Russian President Vladimir Putin has been briefed about contacts with President Donald Trump's envoys on US proposals for a possible Ukrainian peace deal and Moscow will now formulate its position, the Kremlin said on Wednesday. Trump, who says he wants to be remembered as a peacemaker, has repeate»»»

Kyiv: Ukraine won some concessions in the latest version of a US-led draft plan to end the Russian attack, revealed by President Volodymyr Zelensky, though key questions remain over territory and whether Moscow could accept the new terms. The 20-point plan, agreed on by US and Ukrainian negotiators»»»

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke by phone with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday about current global affairs, especially cooperation in the energy sector and advancement of strategic partnership between the two countries. "A good and substantial phone conversation »»»

BUENOSAIRES: Qatar Foundation’s Doha Debates, in collaboration with Qatar’s Years of Culture, a national initiative that brings people together through cultural exchange, has released its first Latin America town hall, “How Should We Reinvent the City?” Held at Buenos Aires’ Usina del Arte, the eve»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) CEO Kirill Dmitriev, who is also the Russian president's special representative for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries, has reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the results of his trip to the US, Kremlin spo»»»

Washington: The US State Department said Tuesday it would deny visas to a former EU commissioner and four others, accusing them of seeking to “coerce” American social media platforms into censoring viewpoints they oppose. “These radical activists and weaponised NGOs have advanced censorship crackdo»»»

Moscow, Dec. 24 (SANA) Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani said Wednesday that Syrian-Russian relations are entering a new phase, emphasizing that talks between the two countries are now conducted with greater transparency and openness. Speaking after a meeting with Russian Foreign Min»»»

‎The state implementation agency, the Organisation for the Development of Administrative Centres (ODAC), announced last Monday (22 December) that the (long delayed) rehabilitation, development and equipping of Tripoli’s historic Grand Hotel (Al-Kabir Hotel) has begun. The original hotel, which was »»»

BELGRADE - Serbian FM Marko Djuric received a farewell visit from Japanese Ambassador to Belgrade Akira Imamura on Tuesday. Djuric expressed his "appreciation for the Ambassador’s personal engagement and contribution to advancing bilateral relations between the two countries," the Serbian MFA said »»»

BELGRADE - The Serbian dinar's official median exchange rate against the euro is 117.3888 dinars for one euro on Wednesday, which is a slight change relative to Tuesday, 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 be»»»

Venezuela has accused the United States of the "greatest extortion" at an emergency session of the UN Security Council in New York. Washington's seizure of two Venezuelan oil tankers was "worse than piracy," the Venezuelan ambassador to the UN said. The emergency meeting of the Security Council was»»»

Kyiv, Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has revealed details of the latest US-led plan to end the war in Ukraine, saying it had been agreed between negotiators from Kyiv and Washington and sent to Moscow for feedback. The document will be supplemented by additional bilateral agreement»»»

Bank customers and Depositors Association members hold placards during a protest organized by the 'Depositors' Outcry', a group campaigning for the rights of depositors, in Beirut, Lebanon, on Thursday Customers are angry over the continued restrictions that local banks have imposed on withdrawals »»»

The UAE Agency for International Aid has signed a cooperation agreement with International Medical Corps – UK to support the delivery of healthcare services to Sudanese people affected by the recent escalation of violence in Sudan. Under the agreement, the UAE Agency for International Aid will cont»»»

The United States and Ukraine have reached a consensus on several critical issues aimed at bringing an end to the nearly four-year conflict, but sensitive issues around territorial control in Ukraine’s eastern industrial heartland, along with the management of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, »»»

Hundreds of motorcycle riders took to the streets of Caracas on Monday to protest US ‘piracy’ against Venezuelan oil shipments. The rally comes after the US Navy intercepted two oil tankers carrying Venezuelan crude as part of an ongoing naval blockade of the Latin American country. Participants at»»»

