The Iraqi cabinet has approved nationalizing the petroleum operations in the West Qurna 2 oil field, in accordance with the provisions of a service contract signed with Russia's Lukoil, the government said in a ‌statement. The cabinet ‌also agreed ‌to ⁠seek approvals ‌to finance operations through »»»

Damascus, Jan.7 (SANA) The Syrian Government affirms that a statement released by SDF organization regarding the situation in Aleppo—particularly in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighborhoods—includes fundamental inaccuracies and descriptions that do not reflect the reality on the ground, and contr»»»

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says European allies have not given him sound guarantees that they will protect his country in the case of a new Russian agreession. "I am asking this very question to all our partners and I have not received a clear, unambiguous answer yet," he told reporters»»»

U.S. District Judge David Novak ordered Lindsey Halligan to give an explanation of her continued use of the U.S. attorney title within seven days on Tuesday. File Photo by Al Drago/EPA Jan. 7 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump's first pick to serve as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virg»»»

Dubai: Fresh clashes erupted in Syria’s northern city of Aleppo on Wednesday after hundreds — and later thousands — of civilians fled two predominantly Kurdish neighbourhoods through corridors opened by government forces, with the Syrian army launching shelling once a deadline for evacuations expir»»»

Dubai: Aircraft de-icing and runway clearing operations are underway at Paris Orly Airport as a prolonged snowstorm continues to disrupt travel across northern and western France, causing widespread delays and cancellations. Airport authorities said around 40 flights were cancelled at Orly on Wedne»»»

Hamas officials told AFP that search operations for the remains of the last Israeli hostage held in Gaza resumed on Wednesday after a two-week pause due to bad weather. Israel has previously said it is awaiting the return of Ran Gvili's body before beginning talks on the second phase of the fragile»»»

Washington: US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Wednesday that Washington will control sales of Venezuelan oil "indefinitely," a day after President Donald Trump announced Venezuela's interim leaders had agreed to US-managed marketing of 30-50 million barrels of crude. "We're going to market the »»»

TradeUnited States of AmericaWhat US's $3B deal with Venezuela means for world oil tradeNik MartinUS President Donald Trump has announced an agreement with Venezuela's interim government to transfer millions of barrels of oil to the US. DW explores how the plan could be a blow to China, Russia, Ira»»»

Sharjah Cooperative has launched its internal radio station — the first cooperative radio of its kind in the UAE — in a move aimed at strengthening institutional communication and modernising corporate engagement. The station was inaugurated during an official ceremony on Wednesday at Rahmania Mall»»»

The Warner Bros. Discovery board announced Wednesday that it unanimously believes the Netflix offer is superior to the one offered by Paramount Skydance. File Photo by Jim Ruymen/UPI | License Photo Jan. 7 (UPI) -- The board of directors at Warner Bros. Discovery announced Wednesday that it unanimo»»»

Wang Wentao, Minister of Commerce of the People's Republic of China addresses attendees on behalf of Xi Jinping, President of China on day one of the BRICS summit at Sandton Convention Center in August 2023. China is opening an anti-dumping investigation into Japan over a key chemical used in manuf»»»

Dubai Police have commended the efforts of thousands of volunteers who supported crowd management and organisation during the New Year’s Eve 2026 celebrations, saying their contribution played a key role in ensuring the smooth and safe delivery of one of the city’s largest annual events. Brigadier »»»

Roblox, the immersive online gaming and creation platform with tens of millions of users worldwide, has introduced a global policy requiring all users to complete an age check before they can access chat features on the service. The change, which began rolling out in early January 2026, marks the f»»»

Manila: Mayon Volcano in Albay Province, about 550 km southeast of Manila, captivated and alarmed residents with a striking crater glow, locally known as "banaag," illuminating its summit as superheated volcanic material from emerging magma lit the night sky. Also In This Package Top 10 countries w»»»

The United States has started an operation to seize a Russian-flagged oil tanker in the North Atlantic after it evaded a partial blockade around Venezuela, multiple US media said Wednesday. US officials say the tanker is part of a so-called shadow fleet that has carried oil for countries such as Ve»»»

