Pakistan's former spy chief has been sentenced to 14 years in prison by a military court, on charges including violation of state secrets and interfering in politics. Faiz Hameed led Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency from 2019 to 2021, during the tenure of now-jailed former prime »»»

Israel said on Thursday that Hamas "will be disarmed" as part of the U.S.-sponsored peace plan for Gaza, after a top leader from the Islamist movement suggested a weapons freeze. "There will be no future for Hamas under the 20-point plan. The terror group will be disarmed and Gaza will be demilitar»»»

Ghana has deported three Israeli nationals who arrived in the country on Wednesday in what appears to be a tit-for-tat move over the alleged mistreatment of Ghanaian nationals at Ben Gurion International Airport in Israel. Seven Ghanaians, including four members of an official delegation attending »»»

The National Assembly adopted Thursday at first reading the revised 2026 Public Social Insurance Budget Bill with 122 votes in favour, 89 against, and none abstaining. It was supported by GERB-UDF, MRF – New Beginning, BSP – United Left, There Is Such a People (TISP), and three MPs not affiliated w»»»

BRUSSELS - European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday evening her meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Brussels had addressed Serbia's progress on the EU path and that Serbia could count on EU support on that path. In a post on X after the meeting with Vucic,»»»

Deadly clashes between Thailand and Cambodia intensified on Thursday along their disputed border, killing at least 19 and forcing more than half a million people to flee, as US President Donald Trump prepared to urge both sides to halt the fighting. Fighting raged Thursday along the border of Cambo»»»

The Trump administration is planning to appoint an American two-star general to command the International Stabilization Force in Gaza, Axios reported on Thursday, citing two US officials and two Israeli officials. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report. A United Nations Security Council r»»»

The US House of Representatives has passed a defense spending bill that would provide $800 million in military aid to Ukraine through 2027. The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was approved 312-122 on Wednesday and will now advance to the Senate, where it is expected to receive bipart»»»

A US federal appeals court has sided with the Pentagon in a landmark ruling that reinstates the Trump administration’s ban on transgender individuals serving in the military. In March, a judge appointed by former President Joe Biden blocked the ban, arguing that it likely violated constitutional pr»»»

US President Donald Trump has said Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky should be realistic about the course of the conflict with Russia and the need to hold elections. Zelensky, whose five-year presidential term expired in May 2024, has refused to call new elections, citing martial law. Russian Pres»»»

Bulgaria’s bagpipe tradition has received one of the highest international honors after being officially inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The decision was made during the 20th session of the Intergovernmental Committee, held in New Delhi, In»»»

The Tripoli based Libyan government held a meeting yesterday with a World Bank delegation from Washington, headed by the Regional Director for the Maghreb and Malta, Ahmedou Mustafa Ndiaye, and the World Bank Representative in Libya, Henriette Kaltenborn, along with several Bank experts. The Libyan»»»

The Sofia Directorate of the Interior Ministry (SDIM) detained 57 people for up to 24 hours during Wednesday’s anti-government protest in Sofia, SDIM Director Lyubomir Nikolov said, as quoted by the Sofia police on Thursday. The group included 22 youths under 18 years old and two kids under 14. Of »»»

Swiss authorities have formally charged a 43-year-old man with the murder of his wife, former Miss Switzerland finalist Kristina Joksimovic, whose remains were found dismembered and partially destroyed in their home in Binningen, near Basel, in February 2024. The Basel-Landschaft Public Prosecutor’»»»

Will history remember this as the day the planet started to rein in big tech? Australia is firing the first shot by banning under-16s from platforms and social media that include giants such as Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. We of course ask if rebellious teens will make light work of the ban. More»»»

The US Federal Reserve has lowered its benchmark rate by a quarter percentage point, to a range of 3.5%-3.75%. However, it signalled there will be fewer cuts going forward amid a cooling labour market and persistently high inflation. The vote was not unanimous, with two board members calling for ke»»»

