Tehran: Tehran's first rains of the autumn, rare so late in the year, have brought relief to inhabitants suffering from a nationwide drought that has caused water shortages and degraded air quality. On Wednesday, a downpour caused major traffic jams on most of Tehran's streets and a first rainfall »»»

“Declining consumption and cost pressures have created a difficult economic climate for all players in the industry this year. Despite these challenges, we have managed to maintain our growth trend. We have focused on streamlining our operations and, at the same time, diversifying our product portf»»»

Ukrainian Ambassador to Israel Evgeny Korniychuk has been summoned and reprimanded by the Israeli Foreign Ministry after he criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s comments praising ties with Russia, local media reported on Wednesday. Speaking at the Knesset on Monday, Netanyahu praised his »»»

The latest “very unwise and ill-considered” EU proposal to tap frozen Russian sovereign assets would amount to “stealing,” Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever said on Wednesday, according to VRT news. Last week, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed using the assets to back a»»»

A Kenyan court has suspended the implementation of a "landmark" $2.5bn (£1.9bn) health aid deal signed with the US last week over data privacy concerns. It follows a case filed by a consumer rights lobby seeking to stop the alleged transfer and sharing of Kenyans' personal data under the agreement.»»»

Damascus, Dec. 11 (SANA) Syrian Minister of Transport Yarub Badr met on Thursday with Warda Darafa, the representative of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) in Syria, to discuss opportunities for joint cooperation in the transport and infrastructure sectors. During the meeting, »»»

German Chancellor Merz said on Thursday that proposals on territorial concessions had been sent to US President Donald Trump, who had earlier expressed frustration with European allies and questioned the United States’ ongoing involvement in future talks. This comes as leaders of the “coalition of »»»

Dubai: Dubai Police’s Positive Spirit Council has honoured two Emirati sisters of determination whose journey from volunteering to winning international medals in para taekwondo has become an inspiring national success story. Sara Abdullah, 19, and her sister Warda, 17, first joined Dubai Police ac»»»

Dubai: Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, on Thursday shared a spectacular video showcasing an extraordinary aerial stunt performed high above the emirate'»»»

Speaker Nabih Berri said Thursday that the Lebanese Army has implemented 90 percent of the cessation of hostilities agreement in the South Litani area and will completely finalize what’s left by year’s end. “This is what UNIFIL, the Mechanism and Army Commander General Rodolphe Haykal have confirme»»»

Geneva: Yodelling, the traditional singing of herders in the Swiss Alps, was recognised by the United Nations on Thursday as part of the world's cultural heritage. Yodelling was added to UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, at a meeting in New Delhi. "As the»»»

The government led by Prime Minister Zhelyazkov officially submitted its resignation today, marking a significant turning point in Bulgaria’s political landscape. The announcement was delivered during a brief press conference held at the Council of Ministers, following several hours of intense spec»»»

Dubai: Mastercard is joining forces with Kee Platforms to provide embedded financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), micro retailers and solo entrepreneurs via Mastercard Merchant Cloud. With the opportunity to scale in the Middle East region, the collaboration will aim to create fas»»»

The Cabinet of Rosen Zhelyazkov announced its resignation Thursday. The resignation was announced by Prime Minister Zhelyazkov at an emergency press conference in Parliament as he stood in the company of senior officials of the three parties in the government coalition: GERB-UDF, There Is Such a Pe»»»

Damascus, Dec. 11 (SANA) Syrian Economy and Industry Minister Mohammad Nidal al-Shaar said the repeal of the “Caesar Act” marks a historic step that removes one of the largest obstacles facing Syria’s economy and opens the door for renewed investment and international support for reconstruction. In»»»

Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson are reportedly set to return to the Hunger Games in next year's highly anticipated prequel. The pair last starred together in Mockingjay - Part 2, the climactic installment of the original film series. US magazines The Hollywood Reporter and Deadline reported t»»»

