The US has signed off on a record-breaking $11.1 billion arms package for Taiwan, further militarizing the island that China sees as an inalienable part of its territory. Announcing the weapons deal, the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency claimed that the arms sales serve US national, e»»»

Kyrgyzstan is among the world’s top 5 fastest-growing economies. Temir Sariev, Head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, while speaking at a roundtable discussion on the challenges and prospects of the country’s construction sector. According to him, GDP growth in the construction industr»»»

US President Donald Trump has announced a $1,776 (£1,329) "warrior dividend" payment to 1.45m US servicemembers - paid for, in part, by his tariffs. In a televised address to the nation on Wednesday night, Trump said that "checks are already on the way" and should arrive before Christmas. In the ad»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Wednesday that Moscow will seek to extend its gains in Ukraine if Kyiv and its Western allies reject the Kremlin's demands in peace talks. US President Donald Trump has unleashed an extensive diplomatic push to end nearly four years of fighting following Russ»»»

US President Donald Trump has added partisan and subjective plaques to his White House presidential "Walk of Fame", taking personal swipes at his predecessors Joe Biden and Barack Obama and repeating false claims about his 2020 election defeat. US President Donald Trump, who has made no mystery of »»»

Brazil’s Senate has approved legislation that could sharply reduce the prison sentence of former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, convicted over an alleged coup plot after his 2022 election defeat, in a move that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has vowed to veto. Brazil’s Senate on Wednesday»»»

After accepting a job near Montreal, Mansef Aloui packed up his life in Tunisia, hopeful his children would thrive in Canada -- but his pathway to settle in the country has been shut down. "I'm broken. My life has been upended. My daughter is in her room, she cries day and night," the 50-year-old t»»»

Dubai: Walk into a high-end watch auction in Dubai today and one thing becomes clear almost immediately. Buyers are calm. Phones stay down. Bidding starts late. No one looks surprised when prices climb into seven figures. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.These rooms no »»»

When Oracle Corp. announced a multi-hundred-billion-dollar computing deal with OpenAI last September, its stock jumped 30-40 percent in a single day. The $330 billion leap in market value was larger than Oracle’s total revenue for the previous decade. The company later admitted it would lose money »»»

BP has appointed a new chief executive, making Meg O'Neill the first woman to run a major global oil firm. The London-based energy giant said its current boss Murray Auchincloss would step down less than two years after he replaced Bernard Looney, who was found to have committed "serious misconduct»»»

We're driven blindfolded to a secret location where Ukraine is making one of its latest weapons. We're told to turn off our phones - such is the secrecy around the production of Ukraine's Flamingo cruise missile. For Ukraine, dispersing and hiding the production of weapons like this is key to survi»»»

For years, scientists have warned that bird flu - better known as H5N1 - could one day make the dangerous leap from birds to humans and trigger a global health crisis. Avian flu - a type of influenza - is entrenched across South and South-East Asia and has occasionally infected humans since emergin»»»

A manhunt for the mass shooter who opened fire in an exam room at one of America's top universities stretched into a fifth day Wednesday with no apparent police progress in identifying a suspect or a motive. The only new information from police at a media briefing Wednesday was an appeal for a witn»»»

Concerns over toys that use artificial intelligence spurred two U.S. senators to seek answers from toymakers on Tuesday. Photo by James Atoa/UPI | License Photo Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Fears of risks to children's mental health and development have two U.S. senators sounding an alarm and seeking informati»»»

Tribune News Network Doha Paris Saint-Germain ended a banner year on a high as they defeated CF Flamengo 2-1 in a penalty shootout to win the FIFA Intercontinental Cup Qatar 2025 after a 1-1 draw in regulation on Wednesday night. It has been an incredible 2025 for Luis Enrique’s men, who won a treb»»»

Satyendra Pathak Doha Qatar’s banking sector continued to exhibit underlying strength and stability in October 2025, with total assets standing at QR2.126 trillion, marginally lower by 1.1 percent month-on-month (MoM) but still higher by 3.9 percent compared to year-end 2024, reflecting sustained a»»»

