Dozens of visitors gather to watch giant panda Xiao Xiao at Ueno Zoological Gardens in Tokyo, Japan, on Nov. 28. On Monday, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced that the twin giant pandas Xiao Xiao and Lei Lei will be returned to China in late January 2026. The two pandas at Ueno are the onl»»»

Seven people have been charged with participation in an organized criminal group involved in arson, bribery, and drug trafficking in Sofia and Lovech, Central Northern Bulgaria. Two of them are leaders of the group, one of whom is an Interior Ministry employee, District Prosecutor of Lovech Valenti»»»

President Rumen Radev held consultations with parliamentary forces GERB and "We Continue the Change-Democratic Bulgaria" (WCC-DB) as part of the constitutional procedure to form a second regular government within the 51st National Assembly. The meetings took place at the presidency on Dondukov 2 st»»»

Seven individuals, among them three serving police officers, have been formally charged for involvement in an organized crime group linked to arson, bribery and narcotics trafficking in Sofia and the Lovech region. Those accused include the head of Sofia’s Fifth Regional Police Department, an exper»»»

BEIRUT: Prime Minister of the Republic of Lebanon HE Dr Nawaf Salam met with Ambassador of the State of Qatar in Beirut HE Sheikh Saud bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, to discuss bilateral cooperation and ongoing support during the current period. The talks focused on strengthening coordination between th»»»

Football superstar Lionel Messi has wrapped up his three-day India tour in pollution-choked Delhi, after a chaotic opening in Kolkata. On Monday, thousands of fans gathered in a Delhi stadium to get a glimpse of the Argentina and Inter Miami forward. As Messi, accompanied by Inter Miami team-mates »»»

Kuwait, Dec. 15 (SANA) Syria’s Minister of Energy, Mohammad al-Bashir, met with Abdallah al-Mutairi, Chief Executive Officer of the Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA), on Monday in Kuwait to discuss cooperation and investment opportunities in Syria’s energy sector, as well as ways to strengthen the »»»

Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar Alkhorayef inaugurated the third Made in Saudi Expo 2025 at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center in Malham, organized by the Saudi Export Development Authority through the Made in Saudi Program, with Syria’s Minister of Ec»»»

DOHA: The Ministry of Municipality has secured five‑star accreditation from the EFQM Foundation, represented by the Urban Planning Sector. This groundbreaking milestone underscores the ministry’s commitment to institutional excellence and performance quality based on the highest global standards. O»»»

A father and son have been identified as the primary suspects behind a deadly attack on members of the Jewish community at Australia’s Bondi Beach, police said. On Sunday, the two reportedly opened fire on people who had gathered in the Sydney suburb to mark the first day of Hanukkah, killing at le»»»

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has linked Australian government policies to the deadly attack on a Jewish gathering in Sydney at the weekend, claiming that Canberra’s support for Palestinian statehood has fueled domestic anti-Semitism. Two gunmen killed 15 people and wounded dozens of ot»»»

Chile is perceived by many of its neighbours in the Latin American region as a safer, more stable haven. But inside the country, that perception has unravelled as voters worried about security, immigration and crime chose José Antonio Kast to be their next president. Kast is a hardline conservative»»»

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier (R) welcomes Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) at Bellevue Palace in Berlin on Monday ahead of three way talks between European, American and Ukrainian delegations on efforts to hammer out a peace deal that is acceptable to all sides. Photo by Hanni»»»

The EU intends to direct money from frozen Russian assets toward supporting Ukraine's military efforts in the ongoing conflict, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said during a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. "Therefore, today's task will be to make it clear that the risk of co»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia could play a very important role in helping to resolve the situation around Iran's nuclear program, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi told Sputnik. "A very important one. Is something I had the honor to discuss with [Russian] Presiden»»»

Riyadh, Dec. 15 (SANA) Minister of Industry and Economy Nidal al-Shaar participated on Monday in the “Made in Saudi 2025” exhibition in Riyadh, alongside Saudi Minister of Industry Bandar bin Ibrahim al-Khorayef. The exhibition is considered the Kingdom’s most prominent industrial event, reflecting»»»

