Region

DAMASCUS — Syria's new leaders announced Tuesday that they had reached an agreement with the country's rebel groups on their dissolution and integration under the defence ministry.

Absent from the meeting were representatives of the US-backed, Kurdish-led forces that control swathes of Syria's northeast.

The meeting between the rebel groups and Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa "ended in an agreement on the dissolution of all the groups and their integration under the supervision of the ministry of defence", said a statement carried by the SANA news agency and the authorities' Telegram account.

The announcement comes just over two weeks after president Bashar Al Assad fled Syria, following a lightning offensive spearheaded by Sharaa's Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) group.

On Sunday Sharaa, long known by his nom de guerre Abu Mohammed Al Jolani, had said the new authorities would "absolutely not allow there to be weapons in the country outside state control".

That also applied to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), he said.

Last week, the military chief of HTS told AFP that Kurdish-held areas would be integrated under the new leadership, and that "Syria will not be divided".

Thirteen years of civil war in Syria has left more than half a million people dead and fragmented the country into zones of influence controlled by different armed groups backed by regional and international powers.

SDF spokesman Farhad Shami told AFP the question of his group's integration into the national armed forces "should be discussed directly".

He did not dismiss the possibility, saying that doing so would strengthen "the whole of Syria".

Shami added that his forces prefer "dialogue with Damascus to resolve all questions".

 'Economic leverage'

Turkey has long held ties with HTS, and analysts say that since the Islamists took over Syria, both sides have sought to profit from the relationship.

Ankara accuses the People's Protection Units (YPG) -- the main component of the SDF -- of being affiliated with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has waged a decades-long insurgency on Turkish soil.

Earlier this month, a Syria specialist who advises Western diplomats in Turkey said: "The Turks would like to push HTS into striking at the Kurds but HTS doesn't want to get involved."

Although Ankara's role in Assad's overthrow had been "overstated", Turkey now has "real economic leverage" thanks to the 900-kilometre border it shares with Syria, the source said on condition of anonymity.

How the situation develops will also depend on US President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on January 20 but has already proclaimed that "Turkey is going to hold the key to Syria".

Since late November, the SDF has been battling Turkey-backed fighters who launched an offensive on Kurdish-held areas at the same time as HTS's anti-Assad campaign.

On Tuesday, the SDF said in a statement its fighters were waging deadly combat to the east of the key city of Manbij, with 16 deaths in its ranks.

Syria's Kurds, long oppressed under Assad's rule, saw an opportunity during the war to carve out a semi-autonomous territory in the northeast.

They proved an indispensable ally to the US-led coalition battling the Islamist State group.

Since Assad's ouster on December 8, they have issued numerous statements welcoming his downfall, and also put out calls for dialogue with the new leadership in Damascus and with Turkey.

In Syria's northeast, both the Kurdish flag and the three-star independence-era flag used by the new authorities can be seen.

TEHRAN — Iranian flights to Syria will remain suspended until late January, local media reported Tuesday, after the fall of long time Tehran ally president Bashar al-Assad.

"In order to fly to a country, the destination country must grant entry and admission permits," the head of Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation, Hossein Pourfarzaneh, was quoted as saying by the ISNA news agency.

"Currently, flights to Syria will not be allowed until January 22, after the New Year holidays," he added.

It was not clear exactly when Iran suspended flights to Syria.

Assad fled the country earlier this month as rebel forces led by the Sunni Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) entered the capital Damascus after a lightning offensive.

Thousands of Iranians have left Syria since the HTS takeover, which saw Tehran's embassy in Damascus vandalised.

Syria's new ruler and HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa has spoken out against the Islamic republic's role in Syria over the years.

Tehran helped prop up Assad during the country's long civil war, and provided him with military advisers.

On Monday, Iran's foreign ministry said there was "no direct contact" with Syria's new ruling authority.

It has also warned Iranians against travelling to Syria after the recent developments.

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told lawmakers on Monday that "some progress" had been made in negotiations to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza, more than 14 months into the war.

His comments in parliament come two days after Hamas said in a rare joint statement that a deal for a ceasefire in the Gaza war and to exchange prisoners was "closer than ever."

In recent days, indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States took place in Doha, rekindling hope of an agreement that has proven elusive.

"Everything we are doing cannot be disclosed. We are taking actions to bring them back. I wish to say cautiously that there has been some progress, and we will not stop acting until we bring them all home," Netanyahu said in parliament, on the same day he took the stand again at his ongoing corruption trial.