Tribune News Network Doha Hossam Ibrahim Hassan Asal, a science teacher at Hamza bin Abdulmotalib Preparatory School in Doha, Qatar, has been named in the top 50 shortlist for the GEMS Education Global Teacher Prize 2026, a Varkey Foundation initiative organised in collaboration with UNESCO. Hossam»»»

The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI), in cooperation with Alfardan Automobiles, Qatar’s BMW dealership, has announced the recall of BMW X3 20 xdrive & X3 M50 2025-2026 models. The recall is due to a failure in the steering sensor caused by an error in the software, which may cause a warning»»»

QNA Doha Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani stressed that the State of Qatar is marking this year’s anniversary of the founder, Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani, amid comprehensive achievements across all fields under the wise l»»»

1 of 4 | FCC Chairman Brendan Carr testified during a Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation oversight hearing on the Federal Communications Commission at the Capitol in Washington on Wednesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Chairman Brendan Carr said t»»»

Hurricanes are a weather phenomenon studied by the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo. The Trump administration announced it will dismantle it. File Photo by Lt. Col. Mark Withee/U.S. Air Force/UPI | License Photo Dec. 17 (UPI) -- The President Donald Trump administration ann»»»

Fifa will finally release its much-anticipated return to video games in 2026, several years after its acrimonious split with developer EA. But it is Netflix, rather than a major game studio, which has secured the rights to the upcoming football game. Once one of the most profitable brands in gaming»»»

This Norwegian Polar Institute image taken on June 22, 2016, shows a polar bear wandering on the thinning sea ice in the Arctic. "Across these changing landscapes, sustained observations and strong research partnerships, including those led by communities and Indigenous organizations, remain essent»»»

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson (L), D-Miss, pictured in December 2022 with then-U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., (R) at House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. On Wednesday, an ex-Senate aide announced his bid to unseat Thompson. File Photo by Ke»»»

Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has said he won't release video of Caribbean boat strikes to Congress. The Senate just passed a funding bill that will reduce his travel budget if he doesn't. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Dec. 17 (UPI) -- The Senate on Wednesday passed the National Defe»»»

1 of 4 | Former special counsel Jack Smith is seen during a break while testifying during in a closed-door deposition before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington on Wednesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Former special counse»»»

Bulgaria's Parliament on Wednesday adopted a 2025-to-2026 Budget Extension Bill on second reading. It was approved on first reading earlier in the day. The adopted bill regulates expenditure and revenue collection in the coming year until the adoption of a State Budget Act and the budgets of the Na»»»

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Parliament on Wednesday passed on second reading the 2025-to-2026 Revenue Collection and Expenditures Bill, the so-called 2026 Budget Extension Bill. Earlier in the day, the bill was approved on first reading. Lawmakers adopted a proposal by Continue the Change–Democratic Bulgaria co-leader Assen V»»»

Bulgaria's Parliament on Wednesday adopted a 2025-to-2026 Budget Extension Bill on second reading. It was approved on first reading earlier in the day. The adopted bill regulates expenditure and revenue collection in the coming year until the adoption of a State Budget Act and the budgets of the Na»»»

The Lebanese army has uncovered a tunnel built by Hezbollah in the southern town of Touline after carrying out an excavation at the request of the ceasefire oversight committee known as the Mechanism, Lebanese media reported. The site had previously been struck by an Israeli attack, according to th»»»

DOHA:The 2025 National Day events continued on Wednesday at Darb Al Saai in the Umm Salal area, under the slogan 'With you it rises and from you it awaits', organized by the Ministry of Culture, from December 10 to 20. Darb Al Saai witnessed a large public turnout from citizens and residents, who c»»»

Bulgaria's Parliament on Wednesday adopted a 2026 Budget Extension Bill on second reading. It was approved on first reading earlier in the day. The adopted bill regulates expenditure and revenue collection in the coming year until the adoption of a State Budget Act and the budgets of the National H»»»

