supplied Moscow with goods and services w»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The children and grandchildren of those who made the decision about the EU loan to Ukraine will be paying for the loan, it is clear that Ukraine will not repay it, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said. Orban said the EU abandoned the idea of ​​confiscating Russian assets wh»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The signing of the trade agreement between the European Union and South American trading bloc Mercosur has been postponed until January, media reported, citing a diplomatic source. The signing of the agreement was planned for Saturday. European Commission President Ursula von der»»»

Dubai: The weekend is upon us, and while the weather has calmed down a bit, the roads are still flooded and staying home just feels like the right call. What better way to enjoy the cosy vibes than curling up with a great movie? Rainy days have a way of slowing life down. The noise softens, plans d»»»

Several meetings held by US Ambassador to Yemen Steven Fagin with the leadership of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) point to American attempts to reinforce the political and security partnership with the Yemeni government while containing internal divisions within the internationally »»»

US President Donald Trump and former US President Bill Clinton are among several high profile figures who are known to have associated with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump and Clinton were each photographed with Epstein several times over the 1990s and early 2000s and occasionally»»»

Johannesburg: A social media picture of Achraf Hakimi in Rabat this week gladdened every Moroccan football supporter as the kingdom prepares to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) from Sunday. The 27-year-old Paris Saint-Germain star was wearing sun glasses, a red, white and black sweater, »»»

Doha: The volume of real estate transactions recorded with the Real Estate Registration Department at the Ministry of Justice during November 2025 reached QAR 2,261,414,442. Analytical data issued in the Ministry of Justice’s Real Estate Bulletin revealed the registration of 530 real estate deals d»»»

Nolte FZE, Germany’s leading premium kitchen brand, concludes 2025 marked by strategic growth across the Middle East and key global markets. The company strengthened its position in the UAE, advanced large-scale initiatives in Saudi Arabia, expanded its dealer and project networks, and entered new »»»

Doha: In the end, the final step was one too far. CR Flamengo though came as close as they possibly could, pushing the might of Paris Saint-Germain all the way to penalties in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final. At the end of a remarkable fortnight where the club claimed four major trophies, the g»»»

DOHA: Luis Enrique hailed an “incredible, unforgettable” year after Paris Saint-Germain completed a six-trophy haul in 2025 by lifting the FIFA Intercontinental Cup in Doha. The dramatic penalty shootout victory over Flamengo at a packed Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, where PSG edged the Brazilian side 2-1»»»

Primark, the international fashion retailer, has today announced major plans to expand its presence in Romania, confirming four new store openings for 2026. The announcement comes as the company celebrates its anniversary in the market this week, marking three years since the opening of its first R»»»

President Rumen Radev announced that he will hand over the first exploratory mandate to form a government after the New Year. The head of state said that during the consultations, held with parliamentary forces on the possibility of forming a regular cabinet under the current legislature, a shared »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Law and common sense have prevailed for now, Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Russian special presidential envoy for economic cooperation with foreign countries, said on Friday, commenting on the European Union's decision not to confiscat»»»

The Sharjah Civil Defence Authority (SCDA) has urged residents and visitors to exercise extreme caution as unstable weather and heavy rainfall continue to affect the emirate this week. The advisory follows warnings from the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) of a deep low-pressure system expected»»»

The Coordination Council of the Confederation of Independent Trade Unions in Bulgaria (CITUB) has expressed strong condemnation of the National Assembly’s failure to pass the 2026 state budget, the Public Health Insurance Fund budget, and the National Health Insurance Fund budget. In a statement re»»»

On December 7, 2025, teams of schoolchildren from Kyrgyzstan took part in the GAR 2025 World Championship Contest in robotics and artificial intelligence, which was held in Malaysia. Artur Kutlugildin, one of the team leaders, reported. The young engineers successfully represented their country on »»»

The incidence of acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI) and influenza in Kyrgyzstan is declining, and hospital beds are available. The Department of Disease Prevention and State Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance informed 24.kg news agency. According to specialists, online learning in sch»»»

