Earlier this month a group of Palestinian boys turned out to train at their local football pitch in the shadow of the wall separating Israel from the West Bank's Aida refugee camp -- and found a note at the gate. The children took the ominous message from Israeli authorities to Muhannad Abu Srour, »»»

More than a month after Iraq's parliamentary elections, the country's top leaders remain locked in talks to form a government while facing pressure from Washington to exclude Tehran-backed armed groups. Amid seismic changes in the Middle East, where new alliances are forming and old powers waning, »»»

Washington: Minister of State for Foreign Trade Affairs HE Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Sayed and US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment HE Jacob Helberg co-chaired the economic session of the seventh Qatar-US Strategic Dialogue, held in Washington, DC. The sessio»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that there are nontrivial factors that contribute to the continuation of the Ukraine conflict, and that only the United States is able to negotiate with both parties to the conflict. "There's a reason why this war hasn't ended,»»»

Egypt’s non-oil exports increased by 18 per cent to reach $44.392bn during the first 11 months of 2025, compared with $37.544bn during the same period in 2024. The trade deficit contracted by 12 per cent to $30.346bn, down from $34.421bn in the previous year, according to a report from the General »»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual live broadcast press conference with Russian federal, regional, and foreign media in Moscow. Photo by Sergei Ilnitsky/EPA Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was determined to continue the war in Ukraine until his condi»»»

Police in Australia are investigating a trip made by the suspects of the Bondi Beach anti-Semitic terrorist attack to the southern Philippines island of Mindanao, just weeks before they shot and killed 15 people and wounded dozens more. The region has long grappled with Islamist militancy, but Pres»»»

CAIRO (Sputnik) - Moscow is concerned over the security guarantees for Ukraine that are being discussed in the European Union, as collective guarantees approved by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) are more important, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Frid»»»

BELGRADE – A total 3,511 construction permits were issued in Serbia in October, which was a 2.9 pct decline relative to the same month of 2024. According to figures released by the national statistical office RZS, 86.8 pct of the total permits were issued for buildings, while other structures made »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Nearly all individuals associated with Volodymyr Zelensky's close associate, Timur Mindich, continue to occupy high-ranking positions in the Ukrainian government, Ukrainian lawmaker Yaroslav Zheleznyak said on Friday. "Today marks exactly one month since the Rada [Ukrainian parli»»»

Dubai Ambulance recorded a marked drop in critical and high-risk emergency calls during the recent spell of unstable weather, with the vast majority of reports classified as minor and handled swiftly, according to the corporation’s executive director, Mishal Abdulkarim Julfar. Julfar, according to »»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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.»»»

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 »»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

Tunis, Dec. 19 (TAP) – The General Legislation Committee of the Assembly of People's Representatives (ARP) has concluded its visit programme to The Hague, the Netherlands, as part of an initiative to gain knowledge of the main international...»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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»»»

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...»»»

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»»»

US President Donald Trump has suspended the green card lottery program after officials said the suspect in the shootings at Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology had entered the country through that system. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said late on Thursday that,»»»

Save Sofia’s programme to renew Sofia’s public transport fleet was already delivering results, the party said on Friday. The comment followed a Skoda post earlier in the day saying it had signed a contract to supply 75 new low-floor trolleybuses for the Bulgarian capital. Save Sofia said the contra»»»

An upgrade of the Il-76 military transport jet, the aircraft features modern Russian digital avionics with a ‘glass cockpit’, upgraded navigation and electronic systems and a strengthened airframe. Designed to transport troops and to conduct airdrops, the Il-76MD-90A can carry the full range of equ»»»

As Christmas celebrations approach across the UAE, shoppers are on the hunt for a traditional centerpiece item: turkey. Once considered a niche product, turkey is now increasingly visible across supermarkets, traditional markets and butcher shops, as families and expats prepare for festive dinners »»»

1 of 2 | Protesters set fire to the Prothom Alo offices in Dhaka, Bangladesh, to protest the death of youth protest leader Sharif Osman Hadi's death Thursday. Demonstrations broke out after Hadi died two weeks after being shot in the head. Photo by Monirul Alam/EPA Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Two newspaper of»»»

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday he knew what was going on with the Serbian oil company NIS - which is under US sanctions due to its Russian majority ownership - and that he hoped a joint solution would be found. "We know what is going on with the company NIS. We have an int»»»

TUNIS, Dec 19 (KUNA) -- The Council of Arab Health Ministers has called for the necessity of providing urgent basic health and relief needs, medical supplies and medicines to Palestine's Health Ministry.This came on Friday during the 63rd ordinary session of the council held in Libya's capital, Tri»»»

Major shipping companies are devising strategies for a potential return to the Suez Canal after two years of disruptions due to security risks in ​the Red Sea. They have been rerouting vessels via longer, costlier routes around Africa since November 2023, following attacks on commercial ships by Ye»»»

Kuwait , Dec. 19 (SANA) The State of Kuwait welcomed the U.S. decision to repeal the “Caesar Act,” stressing that this step will contribute to supporting Syria’s economic recovery and reconstruction efforts.Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed, in a statement on Friday, the country’s sup»»»

BELGRADE - Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili, his wife Tamar Bagrationi and a Georgian delegation visited the National Museum in Belgrade, where they were hosted by Serbian Culture Minister Nikola Selakovic. Alongside Selakovic, they were welcomed by the museum's director, Bojana Boric Bresko»»»