Damascus, Dec. 17 (SANA) Officials from the Syrian Federation of Chambers of Commerce met Tuesday with Herwig Neuper, Commercial Counselor at the Austrian Embassy in Amman, and Akram Yazigi, Economic Counselor at the Austrian Embassy in Damascus, to discuss strengthening economic and investment rel»»»

Myanmar's junta on Wednesday said it was pursing charges against more than 200 people for alleged disruption of upcoming elections under new laws banning criticism of upcoming elections, which rights groups and the UN have dismissed as a sham to entrench military rule. Myanmar's junta said Wednesda»»»

In a recent interview on Dir.bg’s program "The European Parliament in Focus," Tsvetelina Penkova, MEP from the S&D Group, addressed growing tensions between the European Commission (EC) and the European Parliament (EP) regarding the proposed Multiannual Financial Framework, which bundles 860 billio»»»

The political and civilian parties of Sudan’s Somoud alliance signed in Nairobi on Tuesday a joint declaration of principles with the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army, led by Abdul Wahid al-Nur, and the Arab Socialist Baath Party to end the war in Sudan and completely eliminate the Islamic movement f»»»

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young (left) and Foreign Minister Cho Hyun attend a National Assembly committee session in Seoul on Nov. 28. File Photo by Yonhap News Agency Dec. 16 (Asia Today) -- South Korea's National Security Office, Unification Ministry and Foreign Ministry sought to project u»»»

Irish tricolour flags have been erected on street lights all over Dublin in recent months in what has been branded by some as an anti-immigration campaign. Several politicians and anti-racism activists have accused those putting up the flags of marking territory and intimidating tactics. Far-right »»»

Doha, Qatar: Builders VC recently led a delegation of senior executives from four of its portfolio companies to Doha, engaging with Qatar’s innovation ecosystem at a time of accelerating national focus on advanced digital and AI-enabled technologies. The visit, which preceded the announcement of QA»»»

Riyadh: Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Jassim Mohammed Al Bedaiwi stressed the importance of evaluating and developing the digital infrastructure of the General Secretariat and its affiliated organisational units, to keep pace with developments in this field. This came duri»»»

DOHA: The Ministry of Education and Higher Education has said that implementation is underway to strengthen Qatar’s education system, with ongoing construction and development set to deliver more than 40 new schools of high global standards by 2030. Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education and H»»»

DOHA: Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H E Dr. Ahmed bin Hassan Al Hammadi and Acting Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), John Brandolino, officially inaugurated the new training premises of the UNODC Regional Center for Combating Cybercr»»»

Doha, Qatar: The National Planning Council (NPC), in collaboration with the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau (CGB), organised the quarterly Planning, Quality, and Innovation Forum yesterday, bringing together directors of planning, quality, and innovation departments from various gov»»»

Doha, Qatar: Saudi Arabia have been crowned champions of the AGCFF U-23 Gulf Cup Qatar 2025, after claiming a 2-0 win overIraq in the final match held at Stadium 974 yesterday. The tournament took place in Qatar from December 4-16, bringing together rising U-23 football stars from across the region»»»

Washington: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani met in Washington D.C. with HE Senator Chuck Schumer, the US Senate Minority Leader. Discussions during the meeting highlighted the close strategic relations between the State of Qatar »»»

Doha: The Council of Ministers Secretariat General celebrated Qatar National Day during an event held yesterday for this auspicious occasion, through which the true meanings of loyalty, patriotism, and pride were embodied and deeply ingrained in the spirit of the people of Qatar. Minister of Justic»»»

With growing demand for energy at home, Egypt is diversifying its global partners to secure additional natural gas supplies, to maintain power generation and industrial productivity. In recent years, one of its key gas partners has been Israel, but negotiations over a supply deal recently hit the r»»»

Doha, Qatar: Full concentration for 90 minutes has been the hallmark of Jordan’s campaign at the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025, helping them register five straight wins, collect maximum points, score 10 goals and concede only two. Jordan’s impressive form prompted Issam Smeeri, one of the standouts from»»»

Washington: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani met today in Washington D.C. with several members of the US Senate and the House of Representatives. HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs met with Senator Steve Daines,»»»

