MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia's Battlegroup Sever took control of the settlement of Vilcha in the Kharkov region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday. "Battlegroup Sever as a result of active actions have taken control of the settlement of Vilcha in the Kharkov region," the ministry said in a s»»»

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) and SARsatX, a Saudi company specializing in Earth observation technologies, have developed computer-generated data to train deep learning models to predict oil spills. According to KAUST, validating the use of synthetic data is crucial for»»»

India and New Zealand announced Monday they have reached a free trade deal, seeking to deepen economic ties and shore up growth at a time of mounting global trade uncertainties. The move comes as New Delhi accelerates efforts to diversify export destinations as part of a broader strategy to offset »»»

A pair of US lawmakers have threatened legal action against US Attorney General Pam Bondi, after her deadline to release all government files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was met only in part. The release of the Department of Justice (DoJ) documents was highly anticipa»»»

Datamysite (DMS), a Dubai-based digital marketing agency, has delivered campaigns worth Dh46.3 million between December 2024 and December 2025, solidifying its position in the UAE’s competitive marketing landscape Founded in 2020, DMS has expanded from digital services into a full-service marketing»»»

The five-year partnership will bring Qatar Museums’ innovative learning models to schools and cultural learning environments in India through the multidisciplinary centre, NMACC, also enabling creation of new programmes Doha/Mumbai: HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson»»»

Washington: In a parallel reality, Queen Elizabeth II gushes over cheese puffs, a gun-toting Saddam Hussein struts into a wrestling ring, and Pope John Paul II attempts skateboarding. Hyper-realistic AI videos of dead celebrities - created with apps such as OpenAI’s easy-to-use Sora - have rapidly »»»

Members of the Rio de Janeiro Police carry out an operation in Rio de Janeiro in October. The police launched a major operation in two favelas aimed at arresting the leaders of the Red Command, the largest criminal gang in the city, and to halt its territorial expansion. File Photo by Antonio Lacer»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - A working group to examine the possibility of holding presidential election in Ukraine during martial law is being formed in the Ukrainian parliament, the head of the faction of Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People party, David Arakhamia, said on Monday. "According to a pre»»»

Deliveries more than doubled from 2024 to 1.6 million metric tons last month, Bloomberg reports, citing China Customs Office data. The jump saw Russia overtake Australia to become China’s biggest supplier after Qatar. Australian LNG supplies to China fell by a third from 2024.China started importin»»»

Netanyahu will show U.S. President Donald Trump reports about Hezbollah's efforts to rebuild its militarily capabilities in a bid to obtain a green light to launch a military operation in Lebanon, pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper reported Monday. The daily claimed that, based on Israeli media repo»»»

Tokyo: A Japanese regional assembly backed a plan on Monday to restart the world's biggest nuclear plant for the first time since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, taking it a step closer to resumption. The move came after Niigata prefecture governor Hideyo Hanazumi approved the restart of the Kashiwaza»»»

Gazprom’s supplies to Central Asia will more than double within five years. The company is seeking to redirect volumes previously destined for the European market. Vedomosti reports, citing data from Gazprombank’s Center for Economic Forecasting. Supplies are estimated at 19-20 billion cubic meters»»»

The Israeli military said it was reviewing an incident in the occupied West Bank in which soldiers shot dead a 16-year-old Palestinian who they said had thrown a brick at them, after CCTV footage appeared to show he was not doing so when shot. Asked about the video, an Israeli military spokesperson»»»

The transactions were concluded with companies operating in the business services and IT sectors, against the backdrop of a tightening Bucharest office market, where average vacancy rate has fallen below 12%, while availability in central locations is significantly lower, particularly for large, mo»»»

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 22 (KUNA) -- ASEAN foreign ministers on Monday urged Cambodia and Thailand to exercise maximum restraint and take immediate steps to cease all forms of hostilities.In a statement issued by Malaysia, the current chair of the bloc, the ministers called on both sides to restore mutua»»»

