US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has accused European NATO states of trying to pull Washington into a direct confrontation with Russia and slammed Reuters for “fomenting hysteria” in order to sell war. Russia has consistently rejected claims that it plans to attack EU countries, d»»»

While some West African nations are choosing to cement old ties with France and others cultivate a new relationship with Russia, one country is trying to have the best of both worlds. As the 7 December attempted military coup in Benin collapsed, the rebels' leader, Lt Col Pascal Tigri, made his dis»»»

Comedian Bowen Yang is leaving the cast of Saturday Night Live, and will no longer be part of the long-running sketch programme after the latest episode airs. In a post on Instagram, Yang declined the share the reason for his departure, which comes in the middle of the season, but said he is "grate»»»

KUWAIT, Dec 20 (KUNA) -- Arab and foreign ambassadors to Kuwait congratulated on Saturday His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on the second anniversary of assumption of power.In separate statements, the ambassadors extolled His Highness the Amir's wisdom, leading vision a»»»

On a winter morning in 2022 Raphael Wong and Figo Chan walked into Hong Kong's Stanley prison to meet Jimmy Lai, the media billionaire who had been arrested two years before and was awaiting trial charged with national security offences. They had all been part of the turbulent protests that had roc»»»

PA Media/DPA London Erling Haaland scored two goals and made another as Manchester City underlined their growing Premier League title credentials with a comfortable 3-0 victory over West Ham on Saturday. The prolific Norwegian was on target after just five minutes of a one-sided encounter at the Et»»»

QNA Jeddah Chairperson of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) and a member of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), HE Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah, has affirmed that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the»»»

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday said a $105 billion loan from the European Union puts Ukrainian officials in a stronger position for negotiating a peace agreement with Russia. File Photo by Peter Foley/UPI | License Photo Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Officials for the European Union have agr»»»

KUWAIT, Dec 20 (KUNA) -- 1958 -- A conference of Arab writers was held in Kuwait and was inaugurated by Chairman of the Ma'aref (knowledge) Council Sheikh Abdullah Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. 1970 -- Kuwait Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah signed a decree that imposed additional income tax. 1976 -- Minis»»»

The Swedish Academy said Saturday its permanent secretary, Mats Malm, is stepping down after seven years of heading the prestigious institution that awards the annual Nobel literature prize. As of June 1, 2026, Academy member Ingrid Carlberg, an author and journalist, will take over as permanent se»»»

New York: US space technology company Blue Origin on Saturday launched a wheelchair user into space, marking a historic first. The New Shepard Mission NS-37 lifted off from Launch Site One in West Texas at 816 a.m. Central Standard Time (1416 GMT) with a six-person crew. Among them is Michaela Bent»»»

Washington,Dec. 20 (SANA) Qatar and the United States stressed the need to support efforts aimed at achieving stability in Syria and boosting its economy, in addition to continuing cooperation in combating terrorism. This came in a joint statement following the seventh strategic dialogue between th»»»

The UAE Lottery’s Lucky Day Draw No. 251220, held on Saturday, saw three winners each take home Dh100,000 under the guaranteed Lucky Chance ID cash prize category. The winning numbers from the Days set were set were 15, 17, 24, 6, 27 and 18, while the winning number from the Months set was 8. The L»»»

Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi on Saturday reiterated calls for structural changes in the UN Security Council to grant Africa a larger role in shaping global decisions. El-Sisi made the plea for a “more pluralistic” world order at a conference of the Russia-Africa partnership held in Cairo,»»»

Ankara, Dec 20 (SANA) Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Guler underscored the strategic importance of stability and security in Syria for Turkey’s national security, highlighting the growing coordination between Ankara and Damascus. Speaking to media representatives in Ankara on Saturday, Guler said t»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE on Saturday welcomed renewed calls by the United States for an immediate halt to fighting in Sudan, stressing the urgency of easing a conflict that has pushed millions into displacement and deepened one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al »»»

