As a winter storm batters the Gaza Strip, Huda Abu Jazar, has been preparing her tent for floods while in Qatar, her son Ehab gets ready for one of the biggest football matches Palestine has ever played. The head coach of the national team - who comes from Rafah in the south of Gaza - has told spor»»»

A woman in Spain earned herself pink slip by going to work early over a period of two years. Surprised and annoyed at the development, she dragged the company to court, challenging her termination. However, the court ruled against her. So here’s what went down. The 22-year-old would apparently get »»»

Authorities have arrested four minors, aged 13 to 16, in connection with a string of robberies targeting female employees at bakeries and kiosks in the northern suburbs of Athens. The youths, who allegedly operated as a coordinated gang, carried out most of their attacks during nighttime hours in K»»»

TOKYO (Sputnik) - The Japanese government has developed a package of measures to determine the causes of mass oyster deaths in the Seto Inland Sea and to assist farmers affected by this phenomenon, media channel reported on Thursday. The government's package of measures will allow affected farmers »»»

The Senate is unlikely to pass either of the two healthcare bills they're voting on Thursday. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Dec. 11 (UPI) -- The Senate is scheduled to vote Thursday on two competing healthcare plans meant to address healthcare costs likely to rise in the new year wi»»»

Vietnam’s defense modernization, including new coast guard vessels from the United States and Japan, requires improved forward infrastructure. Outposts such as South Reef help extend operational reach, reduce supply burdens and improve situational awareness in the contested maritime domain. File Ph»»»

Israel's far-right national security minister on Thursday vowed to remove the grave of Arab nationalist leader Ezzedine al-Qassam, whose tomb lies in Israel and whose name was given to the armed wing of Hamas. Itamar Ben Gvir, known for his inflammatory remarks, posted a video on X showing him acco»»»

In his famous political tract – The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Napoleon, published in 1852 – Karl Marx proffered the generalization that “history repeats itself – first as tragedy, then as farce.” Marx saw Napoleon’s demise as tragedy. Having been born in the German Rhineland – which Napoleon had»»»

A moment of thrill on the road turned into a lifetime of remorse for a young motorist whose reckless decisions claimed the lives of an entire family. What began as a youthful wager over modified cars ended in tragedy, serving as a harsh reminder of the consequences of dangerous driving. A deadly ch»»»

Parkin Company PJSC, Dubai’s paid public parking operator, has signed a five-year agreement with DAMAC Properties to manage parking across several of the developer’s communities in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The deal supports Parkin’s strategy to expand its role in developer-managed parking. The agreemen»»»

Oil companies offered $300 million for drilling rights in the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday in the first of 30 sales planned for the region under Republican efforts to ramp up U.S. fossil fuel production. The sale came after President Donald Trump's administration recently announced plans to allow ne»»»

The Federal Reserve reduced its key interest rate by a quarter-point for the third time in a row but signaled that it may leave rates unchanged in the coming months. The cut decreased the Fed's rate to about 3.6%, the lowest it has been in nearly three years. Lower rates from the Fed can bring down»»»

Companies and local authorities will have over EUR 1.5 billion in grants available for investment in energy and energy efficiency at the beginning of next year, given that, in Romania, more than 70,000 MW of new photovoltaic projects are in various stages of development, with grid connection contra»»»

If elections were held today, six parties would enter parliament, according to a nationwide survey on public and political attitudes, funded and conducted jointly by bTV and the Market Links polling agency in November, as announced by the agency on Thursday. The survey was conducted among 1,009 adu»»»

Commenting on Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov’s statement, who earlier on Thursday announced that the government was resigning, GERB-UDF Floor Leader and GERB Chair Boyko Borissov said that Zhelyazkov’s remarks were “brilliant”. “We have nothing to be ashamed of over these past 11 months,” Borissov»»»

NIS - Italian household appliances maker Ariston opened a plant in Nis, southern Serbia, on Thursday at a ceremony also attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who said it would be important for entire southern Serbia and that it symbolised a true and sincere friendship between Serbia and I»»»

