EU taxpayers will have to pay €3 billion a year in borrowing costs to finance Kiev’s collapsing economy and military under a newly approved loan scheme, Politico reported on Friday, citing senior bloc officials. Kiev’s European backers this week failed to approve a ‘reparations loan’ that would hav»»»

Dubai: Saudi security authorities have arrested 17,880 people residing illegally in the Kingdom over the past week, following a series of coordinated inspection campaigns, the Ministry of Interior announced on Saturday. Also Read: Saudi authorities detain thousands in nationwide inspectionsOperatio»»»

In an unusual development, informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Iraqi government and influential political actors received two extraordinary warning messages over the past two weeks — one from an Arab country and another from a Western intelligence service — containing what were described»»»

Johannesburg: Nine people were killed when unknown gunmen opened fire at a cafe outside Johannesburg early Sunday, police said, in the second such shooting in South Africa this month. Ten more were wounded when around a dozen men attacked in Bekkersdal, in a gold mining area around 40 kilometres (2»»»

Dubai: Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has opened two new bridges under the Trade Centre Roundabout Development Project, marking a significant milestone in efforts to ease congestion at one of the city’s most critical transport nodes. The bridges, which opened ahead of the planned mid-J»»»

The United States was joined Saturday by Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye in urging parties in the Gaza ceasefire to uphold their obligations and exercise restraint, the chief US envoy said after talks in Miami. Top officials from each nation met with Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's special envoy, »»»

Unit 6 of the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) will be shut down on Sunday, one day earlier than previously announced, the plant said late on Saturday. The shutdown had originally been scheduled for Monday. The decision to shut down the unit earlier was made after an additional defect was discove»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Chess Association (QCA) yesterday underlined its readiness to stage the FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships 2025, bringing the world’s top chess players to the ‘global sport capital’ from December 26 to 30. QCA President and Chairman of the Organising Committee Mohammed Ahme»»»

Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri denied on Saturday that the appointment of civilian negotiators between Lebanon and Israel means that political negotiations have been launched between the two neighbors. He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the negotiating team is primarily tasked with ensuring »»»

Doha, Qatar: Aeon’s Aegis confirmed his class with a second consecutive victory in QA Gr1 Qatar Derby for 3YO Thoroughbreds, following up his Derby Trial success with a dominant performance in the Qatar Racing & Equestrian Club (QREC staged Qatar International Derby Day at the Al Rayyan Racecourse »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Organizing Committee of the 4th GCC Games – Doha 2026 unveiled the official logo of the Games during a ceremony held at Old Doha Port, in the presence of a number of officials, representatives of sports federations, and members of the media, yesterday. The official logo of the 4th »»»

Damascus, Dec. 21 (SANA) Syria’s General Authority of Civil Aviation and Air Transport said it is close to completing the installation of an advanced air navigation system at Damascus International Airport, aimed at reducing disruptions caused by poor weather, particularly dense fog. In a statement»»»

Doha, Qatar: The competitions of the second round of Qatar Freestyle Championship (QFC) in its new 2025/2026 season concluded on Friday evening at Qatar Racing Club (QRC). The round was held under the generous patronage of QRC Chairman H E Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani, and witnessed a large cro»»»

Doha: Qatar National Bank (QNB) confirmed that copper is currently entering a clearly defined phase of structural transformation in global commodity markets. In its weekly commentary, QNB noted that despite cyclical volatility and macroeconomic pressures, the metal remains attractively valued in re»»»

Doha, Qatar: Oil prices edged up on Friday on possible disruptions from a US blockade of Venezuelan tankers as the market waits for news about a possible Russia-Ukraine peace deal. Brent crude futures settled at $60.47, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude finished at $56.66. For the week, »»»