Nolte Küchen, Germany’s leading premium kitchen brand, concludes 2025 marked by strategic growth across the Middle East and key global markets. The company’s regional entity, Nolte FZE, strengthened its position in the UAE, advanced large-scale initiatives in Saudi Arabia, expanded its dealer and p»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani has hailed the completion of the Doha Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language as a landmark cultural achievement and a sign of "fruitful Arab integration". In a post on his official account on X, HH the Amir said Qatar was proud of the p»»»

Tokyo: Japan's flagship H3 rocket failed to launch a geolocation satellite into orbit on Monday due to engine failure, the country's space agency said. The second-stage engine "terminated prematurely" after the rocket blasted off at 10:51 am (0151 GMT) from the Tanegashima space centre in southern »»»

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Djuro Macut met with Slovak President Peter Pellegrini on Sunday to discuss advancement of bilateral relations and strengthening of cooperation in numerous areas. "During the meeting, Prime Minister Macut and the President of Slovakia agreed that the traditionally friendly and»»»

U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham has called for renewed military action against Hamas and Hezbollah if they fail to disarm and accused the Palestinian Islamist group of consolidating its power in Gaza. The Republican politician, on a visit to Israel, is a staunch ally of U.S. President Donald Trump. Beg»»»

The Association of Banks in Lebanon has issued a statement expressing its "fundamental reservations and strong objection to the draft law presented to Cabinet concerning financial regulation and the handling of deposits, due to its provisions and procedures." ABL said the draft law’s provisions “co»»»

Rabat: Morocco coach Walid Regragui said Sunday he would continue to be "very careful" with star man Achraf Hakimi at the Africa Cup of Nations as the Paris Saint-Germain full-back recovers from an ankle injury. Regragui suggested on the eve of the tournament's opening game against Comoros that Hak»»»

The Construction Cost Index in Saudi Arabia rose 1% in November 2025 compared with the same month last year, driven by equal 1% increases in both residential and non-residential construction costs, according to data released by the Kingdom’s General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT). The monthly Co»»»

Kiev’s lead negotiator, Rustem Umerov, has reportedly sought the FBI’s protection from a major probe launched by Ukraine’s anti-graft agencies in a series of clandestine meetings with the bureau’s chief. Umerov, the former Ukrainian defense minister and incumbent head of the National Security Counc»»»

SpaceX’s Starship test-flight explosion earlier this year posed a greater danger to commercial aircraft than was publicly disclosed, with passenger planes forced into fuel emergencies and air-traffic controllers intervening to avoid potential collisions, according to FAA documents reviewed by the W»»»

KUWAIT, Dec 22 (KUNA) -- Sheikh Abdullah Al-Nouri Charity Society signed on Monday a cooperation deal with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to support children in the Gaza Strip, with a contribution of USD 1 million, amid worsening humanitarian conditions.Chairman of the Society's Board »»»

Rome: Italy's competition authority said Monday it had fined US tech giant Apple 98 million euros ($115 million) for allegedly abusing its dominant position in the mobile app market. The AGCM said in a statement that Apple had violated privacy regulations for third-party developers in a market wher»»»

Saudi Arabia has awarded its highest national honor to Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, during his visit to Riyadh, Pakistan's military said Monday, underscoring deepening ties between the two countries, including cooperation on counterterrorism. Munir received the King Abdulaziz Me»»»

DOHA: Under the patronage of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al Thani, and in the presence of Chief of Staff of Qatar Armed Forces HE Lt Gen (Pilot) Jassim bin Mohammed Al Mannai, the Multi-Domain Warfare Training Center hel»»»

Pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper said Monday that Hezbollah will not hand over a single bullet north of the Litani River. The daily said that according to sources the group intends to notify relevant parties of this decision. Hezbollah says the ceasefire with Israel does not cover areas north of t»»»

A citizen N.A.E. filed a written complaint with the Investigative Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He requested action against a woman named Svetlana and a group of individuals acting together with her. The ministry’s press service reported. According to the investigation, these individ»»»

The Graphic Design Association has been launched in Riyadh under the patronage of the Saudi Architecture and Design Commission. Sunday’s event, attended by officials and culture experts, marks a significant step in empowering graphic design talents. The ceremony included a presentation outlining th»»»

