Israeli troops fired a mortar shell over the ceasefire line into a Palestinian residential area in the Gaza Strip, in the latest incident to rock the tenuous ceasefire with Hamas. Health officials said at least 10 people were wounded, and the army said it was investigating. The military said the mo»»»

Dubai: Worried the inclement weather may ruin your travel plans? Fortunately, flights from Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah are running largely on schedule today (as of Wednesday, December 18 afternoon), except of a few non-rain-related sporadic delays. Still, residents are well placed »»»

Dubai: Cristiano Ronaldo is diving deeper into luxury ventures with Vega Private Members Club, an ultra-exclusive spot on Madrid's Golden Mile set to open before year-end. According to Spanish publication Libertad Digital, entrepreneur Inigo Onieva and Mabel Hospitality, the firm of Ronaldo and bus»»»

DOHA: His Highness the Amir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani sent a cable of congratulations to President of the Republic of Niger HE Lieutenant General Abdourahmane Tchiani, on the occasion of his country’s Republic Day.»»»

Dubai: As weather alerts light up phones across the UAE and dark clouds gather over several emirates, one question is on everyone's mind: will Christmas arrive with rain this year? Right now, it certainly feels possible. Across the country, residents are bracing for heavy thunderstorms and rainfall»»»

U.S. President Donald Trump said America was "poised for an economic boom the likes of which the world has never seen" next year, as he defended his policies in an address to the nation Wednesday. Claiming he was fixing a "mess" left by his predecessor Joe Biden 11 months ago, Trump said in his spe»»»

India has accelerated a push to finalize several free trade agreements over the next few months to offset the impact of steep U.S. import tariffs and widen export destinations during growing global trade uncertainties. New Delhi is in advanced talks with the European Union, New Zealand and Chile an»»»

Arab female film directors have helped change the landscape of Arab cinema in recent years, presenting stories that haven't been told before and claiming space in an industry in a region that rarely makes room for women to grow. Four influential female directors took part in this year's Red Sea Fil»»»

For the first time, The Trading Festival will take place alongside the iFX EXPO! A high-energy event built for traders who want to start 2026 ahead of the curve. Running 10–12 February 2026 the Festival lands in the middle of the region’s busiest financial week, when global brokers, platforms, prop»»»

New orders in the manufacturing industry increased by 4.7% January through October this year against the same interval in 2024, according to data released on Wednesday by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).Thus, during the period January 1 - October 31, 2025, increases were reported in: the»»»

The total industrial turnover (domestic and foreign markets) increased in the first ten months of his year, in nominal terms, by 3.2%, compared to the same period in 2024, on the back of increases recorded in the drilling industry (+12.6%) and in the manufacturing industry (+2.9%), according to dat»»»

The minimum turnover tax should be eliminated and the minimum salary should be increased, believes the president of the CFA Romania Association, Adrian Codirlasu."As to the minimum turnover tax and the minimum salary. My opinion: the minimum turnover tax should be eliminated and the minimum salary »»»

The local councils and the General Council of Bucharest Municipality (CGMB) will approve, by December 31, the decisions regarding the tax rates and fees established for the year 2026, according to an emergency ordinance adopted by the Government on Wednesday.According to a press release from the Go»»»

The Ministry of Finance is allocating over 3.8 billion RON to support public investments and pay off arrears in key sectors such as development, transport and agriculture, according to a press release from the institution, sent on Wednesday."The Government approved today an Emergency Decision, by w»»»

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan met of Wednesday at the Victoria Palace with representatives of the Foreign Investors Council (FIC), in the context of Government consultations for the legislation required to prepare the state budget for 2026.According to a Government release, the discussions focused on»»»

The Senate adopted, on Wednesday, in compliance with the CCR (Constitutional Court of Romania) decision regarding this topic, the draft law on the payment of private pensions, in its initial form, the main regulation being that all persons, including oncological patients, who opt to withdraw money »»»

President Nicusor Dan stressed in London on Wednesday that the urgency is for Romania to have a state budget for next year, and this will be in a deficit of "a little over 6%.''"It's not good that we are on December 17 and we don't even have the draft budget. We were supposed to have the budget on »»»

MPs on Wednesday adopted the re-examination, at the request of the President of Romania, of the Law amending and supplementing Government Emergency Ordinance No 31/2002 on the prohibition of organisations, symbols and acts of a fascist, Legionary, racist or xenophobic nature and the promotion of th»»»

AUR's (Alliance for the Union of Romanians) leader in the Senate, Petrisor Peiu, on Wednesday submitted to the Senate plenum a simple motion against the Minister of the Interior, Catalin Predoiu."Mr. President, please take note that today we are submitting the simple motion entitled 'Romania is too»»»

December just got an upgrade — and it’s not holiday traffic or year-end parties. It’s 3I/ATLAS, a visitor from another star system, casually cruising through our solar neighbourhood like it owns the place. On December 19, 3I/ATLAS makes its closest approach to Earth, marking one of the most intrigu»»»

The Senate, acting as the decision-making body, approved on Wednesday the Government's Emergency Ordinance on the implementation of the SAFE instrument, which provides financial assistance to European Union member states to accelerate urgent public investments in the defence area.The vote recorded »»»

The governing coalition, meeting on Wednesday at Victoria Palace, announced that it had reached an agreement on increasing the minimum wage to 4,325 RON starting July 1, 2026.According to a joint statement by the governing coalition, it was also decided to close the administration reform package by»»»

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan expressed his support on Wednesday for a union of center-right forces, in a "strong" political pole.He mentioned that the formation of large political blocs is useful in the context of single-round local elections, so that votes do not crumble."If we take into account th»»»

