Syria’s government and its allies on Friday welcomed the final lifting of the most draconian sanctions imposed on the country in recent decades. The US Congress imposed the so-called Caesar Act sanctions on Syria’s government and financial system in 2019 to punish then-President Bashar al-Assad for»»»

A major step away from naivety – that's how EU officials describe moves to crack down on cheap Chinese parcels flooding the European market. The EU is edging closer to abolishing the customs exemption on packages valued at under €150. For now, the EU has agreed to impose a temporary €3 customs fee »»»

TikTok said on Thursday it had agreed to a joint venture with investors to keep operating in the United States, averting a potential ban tied to its Chinese ownership, US media reported. CEO Shou Chew said ByteDance approved the deal, with Oracle, Silver Lake and Abu Dhabi-based MGX as major invest»»»

Cairo: The State of Qatar participated in the proceedings of the first Arab Regional Forum on Early Warning Systems and Disaster Preparedness, which was held at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States in the Arab Republic of Egypt. The Ministry of Interior delegatio»»»

The Chairman of the General Authority for Communications and Information Technology, Abdulbasit Al-Baour, held an expanded meeting last Wednesday (17 December), at the Authority’s Tripoli headquarters with the heads and directors of private sector telecommunications companies. The meeting was also »»»

BELGRADE - Serbia's October 2025 industrial turnover was up by 8.3 pct y-o-y, according to figures released by the national statistical office. Relative to the 2024 average, it was up by 18.5 pct. By sectors, the mining sector registered a 25.8 pct turnover growth y-o-y, while the manufacturing ind»»»

WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (KUNA) -- US President Donald Trump signed a law on Friday repealing a final batch of crippling economic sanctions on Syria, under the Caser Act.The legislation includes requiring the lifting of sanctions on Syria, was passed by the Senate on Wednesday by a vote of 77 to 20.Durin»»»

CAIRO, Dec 19 (KUNA) -- The visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday said the mounting hostile activities in the West Bank and Gaza are alarming.Lavrov, speaking at a news conference with the Egyptian Foreign and Immigration Minister Dr. Badr Abdel Aatty, after they held talks, sai»»»

Argentina's nuclear plan will roll out in stages. The first phase involves building small modular reactors, or SMRs, at the Atucha Nuclear Power Plant site, already underway, to ensure nationwide energy supply and reduce power outages. Photo by CNEA/EPA BUENOS AIRES, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Argentina has »»»

Police arrested three minors aged 15 and 16 on Thursday in Keratsini, Piraeus, on charges of attempted theft after an off-duty officer caught them trying to steal two motorcycles. The officer, who serves with the Immediate Action Unit, spotted the suspects while moving through the area and interven»»»

A recently resigned MP who lost his driving license for a month after being caught drink-driving has acknowledged his punishment in a social media post. Actor Diamantis Karanastasis, who represented Course of Freedom until last month, was also fined €350 under Greece’s stricter drink-driving rules.»»»

NIAMEY - Serbian Deputy PM and Interior Minister Ivica Dacic met with Niger's PM Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine in Niamey on Friday to discuss strengthening of bilateral cooperation. Dacic is on an official visit to Niger. "At the meeting, which was also attended by Nigerien Minister of the Interior, Pub»»»

PRESS REVIEW – Friday, December 19: A new batch of Epstein files includes photos of famous men, chat screenshots and "Lolita" quotes written on a woman's body. Next, Kristin Cabot, the HR boss caught on the Coldplay kiss cam, speaks out in an exclusive interview. Finally, we bring you some Christma»»»

BAGHDAD, Dec 19 (KUNA) -- Iraqi F-16 jet fighters raided in two sorties strongholds for the notorious group "Daesh" north of the town of Rawha, located in Al-Anbar Governorate, the Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) said in a statement on Friday.Initial information indicated that a number of the »»»

In tonight's edition, Rwandan-backed AFC/M23 rebels say they have begun pulling out from the strategic town of Uvira in eastern DR Congo. Also, 11 detained Nigerian Air Force personnel have been released in Burkina Faso. Plus Sudanese football finds an unexpected new home in Rwanda.»»»

