Israel was cleared on Thursday to enter the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest by the organizer, prompting Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland and Slovenia to withdraw over the Gaza war and plunging the competition into one of the biggest rows in its history. The broadcasters who had threatened to boycott th»»»

This year Bulgaria has achieved economic growth that is twice the European average, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said during Parliament’s Question Time on Friday. He said that in response to a question by Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria MP Bogdan Bogdanov when he intended to resign ove»»»

Doha: Palestine produced a brilliant fightback to secure a 2-2 draw against Tunisia in their FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 Group A clash yesterday. Amor Layouni put Tunisia ahead in the 16th minute, then Firas Chaouat added their second early in the second half before Hamed Hemdan pulled one back for Pa»»»

89.7% of employers who participated in the latest survey conducted by eJobs stated that they have prepared Christmas benefits for employees, which they will grant in December, before the short holiday break, while 10.3% did not have a budget allocated for this purpose. “Traditionally, most companie»»»

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) planned, in December 2025, loans from commercial banks worth 4.5 billion RON, to which 15%, respectively 675 million RON, of the nominal value awarded at the reference auctions, can be added, within the additional sessions of non-competitive offers.The total amount, of»»»

South-Eastern Europe took on Wednesday evening a significant step towards deeper regional integration and increased connectivity after Greece, Bulgaria and Romania signed a Memorandum of Understanding to boost cross-border cooperation in the field of transport infrastructure, a European Commission »»»

A debate in society should be genuine, involving real people, President Nicusor Dan underlined on Thursday at an award ceremony for actor Victor Rebengiuc, held at the Romanian Athenaeum.Victor Rebengiuc received the European Romania 2025 Prize from the Initiative for European Democratic Culture As»»»

The law on combating extremism was sent for re-examination by President Nicusor Dan, who assessed that the current form of the normative act could lead to "amplification of tensions"."I have submitted to Parliament the request to re-examine the law amending GEO 31/2002 on combating extremism. The R»»»

Ten representatives of political parties and seven independents, one supported by an alliance, have entered the race for the position of general mayor of the Capital in the election on 7 December.The seat at the General City Hall was left vacant by Nicusor Dan after he won the presidential election»»»

Foreign Affairs Minister Oana Toiu participates in the 32nd Ministerial Council meeting of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), taking place in Vienna Thursday through Friday.According to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) release sent to AGERPRES, the event takes place»»»

A long-term peace cannot be conceived without Ukraine and the European Union member states agreeing to the proposed solutions, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said on Thursday.He made the remarks at a joint press conference with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker, in response to a question about Eur»»»

Austria supports Romania's bid to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and considers Romania a reliable partner, Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said on Thursday."Romania is a partner we can rely on, given our long-standing historical, political and economic»»»

President Nicusor Dan held a phone conversation on Thursday morning with his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jae Myung, on matters of interest for the bilateral relations between the two countries."Thank you, President Lee Jae Myung, for the phone call this morning, an excellent step in further devel»»»

On Dec. 5, 1955, in one of the early civil rights actions in the South, Black Americans declared a boycott of city buses in Montgomery, Ala., demanding seating on an equal basis with white people. 1 of 6 | Rosa Parks sits up front of a Montgomery, Ala., bus with UPI reporter Nicholas Chriss on Dece»»»

1 of 2 | At least two Ukrainian children abducted by Russian forces are being held in North Korea, a rights expert said Wednesday. In this photo, refugee children from Ukraine are seen at a makeshift camp near the U.S.-Mexico border in April 2022. File Photo by Ariana Drehsler/UPI | License Photo D»»»

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said he is prepared to leave office only if parliament adopts a vote of no confidence. He made the statement during today’s parliamentary blitz control, responding directly to a question from Bogdan Bogdanov of WCC-DB, who had asked when he intended to resign. Zhelya»»»

Heavy rain in Vietnam triggered flooding that killed at least two people and caused more than a dozen landslides, state media said Friday, adding to what authorities called the "most unusual" year of natural disasters in the country's history. South-central Vietnam has been lashed by weeks of heavy»»»

