The US Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that more than a million additional documents potentially related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have been found. Officials said the files are being reviewed and redacted to protect victims, with release expected to take a few more week»»»

Dubai: Gold prices in Dubai ticked higher on Thursday morning, even as the global bullion rally showed signs of catching its breath after hitting fresh records. The 24‑karat category stood at Dh539.75 per gram as of 9:45 am in Dubai, up from Wednesday’s close of Dh537.25, while 22‑karat rose to Dh4»»»

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani stressed on Wednesday that relations between Damascus and Moscow were entering a new phase based on mutual respect. He met in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov, saying: “We aspire to establish balanced relations with everyone.” “We are worki»»»

Doha, Qatar: In the rapidly evolving global artificial intelligence (AI) landscape, Qatar is emerging as a regional frontrunner in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), securing the 54th position out of 195 nations in Oxford Insights’ 2025 Government AI Readiness Index. Regionally, Qatar sits in»»»

Doha: Qatar Mobility Innovations Center (QMIC), a leading national innovation entity established by Qatar University (QU), announced the successful deployment of its Smart Parking Solution (pictured) for the Supreme Committee during the recently concluded Arab Cup. This accomplishment highlights QM»»»

Doha: Qatar Museums is inviting the public to experience the final weeks of its exhibitions at M7, offering a last opportunity to explore a dynamic season of fashion, design, and cultural storytelling. Visitors can see FTA: Threads of Impact. Celebrating 7 Years of Fashion Trust Arabia before it cl»»»

Dubai: A Dubai court has ordered a former manager to repay a $20,000 loan he received from an employee more than a decade ago, ruling that the debt remains outstanding despite repeated promises to settle it. In its judgment, the civil misdemeanours court ordered the defendant to return the loan’s v»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Cancer Society (QCS), in collaboration with Fine Hygienic Holding (FHH)—the leading wellness group in the Middle East and North Africa—has announced the signing of a strategic cooperation agreement to support the Society’s awareness campaigns held last November, dedicated to rais»»»

Doha, Qatar: As part of the efforts of the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs to promote Islamic values and firmly establish Prophetic guidance in everyday life, the Women Section of the Da‘wah and Religious Guidance Department organised an exhibition of the Prophetic Sunnah Campaign murals for »»»

Dubai: Gold grabbed the headlines in 2025, but the bigger percentage shocks came from silver and platinum. Both metals have surged more than 150% year to date, forcing investors, jewellers, and industrial buyers to reprice what “expensive” looks like and to rethink what 2026 could bring if supply s»»»

Dubai: Dubai concluded 2025 with wide-ranging changes to public parking charges across 17 key areas, as Parkin, the emirate’s largest provider of paid public parking facilities and services, completed the rollout of new and revised tariffs aimed at improving parking management and easing traffic fl»»»

NEW YORK — The S&P 500 powered to a fresh record on Tuesday following data showing surprisingly robust third-quarter US economic growth as markets hope for a year-end "Santa Claus Rally."All three major Wall Street indices advanced, shaking off early choppiness after the strong US gross domesti»»»

HONG KONG — Most Asian stocks rose Wednesday and gold topped $4,500 for the first time as investors tracked a record on Wall Street following forecast-beating US economic growth data.Markets looked set to go into the Christmas break on a broadly positive note amid optimism for 2026, which has offse»»»

One of the photos released from the files of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein shows US President Donald Trump with six women whose faces have been censored to protect their anonymity. Recently, however, online users shared an image that shows the women’s faces, claiming that it was the uncens»»»

Head of the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) Kamchybek Tashiev has made a strong statement regarding the murder of a woman, a mother of three children, that has shocked the country. According to him, what happened cannot be justified by a «family conflict,» emotions, or a state of alcoh»»»

Israeli settler attacks on Palestinian homes, businesses and farmland are on the rise across the West Bank. The Observers team spoke with a Palestinian olive farmer whose land is frequently targeted, and an Israeli activist who helps protect West Bank farmers from settler violence. Palestinian vill»»»

