Author: Gulf News Week

SDF withdrawal prompts fragile truce as rescue teams clear booby traps and UN organizes convoys for displaced residents. ALEPPO, Syria – Rescue teams entered a devastated district of Aleppo on Sunday following days of intense fighting between Syrian government forces and Kurdish-led fighters over the integration of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the national army. A temporary ceasefire took hold in the predominantly Kurdish neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud, Achrafieh and Bani Zaid, after clashes left at least 23 people dead and displaced more than 140,000 residents since Tuesday. The violence marked the most severe combat since the fall of…

Following severe weather events, firms are strictly interpreting policies; growing consumer awareness drives shift to comprehensive coverage. Insurance companies across the UAE are increasingly declining claims for vehicles damaged in floods, citing policyholder negligence as the key reason, senior industry executives have confirmed. The tightening of claims assessment follows the heavy rainfall events of April 2024 and December 2025, which caused widespread flooding. Insurers are now strictly applying policy clauses that exclude coverage for deliberate or negligent driving into known hazards. “A growing number of claims are being declined on grounds of negligence—such as driving into known flooded wadis, designated…

Second phase of voting proceeds in heavily controlled areas; UN expert denounces “engineered” poll designed to cement military rule. YANGON, Myanmar – Myanmar’s military government held the second phase of a tightly controlled national election on Sunday, a process widely dismissed by democracy advocates and international observers as a sham designed to legitimize the junta’s rule. Polling stations opened in select constituencies, including Kawhmu, the former seat of deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Her National League for Democracy (NLD), which won a landslide in the 2020 election, was banned after the 2021 coup, and the military has since imprisoned…

Weekly service from Kozhikode starts February 2026, enhancing connectivity for diaspora, pilgrims, and trade between key regions. Saudia Announces New Direct Flights from Kozhikode to Riyadh Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – In a significant move to bolster its connectivity with India, Saudia, the national flag carrier of Saudi Arabia, has unveiled plans to launch direct flights between Kozhikode (Calicut) in Kerala and the capital city of Riyadh. Scheduled to commence on February 1, 2026, the new route will feature eight weekly flights operating in both directions. This strategic expansion establishes Kozhikode as Saudia’s seventh gateway in India, joining its existing network that includes major hubs…

US president says Washington is closely monitoring protests in Iran and considering possible military intervention.United States President Donald Trump has said that Washington is considering “strong options” in response to the protests in Iran, including possible military intervention.“We’re looking at it very seriously. The military is looking at it, and we’re looking at some very strong options. We’ll make a determination,” he told reporters on board Air Force One late on Sunday.He said Iran’s leadership had called, seeking “to negotiate” after his threats of military action, and that a “meeting is being set up”.But he added that “we may have…

Israel claims its latest attacks on Lebanon were targeting alleged Hezbollah infrastructure.The Israeli army has carried out several attacks on southern Lebanon, killing one person, according to Lebanese authorities, with the military saying it targeted a Hezbollah fighter and infrastructure.The attacks on Sunday came days after the Lebanese military said it had completed disarming Hezbollah south of the Litani River, the first phase of a nationwide plan, though Israel has called those efforts insufficient.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Israeli forces kill two in Lebanon, ahead of truce monitors meetinglist 2 of 3Everything you need to know about the…

Analysts say Musk’s move may give a small boost to some protesters, but matters little during internet blackouts.Amid intensifying protests in Iran, the world’s richest man has weighed in.On January 4, Elon Musk, the multi-billionaire owner of social media platform X, responded to a post by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that said “we will not give in to the enemy” by suggesting in Farsi that he was delusional.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Iran’s Pezeshkian pledges economic overhaul amid spiralling protestslist 2 of 3Sudan announces government’s return to Khartoum from wartime capitallist 3 of 3Hunger strike…

Army-aligned government returns to the capital, which was quickly overrun by the RSF in the early days of war in 2023.Sudan’s Prime Minister Kamil Idris has announced the government’s return to Khartoum, after nearly three years of operating from its wartime capital of Port Sudan.In the early days of the civil war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023, the army-aligned government fled the capital, which was quickly overrun by rival troops.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Sudan’s el-Fasher now a “ghost town” after RSF takeoverlist 2 of 4Sudan…

President Pezeshkian strikes a conciliatory tone in an interview broadcast on state TV, but accuses the US and Israel of fuelling unrest that has killed dozens.President Masoud Pezeshkian has pledged to overhaul Iran’s struggling economy, saying his government is “ready to listen to its people” after two weeks of increasingly violent nationwide demonstrations.Pezeshkian adopted a conciliatory approach during an interview on state television on Sunday, saying his embattled administration was determined to resolve the country’s economic problems while accusing the United States and Israel of fomenting deadly unrest.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Iran says over 100 officers…

South Africa is hosting the BRICS exercises, but two founding members are not participating amid tensions with the US.New Delhi, India – Joint naval drills involving several members of the BRICS bloc, including China, Russia and Iran, have kicked off near South Africa’s coast with South Africa describing the manoeuvres as a vital response to rising maritime tensions globally.The weeklong Will for Peace 2026 exercises, which started on Saturday, are being led by China in Simon’s Town, where the Indian Ocean meets the Atlantic Ocean. They will include drills on rescue and maritime strike operations and technical exchanges, China’s Ministry…