CATEGORIES

I could see LA fire from the plane: Dubai resident

Dubai resident Aanchal Sharma finally checked visiting Malibu in Los Angeles, California, on her bucket list. She was drawn by the city's lush landscape, near-perfect weather, lavish mansions, upscale shopping streets, expansive gardens with fountains, poolside cafés, and tropical tourist spots she had previously only seen in films.

Dubai to train 1B people in firefighting after LA blaze

The UAE has launched an ambitious initiative to train one billion individuals around the world in fire safety and preparedness. The initiative, called '1 Billion Readiness', aims to collaborate with 34 countries and 16 major firefighting organisations globally to conduct virtual courses.

Jennifer Garner shares 'guilt' after losing friend in LA wildfires

Actor Jennifer Garner shared that she lost a friend in the devastating wildfires that have been storming Los Angeles for the past week.

Bad Bunny announces Puerto Rican concert residency

Megastar Bad Bunny announced on Monday a 21-concert residency in his homeland Puerto Rico, with the first nine shows limited to residents of the island.

Country music superstar Carrie Underwood to perform at Trump's inauguration

Country music superstar Carrie Underwood will perform America the Beautiful at US President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on January 20, according to a copy of the programme shared by a spokesperson of the presidential inaugural committee.

Glitzy Oscars nominees' lunch cancelled after LA wildfires

The body that awards the Oscars said Monday it was cancelling its ritzy nominees' luncheon, as Los Angeles grapples with enormous wildfires that have crippled the United States' second-largest city.

Grammys still set for February 2, will support LA fire relief

The Grammys, slated for February 2, will \"proceed as planned\" despite the devastating fires scorching Los Angeles, the Recording Academy said Monday.

WWII-era guide for UK spies to go on display

Avoid facial disguises, carry loose change and be ready to make split-second decisions: just some of the advice Britain's domestic spy agency gave recruits tailing subjects nearly a century ago.

Will White House be big enough for Trump - and Musk?

Donald Trump will be the one taking the presidential oath next week, but in some respects, billionaire Elon Musk might as well place his hand on the Bible too. In an unprecedented relationship for modern US history, Trump will be heading into the White House shadowed by an adviser who is not only the world's richest person but matches the incoming president in terms of wild ambition, hard-right politics, and media influence.

German court halts sales of ‘Dubai chocolate’ made outside UAE

A German court has banned a discount supermarket chain from selling a version of “Dubai chocolate” made outside the Emirati city, according to a ruling seen by AFP on Tuesday.

TikTok calls report of possible sale to Musk's X 'pure fiction'

Tik Tok on Tuesday labelled as \"pure fiction\" a report that China is exploring a potential sale of the video-sharing platform's US operations to billionaire Elon Musk as the firm faces an American law requiring imminent Chinese divestment.

Bezos's Blue Origin calls off New Glenn launch again

Jeff Bezos's rocket company Blue Origin moved the launch of its New Glenn rocket from Tuesday to Thursday, January 16, further pushing back its inaugural attempt to reach orbit and compete with SpaceX in the satellite launch market.

Ukraine launches drone and missile strikes on Russia

Ukraine struck Russian regions with a major drone and missile attack overnight, damaging factories in at least three cities, officials and media said.

Trump look-alike sings to sell pudding in Pakistan

In a bustling market in Pakistan's eastern Punjab province, a food vendor who locals say bears an uncanny resemblance to US president-elect Donald Trump gets more business and attention than others.

Pope Francis downplays health issues, says no plans to resign

Pope Francis, who turned 88 last month and asked an aide to read a major speech last week due to a cold, says in a new book that he feels healthy and has no plans to resign as leader of the global Catholic Church.

Prosecutor Jack Smith defends criminal cases against Trump

U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith concluded that Donald Trump engaged in an \"unprecedented criminal effort\" to hold on to power after losing the 2020 election, but was thwarted in bringing the case to trial by the president-elect's November election victory, according to a report published on Tuesday.

Biden forgives student loans for 150,000 borrowers, bringing total to more than 5M

President Joe Biden said on Monday his administration would cancel student loans for more than 150,000 borrowers, targeting those who attended schools that defrauded students, those with permanent disabilities and public service workers.