Hostage families have questioned the sincerity of government negotiation efforts, and critics have long accused Netanyahu of stalling in truce talks, prolonging the war partly to appease his far-right coalition partners.

On Saturday, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said progress had been made.

"The possibility of reaching an agreement [for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange deal] is closer than ever, provided the enemy stops imposing new conditions," the groups said after they held talks in Cairo.

 'Full force' 

Negotiations have faced multiple challenges since a one-week truce in November 2023, with the primary point of contention being the establishment of a lasting ceasefire. 

Another unresolved issue is the territory's post-war governance.

Hamas's armed wing said the fate of some of the hostages depends on how Israeli forces carry out their offensive.

"If the occupation army advances even a few hundred metres more in some areas where they are already on the ground, it will decide the fate of some of the enemy's hostages," Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Ezzedine Al Qassam Brigades, said in a statement on Monday.

In an interview with The Wall Street Journal last week, Netanyahu said: "I'm not going to agree to end the war before we remove Hamas." He added Israel is "not going to leave them in power in Gaza, 30 miles from Tel Aviv. It's not going to happen."

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on October 23 that Israel had "managed to dismantle Hamas's military capacity" and eliminated its senior leadership. With those successes, he said, it was time to "get the hostages home and bring the war to an end with an understanding of what will follow."

Israel's occupation army on Monday said three soldiers were killed in northern Gaza, the focus for weeks of an offensive Israel said aimed to prevent Hamas from regrouping there.

In parliament, Netanyahu also warned the Iran-backed Huthi rebels of Yemen, who last week fired two missiles at Israel, including one that injured 16 people in the commercial hub of Tel Aviv on Saturday.

Israeli warplanes retaliated against ports and energy infrastructure, which the military said contributed to Huthi rebel operations, after a rebel missile badly damaged an Israeli school last week. The Huthis said the Israeli strikes killed nine people.

NAIROBI — South Sudan is facing a "completely overwhelming" influx of refugees from war-torn Sudan as well as a rapidly growing cholera epidemic, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned Monday.

The medical charity said up to 5,000 people were crossing the border every day. The United Nations recently put the figure even higher at 7,000 to 10,000 a day.

Sudan is suffering one of the world's worst humanitarian emergencies since conflict broke out between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces in April 2023, with tens of thousands killed and millions displaced.

An MSF emergency coordinator in Renk town, near a transit centre holding some 17,000 people according to the UN, said they were working with the International Committee of the Red Cross to provide care.

"But the situation is completely overwhelming and it's not enough," said Emanuele Montobbio.

Facilities are expanding, he said, but "over 100 wounded patients, many with serious injuries, still await surgery." 

Alhida Hammed fled to Renk after his village was attacked and he was shot in Sudan's Blue Nile state.

"The houses were blazing, and everyone was running in different directions," he said.

He now has no shelter and is living under a tree, but does not want to return to Sudan.

"Home is no longer a home, it is filled with bad memories."

'Death's door' 

South Sudan is ill-equipped to handle the arrival of thousands seeking shelter from war, with the young country itself battling violence, endemic poverty and natural disasters.

Huge numbers of its own citizens are living in camps for internally displaced people and many now face an "alarming and rapid increase" in cholera cases, said MSF.

It said 92 people had died following an outbreak in Unity state, and that it had treated over 1,210 people in just four weeks in Bentiu city.

In sprawling camps near the capital Juba, home to tens of thousands, MSF said it had treated some 1,700 suspected cases with 25 deaths reported by the community.

"What we are witnessing is not just a cholera outbreak, it is the result of systemic neglect," said MSF's South Sudan head of mission Mamman Mustapha.

He described "mountains of uncollected waste", broken latrines and raw sewage in the camps, leaving behind a legacy of contaminated drinking water and infected inhabitants at "death's door".

Without immediate action, he said, "we expect cholera cases to skyrocket in the coming days and weeks."

DAMASCUS — Two weeks after seizing power in a sweeping offensive, Syria's new leader Ahmed al Sharaa on Sunday said weapons in the country, including those held by Kurdish-led forces, would come under state control.

Sharaa spoke alongside Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, after earlier meeting with Lebanese Druze leaders and vowing to end "negative interference" in the neighbouring country.

