A minor earthquake was recorded south of Musandam on Saturday morning, according to the National Seismic Network. The tremor, measuring 2.2, occurred at 10:43am UAE time on January 3, 2026, the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) confirmed. Also Read: Minor earthquake recorded south of Musandam, t»»»

From how long children stay in school to when they sit exams and even how absences are counted – the UAE’s education system is undergoing some of its most far-reaching reforms in years. In this academic year, parents will need to adjust to a new rhythm shaped by a unified school calendar, stricter »»»

James Cameron, the filmmaker behind the hit 1997 disaster movie Titanic, has revealed his strategy for hypothetically surviving the famed 1912 cruise liner sinking. Titanic starred Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet and is one of the highest-grossing films of all time. The film was set during the s»»»

New Delhi: Sacred ancient gems linked to the Buddha were unveiled on Saturday in India for the first time since their colonial-era removal. The Piprahwa gems, a collection of more than 300 precious stones and ornaments believed to have been buried with relics of the Buddha at a stupa site in northe»»»

Police in the northern Athens suburb of Kifissia have arrested a 51-year-old driver who was found to be nearly seven times over the legal alcohol limit after crashing into a tree and several parked vehicles. According to state broadcaster ERT, the incident occurred at around 10:30 p.m. on Friday as»»»

Demonstrations by Alawite communities swept through Latakia, Tartus, Homs, and Hama again last week, just a month after a similar wave of protests. This time, however, they unfolded in a far more volatile environment, particularly in Latakia, where unrest turned deadly. Four people were killed, inc»»»

Skopje, 2 January 2026 (MIA) — After a brief disruption in passenger rail service that began Thursday at 4:47 pm due to National Railways Transport staff going on strike over their November pay, trains are back in service. According to National Railways Transport representative and Train Drivers La»»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Explosions have been heard in the Venezuelan capital Caracas, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Saturday. Earlier in the day, Western media reported on the explosions in the city.AmericasUS Cannot Impose Colonial, Slave Domination on Venezuela – Maduro27 December 2025, 09:14 GM»»»

A stream of Israeli leaks has highlighted moves toward alternative scenarios in Gaza if the disarmament of Hamas is not carried out soon. The options being floated range from freezing reconstruction across the enclave and limiting rebuilding to areas under Israeli control to the prospect of renewed»»»

Caracas: Loud explosions, accompanied by sounds resembling aircraft flyovers, were heard in Caracas around 2:00 am (0600 GMT) Saturday, an AFP journalist reported. The explosions come as US President Donald Trump, who has deployed a navy task force to the Caribbean, has raised the possibility of gr»»»

KUWAIT, Jan 3 (KUNA) -- 1965 -- The Amir Sheikh Abdullah Al-Salem Al-Sabah signed a decree to form the fourth cabinet in the history of Kuwait grouping 13 ministers with Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad, later to become Kuwait's 13th ruler, as Minister of Finance and Minister of Commerce and Industry. 1966 --»»»

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry called on Saturday for Yemen's southern factions to attend a "dialogue" in Riyadh, after clashes erupted last month. In a statement posted to social media, the Saudi ministry called for "a comprehensive conference in Riyadh to bring together all»»»

A fire that broke out shortly before midnight in a temporary accommodation apartment on the third floor of a building on Marni Street in central Athens was brought under partial control by firefighters. Eighteen firefighters, assisted by six fire engines and a ladder truck, were dispatched to the s»»»

Dubai: Flight operations at Dubai International Airport (DXB) and Sharjah International Airport (SHJ) were disrupted early Saturday morning, with several departures and arrivals delayed by up to two hours. The delays are believed to be caused by dense early morning fog that blanketed parts of Dubai»»»

Dubai: Twenty years on, January 4 remains a defining date in Dubai’s modern journey, marking the accession of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE, as Ruler of Dubai. The occasion continues to stand apart from traditional anniversary commemora»»»

A Yemeni local authority official confirmed that the National Shield forces had taken full control of the 37th Brigade camp in al-Khasha and pushed on to the city of al-Qatn, moving toward the strategic city of Seiyun in Hadhramaut. Abdulhadi al-Tamimi, assistant undersecretary of Hadhramaut govern»»»

