Dubai: Calling all Christopher Nolan fans. The first official trailer for the cinematic genius' The Odyssey is out now, and our immediate question? Is the world actually ready for his new sweeping saga? Hot on the heels of Oppenheimer, Nolan’s Oscar-sweeping historical epic, the filmmaker is going »»»

Bulgaria's naval research vessel Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii (RSV 421) docked at the Chilean port of Punta Arenas on December 21 on its way to Livingston Island, which is home to the Bulgarian Antarctic Base, the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy in Varna wrote on its website on Monday. Two maritime pilot»»»

B-Act, an engineering and consulting firm, forecasts a record year for the construction and engineering industry in 2026. The company plans to expand its services both in Poland and internationally, with a strong focus on Ukraine. According to CEO Adam Białachowski, B-Act aims to strengthen its pre»»»

Members of the Rio de Janeiro Police carry out an operation in Rio de Janeiro in October. The police launched a major operation in two favelas aimed at arresting the leaders of the Red Command, the largest criminal gang in the city, and to halt its territorial expansion. File Photo by Antonio Lacer»»»

US President Donald Trump is preparing for a more aggressive immigration crackdown in 2026 with billions in new funding, including by raiding more workplaces — even as backlash builds ahead of next year’s midterm elections. Trump has already surged immigration agents into major US cities, where the»»»

The US military has carried out a wave of air strikes against dozens of Islamic State group targets across central Syria, US officials said, in retaliation for a deadly attack on American personnel. The strikes follow President Donald Trump’s pledge to respond after two US soldiers and a civilian i»»»

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 29 of its Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo SANTIAGE, Chile, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Chile has become the first country in Latin America to offer satellite coverage for mobile phones, enabling co»»»

1 of 8 | Donald Trump is sworn in as the 47th president of the United States by Chief Justice John Roberts during the 60th Presidential Inauguration in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 20. File Pool photo by Julia Demaree Nikhinson/UPI | License Photo Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Be»»»

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of “sanctioned oil tankers” into and out of Venezuela, US forces seized an oil tanker off the country's coast and the military attacked three more alleged drug-smuggling boats in the region — all in the course of a week. Also Read: 8 killed as 3»»»

Milwaukee County Judge Hannah Dugan, seen here being arrested by FBI agents in April, was convicted by a jury on Thursday in connection to allegations of aiding an undocumented migrant evade arrest in her courthouse. Photo courtesy FBI Director Kash Patel/X Dec. 19 (UPI) -- A 12-person jury has fou»»»

Syrian, Kurdish and US officials are scrambling ahead of a year-end deadline to show some progress in a stalled deal to merge Kurdish forces with the Syrian state, according to several people involved in or familiar with the talks. Discussions have accelerated in recent days despite growing frustra»»»

Keith Lee has won Creator of the Year at the inaugural TikTok Awards in the US. Hosted by TV personality La La Anthony at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, the fan-voted awards ceremony doled out logo-shaped trophies to content creators on the platform across fourteen categories, including St»»»

Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Closing arguments began Thursday in the trial for Judge Hannah Dugan after the court heard testimony from fellow Milwaukee County judicial officials about a lack of court policy on immigration arrests in public areas. The testimony came on Day 4 of Dugan's trial. She pleaded not gu»»»

A grocery shopper pictured Feb. 2022 in Richmond Heights, Missouri. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday a 2.7% annual CPI increase last month short of the 3.1% projected by Wall Street. Core CPI rose 2.6% year over year, below the 3% forecast. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | Licens»»»

Dubai Creek Golf & Yacht Club, a landmark iconic enough to feature on the UAE 20-dirham note, set the stage for the EC Markets Celebrity Charity Golf Day, on Wednesday December 10th. The event brought together senior leadership and sporting figures for a day dedicated to supporting youth and commun»»»

The humanitarian catastrophe engulfing Sudan, unleashing horrific violence on children and uprooting nearly a quarter of the population, is the world's most neglected crisis of 2025, according to a poll of aid agencies. Some 30 million Sudanese people - roughly equivalent to Australia's population »»»

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»»»

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and US special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack held talks on Tuesday on the latest developments in Syria a year after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad's regime. They discussed the measures needed to establish stability in Syria and maintain its territorial integrity. Tu»»»

