Iceland has become the latest country to boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, its public broadcaster RUV announced Wednesday, joining a growing wave of withdrawals triggered by the decision to allow Israel to compete. Iceland is now the fifth nation to pull out, following Spain, the Netherl»»»

Sharjah: Sharjah Police have helped a young man overcome drug addiction after his mother reached out in desperation, fearing for both his safety and her own. Brigadier Majid Al Asam, Director of the Anti-Narcotics Department at Sharjah Police, told Gulf News that the case began when the distressed »»»

Manila: After years of sluggish sales, Metro Manila’s mid-income condo market is roaring back to life. This has caught both developers and buyers off guard. Strong new launches and brisk demand are signalling that this is no dead-cat bounce, but a full-scale comeback. Sweet spotBased on the latest »»»

Trump administration officials have held advanced discussions on hitting UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA with terrorism-related sanctions, said two sources with direct knowledge of the matter, prompting serious legal and humanitarian concerns inside the State Department. The United Nations agen»»»

Warning: This article contains disturbing details from the start. A group of children spotted Adel's body on their way to school, just as his parents were heading to the police station to report him missing. A grotesque, charred silhouette, reclining, with one knee raised, as if lounging on one of »»»

The Ministry of Water Resources, Agriculture, and Processing Industry of the Kyrgyz Republic reports that the Naryn Regional Water Management Department has successfully completed important reconstruction work on Kyzyl-Zhyldyz canal. As part of the project, 13,395 square meters of concrete canvas w»»»

Several people preform a memorial service for their deceased family member before a tombstone in the Tombstone Park for the Missing with the Jeju 4.3 Peace Park, Jeju City, on April 3, 2023. Photo by Darryl Coote/UPI JEJU ISLAND, South Korea, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- The South Korean government has apologi»»»

Doha, Qatar: Minister of Finance, H E Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari, announced yesterday the details of the 2026 budget and revealed that the total expected expenditure stands at QR220.8bn and revenue amounts to QR199bn. The education sector is allocated QR21.8bn, and the health sector QR25.4bn, reflecti»»»

Dubai: The Malayalam film industry woke up to a seismic jolt this week after actor Dileep was acquitted of all charges in the 2017 actress abduction and assault case — a case that had defined the #MeToo movement in Kerala, reshaped public debate around misogyny in cinema, and mobilised unprecedente»»»

When China’s President Xi Jinping inaugurated Peru’s Chancay megaport in November 2024, he was doing far more than opening a Chinese offshore project; he was executing a vision that has reshaped global power three times before and is poised to do so again. The $1.3bn deep-water facility, capable of»»»

French diplomat Sylvie Bermann first encountered China as a young student at the twilight of the Cultural Revolution in 1976-77. Two decades later, she returned as her country’s ambassador to Beijing from 2011-14, before serving as the French envoy to London from 2014-17, and as ambassador to Mosco»»»

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that the United States has seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela as tensions mount with the government of President Nicolás Maduro. Using US forces to take control of a merchant ship is incredibly unusual and marks the Trump administration’s latest pu»»»

Dubai: Dana Gas, the Middle East’s largest privately owned natural gas firm, has announced a new gas discovery at the North El-Basant 1 exploratory well in Egypt’s onshore Nile Delta. Initial results indicate reserves of 15-25 billion cubic feet (bcf) of natural gas, with production expected to exc»»»

Japanese police have suspended the car driving licences of nearly 900 cyclists after they were caught riding bicycles under the influence of alcohol, local media report. Authorities deemed that the offenders were "likely to pose a significant danger when driving a car". The number of suspended car »»»

Doha, Qatar: Visit Qatar will bring the globally acclaimed musical 'Mary Poppins' to Doha for the first time, with performances scheduled from May 11-30, 2026. The production - inspired by the stories of PL Travers and the classic Walt Disney film - will be performed at the Al Mayassa Theatre in th»»»

Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Kyrgyzstan Adylbek Kasymaliev addressed citizens on the occasion of International Mountain Day, emphasizing the importance of protecting mountain ecosystems and strengthening the resilience of mountainous regions in the face of climate change. In his address,»»»