Doha, Qatar: When you think about the names to have worn the colours of Flamengo and Paris Saint-Germain over the years, not many will stand out more than that of Ronaldinho. The Brazilian legend – a football icon all around the globe – spoke to FIFA about his time at the two clubs, who are set to »»»

In the summer of 2015, Islamic State terrorists overran the ancient central Syrian city of Palmyra, looting and bulldozing its treasures and architecture in the weeks and months that followed. Just over a decade later, on 13 December, it once again attacked the city. This time, an IS operative infi»»»

The Supreme Court of Kyrgyzstan rejected the appeal of Zhogorku Kenesh candidate Zhyldyzkan Dzholdosheva, who demanded that the Central Election Commission overturn the results. As a reminder, Zhyldyzkan Dzholdosheva received the majority of votes in electoral district No. 8 and was supposed to get»»»

US President Donald Trump ordered on Tuesday a "blockade" of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, in Washington's latest move to increase pressure on Nicolas Maduro's government, targeting its main source of income. It is unclear how Trump will impose the move against the sanc»»»

Washington: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani met in Washington D.C. with Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives of the United States of America HE Brian Mast, and Member of the Committee HE Grego»»»

President Donald Trump and President of South Korea Lee Jae Myung shake hands during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on Monday, August 25, 2025. File Photo by Al Drago/UPI | License Photo Dec. 16 (Asia Today) -- South Korea and the United States could use closer co»»»

1 of 2 | A South Korean flag patch is seen on an ROK soldier's uniform, South Korea, February 10, 2025. File Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo Dec. 16 (Asia Today) -- South Korea's military authorities are reportedly considering a complete replacement of combat uniforms after the military»»»

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced Tuesday plans to recent the military's Chaplain Corps on ministry. File Photo/Sgt. Jim Goodwin | License Photo Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said Tuesday he would restore the role of the Chaplain Corps, saying political correctness ha»»»

An event marking the 30th anniversary of the General Assembly resolution on the millennium anniversary of the Manas epic, a key monument of Turkic cultural heritage, was held at the UN headquarters in New York. The UN News Service reported. Photo UN. Event marking the 30th anniversary of the Genera»»»

President Donald Trump participates in a Hanukkah reception in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on December 16, 2025. Later that day, he ordered a naval blockade of Venezuela. Photo by Yuri Gripas/UPI | License Photo Dec. 16 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered "a»»»

Venezuela has expressed outrage at US President Donald Trump's announcement of a naval oil blockade “with the aim of stealing the riches” that belong to the republic. Any attempts by the US to block oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela constitute a violation of international law, stated Venezu»»»

The Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan held a discussion of the Bishkek General Plan until 2050. According to the press service, Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Adylbek Kasymaliev held a meeting to discuss the draft City General Plan. He emphasized that the document is a key strategic document»»»

Dubai: Dubai gold prices are hovering just below their all-time highs, tracking a powerful global rally in bullion. Local buyers face some of the highest rates on record, with further moves hinging on US inflation data and fast-escalating geopolitical tensions. Sign up for our daily business newsle»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump said he designated the incumbent Venezuelan government as a foreign terrorist organization and ordered a "complete" blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela. "Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever ass»»»

President Donald Trump participates in a Hanukkah reception in the East Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on December 16, 2025. Later that day, he ordered a naval blockade of Venezuela. Photo by Yuri Gripas/UPI | License Photo Dec. 16 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered "a»»»

The European Union has proposed changes to a 2023 law that effectively banned the sale of new internal combustion engine cars from 2035.  Instead of cutting CO2 emissions by 100% from 2021 levels, carmakers would be required to reduce them by 90%, meaning a small-scale production of petrol or »»»

A number of videos and images created by artificial intelligence that claim to accurately depict ancient Rome have been circulating online. However, these images are far from historically accurate, says one historian. "A Journey Through Time with Artificial Intelligence,” reads the caption on a vid»»»

