This article contains descriptions of sexual abuse and violence which some readers may find distressing. Two Palestinian men have told the BBC they personally experienced the kind of beatings and sexual abuse highlighted in recent reports into the treatment of prisoners in Israeli detention. The Un»»»

Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives to the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday. On Friday he gave a year-end news conference and spoke about deals to end the war in Ukraine and Russia. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Dec. 19 (UPI) -- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday that U.S. negotia»»»

Israel’s disclosure of a naval commando operation in the northern Lebanese town of Batroun has thrust back into focus a case that straddles security, political, and legal fault lines. The announcement, accompanied by Israeli claims surrounding Imad Amhaz, comes at a delicate moment, coinciding with»»»

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 »»»

Attorneys for former Special Counsel Jack Smith on Thursday asked House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, to hold a public hearing regarding Smith's efforts to prosecute President Donald Trump. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Attorneys for former special cou»»»

Home sales rose only slightly in November, as supply dips. File Photo by Alexis C. Glenn/UPI | License Photo Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Sales of previously owned homes rose 0.5% in November from October, reflecting a slowdown, due to high mortgage rates, high prices and less supply. Home sales were 1% lower »»»

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»»»

It’s not clear if the Trump administration wants to genuinely resolve the proxy war with Russia, or if it is merely trying to extricate itself from the mess Washington helped instigate. But one thing is clear: the major Western European capitals are desperate to keep the war going. Various pretexts»»»

Mediators are convening for fresh talks in Miami, Florida, as efforts to advance the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement remain stalled, months after the truce came into effect on Oct. 10. The meeting, which mediators say will focus on outlining a framework for the next phase, comes amid a»»»

The ousted chair of Ben & Jerry's has accused the company which owns the brand of threatening to launch a public smear campaign against her. Anuradha Mittal, who chaired Ben & Jerry's independent board for seven years, told the BBC that Magnum had threatened to publish "defamatory statements" about»»»

BEIRUT, Dec 19 (KUNA) -- United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, also known as (UNIFIL), handed over on Friday to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) a cleared minefield during a ceremony held near the Blue Line in Blida, southeastern Lebanon.This marks the first handover of a cleared minefield since »»»

Jeddah, Dec. 19 (SANA) The Muslim World League welcomed Friday the United States’ decision to repeal the “Caesar Act,” describing it as a pivotal step toward a more promising future for the Syrian people. In a statement posted on the League’s official website, Secretary-General Muhammad bin Abdul K»»»

Manama , Dec. 19 (SANA) The Kingdom of Bahrain welcomed the U.S. administration’s decision to lift sanctions imposed on Syria under the “Caesar Act,” praising the efforts of U.S. President Donald Trump in this regard.“The Kingdom of Bahrain congratulates Syria on the issuance of this important deci»»»

Major General Abdullah Mubarak bin Amer, Commander-in-Chief of Sharjah Police, has honoured a number of outstanding employees from the Forensic Evidence and Laboratories Department in recognition of their dedication, professionalism and contributions to strengthening the emirate’s security system. »»»

Palestinians crowd to receive hot meals in the Al-Mawasi area of Khan Yunis, Gaza, in June. A hunger watch group said Friday that Gaza is no longer in famine, but there is still critical food insecurity. File Photo by Anas Deeb/UPI | License Photo Dec. 19 (UPI) -- An international hunger watchdog g»»»

Sharjah Police are investigating the death of two men who were electrocuted in the Sharjah Industrial Area, they confirmed to Gulf News. The incident occurred in the industrial area and was reported to the police operations room. The victims’ bodies have been transferred to the forensic laboratory »»»

Dec. 19 (UPI) -- An overdue library book was returned to the Chantilly Regional Library after 36 years and a trip to Greece. The Fairfax County Library system posted about the book's return on Facebook Thursday. Harry the Dirty Dog was initially checked out by Nov. 6, 1989 by diplomats living in D.»»»