Scouts marched and crowds gathered under clear skies in Bethlehem on Wednesday as the Palestinian city celebrated its first festive Christmas in more than two years. The return of public celebrations followed a fragile truce in Gaza, after previous Christmases were subdued by the war that started i»»»

Algeria’s parliament voted unanimously on Wednesday to declare France’s 130-year colonisation of the country a crime, calling for a formal apology and reparations from Paris. The largely symbolic move comes amid a widening diplomatic rift between the two countries and underscores the enduring sensi»»»

Ukraine said on Tuesday it had pulled its forces out of the hard-fought eastern town of Siversk as Russia stepped up air strikes that killed civilians, knocked out power supplies and underlined the lack of progress in diplomatic efforts to end the war ahead of Christmas. Ukraine pulled out tro»»»

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday revealed details of the latest US-backed 20-point plan to end the war in Ukraine, saying it has been sent to Moscow for feedback. Zelensky gave a point-by-point briefing to journalists in Kyiv, including details on the creation of demilitaris»»»

Christmas dinner in France makes good on a promise to dine very well, offering everything from extravagant seafood platters to sweet treats such as the traditional Yule log cake (or bûche de Noël). Here are some of the delicacies you might find at a traditional French holiday feast. »»»

US visa sanctions will not stop the EU from enforcing its rules on online platforms, the bloc’s internal market commissioner said on Wednesday, after Washington imposed visa bans on individuals linked to the Digital Services Act, the EU law governing content moderation on social media. The move und»»»

Croatia’s parliament on December 15 approved legislation paving the way for the construction of a radioactive waste disposal facility near the border with Bosnia & Herzegovina, documents on the parliament website said.  »»»

The new head of the Czech environmental portfolio and leader of the anti-green and eurosceptic Motorists for Themselves party Petr Macinka declared the climate crisis to be “over” during his press conference after the populist new Czech cabinet was signed in.  »»»

The Europeans are preparing for a possible war. But how do they plan to fight? Amid all the talk of a possible war, Nato launched its largest exercise in decades, Steadfast Defender 2024, on January 24. It involved 90,000 troops. »»»

Cool Carriers, the world’s largest  operator of specialised refrigerated cargo vessels, known as reefers, has rejected allegations broadcast by Danish TV2 linking the group to a cocaine-smuggling scheme off Denmark’s coast, insisting it had no operational control over the ships or the crew inv»»»

EU leaders meet on December 18-19  to vote on rules that would allow the seizure of billions of euros of Russian money frozen in EU accounts that will be used to back €210bn worth of Reparation Loans for Ukraine that is bound to trigger a significant retaliation by Russia if the vote succeeds.»»»

Slovenian industrial production declined by 2.0% year on year in October (chart), after dropping by 1.3% y/y in the previous month, the statistics office reported on December 10, marking continued weakness across key sectors. »»»

Czech industrial output increased in real terms by 1.1% year-on-year and dropped by 0.1% month-on-month. The output was slightly above the 0.8% registered in September, but remains unconvincing amid the struggling German i»»»

Bad loan levels across Central, Eastern and Southeast Europe (CESEE) remain close to historic lows despite mounting economic and geopolitical headwinds, but early warning indicators point to rising stress in commercial real estate, small businesses and household credit, according to a new report pu»»»

Pre-Christmas shopping could boost Poland’s GDP growth in the fourth quarter by about 0.5pp, or roughly PLN5.6bn (€1.33bn), analysts at VeloBank said, PAP reported on December 17. The impact reflects a seasonal surge in co»»»

A deepening ideological rift between Europe and the United States is beginning to mirror the Sino-Soviet split of the 1960s, according to political commentator and IntelliNews contributor Arnaud Bertrand. Bertrand draws a »»»

