Dubai: With the New Year just days away, the UAE is slipping into full celebration mode. From landmark countdowns in Dubai to record-breaking displays in Abu Dhabi and Ras Al Khaimah, the country is preparing for one of its busiest festive weeks of the year. Sign up for our daily business newslette»»»

Acting Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairman Tarique Rahman, center, speaks to members and supporters in Dhaka, Bangladesh, after ending 17 years of exile by returning from London on Thursday. Photo by Monirul Alam/EPA Dec. 25 (UPI) -- Tarique Rahman returned to Bangladesh's capital city of Dhaka o»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sent New Year greetings to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, hailing the past year as one of “special significance” for bilateral relations between Moscow and Pyongyang and a deepening strategic partnership. In a telegram published by the Korean Central News Agen»»»

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has given a positive assessment of a conversation he had with US envoys on how to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Zelensky said Thursday's call with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, which lasted nearky an hour, had yielded "new ideas in terms of formats, meetings,»»»

AL MISNAD MEETS JAPAN'S ASSISTANT FOREIGN MINISTER Minister of State for International Cooperation Dr. HE Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad met with Assistant Minister and Director-General of the Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan Keiichi Iwamot»»»

Istanbul officials on Thursday announced they detained 115 suspected members of ISIS who were planning terror attacks in Turkey aimed at mostly non-Muslim people at Christmas and New Year events, such as the Christmas mass at Saint Antuan Church pictured in 2022. File Photo by Erdem Sahin/EPA Dec. »»»

Doha, Qatar: The FIDE World Rapid and Blitz Championships 2025 get underway in Doha on Friday, with Qatar hosting the elite global event until December 30. The tournament brings together the world's leading players to compete for four world titles in rapid and blitz chess across the men's and women»»»

Turkiye’s flag carrier, Turkish Airlines, will transfer ownership of an Airbus A319?115J, a government-configured jet valued at $11.9 million, to the Albanian government under a bilateral grant agreement as part of efforts to strengthen diplomatic and economic ties between the two countries. Accord»»»

DONETSK (Sputnik) - After forcibly mobilizing a Ukrainian man, Territorial Recruitment Center (TRC) officers told him he was being sent "straight to the slaughter," a captured conscript and former fighter of Ukraine's 25th brigade told Sputnik. "The next morning, I woke up and my military ID was re»»»

2025 has yielded some extraordinary own goals that have exposed the posturing of Western politicians and left the EU isolated, irrelevant, and alone, pursuing policies contrary to self-interest. Unwelcome stories often cling to reality, like an alien to John Hurt’s face. And just as the notorious s»»»

The jailed ex-president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has undergone a successful surgery for a double hernia, his wife Michelle says. The former leader is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup after he lost the 2022 presidential election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Braz»»»

Turkish football club Fenerbahçe president Sadettin Sarar was released Thursday after giving a statement in a drug-related investigation. Sarar, who returned to Istanbul from abroad, was summoned to testify on December 20 in a preliminary probe into allegations of procuring and facilitating the use»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic met with Chinese Ambassador to Belgrade Li Ming on Thursday to discuss bilateral cooperation. Gasic said Serbia was exceptionally appreciative of the support provided to it by China and that the personal relationship between two leaders, President»»»

Mogadishu: Somalians voted on Thursday in the Mogadishu region's first direct local election in nearly 60 years, despite security concerns and a boycott by opposition leaders. The election is seen as a test ahead of the 2026 presidential ballot, in a country struggling to emerge from decades of con»»»

BELGRADE - Serbia's EXPO 2027 Commissioner Jagoda Lazarevic, who is also minister of internal and external trade, EXPO 2027 Director Danilo Jerinic and Iranian EXPO 2027 Section Commissioner Sodaif Beikzadeh signed on Thursday in Belgrade a contract on Iran's participation in the specialised expo. »»»