President Nicusor Dan declared on Wednesday that he will encourage investments that bring state-of-the-art technology to Romania, new well-paid jobs and that, by increasing domestic production, will help reduce the trade deficit.The clarifications were made after the meeting held in London with Rom»»»

Interior Minister Catalin Predoiu underlined the importance of activities carried out together with the FBI, with an emphasis on combating cross-border organised crime, particularly drug trafficking and cybercrime, during the meeting he had on Tuesday with Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Dire»»»

President Nicusor Dan was received by King Charles III on Wednesday."I thank His Majesty, King Charles III, for the reception today at Buckingham Palace," the head of state wrote on Facebook.The post is accompanied by a photo in which the two leaders shake hands.Nicusor Dan paid a visit to London o»»»

President Nicusor Dan participates in the meeting of the European Council in Brussels, according to the Presidential Administration.On Thursday and Friday, EU leaders will hold strategic debates on Ukraine, the next multiannual financial framework, enlargement and the EU's geoeconomic situation. Th»»»

DOHA: Each year, Qatar National Day serves as a moment to reaffirm national pride and collective identity. At Qatar Foundation’s Pre-University Education (PUE), the occasion was marked through thoughtfully designed learning experiences that engaged students in language, culture, and active particip»»»

Minister of State for International Cooperation H E Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad met yesterday with Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation H E Dmitry Lyubinsky, who is visiting the State of Qatar. Talks during the meeting focused on bilateral cooperation and ways to strengthen it»»»

Declaring the government of Venezuela a terrorist organization would allow the US to conduct targeted attacks on this nation’s soil to eliminate its leaders, which would be "crossing the Rubicon," Argentine international relations expert Tadeo Casteglione told Sputnik. Escalation around Venezuela i»»»

The Trump administration is seeking to discourage European countries from using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine's war effort, a senior Ukrainian official said Wednesday, adding that President Volodymyr Zelensky would lobby Kyiv's European allies to tap the Russian assets at an EU summit in»»»

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has authorized transactions related to civilian nuclear energy with a number of Russian banks, the Central Bank, and the National Clearing Center. In addition, the U.S. Department of the Treasury extended until June 18, 2»»»

The state-owned chain “People Shop” is reportedly exceeding expectations in its early days of operation, according to executive director Nikolay Petrov in an interview with Bulgarian National Radio. He emphasized that the company’s primary goal is to support consumers, and he expressed hope that it»»»

President Donald Trump promised Americans an economic boom in an address to the nation on Wednesday, while blaming Democratic predecessor Joe Biden for high prices that have hit the Republican's popularity. "Good evening America. Eleven months ago I inherited a mess, and I'm fixing it," the 79-year»»»

Damascus, Dec. 18 (SANA) Syria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, thanked the U.S. Senate on Wednesday for its support for the Syrian people and the vote to repeal the Caesar Act. In a post on the X platform, al-Shaibani said, “We consider this step a positive »»»

Doha, Qatar: In line with the Third Financial Sector Strategy and as part of Qatar Central Bank’s efforts to enhance digital payment systems and services, and to strengthen cooperation among GCC countries, Qatar Central Bank is pleased to announce the acceptance of the national payment card “Himyan»»»

DOHA: As Qatar celebrates National Day, Souq Waqif stands ready to embrace one of the country’s most cherished traditions, once again turning into a lively and vibrant centre of celebration. This year, the historic marketplace is more than just a backdrop for festivities as the excitement of Qatar »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani congratulated the Qatari people and residents on the occasion of the state's national day. HH the Amir offered, in a post on his official X account, his warmest congratulations to the people and residents of Qatar on the occasion of the natio»»»

Brand Dubai has announced that Hatta Festival will be temporarily closed on Thursday, 18th December, and Friday, 19th December due to adverse weather conditions affecting the region. The closure has been implemented to ensure the safety of visitors, staff, and performers at the popular cultural and»»»

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 televised a»»»

The US military said Wednesday that it attacked a boat accused of smuggling drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing four people on the same day the House rejected efforts to limit President Donald Trump’s power to use military force against drug cartels. US Southern Command stated on social med»»»

Damascus, Dec. 18 (SANA) Tourism Minister Mazen al-Salhani said Wednesday that the repeal of the U.S. Caesar Act marks a significant shift in Syria’s international engagement, reopens economic channels and paves the way for renewed cooperation, particularly in the tourism sector. Al-Salhani told SA»»»

India has lodged a strong protest against what it has called the "deteriorating security situation" around its mission in Dhaka. On Wednesday, India's foreign ministry summoned Bangladeshi envoy Riaz Hamidullah to convey its concerns about the actions of some "extremist elements", the ministry said»»»

The Trump administration has announced a huge arms sale worth around $11bn (£8.2bn) to Taiwan, which includes advanced rocket launchers, self-propelled howitzers and a variety of missiles. This package, which still needs to be approved by the US Congress, will be the second arms sale to Taiwan sinc»»»

Amman: The State of Qatar took part in the 45th session of the Council of Arab Ministers of Social Affairs and the Arab Conference on the Implementation of the Doha Declaration, both held in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The events brought together Their Excellencies ministers and senior officia»»»

Doha: The Public Prosecution, represented by the Institute of Criminal Studies, organised a legal seminar on the landmarks of the legal renaissance in the State of Qatar to commemorate National Day. The seminar, attended by Attorney General of the State of Qatar, H E Dr. Issa bin Saad Al Jafali Al »»»