The Louvre reopened as normal on Friday after the museum’s staff voted against continuing their strike over working conditions. The former royal palace was shut to visitors all day on Monday and then reopened only partially on Wednesday and Thursday. Staff at the Louvre voted against continuing the»»»

A French court on Thursday sentenced a woman repatriated from Syrian camps holding Islamic State group members to 10 years in prison for terrorist conspiracy. Carole Sun, 30, left France for Syria in 2014 and was arrested by Kurdish forces in 2017 as the Islamic State group collapsed. The seco»»»

The justice department plans to release the long-awaited files related to Jeffrey Epstein as required by a new law, but not all documents would be published on Friday, an official says. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche has said they expect to publish "several hundred thousand pages", and then o»»»

Beijing again lashed out at a planned US arms sales package to Taiwan on Friday, with the Chinese defence ministry threatening to take "forceful measures" over the $11 billion weapons package approved by US State Department and awaiting congressional approval. China's military will s»»»

Australia has announced a major gun buyback program and a national day of remembrance following the anti-Semitic shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, which left 15 people dead. On Friday, hundreds of surfers and swimmers plunged into the ocean to honour the victims. Australia will mark one week »»»

Russia's President Vladimir Putin has said there will be no more wars after Ukraine if Russia is treated with respect - and claims that Moscow is planning to attack European countries are "nonsense". In a marathon televised event lasting almost four and a half hours, he was asked by the BBC's Steve»»»

Despite being a neutral country, Switzerland counts hundreds of thousands of fallout shelters – enough to accommodate its entire population in the event of armed conflict. This culture of civil protection is a legacy of the Cold War. Now the war in Ukraine has revived interest in&nbs»»»

At his annual press conference on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the ball was in Kyiv and its allies' court to end the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin chief also said he was certain that Moscow would take more cities and towns in eastern Ukraine before the end of the year. »»»

At least three people have been killed and five others injured as a knife-wielding attacker ‍went ‍on a ​rampage in the Taiwanese capital Taipei. The 27-year-old suspect set off smoke bombs at Taipei's main metro station on Friday, before running to another station in a busy shopping district, stab»»»

Ankara ,Dec. 19 (SANA) Turkey welcomed the U.S. decision to repeal the “Caesar Act,” stressing the importance of this step in promoting stability and reconstruction in Syria. “We hope this step will further encourage international cooperation for Syria’s reconstruction and revival, thereby contribu»»»

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea on Friday charged that the quorum for Thursday’s legislative session was secured due to the “collusion” of President Joseph Aoun, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, warning against the emergence of a new “troika.” "In some ways, the»»»

A Paris court has rejected an effort by the French government to suspend the website of fast-fashion giant Shein in response to it selling childlike sex dolls on its platform. The court said the request for a three-month suspension was "disproportionate" - but did order age verification for the sal»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that blockade of the Kaliningrad exclave would spark escalation, stressing that all threats would be neutralized. "This implies using the full range of available tools," Alexander Stepanov, a military expert at the Institute of Law and National Security at th»»»

The Winter at Tantora Festival launched yesterday in AlUla Governorate and will run until January 10, 2026, marking the beginning of the winter season with a rich program that celebrates the region’s deep-rooted agricultural and historical heritage. The festival derives its name from the Tantora, a»»»

Authorities on Friday opened an investigation into an unmanned aerial vehicle that crashed in northwest Türkiye, just days after the country shot down another drone that entered its airspace from the Black Sea. Residents in Kocaeli province discovered the damaged UAV in a field, prompting an offici»»»

Sharjah Police said heightened field readiness and close coordination with strategic partners helped contain the impact of the recent unstable weather across the UAE, with no serious incidents reported. The police praised public awareness and cooperation, noting that adherence to official safety in»»»

