By Andrew Latham, Professor of Political Science, Macalester College The plural of "axis" is "axes," apparently. And foreign policy types with axes to grind have been making good use of this other meaning, too. Earlier this year, academic Walter Russell Mead warned in his Wall Street Journal column»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, HE Dr. Mohammed bin Abdulaziz bin Saleh Al Khulaifi met on Tuesday with Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, HE Shirley Ayorko Botchwey, who is visiting the country. During the meeting, the two sides discussed avenues of cooperati»»»

Hamas sources say negotiations over the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement have entered a “more serious” stage, amid intensified efforts by mediators and growing US pressure on Israel to advance the process. The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Hamas is awaiting confirmation from mediato»»»

Only 30% of farmers managed to obtain European or national funding this year, while 70% did not access any type of support, either due to bureaucracy, complex eligibility requirements, or a lack of human and financial resources to prepare projects, according to the 2025 White Paper on Agriculture, »»»

Romania has considerable farming resources, being the fifth farming area in EU and one of the biggest cereal producers. However, it is faced by high value losses in the domestic chain, according to an analysis made by Deloitte Romania upon the request of Concordia Owners Confederation. The study an»»»

The retail trade turnover (except for trade in motor vehicles and motorcycles) recorded a 1% increase as a gross series in the first ten months of this year compared with the same period in 2024, according to data the National Institute of Statistics (INS) released on Friday.According to the same s»»»

The quantities sold by the soft drinks industry have registered a dropping trend since 2024, amplified as of August 2025. The 10% increase of excises in April 2026 will have a significant impact on the competitivenes of companies, said Alice Nichita, the president of the National Association for So»»»

Bulgaria, Greece and Romania signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Brussels on Wednesday, December 3, setting in motion one of the most important regional infrastructure projects in recent years: the rapid development of the transport axis that will connect the Aegean Sea to the Black Sea, accord»»»

Incomes from excises on alcoholic beverages remain 4% below those of 2024, in the first ten months of 2025, despite the 15% increase of excises, according to a Spirits Romania press release. Spirits Romania is an association including producers and importers of alcoholic beverages in Romania. The a»»»

Passenger air transport went up by 8.2% in the first 9 months of 2025, compared to the same period of 2024, from 19,812,900 to 21,446,200 passengers, according to centralized data of the National Statistics Institute. The highest levels in passenger transport was recorded on the airports: Henri Coa»»»

President Nicusor Dan has enacted the “Nordis Law,” which protects buyers of new homes by differentially limiting the down payments required by developers before construction is completed. It also requires that purchase promises be recorded in the Land Registry. “I have signed today the decree prom»»»

Romania’s modern retail market continues to expand, exceeding the threshold of 5 million square metres of leasable retail space in 2025, according to Colliers data. The approximately 190,000 square metres delivered this year have further consolidated a stock still heavily concentrated in Bucharest »»»

In the first ten months of this year, the arrivals in the establishments of tourists' reception, including apartments and rooms for rent, declined by 1.9% compared with the same period of 2024, while the overnight stays dropped by 1.1%, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INS) data p»»»

The number of holiday vouchers issued in the first ten months of this year was almost 65% lower than the same period in 2024, and the number of vouchers paid for registered a 27.5% reduction, according to data centralized by a tour operator based on information provided by the Ministry of Finance.I»»»

New car registrations in Romania showed an upward trend in November, rising by 36% compared to the same period in 2024, according to preliminary data from the General Directorate for Driving Licences and Vehicle Registration (DGPCI), analysed by the Romanian Association of Automobile Manufacturers »»»

Abu Dhabi: UAE-based Arabian Gulf Investment, headquartered in Abu Dhabi, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding, MoU, with the Chinese company Green Harbor Investment (GHI). The MoU signing took place today at the Mandarin Emirates Palace Hotel. Under this MoU, both parties intend to cooperate i»»»

KUWAIT, Dec 9 (KUNA) -- The State of Kuwait prioritizes the dignity of the elderly, making it one of the pillars of the state's human rights policies, said Assistant Kuwait Foreign Minister for Human Rights Affairs Sheikha Jawaher Ibrahim Al-Duaij Al-Sabah on Tuesday.In a speech addressing a three-»»»