Washington: The US Justice Department has released tens of thousands more documents related to Jeffrey Epstein, a tranche that included multiple mentions of President Donald Trump but added little new revelatory information to the long-anticipated public file on the late financier and convicted sex»»»

DOHA: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs HE Sheikh Saoud bin Abdulrahman bin Hassan Al Thani chaired the Cabinet's regular meeting held at its headquarters in the Amiri Diwan. At the beginning of the meeting, the Cabinet welcomed the outcomes of the seventh Strategic Di»»»

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has given details of an updated peace plan that offers Russia the potential withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the east that Moscow has demanded. Giving details of the 20-point plan agreed by US and Ukrainian negotiators in Florida at the weekend, Zelensky sa»»»

Damascus, Dec. 24 (SANA) Syria expressed its sincere condolences and heartfelt sympathy to Libya following the death of Libyan Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, Gen. Mohammed al-Haddad, and members of his accompanying delegation in a military plane crash in Turkey, according to a statement issued»»»

Delivering world-class medical services to the highest global standards, the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi has inaugurated the first international facility of the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute outside the United States, as part of a strategic partnership announced by the Government of Abu Dhabi wi»»»

The Jewish settler outpost of Or Meir is small. A handful of prefabricated white shelters, it sits at the end of a short dirt track on a hill leading up from Road 60, a major route that dissects the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Over time, similar modest dwellings have turned into sprawling Israeli h»»»

There's something magical about sodena pitka, the traditional Bulgarian bread that graces tables on Christmas Eve. This round, golden loaf carries centuries of tradition in every bite, and the best part? You don't need to be an experienced baker to make it. The recipe is surprisingly straightforwar»»»

Dubai: A Beechcraft Super King Air 200 autolanded itself Tuesday at Rocky Mountain Metropolitan Airport after a rapid loss of cabin pressure, marking the first full real-world use of Garmin's Autoland system from takeoff to shutdown. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia's economy has turned to the East, and about 87% of trade is carried out with non-Western countries, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk said on Wednesday. "There is a shift in the [Russian] economy towards the East, towards the Global South, towards emerging mark»»»

US trade officials determined that China should be punished for employing unfair tactics to dominate the semiconductor industry, but will wait 18 months to impose tariffs, American authorities said Tuesday. A US Trade Representative (USTR) investigation concluded China's targeting of semiconductors»»»

Russia’s Perm Krai has increased timber exports to Kyrgyzstan sixfold. Statistics from the regional office of the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision (Rosselkhoznadzor) say. It is noted that Perm Krai is expanding economic cooperation with Central Asian countries. From Janu»»»

Doha, Qatar: Hamad Medical Corporation’s Rumailah Hospital has achieved a major international milestone after its Department of Geriatrics became the first service worldwide outside the United Kingdom to receive Developmental Accreditation from the Memory Services National Accreditation Programme (»»»

Fifty-two residents of a Ukrainian village have been taken to Russia by invading forces in a cross-border raid on the village of Hrabovske, authorities in Kyiv say. Thirteen Ukrainian soldiers were also captured in the border village in the northeastern Sumy region. The attack occurred at night on »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani held a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday. "I know that yesterday [on Tuesday] you had a very good conversation with president Putin, during which you discusse»»»

An email sent from an individual named "A", saying they are at Balmoral and asking Ghislaine Maxwell for "inappropriate friends", is among the latest tranche of Epstein files released on Tuesday. The message, sent to Maxwell on 16 August 2001, begins: "I am up here at Balmoral Summer Camp for the R»»»

Moscow, Dec. 24 (SANA) Syrian Foreign and Expatriates Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani on Wednesday affirmed that Syrian-Russian relations are entering a new era based on mutual respect. During his meeting with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Moscow, al-Shaibani said: “We continue the r»»»

New York, Dec. 24 (SANA) The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Wednesday that humanitarian needs across Syria “remain severe,” with 16.5 million people, nearly two-thirds of the population, still requiring assistance. The UN News website quoted OCHA as s»»»

