President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the US will impose a blockade on all “sanctioned oil tankers” entering or leaving Venezuela, dramatically escalating his administration’s campaign against President Nicolás Maduro. The move follows the recent seizure of an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coa»»»

BRUSSELS - EU member states have postponed the opening of Cluster 3 (Competitiveness and Inclusive Growth) in Serbia's EU accession talks. In conclusions on enlargement, the Presidency of the Council of the EU said the Council would "revert to the issue of the opening of Cluster 3 in line with the »»»

Deir Al Balah: Palestinians in Gaza struggled to recover Tuesday from torrential rains that battered the enclave for days, flooding camps for the displaced, collapsing buildings already badly damaged in the two-year war and leaving at least 12 dead, including a two-week-old baby. The downpour, whic»»»

Dubai: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s investment arm, XRG P.J.S.C., has secured near-total control of Covestro AG, holding about 95.10% of the company’s voting rights, according to recent regulatory filings in Germany. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The disclosures,»»»

Police in northeastern Spain carried out eviction orders Wednesday to clear an abandoned school building where hundreds of mostly undocumented migrants were living in a squat north of Barcelona. Knowing that the eviction in the middle of winter was coming, most of the occupants had left to try to f»»»

White Image, Romania’s longest-established email marketing company, has launched the Customer Loyalty Index, a large-scale analysis based on aggregated data from campaigns run for brands in retail, financial services, e-commerce, and B2B. The index analyses post-purchase consumer behaviour in Roman»»»

Dubai: Dubai’s beachfront resorts are heading for sell-out status this New Year’s Eve, as UAE residents rush to lock in last staycation deals under Dh1,000 before they disappear. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.With room rates driven up by record visitor arrivals and s»»»

The Louvre Museum will partially reopen on Wednesday after staff voted to extend a strike over pay and working conditions, according to union representatives. Frustrations at the world's most visited museum were further sharpened by fallout from the theft of crown jewels during a daylight robbery t»»»

In a further escalation of tension between the United States and Venezuela, President Donald Trump has ordered a naval blockade to stop sanctioned oil tankers from entering and leaving the South American country. Venezuela - which has the world's largest proven oil reserves - is highly dependent on»»»

In an unusual diplomatic move, the ambassadors of Germany and France, H.E. Irene Plank and H.E. Marie Dumoulin, personally met with Galina Zakharova, chairwoman of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), to express support for the independence of Bulgaria’s judiciary. The joint statement from the two e»»»

A European Ariane 6 rocket blasted off from France's Kourou space base in French Guiana early Wednesday, carrying two Galileo global navigation satellites, according to an AFP correspondent. Lift-off was at 2:01 am local time (0501 GMT) for the fourth commercial flight of the Ariane 6 launch system»»»

Pakistan's most powerful military chief in decades faces the toughest test of his newly amassed powers as Washington pushes Islamabad to contribute troops to the Gaza stabilization force, a move analysts say could spark domestic backlash. Field Marshal Asim Munir is expected to fly to Washington to»»»

President Rumen Radev held consultations here on Wednesday with representatives of the There Is Such a People (TISP) party ahead of the mandate-granting procedure to form a new government, emphasizing that the outgoing government is constitutionally obliged to ensure continuity and stability until »»»

A ceremonial flag raising ceremony took place in Batken. The flag was raised on a 35-meter-tall flagpole, accompanied by a military orchestra, the City Hall reported. The event was attended by Aibek Shamenov, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to Batken region, Seitek Kulubaev, Mayor of Batken, gov»»»

Self-evidently, the BBC has a big decision to make. If it hoped the US president might not follow through on his threat to sue, the reality check has arrived. Now it is about gaming out the options but current indications are it plans to fight. "We will be defending this case", the BBC repeated aft»»»

The humanitarian catastrophe engulfing Sudan, unleashing horrific violence on children and uprooting nearly a quarter of the population, is the world's most neglected crisis of 2025, according to a poll of aid agencies. Some 30 million Sudanese people - roughly equivalent to Australia's population »»»

The war between Russia and Ukraine has ground on since February 2022. According to military and political observers, Ukraine does not want to surrender and Russia does not know how to win this war. Al Majalla spoke to one of Russia’s veteran political scholars, Prof. Sergei Karaganov. Once an unoff»»»

