CAIRO, Dec 16 (MENA) – The government has set reducing public and external debt, along with lowering debt-servicing costs, as one of the key objectives of its current economic policy, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said. Madbouly made the remarks while chairing a meeting of the External Debt Manag»»»

Mobile service users will benefit from lower roaming tariffs starting January 1, 2026, both through a reduction in the maximum surcharge for roaming data services within the EEA and through the integration of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine into the ‘roam like at home’ pricing system, according»»»

E-commerce in Romania continued its upward trend in 2025, reinforcing its increasingly important role in the digital economy. According to data published by the National Institute of Statistics, 74.3% of people aged between 16 and 74 who used the internet in the past 12 months ordered or purchased »»»

“We supported the ‘old’ budget to enter plenary discussion so that it is clear to all Bulgarian citizens who opposes it,” Toshko Yordanov, There Is Such a People (TISP) Floor Leader, said here on Wednesday during consultations with President Rumen Radev, which the head of State is holding with poli»»»

GERB-UDF and There Is Such a People (TISP) will support only the budget extension, GERB-UDF Deputy Floor Leader Denitsa Sacheva and TISP Floor Leader Toshko Yordanov said during a joint press conference in Parliament on Wednesday. Earlier Wednesday, when voting on the agenda for the National Assemb»»»

Five deputy groups have been formed at the first session of the Zhogorku Kenesh of Kyrgyzstan. They include from 14 to 19 deputies. The deputy group Ata-Zhurt consists of 18 deputies: Nurlanbek Azygaliev was elected head of the group, and Gulnara Baatyrova and Alisher Kozuev — his deputies. Deputy »»»

The UAE Government Cybersecurity Council has identified five defensive layers to detect AI-driven fraud and avoid falling victim to fake offers for products that appear “too perfect,” having been designed using artificial intelligence. In parallel, the Abu Dhabi Public Prosecution has warned agains»»»

The Bulgarian parliament witnessed another politically charged day as the ruling coalition, comprised of GERB, BSP, TISP, and “DPS-New Beginning,” moved to put the draft budget for 2026 on the agenda, sparking widespread public outcry. Hundreds of thousands of citizens had already protested against»»»

At the entrances to Damascus branching off the Mezzeh highway, just before Umayyad Square, young men with a quasi-military appearance line both sides of the road, selling flags and banners for “Liberation Day.” In narrower streets and at intersections leading deeper into the city, they are met by w»»»

DOHA: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al Thani chaired the Cabinet's regular meeting on Wednesday at the Amiri Diwan. Following the meeting, Minister of Justice and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs HE Ibrahim bin Ali Al»»»

A farmer on the Cycladic island of Amorgos has expressed solidarity with nationwide farmer mobilizations by setting up a roadblock in the port settlement of Aegiali, local media outlet CycladesLive.gr reported. Pictures posted on Tuesday showed the man, reportedly the only farmer with a tractor in »»»

MPs re-voted and rejected the proposal to include the draft budget of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and the budget bill for 2026 on the agenda. Fourteen MPs from BSP–United Left voted in favour of debating the two bills at first reading, 97 voted against, and 77 abstained. Before the se»»»

South Africa has accused the US of using Kenyan nationals who did not have work permits at a facility processing applications by white South Africans for refugee status. Seven Kenyans were arrested after intelligence reports revealed that people "had recently entered South Africa on tourist visas a»»»

The United States is preparing a further round of sanctions on Russia's energy sector to increase the pressure on Moscow should President Vladimir Putin reject a peace deal with Ukraine, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The US is considering options such»»»

Dubai: Jetex secured a license from Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation to provide ground handling and business aviation services at Red Sea International Airport. The approval, announced with Red Sea International Airport during the Supply Chain & Logistics Conference 2025 in Riyadh»»»

A 34-year-old mechanic from Bengaluru died after a series of delays and refusals by hospitals during a medical emergency, an incident that has renewed scrutiny of emergency healthcare response and public apathy in the city. Venkataramanan, a resident of Balaji Nagar, developed severe chest pain at »»»

