Cha Jin-ah, a professor at Korea University Law School, speaks during an interview in Seoul on Dec. 16, 2025. Photo by Asia Today Dec. 17 (Asia) -- A Korea University law professor warned that a package of judicial reform bills backed by South Korea's ruling party could weaken judicial independence»»»

AIREV and Intel announced a strategic partnership to bring autonomous AI agents to Intel's next-generation AI PCs. The collaboration will deliver AIREV's OnDemand platform—featuring over 300 AI agents and tools—optimised to run entirely on-device, giving users powerful AI automation without cloud d»»»

President Donald Trump participates in a bilateral meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Gimhae International Airport terminal, on Thursday, October 30, 2025, in Busan, South Korea. File Photo by Daniel Torok/The White House/UPI | License Photo Dec. 17 (Asia Today) -- China's vast number»»»

Abu Dhabi: In collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Police General Headquarters and several strategic partners, the Abu Dhabi Civil Defence Authority has launched the “Winter Safety” campaign. The initiative aims to raise community awareness of seasonal accident risks and encourage safe practices during»»»

Outlook for next year’s business operations among South Korean small business owners, Dec. 16, 2025. Graphic by Asia Today and translated by UPI. Dec. 16 (Asia Today) -- Nearly half of South Korea's small business owners say policies to boost domestic demand and consumer spending are the most urgen»»»

Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev will continue government-forming consultations with representatives of parliamentary groups in the 51st National Assembly on Thursday, the head of State’s Press Secretariat said on Wednesday. The President will first meet the Alliance for Rights and Freedoms and the»»»

Dubai: Motorists travelling between Dubai and Sharjah are facing significant delays on Thursday, December 18 due to heavy traffic. The congestion has been reported on both Emirates Road E311 and E611 towards Dubai. Heavy congestion is also reported on Al Meydan Road and Al Khail Road. Commuters are»»»

This year, the Kyrgyz Geological Service sold subsoil use rights for 40 sites. The total revenue amounted to $2,353 million, with a combined starting price of $210,600. In 2025, auctions were planned and announced for 60 sites in total. Of these, 40 auctions were successful, with final deals exceed»»»

Since the beginning of the year, the total assets of Kyrgyzstan’s banking sector have grown by 38 percent, reaching 1,125.2 trillion soms, the National Bank reported. According to the central bank, a significant inflow of funds came from depositors, with total deposits rising by 35 percent to 800 b»»»

Dubai: Dubai gold prices pushed toward record territory overnight, tracking a relentless global bullion rally that has non-yielding assets firmly in favour amid Fed rate bets and fresh geopolitical flares. For UAE jewellery shoppers and small investors, retail rates are now testing the highest leve»»»

Doha, Qatar: Highlighting the importance of international partnerships in tackling corruption, a senior United Nations (UN) official praised Qatar’s sustained support for global anti-corruption efforts and its close cooperation with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Speaking to The Peninsul»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The US House of Representatives has voted down the Venezuela War Powers Resolution by 211–213, with nine lawmakers not voting. The measure would have required congressional authorization for US military actions against Venezuela, amid recent escalatory steps such as a “total and »»»

Sharjah: Powerful convective cloud formations were observed advancing over the waters off Sharjah on Thursday, as part of Al Bashayer low-pressure system, with heavy rainfall already reported across several parts of the emirate. Also Read: Sharjah ramps up rain readiness with 405 tankers and pumpsL»»»

President Donald Trump claimed Venezuela "illegally" seized US oil and rights, declaring, "We want it back." “You remember, they took all of our energy rights. They took all of our oil from not that long ago, and we want it back,” Trump said about Venezuela.On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announ»»»

The US has signed off on a record-breaking $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan, further militarizing the island that China sees as an inalienable part of its territory. Announcing the weapons deal, the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency claimed that the arms sales serve US national, e»»»

On the way to Brussels for the European Council summit, Prime Minister Orbán warned that despite a long and diverse agenda, the coming days will be defined by a single, decisive question: war or peace. At the center of the discussions is whether the European Union should provide further support to »»»

