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»»»

A Syrian refugee family that resettled in the West Midlands shares how they found kinship in the friendship of strangers. Khaled loved his job working at the department of water management in Syria. His wife, Bushra, spent her days teaching primary school children, while evenings were for maqluba a»»»

The leader of Ansarullah, Sayyed Abdulmalik Badreddine Al-Houthi, warned of what he described as “the Tyrant of the Age,” calling it the most dangerous and unjust force in human history. Speaking on the occasion of the Friday of Rajab, Sayyed A-Houthi said the Tyrant of the Age—embodied by global Z»»»

Across the United States, Democrats and Republicans are demanding that their leaders come clean with the Epstein files and the truth finally be told. What they are getting instead is a massive redaction campaign. Not since 1998 with the Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky show trial has the American p»»»

Riyadh: The GCC condemned today in the strongest terms the explosion that took place at a mosque in the Syrian city of Homs and led to several casualties and injuries. GCC Secretary-General Jasem Mohamed AlBudawi expressed, in a statement today, his strong condemnation and denunciation of the terro»»»

Mecca , Dec. 26 (SANA)The Muslim World League condemned the terrorist bombing that targeted the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque in the city of Homs, affirming its full solidarity with Syria in confronting all threats to its security and stability.“We denounce this terrorist crime, whose perpetrators »»»

Baghdad , Dec. 26 (SANA) Iraq strongly condemned the terrorist bombing that targeted the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque in the city of Homs, Syria, affirming its support for regional and international efforts aimed at eradicating terrorism and drying up its sources.In a statement published on its of»»»

Former Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Razak was sentenced Friday to 15 years in prison for money laundering and abuse of power in the 1MDB scandal. File Photo by Ismael Mohamad/UPI | License Photo Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Former Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak was found guilty Friday of abuse of pow»»»

Israeli police pictured in September secure the entrance to the King Hussein Bridge Border Crossing. On Friday, an assailant allegedly ran over a 68‑year‑old man in Beit Shean before driving to Ein Harod, where he fatally stabbed an 18‑year‑old woman and injured a teenager. File Photo by Debbie Hil»»»

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, »»»

An explosion has killed at least eight people and injured 18 others during Friday prayers inside a mosque in the Syrian city of Homs, the health ministry has said. Pictures from Syria's state-run news agency, Sana, show the inside of the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque with black, scorched walls, sma»»»

Ukraine is a “viper’s den” rife with corruption, Hunter Biden, the son of former US President Joe Biden, has said, as he reflected on his time as a board member of the Ukrainian energy company Burisma. Hunter Biden was hired by Burisma in 2014, when his father served as vice president in the Obama »»»

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»»»

Skopje, 26 December 2025 (MIA) — There will be a serious crisis and a serious rise in poverty in 2026, much worse than in 2025, SDSM leader Venko Filipche told a press conference Friday. According to him, the state will need to borrow at least an additional 2 billion euros for expenses and not for »»»

Cabinet approved Friday a long-awaited banking draft bill that would distribute losses from the 2019 economic crisis. Thirteen ministers voted in favor of the financial gap law amid the objection of nine ministers: three Lebanese Forces ministers, two Hezbollah ministers, Kataeb minister Adel Nassa»»»

Skopje, 25 December 2025 (MIA) - The fight for a higher standard of life and lowering the unemployment rate is one of the Government's top priorities. We are in the stage of confirming three foreign investments worth up to EUR 120 million and opening of over 1,500 jobs, said Prime Minister Hristija»»»

Seoul government vows to triple fines for corporate data leaks. Shinhan Card headquarters in Seoul. The company has reported massive data leaks. Photo by Yonhap SEOUL, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Shinhan Card, one of the country's top credit card issuers, reported a massive data leak Tuesday. The Seoul-based »»»

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»»»

Tripoli, Libya: The Libyan Interior Ministry said on Thursday that the Turkish chief public prosecutor and a Libyan committee investigating the crash of a plane carrying Libyan military officials have agreed to send the aircraft's black box to Germany for technical analysis. In a statement, the min»»»

Assen Vassilev, leader of Continue the Change (CC) party, said during a meeting with supporters here on Friday that Bulgaria cannot become a normal country while decisions are made through “phone calls” rather than by observing the law. Vassilev emphasized the need to appoint politically neutral le»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia will repurpose advanced materials and alloys used in the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile and Poseidon underwater drone for civilian use, including in the energy and space industries, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov said. "Of course, we will leverage»»»

The US launched airstrikes against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) terrorists in Nigeria on Christmas Day, President Donald Trump has announced, accusing the militants of “viciously killing” Christians. Boko Haram, an Islamist militant group whose name means ‘(Western) books are forbidden,’ pledg»»»

At least eight people died and 18 wounded in a blast that struck a mosque in an Alawite neighbourhood of the Homs province in Syria on Friday, according to local officials. At least eight people were killed in an explosion ⁠at a mosque of the Alawite minority sect in the Syrian city of Homs on Frid»»»

