Your regional news round-up
- Pope Leo XIV has used his Christmas sermon to condemn conditions in Gaza, where Palestinians are living in flimsy tents in freezing conditions. Leo, the first US-born Pope, said the story of Jesus being born in a stable showed that God had “pitched his fragile tent” among the people of the world.
- More than 100 suspected ISIS members believed to have been planning attacks during the Christmas and New Year season have been arrested in Turkey, authorities said. Police arrested 115 of 137 suspects in a series of raids across Istanbul and seized pistols and ammunition.
- Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said diplomatic efforts had helped to keep Lebanon away from war, despite Israeli attacks that killed at least three people on Thursday. The President was speaking after media reports indicated Israel was considering an escalation in Lebanon, citing what it has described as a lack of willingness to disarm Hezbollah.
- Saudi Arabia warned that recent military movements in Yemeni provinces by the Southern Transitional Council harm the interests of both the southern cause and the wider nation.
- Israeli authorities announced the arrest of an Israeli man on suspicion of committing security offences under the direction of Iranian intelligence agents, days after Tehran executed an Iranian accused of spying for Israel.
Other developments
- Authorities in Lebanon are investigating the case of a man who allegedly posed as a Saudi prince to extract money from Lebanese officials in exchange for acting as an intermediary with Riyadh, security sources told The National.
- Syria will begin releasing new banknotes on January 1 to replace currency issued under the former Assad regime, the central bank governor announced. Abdulkader Husrieh said the exchange of old notes for new ones would be "smooth and organised, and its mechanism will be explained clearly and transparently".
- Sudanese Armed Forces chief Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, the latest in a series of foreign visits by the de facto Sudanese leader amid mounting calls for a ceasefire in the civil war that has ravaged the country.
- Electricity supply across Kurdistan dropped by 1,000 megawatts due to a "technical issue” at Khor Mor gas field, one of the largest in the Kurdish region, the Kurdish Ministry of Electricity said.
- Israeli security forces announced the arrest of five Israeli settlers over their alleged involvement in an attack on a Palestinian home that injured a baby girl in the occupied West Bank.
More goings-on
- Algeria's parliament has unanimously approved a law declaring France's 132-year colonial occupation a crime, demanding an apology and reparations. Lawmakers wearing scarves in the colours of the national flag rose to their feet and chanted “long live Algeria” as they applauded the progress of the bill, which states that France holds “legal responsibility for its colonial past in Algeria and the tragedies it caused”.
- President Sheikh Mohamed wished everyone celebrating in the UAE and around the world a Merry Christmas. Sheikh Mohamed delivered an optimistic message on social media on Christmas Day, calling for people to find peace, joy, and harmony during the festive season.
- Iraq exported 106.5 million barrels of oil in November, down from 110.9 million barrels in October, data from the country's oil marketer SOMO showed.
- Lebanese depositors face high uncertainty and a long wait in recovering their money from banks, despite a draft law aimed at gradually repaying customers' funds frozen in the banking system since the 2019 financial meltdown, experts told The National. Full story here.
Happening today
- Gaza mediators continue talks on second phase of ceasefire agreement
Top picks from The National
This newsletter was compiled by Mohamad Ali Harisi, Foreign Editor.
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Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
2019 ASIA CUP POTS
Pot 1
UAE, Iran, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia
Pot 2
China, Syria, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Qatar, Thailand
Pot 3
Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Palestine, Oman, India, Vietnam
Pot 4
North Korea, Philippines, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Turkmenistan
FA Cup fifth round draw
Sheffield Wednesday v Manchester City
Reading/Cardiff City v Sheffield United
Chelsea v Shrewsbury Town/Liverpool
West Bromwich Albion v Newcastle United/Oxford United
Leicester City v Coventry City/Birmingham City
Northampton Town/Derby County v Manchester United
Southampton/Tottenham Hotspur v Norwich City
Portsmouth v Arsenal
Company%20profile
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Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
Gulf Men's League final
Dubai Hurricanes 24-12 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
The biog
Name: Atheja Ali Busaibah
Date of birth: 15 November, 1951
Favourite books: Ihsan Abdel Quddous books, such as “The Sun will Never Set”
Hobbies: Reading and writing poetry
Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day – 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227-4 at the close.
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Naga
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Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
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SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20TV%204K%20(THIRD%20GENERATION)
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UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