Visa is relocating its European headquarters to London's Canary Wharf financial district, the Canary Wharf Group said on Friday. The firm is leasing 300,000 square feet on a 15-year term at One Canada Square, and is set to relocate from Paddington in the summer of 2028, the group added. Canary Whar»»»

A unified map of the Turkic states has been created. The Deputy Director of the State Cartography and Geodesy Service under the State Agency for Land Resources, Cadastre, Geodesy, and Cartography of Kyrgyzstan, Narynbek Isabekov, told journalists. According to him, the map will be presented at the »»»

Forty-story buildings from the State Mortgage Company (SMC) in Bishkek will be earthquake-resistant. Gulzat Totubaeva, head of the Public Relations Department at the State Mortgage Company (SMC), announced at a briefing. According to her, construction of a residential complex at the intersection of»»»

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) - India is Russia's most important trading partner, Kirill Dmitriev, the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) and Russian special presidential envoy for economic cooperation with foreign countries, said on Friday. "India is Russia's most important partner. As we kno»»»

New Delhi: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosted Russia’s President Vladimir Putin Friday, with defence and trade ties centre stage as New Delhi faces heavy US pressure to stop buying Moscow’s oil. Putin was given a red carpet welcome with honour guard and 21-gun salute at the presidential pa»»»

1/7The Festive Tree Lighting Ceremony on 10 December will feature fireworks and a spectacular drone show at 7 PM.2/7Santa and his multicultural Elves return to Celebration Walk with magical activations and photo opportunities.3/7Beautiful red and green lighting adorns Global Village’s iconic gates »»»

Israel's defense budget for 2026 has been set at 112 billion shekels ($34.63 billion), the defense minister's office said on Friday, up from 90 billion shekels budgeted in an earlier draft. Defense Minister Israel Katz and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich agreed on the defense spending framework a»»»

The Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan adopted a resolution establishing, for the first time at the national level, requirements for assessing the safety of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, as well as separate standards for high-risk AI. The document was developed based on the Digital Code and»»»

Two of Britain’s biggest organizations for women and girls, Girlguiding and the Women’s Institute, have said they will no longer accept transgender members, citing a court ruling on biological sex. Girlguiding, Britain’s equivalent of the Girl Scouts, said in a statement on Tuesday that “trans girl»»»

President Joseph Aoun has said the next round of talks with Israel will begin on December 19, calling the reaction to initial negotiations this week "positive". "It is natural that the first session would not be highly productive, but it paved the way for upcoming sessions that will begin on the 19»»»

DOHA: Doha College announced that alumna and former Head Girl, Arwa (pictured) (Class of 2024), has been elected President of the Oxford Union, one of the world’s oldest and most prestigious debating societies. Her appointment places her among an influential group of past presidents, including form»»»

DOHA: DPS Monarch International School hosted its annual production, Raabta – The Ties that Heal, a transformative journey that unfolds across five enchanting realms, narrating a timeless tale of family warmth, sparkling joy of friendship, strength of knowledge, powerful unity of teamwork, and harm»»»

DOHA: Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Qatar held its Annual Gala Dinner recently, uniting leaders and innovators committed to shaping a more sustainable future for the nation. With regional representatives in attendance, the event highlighted Qatar’s remarkable engineering achievements, from w»»»

The World Bank has lifted its growth forecast for the Gulf Council Cooperation (GCC) to 4.5% for 2026, supported by structural reforms and rapid digital innovation. A WB forecast issued in October had projected 4.4% growth for 2026. In its latest edition of the Gulf Economic Update (GEU), the World»»»

The Department of Fishing Industry held a meeting with the leadership of the Korea Maritime Institute (KMI) regarding the implementation of National Center for Aquaculture and Fishery Development project in the Kyrgyz Republic, based at the Regional Department of Fish Acclimatization and Breeding (»»»

Dubai: Covoro YouCloud, a strategic joint venture formed to accelerate digital tax transformation across the GCC, announced its participation as a Diamond Sponsor at the Tax Technology Summit, taking place on December 6, in Grand Millennium Hotel, Barsha Heights, Dubai. As the UAE moves toward its »»»

