TOKYO — Japan unveiled a five-year goal on Saturday for business projects totalling $19 billion in Central Asia as Tokyo vies for influence in the resource-rich region.The announcement came after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi hosted an inaugural summit with the leaders of five Central Asia nations »»»

WASHINGTON, United States — For a reading of Wall Street's shifting mood on the artificial intelligence investment boom, take a look at the daily fluctuations of Oracle stock, analysts say.Shares of the software giant slumped more than five per cent Wednesday following a news report of financing tr»»»

AMMAN — Arab Potash Company (APC) on Monday announced the signing of a long-term strategic supply agreement with Norway’s Yara International, one of the world’s leading fertiliser producers and distributors, aimed at strengthening APC’s presence in international markets.The agreement was signed in »»»

A U.S. military helicopter hovers over an oil tanker seized early Saturday morning in international waters near Venezuela. Photo Courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard Dec. 20 (UPI) -- The U.S. Coast Guard led another seizure of an oil tanker in international waters near Venezuela on Saturday after Presi»»»

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has cast himself and other opponents of the ‘reparations loan’ scheme for Ukraine as ‘EU Ghostbusters’ in a video posted on X on Friday. In the video, released a day after he and his allies blocked the loan scheme at a Brussels summit, the veteran politician mo»»»

The US Justice Department on Friday released a tranche of files related to convicted sex-offender Jeffrey Epstein in accordance with a congressional mandate. The partial disclosure has already drawn criticism from lawmakers and victims’ advocates, who cite the wholesale redaction of some pages and »»»

AmericaFest, the first major Turning Point USA conference since the murder of its founder Charlie Kirk, took place in Phoenix on Thursday – but instead of showing unity, it exposed sharp rifts within the MAGA movement over anti-Semitism, leadership, and its post-Trump future. The first major g»»»

DOHA: Under the patronage of Minister of Interior and Commander of the Internal Security Force 'Lekhwiya' HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, and in the presence of Minister of State for Interior Affairs HE Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Faisal bin Mohammed Al Thani, the activities of the first»»»

Tunis, Dec. 20 (TAP) - Speaker of the Assembly of People’s Representatives, Brahim Bouderbala, accompanied by a parliamentary delegation, on Saturday attended the closing events of the second edition of the Investment Days in Medenine Governorate,...»»»

The United States has seized another oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, escalating pressure on Caracas just days after President Donald Trump announced a “total and complete” blockade of unilaterally sanctioned oil shipments. US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed the raid on Satu»»»

DOHA: The third edition of the International Circus Show 'Beyond Reality'kicked off in Al Wakrah Old Souq on Saturday. It is organized by the Private Engineering Office's celebrations committee. General Supervisor of the International Circus Khalid Al Suwaidi told Qatar News Agency (QNA) that the t»»»

Tribune News Network Doha Qatar Exports, powered by Qatar Development Bank (QDB), has announced the strong outcomes of the Qatar–Kuwait Trade Mission, held from 9–10 December 2025 at The St Regis Kuwait. The mission saw the participation of more than 35 Qatari companies spanning a wide spectrum of »»»

MINISTER OF INTERIOR MEETS GERMAN COUNTERPART Minister of Interior and Commander of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya) HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani met with Federal Minister of the Interior of Germany Alexander Dobrindt on Saturday. The meeting discussed ways to strengthen b»»»

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»»»

Continued from page 1 This builds upon the over $240 billion in economic deals secured during President Trump’s visit to Qatar in May. The PM affirmed that as Qatar charts a path to a diversified economy driven by technology, innovation, and knowledge, its deep investment partnership with the US ha»»»

Darlene Regis The 19th General Assembly and 2026 Board Election of the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers (PICE) Qatar marked a historic milestone for Filipino engineers, as the chapter was inducted into the PICE Hall of Fame — a rare distinction that recognizes exceptional excellence, innovat»»»

Darlene Regis IAM Filipina, a women’s empowerment organisation in Qatar, concluded another successful year with a Year-End Breakfast held on December 5, 2025, at Namaa’s Garden in West Bay, bringing together Filipina professionals for a morning of reflection, recognition, and celebration. The gathe»»»

Continued from page 1  Maritime heritage was highlighted through the Al Bidda zone, which depicted traditional sea life with councils for pearl divers, captains, and merchants, along with maritime games and special museums documenting Qatar’s seafaring past. Children’s activities were a key focus,»»»

Darlene Regis The British Council, in partnership with Years of Culture and Qatar Museums, hosted Tashkilat, the closing event of this landmark edition, on December 10, 2025, at the Central Courtyard of the Museum of Islamic Art. The event celebrated the creativity of Qatari designers, blending her»»»

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»»»

Tribune News Network Doha The ‘Hour and Hour’ programme organised a celebration on Friday at Lusail Boulevard to mark Qatar National Day, under the slogan ‘Our Identity Lies in Our Heritage’. The event highlighted Qatari heritage and culture, embodied the spirit of national identity, and featured a»»»

Satyendra Pathak Doha The Skills Development Centre (SDC), established in 2002 with the vision of making fine arts and performing arts accessible to all in Qatar, celebrated its 23rd anniversary with a weeklong festival titled Spectrum – 2025, starting December 1. Over more than two decades, SDC ha»»»

Tribune News Network Doha Ooredoo, Qatar’s leading telecommunications provider, has announced that it successfully delivered uninterrupted, high-capacity connectivity across a series of major international sporting championships and conferences hosted in Qatar throughout this year. Ooredoo successf»»»