San Francisco, United States: Dreams about the vast potential of artificial intelligence will collide with cold, hard reality as the Consumer Electronics Show kicks off in Las Vegas on Tuesday. Science fiction portrays AI as superintelligence that can operate faster and better than people can, and »»»

Civic engagement was key to a stronger democracy in Bulgaria, National Network for Children Executive Director Georgi Bogdanov told BTA on Saturday. The organization coordinated the Networks in Action project, funded under the Swiss-Bulgarian Cooperation Programme’s Civic Engagement and Transparenc»»»

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US trade priorities include provisions for the inadmissibility of sanctions, including measures against Russia, Russia's G20 Sherpa Svetlana Lukash said in an interview with Sputnik. "One of the priorities on the US trade agenda is even formulated in such a way that, for »»»

A Bangladeshi expat in Al Ain is celebrating a six-figure windfall after getting lucky in Big Ticket’s weekly e-draw. Sobaraj Kha Rafiq Kha pocketed Dh100,000 in Series 282, thanks to his winning ticket number 177520. The 33-year-old, who has called the ‘Garden City’ home for the past 15 years, mis»»»

Iran's foreign minister has called Donald Trump's promise of intervention "reckless and dangerous", after the US President warned Iran's authorities against killing peaceful protesters, saying Washington "will come to their rescue". In a brief post on social media, Trump wrote: "We are locked and l»»»

As Sudan’s war dragged on and fighting engulfed the capital Khartoum, the health system collapsed almost entirely. Hospitals shut their doors one after another, until only a single facility remained in operation in the city of Omdurman. Al Nao Hospital, perched west of the city on the front line of»»»

Kyiv, Ukraine: Ukraine is hosting security advisers for crunch talks on Saturday as Kyiv insists negotiations are zeroing in on a deal, while Russia claims a deadly New Year strike torpedoed the efforts. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said around 15 countries would attend the talks, along w»»»

Rabat: Hugo Broos is hoping to lead South Africa to Cup of Nations glory in Morocco but standing in his team's way in the last 16 on Sunday are Cameroon, the country with whom he won an unlikely continental title in 2017. The showdown at the compact Al Medina Stadium in Rabat has the makings of a f»»»

Dubai: Back at work after the New Year’s celebrations? You’re not alone. One of the most searched questions in the UAE right now is: “When is the next holiday?” From long weekends to Islamic festivals, 2026 is packed with public holidays—perfect for a quick getaway, family time, or just some well-e»»»

US President Donald Trump has acknowledged taking a higher dose of aspirin than typically recommended, but he insists he will continue his long-standing routine, which his physician says is intended for cardiac prevention. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump said he takes 325 millig»»»

Somaliland has rejected allegations that it agreed to allow an Israeli military presence on its territory or take in displaced Palestinians. The denial follows accusations from Somalia that the breakaway region had accepted such arrangements in return for diplomatic recognition by Israel. Last week»»»

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas wants the EU to be at war with Russia and China, Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) head and Russian special presidential envoy for economic cooperation with foreign countries, Kirill Dmitriev, said. Dmitriev commented on a user's post that shared a video of K»»»

Prime Minister Andrej Babiš declared the Czech Republic "can no longer give money from the Czech budget to Ukraine," citing domestic needs and arguing EU funds already provide massive support. "We have to be realistic. If someone says that we will defeat Russia, then experts say no," he added.World»»»

All military personnel of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have withdrawn from Yemen in accordance with the Emirati leadership's decision to cease participation in the counter-terrorism operation in the country, the UAE Defense Ministry said. "The UAE Defense Ministry announces the completion of the »»»

Elon Musk’s AI platform, Grok, is racing to fix flaws in its image-editing tool after users reported that it could turn pictures of children or women into sexualised content. In a statement on X on Friday, Grok acknowledged the problem. “We’ve identified lapses in safeguards and are urgently fixing»»»

Investigators say sparklers on champagne bottles likely started a fire that killed 40 people and injured 119 during a New Year’s celebration at Le Constellation bar in the Alps. The blaze erupted when sparklers came too close to the low, foam-covered ceiling. Videos show chaos and panicPartygoers, »»»

1/9According to figures from the Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism, the emirate recorded 17.55 million overnight visitors between January and November 2025 — a 5 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.Virendra Saklani/Gulf News2/9The continued growth highlighted Dubai’s resil»»»

