Participants in an equity construction project by Alliance Kurulush Plus LLC have appealed to the State Committee for National Security of Kyrgyzstan (SCNS) regarding a multi-storey residential building in microdistrict No. 3 of Bishkek. In a collective complaint, they are asking authorities to tak»»»

Abu Dhabi: A man in Abu Dhabi has been ordered to repay more than Dh811,000 to a bank after a court found that he had defaulted on two financing facilities and a credit card, failing to meet his agreed repayment obligations. The Abu Dhabi Commercial Court (Court of First Instance) ruled that the de»»»

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»»»

AMMAN — National exports rose by 7.6 per cent during the first ten months of 2025, while re-exports increased by 9.1 per cent, pushing total exports up by 7.7 per cent compared with the same period in 2024.According to the Department of Statistics (DoS) monthly foreign trade report, issued on Wedne»»»

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»»»

Venezuela accused Washington of “the greatest extortion" known in the country's history at the UN Security Council on Tuesday, during a meeting in which Russia and China sharply criticized the US for putting military and economic pressure on Venezuela as tensions over sanctions and a naval blockade»»»

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»»»

The non-observed economy in Kyrgyzstan in 2024 amounted to 308 billion soms, or 19.5 percent of the gross domestic product. The National Statistical Committee reported. According to the committee, the share of the shadow, informal, and illegal economy increased by 0.3 percentage points compared to »»»

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»»»

Four Nobel laureates and several former heads of state are among the more than 400 prominent women who have signed a letter demanding the immediate release of Zahra Tabari, an Iranian engineer facing execution. The letter, organised by a London-based association, stated that Tabari faced "execution»»»

Kim Jong Un guided the construction of an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered strategic missile submarine, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported. The Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) stated the submarine is a core component of the country's "nuclear war deterrent," designed to deliver a "merciless »»»

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»»»

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky unveiled on Wednesday a new 20-point peace plan drafted by US and Ukrainian negotiators and are awaiting Russia's response. In southern Moscow, three people including two police officers were killed by an overnight explosion. Read our liveblog to see how »»»

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»»»

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 »»»

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»»»

Russia’s annual inflation rate fell to 6.6% in November, down from 7.7% in October, according to a commentary published by the Bank of Russia on December 12. The central bank said the decline was driven by easing food and energy prices, although underlying inflation pressures remain elevated. »»»

The Central Bank of Russia (CBR) resolved to cut the key interest rate by 50 basis points (bp) to 16% at the policy board meeting on December 19, according to the regulator's press release. A cautious key interes»»»

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»»»

Nearly three years into the war in Ukraine, a former senior White House official has acknowledged that the conflict might have been avoided had the United States been willing to forgo Nato membership for Ukraine. Amanda Sl»»»

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 »»»

Ahead of the European Council meeting on 18-19 December, KSE Institute, together with the Centre for Liberal Modernity (LibMod) and a group of international legal and economic experts, has released a new legal analysis of the reparations loan for Ukraine — a Europ»»»