Doha, Qatar: As Qatar prepares for National Day next week, the celebrations are already beginning this weekend. An interactive cultural experience opened yesterday, December 10, 2025, at Darb Al Saai; the Arab Cup quarterfinals are taking place; Polo Al Marsa debuts this weekend; there is musical c»»»

Mexican lawmakers have approved a package of new tariffs, impacting hundreds of products, many of which come from China. The measures, which President Claudia Sheinbaum has said are needed to boost domestic production, were passed by the Mexican Senate on Wednesday. The levies are set to take effec»»»

Dubai Gold prices in Dubai moved higher on Thursday morning after holding steady for three consecutive sessions, in line with a broad rally in precious metals following the US Federal Reserve’s latest interest rate cut. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.In the emirate’s »»»

Dubai: The regional natural gas sector requires $200 billion of investment in the next four years to increase production by 30 per cent to meet rapidly growing demand for power, industry executives attending the Middle East Gas Conference in Dubai said on Wednesday. More than 150 executives from en»»»

Sharjah: The 24th cycle of the Clean UAE campaign made its third stop in Sharjah on December 10, drawing a large and enthusiastic crowd. Organised by the Emirates Environmental Group (EEG) under the patronage of the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, the event was held in partnership with »»»

A Japanese chess association has apologised to a prominent 'shogi' player who criticised a rule that bars pregnant players from title matches around their expected due dates. Under the current rules of shogi - a game similar to chess - such players are replaced, meaning they forfeit all competition»»»

The United States has seized a tanker near the coast of Venezuela as the vessel was suspected of shipping sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran, US Attorney General Pam Bondi said. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump confirmed that the United States had captured an oil tanker off the coast of »»»

Kyrgyzstan’s gross international reserves exceeded $8.2 billion. The National Bank provided the figures based on the results of November 2025. They have grown by more than $3.2 billion over the year. Gross international reserves at the end of November amounted to $8,269 billion. In October, they ma»»»

A fresh rift opened between Washington and Europe on Wednesday after Ukraine delivered a new US-requested peace blueprint, prompting President Donald Trump to lash out at Kyiv and its allies as they push back against elements of the American plan. Ukraine has sent Washington an updated plan for end»»»

Flipping and spinning on a studio floor, 17-year-old Royal is a star in China's breakdancing scene and aiming for gold at the World Championships in Japan this week. Royal, real name Guo Pu, shot to fame when she won both the youth and adult Asian Championships in June. Also In This Package Watch: »»»

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that US forces seized a large oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, marking his administration's latest escalation in its pressure campaign against President Nicolas Maduro. Venezuela's foreign ministry denounced what it called 'blatant theft' and 'piracy»»»

The US may soon require travellers from visa-exempt countries to provide extensive personal information, including social media activity, email accounts, and family history, before being allowed entry. Under the proposal, citizens of roughly 40 countries who currently travel through the Visa Waiver»»»

Nobel laureate Maria Corina Machado is set to address the world on Thursday, according to the Norwegian government, after the Venezuelan opposition leader was awarded the prestigious peace prize in her absence. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks with Phil Gunson, Senior Analyst at International Cris»»»

The Constitutional Court of the Kyrgyz Republic on December 10, 2025 reviewed the president’s motion requesting a legal opinion on the draft law «On Amendments to the Constitution of the Kyrgyz Republic,» which proposes the possibility of applying the death penalty for child rape and murder accompa»»»

Share: Fi[e photo of Grechushkin owner of the ship that brought the deadly chemical to Beirut port No senior figure has been held accountable since the devastating explosion more than five years ago. By Caolán Magee and News Agencies A Bulgarian court has rejected Lebanon’s request to extradite Igo»»»

This week, tech giants Amazon and Microsoft pledged an eye-popping $50bn-plus combined investment in India, putting artificial intelligence (AI) in the spotlight. Microsoft's Satya Nadella announced his company's largest investment ever in Asia - $17.5bn (£13.14bn) - "to help build the infrastructu»»»

Dubai: Heavy rainfall is set to continue across most regions of Saudi Arabia, the National Centre for Meteorology said in its forecast. Moderate to heavy thunderstorms, capable of triggering flash floods and accompanied by hail and strong winds, are expected over parts of Makkah, Madinah, Qassim, R»»»