The poorest UK households have only become poorer under Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government despite its promises to boost living standards, several British outlets reported on Friday, citing recently published analytical data. Disposable income left after bills and essentials for the le»»»

Zohran Mamdani, 34, New York City’s first Muslim, South Asian, and youngest mayor in a century, began his first full day on the job with a subway commute from his Queens apartment. Bundled against the cold, he posed for selfies, greeted fellow riders, and reviewed briefing materials—demonstrating h»»»

Raihan Vadra, the son of India’s Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and businessman Robert Vadra, has shared the first official pictures from his engagement to Aviva Baig, offering a rare glimpse into a personal family celebration. The engagement took place last month, but the couple chose to ma»»»

Mexico City: An earthquake of magnitude 6.5 struck Mexico's Guerrero region late on Friday. The quake occurred at 7.58 am EST at a depth of 40 kilometres, with its epicentre located at latitude 16.99 north and longitude 99.26 west. India's National Centre for Seismology (NCS) stated the quake's mag»»»

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the accession of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, DAMAC Group has planned a citywide celebration, paying tribute to two decades of transformation, ambition and global excel»»»

VK Exhibitions and Decor Industry LLC, a leading player in the region’s fabrication and event infrastructure sector, hosted a grand year-end celebration on December 27, 2025. Held at the VK Group premises, the event brought together nearly 1,000 stakeholders, including blue-collar staff, senior man»»»

Kathmandu: A Buddha Air turboprop aircraft skidded off the runway while landing at Bhadrapur Airport in eastern Nepal on Friday night, prompting an emergency response but leaving all passengers and crew unharmed. The airline confirmed that all 51 passengers and four crew members on board Flight 901»»»

Abu Dhabi: Dense fog covered parts of Abu Dhabi and other UAE regions early Saturday, prompting authorities to warn motorists to exercise extra caution. Also Read: Weather update: UAE braces for dusty, windy conditions after stable FridayThe National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) has issued red and y»»»

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has claimed that his country will quickly expand its presence on the Baltic Sea in 2026. NATO has bolstered its footprint in the Baltic and stepped up patrols under the pretext of protecting undersea infrastructure from the alleged Russian threat. Moscow has denied»»»

Manila: The Philippines has unlocked 99-year land leases to foreign investors with Republic Act No. 12252, signed in September. It's deemed a "game-changer". For one, it creates certainty for capital-intensive projects spanning decades, thus giving investors — and jobs — more predictability. Also I»»»

Another 20 nations and entities are restricted from travel to the United States, raising the total number of nations banned to 39 as of Thursday. File Photo by Roger L. Wollenberg/UPI | License Photo Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Travel restrictions for 20 more nations and locales took effect on Thursday in acco»»»

In cities across the world, the effects of globalisation are producing an unexpected paradox. As urban centres become more connected and outward-looking, they risk losing the very qualities that once made them distinct. Skylines may rise, infrastructures may strengthen, but without a sense of ident»»»

The Iranian government has formally demanded action from the United Nations following a series of increasingly bellicose statements from US President Donald Trump, including a claim that Washington is “locked and loaded” to intervene in the ongoing unrest within Iran. In a letter to UN Secretary-Ge»»»

Dubai: Business travel across the Middle East continued to grow in 2025, and companies expect the trend to carry into 2026 as in-person meetings and regional cooperation remain central to how work gets done. Travel management firm musafir.com says spending on business travel in the region rose abou»»»

AeroMexico topped the world's global airlines with an on-time rate of 90.02% in 2025, global airlines analyst Cirium announced on Friday, marking the second straight year the Mexican airline finished at the top. Photo by Jose Mendez/EPA Jan. 2 (UPI) -- Mexico-based AeroMexico won Cirium's On-Time P»»»

At least two people have died after a powerful earthquake hit southern and central Mexico on Friday. CBS, the BBC's news partner in America, reported that as of Friday evening local time, two people were killed and several injured. The epicentre of the 6.5 magnitude earthquake was near the popular »»»

On the first freezing winter day of 2026, surrounded by thousands of cheering New Yorkers and progressive Democratic allies, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani pledged to tell a "new story of our city". "City Hall will deliver an agenda of safety, affordability, and abundance - where government loo»»»