Abu Dhabi: Al Ain City Municipality has launched a new project to collect and analyse data on road conditions using smart technology. The aim is to improve road quality across the city and nearby areas, boost efficiency, and support long-term sustainability. Engineer Rashid Hamad Al Nuaimi, Directo»»»

Moscow has made a "proposal" to France concerning the case of researcher Laurent Vinatier, who has been imprisoned in Russia since June 2024, the Kremlin said Thursday. Vinatier was sentenced by a Russian court to three years in prison for allegedly failing to register as a "foreign agent" but»»»

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»»»

Israeli security forces announced on Thursday the arrest of five Israeli settlers over their alleged involvement in an attack on a Palestinian home that injured a baby girl in the occupied West Bank. The eight-month-old infant suffered "moderate injuries to the face and head" in the late Wednesday »»»

South Korean prosecutors on Friday sought a ten-year prison sentence for former President Yoon Suk Yeol, accusing him of obstruction of justice after his attempt to impose martial law last winter. The suspension of civil rule led to massive protests and weeks of political chaos in South Korea.»»»

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»»»

Geneva: The United Nations said the presidential election race in Guinea had been marked by intimidation, and urged authorities to ensure there was no fear or repression in Sunday's voting. "Ahead of Sunday's presidential election in Guinea, the civic and political space has been severely restricte»»»

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu speaks at U.N. Headquarters on September 19, 2023, in New York City. Nigeria's foreign minister said Tinubu gave the go-ahead on U.S. strikes on ISIS targets in his country. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo Dec. 26 (UPI) -- Nigerian President Bola Tinu»»»

A major Gaza hospital has suspended several services because of a critical fuel shortage in the devastated Palestinian territory, which continues to face a severe humanitarian crisis, it said. Devastated by more than two years of war, the Al-Awda Hospital in the central Gaza district of Nuseirat ca»»»

Syrian Kurdish leader Mazloum Abdi said that "all efforts" were being made to prevent the collapse of talks on an agreement with Damascus to integrate his forces into the central government. The remarks came days after Aleppo saw deadly clashes between the two sides before their respective leaders »»»

The year 2025 entered Bulgaria’s political history as one marked by the collapse of a regular government under public pressure and by decisive steps toward eurozone membership, according to BTA. After a prolonged cycle of early parliamentary elections, a cabinet led by Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazk»»»

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»»»

Twenty-two years have passed since the deadly attack in the Iraqi city of Karbala that claimed the lives of five Bulgarian servicemen. A truck bomb rammed into Camp India, where the Bulgarian contingent was stationed, killing Georgi Kachorin, Ivan Indjov, Svilen Kirov, Nikolay Saryev and officer ca»»»

It's been a rollercoaster of a year for U.S. trade policy. President Donald Trump launched a barrage of new tariffs in 2025, plunging the U.S. into trade wars with nearly every country in the world. Volley after volley of threats and steeper import taxes often arrived erratically — with Trump claim»»»

Two people have been killed in what police say was a "rolling terror attack" in northern Israel. Police said the attacker ran over a pedestrian in the eastern city of Beit Shean, then drove on before stabbing a woman near Ein Harod, about 8 miles (12.5km) to the west. The attacker was shot and woun»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Unfriendly countries were forced to acknowledge the impossibility of inflicting a "strategic defeat" on Russia and switched to calling for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday. "[Russia's] firm defense of its national interests in relatio»»»

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 »»»

Abu Dhabi: The Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) has launched a pilot project using artificial intelligence and satellite imagery to identify illegal waste dumping across the Emirate. The initiative aims to improve waste management, strengthen environmental monitoring, and redefine oversight thr»»»

Abu Dhabi: Liwa Village, part of the Liwa International Festival, has added a new attraction with the launch of Go Water Kart, a water-based racing experience making its debut this year. The activity offers visitors a chance to race on water, combining speed and competition in an unusual setting. T»»»

Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has announced that he will meet with US President Donald Trump “in the near future.” While Zelensky did not provide details about the meeting’s timing and location, Axios reporter Barak Ravid has claimed it could happen at the end of the week in Florida. Writing on Teleg»»»

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. »»»

Khan Yunis, Palestinian Territories: A major Gaza hospital has suspended several services because of a critical fuel shortage in the devastated Palestinian territory, which continues to face a severe humanitarian crisis, it said. Devastated by more than two years of war, the Al-Awda Hospital in the»»»

A man was arrested on Friday after attacking workers at a tyre factory in central Japan, leaving 15 people injured, authorities said. Eight people were stabbed, while seven others were hurt after a chemical believed to be bleach was thrown during the assault. The incident took place at a Yokohama R»»»

Abu Dhabi City Municipality has announced that the popular camping spot Al Wathba Lake will be temporarily closed to visitors for routine maintenance. The municipality said on its social media that the lake will be closed on Monday, December 29, from 12:30 pm to 7:00 pm. It will reopen after 7:00 P»»»

An Israeli reservist soldier rammed his vehicle into a Palestinian man as he prayed on a roadside in ​the occupied West Bank on Thursday, after earlier firing shots in the area, the Israeli military said. "Footage was received of an armed individual running over a Palestinian individual," it said i»»»