Phnom Penh: Cambodia accused Thailand on Monday of striking deep inside its territory, bombing the province that is home to the centuries-old Angkor temples - the country’s top tourist draw - for the first time in a reignited border conflict. Five days of fighting in July killed dozens of people be»»»

DOHA: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has opened the 11th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (COSP11) in Doha. The conference, which runs from December 15 to 19, br»»»

Sydney: Australia’s leaders agreed Monday to toughen gun laws after attackers killed 15 people at a Jewish festival on Bondi Beach, the worst mass shooting in decades decried as antisemitic “terrorism” by authorities. Dozens fled the tourist hotspot in panic as a father and son fired into crowds pa»»»

A quarterly survey of major Japanese manufacturers released Monday shows business sentiment improving to its best level in four years, even after President Trump raised tariffs on goods from the U.S. ally to a baseline level of 15%. The Bank of Japan is bound to take the results of its quarterly "t»»»

The Spanish government has fined property rentals giant Airbnb €64m (£56m) for advertising unlicensed apartments. It also said that some of the properties advertised in the popular tourist destination were banned from being rented. The fine, which cannot be appealed against, means Airbnb has to wit»»»

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned the Bondi Beach shooting in Sydney as an “act of evil anti-Semitism,” vowing a decisive response to the attack. The incident left at least 12 people dead and more than two dozen wounded. The attack on Sunday was perpetrated by two gunmen who »»»

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has told President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam that he is against postponing the parliamentary elections from spring to summer, pro-Hezbollah al-Akhbar newspaper reported Monday. The daily said Aoun and Salam proposed to delay the elections to the summe»»»

Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani received today, December 15, 2025, HE Hussein Al-Sheikh, Vice President of the State of Palestine, who is currently visiting the country. During the meeting, the cooperation relations»»»

Doha, Qatar: Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs HE Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani has opened the 11th session of the Conference of the States Parties to the United Nations Convention against Corruption (COSP11) in Doha. The conference, which runs from December 15 to»»»

The last section of the Patra-Pyrgos highway opened December 4 in the presence of Christos Dimas, Greek minister of transport and infrastructure. This milestone marks a new step in Greece’s strategy of expanding its national road network through the concession model, which drives the modernization »»»

Bulgaria's President Rumen Radev will continue government-forming consultations with representatives of parliamentary groups in the 51st National Assembly on Tuesday, the head of State's Press Secretariat said. The consultations follow the resignation of the Cabinet, announced by Prime Minister Ros»»»

BELGRADE - The Serbian Public Prosecutor's Office for Organised Crime indicted on Monday Culture Minister Nikola Selakovic and three other people for illegal actions in the process of abolishing the status of cultural good attributed to the army General Staff building in central Belgrade. In a stat»»»

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»»»

Ankara, Dec. 15 (SANA) Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called a stable Syria, free from foreign interference, a significant gain for the entire region. He reaffirmed that Turkey would continue to support the Syrian people in their efforts towards stability and reconstruction. Speaking at the 1»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Municipality has secured five‑star accreditation from the EFQM Foundation, represented by the Urban Planning Sector. This groundbreaking milestone underscores the ministry’s commitment to institutional excellence and performance quality based on the highest global stand»»»

Amman: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Jordan’s Amman Monday afternoon as he kicked off his three-nation tour which will also include visits to Ethiopia and the Sultanate of Oman - all countries with which India shares both age-old civilisational ties, as well as extensive contemporary bila»»»

Acting Minister of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic Kanybek Dosmambetov held a working meeting with heads of private medical centers, the ministry’s press service reported. According to the ministry, the meeting participants addressed issues related to the development of the private healthcare sector,»»»

Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Adylbek Kasymaliev held a meeting focused on the implementation of the Law of the Kyrgyz Republic «On the Special Financial Investment Territory Tamchy with a Special Legal Regime and Status.» It was noted at the meeting that the law was adopted in»»»