Dubai: Motor insurance policies in the UAE classified as comprehensive will cover damage caused by heavy rain and flooding, provided the weather event is not officially declared a natural disaster, a senior insurance official has confirmed. Mohammed Mazhar Hamadeh, Vice Chairman of the Higher Techn»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar is committed to advance innovation and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies by promoting collaboration between government and private sector and positioning the country as a regional hub, for AI development. Speaking to The Peninsula on the sidelines of the recently held Wor»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of State for Foreign Trade H E Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Sayed and US Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment H E Jacob Helberg chaired the Economic Session held as part of the Seventh Qatar–United States Strategic Dialogue, which was convened»»»

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi is moving at an accelerated pace toward developing one of the region’s most intelligent and integrated transport systems, with the implementation of a real-time smart traffic safety management system that represents a qualitative leap in monitoring, analysis, and decision-makin»»»

US intelligence reports continue to warn that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not abandoned his aims of capturing all of Ukraine and reclaiming parts of Europe that belonged to the former Soviet empire, six sources familiar with US intelligence said, even as negotiators seek an end to the war »»»

Johannesburg: Nine people were killed when unknown gunmen opened fire at a tavern outside Johannesburg early Sunday, police said, marking the second such shooting in South Africa this month. Ten more people were injured when around a dozen men attacked the tavern in Bekkersdal, a gold mining area a»»»

Doha, Qatar: Reyada Medical Centre is proud to announce the expansion of its Ophthalmology Department, reinforcing its commitment to delivering comprehensive, patient-centred eye care to a multi- faceted audience. This expansion marks a significant step in strengthening Reyada’s multidisciplinary h»»»

Doha, Qatar: The third edition of the “Beyond Reality” International Circus kicked off yesterday at Souq Al Wakra, organised by the Celebrations Organising Committee of the Private Engineering Office, amid strong public turnout from the very first day. Khaled Al Suwaidi, General Supervisor of the I»»»

The United States "apprehended" an oil tanker off Venezuela on Saturday, a move Caracas deemed a "theft and kidnapping," in the latest salvo of a pressure campaign by Washington, the US government said. It was the second time in two weeks that US forces have interdicted a tanker in the region, and »»»

Doha, Qatar: Registration for the 17th Qatar International Falconry and Hunting Festival (Marmi 2026) begins today, Sunday, December 21, at the Qatar Falconry Association headquarters in Katara Cultural Village. Registration will continue until December 23, from 4pm to 8pm. The Marmi Festival is he»»»

Cairo: The State of Qatar participated in the proceedings of the first Arab Regional Forum on Early Warning Systems and Disaster Preparedness, which was held at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States in the Arab Republic of Egypt. The forum discussed Arab cooperati»»»

South African police say a manhunt is under way after a shooting at a tavern left nine people dead and another 10 injured in a township near Johannesburg. They say about 12 unidentified gunmen arrived in two cars in Bekkersdal, "opened fire at tavern patrons and continued to shoot randomly as they »»»

Doha, Qatar: 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 dean and professor of psychiatry a»»»

In late October, Russian special presidential envoy for economic cooperation with foreign countries Kirill Dmitriev and US Rep. Anna Paulina Luna met in Florida to discuss continuing Russia-US dialogue. Following the meeting, Luna said that it was productive and that they were able to identify comm»»»

More than half a million people in Cambodia have been displaced from their homes by two weeks of deadly border clashes with neighboring Thailand, Phnom Penh's interior ministry said Sunday. The renewed fighting between the Southeast Asian neighbors this month, including with tanks, drones and artil»»»

Doha, Qatar: Artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies have been identified as critical tools in the global fight against corruption, as world leaders concluded the Conference of the States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption (COSP11) with the adoption of the Doha Declaratio»»»

Dubai: If 2025 had a shopping basket, it would contain burgers, bananas, laban, fidget toys and at least one inflatable cooler. Data released by the UAE’s biggest delivery platforms offers a snapshot of what residents ordered online this year, capturing habits that range from routine essentials to »»»

In central Tel Aviv, the main stage has now been dismantled in Hostages Square, the focal point for the campaign over the past two years to bring back Israelis held in Gaza. Nearby, signs and posters have been taken down, and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum has vacated the offices that serv»»»

