Riyadh: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on Monday departed Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. HH the Amir was seen off at King Khalid International Airport by HRH Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, who led the farewell delegation. Also pre»»»

Ras Al Khaimah Government Media Office (RAKGMO) today unveiled its pavilion at the first BRIDGE Summit, held at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre until December 10. The interactive showcase offers visitors a deep dive into the Emirate’s sustainable growth journey, media presence, and adoption of»»»

Damascus, Dec.8 (SANA) President Ahmad al-Sharaa said on Monday that the era of the deposed regime was a dark page in the history of our country, in which the tyrant held power for a time, but he soon fell, so that the lights of insight, good dialogue, and bridges of love and brotherhood could shin»»»

The National Council for Tripartite Cooperation (NCTC), which brings together the government, employers and trade unions, Monday approved the revised 2026 budget proposals for the State, the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and the public social insurance system. The Public Social Insurance Bu»»»

Tunis, Dec. 8 (TAP) - The stock market slipped 0.4% to 13,220 points on Monday in a volume of TND 11 million supported by two block transactions involving SOTUVER (TND 3.5 million) and TPR (TND 2.2 million), according to stockbroker Tunisie...»»»

A 40-year-old hiker has been found dead in Crete’s Aba Gorge following a prolonged and complex rescue operation that lasted nearly 24 hours. The man was reported injured in the remote gorge, located in the regional unit of Iraklio, but the combination of challenging terrain and strong water current»»»

Sharjah Police has been officially accredited under the first cycle of the “Child- and Family-Friendly Sharjah” programme, issued by the Child-Friendly Sharjah Office of the Sharjah Health Authority. Ongoing initiatives for children and familiesThe recognition honours the police force’s continuous »»»

Dubai: The two owners of the Goa nightclub where 25 people were killed in a fire fled India for Thailand just hours after the incident took place on Saturday night, Indian media said, citing police officials. A search had been underway for the accused, identified as Gaurav and Saurabh Luthra. Accor»»»

The Bulgarian government has approved the draft State Budget Act for 2026 together with the Updated Medium-Term Budget Forecast for 2026–2028, which outlines the fiscal policies, macroeconomic assumptions and investment priorities for the next three years. The documents form the foundation of next »»»

Speaking at today’s live-streamed session on ‘‘Financial Rebalancing and Addressing the Foreign Exchange Deficit’’ at the 6th Banking Sector Development Forum held in Tunis from 7 to 8 December, panellists agreed that 2.4 million working in the state sector is indeed a big burden on the budget with»»»

IBM CEO Arvind Krishna pictured in October during a Diwali celebration in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C. "With the acquisition of Confluent, IBM will provide the smart data platform for enterprise IT, purpose-built for AI," Krishna said Monday. Photo by Allison Robbert/UPI |»»»

A CDC panel voted on Friday to end a universal recommendation for newborns to receive the hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth, instead recommending shared decision-making to determine when or if a baby will start the three-shot series. File Photo by BIll Greenblatt/UPI | License Photo Dec.»»»

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said a second phase of the US-brokered plan to end the war in Gaza is close - but that key issues still need to be resolved. Under the second phase of President Donald Trump's plan, Israel should withdraw its troops further from Gaza as a transitional »»»

Nominees for the 2026 Golden Globe Awards have been announced and “One Battle After Another” is this year's leading nominee. Here's the list of who's nominated for this year's awards, which will be held Jan. 11 at the Beverly Hilton. Nikki Glaser will host the ceremony, according to Reuters. MOVIES»»»

BELGRADE - Some exchange offices have experienced only temporary euro shortages due to citizens’ heightened demand for the currency, but this indicates no problem whatsoever when it comes to the supply of euros and other foreign currencies in the Serbian FX market, the National Bank of Serbia (NBS)»»»

China exported over $1 trillion worth of goods more than it imported for January through November, a record amount that is increasingly seen as untenable by the country's Western trading partners. We take a closer look. Also in this edition: Netflix's acquisition of Warner Bros. faces regulatory hu»»»