Larry Page has surged to No. 2 among the world’s richest for the first time. And for the first time, the Google co-founder overtook Oracle’s Larry Ellison to become the world’s second-wealthiest person. Page has an estimated net worth of $262 billion as of December 1 (up $30 billion a month earlier»»»

Jean-Philippe Tanguy, a lawmaker from Marine Le Pen's National Rally (RN), plans to submit a bill that would allow "maisons closes" to reopen in France for the first time since 1946, albeit run as cooperatives by sex workers themselves. Prostitution is technically legal in France, al»»»

Abu Dhabi: The weather across the UAE is partly cloudy to cloudy today, with a chance of light rain over western and coastal areas if cloud cover continues to thicken. Humidity during the early morning hours may once again lead to fog or light fog forming inland and along coastal areas. Winds will »»»

A high-profile Hong Kong pro-democracy activist living in the UK has been the target of a campaign of harassment involving letters containing fake, sexually explicit images of her sent from China to her neighbours. Carmen Lau, 30, who fled Hong Kong four years ago, told the BBC she was "shocked" as»»»

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado greeted supporters from the balcony of her hotel in Oslo early Thursday, her first public appearance in 11 months. Arriving too late in Norway to attend the ceremony, Machado was awarded the prestigious peace prize in »»»

The appointment of Lebanese ambassador Henry Kastoun in Damascus, formalized Wednesday when he presented his credentials to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, signals a significant reset in relations between Lebanon and Syria. It ends a four year diplomatic vacuum and opens a new chapter in which bo»»»

Dubai: Dubai International Airport (DXB) is heading into what it calls its biggest travel day of the year, with passenger numbers expected to peak at 303,000 on Saturday, December 20 – a few days ahead of Christmas. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.That’s not all. The y»»»

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado appeared in Oslo, Norway after winning the Nobel Peace Prize, waving from the balcony of the Grand Hotel after months in hiding. Machado made the covert journey despite a travel ban, and has mostly laid low since Venezuela's disputed presidential el»»»

BRUSSELS: Sympathy for immigrants is fading worldwide. On Wednesday, European nations agreed to consider changes. Rights advocates, however, warn these would weaken migrant protections. Such protections have shaped European law since World War II. Also In This Package Orban says immigration threate»»»

Washington’s silence toward Iran’s repeated calls to revive nuclear negotiations is not simply a lapse in diplomatic attention. For many analysts, it resembles a calculated test of nerves at a moment of exceptional sensitivity in Tehran. As the United States juggles a crowded foreign policy agenda,»»»

Life writes its stories in the moments we least expect — in the twists, the falls, the quiet turns that shape who we are, leaving imprints that are nearly invisible at first, only revealing themselves when we pause, when we look back. As 2025 winds down, take a moment and ask yourself — did this ye»»»

US forces have seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, President Donald Trump said, marking a sharp escalation in Washington's pressure campaign against Nicolás Maduro's government. "We have just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela - a large tanker, very large, the largest one ever s»»»

Washington: Sharp political criticism dominated a major Congressional hearing, with Democrats warning that President Donald Trump’s tariff regime and confrontational approach toward New Delhi could inflict long-term damage on one of America’s most vital alliances. During a Congressional hearing by »»»

Groups operating in Israeli controlled pockets of the Gaza Strip say they will press ahead with their fight against Hamas despite the killing of their most senior commanders, insisting that they have expanded their ranks with new recruits since the October ceasefire as they seek a foothold in Gaza’»»»

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bluffton Twp. Fire District (@blufftonfire) Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Firefighters in South Carolina came to the rescue of a kitten that darted out into the road in front of a vehicle and ended up jumping up to hide in the undercarriage. The Bluffton Township Fir»»»

Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Venezuelan opposition figure Maria Corina Machado will make a public appearance "in about an hour," her former campaign manager said early Thursday. It will be her first public appearance in eleven months after going into hiding following a presidential election that »»»

President Donald Trump has launched a scheme offering fast-tracked US visas to wealthy foreigners who can pay at least $1m (£750,000). The card will give buyers a "direct path to Citizenship for all qualified and vetted people. SO EXCITING! Our Great American Companies can finally keep their invalu»»»