Phnom Penh: Thailand and Cambodia agreed to an "immediate" ceasefire on Saturday, the two countries said in a joint statement, pledging to end weeks of deadly border clashes. At least 47 people were killed and more than a million displaced in three weeks of fighting with artillery, tanks, drones an»»»

Thailand and Cambodia have agreed to an immediate ceasefire, the defence ministers of the two countries said in a joint statement on Saturday. Both sides have agreed to freeze all troop movements and allow civilians living in border areas to return home, halting weeks of intense border clashes that»»»

After months of speculation over the trajectory of Egyptian-US relations, fueled by persistent talk of strain and an impending rift, a high-level meeting between President Donald Trump and President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in Sharm el-Sheikh reaffirmed the resilience of the strategic alliance between »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a New Year message to Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 27, praising Russia-DPRK ties as an “invincible and mighty” alliance, KCNA reported. Key points from the message: Kim extended “the warmest and sincerest greeting of best wishe»»»

Marat Nuraliev has been relieved of his post as Kyrgyzstan’s Ambassador to Qatar. The press service of the President reported. He was appointed to the position in December 2023. Prior to that, Marat Nuraliev served as Deputy Commander of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of th»»»

On Sunday, citizens of Guinea and the Central African Republic (CAR) will go to the polls to elect their presidents for terms of office of seven years. Both contests could, in theory, go on to run-off ballots. Yet in both, the incumbents are strong favourites, with observers predicting they will cl»»»

Dubai: Average freehold villa values in Dubai are now 206% higher than post-pandemic levels, according to data from ValuStrat, and stand 86% above the 2014 market peak. The figures highlight a market that has not only rebounded but also undergone a structural reset. Sign up for our daily business n»»»

On a patch of rough ground near the Irrawaddy River, aspiring member of parliament and retired Lieutenant-General Tayza Kyaw tries to muster some enthusiasm from his audience with a speech promising them better times. He is the candidate for the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), backed»»»

At least two people died in a stabbing and car ramming attack in northern Israel on Friday, Israeli police said. Both victims died from their injuries and the alleged attacker, a resident of the occupied West Bank, was injured and hospitalised. Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz quickly ordered m»»»

DOHA: The competitions of the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships Qatar 2025 officially got underway at Qatar University's Sports and Events Complex, where the tournament will continue until December 30. The championship brings together the world's elite chess players to compete for four titl»»»

FRANCE 24 heads north to the kingdom of Denmark. The Scandinavian country has been in the spotlight this year, holding the rotating presidency of the European Council from July to December and pushing forward its priorities such as migration and the energy transition – topics that we dive»»»

Doha: The competitions of the World Rapid and Blitz Chess Cup Qatar 2025 officially got underway today at Qatar University's Sports and Events Complex, where the tournament will continue until December 30. The championship brings together the world's elite chess players to compete for four titles i»»»

Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein flew to Russia on at least three occasions in the early 2000s, including traveling to the Far Eastern city of Khabarovsk together with former US President Bill Clinton, files published by the US Department of Justice have revealed. Last week, the DOJ uploaded »»»

With Donald Trump back in the Oval Office in early 2025, it took less than a year for his revamped “maximum pressure” campaign to set the pace for Iran. What began as an argument over reviving the nuclear deal quickly gave way to a far starker reality: war on Iranian soil, for only the second time »»»

Israel has become the first country to formally recognise Somalia's breakaway region of Somaliland as an independent nation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel intended to immediately expand cooperation in agriculture, health, and technology. Somaliland's president, Abdirahman Mohamed A»»»

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy plans to meet US President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on December 28 in what he is billing as a possible breakthrough meeting to end the war in Ukraine. The meeting comes as speculation swirls that Russian President Vladimir Putin may step down in favour of a»»»

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy plans to meet US President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago on December 28 in what he is billing as a possible breakthrough meeting to end the war in Ukraine. The meeting comes as speculation swirls that Russian President Vladimir Putin may step down in favour of a»»»

