United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday urged all parties in Yemen to exercise maximum restraint after an advance by southern separatists that risks rekindling a 10-year-old civil war after a long lull. He also said the operating environment had become untenable in the areas »»»

Over 1,000 civilians were killed when a Sudanese paramilitary group took over a displacement camp in Sudan's Darfur region in April, including about a third who were summarily executed, according to a report by the UN Human Rights Office on Thursday. "Such deliberate killing of civilians or persons»»»

The Academy Awards will be shown only on YouTube from 2029, in a radical gambit for a movie industry that remains wary of streaming platforms even as viewing habits shift online. The US broadcaster ABC's contract to broadcast the Oscars is set to end in 2028, with the 100th Academy Awards. The new »»»

US President Donald Trump gave an address at the White House on Wednesday, attempting to cast his first year back in office as a success, deflecting concerns about the cost of living and offering few new policy details as he looked ahead to the 2026 midterm elections. US President Donald Trump used»»»

Around 67% of Belgians oppose the EU scheme to use frozen Russian central bank assets to back a ‘reparations loan’ to prop up Ukraine, according to a recent poll conducted by Ipsos and Belgian news outlets published on Monday. The bulk of sovereign Russian assets frozen in the West are held in the »»»

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday evening the official approval of a major natural gas agreement with Egypt. During a press conference, Netanyahu stated: ‘We are actively extracting gas from our territorial waters, and our economy remains one of the strongest in the w»»»

Quito, Ecuador: Ecuadoran footballer Mario Pineida was shot and killed in the port city of Guayaquil on Wednesday, his team said. Guayaquil has become a hotspot for gang violence linked to drug trafficking and several football players in Ecuador have been targeted in recent months. Pineida, 33, was»»»

U.S. Army HIMARS were included in the $11.1 billion arms deal with Taiwan. File Photo by Keizo Mori/UPI | License Photo Dec. 18 (UPI) -- The United States has approved a massive $11.1 billion arms deal with Taiwan, the self-government Asian island announced Thursday. The U.S. Congress was informed »»»

During consultations with the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (ARF) here on Thursday, ahead of the procedure to hand out mandates for forming a new government, President Rumen Radev said that the legislature should aim to open up the Election Code, as this is their duty. He added that the necessar»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Ghislaine Maxwell, an accomplice of infamous financier Jeffrey Epstein, has filed a petition in a US District Court to overturn or reconsider her conviction, according to a court document seen by Sputnik. "Petitioner Ghislaine Maxwell, proceeding pro se, respectfully moves this C»»»

The Dubai Government Human Resources Department (DGHR) has declared January 1, 2026, as an official public holiday for all Dubai government departments on the occasion of New Year’s Day 2026. Official work will resume on January 2, 2026, which will be designated as a remote working day for employee»»»

Tonight, Sofia is set to witness two simultaneous protests in the city center, both aimed at voicing public dissatisfaction with the government. The demonstrations, officially registered with the Sofia Municipality and coordinated through social media, are expected to merge into a larger collective»»»

Dubai: Days after Malayalam actor Dileep’s acquittal in the Kerala actor assault case, the Ernakulam Principal Sessions Court has ruled to return his passport. The decision allows the actor to travel freely and attend promotional events for his new film, Bha Bha Ba, which releases in UAE cinemas to»»»

Israeli strikes targeted Thursday heights in Jouroud al-Hermel in eastern Lebanon and several other regions in the south. In the east, the strikes targeted Zaghrine. In the south, the Israeli military struck Iqlim al-Tuffah, al-Jabbour and al-Rihan heights, and Zawtar near the Litani river. Despite»»»

Waha Oil Company announced yesterday the successful launch of three new oil wells as part of the Waha Field Development Programme. The company said this is a new step that reflects the accelerated pace of development and will support increased daily crude oil production and enhance the efficiency o»»»

