Doha, Qatar: On the occasion of the State of Qatar's National Day, observed on December 18, the Amiri Diwan announced on Tuesday that Thursday, December 18, 2025 will be an official holiday. It added that employees will resume their work on Sunday, December 21, 2025»»»

DOHA: His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sent a cable of congratulations to HE Jose Antonio Kast on his victory in the presidential elections in the Republic of Chile, wishing him success and bilateral relations, further progress, and prosperity.»»»

Tunis, Dec. 16 (TAP) – The 13th edition of Riyeda - the national entrepreneurship and youth event - will take place on January 28-29 at the Tunis City of Culture. "Entrepreneurship, a National Cause" is the theme picked for the event which is...»»»

Doha: Qatar is set to make history by being the first country to host two major FIFA finals in two consecutive days. The FIFA Intercontinental Cup Final Qatar 2025 will take place 24 hours ahead of the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 Final, showcasing the country’s ability to host multiple mega-sporting e»»»

Iraq's transport ministry said Tuesday that a flight operated by Greece's Aegean Airlines had been the first European aircraft in 35 years to land at Baghdad's international airport. In a statement, the ministry said the arrival signaled "Iraq's return to the European aviation map" and ushered in "»»»

Dubai: As Dileep returns to Malayalam cinema and UAE big screes this Thursday, December 18th, with the action-comedy Bha Bha Ba, several of the industry’s biggest stars are publicly backing him, raising questions about accountability and the ethics of image make-over. This wacky actioner marks his »»»

The tanker Kairos has been detained by order of Burgas Maritime Administration Executive Agency Director Capt. Zhivko Petrov, the press service of the Transport and Communication Ministry told BTA on Tuesday. The order was issued in the morning. On December 11, Executive Director of the Maritime Ad»»»

China's core artificial intelligence (AI) industry scale is expected to exceed the 1-trillion-yuan ($140 billion) benchmark in 2025, according to industry data, a trend that experts said highlights the vast potential of the country's AI development, driven by broader application scenarios, technolo»»»

Russia's Tsentr battlegroup continue clearing of the settlements of Svetloe and Grishino in the Donetsk People's Republic. TOS-1A Solntsepyok crew of Tsentr battlegroup eliminated Ukraine's stronghold in Pokrovsk direction, while TOS-2 Tosochka crew destroyed stronghold close to Gulyaypole in Zapor»»»

US President Donald Trump has said he had a “very good conversation” with European leaders and also spoke directly with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in recent days, as part of efforts to get all sides of the Ukraine conflict “on the same page.” Last month, the Trump administration put for»»»

EU and UK leaders have called for the deployment of a European-led military force to Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire with Russia, along with US-led “monitoring” teams and the “regeneration” of Kiev’s own army. Following talks in Berlin on Monday with US President Donald Trump’s peace envoys Ste»»»

Despite the alarming reports published in the Israeli press, senior Lebanese officials do not seem to be worried, with “credible sources” telling al-Joumhouria newspaper that Lebanon is receiving many foreign signals that are downplaying the possibility of an Israeli strike. Quoting a Western diplo»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani sent a cable of condolences to HM King Mohammed VI of the Kingdom of Morocco over the victims of the floods that struck the city of Safi, wishing the injured a swift recovery.»»»

ANKARA, Dec 16 (KUNA) -- Kuwait's resident ambassador to Armenia and non-resident Ambassador to Georgia Mohammad Al-Ereifan presented a copy of his credentials to Georgian President Mikheil Kavelashvili.During a function at the Republican Palace in Tebeles, the Kuwaiti diplomat conveyed to the Geor»»»

A recent national survey conducted by Alpha Research between 5 and 12 December 2025 shows that a significant portion of Bulgarians are seeking new political alternatives. The study, which included 1,000 adult respondents from across the country through face-to-face tablet interviews, reveals that 4»»»

Wall Street inched slightly lower early Tuesday ahead of the release of U.S. employment and inflation reports that could drive the direction of interest rates. Futures for the S&P 500 fell 0.2% before the bell Tuesday, while futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average were unchanged. Nasdaq future»»»