Dubai: There are winter festivals, and then there is Liwa. Every year, as temperatures drop and the Empty Quarter turns comfortably crisp, the quiet Liwa desert transforms into a buzzing playground of roaring engines, cultural flair, and Emirati pride. From 12 December 2025 to 3 January 2026, the L»»»

VIENNA Austrian lawmakers on Thursday voted by a large majority in favour of a law banning headscarves in schools for girls under 14, a move rights groups and experts say is discriminatory and could deepen societal division. Austria’s conservative-led government - under pressure with anti-immigrati»»»

Rains drenched Gaza’s tent camps and dropping temperatures chilled Palestinians huddling inside them Thursday as storm Byron descended on the war-battered territory, showing how two months of a ceasefire have failed to sufficiently address the spiraling humanitarian crisis there. Children’s sandale»»»

Thus, just in time for the winter holidays, ING customers will be able to receive funds within seconds, at any hour of the day or night, on weekdays and weekends alike. An important aspect is that incoming payments can be received into any account. The payer sends the transfer in euro, and the bene»»»

Israel has given the go-ahead for the construction of 764 more houses in three Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, a decision likely to further stoke tensions as a watchdog group accused the Israeli government of moving toward "de facto annexation" of the Palestinian territory. Israeli Fi»»»

Commenting on Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov’s words, who earlier on Thursday announced that the government was resigning, MRF – New Beginning party leader Delyan Peevski told reporters in Parliament that another winner emerges from such a situation and he should come forth this very day. The gove»»»

Time Magazine's Person of the Year for 2025 is not a single person. Instead, the magazine has given its annual award recognising the year's most influential figure to "the architects" of artificial intelligence (AI). Nvidia boss Jensen Huang, Meta head Mark Zuckerberg, X owner Elon Musk and AI "god»»»

Ras Al Khaimah is set to captivate the world once again with its most spectacular New Year’s Eve celebration to date, promising the biggest firework ever launched in an attempt set a new Guinness World Records title. This year’s celebrations will feature a creative concept inspired by symbols of st»»»

LONDON More than 600 items from a collection documenting the links between Britain and countries in the former British Empire were stolen from a UK museum in September, police said Thursday. Avon and Somerset police have launched an appeal for information about four men captured on CCTV images on S»»»

President Trump’s demands that Ukraine “be realistic” in talks and criticism over Zelensky’s cancellation of elections are designed “to publicly dismantle the previous administration’s legacy,” contrasting realism with “Biden’s blank-check idealism,” geopolitical analyst Marco Marsili told Sputnik.»»»

Lebanese and Israeli civilian representatives have held this month their first direct talks in decades, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu calling the move "an initial attempt to establish a basis for an economic cooperation between Israel and Lebanon." Lebanese leaders said Lebanon is »»»

Dubai: The Reserve Bank of India has rolled out updated rules that change how banks manage current accounts, overdrafts and cash credit (CC) facilities. These tweaks follow months of feedback from the banking industry, and they aim to remove friction, speed up money movement and give both banks and»»»

Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar's armed forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. The military government has been engaged in an increasingly bloody civil war with ragtag resistance forces, mainly in the center and north of the country, since seizing power in February 2021, three months after a general»»»

A senior Hamas leader says the group is willing to consider a temporary “freeze” on its weapons but will not accept full disarmament, a central demand of the US-backed Gaza peace plan. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Khaled Meshaal signaled limited flexibility in ongoing negotiations with mediators, even a»»»

Dubai: A day after arguments over Ranveer Singh’s Kantara spoof began to die down, a new controversy has surfaced in Karnataka’s film industry — this time centred on Kantara creator and actor Rishab Shetty. His decision to publicly wish success to Darshan Thoogudeepa’s new release The Devil has spa»»»

Most Romanians cover their expenses from their salary or current income (56%). Over a third (35.7%) say they will “break the piggy bank” where they have collected their savings during the year. Only a small proportion of Romanians resort to loans or credit cards – a sign that people are more cautio»»»

The Cabinet of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov survived a no-confidence vote over failures in the economic policy. It was the sixth no-confidence vote for this government but it was of no consequence as the Cabinet had resigned minutes earlier. The no-confidence motion was submitted December 7 by C»»»