On December 6, 2025, citizen O.K. filed a report with the Department of Internal Affairs of Issyk-Ata district. He reported that in September 2025, citizen T.M., having gained his trust, fraudulently took 15 sheep from his home in the village of Tuz and had not returned them. As a result, the victi»»»

The Valdai Discussion Club conference "Security in Eurasia: From Concept to Practice" is taking place in Moscow, Russia. Sputnik is live from Moscow, where more than 40 participants from Russia, China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan will give expert views on the architecture of Eu»»»

On Dec. 9, 2014, a U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee report said the CIA's interrogation of terror suspects after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks was more brutal than it told the White House or public. The so-called "CIA torture report" called CIA tactics "deeply flawed." 1 of 6 | Sen. Dianne Feinstei»»»

Tunis, Dec. 9 (TAP) – The weather, on Tuesday morning, is foggy in the northern regions, with partial cloud cover in most areas.Winds will be light to moderate. They will blow from the north, according to forecasts from the National Institute of...»»»

Dubai: An accident on Emirates Road caused significant disruption to traffic today, with authorities urging motorists to exercise extreme caution in the affected area. The incident occurred on the major artery before the Fly Dubai building on the stretch heading towards Al Aweer, according to a tra»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Foundation’s Pre-University Education (PUE) and the American University of Beirut (AUB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together on developing teachers, strengthening school leadership, and promoting innovation in K–12 education. The agreement establishes a framework»»»

Dubai: The UAE government has issued a Federal Decree-Law amending key provisions of the Commercial Companies Law, marking another step in the ongoing modernisation of the country’s corporate framework. The update aims to strengthen the business environment, align legislation with global standards,»»»

Kyrgyzstan is actively implementing the national project «30+20+10», aimed at the full digitalization of the agricultural sector. On the initiative of the Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry, the previous «3+2» format was expanded to include a processing component. As »»»

Abu Dhabi: “We give too much importance to things that barely consume anyone else’s attention. Focus on your dreams, your growth, your legacy — not someone else’s post,” Priyanka Chopra Jonas told delegates on the second day of the Bridge Summit 2025. The global Bollywood icon, who has successfully»»»

Doha, Qatar: Qatar Foundation’s Pre-University Education (PUE) and the American University of Beirut (AUB) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to work together on developing teachers, strengthening school leadership, and promoting innovation in K–12 education. The agreement establishes a framework»»»

Doha: Building on the momentum of the innovative Qatar-Argentina and Chile 2025 Year of Culture, the initiative is launching a new legacy programme in partnership with renowned Qatari adventurer, entrepreneur, and television presenter Ali Bin Towar Al-Kuwari. From February 5 to 12, 2026, a select g»»»

Seoul, South Korea: South Korea's president, Lee Jae Myung and his team have started moving back into Seoul's historic Blue House, which his predecessor abandoned for being too "imperial", an official said Tuesday. The Blue House, known as Cheong Wa Dae in Korean, is named for the approximately 150»»»

Islamabad, Pakistan: Pakistan on Tuesday welcomed the release of a further $1.2 billion in loans from the International Monetary Fund to help its economic recovery and reforms programme, calling it evidence of "hard work" undertaken after two years of financial crisis. The IMF approved the funds at»»»

With the remains of one hostage still in Gaza, the first phase of the U.S.-brokered ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas is nearly complete, after a two-month process plagued by delays and finger-pointing. Now, the key players — including Israel, the Palestinian militant Hamas group, the U»»»

Romania ranks 41st out of 48 countries analysed in the PwC Workforce Hopes and Fears Survey 2025 regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI), with 44% of Romanian employees reporting they used AI in the past year, compared with an average usage rate of 57%.India and Vietnam top the list, at 8»»»

Almost two-thirds (62.5%) of workers who use digital work platforms in Romania engage in this type of activity on a regular basis, and over 43% devote more than 20 hours per week to it, according to data from a specialized survey processed by Monitorul Social, a project of Friedrich Ebert Romania. »»»