AMMAN — The Jordan x 2080 Accelerator, powered by US-based venture capital firm 2080 Ventures in collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship and the Youth, Technology and Jobs (YTJ) Project, hosted its inaugural Demo Day on Monday in Amman.The event opened with a keynote»»»

AMMAN — In celebration of an exceptional year marked by milestones across the economic, investment, and sports sectors, CFI Jordan hosted a “flagship” event titled “Pioneers of Success” in Amman.The event brought together key partners, top media figures, and economic experts to highlight the compan»»»

AMMAN — Chairman of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) Shadi Majali inaugurated the JIFEX 2025 Conference on Tuesday.The opening was attended by Chairman of the Greater Amman Municipality Committee Yousef Shawarbeh, Aqaba Governor Ayman Awaisheh, CEO of Aqaba Development Corporation »»»

The award-winning director of a new film that delves into the seedy world of sexual predators and paedophilia has spoken to FRANCE 24 about the ethics of making it. David Osit is a three-time Emmy and Peabody Award-winning documentary film director. His latest project is the film "Predators", which»»»

Los Angeles prosecutors say Nick Reiner, the son of famed actor-director Rob Reiner, will be charged with two counts of first-degree murder following the deaths of his parents. The case has shocked Hollywood and Democratic political circles, where the couple were widely admired. Los Angeles prosecu»»»

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday added Burkina Faso, Laos, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Syria as well as Palestinian Authority passport holders to a full travel ban. The decision to include Syria, a country Trump has moved to rehabilitate internationally, came days after thr»»»

One month after the stunning assassination of the brother of an anti-gangland activist, French president Emmanuel Macron returning to the Mediterranean port for an update on the government’s xx-euro plan to win back the streets and offer hope to fed-up citizens of France’s second largest city. The »»»

Law enforcement released new images on Tuesday of a person of interest in the Brown University shooting. Screen capture courtesy of Providence Police Department/Facebook Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Authorities on Tuesday released images of the person of interest in the Brown University shooting as law enforce»»»

Canada has officially expanded who can claim citizenship, rolling out a major update to its nationality laws under Bill C-3, which kicked in on December 15, 2025. The new law modernises Canada’s approach to "citizenship by descent", opening a clear pathway for many people previously shut out by old»»»

1/20A woman reacts during a sack race as she celebrates Eid Al Fitr at a park in Quezon City, Philippines, on March 31.AP2/20Schoolgirls and cadets dance as they attend a rehearsal of a ceremony on the first day at school at a cadet lyceum in Kyiv on September 1.AP3/20Visitors, wearing stuffed cost»»»

Dubai: A Dubai court has ordered a group of defendants to jointly pay Dh5 million in compensation, along with legal interest and court costs, after finding that they plotted to divert assets and obstruct the recovery of investors’ funds in a real estate investment dispute dating back to 2008. In it»»»

The FBI arrested Louisiana resident Micah James Legnon on Friday as he was driving to New Orleans to allegedly carry out an attack on federal agents there. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Dec. 16 (UPI) -- A suspect identified as Micah James Legnon has been arrested by agents from the »»»

Warner Bros Discovery will urge its shareholders to reject Paramount Skydance's $108.4bn (£80.75bn) takeover bid as soon as Wednesday, according to reports. Paramount has said its offer is "superior" to a $72bn deal that Warner Bros struck with Netflix for its film and streaming businesses. At the »»»

Gaurav Gogoi, 43, is the deputy leader of the Congress in Parliament and the Assam state chief of the Congress, who will be taking on Himanta Biswa Sarma, the BJP Chief Minister of Assam, in a closely contested election early next year. Gogoi is poised, calm and steely, yet makes his points with a »»»

Washington: Senior US national security officials have told lawmakers that terrorist groups with roots in South Asia — particularly Pakistan- and Afghanistan-linked networks — continue to pose a direct and evolving threat to the United States. National Counterterrorism Centre Director Joseph Kent t»»»

The last pennies ever put into circulation were auctioned off for more than $16 million. File UPI/Kevin Dietsch | License Photo Dec. 16 (UPI) -- The final pennies minted in the United States were sold for more than $16.76 million in a special auction and set a record as the most valuable modern U.S»»»