Türkiye's MIT intelligence agency chief met Hamas' ​negotiating team head Khalil Al-Hayya on Saturday and discussed necessary measures to be taken for proceeding to the ‌second phase ‌of the ‌Gaza ⁠peace ​plan, ‌Turkish security sources said, Reuters reported. The sources, speaking on condition of »»»

Current developments regarding the Ukraine conflict are “clearly conducive to the cessation of hostilities,” Chinese political analyst Zhou Chengyang told Sputnik. “Choosing a peaceful path and bringing the conflict to an end at the negotiating table as soon as possible is the best outcome” for Rus»»»

JEDDAH: Chairperson of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) and a member of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) HE Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah affirmed that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Ban»»»

Elon Musk's 2018 pay package from Tesla, once worth $56 billion, was restored by the Delaware ​Supreme Court on Friday, nearly two years after a lower court struck down the compensation deal as "unfathomable." The ruling overturns a decision that had prompted a furious backlash from Musk and damage»»»

WASHINGTON: The following text was issued by the governments of the State of Qatar and the United States of America: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HESheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani,and Secretary of State of the United States of AmericaHE Marco Rubio held the sev»»»

Jeddah: Chairperson of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) and a member of the Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), HE Maryam bint Abdullah Al Attiyah affirmed that the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Ba»»»

Washington: The following text was issued by the governments of the State of Qatar and the United States of America: HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and HE Marco Rubio, Secretary of State of the United States of America, held t»»»

At midnight on Christmas Eve, the words of the traditional hymn “The Night of Christmas” will ring out in the tiny grotto in Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity, built on the site where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born. “On the night of Christmas, war is buried, On the night of Christmas, lo»»»

Share: Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly (L) meets Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam (R) during his official visit in the Government Palace (Grand Serail) in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, on December 19, 2025. [Lebanese Presidency / Handout – Anadolu Agency] Egypt is doing all it can to »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Local Organizing Committee of the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships today announced the final organizational preparations ahead of the tournament's kickoff, which will be hosted by Qatar University at the Sports and Events Complex from December 25 to 31. Speaking at a »»»

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Washington is "hopeful" the Lebanese-Israeli negotiations will lead to a potential deal. "The goal everybody shares is a strong Lebanese Government that controls the country and Hezbollah is disarmed. They’re no longer an armed element that can thre»»»

Dreams do come true in Dubai… twice! Sanil Kumar, a 40-year-old accountant from Kerala, is over the moon after winning Dh100,000 in the Big Ticket draw – for the second time. Also Read: First-time lucky: Indian tailor in Dubai buys Big Ticket in his name, wins Dh100,000The long-time Dubai resident,»»»

Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev said on Saturday he was heading to Miami, where another round of talks to settle the Ukraine war is set to take place. Ukrainian and European teams were also in the sunny American city for the negotiations mediated by Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff and the US presi»»»

Rabat: Morocco captain and star player Achraf Hakimi is fit and ready for the host nation's Africa Cup of Nations bid but may not start in the tournament's opening game, coach Walid Regragui said on Saturday. "Tomorrow will be my decision but he has more than done his job. His injury was not an eas»»»

On October 6, 2023 - less than 24 hours before the Hamas attack that triggered the Gaza war - Israel gathered intelligence indicating the Palestinian group was planning something for the following morning, Israeli Kan public broadcaster has revealed. The information came through an intelligence-gat»»»

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has urged the disarmament of Hamas but voiced hope for headway on reaching the next stage of a Gaza ceasefire as regional officials met. Top officials of Qatar and Egypt -- key mediators of the ceasefire -- and regional power Turkey headed Friday to Miami to meet»»»

Russian officials are set to arrive in Florida on Saturday to meet with US negotiators for the latest round of talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine. The meeting comes as talks between US, Ukrainian and European negotiators on Friday ended with all sides saying progress had been made on agreeing»»»

Greece’s top administrative court and the Cyclades Antiquities Authority have halted further construction near the Apokofto Lighthouse on the island of Sifnos, suspending work on four adjacent properties above Chrisopigi beach. The Council of State accepted appeals by residents and ordered a freeze»»»