UK unveils probe into dominance of Google search

Britain's competition watchdog on Tuesday launched an investigation into Google's dominant position in the search engine market and its impacts on consumers and businesses.

Tokinvest becomes first DMCC firm to get licence for asset marketplace

Tokinvest, a marketplace for real-world asset investing, has received a full market licence from the Dubai Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (VARA). Tokinvest is the first company inside Dubai's DMCC International Business District to receive an operational VARA license and one of only a handful of regulated end-to-end real-world asset investing platforms globally.

Inside Aadar Jain, Alekha Advani's Goa wedding

Actor Aadar Jain and Alekha Advani are now married. The couple exchanged vows in a Christian ceremony in Goa surrounded by close friends and family.

China new bank loans beat forecasts

Chinese banks extended 990 billion yuan ($135 billion) in new yuan loans in December, up from November and outpacing analysts' forecasts as government stimulus measures slowly spur credit demand.

Sky Force actor Veer Pahariya meets family of war hero

Actor Veer Pahariya, set to make his Bollywood debut in the upcoming war film Sky Force, recently met the family of Squadron Leader Ajjamada Boppoyya Devayya, the Mahavir Chakra recipient who inspired his character. Veer took to his Instagram account on Monday to share pictures with Devayya's 90-year-old wife, Mrs Sundari Devayya, and their daughters, Smitha and Preetha, during their meeting in Bengaluru. The actor also expressed his admiration for the family and their inspiring legacy.

NMDC Energy opens Saudi facility

NMDC Energy, a provider of engineering, procurement and construction services for offshore and onshore energy clients has inaugurated an advanced fabrication yard in Ras Al Khair, Saudi Arabia, representing the next phase of strategic regional and global growth for the company. The facility has a production capacity of 40,000 tonnes per year.

UK finance minister under pressure to restore confidence

Britain's finance minister Rachel Reeves is expected to address parliament Tuesday to try and regain the confidence of markets in the face of rising pressure over the country's struggling economy.

Financial mastery key to small business success

Entrepreneurship has proven to be the engine behind contemporary economic systems, serving as a nest of innovation, employment generation, and societal progress. Globally, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) constitute 90 per cent of all businesses and account for over 50 per cent of employment, according to the World Bank.

Bollywood celebrates Lohri

Bollywood celebrated the annual Indian harvest festival Lohri on January 13. On this day, people gather around bonfires, sing traditional songs and share sweets to mark the occasion as a symbol of unity, hope and prosperity. Celebrity A-listers took to social media to wish fans. Here's what they had to say:

UAE's MBZ-SAT blasts off to space on SpaceX's Falcon 9

The UAE's most advanced Earth-imaging satellite, MBZ-SAT, was successfully launched on Tuesday at 11.09pm local time from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, US, onboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. This marks the second satellite developed entirely by an Emirati team and it is being accompanied by a compact yet powerful Cube-Sat, HCT-SAT 1 and Al Ain Sat-1.

Oil shipping rates surge after US sanctions hit availability

Supertanker freight rates jumped after the US expanded sanctions on Russia's oil industry, sending traders rushing to book vessels to ship supply from other countries to China and India, ship-brokers and traders said.

Fleetwood hails Mental Fitness Zone at Dubai Desert Classic

Tommy Fleetwood has commended the Hero Dubai Desert Classic for pioneering mental wellness initiatives with the Mental Fitness Zone returning to the tournament for the second successive year.

President Sheikh Mohamed gives away Zayed Sustainability Prize

Mustafa Al Amin was named one of the 2025 winners of the Zayed Sustainability Prize on Tuesday for his pioneering work in electric vehicles. Al Amin's journey began with a childhood vision sparked by observing broken cars outside a police station in his hometown in Bangladesh. In 2019, while still a student, he conceived the idea of converting a traditional engine to an electric motor. \"I thought if I could replace the engine with an electric motor, it would become an electric car. At the time there were no Teslas (in Bangladesh), so it was just an idea that I got,\" said the electrical engineer.