Ankara-backed rebels played a key role in supporting Sharaa's Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which headed a rebel alliance and seized Damascus on December 8, ousting longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.

During a press conference with Fidan, Sharaa said Syria's armed "factions will begin to announce their dissolution and enter" the army.

"We will absolutely not allow there to be weapons in the country outside state control, whether from the revolutionary factions or the factions present in the SDF area", he added, referring to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Sharaa had traded in the olive-green military shirt he sported just days ago for a suit and tie during his meetings Sunday at the presidential palace.

He also said "we are working on protecting sects and minorities from any attacks that occur between them" and from "external" actors exploiting the situation "to cause sectarian discord".

"Syria is a country for all and we can coexist together," he added.

Fidan said sanctions on Syria must "be lifted as soon as possible". He called for the international community to "mobilise to help Syria get back on its feet and for the displaced people to return".

Syria's nearly 14 year civil war killed more than half a million people and displaced more than half its population, many of them fleeing to neighbouring countries, including three million in Turkey.

Turkey has maintained strong ties with Syria's new leaders, and Ankara's intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin was in Damascus just four days after Assad fell.

Ankara has meanwhile continued operations against Kurdish-held areas in northeastern Syria, with a Britain-based war monitor reporting on Saturday that a Turkish drone strike killed five civilians in the area.

Ankara regards the People's Protection Units (YPG), the main component of the SDF, as being linked to the militant Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) at home, which both Turkey and Western allies deem a "terrorist" organisation.

 'Respect Lebanon's sovereignty' 

Regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia is also in direct contact with Syria's new authorities, having supported the opposition to Assad for years during Syria's civil war. Riyadh will send a delegation to the country soon, Syria's ambassador in the Saudi capital said.

During his meeting with visiting Lebanese Druze chiefs Walid and Taymur Jumblatt, Sharaa said Syria will no longer exert "negative interference in Lebanon at all".

He added that Damascus "respects Lebanon's sovereignty, the unity of its territories, the independence of its decisions and its security stability".

Syria "will stay at equal distance from all" in Lebanon, Sharaa added, acknowledging that Syria has been a "source of fear and anxiety" for the country.

Walid Jumblatt, long a fierce critic of Assad and his father Hafez who ruled Syria before him, arrived in Damascus Sunday at the head of a delegation of lawmakers from his parliamentary bloc and Druze religious figures.

The Druze religious minority is spread across Lebanon, Syria and Israel.

Walid Jumblatt accuses the former Syrian authorities of having assassinated his father in 1977 during Lebanon's civil war.

The Syrian army entered Lebanon in 1976, only leaving in 2005 after enormous pressure following the assassination of former prime minister Rafic Hariri, a killing attributed to Damascus and its ally, Lebanon's Iran-backed Hizbollah group.

 'Insecurity' 

Assad was an adherent of the Alawite offshoot of Shiite Islam and projected himself as a protector of the country's religious and ethnic minorities.

The seizure of power by the Sunni Islamists of HTS,  proscribed as a terrorist organisation by many governments including the United States, has sparked concern, though the group has in recent years sought to moderate its rhetoric.

Despite worries over Syria's future, global powers including the United States and the European Union have stepped up contacts with the war-ravaged country's new leaders, urging them to guarantee protections for women and minorities.

The foreign leaders have also stressed the importance of combating "terrorism and extremism".

The supreme leader of Iran, a major backer of Assad's administration before it fell,  on Sunday predicted "the emergence of a strong, honourable group" that would stand against "insecurity" in Syria.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Syria's young men would "stand with strength and determination against those who have designed this insecurity and those who have implemented it, and God willing, he will overcome them".

Assad had long played a strategic role in Iran's "axis of resistance", a loose alliance of regional proxy forces, particularly in facilitating the supply of weapons to Hizbollah in neighbouring Lebanon.

That axis has suffered heavy blows over the past year with Israel's decimation of the leadership of Hizbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.

Khamenei nonetheless denied that these armed groups acted as proxies, adding that: "If one day we want to take action, we do not need a proxy force."

SANAA — The United States on Saturday said it struck targets in Yemen's rebel-held capital, hours after a Huthi rebel missile wounded people in Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv.

The missile, which wounded 16 people, was the second such attack in two days.

Among the targets of US forces was a rebel missile storage centre and a "command-and-control facility," the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

American forces also shot down multiple Huthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea, it said, shortly after the rebels' Al Masirah TV channel reported that an "aggression" had targeted the Attan district of Sanaa, blaming Western forces.