A new rapid test could improve treatment of urinary tract infections, by identifying the most effective antibiotic for each individual patient. File Photo by Tamas Soki/EPA A new rapid test could improve treatment of urinary tract infections, by identifying the most effective antibiotic for each in»»»

Farmers in the EU have protested on many occasions over unfair foreign competition and the viability of their businesses. They gathered again in Brussels on December 18, while an EU summit was going on, this time focusing their ire on the Mercosur free trade agreement between the EU and Latin Ameri»»»

Doha: The Qatar Racing and Equestrian Club (QREC) announced today that it will stage the Qatar Oaks race on Sunday, at Al Rayyan Racecourse. In a statement, the club said that the Qatar International Derby will be held as scheduled tomorrow, Saturday, while the Qatar Oaks has been confirmed for Sun»»»

Polish President Karol Nawrocki, right, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed the Ukraine War and matters between Ukraine and Poland while at the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland, on Friday. Photo by Pawel Supernak Poland Out/EPA Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Ze»»»

Fujairah: Fujairah’s municipal and emergency services have successfully contained the impact of heavy rainfall that swept the emirate early on Friday, restoring normal conditions across roads and residential areas without reports of injuries or property damage. The Fujairah Public Works and Agricul»»»

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»»»

WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (KUNA) -- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio affirmed on Friday that Washington is exerting strenuous efforts to reach a humanitarian truce in Sudan, early January, that allows humanitarian organizations to urgently offer aid to civilians.Speaking to reporters in a news conference»»»

1 of 2 | Former President Donald Trump and Michael Whatley, chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party, greet the crowd at the North Carolina Republican Convention in Greenville, N.C., on June 5, 2021. Now-President Trump will travel to Rocky Mount, N.C. on Friday to campaign for Whatley, who »»»

Pope Leo XIV waves from the popemobile as he arrives for the weekly General Audience in St. Peter's Square in Vatican City on May 21. He appointed Bishop Richard Moss as the new leader of the Roman Catholic church in England on Friday. Photo by Angelo Carconi/EFE Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Pope Leo XIV on Fr»»»

The Australian government has announced plans for a national gun buyback following last week’s mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney. The scheme is expected to take hundreds of thousands of weapons out of circulation, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Friday. The Bondi Beach shooting left at»»»

Danish Defense Intelligence Service, led by Director Thomas Ahrenkiel, said that Russia was behind two recent cyberattacks. File Photo by Emil Helms/EPA Dec. 19 (UPI) -- The Danish government Friday said that Russia is behind two cyberattacks in 2024 and this year that were "destructive and disrupt»»»

ISLAMABAD, Dec 19 (KUNA) -- At least four militants were killed and as many soldiers embraced martyrdom in an attack on a security forces camp in tribal district of Pakistan's northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province bordering Afghanistan, Pakistan military said Friday.According to a press releas»»»

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is pushing to secure approval for a draft law aimed at resolving the fate of bank deposits frozen since the country’s financial collapse in 2019, proposing full repayment of deposits below $100,000 over four years and the conversion of larger sums into long term»»»

The Duchess of Sussex has shared a family photo taken with the Duke of Sussex and their two children alongside a Christmas message. In the photo shared on Instagram, Prince Archie is seen hugging his father, while Meghan is bending down and holding hands with Princess Lilibet. They are standing on »»»

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»»»

Protesters gathered outside the bTV building in solidarity with bTV presenters Maria Tsantsarova and Zlatimir Yochev on Friday. The demonstration was organized by the Association of European Journalists in Bulgaria (AEJ-Bulgaria) under the slogan “This is the last straw; we’ve had enough.” The rall»»»

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday condemned the Houthi detention of another 10 UN personnel in Yemen, taking the total to 69, his spokesperson said. The Iran-aligned ‌Houthis detained ‌the ‌additional ⁠UN staff on ‌Thursday, said UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, and Gute»»»