Pakistan has captured a leader from an offshoot of the ISIS extremist group, a senior intelligence official said Friday, after the arrest was reported by a UN sanctions monitoring group. Sultan Aziz Azam, who also acted as a spokesman for ISIS Khorasan, (ISIS-K) was arrested on May 16, according to»»»

Washington, Dec. 19 (SANA) The Syrian Emergency Task Force (SETF) in Washington welcomed Friday the unconditional repeal of the Caesar Act following its signing by U.S. President Donald Trump. In a post on X, the SETF stated that the repeal is unconditional and does not carry any risk of re-imposin»»»

Dec. 19 (UPI) -- A coal miner in West Virginia has died, the latest mining fatality in the state following the flooding death of a miner last month. The unidentified miner died Thursday morning in what has been classified as a "powered haulage" accident at the underground Lower War Eagle mine, loca»»»

Heavy rains have left several streets across Dubai waterlogged, causing travel disruptions and prompting authorities to urge motorists to drive carefully and avoid flood-prone areas. Emergency teams remain on standby as showers continue across the city. Click here to go to the live weather blog Dub»»»

Citizens of Kyrgyzstan can find employment in 29 countries. Deputy Minister of Labor, Social Security, and Migration Bakyt Darmankul uulu announced at a press conference. He stated that this can be done through the Ministry of Labor’s Center for Employment Abroad, which also issues licenses to priv»»»

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and EU executive chief Ursula von der Leyen expressed confidence on Friday that the European Union would be able to sign a contentious free trade agreement with South American bloc Mercosur in January, despite insufficient backing at an EU summit. The European Commi»»»

Kirill Dmitriev, Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, said on Friday ‌that "law and ‌sanity" ‌won, after ⁠European Union ‌leaders decided to borrow cash to fund Ukraine rather than use ⁠Russia's frozen assets. "Major BLOW ‌to EU ‍warmongers ‍led »»»

Raluca Tintoiu, Head of Wholesale Banking and a member of the Executive Committee at ING Bank Romania, talked to Business Review about the bank’s ambition to steer its clients and partners to more sustainable business practices and the way it manages to maintain focus on such goals amid market unce»»»

In 2025, Altex Romania integrated the Brico Depot network and carried out a comprehensive upgrade of its digital infrastructure, setting the foundation for a broader, more efficient retail ecosystem. Founder and CEO Dan Ostahie reflects on the impact of these developments and on the growing role of»»»

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi’s Court of Appeal has overturned a life sentence imposed on a defendant convicted at first instance of possessing narcotics and psychotropic substances with intent to traffic, ruling that the evidence failed to establish trafficking beyond doubt and reclassifying the offence as»»»

Dubai: The UAE is experiencing the peak of its current spell of unstable weather on Friday, the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) said, as a complex weather system that has affected the country since last Saturday continues to influence conditions. The NCM said the weather is being driven by the»»»

Outgoing Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov presented sets of Bulgaria’s newly minted euro coins to the heads of the European Commission, European Parliament and European Council, as well as to EU leaders, during his visit to Brussels for a European Council summit. Ahead of the summit, Zhelyazkov stat»»»

British trade minister Chris Bryant said the government had been hacked in October, partly confirming a report in the Sun newspaper, which said a Chinese group had breached systems to access foreign office data. "There certainly has been a hack," Bryant ‌told Times ‌Radio on Friday, according to Re»»»

Violent clashes erupted in Brussels on Thursday as thousands of farmers descended on the EU quarter, blocking roads with tractors and confronting riot police outside the European Parliament amid mounting anger over trade policy and farming reforms. What began as a mass demonstration against propose»»»

The Roman-era skeleton known as the “Beachy Head Woman,” once widely cited as evidence of an early black presence in Britain, most likely had genetic ancestry similar to local populations in southern England at the time, researchers have said. The findings were published in the Journal of Archaeolo»»»