American and British forces have repeatedly struck rebel targets in Yemen this year in response to Huthi attacks on shipping in Red Sea-area waters vital to global trade.

Israel has also previously struck back, including against ports and energy facilities, after rebel attacks against its territory.

The Iran-backed Huthi rebels had claimed responsibility for the Saturday strike on Israel, saying they directed a ballistic missile at "a military target of the Israeli enemy".

The Israeli military said it failed to intercept the missile, forcing many residents to leave their homes in the early hours.

Huthis have repeatedly launched missiles against Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians since the war in Gaza began more than a year ago. Most of them have been intercepted.

"One projectile launched from Yemen was identified and unsuccessful interception attempts were made," after alert sirens sounded, the Israeli military said on its Telegram channel.

In a later statement, the military said Israeli civilians had been "deliberately targeted".

It stressed the country's "aerial defence is not hermetic" so Israelis should follow security instructions.

"I was at home and heard a loud explosion. I immediately went to the scene and saw significant blast damage to nearby buildings," medic Yosef Kourdi was quoted as saying in a statement released by Israel's emergency medical service, Magen David Adom (MDA).

"MDA teams provided medical care to 16 individuals who were mildly injured by glass shards from shattered windows in nearby buildings due to the impact of the strike," the statement said.

 'Very lucky'

Ido Barnea, an IT manager whose apartment was damaged, told AFP a missile alert had sounded just before 4:00 am.

"Then there was a big ball of fire in the sky," he said. "I didn't even manage to get up and get dressed to go out."

An AFP photographer reported that many residents in the vicinity of the strike had to leave their homes, carrying only the essentials.

AFP images showed a large crater where the missile hit, and debris in the bedroom of a nearby house that was damaged.

Police swiftly cordoned off the neighbourhood.

Noa Mosseri, whose apartment was also damaged, told AFP she, too, heard the missile alert.

"We were very lucky because we didn't have time to get to a safe place. Within seconds there was a boom. We managed to get out and so we were not hurt," she said.

In their statement on Saturday, the Huthi rebels pledged to continue their attacks against Israel "until the aggression stops and the siege on the Gaza Strip is lifted".

The attack came two days after the rebels fired a missile that damaged an Israeli school.

The military said that missile had been intercepted but only partially, and its warhead "exploded and damaged the school".

In response, Israel struck several Huthi targets in Yemen, including in Sanaa, the first such strike on the rebel-held capital.

Rebel leader Abdul Malik al-Huthi said nine civilians were killed in the strikes.

 Warning

Hours after the Huthi attack on Saturday, the Israeli military said it had intercepted a drone over southern Israel, which had approached from the east.

It did not specify the origin of the drone, but similar attacks have been claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq group, also pro-Iran, since the Gaza war broke out.

Soon after retaliating for Thursday's attack by the Huthis, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the rebels of severe repercussions if there was any repetition.

"After Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Assad regime in Syria, the Huthis are almost the last remaining arm of Iran's axis of evil," Netanyahu said.

"The Huthis are learning and will learn the hard way, that those who strike Israel will pay a very heavy price for it."

On December 9, a drone claimed by the Huthis exploded on the top floor of a residential building in the central Israel city of Yavne, causing no casualties.

And in July, a Huthi drone attack on Tel Aviv killed an Israeli civilian, prompting retaliatory strikes on the rebel-held port of Hodeida.

AMMAN — This year, Dubai proudly celebrates the 30th anniversary of its iconic annual Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) from December 6 2024 to  January 12  2025.

The monumental 30th edition of DSF is the city’s most incredible, most memorable, and out-of-this-world celebration, with an action-packed calendar of 38 wonder-filled days brimming with non-stop, day-in-day-out moments for everyone, every day, in every corner of the city.

This year's not-to-be-missed season of DSF pays an epic tribute to three decades of welcoming the world to celebrate everything that makes Dubai extraordinary.

DSF’s eagerly anticipated experiences bring together the very best that the city has to offer, including A-list stars, unique-to-Dubai attractions, exceptional hospitality, a thriving gastronomy scene, ever-popular outdoor pop-up community experiences, the biggest-ever shopping deals and incredible chances to win life-changing prizes.

