The Council of Ministers adopted a decision approving the draft legislation on the budget of the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) for 2026, the press service of the Council of Ministers reported on Monday. Revenues and transfers of EUR 5.2885955 billion have been envisaged in the budget. Healt»»»

Tunis, Dec. 8 (TAP)- The weather is partly cloudy in most regions with local fog late on Monday night in the north and central eastern regions. The wind is blowing west in the north and the midland and east in the south, light to moderate. The sea...»»»

Refugees and migrants wait in the Tovarnik train station to board a train that will take them to Austria in 2015 in Croatia. Monday, the E.U. approved a plan to deport migrants to safe third countries. File Photo by Achilleas Savallis/UPI | License Photo Dec. 8 (UPI) -- The European Union will now »»»

Doha, Qatar: The Ministry of Transport (MoT) said that the high-speed electric rail project for the transportation of passengers between the State of Qatar and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a strategic step as part of the two countries’ effort to enhance cooperation and developmental complementari»»»

Dubai: Netflix’s planned $72 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. is one of the biggest entertainment deals ever announced. But for UAE viewers, the news raises immediate questions about content access, pricing, licensing and whether HBO favourites will finally appear on Netflix. Sign up for our dai»»»

X has barred the European Commission from running advertisements on the platform, accusing the bloc’s executive arm of attempting to misuse its systems. The move is the latest step in the growing dispute between the EU and Musk’s microblogging platform. Brussels recently fined X €120 million (about»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia will do everything to strengthen the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday. "We will certainly do everything to strengthen the organization," Putin said at a meeting with members of the Council of the CSTO Parliamen»»»

A major earthquake of 7.6 magnitude has hit Japan's north-eastern region, prompting tsunami warnings and orders to evacuate residents. The quake occurred at 23:15 (14:15 GMT) at a depth of 50km (31 miles), about 80km off the coast of the Aomori region, the Japan Meteorological Agency said, while wa»»»

Doha: Qatar has announced the launch of Qai, a national company specializing in artificial intelligence (AI), aimed at developing advanced digital ecosystems to support innovation and contribute to sustainable development. The new company is part of Qatar's broader strategy to strengthen a knowledg»»»

Doha: The Deputy Amir HH Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al-Thani, the Chairman of the Board of Regents of Qatar University (QU), chaired the second meeting of QU Board of Regents for the academic year 2025-2026, held at the Amiri Diwan on Monday. At the beginning of the meeting, the Board of Regents rev»»»

Abu Dhabi: At a time when news often breaks first on social platforms, BRIDGE Summit 2025 hosted a high-impact session examining how independent journalism is reshaping global influence. World-renowned football journalist Fabrizio Romano, who has over 70 million social media followers, joined moder»»»

A powerful 7.6-magnitude earthquake shook northeastern Japan late on Monday, prompting tsunami warnings and orders for about 90,000 residents to evacuate. The Japan Meteorological Agency said a tsunami as high as 3 meters (10 feet) could hit Japan's northeastern coast after the earthquake struck of»»»

Morocco will open a new deepwater Mediterranean port next year and another on the Atlantic in 2028, Equipment and Water minister Nizar Baraka said, as the North African country aims to replicate the success of Africa's largest port, Tanger Med. Nador West Med, under construction on the Mediterranea»»»

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met French, German and British leaders in London on Monday amid what Kyiv’s European allies described as a “decisive time” in the US-led effort to end Russia's war in Ukraine. Prime Minister Keir Starmer held talks with Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron and G»»»

BRUSSELS - Serbian Health Minister Zlatibor Loncar and EU Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Oliver Varhelyi signed on Monday in Brussels a document under which Serbia has joined the EU4HEALTH programme, formally becoming a full-fledged participant of the largest health care programme in EU hi»»»

A television screen shows a news report from July by the Japanese Meteorological Agency in Tokyo, Japan. On Monday, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit northeast Japan in the evening hours. File Photo by Franck Robichon/EPA Dec. 8 (UPI) -- A preliminary 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit northeast Japan Monda»»»