“The outgoing government is constitutionally obliged to ensure continuity and stability until a caretaker cabinet assumes office,” President Rumen Radev told representatives of the There Is Such a People (TISP) party here on Wednesday at the start of consultations ahead of the mandate-granting proc»»»

The topic of early snap elections dominates Wednesday's news media. POLITICS 24 Chasa's front-page story is about the upcoming snap parliamentary elections. The daily writes that March 22 or 29 is the most likely date for the vote. The political forces seem to agree on these two dates. Some of them»»»

Dubai: Dubai's flagship airline, Emirates, has launched a global online auction offering a chance to secure some of the most coveted Emirates Skywards Platinum memberships — complete with tier benefits valid for up to 20 years. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.Bidding i»»»

Doha, Qatar: The first edition of the Doha International Music and Marching Festival (Doha Tattoo) was officially inaugurated under the patronage of the Minister of Interior and Commander of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya), HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, on Tuesday evening»»»

The outgoing Minister of Energy Zhecho Stankov said in Parliament on Wednesday that the construction of units 7 and 8 of the Kozloduy NPP is not only Bulgaria's largest project of this decade but will also be the largest project of the next decade. Earlier Wednesday, Continue the Change - Democrati»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia's Vostok battlegroup liberated the settlement of Gerasimovka in the Dnepropetrovsk region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. "Units of the Vostok battlegroup continued to advance deep into the enemy's defenses and liberated the settlement of Gerasimovka in th»»»

Dubai: A former Indian expat and radio presenter in the UAE, Sunny Bernard, passed away on Monday night in the south Indian state of Kerala. He was 73. Sunny, a well-known broadcast professional who began his career with now-defunct Radio Asia in 1997, was a cherished figure among the Indian expat »»»

Authorities in India's capital Delhi rolled out strict measures on Wednesday in an attempt to curb pollution, including a ban on vehicles not compliant with latest emission control norms and regulating attendance in private and government offices. The air quality index (AQI) in the Delhi region, ho»»»

Doha, Qatar: The latest weather indicates a chance of moderate to heavy rain from tomorrow afternoon until early Friday, December 19, 2025. Cloudy weather conditions can be observed during this period as well as occasional thunderstorms, sudden strong winds, and hail at times. In an earlier report,»»»

Dubai: The UAE solidified its status as one of the world's fastest-growing economies in 2025, propelled by booming non-oil sectors, record foreign direct investment and agile pro-business policies. Non-oil foreign trade jumped 24.5% in the first half of the year to Dh1.7 trillion, outpacing global »»»

While there were ups and downs throughout 2025, most of the world’s richest ended the year wealthier than they began. This year, tech billionaires rode the AI and innovation boom, with Tesla/Space X CEO Elon Musk solidifying his lead. This top-10 rich list reflects the hyper-dynamic billionaire lan»»»

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said Tuesday that there is neither national security or legal justification for the Trump administration's strikes targeting ships in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Dec. 17 (UPI) -- There are no legal or national secu»»»

During consultations with BSP - United Left ahead of the procedure to hand out mandates for forming a new government, President Rumen Radev raised key questions about whether the party would seek stability through a new governing coalition or move toward early elections. He also asked whether the E»»»

Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu has once again become Speaker of the Zhogorku Kenesh of Kyrgyzstan. Eighty-six members of Parliament voted for him, with one against. He was elected at the first session of the 8th convocation. As a reminder, Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu served as Speaker of the previous convoc»»»

Al Nayrab: Bondi Beach hero Ahmed Al Ahmed, who put his life on the line by wresting a gun from an attacker in Australia’s deadly mass shooting, has become a source of pride for his hometown in Syria. “His act is a source of pride for us and for Syria,” Ahmed’s uncle Mohammed, a farmer, told AFP in»»»