With growing demand for energy at home, Egypt is diversifying its global partners to secure additional natural gas supplies, to maintain power generation and industrial productivity. In recent years, one of its key gas partners has been Israel, but negotiations over a supply deal recently hit the r»»»

With growing demand for energy at home, Egypt is diversifying its global partners to secure additional natural gas supplies, to maintain power generation and industrial productivity. In recent years, one of its key gas partners has been Israel, but negotiations over a supply deal recently hit the r»»»

The war between Russia and Ukraine has ground on since February 2022. According to military and political observers, Ukraine does not want to surrender and Russia does not know how to win this war. Al Majalla spoke to one of Russia’s veteran political scholars, Prof. Sergei Karaganov. Once an unoff»»»

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that leaders must decide at a crucial summit in Berlin how to finance support for Ukraine as pressure mounts to agree on using frozen Russian assets to sustain Kyiv’s defence. Meanwhile, the Kremlin said it opposed European participation in US-led talks »»»

Dubai: Mubadala Investment Company and Bain Capital closed their acquisition of Service Logic, a leading US provider of commercial HVAC and building automation services, from Leonard Green & Partners. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.Headquartered in Charlotte, North Ca»»»

Doha, Qatar: With the Qatar National Day holidays just around the corner, the country is gearing up for a long weekend of celebration. Here are some must-visit venues where you can fully enjoy the Qatar National Day festivities. Doha Corniche The National Day Parade will kick off on December 18, 20»»»

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! 🇬🇧 English🇮🇹 Ital»»»

The Saeed Juma Al Naboodah Group, the distributor for Great Wall Motor in the UAE, and GWM marked the UAE debut of the all-new TANK 700 with an unforgettable showcase, lighting up the Burj Khalifa as the flagship SUV was simultaneously revealed at the luxurious Armani Hotel, Dubai. This move marks »»»

The United Nations Command on Tuesday issued a statement underscoring its role as administrator of the DMZ, amid debate over a South Korean bill that would allow Seoul to regulate non-military access to the buffer zone. In this file photo, a South Korean military guard post is seen through a fence »»»

The Bulgarian parliament witnessed another politically charged day as the ruling coalition, comprised of GERB, BSP, TISP, and “DPS-New Beginning,” moved to put the draft budget for 2026 on the agenda, sparking widespread public outcry. Hundreds of thousands of citizens had already protested against»»»

At the entrances to Damascus branching off the Mezzeh highway, just before Umayyad Square, young men with a quasi-military appearance line both sides of the road, selling flags and banners for “Liberation Day.” In narrower streets and at intersections leading deeper into the city, they are met by w»»»

A farmer on the Cycladic island of Amorgos has expressed solidarity with nationwide farmer mobilizations by setting up a roadblock in the port settlement of Aegiali, local media outlet CycladesLive.gr reported. Pictures posted on Tuesday showed the man, reportedly the only farmer with a tractor in »»»

Dubai: Jetex secured a license from Saudi Arabia's General Authority of Civil Aviation to provide ground handling and business aviation services at Red Sea International Airport. The approval, announced with Red Sea International Airport during the Supply Chain & Logistics Conference 2025 in Riyadh»»»

“The outgoing government is constitutionally obliged to ensure continuity and stability until a caretaker cabinet assumes office,” President Rumen Radev told representatives of the There Is Such a People (TISP) party here on Wednesday at the start of consultations ahead of the mandate-granting proc»»»

The topic of early snap elections dominates Wednesday's news media. POLITICS 24 Chasa's front-page story is about the upcoming snap parliamentary elections. The daily writes that March 22 or 29 is the most likely date for the vote. The political forces seem to agree on these two dates. Some of them»»»

Dubai: The UAE solidified its status as one of the world's fastest-growing economies in 2025, propelled by booming non-oil sectors, record foreign direct investment and agile pro-business policies. Non-oil foreign trade jumped 24.5% in the first half of the year to Dh1.7 trillion, outpacing global »»»

While there were ups and downs throughout 2025, most of the world’s richest ended the year wealthier than they began. This year, tech billionaires rode the AI and innovation boom, with Tesla/Space X CEO Elon Musk solidifying his lead. This top-10 rich list reflects the hyper-dynamic billionaire lan»»»

