Data from the Real Time Crime Index show murders have fallen nearly 20% nationwide between 2024 and 2025 following a 13% decline the previous year. File Photo by Matthew Healey/UPI | License Photo Dec. 24 (UPI) -- The United States is witnessing an unprecedented decline in murders with 2025 project»»»

Harare: Zimbabwe's economy grew by 9.64 percent year on year in the third quarter of 2025, up from 2.28 percent recorded in the same period last year, the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) said Wednesday. Grown Chirongwe, national accounts manager at ZIMSTAT, told a press briefing in Ha»»»

US authorities have discovered more than a million more documents potentially related to the late paedophile Jeffrey Epstein that they plan to release in the coming days and weeks, officials say. The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York and the FBI have informed the Department of Justi»»»

The National Weather Service issued flash-flood and high-wind warnings for parts of Southern California on Wednesday and Thursday as a storm system passes through the area before dissipating on Saturday. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo Dec. 24 (UPI) -- High winds, torrential rains and »»»

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has made a grim forecast for 2026, wishing her office staff a happy Christmas while warning them to brace for a challenging year ahead. “The past year has been tough for all of us but don’t worry because next year will be even worse,” she quipped. Speaking at h»»»

Dubai: Authorities in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh have suspended a senior resident doctor and launched a criminal investigation after video footage emerged appearing to show a patient being repeatedly struck inside a hospital ward. The incident, which took place at the Indira Gand»»»

Tunis, Dec 24 (TAP) - A total of 202 tonnes of e-waste recovered from the Borj Chekir landfill had been treated by November 30, 2025, according to data presented Wednesday at a working session chaired by Environment Minister Habib Abid, focused...»»»

Several people are feared to have been killed and injured in Nigeria after a suspected suicide bomber carried out an attack on a mosque in Borno state. Eyewitnesses said the blast happened during evening prayers. One report suggests seven people were killed, but there has been no official confirmat»»»

Tunis, Dec 24 (TAP) — A dedicated trade mission for Tunisian cosmetics companies will be organised to attend Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna, the world’s leading trade fair for the beauty and wellness industry, set for March 26-29 in Bologna,...»»»

Rabat: Captain Riyad Mahrez scored in each half as 2019 Champions Algeria eased to a 3-0 win over 10-man Sudan in their opening game at the Africa Cup of Nations on Wednesday. Mahrez got the opener after just 82 seconds to the delight of the Algerian fans who made up the vast majority of the 16,115»»»

Having increased by 45% since the start of 2025, the Russian ruble has “outpaced every major currency against the dollar this year,” Bloomberg ruefully admits. Despite Joe Biden’s boasts in 2022 that the ruble was “reduced to rubble” by Western sanctions, Russia's currency did not just manage to we»»»

Dubai: Spectators have just 24 hours remaining to catch the "Dubai, City of Dreams" drone performance before it concludes its limited run tomorrow evening. The show, a cornerstone of 2025 Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) at JBR and Bluewaters, is scheduled for its final two outings at 8pm and 10pm on »»»

Road surfaces are mostly wet and partially icy in shaded areas, but remain passable under winter conditions, the Road Infrastructure Agency (RIA) said on Wednesday, commenting on the condition of the national road network in the late afternoon. Light rain is falling across the country, while snow h»»»

Shock still grips the family of retired Lebanese General Security captain Ahmed Shukr, who was abducted days ago, as Lebanese security and judicial assessments increasingly point to Israeli intelligence as being behind his disappearance, over suspected links to the 1986 vanishing of Israeli airman »»»

Democratic US Representative Joyce Beatty has filed a lawsuit seeking to remove President Donald Trump's name from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Last week, the board of the Kennedy Center - which Trump filled with allies - voted to rename the performing arts centre the Trump-K»»»

Doha: The Qatar Endurance Racing Club (QERC) is set to organize the Founder Cup International Endurance Race over 120 km on Friday at the Marathon Village in Sealine, with the competitions slated to conclude on Saturday. A total of 75 riders of both genders will participate, competing across stages»»»

Almaty: Kazakhstan exported a record 13.4 million tonnes of grain, or more than 15 million tonnes including feed flour, during the 2024-2025 marketing year, reaching record levels, Kazinform news agency reported Wednesday, citing Kazakh Minister of Agriculture Aidarbek Saparov. As of now, 3.9 milli»»»

Tunis, Dec 24 (TAP) - Tunisia will take part, for the second time, in the Saudi Food Show 2026, one of the Middle East’s largest international trade exhibitions for food and beverages, scheduled to be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on June...»»»

