Dubai: This Christmas festive season in Dubai has reached new heights of sweetness with spectacular giant gingerbread houses including ones that visitors can actually step inside. These edible architectural and culinary wonders are turning heads, offering families and Christmas enthusiasts unique p»»»

With the adoption of the euro on 1 January 2026, all payments in Bulgaria will move from levs to the single European currency. This applies to wages, pensions and all types of social and cash benefits, which will be recalculated under legally defined rules designed to prevent any loss of income. Wa»»»

Suze Lopez holds her baby boy on her lap and marvels at the remarkable way he came into the world. Before little Ryu was born, he developed outside his mom’s womb, hidden by a basketball-sized ovarian cyst — a dangerous situation so rare that his doctors plan to write about the case for a medical j»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday Belgrade would get a metro system in two to three years, but that development and progress in other Serbian cities were also important. "Belgrade is getting a metro. We have technical problems in terms of whether the (tunnel) boring mac»»»

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani said the country does not need normalization, stressing that the term “is not in Iraq’s dictionary.” Speaking during Christmas celebrations at St. Joseph’s Church in Baghdad on Wednesday, Al-Sudani said Iraq’s position on what he described as “issues of »»»

Tu Meri MainTera Main Teri Tu MeriDirector: Sameer VidwansCast: Ananya Panday, Kartik Aaryan, Neena Gupta, Jackie Shroff★★Dubai: I went into Tu Meri, Main Tera, Main Tera, Tu Meri with the cautious optimism one reserves for Bollywood rom-coms. Maybe it would be frothy. Maybe it would be charming. M»»»

CAIRO, Dec 24 (MENA) – Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said Egypt had begun a downward path in its debt indicators, noting that public debt had fallen to about 84 percent of GDP from 96 percent two years ago, and that the government was working to reduce it to levels not seen in five decades. Madbo»»»

If someone decides to exchange Bulgarian leva for euros at a currency exchange office right now, the loss is noticeable. For every 100 leva, the difference compared to the official fixed rate amounts to around 1.70 leva, or about 0.88 euros, Radio Free Europe reports. After January 1, however, exch»»»

New York: Days after Ghislaine Maxwell asked a judge to immediately free her from a 20-year prison sentence, the public release of grand jury transcripts from her sex trafficking case returned the spotlight to victims whose allegations helped land her behind bars. The disclosure of the transcripts »»»

Four United Nations rights experts on Wednesday condemned the US partial naval blockade of Venezuela, determining it illegal armed aggression and calling on the US Congress to intervene. The United States has deployed a major military force in the Caribbean and has recently intercepted oil tankers »»»

Torrential rains unleashed widespread flash flooding and mud flows across Southern California on Wednesday, as authorities warned motorists to stay off roads while urging residents in flood zones to evacuate or shelter in place. In the rain-soaked mountain resort of Wrightwood, east of Los Angeles,»»»

The wife of Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan is being held in conditions that could pose a serious risk to her physical and mental health, a UN expert warned Wednesday. Alice Jill Edwards, the United Nations' special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment o»»»

US President Donald Trump seized on the occasion of Christmas Eve to assail opposition Democrats, branding them "radical left scum" as he sent out holiday greetings. From his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, the Republican spent the day before Christmas spreading some yuletide cheer. He participated i»»»

Many of us have been waiting all year to tuck into our favourite festive treats. Christmas dinner can look very different for each household - but for professional footballers, it is still a time to stay focused on fitness and recovery for matches. Private chef Tommy Cole whips up meals for Premier»»»

Venezuela accused Washington of “the greatest extortion" known in the country's history at the UN Security Council on Tuesday, during a meeting in which Russia and China sharply criticized the US for putting military and economic pressure on Venezuela as tensions over sanctions and a naval blockade»»»

Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian homes, businesses and farmland are on the rise across the West Bank. The Observers team spoke with a Palestinian olive farmer whose land is frequently targeted, and an Israeli activist who helps protect West Bank farmers from settler violence. Palestinian vill»»»