Dubai: Dubai Police has rolled out an enhanced version of its “Circulars and Travel Bans” enquiry service on both its smart app and official website, allowing residents to instantly check their criminal or financial status without the need to visit police stations or judicial departments. The upgra»»»

Lhokseumawe, Indonesia: The death toll in Indonesia's devastating floods closed in on the 1,000 mark Thursday as hundreds of thousands more continued to face shortages, with frustration growing over relief efforts. Disaster mitigation agency spokesman Abdul Muhari said 990 people had died by late T»»»

Doha, Qatar: Education Above All (EAA) Foundation, a global foundation for education and development, and Qatar Foundation’s Pre-University Education (PUE) today signed a collaboration agreement at Qatar Foundation Headquarters in Education City, marking a significant step toward strengthening educ»»»

Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan discussed the development of 12-year school education, the Ministry of Education reported. According to the ministry, the head of the ministry, Dogdurkul Kendirbaeva, met with Bayramgul Orazdurdieva, Deputy Chair of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan for Science, E»»»

FLORENCE, Italy - The new US National Security Strategy, the December 2025 version, is an intriguing, quirky, Bosch-style hybrid beast. It does not exactly look as it seems. A tsunami of headlines across the discombobulated West focused on an apparent drive towards normalization between Washington »»»

BELGRADE - The National Bank of Serbia (NBS) Executive Board decided on Thursday to keep the key policy rate at 5.75 pct, and also kept the deposit facility (4.5 pct) and lending facility (7.0 pct) rates unchanged, the central bank announced. "The Board made the decision primarily in view of actual»»»

The inaugural Sustainability Excellence Awards 2025, hosted by Gulf News and BeingShe, took place last night at the SEE Institute, The Sustainable City in Dubai, setting a new benchmark for the UAE’s growing sustainability movement. The event brought together leaders from across industries to recog»»»

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri met Thursday with U.S. Ambassador Michel Issa in Ain el-Tineh, for the second day in a row. On Wednesday, Berri met with Issa and a delegation of the American Task Force for Lebanon. After the meeting, Issa said that Israel differentiates between the Lebanese governme»»»

Colombo: The United Nations called on international donors on Thursday to help provide crucial assistance to Sri Lanka, grappling with the aftermath of deadly Cyclone Ditwah. The devastating storm, which hit the island nation late last month, killed at least 639 people and affected more than 2 mill»»»

BREAKING NEWS According to three independent and reliable sources, the Zhelyazkov cabinet is expected to submit its resignation within minutes. An official press conference is anticipated shortly, where the resignation is expected to be announced. The situation is developing.»»»

Dubai: When Delhi restaurateurs Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra fled to Thailand just hours after a fire at their Goa nightclub killed 25 people, many wondered how the owners managed to slip out so easily. But the real turning point came later — when the Indian government deployed a powerful legal tool t»»»

PoliticsAfricaTrump's new security strategy: A chance for Africa?Martina SchwikowskiUS President Donald Trump's new foreign policy focuses less on aid and more on trade with African countries, specifically on raw materials. Could this be a wake-up call for Africa to become more economically indepen»»»

Amid the golden desert dunes of Al Dhafra, the Liwa International Festival 2026 returns with an expanded and more diverse edition, offering a dynamic blend of sand sports, artistic celebrations, adventure experiences, and family-friendly activities. The festival is one of the UAE’s most anticipated»»»

Lightning struck not once but twice for Indian expat Saritha Sekhar Battepati, who clinched back-to-back cash prizes in Big Ticket’s ‘Race and Luxury Yacht’ experience at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. The Dubai-based IT professional was one of 30 lucky participants selected during the Formula On»»»

Kottayam In a shocking incident, a woman teacher was allegedly attacked inside her school on Thursday by her husband, triggering panic among staff and students. The incident took place at Poovathumoodu School in Ettumanoor around 10.30 a.m., when the accused, identified as Kochumon, entered the cam»»»

