World

Corruption charges spark protests against Albanian government

TIRANA, Dec 22 (Reuters) - Protesters ‌in Tirana hurled petrol bombs at the government ‌building housing Prime Minister Edi Rama's office on ‌Monday, demanding the government's resignation after prosecutors indicted the deputy prime minister for alleged corruption.

World

Slovak economy to grow 0.6 pct in 2026: central bank

BRATISLAVA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Slovak economy will grow by 0.6 percent in 2026 and by 2.5 percent in 2027 and 2028, the News Agency of the Slovak Republic reported on Monday, citing the latest forecast from Slovakia's central bank.

World

Panama says Venezuela-related tanker intercepted by US did not follow maritime rules

PANAMA CITY, ‌Dec 22 (Reuters) - Panama's foreign minister ‌said on Monday that ‌a tanker recently intercepted by the U.S. that was under Panama's flag did ‍not respect the ‍country's maritime rules ‌and had disconnected its transponder while ‍navigating ​out of Venezuelan waters carrying a crude ⁠cargo.

World

Sweden reiterates support for Denmark on Greenland issue

HELSINKI, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Sweden on Monday voiced strong support for Denmark amid Copenhagen's disappointment over a U.S. public statement announcing that U.S. President Donald Trump has appointed a special representative for Greenland.

World

Syrian government and SDF agree to de-escalate after Aleppo violence

Dec 22 (Reuters) - Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces agreed to de-escalate on Monday evening in ‌the northern city of Aleppo, after a wave of attacks that both sides blamed on each ‌other left at least two civilians dead and several wounded.

World

3 injured in bus stop crash in central Germany: media

BERLIN, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Three people were injured after a car crashed into a bus stop in the central German city of Giessen on Monday afternoon, according to German media reports.

World

Lebanese PM urges swift approval of law aimed at paying back depositors

BEIRUT, Dec 22 - Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam urged ‌cabinet to swiftly approve a draft law allowing depositors to gradually recover funds frozen in the banking system since a financial collapse in ‌2019, a move critical to reviving the economy.

World

UNDP approves 5.8-mln-USD project to protect Ubari Lakes in Libya

TRIPOLI, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in Libya said on Monday it had approved a 5.8-million-U.S.-dollar project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to address environmental and development challenges in the Ubari Lakes basin in western Libya.

World

Bank of Slovenia revises down 2025 growth forecast to 1 pct

LJUBLJANA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Bank of Slovenia has lowered its forecast for the country's 2025 economic growth to one percent, down from the 1.3 percent projected in June, citing weak economic conditions and external uncertainties.

World

Cyprus' parliament passes major tax reform package

NICOSIA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Cyprus' parliament on Monday approved a major tax reform package that is set to take effect next month.

World

Barry Manilow shares cancer diagnosis as surgery prompts concert cancellations

LOS ANGELES, Dec 22 (Reuters) - U.S singer-songwriter Barry Manilow announced on Monday through ‌Instagram that he has been diagnosed with lung cancer, prompting him to ‌pause his scheduled concerts while he undergoes surgery. 

World

China, DR Congo strengthen partnership in vocational skills training

KINSHASA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Sino-Congolese conference on vocational and technical training was held on Monday in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), aiming to strengthen bilateral cooperation.

World

Lithuania lowers GDP growth forecast for 2025 to 2.5 pct

VILNIUS, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Bank of Lithuania has lowered the country's gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for this year to 2.5 percent, down from 2.7 percent projected in September, the Baltic News Service (BNS) reported on Monday.

World

Feature: China-supported workshop enhances business capacity of Ethiopian women entrepreneurs

ADDIS ABABA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Hanan Ahmed, one of the 66 Ethiopian entrepreneurs who attended the China-supported Global Female Entrepreneurship Empowerment Program (GFEEP) workshop in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, completed the program with a sense of accomplishment and newly acquired skills in business management, innovation, leadership and systematic thinking.

World

Chinese medical team donates medical supplies to hospital in South Sudan

JUBA, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- The 13th batch of the Chinese medical team on Monday donated pharmaceutical products and medical equipment to Juba Teaching Hospital, South Sudan's main referral hospital.

World

Exclusive-US conducting surveillance flights over Nigeria after Trump intervention threat

Dec 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. has been conducting intelligence-gathering ‌flights over large parts of Nigeria since late November, according to flight tracking data and current and former U.S. officials, in a sign of increased security cooperation between the countries.

World

1st LD Writethru: Hong Kong's Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles scheme officially implemented

HONG KONG, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) -- Hong Kong's Southbound Travel for Guangdong Vehicles scheme was officially implemented from midnight on Tuesday.

World

Nepal's foreign trade increases in first 5 months of current FY

KATHMANDU, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Nepal's foreign trade increased by 20.07 percent year-on-year in the first five months of the current 2025-26 fiscal year, following growth in both exports and imports, a government agency said on Monday.

World

Pakistan committed to empowering youth, creating transformative opportunities

ISLAMABAD, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Chairman of the Pakistani Prime Minister's Youth Program Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan said that the country is committed to empowering youth and creating transformative opportunities through inclusive policies, skills development and global engagement.

World

Thailand's auto production up 11 pct in Nov.

BANGKOK, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's auto production expanded in November, mainly due to a significant surge in battery electric passenger vehicles, data from the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) showed on Monday.