The JPMorgan Chase has hired Todd Combs of Berkshire Hathaway to lead Chase's Strategic Investment Group. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo Dec. 8 (UPI) -- JPMorgan Chase announced Monday that Todd Combs will leave Berkshire Hathaway to lead the $10 billion Strategic Investment Group»»»

The National Center for Wildlife (NCW), in cooperation with the Royal Commission for AlUla, has released 37 wildlife species into Hegra Reserve as part of ongoing breeding and reintroduction programs aimed at restoring natural habitats, enriching biodiversity, supporting ecological balance, and pro»»»

A draft annual US military budget unveiled by lawmakers on Sunday includes $400 million in assistance for Ukraine, despite President Donald Trump’s insistance that Washington no longer finance Kiev’s war effort. The proposed National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2026, which brin»»»

Dubai: In his first public remarks as Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir on Monday described the formation of the new CDF Headquarters as a “historic” step, saying it would significantly improve coordination between Pakistan’s three armed services — t»»»

The Ministry of Local Government reported that the National Afforestation Campaign for the 2025-2026 season was launched last Saturday (6 December), from the Ghout al-Rumman Reserve in Tajoura. The campaign aims to plant 26,000 tree saplings in 30 different locations across the country. The launch »»»

The 2026 budget bill and the draft budgets of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) and the Public Social Insurance for 2026 have been submitted to the National Assembly, according to a check by BTA on the Parliament’s website on Monday. Earlier in the day, the three bills were approved by the »»»

Seventy-nine percent of Roma live in overcrowded housing compared to 34% of the total Bulgarian population, experts said on Monday at a national roundtable dedicated to the findings on the situation of Roma in Bulgaria from the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights Study. The event was organized by the »»»

Defense spending is set to triple from $900M to $2.78B by 2026—despite Estonia facing a multi-year recession and the euro area’s highest rate of inflation, reports Bloomberg. This sum amounts to over 5% of GDP—the highest in Europe Most of that spending goes to foreign weapons like US HIMARS, but E»»»

Leonardo DiCaprio's latest film One Battle After Another is leading the charge into Hollywood's award season, after receiving nine nominations for this year's Golden Globes on Monday. The movie, about the kidnap of a former revolutionary's daughter, is nominated for best musical/comedy film - while»»»

U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus welcomed Lebanon’s move to name a civilian representative in the Mechanism ceasefire committee, but President Joseph Aoun lamented to her the violent Israeli strikes that targeted residential buildings in south Lebanon the next day, a media report said. Aoun said what happ»»»

Contacts are underway between Baabda and Washington to arrange an official visit by President Joseph Aoun to the White House to meet with President Donald Trump at the beginning of the new year, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Monday. Aoun is scheduled to visit the Sultanate of Oman on Tuesday »»»

Doha: The annual Geminid meteor shower is approaching its peak, and skywatchers in Qatar will have an excellent opportunity to witness it on the night of December 13 at Al Kharrara in Al Wakrah. Known as one of the most reliable and visually impressive meteor showers of the year, the Geminids are a»»»

BusinessJapanWhy Japan's economic woes spark global market concernSrinivas MazumdaruJapan's PM Sanae Takaichi wants to spend big to boost sluggish growth, despite the country's already huge debt load. With bond yields already rising, a sudden spike could shock the financial world well beyond Japan.»»»

Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith speaks at the Department of Justice Headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. She announced her resignation from the department on Monday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Pamela Smith, chief of the Metropolitan Police D»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Amir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, and his brother Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia HRH Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, co-chaired the eighth meeting of the Qatari-Saudi Coordination Council today at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh.»»»