A senior Lebanese official has announced that Lebanon is “willing to reach a security agreement with Israel that would be based on the Lebanese principles on which the president, the speaker and the premier agree.” In remarks to al-Joumhouria newspaper, the official said the principles are “abiding»»»

BTA correspondent in Pleven Elina Kyurkchieva received the annual Severno Eho Award of the Union of Bulgarian Journalists and Pleven Municipality. The award ceremony took place at the BTA National Press Club here on Tuesday. Kyurkchieva said that she accepted the award as a gesture towards her 20 y»»»

A nationally representative survey by Alpha Research Tuesday finds an increase of approximately 300,000 to 500,000 people willing to vote. The survey, conducted from December 5 to 12, 2025, and published on the agency’s website, is part of Alpha Research’s regular monitoring and was funded entirely»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - European leaders are constantly telling voters about the Russian threat to make them support a course towards militarization, including higher military spending and the reintroduction of conscription, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing EU officials. NATO Secretar»»»

GENEVA, Dec 16 (KUNA) -- The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned that more than 17 million Afghans are currently facing acute food insecurity an increase of three million people compared to last year.Speaking online from Rome during a media briefing in Geneva on Tuesday, WFP Director o»»»

BRUSSELS, Dec 16 (KUNA) -- European leaders discussed the establishment of a new international body in The Hague, under the name "International Claims Commission for Ukraine," which would be tasked with adjudicating compensation to be paid to Ukraine for damages resulting from the Russian attack.Th»»»

Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has been trying to cover up mass killings in the city of el-Fasher by burying and burning bodies, a research team from Yale University says. The RSF had drawn international condemnation amid reports of executions and crimes against humanity when its f»»»

Wizz Air, one of Bulgaria’s leading low-cost carriers, has announced the launch of direct flights between Sofia and Warsaw (Modlin). The new service will operate four times weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. Tickets are now available for purchase through the airline’s website and »»»

DOHA: His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sent a cable of condolences to HM King Mohammed VI of the Kingdom of Morocco over the victims of the floods that struck the city of Safi, wishing the injured a swift recovery.»»»

Tunis, Dec. 16 (TAP) - The number of valid hydrocarbon licenses at the end of October 2025 stands at 15, including 14 exploration licences and one for prospection, the report on the economic situation (October 2025) published by the National Energy...»»»

Bayut, the UAE’s leading proptech innovator, has now more than 9,000 active TruBrokers on its flagship credibility programme for real estate professionals. It’s the highest ever recorded since its launch, solidifying Bayut’s position as the region’s most trusted ecosystem for real estate profession»»»

Regions across Romania will receive a financing boost as a result of a €25 million loan that CEC Bank is receiving from the European Investment Bank (EIB). CEC Bank will channel the EIB credit into public-sector projects that promote sustainable economic development, particularly in Romanian region»»»

As Fidia Farmaceutici enters the Romanian market following the acquisition of Meditrina Pharmaceuticals, Sorin Mocanu, Cluster Manager for South-Eastern Europe, explains how Romania is becoming a strategic hub for regional expansion, portfolio diversification, and long-term growth across Eastern Eu»»»

Ukraine's biggest energy provider is living in permanent crisis mode because of Russian attacks on the grid, its chief executive has told the BBC. Most of Ukraine is suffering from lengthy power cuts as temperatures drop and Maxim Timchenko, whose company DTEK provides power for 5.6 million Ukraini»»»

Three of the seven defendants who appeared before an investigative magistrate working with the European Prosecutor’s Office to testify in connection with an alleged scheme to fraudulently collect EU agricultural subsidies in Crete through the state payment agency OPEKEPE, were released on condition»»»

Over the past five years, debate over the future of the Cyclades has intensified as a construction boom and rapid tourism growth threaten the islands’ identity, strain infrastructure and cause damage, including at Sarakiniko on Milos. The period has coincided with a nationwide rollout of urban plan»»»

INSAIT, part of Sofia University, together with leading international research institutions, said on Tuesday that it has released SceneSplat-49k, the largest open-source collection of high-quality, complex 3D scenes in Gaussian Splatting format, along with SceneSplat-Benchmark, a comprehensive eval»»»

