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King Abdullah II bin al-Hussein of Jordan and his Crown Prince, Al-Hussein bin Abdullah II, expressed their gratitude to Qatar for its excellent organisation of the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 and its associated events. In a post on ‘X’ platform, the Jordanian monarch thanked Doha for bringing together all Arab brethren, and extended congratulations to Morocco on winning the title. For his part the crown prince wrote on his Instagram account, “Gratitude to the all the loyal fans for their presence and support of the Nashama. We congratulate our brothers in Morocco on winning the championship, and we extend our sincere appreciation to Qatar for the excellent organisation.” Morocco were crowned champions of the FIFA Arab Cup Qatar 2025 on Thursday evening, defeating their Jordanian counterparts 3-2 after extra time. Source link
UAE airport authorities cancelled or delayed dozens of flights and roads were flooded in major cities as the heaviest rainstorm in months lashed the desert nation yesterday.Dubai’s Emirates airline axed 13 flights yesterday and there were also delays and cancellations at neighbouring Sharjah’s airport after the overnight downpour, which woke residents with lightning flashes and loud cracks of thunder. Sharjah’s main street was completely flooded early yesterday, with residents seen wading through it in bare feet. One man rode his bicycle through the water, which reached the top of its wheels. The scenes evoked memories of April 2024, when record rains caused widespread flooding and forced the cancellation of more than 2,000 flights at Dubai’s major international air hub. On Thursday, Dubai police had urged residents to stay in unless “absolutely necessary” as the rainstorm approached. Early yesterday, water-pumping trucks were seen around Dubai clearing blocked roads and large puddles in the streets.The Dubai Airports website showed dozens of flights had been delayed yesterday, and some cancelled. “Some flights… are cancelled or delayed due to adverse weather,” a Dubai Airports spokesperson said.The National Center of Meteorology had warned of rainfall across the country from Thursday to yesterday, including in Dubai and the capital Abu Dhabi. Other Gulf states also experienced heavy rain, including Qatar where the Arab Cup football’s third-place play-off between Saudi Arabia and UAE was cancelled on Thursday. Last year’s downpours in the UAE, the heaviest since records began 76 years ago, killed at least four people and brought Dubai to a standstill for days.A study published by the World Weather Attribution group found that global warming caused by fossil fuel emissions “most likely” exacerbated the intense rains that lashed the UAE and Oman last year. Source link
A top Hamas official said yesterday talks in Miami to advance the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire must aim to end Israeli truce “violations”, as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged the group’s disarmament.US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is to meet officials from Qatar, Egypt and Turkiye in Florida, hoping to salvage efforts to reach the second stage of the deal. “Our people expect these talks to result in an agreement to put an end to ongoing Israeli lawlessness, halt all violations and compel the occupation to abide by the Sharm El-Sheikh agreement,” Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim told AFP. aDuring the second stage, Israel is supposed to withdraw from its positions in Gaza, an interim authority is to govern the Palestinian territory instead of Hamas, and an international stabilisation force is to be deployed.Hamas’ Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya said on Sunday the group had a “legitimate right” to hold weapons. Israel has repeatedly insisted that Hamas will be disarmed. Rubio also said yesterday he was confident that countries would send troops for the planned international stabilisation force. “I feel very confident that we have a number of nation states acceptable to all sides in this who are willing to step forward and be a part of that stabilisation force,” he said. Source link
There is no longer famine in Gaza, a global hunger monitor said yesterday, after access for humanitarian and commercial food deliveries improved following a fragile Oct 10 ceasefire in the war. The latest assessment by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification comes four months after it reported that 514,000 people — nearly a quarter of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip — were experiencing famine. The IPC warned yesterday that the situation in the enclave remained critical. “Under a worst-case scenario, which would include renewed hostilities and a halt in humanitarian and commercial inflows, the entire Gaza Strip (would be) at risk of famine through mid-April 2026. This underscores the severe and ongoing humanitarian crisis,” the IPC said in the report. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said that while famine had been pushed back, the gains were “perilously” fragile. “Far more people are able to access the food they need to survive,” he told reporters yesterday, but he added: “Needs are growing faster than aid can get in.” Source link
Displaced Palestinian child Yasser Arafat, 5, who, according to medics, suffers from severe acute malnutrition with nutritional edema, sits in front of his family’s tent at…
Four Palestinians, including a woman, were martyred in an Israeli airstrike that targeted the city of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip over the past 24 hours, the Palestinian News Agency (WAFA) reported.WAFA said rescue teams were unable to recover the bodies due to continued Israeli airstrikes in the area.Israeli occupation forces have intensified air raids and artillery shelling since dawn today, in addition to firing from armored vehicles and naval gunboats, targeting several areas across the Gaza Strip, particularly Khan Younis and Rafah, as well as eastern districts of Gaza City. WAFA added that the occupation army continues its violations of the ceasefire agreement in Gaza, which has been in effect since October 10.According to Palestinian medical sources, the death toll from the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip has risen to 70,669 martyrs, with 171,165 injuries, since October 2023. Source link
Syria’s foreign ministry on Friday welcomed the permanent ending by the United States of the so-called Caesar sanctions, paving the way for the return of investment to the war-ravaged nation.The US Congress on Wednesday permanently ended the sanctions imposed on Syria under Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted in December last year. The Caesar Act, named after an anonymous photographer who documented atrocities in Assad’s prisons, severely restricted investment and cut off Syria from the international banking system. A foreign ministry statement in Damascus “welcomed” the step, calling it “an entrance to the phase of reconstruction and development”. It urged “all Syrians in the country and abroad to contribute in national recovery efforts”. Source link
Vehicles drive on a flooded road during heavy rain in the Gulf Emirate of Dubai on December 18, 2025. (AFP) Dubai police Thursday urged residents to stay indoors unless it was “absolutely necessary” as heavy rainfall was expected in the country which saw record downpours last year. The warning came hours after rainfall in the city caused flooding in streets. “For your safety, please remain cautious as unstable weather conditions are expected in the coming hours, and avoid going out unless it is absolutely necessary until midday today,” said a police alert sent to residents’ phones. The National Center of Meteorology (NCM) in the United Arab Emirates warned of rainfall across the country from Thursday to Friday, including in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Related Story Source link
A man watches as members of the Palestinian Civil Defence participate in a search and rescue operation at the site of a house that was partially…
Israel launched several strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon on Thursday, Lebanese state media reported, as the Israeli military said it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure including a military compound. The attacks come as the committee monitoring the ceasefire, in effect since November 2024, which includes the United States, France and the UN in addition to Lebanon and Israel, is set to meet on Friday. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported several strikes in the south and east. In another statement, the military said: “A short while ago, the IDF struck a Hezbollah in the area of Taybeh in southern Lebanon.”Lebanon’s health ministry said four people were wounded in the Taybeh strike.Despite the ceasefire that was supposed to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and militant group Hezbollah, Israel has intensified its attacks.A meeting on Lebanon is taking place on Thursday in Paris with the Lebanese army chief and American and Saudi officials, at a time when France and the United States are pressuring the Lebanese government to accelerate Hezbollah’s disarmament. Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called the Israeli strikes “an Israeli message to the Paris conference dedicated to supporting the Lebanese arm. Source link