New Delhi To curb misuse and improve fairness, Aadhaar-based OTP verification for online Tatkal ticket booking is now operational in 322 trains, and due to this, the confirmed Tatkal ticket availability time has increased by about 65 per cent in these trains, the Parliament was informed on Thursday»»»

The International Criminal Court’s (ICC) entrenched bias reflects a deep crisis in the entire international system, Ali Fadlallah, Beirut-based professor of political science and international law, told Sputnik. “Prosecutor Karim Khan has publicly said that certain Western leaders told him outright»»»

NIS - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday he was confident Serbia would "finish everything" about its Russian-majority owned oil company NIS appropriately and succeed in maintaining good relations with both Russia and the US, and that he expected even greater support from the EU. NI»»»

A US helicopter flies low over a hazy blue sea as it approaches a massive ship. It hovers as camouflaged soldiers holding rifles swing down ropes to the vessel's deck. The video, released by the US government, shows the latest in a series of escalations in Washington's pressure campaign on Nicolás »»»

Sharjah’s Roads and Transport Authority has announced the temporary closure of the Mohammed bin Musa Al Khwarizmi Street, near University Hospital, as part of planned road maintenance works designed to enhance efficiency and ease traffic flow in the area. The closure will begin on Friday, December »»»

New Delhi: The Cyber Cell of the Delhi Police Crime Branch has arrested three key members of a cyber fraud syndicate involved in a “Digital Arrest” and investment scam that duped a 71-year-old woman of Rs 49 lakh (Rs4.9 million) , officials said on Thursday. The breakthrough came after coordinated »»»

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was due to hold urgent talks Thursday with leaders and officials from about 30 countries that are supporting Kyiv’s effort to obtain fair terms for an end to the war with Russia. The leaders of Germany, Britain and France were among those expected to take par»»»

Kamarrr Group Technology, a UAE-based emerging AI ecosystem founded by Ioannis (Giovanni) Kamarikos, today announced the launch of a $50 million investment round to accelerate international expansion and deepen integration across its portfolio of more than 20 artificial intelligence platforms. The »»»

Torrential rain may have sent floodwaters surging through Nicosia’s Pedieos River and turned the sea red at Agia Triada beach with silt and mud in Paralimni as Storm Byron swept across Cyprus earlier this week, but the island’s dams remain critically depleted. According to a report by the Phileleft»»»

A sperm donor carrying an undetected cancer gene has fathered more children in Greece than initially thought, from among dozens across Europe. According to the state-run Athens Macedonia News Agency on Thursday, 11 women in Greece conceived through in vitro fertilization with sperm from the unnamed»»»

An appeals court on Thursday upheld the life sentence passed down at the first instance against a 35-year-old man convicted of the cold-blooded murder of his girlfriend more than four years ago. The court found that the defendant was of sound mind and acted in a calculated manner when he killed Gar»»»

DOHA: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al Thani launched the Defense Strategy 2025-2030 during a ceremony held at Qatar Amiri Signal Corps. The strategy focuses on strengthening defence capabilities and enhancing interoperabi»»»

The euro has been in use since 1999 as a non-cash accounting unit and since 2002 as physical currency. Today, it is the official currency in 20 countries. Despite its wide circulation, the euro still hides a number of intriguing details. Here are five curious facts about the euro you may not know —»»»

Global car buyers are putting the brakes on adoption of electric vehicles, with many shifting back to internal combustion engines (ICEs) and reassessing electric vehicle ownership, according to the new EY Mobility Consumer Index (MCI), a global survey examining sentiment and buying intent across ma»»»

Romanian investors are adjusting their portfolios to align with global trends, with a clear focus on emerging sectors and innovative companies. Based on a detailed analysis of the most traded stocks and ETFs on the Freedom24 platform in 2025, the broker has identified distinct preferences and strat»»»