Myanmar's junta on Wednesday said it was pursing charges against more than 200 people for alleged disruption of upcoming elections under new laws banning criticism of upcoming elections, which rights groups and the UN have dismissed as a sham to entrench military rule. Myanmar's junta said Wednesda»»»

1/20A woman reacts during a sack race as she celebrates Eid Al Fitr at a park in Quezon City, Philippines, on March 31.AP2/20Schoolgirls and cadets dance as they attend a rehearsal of a ceremony on the first day at school at a cadet lyceum in Kyiv on September 1.AP3/20Visitors, wearing stuffed cost»»»

A federal lawsuit filed on Tuesday accuses the Virgin Islands government and police of violating the Second Amendment rights of people who apply for gun permits. File Photo by Molly Riley/UPI | License Photo Dec. 16 (UPI) -- The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday sued the U.S. Virgin Islands, alleg»»»

1 of 3 | Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth (C) arrives to the U.S. Capitol for a briefing with congressional members Tuesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Dec. 16 (UPI) -- The Pentagon won't release the full video of the U.S. military's repeated strike on a suspected drug boat that kill»»»

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said a group of US lawmakers will be shown the full, unedited video of a controversial September boat strike in the Caribbean. Hegseth told reporters after a classified briefing for Senators on Tuesday that appropriate congressional committees would be allowed to see »»»

The United States has designated a notorious drug-trafficking organisation in Colombia as a terrorist group. The US Treasury Department added the group, known as Clan del Golfo or Gulf Clan, to its list of Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs). The designation came just hours after US President Do»»»

More than 17 million people in Afghanistan are facing crisis levels of hunger in the coming winter months, the leading international authority on hunger crises and the UN food aid agency warned Tuesday. The number at risk is some 3 million more than a year ago. Economic woes, recurrent drought, shr»»»

An umbrella lies on the floor inside the police cordon at the scene where a car collided with people during the Liverpool FC trophy parade in Liverpool, England, on May 25. The driver, Paul Doyle, 54, was sentenced to 21 years in prison Tuesday. File Photo by Adam Vaughan/EPA Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Paul »»»

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. envoy Tom Barack discussed in their meeting on Monday a framework to “continue civil dialogue with Lebanon, with expectations that it will soon expand to additional areas,” diplomatic sources told the Israel Hayom newspaper. Two weeks ago, a first »»»

U.S. envoy Tom Barrack agreed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in their meeting on Monday to “continue the dialogue regarding Lebanon,” diplomats told the Israel Hayom newspaper. In a post on the X platform, Barrack said the meeting involved “constructive dialogue working towards regi»»»

U.S. envoy Tom Barrack held talks Monday in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other top Israeli officials. The talks were to focus on preventing escalation in Syria and Lebanon, media reports said prior to the meeting. Informed sources meanwhile told the PSP’s al-Anbaa news portal t»»»

Hebrew-language media reported that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Monday in Jerusalem with US envoy Tom Barrack, amid what were described as unusually blunt private messages from the administration of President Donald Trump ahead of a planned US–Israel summit later this month in »»»

There are few areas in which the United States and Israel genuinely diverge, but one of them—somewhat unexpectedly—is Syria after the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad. Israel has been unsettled by US President Donald Trump’s rapid embrace of Syria’s new interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a »»»

Firefighters on Tuesday extinguish a blaze that erupted from a small plane that crashed Tuesday into an industrial facility in San Mateo Atenco. Photo courtesy of Civil Protection for the State of Mexico/X Dec. 15 (UPI) -- A small plane crashed in central Mexico on Monday, killing six of 10 people »»»

Hollywood director Rob Reiner’s son, Nick Reiner, was arrested and charged with murder after the deaths of the writer-director and his wife, a Los Angeles law enforcement official said Monday. Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their home on Sunday, prompting a»»»

Los Angeles police charged the son of Hollywood director Rob Reiner with murder on Monday after the suspect's parents were found stabbed in a brutal double killing that shocked movie fans around the world. Nick Reiner, 32, was detained hours after the bodies of the 78-year-old actor-director and hi»»»