Scouts marched and crowds gathered under clear skies in Bethlehem on Wednesday as the Palestinian city celebrated its first festive Christmas in more than two years. The return of public celebrations followed a fragile truce in Gaza, after previous Christmases were subdued by the war that started i»»»

Four Nobel laureates and several former heads of state are among the more than 400 prominent women who have signed a letter demanding the immediate release of Zahra Tabari, an Iranian engineer facing execution. The letter, organised by a London-based association, stated that Tabari faced "execution»»»

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) sees no signs of nuclear powers preparing to resume nuclear testing, IAEA Director Rafael Grossi said in an interview with Sputnik. "Well, what I see is, of course, the leaders of the great powers from time to time exchange statements, and some are in r»»»

Christmas dinner in France makes good on a promise to dine very well, offering everything from extravagant seafood platters to sweet treats such as the traditional Yule log cake (or bûche de Noël). Here are some of the delicacies you might find at a traditional French holiday feast. »»»

The new head of the Czech environmental portfolio and leader of the anti-green and eurosceptic Motorists for Themselves party Petr Macinka declared the climate crisis to be “over” during his press conference after the populist new Czech cabinet was signed in.  »»»

The Europeans are preparing for a possible war. But how do they plan to fight? Amid all the talk of a possible war, Nato launched its largest exercise in decades, Steadfast Defender 2024, on January 24. It involved 90,000 troops. »»»

Cool Carriers, the world’s largest  operator of specialised refrigerated cargo vessels, known as reefers, has rejected allegations broadcast by Danish TV2 linking the group to a cocaine-smuggling scheme off Denmark’s coast, insisting it had no operational control over the ships or the crew inv»»»

EU leaders meet on December 18-19  to vote on rules that would allow the seizure of billions of euros of Russian money frozen in EU accounts that will be used to back €210bn worth of Reparation Loans for Ukraine that is bound to trigger a significant retaliation by Russia if the vote succeeds.»»»

Czech industrial output increased in real terms by 1.1% year-on-year and dropped by 0.1% month-on-month. The output was slightly above the 0.8% registered in September, but remains unconvincing amid the struggling German i»»»

Bad loan levels across Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe (CESEE) remain close to historic lows despite mounting economic and geopolitical headwinds, but early warning indicators point to rising stress in commercial real estate, small businesses and household credit, according to a new report pu»»»

The EU’s vote on the Reparation Loan needs to fail. If it passes it will kill off any chance of a peace deal being signed. The US version of the plan is well advanced and special envoy to Ukraine retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg said last week that only points remain to be agreed. The EU ve»»»

Italy has thrown its weight behind France's opposition to the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, putting at risk this week's planned signing of the long-negotiated pact between Brussels and four South American nations. Giorgia M»»»

US President Donald Trump is in Florida today as the talks with the Ukraine delegation to stop the war continue. There is a decent chance that a deal to stop the war will be done today or tomorrow. However, that will invol»»»

EU leaders meet on December 18-19  to vote on rules that would allow the seizure of billions of euros of Russian money frozen in EU accounts that will be used to back €210bn worth of Reparation Loans for Ukraine that is bound to trigger a significant retaliation by Russia if the vote succeeds.»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin is pulling his punches in the bombing campaign of Ukraine’s power system. The country is plagued by rolling blackouts after Russia destroyed half of its generation capacity, but Russia could turn out the lights overnight and plunge the whole county into total darkne»»»

Bad loan levels across Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe (CESEE) remain close to historic lows despite mounting economic and geopolitical headwinds, but early warning indicators point to rising stress in commercial real estate, small businesses and household credit, according to a new report pu»»»

The EU avoided a decision to confiscate assets or income. The European Council (EUCO) summit on December 18 decided neither to confiscate the frozen Russian assets nor to formally use the income generated by the frozen assets. Instead, the EU (except for three states: Hungary, Slovakia, and Cz»»»