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is pushing to secure approval for a draft law aimed at resolving the fate of bank deposits frozen since the country’s financial collapse in 2019, proposing full repayment of deposits below $100,000 over four years and the conversion of larger sums into long term»»»

The widow of conservative activist Charlie Kirk has said the Turning Point USA organisation he founded will help elect JD Vance for president in 2028, although Vance, the current US vice-president, has yet to announce he is running. Erika Kirk's endorsement on Thursday came on the opening day of Tu»»»

Tunis, Dec. 19 (TAP) - The Tunis Stock Exchange closed the week of December 15–19 on an upward trend. The benchmark index rose 0.2% to 13,249 points, bringing its annual performance to 33.3%, according to broker Tunisie Valeurs. The week saw...»»»

Association of European Journalists – Bulgaria (AEJ-Bulgaria) called on journalists and the public to join a protest in solidarity with bTV morning show hosts Maria Tsantsarova and Zlatimir Yochev on Friday. The group said the action will be held outside the broadcaster’s newsroom amid reports that»»»

Dubai: The UAE’s National Centre of Meteorology has reported significant rainfall across several parts of the country over the past 24 hours. In its daily climate report, the Centre said rainfall measurements were recorded between 8am on Wednesday, 18 December, and 8am on Thursday, 19 December. Saq»»»

Tunis, Dec. 19 (TAP) - The stock market closed the week on a positive note, with the Tunindex edging up 0.2% to 12,249 points on a substantial trading volume of TND 20.5 million, according to broker Tunisie Valeurs.The activity was supported by four...»»»

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 29 of its Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Wednesday. Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo SANTIAGE, Chile, Dec. 19 (UPI) -- Chile has become the first country in Latin America to offer satellite coverage for mobile phones, enabling co»»»

1 of 3 | Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche participates in a roundtable at the White House in Washington, D.C., on October 23. He said the Justice Department doesn't have all files related to the Epstein case ready to be released by the Friday deadline. File Photo by Will Oliver/UPI | License Ph»»»

The Department of Justice filed a notice today saying it intends to appeal a ruling that said it couldn't withhold research grants. File Photo by CJ Gunther/EPA Dec. 19 (UPI) -- The Department of Justice is appealing a ruling that prevents it from freezing federal research funding to Harvard. U.S. »»»

A court in the German city of Aachen has sentenced a man to eight-and-a-half years in prison for repeatedly drugging and raping his wife, filming the acts and then posting them online. The man, named only as Fernando P in line with German privacy laws, was found guilty of aggravated rape, grievous »»»

WASHINTON, Dec 19 (KUNA) -- US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday that Venezuela "is the largest source of terrorism leading to instability in Central America." Rubio added at a press conference that his country faces significant threats from countries in Central America, notably Venezue»»»

The UK has announced sanctions against militia leaders and groups it says were involved in violence against civilians in Syria. Three groups and four commanders have had their assets frozen over their involvement in suspected atrocities during clashes in coastal regions which saw about 1,400 killed»»»

Speaking on bTV on Friday, outgoing Deputy Prime Minister and Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) leader Atanas Zafirov said that if they receive the third government-forming mandate, they will discuss it and decide whether to return it. Under the Constitution, the third exploratory mandate goes to a p»»»

Doha , Dec. 19 (SANA)The Syrian delegation from the Central Authority for Control and Inspection, headed by Amer al-Ali, held bilateral meetings with the Saudi and Omani delegations on the sidelines of the 11th session of the Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention against Corruption, con»»»

The Governor of the Central Bank of Libya, Naji Issa, has sent several letters, widely leaked today to Arabic-language Libyan media, to the Tripoli based Libyan Prime Minister, the Internal Security Agency, the Ministry of Interior, and the Municipal Guards Authority, instructing them to close unli»»»

During a visit to Suhindol on Friday, Vice President Iliana Iotova predicted that President Rumen Radev would respect the parties’ wishes and would likely call snap parliamentary elections for the end of March. In any case, the first mandate will be issued after the parliamentary recess, she added.»»»