Did you know that if bees – whose population has been on a steady decline since the 1960s – went extinct, we would lose much of our natural food? Fruits, nuts, and veggies depend on the trusty pollinators and without them, production would suffer immensely. The rather small bug casts a large shadow»»»

BEYOND Developments, the bold and design-led real estate developer shaping next-generation waterfront destinations in the UAE, today unveiled SIORA, its first beachfront masterplan on Dubai Islands and the company’s second large-scale community within a year. The launch underscores BEYOND’s acceler»»»

Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Kyrgyzstan Nurbek Abdiev met with Melissa Crawford, Director of the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Section at the U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan. The press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs reported. The meeting was also attended by »»»

BELGRADE - The Serbian dinar's official median exchange rate against the euro is 117.4123 dinars for one euro on Thursday, which is a slight change relative to Wednesday, the National Bank of Serbia said. The dinar is down by 0.2 pct against the euro m-o-m, by 0.4 pct y-o-y and by 0.3 pct relative »»»

BRUSSELS - Serbia is firmly committed to its strategic goal of EU membership and remains a dependable and responsible partner to the EU in all processes contributing to peace, stability and prosperity of our citizens, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in Brussels on Wednesday evening after at»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Russian armed forces have liberated the settlement of Liman in the Kharkov region, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday. "Battlegroup Sever have completed the liberation of the Liman settlement in the Kharkov region with active actions," the ministry said in a statem»»»

Tunis, Dec. 11 (TAP) – The University of Monastir and France's Grenoble Alpes University agreed to draft a framework convention of structured cooperation focused on health, biotechnology, bio-engineering techniques and renewables. The agreement was...»»»

A boat carrying migrants overturned early on Thursday on the Sava river in eastern Croatia, killing at least three people and injuring eight, officials said. The accident happened in the eastern town of Slavonski Brod, by the border with Bosnia. Migrants were apparently trying to cross the Sava Riv»»»

The Bishkek City Court has upheld the verdict previously handed down by the Sverdlovsky District Court against human rights defender Rita Karasartova, her relatives reported. In September of this year, the Sverdlovsky District Court found Karasartova guilty under Article 278 (Mass riots) and Articl»»»

As winter bites in Gaza, displaced Palestinians set out every day to homes destroyed by Israel. There they rip out iron rods from the walls and use them to prop up their flimsy tents or sell to scratch out a living in an enclave that will take years to recover from war. The rods have become a hot i»»»

Abu Dhabi: The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) has rolled out five new digital trade licence documents through the UAE PASS digital wallet, further strengthening the country’s shift towards paperless government services. The launch was carried out in partnershi»»»

Dubai: A new co-branded credit card from ADNOC Distribution, First Abu Dhabi Bank and Mastercard is set to give people across the UAE more ways to save on daily spending, from fuel and car care to groceries, parking and travel. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The ADNOC»»»

Firefighters work to rescue workers trapped under a collapsed structure at a library construction site in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Thursday. Photo by Yonhap A steel structure collapsed at a library construction site in the southwestern city of Gwangju on Thursday, killing one worker and »»»

The UAE government has issued a landmark Federal Decree-Law amending key provisions of the Civil Procedures Code, introducing inheritance courts, specialised tribunals, and an expanded appeals system to expedite justice and strengthen judicial oversight. Also Read: Federal Judiciary issues five reg»»»

Israeli enemy forces detonated a building under construction north of Mays al-Jabal southern Lebanon and targeted a house in Adaysah with a quadcopter drone early this morning, according to Al-Manar TV correspondent. In another attack, enemy forces targeted the roof of a building opposite a spring »»»

Dubai: “Villainism is the new heroism,” declares Malayalam dubbing artist Bhagyalakshmi, her voice sharp and unwavering, reflecting on the shocking acquittal of actor Dileep in the high-profile Kerala actor assault case. “There is no way a woman can celebrate such a verdict. Villainism and hooligan»»»