China said on Monday that good relations between Beijing, Moscow, and New Delhi are beneficial for global stability and prosperity. Responding to a query about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement on ties between the BRICS countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said tha»»»

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky has met key European allies as he faces US pressure to reach a swift peace deal with Russia. In London, Zelensky held talks with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and the German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The meeting came amid U»»»

The UK has rolled out its new “Atlantic Bastion” plan — a slick name to build a hybrid navy mixing drones, autonomous boats, warships, and aircraft to guard undersea cables and pipelines. It will ostensibly allow the UK to "find, track and, if required, act against adversaries," said a Ministry of »»»

Under the auspices of the new US national security strategy, China is going to be regarded as more of a business rival than enemy, consultant on Asia-Pacific affairs and geopolitical commentator Thomas W. Pauken II tells Sputnik. “Trade tensions will continue; this strategy isn't going to fix all o»»»

US President Donald Trump is set to unveil a $12bn (£9bn) farm aid package aimed at helping farmers impacted by low crop prices and the administration's ongoing trade wars. Most of the money - $11bn - is earmarked for one-time payments to farmers for row crops as part of the agriculture department'»»»

A leading French journalist who covered the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria a year ago has spoken to FRANCE 24 about the immense challenges the country faces. Arthur Sarradin is a regular contributor to Libération newspaper and Radio France, amongst others. He says the first thing he»»»

One year ago, Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad fled the country aboard a Russian military aircraft. Twelve months later, the country continues to grapple with the aftermath of more than a decade of conflict. The city of Homs was central to the Syrian revolution. But now, it appears trapped in a v»»»

Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas, speaks at the 2024 Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on August 22. He announced he's dropping his U.S. Senate bid and will instead run for a newly redrawn House district. File Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI | License Photo Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Former U»»»

A supporter of the Libertad y Refundacion, or LIBRE, party participates in a demonstration in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on Sunday. A week after the general elections, the country still does not know the results, as the official count has not been updated since Friday increasing uncertainty and fueling»»»

CEO of Paramount Skydance David Ellison arrives on the red carpet for the 48th annual Kennedy Center Honors at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., on Sunday. The company launched a hostile bid to buy Warner Bros. Discovery Monday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Dec. 8 (UPI) -- Paramou»»»

A customer carries their new Christmas tree to the car in St. Louis in 2023. A freshly cut tree can absorb about a quart of water per inch of trunk diameter every day during the first week, so trees may need to be watered multiple times a day, experts say. File Photo by Bill Greenblatt/UPI | Licens»»»

1 of 3 | Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States Olga Stefanishyna said Russia seeks to erase the Ukrainian identities of abducted children while addressing Wednesday's Senate Appropriations Subcommittee hearing at the Capitol in Washington. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo Dec. 3 (UPI) -»»»

Pierre Hermé is a world-renowned French pastry chef and chocolatier. He has written a new book entitled "Dictionnaire amoureux de la pâtisserie", which translates to "A dictionary for lovers of traditional pastry". He tells us why he chose to write in that format and shows us some of his creat»»»

Workers at the Louvre museum in Paris have voted to go on strike next week in protest at work conditions and security weaknesses exposed by a brazen daylight theft of jewels worth $102 million in October. Trade unions at the Louvre museum called on Monday for a rolling strike next week to demand ur»»»

Scientists have observed the largest-known rotating structure in the cosmos - a gargantuan thread-like assemblage of hundreds of galaxies, gas and dark matter that makes up a filament in the macrostructure of the universe called the cosmic web. The filament, located about 140 million light-years fr»»»

A powerful 7. 6-magnitude earthquake struck late Monday off northern Japan, triggering a tsunami of up to 50 centimeters (20 inches) in Pacific coast communities and warnings of potentially higher surges, the Japanese Meteorological Agency said. Several people were injured, media reports said. The »»»

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»»»