A woman shows coca leaves during an event for the National Day of Acullico (chewing of the plant) in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, in January. Then-Bolivian President Luis Arce said his countrymen have shown the world that the coca leaf 'is not cocaine, File Photo by Juan Carlos Torrejon/EPA Dec. 17 (UPI) -»»»

Spain is to set up a national network of climate shelters in public buildings to offer people refuge from intense heat before next summer, its prime minister has announced. The move was announced as Pedro Sanchez laid out a plan to address the impact of climate change during a conference in Madrid »»»

The Russia-Pakistan Eurasian Forum concluded in Moscow on Wednesday with organizers announcing a concrete plan to deepen ties, establishing a new strategic dialogue and working groups focused on media, education, economic projects and counterterrorism. Dr. Roxolana Zigon, a co-organizer of the foru»»»

Dubai: Hotel occupancy rates in the UAE reached 79.3 per cent during the first 10 months of 2025, placing the country among the highest performers regionally and globally, according to Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism. In statements to the Emirates News Agency (WAM) on the»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian Armed Forces (SAF) Chief of General Staff Gen Milan Mojsilovic met on Wednesday with the commanders of tactical units constituting a part of the SAF ground forces to discuss the security situation in Serbia and the region, as well as plans for next year. In a closing address, Moj»»»

Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., speaks during a press conference after a weekly House Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol in March. He announced Wednesday that he won't seek re-election. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-Wash., announced Wedne»»»

A handful of moderate Republicans in the US House of Representatives forced a vote to extend healthcare subsidies used by millions of Americans that are set to expire at the end of the year. The House vote is slated for Wednesday evening but if it passes - which is expected - it will face an uphill»»»

The Saudi Cabinet, chaired by Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, approved on Wednesday the cancellation of the expat levy on foreign workers in licensed industrial establishments. The decision is based on the recommendation of the Council of Economic »»»

Doha: The Primary Health Care Corporation (PHCC) announced that 21 out of its 31 health centers will be operating during the National Day holiday, Thursday, December 18. The on-duty health centers will provide family medicine and supporting services continuously from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. during »»»

BELGRADE - Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Ivica Dacic received on Wednesday a delegation of the Media Centre of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security. "Dacic said that contemporary security challenges require fast and efficient communication with the public, assessing that th»»»

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is testifying before a Georgia state Senate committee Wednesday about her case against President Donald Trump. File Photo by Erik S. Lesser/EPA Dec. 17 (UPI) -- Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis is facing a Georgia state Senate committee over he»»»

Britain on Wednesday added Egypt's Zohr gas field, in which Russian oil major Rosneft holds a 30% stake and London-based BP has a 10% holding, to a list of projects exempt from its Russia sanctions. Rosneft and Lukoil, Russia's top oil producers, were sanctioned by Britain and the United States in »»»

Oil prices surged on Wednesday after US President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of "sanctioned" oil tankers heading to and leaving Venezuela. Both Brent and WTI contracts jumped more than two percent before paring gains. "The big news is the oil-price rally after President Donald Trump announced »»»

Currently, with intense diplomacy taking place to – perhaps – end the Ukraine conflict, questions surrounding Kiev’s domestic politics may seem secondary. However, in reality, they are as important as the search for peace. There are two reasons: First, Ukrainians have a right to finally be released»»»

PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, 17 December 2025: Vanity Fair's interview of Susan Wiles makes headlines across the United States. Next, The New York Times investigates Jeffrey Epstein's wealth and career. Elsewhere, Kylian Mbappé has won a court case against his former club Paris Saint-Ge»»»

Former Special Counsel Jack Smith arrived on Capitol Hill on Wednesday for a high-stakes, closed door hearing about his two defunct criminal investigations into President Donald Trump. According to prepared remarks, Smith planned to tell Congress his team "developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt"»»»

DOHA: Amiri Guard Commander Lieutenant General Staff Hazza bin Khalil Al Shahwani met on Wednesday at the Barzan camp with Commander of the French Republican Guard Gen Francois-Xavier Lesueur and his accompanying delegation. The meeting discussed aspects of cooperation in areas of common interest. »»»