Reporters ask world leaders questions all the time. No big deal. Right? But what's it like putting a question to Vladimir Putin - the president who ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the leader whose country was accused this week by the head of MI6 of "the export of chaos"? And imagine ask»»»

Damascus, Dec. 19 (SANA) Minister of Economy and Industry Nidal al-Shaar affirmed that the repeal of the Caesar Act was not merely a legal step, but rather the removal of a heavy barrier that had shackled Syria’s economy and burdened the lives of Syrians for years. He noted that the decision opens »»»

An Iraqi official said security cooperation with the United States is intensifying in the fight against terrorism, following a rare joint helicopter raid by Iraqi special forces inside Syrian territory. An Iraqi intelligence unit, coordinating with Syrian security forces and the US-led internationa»»»

Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Kshamenk, the last killer whale held in captivity in Latin America, died of cardiorespiratory arrest in Argentina at age 35, Mundo Marino said. The mammal spent 33 years in a marine park, exceeding the typical life expectancy of male killer whales in captivity and becoming an emble»»»

The Bulgarian Chairmanship-in-Office of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) held more than 50 initiatives before it formally ended with a meeting of the BSEC Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs on December 19, 2025, the Foreign Ministry said. The online meeting was cha»»»

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA) has issued a resolution regulating veterinary medical practices in Abu Dhabi, in line with its ongoing efforts to improve the quality of veterinary services and strengthen the biosecurity system. The resolution aims to ensure anima»»»

Mostafa Madbouly vows to avert Israeli escalation. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun (R) shakes hands with Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly at the presidential palace in Baabda, east of Beirut, Lebanon, on Friday. Photo by Lebanese Presidency Press Occie/EPA BEIRUT, Lebanon, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- E»»»

Tunis, Dec. 19 (TAP) - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, Mohamed Ali Nafti, met on Friday at the ministry headquarters with Viljar Lubi, who handed him a true copy of his credentials as the new Ambassador of the Republic...»»»

Tunis, Dec. 19 (TAP) - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad, Mohamed Ali Nafti, will participate in the Second Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, held in Cairo, Egypt, on December 19–20, following...»»»

BELGRADE - Secretary General at the Serbian MFA Dusan Kozarev met with Iran's newly-appointed Ambassador to Belgrade Mohammad Sadegh Fazli on Friday to discuss advancement of bilateral cooperation. Welcoming the ambassador, Kozarev wished him success in his post and expressed the hope joint efforts»»»

Earlier this month a group of Palestinian boys turned out to train at their local football pitch in the shadow of the wall separating Israel from the West Bank's Aida refugee camp -- and found a note at the gate. The children took the ominous message from Israeli authorities to Muhannad Abu Srour, »»»

The Google brand logo pictured Jan. 2023 above the entrance to the Google Building in New York City, N.Y. On Friday, Palo Alto Networks announced it will shift major internal operations to Google Cloud under a multibillion-dollar deal. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo Dec. 19 (UPI) »»»

BELGRADE - Serbia's October 2025 industrial turnover was up by 8.3 pct y-o-y, according to figures released by the national statistical office. Relative to the 2024 average, it was up by 18.5 pct. By sectors, the mining sector registered a 25.8 pct turnover growth y-o-y, while the manufacturing ind»»»

Argentina's nuclear plan will roll out in stages. The first phase involves building small modular reactors, or SMRs, at the Atucha Nuclear Power Plant site, already underway, to ensure nationwide energy supply and reduce power outages. Photo by CNEA/EPA BUENOS AIRES, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Argentina has »»»

NIAMEY - Serbian Deputy PM and Interior Minister Ivica Dacic met with Niger's PM Ali Mahaman Lamine Zeine in Niamey on Friday to discuss strengthening of bilateral cooperation. Dacic is on an official visit to Niger. "At the meeting, which was also attended by Nigerien Minister of the Interior, Pub»»»

At his annual press conference on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the ball was in Kyiv and its allies' court to end the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin chief also said he was certain that Moscow would take more cities and towns in eastern Ukraine before the end of the year. »»»

Sharjah Police said heightened field readiness and close coordination with strategic partners helped contain the impact of the recent unstable weather across the UAE, with no serious incidents reported. The police praised public awareness and cooperation, noting that adherence to official safety in»»»