US President Donald Trump used a prime-time address from the White House to play down public anxiety about the US economy, insisting it is on the mend despite rising inflation, slowing job growth and growing voter frustration ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Follow our liveblog to see how the s»»»

Dubai: India's Reserve Bank launched aggressive dollar sales to arrest the rupee's plunge, delivering its biggest one-day gain in seven months. The currency climbed as much as 1% to 90.0963 per dollar on Wednesday after closing at a record low of 91.0837 the previous day. By 8 am Dubai time Thursda»»»

Poland’s Ministry of Energy has unveiled an updated draft of the National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) for 2030 and 2040, revising assumptions on coal, renewables and nuclear power. The document, taken over from the Ministry of Climate in August, outlines two scenarios: WEM (moderate transition) »»»

Trigon Dom Maklerski expects the WIG index to reach a new record of around 130,000 points in 2026, despite a roughly 40% rise in 2025. The brokerage argues that the rally is supported by fundamentals: a growing economy, falling interest rates and low valuations, with the Polish market trading at an»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Interior has launched a nationwide project to replace all existing vehicle number plates with a newly enhanced design that adheres to leading international standards and supports modern smart-traffic technologies. During a press conference yesterday at the Ministry of I»»»

Doha, Qatar: The FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 Local Organising Committee (LOC) is offering a comprehensive suite of media services to support journalists and media professionals covering the tournament, ensuring seamless access to high-quality production facilities across all venues. Through a strategi»»»

Kyrgyzstan is among the world’s top 5 fastest-growing economies. Temir Sariev, Head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, while speaking at a roundtable discussion on the challenges and prospects of the country’s construction sector. According to him, GDP growth in the construction industr»»»

Over the past five years, the cost of construction materials and construction works in Kyrgyzstan has increased at least twofold. Kainarbek Kuluev, a representative of the International Association of Builders, said while speaking at a roundtable discussion on the challenges and prospects of the se»»»

Fifteen citizens of Kyrgyzstan will be repatriated from Russia in the coming days after being held in temporary detention facilities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported. According to the ministry, staff from the Consulate General of the Kyrgyz Republic in Yekaterinburg visited the temporary d»»»

Dubai: Unstable weather conditions are expected to affect large parts of the UAE today and through the weekend, with periods of rainfall, strong winds and rough seas, according to the National Center of Meteorology. Forecasters said today’s weather will be partly cloudy to cloudy, with convective c»»»

US President Donald Trump has announced a $1,776 (£1,329) "warrior dividend" payment to 1.45m US servicemembers - paid for, in part, by his tariffs. In a televised address to the nation on Wednesday night, Trump said that "checks are already on the way" and should arrive before Christmas. In the ad»»»

In a stark setback to diplomatic efforts aimed at ending the nearly four-year conflict in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signalled that Moscow will not soften its stance on the war, openly rejecting meaningful concessions despite renewed peace proposals backed by Donald Trump and Wes»»»

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has announced a massive package of arms sales to Taiwan valued at more than $10 billion that includes medium-range missiles, howitzers and drones, a move that is sure to infuriate China. The State Department announced the sales late Wednesday during a nationally»»»

President Donald Trump delivers an address to the nation from the Diplomatic Room of the White House in Washington D.C., on Wednesday, December 17, 2025. Pool Photo by Doug Mills/UPI | License Photo Dec. 17 (UPI) -- In a relatively brief, campaign-style speech on Wednesday night, President Donald T»»»

Whiz Consulting, a global accounting and bookkeeping outsourcing firm, is ramping up its finance and accounting services for UAE businesses that are gearing up for major regulatory shifts set to hit in 2026. VAT, corporate tax, and digital reporting are turning to be more demanding, and with that, »»»

The Thiruvananthapuram City Cyber Police on Wednesday registered a case over the parody song ‘Pottiye Kettiye’, which went viral during the recent local body election campaign in Kerala. The case was filed following a complaint by Prasad Kuzhikkala, general secretary of the Thiruvabharana Patha Sam»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Wednesday that Moscow will seek to extend its gains in Ukraine if Kyiv and its Western allies reject the Kremlin's demands in peace talks. US President Donald Trump has unleashed an extensive diplomatic push to end nearly four years of fighting following Russ»»»

WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange has filed a criminal complaint against the Nobel Foundation, accusing it of misusing Nobel Peace Prize funds by awarding them to Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado, who has publicly called on the US to attack her own country. The complaint, dated W»»»

US President Donald Trump has added partisan and subjective plaques to his White House presidential "Walk of Fame", taking personal swipes at his predecessors Joe Biden and Barack Obama and repeating false claims about his 2020 election defeat. US President Donald Trump, who has made no mystery of »»»

Brazil’s Senate has approved legislation that could sharply reduce the prison sentence of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, convicted over an alleged coup plot after his 2022 election defeat, in a move that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has vowed to veto. Brazil’s Senate on Wednesday»»»

Meher Castelino, India’s first-ever Miss India and one of the country’s most respected fashion journalists, passed away on Wednesday. She was 81. She is survived by her son Karl, daughter-in-law Nisha, and daughter Christina. Born in Mumbai, Castelino rose to national attention in 1964 when she won»»»

French authorities have detained a 22-year-old man over a cyberattack on the email servers of the French interior ministry that compromised files containing criminal records. Prosecutors say the suspect is known to police and was convicted of similar crimes earlier this year. A 22-ye»»»

The family of the Bondi shooting's youngest victim Matilda urged the community to not let her death fuel anger, as they said a final goodbye to the 10-year-old on Thursday. Matilda was among 15 people who were shot dead when two gunmen opened fire on an event marking the start of Hannukah at Sydney»»»

President Donald Trump is delivering a live address to the nation from the White House in what he has billed as a wide-ranging update on the state of the country and his administration’s agenda. The US president said it has been “a great year for our Country” and promised in a Truth Social post on »»»

Naypyidaw: An earthquake of magnitude 4.4 struck Myanmar on Thursday, a statement by the National Centre for Seismology (NCS) said. The earthquake occurred at a depth of 100km. Also In This Package Watch: Rooftop pools overflow as Bangkok sways in quake Downpours drench homeless survivors of Myanma»»»

Question: I received a verdict from the criminal court confirming a violation of my privacy by a man who took a photo of me while photographing himself and then used it for advertising without my permission. My question is: How much compensation can I claim, and is there a maximum limit for the cla»»»

After accepting a job near Montreal, Mansef Aloui packed up his life in Tunisia, hopeful his children would thrive in Canada -- but his pathway to settle in the country has been shut down. "I'm broken. My life has been upended. My daughter is in her room, she cries day and night," the 50-year-old t»»»

Paris will host a four party meeting on Thursday bringing together representatives of France, Saudi Arabia, the United States and Lebanon, amid fears that an Israeli escalation could upend a ceasefire agreement in place for more than a year. French officials say Paris senses an imminent threat faci»»»

The Department of Justice says U.S. Army helicopter pilot decisions were a "proximate cause" of the collision between the helicopter and American Eagle Flight 5342 on January 29, which killed 67. File Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI | License Photo Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Government officials admitted errors by p»»»

Al Ain: He is not a wealthy businessman. Neither is he a celebrity with deep pockets. Yet, he has been honoured by the UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan for making modest contributions to support patients with chronic illnesses. Meet Sheikh Shakil, an Indian expat in the»»»

The new Syrian government is stepping up an aggressive campaign to seal its border with Lebanon, seeking to dismantle smuggling routes that under Bashar al-Assad’s rule served as a critical lifeline for Hezbollah, channeling weapons and money from Iran. In this context, the Interior Ministry announ»»»

US President Donald Trump has expanded America’s travel ban list, adding eight more countries, including Syria and the Palestinian Authority. The new restrictions are set to take effect on January 1. The move is part of a broader effort to tighten entry restrictions for foreign nationals whose coun»»»

Warner Bros Discovery's board has urged shareholders to reject a $108.4 billion hostile takeover bid from Paramount Skydance, saying it failed to provide adequate financing assurances. The board argued that the terms of a rival merger deal with Netflix represent "superior, more certain value f»»»