Tribune News Network Doha Health professionals shared their career journeys with foundation and pre-medical students at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) during the fall edition of the college’s Medical Career Seminar series. The series featured presentations and talks from Dr. Javaid Sheikh, de»»»

QNA Doha The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change (MECC) on Saturday organised the closing workshop for the preliminary assessment project of the Minamata Convention on Mercury in the State of Qatar. This was done in cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Global»»»

Tribune News Network Doha The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH)recently organised the ‘ National Workshop for Setting Health Research Priorities in the State of Qatar’ with broad participation from representatives of research and academic institutions, healthcare organisations in the State of Qatar,»»»

The three final matches of the FIFA Intercontinental Cup Qatar 2025, the Americas Derby, the Challenge Cup, and the Intercontinental Cup Final, were all held at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, which is directly connected to Al Riffa Mall of Qatar Station, on December 10, 13, and 17, respectively. In terms o»»»

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»»»

Tribune News Network Doha Nearly five million passengers used the Doha Metro and Lusail Tram networks during the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 and the FIFA Intercontinental Cup Qatar 2025, held from December 1 to 18, according to Qatar Railways Company (Qatar Rail). In a statement on Saturday, Qatar Rai»»»

3266623 KUWAIT -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs applauds the US decision to repeal the sanctions on Syria and lauds President Donlad Trump's role in this regard. 3266658 WASHINGTON -- US President Donald Trump signs a law repealing a final batch of crippling economic sanctions imposed on Syria un»»»

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»»»

DOHA: The Organizing Committee of the Fourth GCC Games (Doha 2026) revealed the official logo of the games during a special ceremony held on Saturday at the Old Doha Port. Several committee members and representatives of regional sports federations attended the ceremony. The logo broadly draws its »»»

Rome will charge a fee for most tourists who want to visit the city's popular Trevi Fountain on February 1, city officials announced. File Photo by G20/UPI | License Photo Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Most tourists visiting Rome's iconic Trevi Fountain will have to pay a modest fee starting Feb. 1, but locals »»»

Cairo: Egypt has reaffirmed its full support for Sudan during its continued ordeal, stressing its enduring commitment to protecting Sudan's unity and territorial integrity. Egypt further affirmed that it backs Sudan's national institutions and pushes back against any attempts that would undermine S»»»

The release of thousands of pages of documents related to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's abuse has left some who were anxiously awaiting the files disappointed. The documents' release was prompted by an act of Congress that directed the US Justice Department (DOJ) to make materials related»»»

Egypt’s Minister of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities, Sherif El-Sherbiny, visited New Sphinx City following a tour of Sheikh Zayed City to review ongoing and planned development projects spanning approximately 85,000 feddans. During his visit, El-Sherbiny chaired a meeting at the headquarte»»»

Tunis, Dec. 20 (TAP) - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad Mohamed Ali Nafti, on the sidelines of his participation in the Second Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, held in Cairo on December 19–20,...»»»

Several areas of Oregon and Washington state have gone in and out of flood watches as the Pacific Northwest has been pounded with rain, including the Willamette Valley, where the Willamette River, pictured, is located. File Photo by Eitenne Laurent/EPA Dec. 20 (UPI) -- A flood watch is in effect in»»»

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»»»

Tunis, Dec 20 (TAP) — Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration, and Tunisians Abroad Mohamed Ali Nafti pointed out that the current regional and international context, characterised by the intensification of multiple crises, calls for the urgent need...»»»

Colombo: Sri Lanka has entered the public phase of 5G mobile connectivity with the launch of commercial 5G services by Dialog Axiata PLC and Sri Lanka Telecom Mobitel (SLT-Mobitel), the country's two major telecommunications providers. SLT-Mobitel launched the service on Friday at One Galle Face Ma»»»

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»»»

Dubai: Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced that intercity bus services to and from Sharjah and Ajman have resumed. In an Instagram post, the authority said the move will allow passengers to continue their journeys safely and smoothly through the inter-emirate public transport netw»»»

The Israeli military said on Saturday its forces had arrested a suspected ISIS militant in Syria earlier this week and taken him back to Israel. In a statement, the military said that on Wednesday "soldiers completed an operation in the area of Rafid in southern Syria to apprehend a suspected terro»»»

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»»»

DOHA: Registration for the 17th Qatar International Falcons and Hunting Festival (Marmi 2026) will kick off at the Qatari Society of Al Gannas (QSA) headquarters in Katara Cultural Village on Sunday. It will continue until December 23, from 4pm to 8pm. The festival features numerous competitions, m»»»

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, pictured in 2021, and his wife have been sentenced to 17 years in prison for corruption. File Photo by Chamila Karunarathne/EPA-EFE Dec. 20 (UPI) -- The former prime minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, and his wife have been sentenced to 17 additional year»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Volodymyr Zelensky is contradicting himself and giving inconsistent statements when commenting on the issue of a possible presidential election in Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday. "Zelensky is actively commenting [on the issue of the possible election], »»»

Doha: Doha will host the Executive Office Meeting of the Arab Weightlifting Federation (AWF) on Sunday, followed by its electoral meeting, on the margins of the Qatar Weightlifting Federation's (QWF) concomitant hosting of three international, Arab, and Asian championships until Dec. 27, 2025. The »»»

CAIRO (Sputnik) - Russia and African countries have agreed to strengthen cooperation in the spheres of politics and security following the Second Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Saturday. "The joint statement also contain»»»