A French court on Friday rejected the state's request to suspend Shein's site in France as "disproportionate" after the Asian e-commerce giant removed illicit products sold on its platform. French authorities had requested the ultra-fast-fashion giant's site be blocked for three months after weapon»»»

US President Donald Trump has suspended the green card lottery program after officials said the suspect in the shootings at Brown University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology had entered the country through that system. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said late on Thursday that,»»»

Syria's foreign ministry on Friday welcomed the permanent ending by the United States of the so-called Caesar sanctions, paving the way for the return of investment to the war-ravaged nation. The U.S. Congress on Wednesday permanently ended the sanctions imposed on Syria under Bashar al-Assad, who »»»

Major shipping companies are devising strategies for a potential return to the Suez Canal after two years of disruptions due to security risks in ​the Red Sea. They have been rerouting vessels via longer, costlier routes around Africa since November 2023, following attacks on commercial ships by Ye»»»

Sofia Municipality has announced the introduction of a Green ticket for public transport for the weekend of December 20–22, 2025, due to high pollution levels and predicted fog formation. During the same period, parking in metro buffer lots will be free for both residents and visitors of the capita»»»

KUWAIT, Dec 19 (KUNA) -- Kuwait's skies are expected to clear up tonight amid cold weather and gradual improvement of horizontal visibility.Dherar Al-Ali, the Acting Director of Kuwait Meteorological Department, said in remarks to KUNA the cold weather could be coupled with northwesterly winds (10-»»»

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday described the Mechanism meeting held in Naqoura as “a continuation of the security dialogue aimed at ensuring the disarmament of Hezbollah by the Lebanese army.” “During the meeting, ways to promote economic projects were discussed in order to und»»»

The National Confederation for Female Entrepreneurship (CONAF) and the National Bank of Romania (NBR) have signed a Partnership Agreement through which they commit, within a solid and coherent institutional framework, to joint contributions to economic and financial education as the foundation of a»»»

Follow our Facebook page to get the latest news about Hungary! Follow our X (Twitter) page to get the latest news about Hungary! Subscribe to our Telegram channel to get the latest news about Hungary! whatsapp Subscribe to our WhatsApp channel to get the latest news about Hungary! EXPLORE /JOIN SER»»»

Acting Minister of Health of Kyrgyzstan Kanybek Dosmambetov paid a working visit to the Osh State University Medical Center. He reviewed the results of the liver transplant and the patients’ postoperative conditions. According to the ministry’s press center, a liver transplant was successfully perf»»»

London, Dec. 19 (SANA) “The Economist” selected Syria as the Country of the Year 2025, as part of its annual tradition, highlighting the nation that has achieved the most significant improvement over the year. In its issue published on 18 December 2025, the magazine explained that the criteria for »»»

President Putin gave another of his big, hours-long press conferences on Friday, allowing journalists and citizens from across Russia and media from around the world to get direct answers to questions ranging from war and peace to the economy and social issues. Here are the highlights. Russia Ready»»»

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem announced Friday the suspension of a lottery run by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that allocates up to 50,000 green cards to applicants from countries with low rates of immigration to the United States. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | Lice»»»

“Drones today play a key role along the entire line of contact, determining the success or failure of assault units in various situations,” National Defense magazine editor-in-chief Igor Korotchenko said, commenting on President Putin’s remarks at Friday’s year-end presser about Russia’s drone supe»»»

Damascus, Dec. 19 (SANA) Syria welcomed on Friday the full repeal of the Caesar Act sanctions, describing the move as a significant step toward easing the burdens on the Syrian people and opening the door to recovery and stability. In a statement, the Foreign Ministry expressed gratitude to the Uni»»»

DOHA: The State of Qatar’s diplomatic, consular, and representative missions abroad continued to celebrate the State’s National Day, in commemoration of the Founder, Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani. Heads of the State of Qatar’s diplomatic, consular, and representative missions abroad, conveye»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Public Works Authority, Ashghal, announced that its field teams successfully dealt with the heavy rainfall that the country experienced on Dec. 18, confirming that traffic flow was restored back to normal on most roads and tunnels within a few hours. Eng. Mohammed Al Kubaissi from »»»

