Starting January 1, New Yorkers will no longer be able to buy or reload MetroCards to pay fare on the city's subways and buses as the MTA moves fully to a tap-and-pay system called OMNY over the next six months. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo Dec. 28 (UPI) -- More than 30 years af»»»

Israel's defense ministry said on Sunday it had deployed a new "Iron Beam" laser system for the air force to intercept aerial threats. The laser system's main developers, the ministry's research and development department and defense contractor Rafael, delivered it to the air force at a ceremony in»»»

Suriname: A knife attack outside Suriname’s capital, Paramaribo, killed at least nine people, including five children, police said Sunday. Officials confirmed that the victims included four of the attacker’s children and neighbours who came to their aid. A neighbour’s child was also among those kil»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, for over an hour by phone, shortly before Trump's scheduled meeting on Sunday with Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky in Miami. Zelensky, who faces another corruption scandal implicating lawmakers that erupted over the weekend, »»»

Dubai: Saudi Arabia has denied claims suggesting a renewed threat from Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, saying that recent online interpretations of an international health report were misleading and not supported by scientific evidence. Dr. Abdullah Asiri, the deputy minister of healt»»»

Damascus, Dec. 28 (SANA) Syrian Defense Minister Major General Murhaf Abu Qasra held a phone call Sunday with Sheikh Saud bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense of Qatar. The two officials discussed matters of mutual interest, as well as recent developmen»»»

The EU withdrew a record quantity of gas from underground storage facilities on Christmas Day, Gazprom has reported, warning that low reserves mean supplies could prematurely run out. As of December 25, Europe had 66.3 billion cubic meters (bcm) of gas in storage, down 9.9 bcm year-on-year, the com»»»

Cairo: The Arab League Council, at the level of permanent representatives, strongly condemned Israel's recognition, on Dec. 26, of the secession of the northwestern region of Somalia, known as "Somaliland," considering it a move driven by ulterior political, security, and economic agendas that are »»»

Jawad Developments has announced a partnership with Eltizam Egypt, a provider of integrated asset and facilities management services, to manage and operate the Val Plaza project in 6th of October City, west Cairo, ahead of the mall’s opening in the first half of next year. Commenting on the agreeme»»»

Tunis, Dec 28 (TAP) - A newly published study by the Tunisian Wildlife Association (ATVS) highlights the significant, yet often overlooked, impact of road collisions on wild animal populations in Tunisia, using a participatory science approach that...»»»

Strong winds caused damage in 26 out of 28 regions across Bulgaria, with no injuries reported, the Interior Ministry's Fire Safety and Civil Protection Directorate said on Sunday. Until 5:45 pm on Sunday, fire service teams responded to 159 weather-related incidents. No roads were closed and no res»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Meteorology Department reported that rain was observed over some northern and central parts of Qatar on Sunday, with thundery conditions possible at times. In a Post on X, the department said there are fresh to strong winds affecting several areas of the country, with weather»»»

The three-part elections in Myanmar, which roughly half the country is expected to participate in, have been seen as an effort by Commander-in-Chief of Myanmar's armed forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, to legitimize the military junta that has been running the country since its 2021 coup. Poo»»»

From New York to Russia, Europe to Srinagar, and even the mountains of Saudi Arabia, recent snowfall has turned landscapes into breathtaking winter wonderlands. Experience the magic of snow-covered cities, forests, and mountains across the Americas, Europe, and Asia. Countries including Saudi Arabi»»»

The Administrative Capital for Urban Development (ACUD) has announced the completion of the first phase of its smart licensing and ministerial approvals system, marking a major transformation in the review of urban designs and the issuance of construction permits in Egypt’s New Administrative Capit»»»

Mahmoud Essmat, Minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy, concluded his meetings and field visits during his current trip to China with a series of discussions aimed at strengthening cooperation and advancing the localisation of electrical equipment manufacturing in Egypt. The meetings brought »»»

