Riyadh Air has announced its ‘Employment-First’ Overseas Scholarship Program, which aims to launch several scholarship tracks, starting with two specialized paths for engineers in Australia, followed by a pilot training program in the United States. The initiative falls under ‘Promising Path’, one »»»

Hezbollah mourned on Thursday the Islamic scholar and resistance figure Sheikh Reda Mahdi, extending condolences to the Islamic nation and to religious seminaries and their scholars. In a statement, the group said Sheikh Mahdi passed away peacefully after a long life devoted to learning and struggl»»»

Britain's King Charles III called for "compassion and reconciliation" at a time of "division" across the world in his annual Christmas Day message broadcast on Thursday. The 77-year-old monarch said he found it "enormously encouraging" how people of different faiths had a "shared longing for peace"»»»

The Israeli military said it killed a member of Iran's elite Quds Force in a strike in Lebanon on Thursday, accusing him of planning attacks against Israel, AFP reported. The military said the strike killed Hussein Mahmud Marshad al-Jawhari, "a key terrorist in the operational unit of the Quds Forc»»»

Mohammad Bakri, a Palestinian director and actor who sought to share the complexities of Palestinian identity and culture through a variety of works in both Arabic and Hebrew, has died, his family announced. He was 72. Bakri was best known for “Jenin, Jenin,” a 2003 documentary he directed about an»»»

DOHA: The Public Cleanliness Department at the Ministry of Municipality organised the first National Forum on Public Cleanliness Thursday, under the slogan 'Towards a Clean, Smart and Sustainable City,' with broad participation from government agencies, private sector partners, universities, academ»»»

A fatal traffic accident occurred early Thursday in northern Greece, killing a 22-year-old driver. The crash happened around 5:50 a.m. in Niselli, in the Imathia region, when a passenger car driven by the 22-year-old collided with another vehicle driven by a 24-year-old. The younger driver was fata»»»

Member of Hezbollah’s Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc MP Hasan Fadlallah warned anti-resistance powers in Lebanon against mounting pressure against Hezbollah’s popular base. In an interview with Al-Manar on Thursday, he stressed that “prolonged pressure on people ignites wrath that spares »»»

Al Ain: A woman in Al Ain has been ordered to pay Dh20,000 in compensation to another driver after ruling that she ran a red light and caused a traffic accident that resulted in material damage and psychological distress. The Al Ain Court for Civil, Commercial, and Administrative Cases found that t»»»

Britain's Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie attended the royal family's traditional Christmas Day church service on Thursday, while their father Andrew, recently stripped ​of his titles over ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, was absent. King Charles and Queen Camilla led senior royals t»»»

In collaboration with the National Center for Wildlife (NCW), the Imam Abdulaziz bin Mohammed Royal Reserve Development Authority has released over 60 endangered species into the King Khalid Royal Reserve. This initiative supports a national program to reintroduce wildlife into their natural habita»»»

The General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque announced that the total number of worshippers and visitors to the Two Holy Mosques during Jumada Al Akhira 1447 AH reached 68,741,853. The authority said that the number of worshippers at the Grand Mosqu»»»

In a shocking incident, a tenant allegedly slit the throat of his landlord’s son and threw him from the second floor of a building, killing him on the spot in the Pithampur industrial town of Madhya Pradesh’s Dhar district. The incident occurred late on Wednesday night under the jurisdiction of the»»»

Dubai: Dubai has enacted a new law to formalise and expand the role of the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI), establishing a comprehensive legal and governance framework for one of the UAE’s largest humanitarian and development platforms. The law, issued by His Highness Shei»»»

Skopje, 22 December 2025 (MIA) - The Economic-Social Council (ESC) did not reach a decision over an increase of the minimum wage at a session on Monday. The Government said it is not against an increase but asked for economic justification of the move, noting that economic parameters "show there is»»»

The EU is beginning to disintegrate as decisions made in Brussels are increasingly ignored by member states, now divided between advocates of war and of peace, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has said. In an interview with Magyar Nemzet newspaper published on Wednesday, Orban said the process»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Amir, HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani sent Thursday a cable of condolences to the Amir of the State of Kuwait, HH Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, on the death of Sheikha Maali Mohammad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah»»»