The Ministry of Education has announced the details of the age-calculation schedule for admission to public and private schools whose academic year begins in August/September for the 2026–2027 academic year. The schedule applies to students who have not previously been enrolled in any education sys»»»

Berlin has condemned ex-Russian President Dmitry Medvedev over his suggestion that Chancellor Friedrich Merz could end up kidnapped like Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro but failed to provide an opinion on the US action itself. The former Russian leader and deputy chair of the Security Council m»»»

Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah on Wednesday lashed out at Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji over the latter’s latest remarks on Hezbollah. “It is clear that as a militiaman who took part in civil war against the Lebanese people, he does not differentiate between his belonging to the (Lebanese Forces’ n»»»

The “Chivalrous Knight3” operation has announced the launch of a new cycle of humanitarian aid distribution across all governorates of the Gaza Strip, as part of its ongoing efforts to provide relief and ease the suffering of residents amid the deteriorating humanitarian situation. The operation st»»»

Political circles in the US and the Middle East are closely watching for a decision to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation, marking a significant shift in Washington’s approach toward Islamist movements with transnational reach. For decades, the group operated with relative»»»

President Joseph Aoun and First Lady Nehmat Aoun left Beirut Wednesday for Cyprus to take part in a ceremony marking Nicosia’s assumption of the presidency of the EU for the next six months. The Presidency said the ceremony will be an occasion for a number of meetings with heads of state and partic»»»

TradeUnited States of AmericaVenezuela: Trump's $3 billion oil windfall — Why it mattersNik MartinUS President Donald Trump has announced a deal with Venezuela's interim government to transfer millions of barrels of oil to the US. DW explores how the plan could be a blow to China, Russia, Iran and »»»

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has completed traffic expansion works along Al Warqa’a 1 Street, covering approximately 7 kilometres in both directions between Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road and Ras Al Khor Road. As part of the project, four roundabouts were converted into signalised in»»»

Frankfurt, Germany: Germany's greenhouse gas emission cuts slowed sharply in 2025 as the North Sea experienced its warmest year on record, piling pressure Wednesday on the government to boost climate protection efforts. Emissions in Europe's largest economy fell by just 1.5 percent from the previou»»»

Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin has said "common sense needs to prevail" when asked about the US acquiring Greenland. On Tuesday the White House said the "US military is always an option" to achieve President Donald Trump's goal of taking over the semi-autonomous region. The stateme»»»

The ceasefire monitoring committee, which includes representatives from the United States, France, Lebanon, Israel and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), met Wednesday in Naqoura in south Lebanon. The meeting was only military and was not attended by civilian representatives. Las»»»

Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji has said that the government’s “top priority” is Hezbollah’s disarmament, noting that the government took six months to reach a firm decision on undertaking this task. “It was late, but the government is committed,” Rajji said in a Zoom interview with The Washington I»»»

Dubai: Some of the biggest names in the global social media space are set to descend on Dubai for the 1 Billion Followers Summit, taking place from January 9 to 11, 2026. The sold-out three-day summit will bring together more than 15,000 content creators, 500 speakers, and industry experts whose co»»»

Dubai: Dubai’s Community Development Authority (CDA) has launched the ‘Welcome Winter’ initiative in partnership with Al Madani Men’s Tailoring Group, aimed at providing winter clothing to eligible beneficiaries enrolled in CDA’s social support programmes. The initiative is expected to benefit more»»»

Dubai: The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) has launched the Labaih Initiative, a programme designed to provide senior citizens with tailored access to tax services and simplified support channels to help them complete tax procedures efficiently and securely. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, C»»»

Rain continues to douse parts of the Emirates on Dec 7, with Ras Al Khaimah’s Al Huwailat seeing a particularly heavy downpour, reports National Center for Meteorology. In January, UAE is expected to see average rainfall of 11.1mm across the country. Certain areas have been put on yellow alert and »»»

Dubai: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has blocked nearly 100 million mobile devices during the 2024—25 fiscal year, cracking down on stolen, counterfeit, and cloned phones in a move that is reshaping the country’s mobile market. Leveraging the Device Identification Registration and »»»