LONDON, Dec 16 (KUNA) -- The United Kingdom's Office for National Statistics (ONS) affirmed on Tuesday that the unemployment rate in the United Kingdom rose up to 5.1 percent between August and October, marking its highest level since January 2021.The report stated that the number of employees regi»»»

DOHA: QatarEnergy has signed a long-term sales and purchase agreement (SPA) for up to 15 years with Uniper Global Commodities SE (Uniper) for the supply of 70 million cubic feet per annum of helium from its facilities in Ras Laffan. In a press release issued on Tuesday, QatarEnergy said that this a»»»

The two Iowa National Guard members killed in a weekend attack in Syria that the U.S. military blamed on the Islamic State group were identified and remembered as dedicated soldiers. The U.S. Army named them as Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, 25, of Des Moines, and Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, 29,»»»

An Emirati-backed secessionist group in Yemen said its forces were marching to another province as part of the group's push to expand areas under its control in the country's south, at the expense of its allies in the internationally recognized government. The Southern Transitional Council this mon»»»

Dubai: Binghatti Developers and Mercedes-Benz have announced plans to develop the world’s first Mercedes-Benz branded city in Dubai, a master-planned project with a total investment value of Dh30 billion. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The development, named Mercedes-»»»

Dubai: “You’re never sure whether you like them, whether you’re rooting for them, or whether they did the right thing,” says Radhika Apte, describing the moral ambiguity at the heart of her latest psychological thriller 'Saali Mohabbat', out on Zee5 Middle East. “Even after you leave the theatre, y»»»

Doha, Qatar: QatarEnergy has signed a long-term sales and purchase agreement (SPA) for up to 15 years with Uniper Global Commodities SE (Uniper) for the supply of 70 million cubic feet per annum of helium from its facilities in Ras Laffan, starting in September 2025. In a press release issued Tuesd»»»

As green public procurement becomes a legal obligation under Romania’s 2025–2030 framework, Business Review spoke with Ioana Viorică, Senior Managing Associate at Pop Briciu Crai, about readiness, compliance risks, and how sustainability criteria will reshape public contracts and market dynamics. G»»»

Renew Europe Tuesday expressed strong support for Ilhan Kyuchyuk and others in Bulgaria defending democracy against coercion and intimidation, to use their word. They held a news conference in Strasbourg to announce their position, following the European Public Prosecutor’s Office request to lift K»»»

Dubai: Passengers arriving at Dubai airports on Tuesday were greeted with a special passport stamp reading “Bahrain, Heart and Eyes” as the General Directorate of Identity and Foreigners Affairs – Dubai (GDRFA Dubai) marked the National Day of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The initiative underscores the »»»

His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, attended an official ceremony on Monday to mark the formal inscription of the Faya archaeological site onto the UNESCO World Heritage List. The event, held at the Mleiha Archaeological Centre, celebr»»»

France is throwing up a last-minute obstacle to a massive trans-Atlantic trade deal between the 27-country European Union and the five South American nations of the Mercosur bloc that's taken a quarter-century to negotiate. Angry European farmers fearing new competition from the EU-Mercosur pact ar»»»

US negotiators have “appeared unwilling to compromise” with their Ukrainian counterparts over the peace roadmap proposed by US President Donald Trump, the Wall Street Journal has reported. In a piece on Sunday, the media outlet quoted its anonymous source as describing the talks between US and Ukra»»»

Lebanon's judiciary approved the release on bail of former economy minister Amin Salam on Tuesday after six months of detention over corruption linked to contracts deemed suspicious, a judicial official said. Salam, who served in the cabinet of former prime minister Najib Mikati from 2021 to 2025, »»»

In 2007, when online marketing in Romania was still in its infancy and “SEO” or “PPC” were niche concepts, a small digital project born in Cluj-Napoca laid the foundation for what would later become a long-standing player in the industry. Founded by Valentin Bolboacă, Klain has now reached its 18th»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Tuesday parliamentary elections in the country would be called before the expiry of the term of the current parliament and that local elections in several municipalities would be held in five or six months. "There will be early parliamentary ele»»»