Bondi Beach is almost unrecognisable. The sun is out but the surf is empty. The usually heaving main street is hushed. Helicopters track overhead. Forensic investigators - bright blue figures in the distance - comb over the crime scene from Sunday afternoon when two gunmen opened fire at an event m»»»

Junior inspector Kristin Ivanov was awarded Police Officer of the Year by Interior Minister Daniel Mitov at an official ceremony held at the National Palace of Culture on Monday. The event was attended by the senior professional and political leadership of the Interior Ministry. Ivanov was honoured»»»

DOHA: QatarEnergy has signed a long-term sales and purchase agreement (SPA) for up to 15 years with Buzwair Industrial Gases Factories WLL (Buzwair) for the supply of 20 million cubic feet per annum of helium from Qatar’s world-class facilities in Ras Laffan, starting in September 2025. The SPA mar»»»

Damascus, Dec. 15 (SANA) Syria and Iraq held talks on Monday to explore ways to improve border crossing operations and further strengthen cooperation between the two countries. The meeting took place at the General Authority for Ports and Customs in Damascus, with Qutaiba Badawi, head of the Syrian»»»

US envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner on Monday briefed EU foreign ministers on Trump's Gaza peace plan via video conference, an EU official said. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said earlier on Monday that he had suggested to EU foreign policy chief »»»

​Doha, Qatar: QatarEnergy has signed a long-term sales and purchase agreement (SPA) for up to 15 years with Buzwair Industrial Gases Factories WLL (Buzwair) for the supply of 20 million cubic feet per annum of helium from Qatar’s world-class facilities in Ras Laffan, starting in September 2025. The»»»

POLITICS Dnevnik: Sociologist Dimitar Ganev from the Trend polling agency commented that President Rumen Radev is facing an extremely difficult task in appointing a caretaker government, as all figures who meet the requirements for the post are linked either to GERB or to the Movement for Rights an»»»

By Sara El-Sayeh Given the amount of people living in the city, the poor quality of public transportation networks and the scarcity of parking lots and spaces in general, Cairo is fertile ground for commuting solutions like Uber and its regional competitor Careem – both stating that Egypt is their »»»

Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi unveiled on Sunday five Egyptian initiatives aimed at strengthening Arab energy security during the annual ministerial meeting of the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) in Kuwait. The proposals include drafting»»»

Egyptian and Kuwaiti Prime Ministers met recently at Bayan Palace, signaling a renewed commitment to bolstering economic ties. The high-level discussions between Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and his Kuwaiti counterpart, Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, focused on enhancing investment, tr»»»

Damascus, Dec. 15 (SANA) Syria and Iraq held talks on Monday to explore ways to improve border crossing operations and further strengthen cooperation between the two countries. The meeting took place at the General Authority for Ports and Customs in Damascus, with Qutaiba Badawi, head of the Syrian»»»

Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov announced that the government is moving forward with an extension budget to ensure the continuity and stability of state operations and social spending until the formal 2026 budget is adopted. Speaking at the start of the cabinet meeting, Zhelyazkov described the pro»»»

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE) enjoys promising investment opportunities in several sectors. Madbouly made the comments on Sunday, December 14, 2025, during his meeting with SCZONE Chairman Walid Gamal al-Din to review efforts to lure further local and fo»»»

Spain's leftist government said Monday it had fined Airbnb more than 64 million euros ($75 million), notably for posting listings for banned rental properties, at a time the country faces a housing crisis. The fine is final, the consumer affairs ministry said in a statement, adding the US holiday-r»»»

MUSCAT: The State of Qatar and the Sultanate of Oman signed an MoU aimed at strengthening partnership, trade and investment integration and encouraging exports between the two countries, on the sidelines of the 24th session of the Qatari-Omani Joint Committee, held during the period of Dec 10-11 in»»»

Qassim Hamadeh woke to the sounds of gunfire and explosions in his village of Beit Jin in southwestern Syria last month. Within hours, he had lost two sons, a daughter-in-law and his 4-year-old and 10-year-old grandsons. The five were among 13 villagers killed that day by Israeli forces. Israeli tr»»»