DOHA: The head of Qatar's Regulatory Authority for Charitable Activities (RACA) has been named among the Arab world's most influential figures in the field of social responsibility for 2025, organisers have announced. Ibrahim Abdulla Al Dehaimi was selected by the Regional Network for Social Respon»»»

BELGRADE - Serbia's Minister for European Integration Nemanja Starovic said on Wednesday that, besides Montenegro, Serbia was the most prepared candidate country for full EU membership in terms of the general level of preparedness. "That is not my assessment, but an assessment that can be read from»»»

Countries including Britain, Canada and Germany and others on Wednesday condemned the Israeli security cabinet's approval of 19 new settlements in the occupied West ‌Bank, saying ‌they violated ‌international ⁠law and risked ‌fueling instability. "We call on Israel to reverse this decision, as well»»»

BELGRADE - The US Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) has issued a new licence to Serbia's Russian-majority owned oil company NIS whereby the deadline for the completion of talks on a sale of the Russian stake in the firm is extended until March 24, 2026, Tanjug learns. Due to the Russian majori»»»

E-commerce sales in Saudi Arabia via "mada" cards soared to an all-time monthly high in October 2025, surpassing SAR30.7 billion. The surge in sales represents a 68% year-on-year increase, totaling about SAR12.4 billion more than the SAR18.3 billion recorded in October 2024, according to the Saudi »»»

Addis Ababa: The Chinese Embassy in Ethiopia has donated dozens of motorcycles to the Ethiopian Federal Police Commission to support traffic control and security efforts. The motorcycles were handed over on Tuesday at the commission's headquarters in Addis Ababa, the country's capital, in a ceremon»»»

A Russian police officer blocks a street at the site of a bomb explosion in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday. According to the Russian Investigative Committee, in an overnight attack, two traffic police officers and a man were killed when an explosive device detonated near a police car on Yeletskaya Stree»»»

Waymo displays a self-driving Jaguar taxi in October in New York City, N.Y. Three days following a massive San Francisco blackout that disrupted its driverless operations, Waymo said it will upgrade its fleet to better handle future power outages. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo De»»»

Abu Dhabi: The United Arab Emirates has welcomed the agreement signed in the Omani capital, Muscat, on the exchange of prisoners and detainees in Yemen, describing it as an important humanitarian step that contributes to alleviating human suffering and supports efforts to enhance stability in Yemen»»»

Algeria's parliament has unanimously passed a law declaring France's colonisation of the North African state a crime, and demanding an apology and reparations. The law also criminalises the glorification of colonialism, state-run TV reports. The vote is the latest sign of increasingly strained dipl»»»

Jeddah's King Abdulaziz International Airport (KAIA) celebrated the launch of its first direct flynas flight to Moscow, operating three weekly flights between Jeddah and Vnukovo International Airport. This initiative, in partnership with the Saudi Tourism Authority and the Air Connectivity Program,»»»

Tunis, Dec 24 (TAP) — The Independent High Authority for Elections (ISIE) on Wednesday published the official ballot model for the recall referendum regarding the locally elected councillor for the Echraf constituency (Imada), in the Chorbane...»»»

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry speaks as President Donald Trump listens in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., on March 24. Trump named Landry as his special envoy to Greenland on Monday. File Photo by Samuel Corum/UPI | License Photo Dec. 24 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump's new»»»

Dubai: With New Year’s Eve approaching, a spell of bitterly cold weather is expected to affect several Gulf countries and parts of the wider region, as a cold air mass moves southwards toward the end of the year. In Kuwait, meteorologist Issa Ramadan warned that the cold wave will be driven by the »»»

Tunis, Dec 24 (TAP) — The National Agency for Energy Management (ANME) on Wednesday launched in Tunis, three specialised training cycles on carbon accounting for university academics.The initiative falls under the Embedded Carbon Programme and the...»»»