Rabat: Organisers at the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco are allowing supporters in for free after kick-off in matches where stadiums are not full, a Confederation of African Football source told AFP. The Group F game between Cameroon and Gabon on Wednesday in Agadir kicked off in front of almost »»»

Mumbai: Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) - India’s newest Greenfield airport - began commercial operations on Thursday. During the initial launch period, passengers will benefit from services operated by IndiGo, Air India Express, and Akasa Air, connecting Mumbai to 16 major domestic destin»»»

Dubai: The night sky over the UAE is preparing to kick off 2026 with a spectacular cosmic display. On Saturday, January 3, 2026, the Al Qudra Desert will become the ultimate theater for a rare meeting between the January Wolf Supermoon and the Quadrantids Meteor Shower. While the bright glow of a S»»»

1- Instabug: It was founded by Moataz Soliman and Omar Gabr in 2013. Instabug gives app developers a tool to help them detect software glitches. Its customers include Yahoo, PayPal, Soundcloud, and Souq. In June 2016, Instabug founders raised $1.7 million in seed funding from Palo Alto, California-»»»

Rabat: Amad Diallo and Riyad Mahrez starred as defending champions Ivory Coast and former winners Algeria had contrasting victories on Wednesday when the first round of African Cup of Nations (AFCON) group matches concluded in Morocco. Manchester United winger Diallo struck early in the second half»»»

Dubai: The Dubai Free Zones Council has discussed proposals to improve coordination among authorities, simplify procedures for companies and enhance the competitiveness of the emirate’s free zones. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The Council, chaired by Sheikh Ahmed bi»»»

Pope Leo has urged Ukraine and Russia to find the "courage" to hold direct talks to end the war during his first Christmas remarks to crowds in St Peter's square. He called for an end to conflicts around the world during his Urbi et Orbi address, which is traditionally delivered by the pontiff on C»»»

Los Angeles, United States: Flash flood warnings were in effect in Los Angeles and most of southern California on Wednesday as one of the worst Christmas storms in recent memory brought heavy rain and fears of deadly mudslides. Driven by an atmospheric river known as "the Pineapple Express," which »»»

This year was full of truly remarkable moments, yet, some of them stand out as truly significant milestones. Some pivotal, history-making events that will remain in all of our memories for years to come are: the high-stakes Putin-Trump summit in Alaska, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Sov»»»

Speaking at the IV People’s Kurultai, President Sadyr Japarov said that, according to the International Monetary Fund, Kyrgyzstan ranked among the world’s top three countries in terms of real GDP growth in 2024. He stressed that this is clear evidence of the effectiveness of the country’s economic »»»

At the Torugart border veterinary control checkpoint in Kyrgyzstan’s Naryn region, 21,800 kilograms of beef transported from Pakistan via China were denied entry into the country, the Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture and Processing Industry reported. According to the ministry, the shipment »»»

Israeli authorities announced on Thursday the arrest of an Israeli man on suspicion of committing security offenses under the direction of Iranian intelligence agents, days after Tehran executed an Iranian accused of spying for Israel. The arrest is the latest in a series of cases in which Israel h»»»

The technical analysis of the recovered black boxes from a jet crash that killed eight people, including western Libya’s military chief, began as the investigation proceeded in cooperation with Libyan authorities, the Turkish Ministry of Defense said Thursday. The private jet with Gen. Muhammad Ali»»»

«Kyrgyzstan possesses enormous natural resources in terms of water resources, so we have a special responsibility to preserve them,» President Sadyr Japarov said at the People’s Kurultai. However, he noted that global climate change is increasing pressure on water resources worldwide. «Global warmi»»»

The Speaker of the Zhogorku Kenesh (Parliament) of Kyrgyzstan at the 4th People’s Kurultai expressed concern: young people are increasingly using artificial intelligence in their schoolwork, which could negatively impact their knowledge. In this regard, Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu stated the need to d»»»

Tu Meri MainTera Main Teri Tu MeriDirector: Sameer VidwansCast: Ananya Panday, Kartik Aaryan, Neena Gupta, Jackie Shroff★★Dubai: I went into Tu Meri, Main Tera, Main Tera, Tu Meri with the cautious optimism one reserves for Bollywood rom-coms. Maybe it would be frothy. Maybe it would be charming. M»»»