Plus, some of the world’s most spectacular New Year’s Eve celebrations, as well as joyful festive experiences and free enchanting immersive displays of lights, fireworks, drones, and pyrotechnics, promise endless excitement for everyone - all set against the backdrop of the city’s perfect weather for the season.

Me Dubai

The region’s first ME by Meliá is located in The Opus – the only hotel in the world designed by legendary architect Zaha Hadid.  It’s a masterpiece that redefines aesthetics, from the exterior as well as once you step indoors. Hadid’s signature avant-garde look and artistic flair can be seen in every element of ME Dubai, from the lighting to the furniture and beyond. 

Hadid has been called “the queen of the curve”, and a creator of ambitious wonders inspired by nature, with shapes and designs where the laws of physics appear suspended. A pioneer of unique aesthetics, managed to meticulously intertwine natural organic forms with the precision of mathematics. ME Dubai is an immersion in architecture, design, gastronomy and art that few can match, let alone mimic. 

The hotel features signature restaurants including The Maine, Roka, Salmon Guru, Sienna Clubhouse   and more. For all things relaxation, the property features Wellness by ME Spa, an exclusive health club and a pool with luxurious Loro Piana sunbeds and breathtaking views of Dubai’s skyline. 

Sienna Club House

SIENNA presents a fusion of Mediterranean taste and urban sophistication inspired by the warmth and comfort of the town of Siena, Italy. A combination of timeless traditions with a spark of innovation, alongside an excellent presentation, recreate the communal spirit of Mediterranean dining in this venue. 

Museum of Candy 

Dubai welcomed the world's first Museum of Candy earlier in October, an immersive, interactive attraction designed to celebrate the art, joy, and nostalgia of candy. Since its inception, the Museum of Candy has delighted visitors of all ages by transforming the simple love of sweets into an extraordinary, sensory-filled adventure.

With a mission to blend creativity, education, and fun, the museum offers a series of themed rooms that encourage exploration, play, and wonder.

Visitors can take home exclusive T-shirts, collectible candy jars, and signature sweets. Additionally, the venue features a dedicated area for VIP experiences and private events.

Ce La Vie

Born in Southeast Asia, CÉ LA VI celebrates the popular French saying that translates to “This is life”. Contemporary Asian dining and world-class entertainment come together with exceptional hospitality and magnificent vistas of the glistening Dubai skyline. The landmark location is situated in the heart of Downtown Dubai, boasting one of the cities highest rooftops with a Restaurant and Pool Deck.

Join CÉ LA VI for a spectacular celebration and countdown magic for 2025 featuring Britain’s Got Talent stars Jack Pack, along with a curated menu by the Executive Chef, all set against breathtaking views and the iconic Burj Khalifa fireworks. 

Dubai Festival City Mall 

The iconic annual Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF) is celebrating its monumental 30th anniversary edition with a 38-day festival. A highlight is DSF Nights at Dubai Festival City Mall, a spectacular free-to-attend concerts every weekend at 9:30pm featuring iconic artists like Yara on 21 December, Hams Fikri on 4 January, and Ibrahim Al-Sultan on 11 January. Experience the thrill of live X Factor shows, engaging family activations, incredible raffles, delectable dining pop-ups, endless shopping offerings, dazzling free fireworks, and unmissable entertainment throughout the season.

Every evening of DSF Nights, two brand new IMAGINE shows at Festival Bay will deliver a breathtaking spectacle with mesmerising light-mapped visuals, synchronised water screens, vibrant projections, and dazzling lasers. Twice daily, the theme “Ya Salam Ya Dubai” lights up the waterfront at 6:30pm, while “Dubai Kawkab Akhir” adds extra sparkle at 9pm with its awe-inspiring fireworks display, by Al Zarooni Group. 

Joe’s Backyard

Joe's Backyard, Dubai’s ultimate BBQ hotspot offers a laidback day-to-night unpretentious vibe with boasting views over the city’s skyline from 19th floor of The Holiday Inn, Dubai Festival City. The menu features a wide array of flame-grilled delicacies such as braised and slow-cooked meat, amongst other classics. 

Top Golf

Top Golf Dubai is a premier entertainment destination located in Emirates Golf Club that combines golf, food and drink, music and allows people of all ages and abilities to experience golf in a technology-driven and entertainment fuelled environment. Covering more than 60,000 square feet, Top Golf Dubai offers 96 bays set across 3 floors, 3 restaurants, an Academy, and opportunities to hang out with friends, spend time with family, or host marvellous celebrations. 