Russia's State Duma (lower house of parliament) is not considering legislation to ban social media access for children and teenagers, with the effects of similar restrictions in Australia remaining unclear, TASS reported on December 22. »»»

Russia is rolling out a new scheme to tag every internet user with a single tracking number that follows them across every website and app they visit, Deputy Digital Development Minister Bella Cherkesova revealed on December 24. »»»

This is going to get very messy. This morning Fitch announced it was putting Euroclear, which holds most of Russia’s frozen money, on “ratings watch with negative outlook.” That is a polite way of saying the proverbial is about to hit the fan. »»»

This is going to get very messy. This morning Fitch announced it was putting Euroclear, which holds most of Russia’s frozen money, on “ratings watch with negative outlook.” That is a polite way of saying the proverbial is about to hit the fan. »»»

The Europeans are preparing for a possible war. But how do they plan to fight? Amid all the talk of a possible war, Nato launched its largest exercise in decades, Steadfast Defender 2024, on January 24. It involved 90,000 troops. »»»

EU leaders meet on December 18-19  to vote on rules that would allow the seizure of billions of euros of Russian money frozen in EU accounts that will be used to back €210bn worth of Reparation Loans for Ukraine that is bound to trigger a significant retaliation by Russia if the vote succeeds.»»»

Cool Carriers, the world’s largest  operator of specialised refrigerated cargo vessels, known as reefers, has rejected allegations broadcast by Danish TV2 linking the group to a cocaine-smuggling scheme off Denmark’s coast, insisting it had no operational control over the ships or the crew inv»»»

Bad loan levels across Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe (CESEE) remain close to historic lows despite mounting economic and geopolitical headwinds, but early warning indicators point to rising stress in commercial real estate, small businesses and household credit, according to a new report pu»»»

The EU’s vote on the Reparation Loan needs to fail. If it passes it will kill off any chance of a peace deal being signed. The US version of the plan is well advanced and special envoy to Ukraine retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg said last week that only points remain to be agreed. The EU ve»»»

Trade between China and Iran fell 24% to $9.09bn in the first 11 months of 2025 from $12bn over the same period in 2024, with Chinese exports to Iran declining 22% to $6.23bn whilst imports dropped 27% to $2.86bn, China's General Administration of Customs reported on December 24. »»»

Trade between China and Iran fell 24% to $9.09bn in the first 11 months of 2025 from $12bn over the same period in 2024, with Chinese exports to Iran declining 22% to $6.23bn whilst imports dropped 27% to $2.86bn, China's General Administration of Customs reported on December 24. »»»

Trade between China and Iran fell 24% to $9.09bn in the first 11 months of 2025 from $12bn over the same period in 2024, with Chinese exports to Iran declining 22% to $6.23bn whilst imports dropped 27% to $2.86bn, China's General Administration of Customs reported on December 24. »»»

Serious horse trading between Russia and Ukraine is underway as the Kremlin responds to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy 20-point peace plan (20PPP) submitted to the Kremlin on December 24. Encouragingly, the Kremli»»»

The US and Ukraine are hunting for a formula to meet the Kremlin’s demands that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) withdraw from the Donbas region that doesn’t mention the word “withdraw”. “There are some points I don’t lik»»»

The US and Ukraine are hunting for a formula to meet the Kremlin’s demands that the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) withdraw from the Donbas region that doesn’t mention the word “withdraw”. “There are some points I don’t lik»»»

Serious horse trading between Russia and Ukraine is underway as the Kremlin responds to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy 20-point peace plan (20PPP) submitted to the Kremlin on December 24. Encouragingly, the Kremli»»»

Christmas morning in Dubai comes with easy-to-navigate roads and smoother-than-usual traffic. There are some bottlenecks, of course, such as on D86 and DIFC, but overall, it’s going to be an easy day for travelling. Sharjah is demonstrating a similar ease of travel, except in the Al Jazzat area whe»»»