Abu Dhabi: Hotels and restaurants with tourism licences across Abu Dhabi can now welcome pets, following changes to the emirate’s animal control regulations in public venues. The Department of Municipalities and Transport announced amendments to Chairman’s Decision No. (4) of 2018, issued under Law»»»

Attempts to secure peace in Sudan and halt the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe have continued for nearly two-and-a-half years of war. Yet a determined belief within the army and those backing it that military victory is still possible has prevailed. The result is unending destruction, displaceme»»»

Tel Aviv: Mohammad Bakri, a Palestinian director and actor who sought to share the complexities of Palestinian identity and culture through a variety of works in both Arabic and Hebrew, has died, his family announced. He was 72. Bakri was best known for “Jenin, Jenin,” a 2003 documentary he directe»»»

Share: The Israeli army announced in a statement that a prominent member of the Quds Force was killed during a raid on the al-Nasariya area in eastern Lebanon.Israel did not reveal his identity The Quds Force ('Jerusalem Force') is one of five branches of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (I»»»

Hezbollah mourned on Thursday the Islamic scholar and resistance figure Sheikh Reda Mahdi, extending condolences to the Islamic nation and to religious seminaries and their scholars. In a statement, the group said Sheikh Mahdi passed away peacefully after a long life devoted to learning and struggl»»»

Britain's King Charles III called for "compassion and reconciliation" at a time of "division" across the world in his annual Christmas Day message broadcast on Thursday. The 77-year-old monarch said he found it "enormously encouraging" how people of different faiths had a "shared longing for peace"»»»

Antakya: Saint Peter’s, one of the world’s oldest rock churches, is a sacred rallying point for the isolated Christians still left in quake-hit Antakya in southeastern Turkey, the city known in ancient times as Antioch. “Since the earthquake, our community has scattered,” said worshipper Mari Ibri.»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Slow but steady progress is being observed in Russia's negotiations with the United States on a Ukrainian settlement, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Thursday. "Slow but steady progress is being observed in the negotiation process with the United Sta»»»

Mohammad Bakri, a Palestinian director and actor who sought to share the complexities of Palestinian identity and culture through a variety of works in both Arabic and Hebrew, has died, his family announced. He was 72. Bakri was best known for “Jenin, Jenin,” a 2003 documentary he directed about an»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of State for International Cooperation, HE Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad met Thursday with Assistant Minister and Director-General of the Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, HE Keiichi Iwamoto, who is visiting Qatar. Di»»»

Dubai: The newly established Dubai Film Development Committee, formed under the Dubai Media Council to drive growth in the emirate’s film sector, held its first meeting at the Council’s headquarters. The session focused on reviewing the committee’s mandate, discussing its operational framework, and»»»

Greek coastguard were searching Thursday for a missing child off the island of Farmakonisi after rescuing 52 migrants in two separate incidents in the Aegean Sea, local media reported. They found 13 migrants who had arrived on the small, uninhabited island, but one boy was reported missing from the»»»

Deputies of the Zhogorku Kenesh considered the appointment of Gulzat Isamatova as Minister of Science, Higher Education, and Innovation of Kyrgyzstan. Members of Parliament asked the acting minister a number of questions and then supported her candidacy. 77 deputies voted for, and one vote was agai»»»

Rabat: Amad Diallo and Riyad Mahrez starred as defending champions Ivory Coast and former winners Algeria had contrasting victories on Wednesday when the first round of African Cup of Nations (AFCON) group matches concluded in Morocco. Manchester United winger Diallo struck early in the second half»»»

In a city where a basic meal at a roadside dhaba can easily set you back hundreds of rupees, Delhi residents struggling to make ends meet were greeted on Thursday with an offer that sounds almost unreal: a wholesome thali for just Rs 5. On the 101st birth anniversary of former prime minister Atal B»»»

Amid public discussions regarding the attraction of foreign labor and the stay of foreign citizens in Kyrgyzstan, the Ministry of Labor, Social Security and Migration of the Kyrgyz Republic stated that the country is pursuing a balanced and controlled state policy in this area. The attraction of fo»»»