Washington, Dec.20 (SANA) The U.S. Department of War (Pentagon) announced that U.S. forces carried out strikes at dawn Saturday targeting dozens of ISIS terrorist sites in Syria, in response to its terrorist attack that targeted joint Syrian-American forces near Palmyra last Saturday. Ministry of F»»»

In unusually blunt language, and following a visit by Sudan’s Sovereignty Council Chairman and army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan to Cairo, the Egyptian presidency issued a statement on the war in Sudan outlining three points it described as red lines. It said Egypt would not allow any of them to be»»»

A Pakistani court has sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan to 17 years in prison for corruption during his time in office, Dawn reported, marking another major legal setback for Khan, who has been imprisoned since 2023. Special Judge Shahrukh Arjumand of an anti-graft court handed Khan the ma»»»

Amid the heavy rains sweeping parts of the UAE, luck shone brightly on three individuals who struck big during the latest Dubai Duty Free Finest Surprise draw held at Dubai International Airport. And leading the pack of winners was an Emirati who went from car trouble to cruising in style. Also Rea»»»

The committee overseeing the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, known as the “mechanism,” convened its 15th meeting in Naqoura, the second to include civilian representatives, with renewed focus on the return of residents to their homes on both sides of the border. The statement issued after the»»»

US President Donald Trump refused to rule out going to war with Venezuela in an NBC interview published on Friday, days after he ordered a naval blockade of sanctioned oil tankers coming to and leaving Venezuela. The Trump administration also imposed sanctions on family members and associates of Ni»»»

Speaking after a tense EU summit in Brussels, Prime Minister Orbán described the meeting not as a political consultation but as a war council. “Yesterday, the European Council held a meeting under unusually tense circumstances, dealing with the most difficult question imaginable. It wasn’t really a»»»

Irishman Diarmuid Early emerged onto the HyperX arena in Las Vegas under the bright lights, dramatic music, and fanfare worthy of any major sporting final. Only this time, instead of a ball there was a keyboard and mouse, and the playing field a humble desktop setup. Dubbed the "LeBron James of Exc»»»

Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic Adylbek Kasymaliev congratulated employees and veterans of the national security agencies on their professional holiday. In his address, he highlighted the key achievements of the agency in recent years. Fight against corruption and crime »»»

News report by Sarah Al-Mukaizeem KUWAIT, Dec 20 (KUNA) -- The State of Kuwait marks on Saturday His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah's second anniversary of being named as Amir, celebrating years of rapid achievements and accelerated developments.Last year alone, and due »»»

DOHA: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed his confidence that several countries will send troops to participate in the planned international stabilization force in the Gaza Strip. During a press conference, Rubio said, "I am very confident that we have a number of countries acceptable to al»»»

The Pentagon has released footage showing US and allied forces carrying out large-scale strikes against alleged Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist targets in Syria as part of Washington’s retaliation for the recent killing of American personnel. In a post on X late Friday, US Central Command (CENTCOM) »»»

A federal judge on Friday issued a preliminary injunction to stop the Trump administration from revoking funding for homeless programs after recently changing funding requirements. File Photo by Paul Beaty/UPI | License Photo Dec. 19 (UPI) -- A federal judge has stopped the Trump administration fro»»»

The line for a selfie with South Korea's disgraced former President Yoon Suk Yeol stretched around Seoul's iconic Gwanghwamun gate. Except Yoon wasn't there; it was just a picture of him. The real Yoon is in prison facing insurrection charges. But that didn't matter to the thousands of excited youn»»»

1 of 4 | Workers make final adjustments after President Donald Trump's name is added to The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. on Friday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Dec. 19 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump's name was affixed Friday to The Kennedy Center »»»

Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway attends the Nobel Peace Prize presentation ceremony at Oslo City Hall on December 10 in Oslo, Norway. Photo by Paul Treadway/UPI | License Photo Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit's lung condition has worsened, and her doctors are considering »»»