An umbrella lies on the floor inside the police cordon at the scene where a car collided with people during the Liverpool FC trophy parade in Liverpool city center in England on May 26. Paul Doyle pleaded guilty last moth and his sentencing hearing began Monday. Photo Adam Vaughan/EPA Dec. 15 (UPI)»»»

Experts say care and quick attention to stiffness can help to avoid problems with tendons. Photo by Adobe Stock/HealthDay News Injure a tendon and you might not notice right away, but beware: These injuries often fail to heal properly, putting everyday activities at risk. "No matter how strong your»»»

Under contracts with YPF, Shell Argentina, Vista Energy and Equinor, ENAP will secure crude equivalent to about 35% of its annual demand in a deal valued at roughly $12 billion. Fire Photo by Raul Zamora/EOA SANTIAGO, Chile, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- Chile's state-owned energy company, ENAP, has signed a la»»»

In Botticelli’s masterpiece Pallas and the Centaur (1482-83), to be seen at the Galleria degli Uffizi in Florence, the Firenze-Athena parallel is unmistakable, with Florence depicted as the new Athens. Pallas Athena (or Minerva), after all is the Goddess of Knowledge. Here a flowery Firenze – or Fi»»»

Rob Reiner, the son of the legendary comedian Carl Reiner, was one of Hollywood's best known filmmakers. As an actor, he became a household name on the 1970s sitcom All in the Family and later appeared as the father of Leonardo DiCaprio's character in The Wolf of Wall Street. But it was as a direct»»»

In an exciting development within the world of football, Egyptian businessman Amir Garranah has successfully acquired a 90% stake in Spanish football club CF Badalona through his company, M2A Sports Management. This acquisition marks a significant milestone for Garranah, who has long dreamed of own»»»

U.S. envoy Tom Barrack will arrive Monday in Israel for talks with top officials on preventing escalation in Syria and Lebanon, media reports said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested the cancellation of a trial session scheduled for Monday to allow him to meet with the U.S. officia»»»

The death of two U.S. service members and one American civilian in an attack in Syria by an alleged member of the Islamic State group has drawn new attention to the presence of American forces in the country. Saturday's attack was the first with fatalities since the fall of Syrian President Bashar »»»

Vladimir Putin may have a reputation among some as a ruthless autocrat, a master manipulator of the international scene. But one thing Russia's president does not have is a poker face. The late US Senator John McCain used to joke that when he looked into Putin's eyes, he saw three things, "a K and »»»

Syria's interior ministry said Sunday the gunman who killed three Americans in the central Palmyra region the previous day was a member of the security forces who was to have been fired for extremism. Two US troops and a civilian interpreter died in what the Syrian government described as a "terror»»»

Two US soldiers and an American civilian were killed in central Syria on Saturday after an alleged Islamic State group gunman opened fire on a joint US-Syrian patrol in Palmyra, US Central Command said. Three other troops were wounded before the attacker was killed by partner forces. US Presid»»»

Syria said on Sunday that the gunman who killed three Americans in the central Palmyra region was a member of its own security forces who was due to be dismissed for extremist views, a day after the deadly attack blamed by Washington on the Islamic State group. Syria's interior ministry said on Sun»»»

Syria's interior ministry said on Sunday that the gunman who killed three Americans in the central Palmyra region the previous day was a member of the security forces who was to have been fired for extremism. Two U.S. troops and a civilian interpreter died in what the Syrian government described as»»»

On Dec. 14, 2012, a gunman killed 27 people, including 20 children at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., then killed himself. 1 of 4 | Mourners gather near a memorial filled with flowers, stuffed toys and candles at the entrance to Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., follow»»»

Share: No stranger to controversial remarks, Barrack said last September, “there is no Middle East. There are only tribes”. Recent remarks by US envoy Tom Barrack where for many Lebanese he seemed to advocate the integration of Lebanon into Syria prompted an angry reaction from Lebanese Parliament »»»

President Joseph Aoun has said that the latest remarks attributed to U.S. envoy Tom Barrack are "rejected by all Lebanese." Asked about statements by Hezbollah MPs that he had pledged prior to his election that a defense strategy would be approved without including the removal of Hezbollah's arms a»»»