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 »»»

Israeli authorities announced on Thursday the arrest of an Israeli man on suspicion of committing security offenses under the direction of Iranian intelligence agents, days after Tehran executed an Iranian accused of spying for Israel. The arrest is the latest in a series of cases in which Israel h»»»

Dubai: Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced special transport arrangements to ease travel for visitors heading to the Hatta Festival 2025. The authority said dedicated parking areas have been set up around the festival venue and near Wadi Hub. Shuttle buses will operate through»»»

The technical analysis of the recovered black boxes from a jet crash that killed eight people, including western Libya’s military chief, began as the investigation proceeded in cooperation with Libyan authorities, the Turkish Ministry of Defense said Thursday. The private jet with Gen. Muhammad Ali»»»

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»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Djuro Macut said on Wednesday Serbian diplomats must be the country's first line of defence in pursuance of the strategic goals of preservation of territorial integrity and sovereignty and EU membership. In collaboration with all state authorities, they must create something t»»»

Israeli authorities announced on Thursday the arrest of an Israeli man on suspicion of committing security offences under the direction of Iranian intelligence agents, days after Tehran executed an Iranian accused of spying for Israel. The arrest is the latest in a series of cases in which Israel h»»»

Brasília, Brazil: Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro, imprisoned for attempting a coup, has been admitted to hospital in Brasilia where he will undergo a planned surgery, his doctors said Wednesday. A convoy of black cars and motorcycles entered the parking garage of the DF Star hospital earl»»»

Turkish authorities say they have disrupted planned attacks on Christmas and New Year's events after arresting more than 100 suspected members of the so-called Islamic State group. Mass raids were carried out at 124 addresses across Istanbul, the capital's chief prosecutor said, with firearms, ammu»»»

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»»»

Dubai: Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, took to X on Thursday to share his Christmas greetings. “From Dubai to the world, we wish you a Merry Christmas. May Allah bles»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik), Lenka White – Renowned US investor Jim Rogers said in an interview with RIA Novosti that he considers the idea of building a tunnel between Russia and the United States to be wonderful and that it would benefit both countries. “It [tunnel] would be wonderful if it were easy to»»»

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sought on Thursday to ease market concerns over her expansionary fiscal policy, saying the government's draft budget maintains discipline by limiting reliance on debt. There has been growing investor unease about fiscal expansion under Takaichi's administratio»»»

Dhaka: Aspiring prime minister and political heavyweight Tarique Rahman was welcomed back to Bangladesh on Thursday by huge crowds of joyous supporters after 17 years in self-imposed exile. Rahman, the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia and heir apparent of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (B»»»

For yet another winter, Bulgaria’s leading ski resorts continue to rank among Europe’s most affordable mountain destinations. Borovets and Bansko again place in the top five cheapest resorts on the continent, drawing attention as the new ski season approaches. With Bansko officially opening the 202»»»

China accused the US on Thursday of distorting its defense policy in an effort to thwart an improvement in China-India ties. Foreign ministry ‌spokesperson Lin ‌Jian was ‌responding ⁠to a question ‌at a press briefing on whether China might exploit a recent easing of tensions with India over disput»»»

Pakistan’s civil and military leadership on Thursday reaffirmed their commitment to follow the vision and ideals of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, as the nation marked the 149th birth anniversary of its founder of the nation on December 25. In separate messages, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zarda»»»

President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov, speaking at the IV People’s Kurultai, thanked State Committee for National Security (SCNS) Chairman Kamchybek Tashiev for his role in resolving border issues. Addressing the delegates, the head of state noted that for many years, unresolved state border issues»»»

A 43-year-old school teacher was shot dead inside the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday night, sparking fear and outrage at one of India’s most prominent educational institutions. The victim has been identified as Rao Danish Ali, a former AMU student who had been »»»