Abu Dhabi: BRIDGE Summit 2025 opened on Wednesday in the UAE capital with a scale and ambition rarely seen in the global media industry. With thousands attending in person and many more watching online, the three-day event began with a powerful message: the world is entering a new media age, and sh»»»

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, and Emir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani witnessed the signing of an agreement to implement a high-speed electric passenger railway project connecting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the State o»»»

Dubai: Many UAE-based Indians planning trips home for the wedding season are reassessing how much real gold they can safely carry. Jewellery remains central to family celebrations, but the discomfort of customs checks continues to cast a shadow over what should be a festive journey. Sign up for our»»»

The mother of the two-year-old boy who was mauled to death by his family’s pit bull terrier at his home in Zakynthos has suggested that hunters using whistles and guns in nearby woods spooked the dog into attacking her son. The 32-year-old Briton told the Daily Mail that her son was killed in “less»»»

The US Supreme Court on Monday is hearing a case that could have major implications for the independence of federal agencies long shielded from the White House. The case, called Trump v Slaughter, stems from President Donald Trump's firing in March of Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, alongside another Demo»»»

Works of art by Henri Matisse pictured on display in April 2022 in New York City, N.Y. On Sunday, thieves made off with eight engravings by Matisse and at least five by Brazilian painter Candido Portinari after walking in the Biblioteca Mario de Andrade in Sao Paulo, Brazil. File Photo by John Ange»»»

A powerful earthquake struck off the coast of northern Japan on Monday, triggering a tsunami alert, the Japanese Meteorological Agency said. The agency said the magnitude 7.2 quake struck off the coast of Hokkaido, near the coastal city of Aomori with an epicenter about 50 kilometers (about 30 mile»»»

Iraq has shut down the entire oil production at Lukoil's West Qurna 2 oilfield, one of the world's largest, due to a leak on an export pipeline, two Iraqi energy officials told Reuters on Monday. Lukoil declared force majeure last month at West Qurna 2 as it was hit with sanctions alongside Rosneft»»»

Tech mogul Elon Musk has labelled the EU a new iteration of Nazi Germany following a massive fine imposed by the bloc on his social media platform X. Musk flung a series of fiery messages at the EU over the weekend after it fined X some €120 million ($140 million) for “breaching its transparency ob»»»

Greek food safety authorities have ordered the recall of a frozen beef patty after tests found the presence of Salmonella, the Hellenic Food Authority (EFET) said. The affected batch, code 31102025, with a use-by date of October 31, 2026, is produced by P. Kamaratou & Co. EFET’s Peloponnese Regiona»»»

BELGRADE - According to indicators available to date, Serbia's real GDP rose by around 2 pct y-o-y in the period between January and October 2025, says the latest issue of the MAT economic bulletin, a publication of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Serbia (PKS) and the Belgrade Institute of »»»

Voters come and go at a polling station in Tai Po in the New Territories on Sunday as the community mourns those killed in an inferno at the nearby Wang Fuk housing complex amid public calls for accountability and questions about how such a disaster could have occurred. Photo by May James/EPA Dec. »»»

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet US President Donald Trump on December 29 to discuss the next steps of the Gaza ceasefire, an Israeli government spokesperson said on Monday, Reuters reported. On Sunday, Netanyahu said that he will be discussing with Trump the second phase of a US»»»

The European Union is using legal tools to pressure social media platforms and steer public debate on politically sensitive topics, Portugal-based international law expert Alexandre Guerreiro has told RT. His comments came after the EU fined platform X €120 million ($140 million) last week for alle»»»

Sharjah: Sharjah Airport Authority (SAA) has approved a new series of scheduled passenger flights by Iran’s Caspian Airlines, marking a major expansion in air connectivity between the UAE and Iran. The move is expected to boost travel, tourism and trade, while giving passengers more direct options »»»

Paramount Skydance has made another offer to buy Warner Brothers Discovery as it seeks to trump a rival offer from Netflix to buy the company's studio and streaming networks. Paramount, which is backed by the billionaire Ellison family, said it was making a direct offer to shareholders of $30 per s»»»

The government has approved the 2026 Budget Bill and the Updated Medium-Term Budget Forecast 2026–2028, the government information service said on Monday. The 2026 budget has been aligned with Bulgaria’s first National Medium-Term Fiscal and Structural Plan for the period 2025–2028, which sets out »»»