Political Reactions Pour In After the Zhelyazkov Government Resigns Leaders across the spectrum respond with sharply different messages following the abrupt resignation of Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov's cabinet. The sudden resignation of the Zhelyazkov government — announced just minutes before »»»

Tehran: Tehran's first rains of the autumn, rare so late in the year, have brought relief to inhabitants suffering from a nationwide drought that has caused water shortages and degraded air quality. On Wednesday, a downpour caused major traffic jams on most of Tehran's streets and a first rainfall »»»

“Declining consumption and cost pressures have created a difficult economic climate for all players in the industry this year. Despite these challenges, we have managed to maintain our growth trend. We have focused on streamlining our operations and, at the same time, diversifying our product portf»»»

Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Evgeny Korniychuk has been summoned and reprimanded by the Israeli Foreign Ministry after he criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments praising ties with Russia, local media reported on Wednesday. Speaking at the Knesset on Monday, Netanyahu praised his »»»

The latest “very unwise and ill-considered” EU proposal to tap frozen Russian sovereign assets would amount to “stealing,” Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said on Wednesday, according to VRT news. Last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed using the assets to back a»»»

A Kenyan court has suspended the implementation of a "landmark" $2.5bn (£1.9bn) health aid deal signed with the US last week over data privacy concerns. It follows a case filed by a consumer rights lobby seeking to stop the alleged transfer and sharing of Kenyans' personal data under the agreement.»»»

Speaker Nabih Berri said Thursday that the Lebanese Army has implemented 90 percent of the cessation of hostilities agreement in the South Litani area and will completely finalize what’s left by year’s end. “This is what UNIFIL, the Mechanism and Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal have confirme»»»

Dubai: Mastercard is joining forces with Kee Platforms to provide embedded financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), micro retailers and solo entrepreneurs via Mastercard Merchant Cloud. With the opportunity to scale in the Middle East region, the collaboration will aim to create fas»»»

The Cabinet of Rosen Zhelyazkov announced its resignation Thursday. The resignation was announced by Prime Minister Zhelyazkov at an emergency press conference in Parliament as he stood in the company of senior officials of the three parties in the government coalition: GERB-UDF, There Is Such a Pe»»»

Lhokseumawe, Indonesia: The death toll in Indonesia's devastating floods closed in on the 1,000 mark Thursday as hundreds of thousands more continued to face shortages, with frustration growing over relief efforts. Disaster mitigation agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said 990 people had died by late T»»»

FLORENCE, Italy - The new US National Security Strategy, the December 2025 version, is an intriguing, quirky, Bosch-style hybrid beast. It does not exactly look as it seems. A tsunami of headlines across the discombobulated West focused on an apparent drive towards normalization between Washington »»»

The inaugural Sustainability Excellence Awards 2025, hosted by Gulf News and BeingShe, took place last night at the SEE Institute, The Sustainable City in Dubai, setting a new benchmark for the UAE’s growing sustainability movement. The event brought together leaders from across industries to recog»»»

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri met Thursday with U.S. Ambassador Michel Issa in Ain el-Tineh, for the second day in a row. On Wednesday, Berri met with Issa and a delegation of the American Task Force for Lebanon. After the meeting, Issa said that Israel differentiates between the Lebanese governme»»»

PoliticsAfricaTrump's new security strategy: A chance for Africa?Martina SchwikowskiUS President Donald Trump's new foreign policy focuses less on aid and more on trade with African countries, specifically on raw materials. Could this be a wake-up call for Africa to become more economically indepen»»»

Amid the golden desert dunes of Al Dhafra, the Liwa International Festival 2026 returns with an expanded and more diverse edition, offering a dynamic blend of sand sports, artistic celebrations, adventure experiences, and family-friendly activities. The festival is one of the UAE’s most anticipated»»»

Kottayam In a shocking incident, a woman teacher was allegedly attacked inside her school on Thursday by her husband, triggering panic among staff and students. The incident took place at Poovathumoodu School in Ettumanoor around 10.30 a.m., when the accused, identified as Kochumon, entered the cam»»»