Israel on Friday formally recognized Somaliland as an "independent and sovereign state" and signed an agreement to establish diplomatic ties, as the region's leader hailed its first-ever official recognition. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "announced today the official recognition of the»»»

The US government has spent over $1.6 trillion this year on wasteful programs, such as teaching ferrets how to binge-drink alcohol and dosing dogs with cocaine, according to Senator Rand Paul’s latest annual ‘Festivus Report’. The Kentucky Republican’s 2025 edition notes a total of $1,639,135,969,6»»»

Doha, Dec. 26 (SANA) The State of Qatar condemned the terrorist bombing that targeted a mosque in the city of Homs, affirming its full solidarity with Syria in all measures taken to safeguard security. Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced, in a statement published on its official website, »»»

Marrakesh, Morocco: Veteran Knowledge Musona scored as Zimbabwe came from behind to draw 1-1 with Angola in Marrakesh on Friday as the second round of Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) group matches kicked off. Gelson Dala put Angola ahead midway through the first half and recalled Musona levelled deep»»»

DOHA: The State of Qatar expressed its condemnation and denunciation of the terrorist bombing that targeted a mosque in the city of Homs in the sisterly Syrian Arab Republic, which resulted in deaths and injuries. The State of Qatar also affirmed its full solidarity with the Syrian government in al»»»

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky has said he will meet US President Donald Trump in Florida at the weekend, as talks continue on ending Russia's full-scale war. Zelensky said he expected the meeting to take place on Sunday and to focus on a US-brokered 20-point peace plan, as well as separate proposals»»»

BELGRADE - The Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija said on Friday Serb Sladjan Trajkovic had been sentenced to ten years in prison by a Pristina court without evidence or witnesses and noted that the ruling was a part of a broader plan aimed at intimidating the Serbs and expelling them fr»»»

President Donald Trump (R) escorts Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to a meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, on August 18. Zelensky confirmed he'll have another meeting with Trump in the coming days. File Photo by Aaron Schwartz/UPI | License Photo Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Ukrainian Preside»»»

Doha, Qatar: The State of Qatar expressed its strong condemnation and denunciation of the terrorist bombing that targeted a mosque in the city of Homs in the sisterly Syrian Arab Republic, resulting in deaths and injuries. In this context, Qatar affirmed its full solidarity with the Syrian governme»»»

Malaysia's High Court on Friday found former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak guilty of all 21 counts of money laundering related to the sprawling corruption scandal involving Malaysia's sovereign wealth fund 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB). This conviction is likely to add years to the pri»»»

Dubai: Dubai welcomed 17.55 million overnight visitors between January and November 2025, up 5% from the same period last year, according to the Dubai Economic and Tourism Department numbers. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The steady rise comes despite a more cautious»»»

Dubai’s Event Security Committee (ESC) has confirmed that all security, organisational, and service preparations are in place for New Year’s Eve 2026, ensuring the celebrations uphold Dubai’s reputation for world-class events. The announcement was made at a press conference at Dubai Civil Defence h»»»

Phnom Penh: Thailand's prime minister expressed hope on Friday for a ceasefire with Cambodia, even as Phnom Penh accused the Thai military of intensifying its bombardment of disputed border areas. Anutin Charnvirakul said Thailand's National Security Council had agreed to send the country's defence»»»

Beijing imposed sanctions on Friday against 20 U.S. defense-related companies and 10 executives, a week after Washington announced large-scale arms sales to Taiwan. The sanctions entail freezing the companies' assets in China and banning individuals and organizations from dealing with them, accordi»»»

Tunis, Dec. 26 (TAP) - The Criminal Chamber of the Tunis Court of Appeal decided on Friday to postpone the consideration of the so-called "Instalingo case" until January 9, 2026, in response to a request by the defence, a judicial source said.The...»»»