Severe flooding hit homes, tourist accommodations and camp sites in Foinikounda, a seaside settlement in the southern Peloponnese, early Friday after a river overflowing from the Grizokampos area surged toward the coast during storm Byron. The sudden rise in water left several people trapped. State»»»

President Rumen Radev will award the Presidential Badge of Honour to firefighters and volunteers for their active participation in tackling fires this year, as well as for their contribution to national security, the President’s Press Secretariat said on Friday. The ceremony will take place to mark»»»

Special Envoy of the Minister of Foreign Affairs H E Ambassador Faisal bin Abdullah Al Hanzab met yesterday with United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan H E Richard Bennett currently visiting the country. During the meeting, they discussed joint efforts bet»»»

Dubai: Saudi Arabia’s National Center for Meteorology (NCM) is forecasting widespread thunderstorms across much of the country beginning Saturday, December 6, and continuing through Thursday, December 11, with several regions expected to see heavy rainfall and potentially hazardous weather conditio»»»

Dubai: The UAE Lottery has announced new rules after transforming its Lucky Day draw with a new weekly format and refreshed prize structure, bringing players more frequent chances to win. The revamped game, which begins tomorrow, December 6, features a Dh30 million jackpot, an enhanced Dh5 million »»»

KUWAIT, Dec 5 (KUNA) -- The price of Kuwaiti oil went up by 12 cents to USD 62.69 per barrel (pb) on Thursday, compared to USD 62.57 pb the earlier day, said Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC) on Friday.In global markets, Brent crude and the West Texas Intermediate rose by 59 cents and 72 cents to »»»

As relentless harassment from Israeli settlers drove his brothers from their Bedouin community in the central occupied West Bank, Ahmed Kaabneh remained determined to stay on the land his family had lived on for generations. But when a handful of young settlers constructed a shack around 100 meters»»»

Dubai: SONAX GmbH, the global leader in car care solutions, has recorded consistent double-digit growth across the GCC and wider Middle East region, averaging between 10% and 20% over the past five years. This sustained expansion underscores the company’s strong foothold in the region and its posit»»»

Abu Dhabi: Al Maryah Community Bank (Mbank), the UAE’s first fully integrated digital bank, has announced a strategic collaboration with 7X, a leading trade, transport, and logistics group. The collaboration between both entities aims to enable blockchain-powered digital payments using AE Coin, the»»»

A fire broke out early Friday at a recycling plant in Diavata, on the outskirts of Thessaloniki, authorities said. The blaze began around 5 a.m. in the facility’s outdoor area, according to local media. Six fire engines and 12 firefighters were deployed to contain the flames, the Fire Service said.»»»

DOHA: Anandotsav 2025, Loyola International School’s Annual Day, held at the iconic QNCC conference hall, once again showcased why the school continues to earn the admiration of its parent community. Across its three sessions, the event unfolded as an immersive showcase of imagination, culture, and»»»

DOHA: The Second Forum for the Arab World’s International Day for Social Responsibility and Sustainable Development has named H E Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al-Kawari, Minister of State and President of Qatar National Library, as the 2025 Personality of the Year for Social Responsibility and Sustainab»»»

DOHA: The national committee tasked with preparing the National Action Plan for Human Rights (2026-2030) held its fourth meeting at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The committee discussed the latest developments in preparing the national action plan, the outcomes of the consult»»»

New York: Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations, H E Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani met with Deputy Foreign Minister of Ukraine, H E Betsa Mariana at the Permanent Mission headquarters in New York. During the meeting, they reviewed bilateral relations and ways to support and»»»

Prime Minister of the Republic of Lebanon H E Dr. Nawaf Salam met yesterday with the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Lebanon H E Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani. The meeting discussed cooperation and relations between the two countries. It also discussed the topics of support and joint coo»»»

THE PENINSULA Doha: As the official Technology Sponsor of FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025, Vodafone Qatar announced a dynamic lineup of tournament activations that will run across multiple venues, offering fans more than 100 prizes to be won throughout the competition. Renowned presenter Abdulrahman Al As»»»

DOHA: The Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) has announced that it is continuing to receive new students for the medical checkups required for registration in government schools for the 2025–2026 academic year. The checkups will be available at all PHCC health centers throughout the academic ye»»»