Dubai: AGMC, Geely's UAE distributor, launched a recall for 5,584 Emgrand sedans built from August 3, 2023 to July 4, 2024 after headquarters in Hangzhou flagged faulty fuel filler caps. Non-vented caps can build vacuum pressure over time, potentially deforming fuel tanks and risking leaks if they »»»

Huawei set the stage in Dubai last night with the highly anticipated Unfold the Moment launch event, unveiling a new lineup of flagship devices. From innovative foldable engineering to ultra-luxury wearables and cutting-edge tablets, the event introduced the HUAWEI Mate X7, the brand’s latest folda»»»

Vòya, a groundbreaking education technology platform, today announced its launch as the first unified digital ecosystem designed to integrate academics, career development, finances, productivity, and community into a single intelligent interface. Built for the modern learner, Vòya marks a signific»»»

Russia and China have continued to rapidly expand their bilateral relationship across economic, diplomatic, and people-to-people channels in 2025, with trade turnover exceeding $200 billion for a third consecutive year, Moscow’s ambassador to Beijing, Igor Morgulov, has told RT. In an interview air»»»

DOHA: The Public Works Authority 'Ashghal' announced that its field teams successfully dealt with the heavy rainfall that the country experienced on Thursday, confirming that traffic flow was restored back to normal on most roads and tunnels within a few hours. Eng Mohammed Al Kubaissi from the aut»»»

(Report) KUWAIT, Dec 19 (KUNA) -- Kuwait celebrates tomorrow, Saturday, the 2nd anniversary of His Highness the Amir Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabahآ’s assumption of office, as the Gulf nation witnesses multi-faceted development elevating its status regionally and internationally.His Highn»»»

An increase in fine particulate matter in several cities in the country was reported on Thursday by the Executive Environment Agency (ExEA). According to data published by ExEA, the most significant exceedance was recorded in Sofia, where it ranged from 2.05 to 3.48 times above the norm of 50 micro»»»

BELGRADE - The Serbian dinar's official median exchange rate against the euro is 117.3758 dinars for one euro on Friday, which is a slight change relative to Thursday, the National Bank of Serbia said. The dinar is down by 0.1 pct against the euro m-o-m and by 0.3 pct y-o-y and relative to the begi»»»

Dubai: British professionals and business owners moving to the UAE are arriving better prepared than before, with visa pathways, budgets, and timelines increasingly planned in advance. Immigration specialists say the shift reflects growing use of long-term residency options and a more strategic app»»»

Unification Minister Chung Dong-young speaks during a briefing to President Lee Jae Myung on the ministry's 2026 policy plan on Friday. The ministry called for a "year of peaceful coexistence" with North Korea. Photo by Yonhap Dec. 19 (UPI) -- South Korea's Unification Ministry on Friday said it ai»»»

DOHA: Qatar's retail sector in the country remained stable during the third quarter of 2025, underpinned by resilient consumer spending and continued growth in tourism, according to market insights from Cushman & Wakefield. While overall activity was steady, performance varied notably across retail»»»

Johannesburg: A social media picture of Achraf Hakimi in Rabat this week gladdened every Moroccan football supporter as the kingdom prepares to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) from Sunday. The 27-year-old Paris Saint-Germain star was wearing sun glasses, a red, white and black sweater, »»»

Doha: In the end, the final step was one too far. CR Flamengo though came as close as they possibly could, pushing the might of Paris Saint-Germain all the way to penalties in the FIFA Intercontinental Cup final. At the end of a remarkable fortnight where the club claimed four major trophies, the g»»»

DOHA: Luis Enrique hailed an “incredible, unforgettable” year after Paris Saint-Germain completed a six-trophy haul in 2025 by lifting the FIFA Intercontinental Cup in Doha. The dramatic penalty shootout victory over Flamengo at a packed Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, where PSG edged the Brazilian side 2-1»»»

Primark, the international fashion retailer, has today announced major plans to expand its presence in Romania, confirming four new store openings for 2026. The announcement comes as the company celebrates its anniversary in the market this week, marking three years since the opening of its first R»»»

Dec. 19 (UPI) -- A coal miner in West Virginia has died, the latest mining fatality in the state following the flooding death of a miner last month. The unidentified miner died Thursday morning in what has been classified as a "powered haulage" accident at the underground Lower War Eagle mine, loca»»»