Photo feature by Abdullah Al-Husseini MUSCAT, Dec 19 (KUNA) -- Across mountains' slopes, terraced orchards are a testament to the Omanis' skills of coping with rugged terrain; a beautiful panorama depicting co-existence between the human being and the nature.Omanis have for a long time terraced the»»»

CAIRO, Dec 19 (KUNA) -- The Egyptian Foreign and Immigration Minister Dr. Badr Abdel Aatty met on Friday with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, where they addressed ways to strengthen bilateral relations, and discussed regional and international issues of common interest.During the meeting, th»»»

Britain ​imposed sanctions on Friday on individuals and organizations it said were linked to violence perpetrated against civilians in Syria, including some who financially supported former president Bashar al-Assad's government. While Britain ‌has eased some ‌sanctions on ‌Syria ⁠as ​the country ‌»»»

Oil prices rose on Friday but were poised for a second straight weekly decline as a potential supply glut and prospects of a Russia-Ukraine peace deal limited gains driven by concerns over disruptions from a blockade of Venezuelan tankers. Brent crude futures were up 52 cents, or 0.87%, at $60.34 a»»»

A judge in the US state of Wisconsin has been found guilty of obstruction for trying to help a Mexican man evade immigration officials during an arrest attempt. Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Hannah Dugan was arrested in April after ushering Eduardo Flores-Ruiz, a Mexican national facing misdemeano»»»

Doha, Qatar: Lusail Boulevard will conclude the final day of the Arab Cup Cultural Zone with a fireworks display, the city of Lusail announced on social media. The fireworks will be accompanied by other events that begin at 5pm and conclude at midnight.»»»

UAE airport authorities cancelled or delayed dozens of flights and roads were flooded in major cities as the heaviest rainstorm in months lashed the desert nation on Friday. Dubai's Emirates airline axed 13 flights on Friday and there were also delays and cancellations at neighboring Sharjah's airp»»»

DOHA: The State of Qatar has welcomed the US decision to lift sanctions imposed on the Syrian Arab Republic as part of the Cesar Act, saying it's a step that supports stability and prosperity in Syria. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed, in a statement, the State of Qatar’s hope that the lif»»»

TUNIS, Dec. 19 (TAP) – Tunisia's exports edged up 1.5% by the end of November 2025 compared with last year, reaching TND 57.9 billion. This return to an upward trend is thanks to the results achieved over the past three months, according to heads of...»»»

Norway's Crown Princess Mette-Marit will likely need a lung transplant as her health has worsened in recent months, the country's royal household has said. The princess, 52, was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis in 2018. The degenerative disease creates scar tissue that stiffens the lungs making it»»»

A French court on Friday rejected the state's request to suspend Shein's site in France as "disproportionate" after the Asian e-commerce giant removed illicit products sold on its platform. French authorities had requested the ultra-fast-fashion giant's site be blocked for three months after weapon»»»

Doha, Dec. 19 (SANA) The State of Qatar welcomed the U.S. decision to lift sanctions imposed on Syria under the “Caesar Act,” describing it as an important step towards supporting stability and prosperity in the country.In a statement posted on its account on X, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs »»»

BELGRADE - Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic said on Friday President Aleksandar Vucic was well familiar with all documents related to Serbia's oil company NIS - which is under US sanctions due to its Russian majority ownership - and that she believed he would make a public address following R»»»

Ukraine can help Poland develop anti-drone technology, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said during a visit to Warsaw on Friday, as he and his Polish counterpart Karol Nawrocki stressed the countries' unity on security matters. Poland has been one of Ukraine's staunchest backers since Russia's invasio»»»

Ukraine struck a Russian "shadow fleet" oil tanker in the Mediterranean Sea with ​aerial drones for the first time, an official said on Friday, reflecting the growing intensity of Kyiv's attacks on Russian oil shipping. The vessel was empty when it was struck by drones in neutral waters more than 2»»»

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam will announce on Friday a long-awaited banking draft bill, which envisions sharing losses from the 2019 economic crisis between banks and the state, a Lebanese official said. The legislation, which has come to be known as the fiscal gap law, is a key demand from the inter»»»