The Saudi-backed presidential council in Yemen has expelled the leader of a separatist group and charged him with treason after he failed to fly to Riyadh for talks. Six other members of the presidency accused Aidarous al-Zubaidi, head of the United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Counci»»»

The Sharjah Entrepreneurship Festival (SEF) has announced the first group of speakers for its ninth edition, with more than 300 local, regional and international participants expected to take part in the two-day event. SEF 2026 will take place from January 31 to February 1 at Sharjah Research, Tech»»»

Dubai: Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) said it has taken a final investment decision on the SARB Deep Gas Development, a strategic offshore project within the Ghasha Concession aimed at boosting domestic gas supply and supporting exports. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & »»»

You’ll need to exercise both caution and patience this evening (Dec 7) to get to where you are going in Dubai as traffic on some roads is seeing a slowdown, according to Google Maps’ real-time road data. In DIFC, for instance, Al Mustaqbal street is seeing traffic crawling. Near Downtown Dubai, She»»»

Dubai: AD Ports Group has announced a series of senior executive appointments to its Logistics Cluster, strengthening the leadership team under Jochen Thewes, who was recently appointed chief executive of the cluster. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The group said the »»»

A council fighting against Yemen's Houthi rebels said Wednesday that it had expelled the leader of a separatist movement and charged him with treason after he reportedly declined to travel to Saudi Arabia for talks. The latest upheaval in southern Yemen is revealing a growing divide among the Persi»»»

Families of Israeli soldiers who died by suicide since Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in October 2023 have filed a petition with the High Court of Justice to demand their sons be fully recognized as fallen soldiers, Israeli media reported. The families are seeking to block the implementation of recommenda»»»

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged calm after a bus driver ran over and killed a teenage boy Tuesday night during a protest in Jerusalem against a law seeking to draft the ultra-Orthodox community into Israel's military. "I call for restraint to prevent the mood from becoming further »»»

As the UAE marks the Year of Family, the country is reinforcing its commitment to supporting Emirati citizens entering marriage, recognising the family as the cornerstone of a stable and cohesive society. Through initiatives such as the Sheikh Zayed Marriage Fund, the government continues to provid»»»

Dubai Police has honoured Lieutenant Doha Ahmad Muhammad for her professional excellence and inspiring personal journey, highlighting how resilience and determination can be transformed into leadership and success. Lieutenant General Abdulla Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, rec»»»

Dubai: Greenland, the world’s largest island, has suddenly become a geopolitical flashpoint after US President Donald Trump revived his push to bring the vast Arctic territory under American control. His remarks, coming soon after a dramatic U.S. military operation in Venezuela, have alarmed Europe»»»

Sharjah City Municipality conducted six intensive workshops on rental regulation services in the second half of 2025, benefiting 600 employees from 556 real estate companies and offices across the emirate. The workshops form part of the municipality’s efforts to raise awareness of rental procedures»»»

Dubai: The UAE’s regulated stablecoin ecosystem is gaining momentum after RAKBANK secured in-principle approval from the Central Bank of the UAE to issue an AED-backed stablecoin, while payments firm Network International moved to enable stablecoin payments across merchant platforms through AE Coin»»»

The UAE Embassy in Paris has advised citizens in France to remain cautious following a sharp drop in temperatures and widespread snowfall across the country. In a social media post, the embassy urged travellers and residents to follow safety instructions issued by local authorities, monitor weather»»»

Riyadh: Are you looking to take your workout to new heights in 2026? GymNation has launched a unique high-altitude workout in Riyadh. Participants can enjoy a 30-minute workout session 2,200 feet (670.56 metres) in a hot air balloon over Riyadh. GymNation is promoting it as the world’s highest gym »»»

Chief of Indian Army, General Upendra Dwivedi, visited the BAPS Hindu Mandir, Abu Dhabi. He was moved by the marvellous architecture and hand-carved sculptures at the pink sandstone temple. General Dwivedi was welcomed by Pujya Brahmavihari Swami, Head of the BAPS Hindu Mandir, and briefed on the t»»»

Power was being restored on Wednesday to thousands of households in Berlin that had been without electricity in freezing temperatures for four days following a suspected far-left attack on high-voltage lines, authorities said. About 45,000 households and 2,200 businesses lost their supply on Saturd»»»