A row over the disappearance of a famous river surfing wave in Munich escalated on Sunday as authorities removed a beam inserted over Christmas to recreate the attraction. The Eisbach wave on a side branch of the Isar River had been a landmark in the Bavarian city since the 1980s but it vanished in»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump said that he had held a good and productive phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday. "I just had a good and very productive telephone call with President Putin of Russia prior to my meeting, at 1:00 P.M. [18:00 GMT] today, with Pre»»»

The phone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump was held at the initiative of the US side and took place ahead of Trump’s planned in-person meeting with Vladimir Zelensky, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said. It lasted 1 hour 15 minutes.Key take»»»

Tunis, Dec 28 (TAP) - An agreement and four memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed on Sunday during the twelfth session of the Tunisian–Saudi Joint Committee, held in Riyadh on December 28–29.- An agreement provides notably for cooperation...»»»

Tunis, Dec 28 (TAP) - Tunisia endorses the statements issued by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the League of Arab States and the African Union, which denounce the recognition of Somaliland by the Zionist entity.In a statement published on...»»»

Milan: Christopher Nkunku fired AC milan top of Serie A with a brace in Sunday's 3-0 win over Verona at the San Siro, the France forward's first goals in Italy's top flight. Nkunku doubled milan's lead two minutes after half-time with a penalty he had earned, ending a league drought stretching back»»»

Dubai: The UAE has been ranked first in the Arab world and the region, and fourth globally, for road quality in 2025, according to an international ranking published by Daily Jang. The ranking places the UAE among a select group of countries recognised for developing wide, safe and technologically »»»

Madrid: Three people went missing after torrential rains caused flooding in southern Spain, the Guardia Civil police said Sunday, calling on the population to exercise extreme caution. Spain has been exceptionally strongly affected by climate change in recent years, resulting in longer heatwaves an»»»

US President Donald Trump said he had a productive telephone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Sunday ahead of a planned meeting in Florida with Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelensky. "I just had a very good and productive telephone call with President Putin of Russia" before the pl»»»

Kuwait: The Arab Investment & Export Credit Guarantee Corporation (Dhaman) revealed that the Arab region’s food and beverage sector attracted 516 foreign direct investment (FDI) projects with Capex of $22 billion and 93000 jobs between January 2003 and December 2024. In its third sectoral report fo»»»

Tunis, Dec 28 (TAP) - The year 2025 has marked a pivotal turning point in Tunisia’s economic trajectory, as the country has successfully mitigated the lingering effects of successive global crises and achieved relative stability in key...»»»

Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem on Sunday said moves to disarm the group in Lebanon are an "Israeli-American plan,” accusing Israel of failing to abide by a ceasefire agreement sealed last year. Under heavy US pressure and fears of expanded Israeli strikes, the Lebanese military is expected to complet»»»

Abu Dhabi: The UAE International Aid Agency has signed a cooperation agreement with the Norwegian Refugee Council to provide assistance to refugees in East Africa, with the aim of expanding the scope of humanitarian aid delivered to populations in countries affected by conflicts, and supporting hos»»»

When the MetroCard replaced the New York City subway token in 1994, the swipeable plastic card infused much-needed modernity into one of the world’s oldest and largest transit systems. Now, more than three decades later, the gold-hued fare card and its notoriously finicky magnetic strip are followi»»»

Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro has received a medical procedure to treat his chronic hiccups, his medical team has said. Saturday's treatment "went well", according to one of his doctors. Another, Claudio Birolini, added that the procedure - which he stressed was not a surgery - lasted fo»»»

Dubai: Kuwait will maintain fixed fuel prices through the first quarter of 2026, with premium petrol priced at 85 fils per litre, regular petrol at 105 fils, and diesel and kerosene each set at 115 fils, according to a senior oil source cited by Al Anba. The source said the state committee tasked w»»»

Tunis, Dec 28 (TAP) - The twelfth session of the Tunisian–Saudi Joint Committee kicked off on Sunday in Riyadh, hosted by the Saudi Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources.The meeting aims to explore opportunities for scaling up bilateral...»»»