A former anaesthetist has been jailed for life for intentionally poisoning 30 patients, including 12 who died. A court in the city of Besançon in eastern France found Frédéric Péchier guilty of contaminating infusion bags with substances that caused cardiac arrest or hemorrhaging. Péchier was first»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Kirill Dmitriev, Russian special presidential envoy for economic cooperation with foreign countries, is expected to visit Miami this weekend for negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement with US special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the Axios news portal reported on Thurs»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The European Union is part of the problem for reaching a peace agreement on Ukraine, member of the European Parliament from Belgium Rudi Kennes told Sputnik. Last month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the bloc opposes any changes to Ukraine's borders»»»

Since December 11, five raids have been conducted in Pervomaisky district of Bishkek to prevent juvenile delinquency, child neglect, and identify children involved in labor and begging. According to the press service of the City Hall, the raids were organized in two stages — during the day and at n»»»

China opposed what it said was "unilateral bullying" after Washington ordered a blockade of sanctioned tankers entering and leaving oil-rich Venezuela, but did not say exactly how it would come to the South American country's aid or offer any refuge for its embattled leader. Earlier this week, US P»»»

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday urged all parties in Yemen to exercise maximum restraint after an advance by southern separatists that risks rekindling a 10-year-old civil war after a long lull. He also said the operating environment had become untenable in the areas »»»

EU leaders are meeting in Brussels on Thursday amid sharp divisions over a proposal to use frozen Russian state assets to finance Ukraine – a plan Moscow has denounced as outright theft and warned would trigger legal retaliation. EU members have long debated tapping Russian central bank funds estim»»»

European Union leaders will not leave today's summit in Brussels without an agreement to finance Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday. Earlier that day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said no decision on frozen Russian assets would be "big proble»»»

Dubai: India’s biggest carrier, IndiGo, on Thursday issued a travel advisory for passengers flying from UAE airports, cautioning that heavy rainfall and thunderstorms forecast across the region may cause intermittent disruptions to flight operations throughout the day. Sign up for our daily busines»»»

Mellitah Oil & Gas Company reported yesterday that it had successfully brought well B3-26 in the Bouri offshore field back into production on the same day at a rate of 2,000 barrels of oil per day. The company said this was achieved after replacing the well’s submersible control unit, located 165 m»»»

During consultations with the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (ARF) here on Thursday, ahead of the procedure to hand out mandates for forming a new government, President Rumen Radev said that the legislature should aim to open up the Electoral Code, as this is their duty. He added that the necessa»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Thursday that he considers the idea of ​​confiscating Russian assets "dead" because there is enough EU countries to block it if it was voted on. "In my opinion, the case of frozen Russian assets is dead. I saw last night that there ar»»»

Dubai: The UAE’s Federal National Council (FNC) has approved 16 recommendations aimed at strengthening national birth rates, forwarding them to the government for consideration following earlier deliberations held in the presence of ministers and senior officials. The recommendations, discussed dur»»»

Today, at a meeting of the Zhogorku Kenesh, Speaker Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu called on deputies to work actively and spare no effort. «We have a lot of bills that need to be considered. Some of them are in the economic sphere and require consideration in three readings. Therefore, I urge you to wor»»»

Alliance for Rights and Freedoms (ARF) Floor Leader Hayri Sadakov attended a government-forming consultation with President Rumen Radev on Thursday. The head of State is holding such consultations with all political forces prior to handing the cabinet-forming mandates. "It is practically impossible»»»

Aleppo, Dec. 18 (SANA) The Aleppo Palace of Justice hosted Thursday the second public hearing in the trial of defendants accused of violations during events in Syria’s coastal region. Judge Jomaa al-Anzi, head of the National Independent Committee for Investigation and Fact-Finding into the coastal»»»

In a live interview from Brussels, Prime Minister Orbán declared the European Union’s proposal to hand over frozen Russian assets to Ukraine a "dead issue" and "nothing short of a declaration of war." The prime minister underscored Hungary’s rejection of any plan that could implicate the country in»»»

Dubai: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company sealed a landmark $11 billion structured financing deal Wednesday to tap future gas production from the Hail and Ghasha project, partnering with Eni and PTTEP. The non-recourse transaction, backed by over 20 global and regional banks, monetises midstream output»»»

Tunis, Dec. 18 (TAP)- The weather on Thursday is foggy in the morning, growing partly cloudy with scattered showers expected in the southwest and central western regions. The rain will move gradually elsewhere overnight, the National Institute of...»»»