The Ministry of Finance (MF) launched on Monday, 8 December 2025, the twelfth edition this year of the Tezaur government bond programme, offering individuals a new opportunity to save under favourable conditions."Between 8 December 2025 and 9 January 2026, Romanians can invest in Tezaur government »»»

Public administration debt (government debt) rose in August 2025 to 1,084.25 billion lei, up from 1,070.18 billion lei in the previous month, according to data published by the Ministry of Finance (MF).As a percentage of GDP, government debt increased to 59.7%, from 58.9% in July (GDP according to »»»

Our main goal since the Paltinu crisis began has been to ensure the water supply for the affected localities, Minister of Environment, Waters and Forests Diana Buzoianu said on Monday in the plenary meeting of the Chamber of Deputies during "the Government's Question time in Parliament.""Since the »»»

The Senate approved on Monday the withdrawal from the legislative circuit of the bill submitted by a group of PNL parliamentarians regarding a "Golden Visa Romania" Residency by Investment Program, which would have offered citizens from states outside the EU/EEA/Swiss Confederation a temporary resi»»»

The Minister of Investments and European Projects, Dragos Pislaru, will notify the European Public Prosecutor's Office regarding the acquisition of electric minibuses for pupils, after irregularities were identified in the use of European funds, and will also send the findings of the checks carried»»»

The plenary of the Senate adopted on Monday the draft law regarding measures for the prevention and combating of anti-Semitism, Xenophobia, radicalisation and hate-speech in initial form, rejecting the objections formulated by president Nicusor Dan in his request for re-examination of the document,»»»

The Federal Minister of Defence of Germany, Boris Pistorius, will visit, on Tuesday, the 57th Air Base "Captain Aviator Constantin Cantacuzino" in Mihail Kogalniceanu, Constanta County, where he will meet with Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan.The meeting will also be attended by the Secretary of State f»»»

President Nicusor Dan is paying a visit to France and on Tuesday he will have a meeting with his counterpart Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace.The meeting is scheduled for 14:00 (Romania's time).Also on Tuesday, the Romanian head of state will meet representatives of French economic companies, M»»»

Sofia is set to welcome the annual Christmas Book Fair and the 13th International Literary Festival from December 9 to 14, 2025. The event will take place at the National Palace of Culture (NDK), as confirmed by the Bulgarian Book Association (ABK). In the festive period leading up to Christmas, mo»»»

On a rainy November night in 2025, as Ramallah groaned under an Israeli military assault just meters from the presidential compound, a senior Palestinian official smiled bitterly. “I don’t want to talk about Palestine,” he said. “Nor do I wish to repeat slogans about Israel being a colonial state w»»»

Israel's military said it carried out strikes on southern Lebanon on Tuesday, targeting a training compound and other sites operated by Hezbollah. "A short while ago, the IDF (Israeli military) struck infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization in several areas in southern Leba»»»

Bulgaria continues to show strong performance in retail trade, standing out among European Union countries, according to Eurostat data. While retail sales in the euro area and across the EU remained largely flat in October 2025, Bulgaria posted steady growth for the third consecutive month. In the »»»

BusinessUnited States of AmericaGoogle raises AI stakes as OpenAI struggles to stay on topInsa WredeGoogle's new Gemini 3 model challenges OpenAI's dominance in the global artificial intelligence (AI) race. As rivals invest billions and competition grows, OpenAI faces pressure to innovate — and fin»»»

Bangkok, Thailand: The Southeast Asian Games officially open in Bangkok on Tuesday with security for athletes tightened due to fresh border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia. The SEA Games run until December 20 in Bangkok and the nearby coastal province of Chonburi, with thousands of athletes f»»»

A new research has suggested that while starting the morning with a cup of coffee is essential to help kickstart your day, it could also be worsening chronic pain. A study by academics at Nicolaus Copernicus university in Poland has linked greater coffee consumption to higher pain levels in older a»»»

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday designated the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations as foreign terrorist organizations. File Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Dec. 9 (UPI) -- Florida has designated the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Rel»»»

Last week, Manjuri carried her husband's coffin from one town to another in India's northeast region, hoping to catch a flight that would take her hundreds of miles away - to Kolkata city - for his final farewell. But the difficult journey turned unbearable when delays by IndiGo, the country's larg»»»