The EU’s vote on the Reparation Loan needs to fail. If it passes it will kill off any chance of a peace deal being signed. The US version of the plan is well advanced and special envoy to Ukraine retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg said last week that only points remain to be agreed. The EU ve»»»

British electronics group discoverIE announced that it has agreed to acquire Trival Antene, a Slovenian manufacturer of specialised communication antennae and masts used primarily in defence and professional applications. »»»

A Latvian startup has entered Nato’s innovation ecosystem for the first time. Deep Space Energy has been selected for support under the Nato Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) programme, becoming the first company from Latvia to receive backing since the initiative was la»»»

Vilnius-based venture capital firm Aneli Capital has launched a new €35mn fund aimed at early-stage technology companies across the Baltics, Poland and the wider Central and Eastern European region. The firm plans to make »»»

Latvia’s national airline airBaltic has entered a new phase under freshly appointed chief executive Erno Hilden, a Finnish aviation executive with more than 25 years of industry experience. During his time as chief financial officer at SAS Scandinavian Airlines, airBaltic was among the carriers fro»»»

Italy has thrown its weight behind France's opposition to the EU-Mercosur trade agreement, putting at risk this week's planned signing of the long-negotiated pact between Brussels and four South American nations. Giorgia M»»»

Dubai: Pakistan expects private management to take charge of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) by April 2026 after a consortium led by Arif Habib Corporation won a 75% stake in a competitive auction, advancing efforts to reduce losses at state-owned firms. Sign up for our daily business newslet»»»

Ocean upwelling zones are acidifying at a frightening pace, threatening fisheries that supply 20% of the world's catch and putting millions of livelihoods at risk, Scottish academics have warned. Because atmospheric CO2 an»»»

Europe’s wildfire crisis is intensifying, with 2025 on track to be the worst year on record, following a 2024 season that was already above the 17-year average, according to a report published on December 8 by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC). »»»

Is Russia close to collapse? Russia vs US wartime budget deficits One of the EC executive assumptions for wanting to extend the war in Ukraine by two years is they seem to believe Russia’s economy is close to collapse. EU »»»

US President Donald Trump is in Florida today as the talks with the Ukraine delegation to stop the war continue. There is a decent chance that a deal to stop the war will be done today or tomorrow. However, that will invol»»»

EU leaders meet on December 18-19  to vote on rules that would allow the seizure of billions of euros of Russian money frozen in EU accounts that will be used to back €210bn worth of Reparation Loans for Ukraine that is bound to trigger a significant retaliation by Russia if the vote succeeds.»»»

The European Space Agency's XMM-Newton space X-ray telescope has confirmed observations by Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency showing an X-ray source within interstellar object 3I/ATLAS, Komsomolskaya Pravda reported on December 17. »»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin is pulling his punches in the bombing campaign of Ukraine’s power system. The country is plagued by rolling blackouts after Russia destroyed half of its generation capacity, but Russia could turn out the lights overnight and plunge the whole county into total darkne»»»

Russia and India have instituted what amounts to a "no limits” partnership, a phrasing previously reserved for Moscow's relationship with Beijing. Many reframed avenues of cooperation are becoming resurgent by progressively deepening cooperation across defence, nuclear technology, and logistical in»»»

When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 it did more than redraw the map of Europe: it pulled at the frayed seam that has separated Tokyo and Moscow for decades. Since the end of WWII the two have been held in an uneasy diplomatic limbo. Cordial summits and shared ec»»»

Russia’s federal budget deficit reached RUB4.3 trillion ($47.6bn), or 2% of GDP, in the first 11 months of 2025, according to the latest government data published last week. The shortfall is expected to grow to RUB5.7 trillion ($63.1bn), or 2.6% of GDP, by year-end, the Finance Ministry said. »»»

Russia's federal budget will remain in deficit through at least 2042, according to a long-term forecast from the Ministry of Economic Development, reviewed by Vedomosti on December 16, as falling oil and gas revenues, rising debt, and persistent war-related spending push public finances f»»»