ARN News Centre

The UAE welcomed the start of 2026 with large-scale fireworks and light shows across the country, drawing crowds of residents and visitors to major landmarks and public spaces.

UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has shared a New Year message, extending his best wishes to people in the UAE and around the world.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has shared a New Year message expressing optimism for the year ahead.

President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has sent New Year greetings for 2026 to Their Highnesses and Majesties, Presidents, Kings and Princes of countries around the world, wishing them continued health and prosperity for their nations.

Oscar winner Mel Gibson and Rosalind Ross have separated after nine years together, a representative from Gibson's legal team told Reuters on Tuesday.

Hollywood star George Clooney and his wife, human rights lawyer Amal Clooney, have obtained French citizenship, along with their two children, official French government documents show.

A veteran jazz ensemble announced on Monday it was cancelling its New Year's Eve performances at the Kennedy Center, the latest group to withdraw from the Washington arts institution after it was renamed to include U.S. President Donald Trump.

French film icon Brigitte Bardot, who died on Sunday aged 91, will be buried in a cemetery by the sea in the French Riviera resort of Saint-Tropez, local authorities said on Monday.

As Wednesday turned to Thursday, people around the world said goodbye to a sometimes challenging 2025 and expressed hopes for the new year to come.

President Donald Trump's advisers held talks on Wednesday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and national security advisers from the UK, France and Germany to discuss the next steps in ending Russia's war in Ukraine, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin used his annual televised New Year's address to rally his troops fighting in Ukraine, saying he believed in them and in victory in a war that he has framed as part of an existential struggle with the West.

Russia's defence ministry released video footage on Wednesday of what it said was a downed drone at a briefing intended to show Ukraine tried this week to attack a presidential residence and challenge Kyiv's denials that such an attack took place.

Algeria kept up their winning run at the Africa Cup of Nations, making it three out of three in Group E as they beat Equatorial Guinea 3-1 on Wednesday to reaffirm their status among the tournament favourites.

The DP World ILT20 "Power 9 Golf Day" saw cricketers, commentators, match officials, partners and other key stakeholders take to the course for a relaxed afternoon on Wednesday, alongside professional golfer Richard Mansell at the award-winning Els Club in Dubai.

Two Equatorial Guinea players have been banned for insulting a referee at the Africa Cup of Nations and Burkina Faso captain Bertrand Traore was fined for post-match remarks, the respective football federations said on Wednesday.

Egypt international Ramadan Sobhi, who helped Pyramids win their first CAF Champions League title last season and previously played in the English Premier League, has been sentenced to one year in prison in connection with an academic fraud case, local media reported on Tuesday.

Arsenal have closed out 2025 in emphatic fashion, smashing third-placed Aston Villa 4-1 on Tuesday to surge five points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Walt Disney has agreed to pay a $10 million civil penalty as part of a settlement to resolve allegations it violated child privacy laws in some videos uploaded to YouTube, the US Department of Justice said on Tuesday.

His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, held talks on energy strategy and infrastructure development with Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, during a meeting in Sharjah on Tuesday.

Dubai-born specialty coffee brand Saddle Café has opened its first-ever outlet in Courchevel, marking a significant milestone in its international expansion and introducing an Emirati-founded café concept to one of Europe’s most exclusive winter destinations.

Dr. Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE's Minister of Foreign Trade, has led a high-level government delegation to Egypt as negotiations continue to secure a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the two nations.

Italian paleontologists have uncovered thousands of dinosaur footprints on a near-vertical rock face more than 2,000 metres above sea level in the Stelvio National Park, a discovery they say is among the world's richest sites for the Triassic period.

A day after news broke that Japan would soon lose its last two giant pandas to China, thousands of fans flocked to Tokyo's Ueno Zoo on Tuesday to catch a final glimpse, with many bidding the twins a tearful farewell.

French marine archaeologists have discovered a massive undersea wall off the coast of Brittany, dating from around 5,000 BC.

At Plates, the first vegan restaurant in Britain to earn a coveted Michelin star, the tables are packed – but not with vegans.

It's a familiar sight in French cities: pigeons with mangled feet and missing toes. But one woman in Paris is on a mission to save the pigeons from their plight.