Dubai: In the high-profile 2017 Kerala actor abduction and sexual assault case, actor Dileep’s first wife, Manju Warrier, had alleged in court that Dileep was angry with the survivor. The trial court, however, dismissed these claims, citing a lack of corroborative evidence, according to reports. Re»»»

Parents (or adoptive parents) of children up to the age of 12 will be entitled to flexible working hours throughout the year, following the National Assembly’s final approval of amendments to the Labour Code at second reading. The initial proposal foresaw this option only during the summer school h»»»

Dubai: Prepare for a wet and windy day. The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) has confirmed that the UAE is entering the peak of the 'Al Bashayer' low-pressure system today, Thursday, December 18. While parts of Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah have already witnessed heavy downpours and hail this morn»»»

Abu Dhabi: All government departments and authorities in Abu Dhabi, in coordination with their partners, have announced heightened readiness and the mobilisation of emergency teams to deal with the expected weather conditions. Authorities affirmed that field teams are fully prepared to respond to a»»»

Gold prices were broadly steady on Thursday, supported by dovish Federal Reserve signals but restrained by a resilient dollar ahead of key US inflation data this week, while silver hovered near record highs. Spot gold fell 0.2% to $4,333.12 an ounce as of 0652 GMT, after rising more than 1% late on»»»

Two drill rappers from Liverpool who were seen carrying guns and parading with troops in Somalia during a cross-border clan conflict could be questioned by police upon their return to the UK, the BBC has learned. British citizens Abdifatah Gulaid, 31, and Noah Ihiekwe, 30, travelled to the north-ea»»»

Thousands of African objects "given, stolen and forcefully taken" at the height of the British Empire have gone on display at a museum and curators admit they have almost no record of where they came from. The items have been taken out of storage by Manchester Museum and placed in its Africa Hub to»»»

Twins have been born in Kyzyl-Kiya, Batken region — two boys. Aibek Shamenov, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the region, congratulated the family on this joyous occasion. He visited the renovated Kyzyl-Kiya City Maternity Hospital, which underwent a major renovation funded by the republican »»»

Residents in the remote Turkmen village of Bokurdak have long depended on the Karakum Desert for their livelihoods, cultivating every square meter they can in a constant battle with nature. It is a battle that some fear they are now losing. Over recent years, large dunes have started encroaching on»»»

The US Congress on Wednesday permanently ended sanctions imposed on Syria under ousted leader Bashar al-Assad, paving the way for the return of investment to the war-ravaged nation. President Donald Trump had already twice suspended the implementation of sanctions in response to calls from Saudi Ar»»»

Doha, Qatar: Ambassador of Vietnam to Qatar H E Nguyen Huy Hiep has said that Qatar is contributing to peaceful solutions in a number of complex regional and international conflicts. “On the occasion of Qatar National Day, I would like to extend my warmest congratulations and best wishes to Amir H »»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar National Day is a proud celebration of Qatar’s unity, heritage, and national identity, as well as the enduring values of resilience, progress, and collective purpose that continue to guide the country’s development, said Ambassador of Sierra Leone H E Ahmed Tejan Fadlu-Deen. In h»»»

Doha, Qatar: In celebration of Qatar National Day, Old Doha Port will welcome families, residents, and visitors to experience a destination-wide program of heritage-led activities across Mina District and Mina Park, reflecting the Port’s identity as a historic maritime gateway and a living destinat»»»

Doha:, Qatar The University of Doha for Science and Technology (UDST) announced that its Master of Science in Human Resource Management has been officially accredited by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the world’s leading professional body for HR and people development.»»»

Doha, Qatar: Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, the world’s leading institution for modern and contemporary art from the Arab world, announced that a major campus expansion is under way, led by the celebrated Lebanese-born architect Lina Ghotmeh, founder and principal of the Paris-based studio Lina»»»

Continue the Change - Democratic Bulgaria (CC-DB) MP Ivaylo Mirchev acused MRF - New Beginning of telling lies regarding their Floor Leader Delyan Peevski's security datail. Speaking to journalists in Parliament on Thursday, he commented on MRF - New Beginning's Wednesday statement which included i»»»