Islamabad: UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Pakistani Prime Minister His Excellency Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif held talks today on strengthening cooperation between the UAE and Pakistan, particularly in the fields of economy, investment, and development, in a way that »»»

Thailand carried out air strikes on a disputed border area with Cambodia on Friday, as officials from both sides continued talks to try to end fighting. The Thai Air Force said it had hit a Cambodian "fortified military position" after civilians had left the area. Cambodia's defence ministry accuse»»»

The Russian ruble surged 44% against the dollar in 2025, becoming the world’s best performing currency, being only beaten by gold (72%) and silver (159%) prices amongst the major traded commodities, The Bell reported on December 24. »»»

PRISTINA - A basic court in Pristina on Friday sentenced Kosovo-Metohija Serb Sladjan Trajkovic to ten years in prison for an alleged war crime against civilians in the area of the Vucitrn municipality during the 1999 conflict in Kosovo-Metohija. Trajkovic, a resident of Kosovska Mitrovica, was als»»»

The Kremlin has analyzed the information received from Special Envoy Kirill Dmitriev following his trip to the US. Russia and the US have agreed to continue their dialogue on Ukraine, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirming the meeting between Russian and US representatives. The contact,»»»

Dubai Police Headquarters has revealed the official location maps for the city’s New Year’s Eve 2026 fireworks, highlighting 48 displays across 40 venues across the emirate. The events will be held under the supervision of the Security Industry Regulatory Agency (SIRA), in coordination with relevan»»»

Damascus, Dec. 26 (SANA) A Syrian Foreign Ministry official source said Friday that repeated statements by SDF about Syria’s unity contradict the situation in the country’s northeast, where administrative, security, and military institutions operate separately out of the state, reinforcing division»»»

Mastercard, a leading technology company in the global payments industry, has established its Levant headquarters in Amman, Jordan, coming closer to partners in Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine. This follows the recent inauguration of its offices in Bahrain and Pakistan, said a statement. By est»»»

President Donald Trump said Thursday that the US had launched "precision hits on terrorist targets in Nigeria by air strikes". The claim came in a Christmas night social media post that offered few details, though US Africa Command later confirmed the strikes were conducted at the request of Nigeri»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - US special envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner see opportunities in restoring economic ties with Russia to enrich US investors and stabilize Moscow's relations with Europe and Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal newspaper reported on Friday, »»»

Dubai is gearing up for New Year’s Eve 2026, with authorities confirming a comprehensive security and operational plan to manage crowds, traffic, and celebrations across the emirate. From massive deployments of police, civil defence, and medical teams to non-stop Metro services and 48 fireworks dis»»»

Islamabad: His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Friday arrived in Islamabad on an official visit to Pakistan. Sheikh Mohamed was received at Nur Khan Airbase by Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of Pakistan, along with a number of ministers and senior officials. Also Read: UAE stands in »»»

Dubai authorities have confirmed the full readiness of the security and operational plan for New Year’s Eve 2026 celebrations, ensuring public safety, smooth mobility, and seamless services across all major celebration sites. Also Read: NYE in Dubai: RTA announces road closures, Metro goes 43 hours»»»

Dubai authorities have confirmed the full readiness of the security and operational plan for New Year’s Eve 2026 celebrations, ensuring public safety, smooth mobility, and seamless services across all major celebration sites. The Event Security Committee, during a press conference at Dubai Civil De»»»

Throngs of feral cats emerge from the shade of parked trucks and bushes as soon as the familiar Subaru Forester pulls into a dump on Hawaii's Big Island. They run after the vehicle to a certain meal — a gravy train that might not be around much longer. A Hawaii County law set to take effect at the »»»

Delegates of the IV People’s Kurultai have concluded their speeches. President Sadyr Japarov noted that he recorded the statements of all 150 participants, and all proposals will be forwarded to members of the Cabinet of Ministers. The head of state responded to some of the suggestions. He agreed w»»»

Israeli occupation forces committed ten new violations of the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip since early Friday, local sources reported, further destabilizing the tenuous pause in the genocidal war. The violations included targeted demolitions and aerial attacks across the territory. In Gaza»»»