Russia, U.S. conduct prisoners swap
Moscow (Russia), December 9: Russian citizen Viktor Bout was exchanged for U.S. basketball player Brittney Griner on Thursday at the Abu Dhabi airport, the Russian...
U.S. dollar slips amid economic data
New York (US), December 9: The U.S. dollar weakened in late trading on Thursday as market participants digested a slew of economic data.
Convention on the Law of the Sea more relevant than ever: UN...
United Nations, December 9: As the ocean is "in dire straits," the landmark United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea adopted 40 years...
Dutch use less, import more gas as prices keep climbing
The Hague (Netherlands), December 9: Consumers and industries in the Netherlands scaled back their use of natural gas substantially between July and October, while the...
UK braces for Christmas disruptions as strikes extend
London (UK), December 9: The wave of strikes over pay that has hit the United Kingdom (UK) since the early days of December appears to...
EU, European development bank launch program to support Lebanon's small, medium enterprises
Beirut (Lebanon), December 9: The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the European Union (EU) announced on Thursday a new program to support...
Iranian president says U.S. acknowledges failure to stop Iran's oil exports
Tehran (Iran), December 9: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Thursday that the U.S. anger at Iran is due to the fact that Washington has...
FAO steps up emergency cash transfers for drought-hit Somalis
Mogadishu (Somalia), December 9: The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) said Thursday it has scaled up emergency cash transfers to respond...
Gambian president appoints 3 judges
Banjul (Gambia), December 9: The President of The Gambia, Adama Barrow has appointed three Gambian judges who were sworn in on Thursday at State House...
Iran blasts "unrestrained" Western weapons delivery for further complicating Ukraine's situation
Tehran (Iran), December 9: The Iranian foreign minister said Thursday that the "unrestrained" delivery of American and European weapons to Ukraine has further complicated the...
S. Korea issues advisory against hiring N.K. IT workers with disguised nationalities
Seoul (South Korea), December 8: South Korea on Thursday issued an interagency advisory against the hiring of North Korean information technology (IT) workers with disguised...
U.S. will continue holding joint exercises against N. Korean provocations: Kirby
Washington (US), December 8: The United States will continue to hold joint military exercises bilaterally and trilaterally with South Korea and Japan to enhance the...
S. Korea's new COVID-19 cases below 70,000 as gov't mulls adjusting indoor...
Seoul (South Korea), December 8: South Korea's new COVID-19 cases slightly dropped Thursday, as the government is considering adjusting the indoor mask mandate.
Over 2.6 mln Somali children vaccinated against polio, measles: UN
Mogadishu (Somali), December 8: The World Health Organization (WHO) in collaboration with the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said Wednesday that 2.61 million children in Somalia...
UN says illicit trafficking in cultural property harms Africa's identity
Nairobi (Kenya), December 8: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said Wednesday the illicit trafficking in cultural property harms Africa's identity.
Violence in Sudan's Upper Nile State forces thousands of civilians to flee:...
United Nations, December 8: Violence in South Sudan's Upper Nile State has forced many people to flee into Sudan or hide in swamps, a UN...
Congress swears in Dina Boluarte as Peru's new president
Lima (Peru), December 8: Peru's Congress on Wednesday swore in Vice President Dina Boluarte as the country's new president, complying with the line of succession,...
Peruvian police detain Castillo after congressional impeachment
Lima (Peru), December 8: Peruvian President Pedro Castillo was detained Wednesday afternoon by security forces after unsuccessfully attempting to dissolve Congress, which subsequently voted to...
Saudi approves 2023 budget with 4.26-bln-USD surplus
Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), December 8: The Saudi cabinet approved on Wednesday the state budget with a surplus of 16 billion Saudi riyals (4.26 billion U.S....
Iraqi PM opens int'l book fair in Baghdad
Baghdad (Iraq), December 8: Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani on Wednesday opened the third edition of the Iraq International Book Fair that has attracted...
U.S. crude supplies down, other petroleum data mixed
Houston (US), December 8: U.S. crude oil refinery inputs averaged 16.6 million barrels per day (b/d) during the week ending Dec. 2, 53,000 b/d less...
Finland introduces new ways to monitor COVID-19 deaths
Helsinki (Finland), December 8: Finland is set to change its method of collecting data deaths caused by COVID-19 infections from Thursday onwards, to make the...
Turkish FM urges U.S. to finalize F-16 sale "as soon as possible"
Istanbul (Turkey), December 8: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Wednesday that the sale of U.S. F-16 fighter jets to Türkiye "needs to be...
Over 37.55 mln people vaccinated for COVID-19 in Myanmar
Yangon (Myanmar), December 8: Myanmar has vaccinated more than 37.55 million people for COVID-19 as of Tuesday, data from the Ministry of Health showed.
Hungarian gov't to impose 95 pct extra profit tax on energy company...
Budapest (Hungary), December 8: The Hungarian government increased the special tax paid by local leading gas and oil company MOL on its profit made from...
EU new sanctions target Russia's armed forces, drone supply
Brussels (Belgium), December 8: The European Commission on Wednesday proposed the ninth package of sanctions against Russia that will include almost 200 individuals and entities...
Uzbek president pardons 402 convicts before Constitution Day
Tashkent (Uzbekistan), December 8: President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has signed a decree pardoning 402 convicts on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the...