Doha, Qatar: The newly established International Islamic Bioethics Association (IIBA) at Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) convened its inaugural meeting, marking a significant milestone in promoting bioethical discourse within an Islamic framework. The IIBA emerged as a result of HBKU hosting th»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Darb Al Saai events concluded yesterday after an 11-day celebration organised by the Ministry of Culture in observance of Qatar’s National Day, held at the Darb Al Saai venue in the Umm Salal area. Darb Al Saai offered an integrated experience that showcased the authenticity of Qat»»»

Lebanon would have completed the first phase of the army’s plan to impose state monopoly over arms, or the disarmament of Hezbollah, by the end of the year. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam’s office confirmed on Saturday that the first phase was close to completion. “The first phase of the weapons consol»»»

The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratization (MoHRE) has launched community participation in the Zero Bureaucracy initiative, part of the government’s pioneering “Community Participation in Zero Bureaucracy” program. The initiative allows members of society to evaluate government procedures an»»»

Dubai: Residents across the UAE woke up to early morning chilly winds this Sunday, December 21, 2025. These cool gusts, sweeping in from the Arabian Gulf and down from the Hajar Mountains, signal the official arrival of the Winter Solstice. It marks a significant astronomical turning point for the »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) has unveiled a set of six draft national policies aimed at accelerating Qatar’s digital economy and strengthening its digital transformation framework, inviting public and stakeholder feedback through the ‘Sharek’ platfor»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar has emerged as a regional leader in social progress in the 2025 AlTi Global Social Progress Index, securing a place in Tier 2 among the world’s 170 assessed nations. With a score of 73.19 out of 100, Qatar is ranked third in the Middle East and North Africa and 50th globally, out»»»

San Francisco, United States: A huge electricity outage hit San Francisco on Saturday, leaving 130,000 residents without power, the city's main electric utility company said. "We are working with first responders and city officials on an outage in San Francisco affecting approximately 130,000 custo»»»

On UAE’s 54th Union Day, King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa of Bahrain ordered that Al Areen Wildlife Reserve be renamed Mohammed bin Zayed Nature Reserve, in honour of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The move recognises his role in strengthening ties between the two nations a»»»

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has publicly accused Reuters of running a "lie and propaganda" campaign to sabotage recent push to end the Ukraine war. The narrative is being pushed by "warmongers" in NATO and the EU who want to "pull the US military directly into war with Russia." »»»

Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) CEO Kirill Dmitriev, who is also the Russian president's special representative for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries, called his talks with US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and the US leader's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, constructive»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to engage in dialogue with French President Emmanuel Macron, and if there is mutual political will, then the French leader's intentions can only be assessed positively, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Sputnik. Earlier, Macron stated that it would be us»»»

Venezuela has sharply condemned the US seizure of another oil tanker off its shores, accusing Washington of carrying out an “act of piracy” as part of a broader campaign to overthrow the government in Caracas and seize the country’s vast energy resources. In an official statement released on Saturd»»»

Alphabet’s Google and Apple have advised some employees on US work visas to avoid international travel, warning that visa stamping delays of up to 12 months could leave staff stranded outside the country, according to reports. Also Read: US widens social media vetting for H-1B and H-4 visa applican»»»

Dubai: The UAE is expected to see partly cloudy conditions today, with a continued chance of rainfall over coastal, island and western areas, as a low-pressure system remains in place across the country, according to the National Centre of Meteorology. Also Read: Rain in UAE: Can you catch cold fro»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, has described talks in Miami with senior US interlocutors as “constructive,” signaling continued momentum in backchannel diplomacy aimed at exploring a potential settlement to the Ukraine conflict. Dmitriev is holding talks with sen»»»

Finally, after four long years, elections to Asia’s richest civic body, the BMC or the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation have been announced for January 15, 2026, along with civic polls for 28 other cities in the state of Maharastra. These are not ordinary civic elections. The political fallout, e»»»