Geneva: The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Wednesday that 19 cases of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), including four deaths, have been reported globally so far this year, while stressing that the overall risk level remains moderate. Of the 19 cases reported to WHO between the begi»»»

BP announced Wednesday that it's selling its majority ownership of Castrol to pay debts. File Photo by Neil Hall/EPA Dec. 24 (UPI) -- BP is selling its majority stake in Castrol to U.S. investment company Stonepeak in an effort to pay down its debt. The company is selling its $10 billion, 65% owner»»»

Tunis, Dec 24 (TAP) – The weather on Wednesday night will be partly cloudy across most regions, with frost expected over western heights towards the end of the night, according to the National Institute of Meteorology.The wind will blow south,...»»»

BELGRADE - Serbia's Minister for European Integration Nemanja Starovic said on Wednesday that, besides Montenegro, Serbia was the most prepared candidate country for full EU membership in terms of the general level of preparedness. "That is not my assessment, but an assessment that can be read from»»»

Iran will reject International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspections of bombed nuclear sites until certain conditions are met, President of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran Mohammad Eslami said, as quoted by Tasnim. If the IAEA deems military attacks acceptable, it should formally declare U»»»

Gentian Gjyli has been removed from his position as head of the Albanian Road Authority (ARRSH) after being placed under house arrest by the Special Court Against Corruption and Organized Crime (GJKKO), facing charges from SPAK for “violating equality in tenders.” He has been replaced by Ami Kozeli»»»

Damascus, Dec.24 (SANA) The Central Bank of Syria (CBS) affirmed on Wednesday the continued legal tender status of all currently circulating banknotes of the Syrian pound. The Bank called in a statement all financial institutions to comply with and adhere to the directives regarding the handling of»»»

Tunis, Dec 24 (TAP) — The Financial Market Council (CMF) on Wednesday announced that Tawasol Group Holding (TGH) had recorded a consolidated loss of TND 3.3 million for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, following the application of...»»»

Bangkok: Thailand and Cambodia announced that officials from the militaries of both countries commenced Wednesday talks to resume the ceasefire, following border clashes that claimed the lives of dozens on both sides. Spokesman for the Thai Ministry of Defence, Surasant Kongsiri, said the three-day»»»

Israel's parliament gave the initial go-ahead on Wednesday for a government-empowered inquiry into the surprise October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on southern Israel rather than the expected independent investigation demanded by families of the victims. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted c»»»

Violent Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday targeted the Nmeiriyeh and Houmine valleys in south Lebanon, with the Israeli army claiming they hit Hezbollah rocket launchers and military infrastructure. Israel has kept up regular strikes on Lebanon, usually saying it is targeting Hezbollah, despite a Nov»»»

As Christmas and New Year holidays drive a surge in passenger traffic, Sharjah Airport has issued a travel advisory urging travellers to plan ahead and arrive early to ensure a smooth journey during the peak travel period. The airport shared a checklist on social media, highlighting essential steps»»»

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Hamas on Wednesday of violating the Gaza ceasefire by refusing to disarm, and said Israel would retaliate after a military officer was wounded by what the military described as a bomb. In a speech at a graduation ceremony for Air Force pilots, Netan»»»

Voters in South Carolina elected Republican John Lastinger to fill the seat vacated by former State Rep. RJ May. File Photo by Richard Ellis/UPI | License Photo Dec. 24 (UPI) -- Republican John Lastinger, a pastor and self-described conservative, won the special election for South Carolina's House »»»

NOVI SAD - The non-trial chamber of the Higher Court of Novi Sad has halted criminal proceedings against six people indicted in the railway station tragedy case and upheld charges against seven others. A November 1, 2024 canopy collapse at the railway station left 16 people dead and one person seri»»»

In a crowded regional and international landscape shaped by overlapping security, strategic, economic, and political pressures, the administration of US President Donald Trump has moved since its return to the White House in January 2025 to recalibrate its approach to Syria. After years of US polic»»»

Colombian President Gustave Petro Petro says the country is facing a fiscal crisis that cannot be addressed through ordinary state mechanisms and warned that, without additional revenue, cuts to social spending and public services would be unavoidable. File Photo by Carlos Ortega/EPA Dec. 24 (UPI) »»»