Damascus, Dec. 22 (SANA) Gold prices in the Syrian market rose on Monday by SYP 25,000 per gram of 21-karat gold, compared to Sunday’s price of SYP 1,375,000, according to the Goldsmiths Syndicate. In its daily bulletin, the syndicate set the selling price of a gram of 21-karat gold at SYP 1,400,00»»»

Dubai: As Christmas approaches and offices across the UAE enter the year-end slowdown, many employees are asking a familiar question: Is Christmas Day a public holiday in the UAE? The short answer is no. Christmas is not listed among the UAE’s official public holidays under the Cabinet resolution r»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday he was grateful to Slovakia for its sincere support for Serbia on the EU path. Vucic said this at a joint press conference with Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, adding that a meeting with his counterpart had addressed global affairs and»»»

Both Russia and Ukraine now clearly understand what is non-negotiable and what remains open to compromise, US Vice President JD Vance said in an interview with the UnHerd news outlet. “The Ukrainians understandably see that as a major security problem, [even as] they privately acknowledge that even»»»

The Ministry of Transport and Communications, the Ministry of Finance, and the Osh City Hall have initiated a project to improve the city’s roads. Deputy Transport Minister of Kyrgyzstan Beknazar Bazaraliev announced at a meeting of the Committee on International Affairs, Defense, Security and Migr»»»

Iran insisted on Monday that its missile program was defensive in nature and designed to dissuade attack, while adding the existence of its arsenal was not up for debate. Israel had presented Iran's ballistic missiles, along with its nuclear program, as the two main threats it sought to neutralize »»»

In the first nine months of 2025, at least 14,591 citizens of Pakistan entered Kyrgyzstan, while 15,289 left. Deputy Prosecutor General Umutkan Konkubaeva said at a meeting of the Committee on International Affairs, Defense, Security, and Migration of the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan. According to her,»»»

Drinking water supply will be suspended in a part of Bishkek on December 25 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The press service of the City Hall reported. The water outage is due to emergency work on a D-400 mm water main on Kurenkeev Street. Cold water supply to residential buildings, schools, preschools, he»»»

US President Donald Trump named Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry on Sunday as his special envoy to Greenland, reigniting Danish and Greenlandic alarm over Washington's plans for the vast, mineral-rich Arctic island. Trump has said several times over the years that Greenland, a Danish territory that i»»»

The gold price has hit another record high, trading above $4,400 an ounce for the first time. The price of the precious metal has risen on expectations the US central bank will cut interest rates further next year, analysts said. Gold started the year worth $2,600 an ounce, but geopolitical tension»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Public Works Authority, 'Ashghal', has announced a temporary full road closure of Khaled Bin Ahmed Interchange Exit 14 from Salwa Road towards East Industrial Road. This road closure will take effect from 12AM on Thursday, December 25, until 7AM on Saturday, December 27, 2025. Ashg»»»

Dubai: Pop icon Justin Bieber is once again at the center of online speculation about his marriage to Hailey Bieber. The 31-year-old singer was recently spotted in Tokyo with Kendall Jenner, who is rumored to be his ex, reigniting chatter about his personal life. Earlier, Justin and Hailey were see»»»

Failure to adopt the 2026 State budget will affect Bulgarians’ standard of living, according to 63.8% of respondents in a survey conducted by the Myara polling agency. The opposite view is held by 31.8% of those surveyed, while a small “grey” zone of 4.4% are undecided. The data come from an indepe»»»

Mount Maunganui, New Zealand: West Indies Test captain Roston Chase said Monday he felt he had let his team down with his performances in their 2-0 series loss to New Zealand. New Zealand wrapped up the series victory with a 323-run win on the final day of the third Test at Mount Maunganui, after a»»»

Minister of Economy and Commerce Bakyt Sydykov participated in a working visit of President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Japarov to Japan on December 18–20 as part of his participation in the First Central Asia + Japan Dialogue Summit and the Central Asia + Japan Business Forum. During the visit, M»»»

Dubai: Shurooq reported Dh5.8 billion in real estate sales with 96% of units sold across three major projects. More than 4,000 units went to local and international buyers in Maryam Island, Sharjah Sustainable City and Ajwan Khorfakkan. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.»»»