Toxic smog has blanketed Vietnam's capital for more than a week, blotting out the skyline and leaving residents wheezing as Hanoi's air quality dipped to among the world's worst on Thursday. The city of nine million ranked second only to India's New Delhi on IQAir's ranking of most polluted cities »»»

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: The State of Qatar participated in the proceedings of the 15th meeting of the Customs Union Authority of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which was held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The State of Qatar's delegation was headed by HE Chairman of the General Authority of»»»

Dubai: Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra — the restaurateur brothers who ran the Goa nightclub where 25 people were killed in a devastating fire — thought they had slipped out of India before the fallout could reach them. While firefighters were still battling the inferno at Arpora’s Birch by Romeo Lane, t»»»

Dubai: The Federal Tax Authority has outlined how companies must apply the sugar-based excise tax that replaces the flat 50 per cent levy on sweetened drinks from January 1, 2026. The guidance explains how tax rates will depend on sugar and sweetener levels in each beverage, offering retailers, imp»»»

Latakia, Dec.11 (SANA) A marketing exhibition featuring products made by working women opened Wednesday at the National Museum in Latakia, highlighting local handicrafts and initiatives to empower women economically. The event, organized with the participation of several craftswomen, showcased a wi»»»

NEW YORK (Sputnik), Lenka White - George Papadopoulos, a foreign policy advisor to the first Trump presidential campaign, in an interview with Sputnik stressed the importance of reviving relationship with Russia. "The United States uplifted sanctions because it understood what it means to deal at a»»»

US President Donald Trump reignited controversy by openly repeating his past slur about “shithole countries” at a Pennsylvania rally on Wednesday, underscoring a White House push to justify sweeping anti-immigrant policies and mass deportations. US President Donald Trump disputed having used the ep»»»

The UAE has tightened laws to combat use of narcotics, including imprisonment and heavy penalties for medical practitioners who misuse their authority to prescribe and dispense such drugs. It also mandates the deportation of foreign nationals convicted of narcotics offences following the completion»»»

Spain's PM on Thursday called on the international community to "raise its voice" to prevent the plight of Palestinians from being forgotten, during a meeting with Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also repeated Madrid's support for a two-state solution, descr»»»

Oil rose for a second straight session on Thursday after the US seized a sanctioned oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast, escalating tensions between the two countries and raising concern over further supply disruptions. Brent crude futures rose 27 cents, or 0.4%, to $62.48 a barrel by 0101 GMT, and US»»»

Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT) released preliminary data for the Industrial Production Index (IPI) for October 2025, reporting a strong 8.9 percent increase compared with the same month last year. The rise was supported by robust performance across most major economic acti»»»

DUBAI (Sputnik) - The first Russia-UAE Business Forum in Dubai concluded with the signing of a number of agreements between Russia and the United Arab Emirates, the forum's organizers told Sputnik. Organized by the Russia-Emirates Business Council (REBC) and the Roscongress Foundation with the supp»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Bitcoin enthusiasts, who had been praying for a Federal Reserve rate cut to rescue them from the worst crypto market in years, might have to tread with continued caution now that the central bank had turned “hawkish” after the easing, a veteran markets analyst said. “I’ve bee»»»

ANKARA (Sputnik) - Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Israel views Syria as a space for regional expansion, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet seeks to strengthen its influence in the Middle East by continuing the war in Gaza through various means. "Tel Aviv's actions »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The UK will spend 6 billion pounds (almost $8 billion) on the submarine construction program for AUKUS (the trilateral defense partnership between Australia, the UK and the US), the UK Ministry of Defense said in a statement. "Attack submarines and advanced military technology wi»»»

MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) - Venezuela accused the United States of committing an act of "international piracy" and called on the international community to condemn the seizure of its oil tanker by the US military, the country’s foreign ministry said. "The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela strongly denou»»»