Global technology company, SLB, has been awarded a five-year contract by Saudi Aramco to provide stimulation services for its unconventional gas fields, the company said in a statement on Tuesday. The move is part of a broader multi-billion contract, supporting one of the largest unconventional gas»»»

Spokesperson of the Iranian Armed Forces Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi said on Tuesday that his country’s naval, ground, and missile forces are ready to confront any threat or hostile scenario. Speaking at a meeting at Sharif University, Shekarchi said much of Iran’s military capabilities ha»»»

Kyrgyzstan is set to undergo large-scale transformations over the next five years. Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Adylbek Kasymaliev said today at a session of the Zhogorku Kenesh. According to him, the state continues to implement major strategic infrastructure projects outline»»»

Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want to engage in a direct conflict with NATO, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has said. NATO chief Mark Rutte claimed earlier this month that “we are Russia’s next target” once the Ukraine conflict ends. He suggested that Moscow “could be ready to »»»

Doha, Qatar: Under the patronage of Qatar International Islamic Bank, the seventh edition of the Padel Championship for Qatari students in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland concluded. The tournament was organised by the Cultural Attaché in cooperation with the Qatar Padel Federation, w»»»

Dubai: British buyers arriving in the UAE property market often bring expectations shaped by the UK’s predictable mortgage system, slower price cycles and uniform ownership structures. Those assumptions can lead to costly mistakes when they try to move quickly in a market that functions differently»»»

On Dec. 24, 1923, President Calvin Coolidge lit the first national Christmas tree on the White House lawn. 1 of 4 | On December 24, 1923, President Calvin Coolidge lit the first national Christmas tree on the White House lawn. File Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress Dec. 24 (UPI) -- On this »»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) office in Afghanistan, in partnership with Afghan Red Crescent Society and in coordination with local authorities and target communities, has commenced the implementation of the Warm Winter Campaign 2025–2026 projects. The initiative aims to provide es»»»

The Ajman Federal Court of First Instance has sentenced a 36-year-old Arab TikToker woman to six months in prison, followed by deportation, after convicting her of publicly insulting another individual during a TikTok live stream. Court verdictOn December 18, 2025, the court found the Arab TikToker»»»

After the ouster of former president Bashar al-Assad, Israel supported Druze fighters in the south, in an effort to weaken Syria’s new government under the rule of President Ahmed Al-Sharaa and thus complicate his efforts to unify the country after its long civil war, according to a Washington Post»»»

Dubai: The Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MoHRE), in cooperation with relevant authorities, has revoked the licence of Oud Al Reem Agency for Domestic Worker Services, operating in Ajman, after serious violations of domestic labour regulations were confirmed. The decision followed f»»»

Police located several guns, a stockpile of ammunition and a shopping list for bomb materials in the home of a West Australian man arrested after pledging support for the Bondi attackers, a court has heard. Martin Glynn, 39, appeared in a Perth court on Wednesday charged with racial harassment, pos»»»

Doha, Qatar: Director General of the Katara Cultural Village Foundation Prof Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti yesterday inaugurated the mural “Rawda in the Comfort of the South” on the facade of Building 46 in Katara Cultural Village. The inauguration was attended by Ambassador of the Kingdom of S»»»

Muscat: Yemen’s Houthis and its internationally-recognised government yesterday agreed to a prisoner swap that includes nearly 3,000 people, including seven Saudis — making it the largest such exchange should it succeed. The breakthrough deal came after nearly a fortnight of discussions between Yem»»»

Baku: The State of Qatar has taken part in an international conference in Azerbaijan focused on protecting children from harmful content in the digital environment, as concerns grow globally over online risks facing young people. The conference was held in the capital, Baku, and brought together of»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Arab Book Award has announced that January 27, 2026, will mark the announcement of the winners and their crowning in its third iteration. The ceremony will be attended by dignitaries as well as a contingent of academics and intellectuals from Qatar and across the Arab world. Profes»»»