The Israeli military said on Sunday it had ended its operation in a town in the occupied West Bank that it had sealed off after a Palestinian from the area killed two Israelis. Around 50 residents of Qabatiya were briefly detained during the two-day operation, the official Palestinian news agency W»»»

Doha, Qatar: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs HE Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al-Thani, held a telephone call today with HE Maj. Gen. (Eng.) Murhaf Abu Qasra, Minister of Defense of the brotherly Republic of Syria. During the call, the two sides discussed to»»»

Tunis, Dec 28 (TAP) - The third environmental camp of the Tunisian Scouts opened on Sunday in Djerba under the theme “Acting for effective water governance and equitable livelihoods”.The island of Djerba was selected to host the event, drawing...»»»

At the request of the Federal Republic of Somalia and with the support of Arab League member states, the Arab League Council on Sunday began its extraordinary session at the league’s General Secretariat, at the level of permanent representatives and under the chairmanship of the United Arab Emirate»»»

Alcohol use is contributing to around 800,000 deaths in Europe every year, accounting for one in every eleven deaths, according to a report by the World Health Organization. In a new fact sheet published this week, the agency said the continent has “the highest alcohol consumption levels globally,”»»»

Secretary's SpeechLebanon PalestineZionist EntityRegional and International International More Video Language Ar En Fr EsSubscribe for Weekly Updates Subscribe Hezbollah’s Sheikh Qassem to Enemies: “Do Your Worst, We Won’t Bow” 28-12-2025 17:52 PM Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem stat»»»

SEOUL: At midnight Sunday local time, the "Phoenix Flag," a symbol of South Korea's presidency, was raised at Cheong Wa Dae, which is widely known as the Blue House, after a hiatus of nearly three years and seven months. The presidential office said earlier on Sunday that President Lee Jae Myung wi»»»

Russia on Sunday sent three Iranian communications satellites into orbit, the second such launch since July, Iranian state television reported. The report said that a Russian rocket sent the satellites to circle the Earth on a 500-kilometer (310-mile) orbit from the Vostochny launchpad in eastern R»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - China's military has released footage of the launch of a YJ-20 hypersonic anti-ship missile from the Type 055 large destroyer Wuxi, the Global Times newspaper reported on Sunday. In September, a Sputnik correspondent reported that the YJ-21 (YingJi-21) anti-ship ballistic missile»»»

Playing “shop” at home is among the most effective ways for parents to help young children understand the currency change Bulgaria will make on January 1, 2026. Setting up a small store using euros allows children to become familiar with the new coins and banknotes and to practise simple calculatio»»»

Israel's recognition of the breakaway region of Somaliland "is (a) threat to the security and stability of the world and the region," Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud told an emergency parliamentary session Sunday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Friday announcement, making his co»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The United States is replacing the United Nations with settlement efforts, as this organization offers no help in peacemaking, US President Donald Trump said on Sunday. "I am pleased to announce that the breakout fighting between Thailand and Cambodia will stop momentarily, and t»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Two Aist-2T stereoscopic Earth observation satellites have separated from the Fregat upper stage following Sunday's launch from Russia’s Vostochny cosmodrome, Russian state space corporation Roscosmos said. "The Aist-2T satellites launched from Vostochny reached their target orbi»»»

WASHINGTON: WhatsApp has announced a new feature that allows users to view a 'Contact Info' page for group members. This feature aims to facilitate interaction within groups and provide quick access to essential participant information. The new feature makes it easier for users to quickly access ba»»»

Tunis, Dec 28 (TAP) - The Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) on Sunday launched a nationwide public education campaign targeting disinformation, aiming to equip citizens, particularly social media users, with the tools to identify and...»»»

It only took a matter of minutes after the heavy overnight rain first began to fall for Jamil al-Sharafi's tent in southern Gaza to flood, drenching his food and leaving his blankets sopping wet. The winter rains have made an already precarious life worse for people like Sharafi, who is among the h»»»