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said Tuesday that there is neither national security or legal justification for the Trump administration's strikes targeting ships in the eastern Pacific and Caribbean Sea. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Dec. 17 (UPI) -- There are no legal or national secu»»»

Al Nayrab: Bondi Beach hero Ahmed Al Ahmed, who put his life on the line by wresting a gun from an attacker in Australia’s deadly mass shooting, has become a source of pride for his hometown in Syria. “His act is a source of pride for us and for Syria,” Ahmed’s uncle Mohammed, a farmer, told AFP in»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US President Donald Trump said that his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, previously knew nothing about Russia, but had the best qualities to be a negotiator to resolve the Ukraine conflict. "Steve's a great dealmaker. But I noticed one thing about him. He had the greatest personalit»»»

Jewish Australians said they felt unsafe, angry and frustrated at the perceived government's failure to confront rising antisemitism after a deadly shooting at a Hanukkah festival in Sydney’s Bondi Beach last week.  Near the iconic, sun-soaked Sydney beach where father-and-son gunmen»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico are weighing the fallout from Europe's reckless moves to seize Russian frozen assets, unlike other Western leaders, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday. "At a time when »»»

On 16 December, Metinvest completed the acquisition of ArcelorMittal Tubular Products, located in the Romanian city of Iași. The plant produces welded structural pipes for the construction, engineering, infrastructure and agricultural sectors. Its maximum production capacity is 240,000 tonnes a yea»»»

Like many Australians strolling at Bondi Beach on long, warm summer evenings, Ahmed al Ahmed just wanted a cup of coffee with a friend. Around him, a bloody massacre erupted as two gunmen targeted Jews during Hanukkah festivities at a park close to the shore. Soon al Ahmed was creeping, bent over, »»»

Falls in food, alcohol, and clothing prices last month helped drive inflation to its lowest level in eight months in November. The inflation rate fell to 3.2% from 3.6%, a larger fall than analysts expected. Lower food prices were the main driver of the fall, "with decreases seen particularly for c»»»

The State Department under Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday designated another drug cartel as a terrorist organization . Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Dec. 17 (UPI) -- The United States has designated Colombia's Clan de Golfo as a terrorist organization, the latest drug-traffick»»»

President Donald Trump said Tuesday he is ordering a blockade of all "sanctioned oil tankers" into Venezuela, ramping up pressure on the country's authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro in a move that seemed designed to put a tighter chokehold on the South American country's economy. Trump's escalatio»»»

At 138 Secondary School for Western and Eastern Languages "Prof. Vasil Zlatarski" in Sofia, all cables from hidden cameras installed in the toilets led directly to the office of Principal Alexander Evtimov, who was arrested yesterday evening by officers from the Directorate for Criminal Investigati»»»

On Dec. 17, 1975, a federal jury in Sacramento sentenced Lynette Alice "Squeaky" Fromme to life in prison for her attempted assassination of U.S. President Gerald R. Ford. 1 of 5 | Secret Service agents rush President Gerald R. Ford toward the California Capitol following an attempt on the presiden»»»

Dubai: UAE employers face a pressing talent crunch with 1.03 million new workers needed by 2030 to fuel economic expansion and digital overhaul. This 12.1% workforce surge outpaces major markets like the US at 2.1% and India at 10.6%, driven by manufacturing, education and retail adding 133,000, 78»»»

Australian police charged Naveed Akram with 59 offences, including terrorism, after he allegedly opened fire at a Jewish event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach.  Police in Australia said on Wednesday they had charged Naveed Akram, who allegedly opened fire on a Jewish event on Sydney's Bondi Beach, wit»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs H E Ghanem bin Shaheen bin Ghanem Al Ghanim affirmed that Qatar National Day is a deeply rooted national occasion. It embodies loyalty to the legacy of the Founder Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani, who established the foundations of the State u»»»

President Nicusor Dan said on Tuesday in Helsinki, ahead of attending the EU Eastern Flank Summit, that he is 'pessimistic' about Russia's intention to conclude peace in the near future.'What is important for us is to provide Ukraine with the means to have leverage in the negotiations it is conduct»»»