Head of the Secretariat of the People’s Kurultai, Myktybek Abdyldaev, spoke about the number of appeals submitted by delegates and how they are being implemented. «Over 2023–2024, we processed 5,900 appeals received from delegates of the People’s Kurultai. Of these, 3,026 appeals were worked throug»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Over 90% of Ukrainians rate the level of corruption in the country as high, and almost 40% believe Volodymyr Zelensky was part of a corrupt scheme within his inner circle, a poll conducted by center for social and marketing research SOCIS showed. According to the poll, 54.8% of r»»»

The Sharjah Literature Festival will return for its second edition in 2026 with a rich line-up of workshops, author talks, performances, events, and panel discussions. It will run between Jan 5 and 11 at the University City Hall Square in Sharjah, under the theme ‘A Community Woven by Tales’. A num»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian rocket Soyuz-2.1b will put 52 satellites into orbit from the Vostochny Cosmodrome located in Russia's eastern Amur Region during the final launch of 2025, Russian state space corporation Roscosmos said on Thursday. "Fifty-two satellites will start off on the Soyuz-2.1b la»»»

Israeli authorities announced on Thursday the arrest of an Israeli man on suspicion of committing security offences under the direction of Iranian intelligence agents, days after Tehran executed an Iranian accused of spying for Israel. The arrest is the latest in a series of cases in which Israel h»»»

Dubai: NBCC (India) Ltd has entered the Dubai property market with a Dh15 million land purchase, marking a rare overseas real estate investment by an Indian state-owned firm and signalling a shift toward global diversification. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The deal »»»

Dubai: Pakistan Association Dubai (PAD) has been awarded Gold at the prestigious Ethraa Empowerment Program for Non-Profit Organisations, recognising its outstanding contributions to governance, service quality, and community impact. The award was presented by Hessa Essa Buhumaid, Director General »»»

Turkish authorities say they have disrupted planned attacks on Christmas and New Year's events after arresting more than 100 suspected members of the so-called Islamic State group. Mass raids were carried out at 124 addresses across Istanbul, the capital's chief prosecutor said, with firearms, ammu»»»

Two Lebanese citizens were martyred on Thursday in an Israeli strike on Hermel in eastern Lebanon as the Israeli enemy proceeded attacks in the country’s south in violation of the 2024 ceasefire. Al-Manar correspondent in Bekaa reported Israeli drone strike that targeted a passenger van at Al-Nasir»»»

Dubai: Dubai Airport Freezone welcomed AWOT Global Logistics Corporation's new regional headquarters Thursday, cementing the emirate's pull as a logistics powerhouse for one of the world's top 10 air freight companies. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.AWOT, ranked ninth»»»

New York: Days after Ghislaine Maxwell asked a judge to immediately free her from a 20-year prison sentence, the public release of grand jury transcripts from her sex trafficking case returned the spotlight to victims whose allegations helped land her behind bars. The disclosure of the transcripts »»»

Los Angeles: Flash flood warnings were in effect in Los Angeles and most of southern California on Wednesday as one of the worst Christmas storms in recent memory brought heavy rain and fears of deadly mudslides. Driven by an atmospheric river known as “the Pineapple Express,” which moves heavy moi»»»

Doha: Hat-trick hero Rafa Mujica attributed self-belief as the key factor for Al Sadd SC’s dramatic 4-2 comeback win over Shabab Al Ahli in their AFC Champions League Elite tie at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium on Tuesday. Trailing 2-0 following goals from Federico Cartabia and Yahya Al Ghassani, Al »»»

Imani Dia Smith, a Broadway actor best known for playing Young Nala in the stage adaptation of The Lion King, was stabbed to death at her residence in New Jersey on Sunday, December 21. She was 25. According to a press release issued by the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office, authorities responde»»»

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi sought on Thursday to ease market concerns over her expansionary fiscal policy, saying the government's draft budget maintains discipline by limiting reliance on debt. There has been growing investor unease about fiscal expansion under Takaichi's administratio»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatari weightlifter Sarah Al-Qubaisi made a striking debut at the combined Qatar International Cup, Arab Championship, and West Asian Championship, currently underway at the Ezdan Palace Hotel until December 27. Competing in the women’s 77 kg category, she lifted 60 kg in the snatch an»»»