There were kicks and fist blows in Parliament's plenary hall on Wednesday as two MPs clashed. It was not immediately clear what triggered the clash. Parliament Chair Raya Nazaryan announced a break. The cameras showed Gyunay Daloolu of MRF - New Beginning and Radostin Vassilev of MECh exchange angr»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Bitcoin is struggling to hold to mid-$80,000 levels, while gold nears record highs, though the real outlier of the three is silver with its multiple double-digit gains over the past four months, relative performance of the assets show. Historically, Bitcoin has often been fra»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Renowned US investor Jim Rogers told Sputnik that Russia presents enormous opportunities for investment and expressed readiness to begin investing in its economy once US sanctions are lifted. "Russia has enormous possibilities and a great future if there is peace," Rogers sai»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump said that his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, previously knew nothing about Russia, but had the best qualities to be a negotiator to resolve the Ukraine conflict. "Steve's a great dealmaker. But I noticed one thing about him. He had the greatest personalit»»»

Over 50 percent of countries in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) European Region are currently facing an unusually early and intense influenza season, according to recent reports. Health authorities have linked the surge in cases to the emergence of a new strain of the virus, which appears to »»»

Jewish Australians said they felt unsafe, angry and frustrated at the perceived government's failure to confront rising antisemitism after a deadly shooting at a Hanukkah festival in Sydney’s Bondi Beach last week.  Near the iconic, sun-soaked Sydney beach where father-and-son gunmen»»»

The Saudi Ministry of Defense is participating in the Jeddah International Book Fair, featuring a pavilion that documents a key aspect of its cultural and media history, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Wednesday. The pavilion traces the evolution of military publishing, from early traditional pr»»»

French oil major TotalEnergies has agreed to sell 50% of a 424-megawatt portfolio of wind and solar assets in Greece to Spanish investment firm Asterion Industrial Partners for 254 million euros ($297.36 million), it said on Wednesday. The deal values the portfolio at 508 million euros, or approxim»»»

NEPI Rockcastle NV, Europe’s third largest listed retail real estate company by portfolio value, has appointed Marius Barbu as Chief Operating Officer (COO) with effect from 1st April 2026, to succeed Marek Noetzel, current COO and CEO-designate. He has also been nominated as a Board Director and w»»»

Jeong Yeon-doo (R), vice minister for diplomatic strategy and intelligence at the foreign ministry, poses with acting U.S. Ambassador to Seoul Kevin Kim ahead of their talks on North Korea policy in Seoul on Tuesday. Pool Photo by Yonhap South Korea and the United States share the understanding tha»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico are weighing the fallout from Europe's reckless moves to seize Russian frozen assets, unlike other Western leaders, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday. "At a time when »»»

Concluding his address at the first session of Zhogorku Kenesh of the 8th convocation, President of Kyrgyzstan Sadyr Japarov called on lawmakers to pay special attention to the thorough and high-quality drafting of bills and their impeccable implementation. The head of state stressed that draft law»»»

On 16 December, Metinvest completed the acquisition of ArcelorMittal Tubular Products, located in the Romanian city of Iași. The plant produces welded structural pipes for the construction, engineering, infrastructure and agricultural sectors. Its maximum production capacity is 240,000 tonnes a yea»»»

Atanas Zafirov, leader of the Bulgarian Socialist Party - United Left (BSP-UL), made clear that his party will not participate in attempts to form a government under the current parliament. Speaking during consultations with President Rumen Radev, Zafirov stressed that a year ago the BSP had commit»»»

Damascus, Dec. 17 (SANA) Syria’s General Organization for Geology on Wednesday signed an agreement with TRIAC Company, a subsidiary of Serbia’s ELIXIR Group, to invest in and export 1.5 million tones of phosphate in 2026, of The agreement was signed at the Ministry of Energy in Damascus in the pres»»»

Doha, Qatar: The first edition of the Doha International Music and Marching Festival (Doha Tattoo) was officially inaugurated under the patronage of the Minister of Interior and Commander of the Internal Security Force (Lekhwiya), HE Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, on Tuesday evening»»»

Like many Australians strolling at Bondi Beach on long, warm summer evenings, Ahmed al Ahmed just wanted a cup of coffee with a friend. Around him, a bloody massacre erupted as two gunmen targeted Jews during Hanukkah festivities at a park close to the shore. Soon al Ahmed was creeping, bent over, »»»

Israel on Tuesday blocked a private Canadian delegation that included six members of Parliament from entering the occupied West Bank. The Israeli Embassy in Canada said the group was denied entry because of its links to Islamic Relief Worldwide, a nongovernmental organization that Israel lists as a»»»