Swing into 2025 with style and excitement at Top Golf Dubai’s epic New Year’s Eve bash feautring a live DJ, buffet, and unlimited beverages. Enjoy a dazzling fireworks display that will illuminate the stunning Dubai skyline, as the clock strikes midnight.

21 Grams

Located in the heart of Umm Suqeim with views of Dubai's expansive skyline, the Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant - 21grams offers a Balkan dining experience, where age-old family recipes meet Dubai’s multicultural spirit. Using seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients, the chefs here bring the essence of the Balkans alive on every plate. Each dish is a love letter to home, served with generous warmth and an authenticity that resonates deeply with Dubai’s food lovers. The bistro’s relaxed, all-day ambiance makes it a sanctuary for genuine moments. With accolades from MENA’s 50 Best to Time Out Dubai, 21grams has woven itself into the fabric of the city, inviting guests to rediscover the warmth of home.

Book your table for the morning after brunch on 1st January and enjoy limitless food and drinks from their lovingly curated grazing table, accompanied by live soul music. 

Al Serkal Avenue

Once an industrial area in the centre of Dubai, Alserkal Avenue became a popular parade of gallery exhibits and displays of modern artwork, seasonal events and open-air community days. Visitors can also stop by for independent movie screenings at arthouse theatre Cinema Akil.

Ariana’s Persian Kitchen

The debut award-winning restaurant and female-led concept by celebrity Iranian-American chef Ariana Bundy is a fresh, modern take on Iranian cuisine, serving Persian classics spun with a refreshingly modern twist in terms of textures, ingredients, and presentation. Ariana’s vision brings to life the untold stories of Persian culture through plentiful, homemade, and beautifully presented dishes. Colourful, stunningly complex flavours in a stunningly beautiful setting designed to replicate Ariana’s actual home in Kashan – welcome to Ariana’s Persian Kitchen. 

The stunning restaurant will serve a specially created New Year’s Eve five-course sharing menu  to ring in 2025. The perfect place to celebrate with family and friends and enjoy breathtaking views of the midnight fireworks display. 

Dubai Mall

Dubai Mall, located next to the Burj Khalifa, is the world’s largest shopping and entertainment destination, covering over 1 million sqm—equivalent to 200 football pitches. It features over 1,200 retail stores, two major department stores, and hundreds of dining options. Fashion enthusiasts can explore more than 70 high-end outlets, including Bloomingdale’s and Galeries Lafayette. 

Dubai Mall has introduced its own Chinatown on the first floor, featuring vibrant retail, dining, and wellness offerings. Visitors can enjoy themed aesthetics, including classic red lanterns, neon lights, and the Dubai locations of Haidilao hotpot and Singapore's famous Hawker Chan food stall.

Time Out Market

If you're in town for only short visit, head straight to Time Out Market Dubai for a taste of the city's favourites. Inspired by Time Out Market's other international locations in New York, Lisbon, Montreal and beyond, the market takes pride of place at Souk Al Bahar and offers a terrace with enviable views of the Burj Khalifa and The Dubai Fountain. Spanning 43,000sqft, the Time Out Market Dubai line-up features 17 renowned homegrown eateries, including MASTI, BB Social Dining, Cafe Isan, Pickl, Pitfire, Reif, Slab Cocina, Scoopi and Long Teng. Don't miss the chance to try other fresh concepts such as Mattar and Liban by Allo Beirut. Plus, the little sister of popular Asian restaurant Jun's, Italian concept Onda by Alici and authentic Peruvian spot Fusion Ceviche.

Time Out Market Dubai will be hosting a grand celebration this New Year's Eve with with a Great Gatsby-themed celebration. Each ticket includes a pre-loaded event card worth 50 per cent of its value  to choose from over 250 exclusive creations. Enjoy an exclusive front-row view of the Burj Khalifa laser and fireworks show. Whether seated indoors or outdoors, all guests will have special access to a reserved space, ensuring they can capture every moment of the celebration. 

Global Village

Global Village, the region's premier multicultural family destination for shopping, dining, entertainment and attractions, opened its gates earlier in October, for its 29th season. A major highlight on Dubai’s annual calendar of events, Global Village serves as a central hub for major activations and performances, while also playing a key role in enhancing the emirate’s cultural experiences. The current season, running until 11 May 2025, is the largest to date with 30 pavilions representing over 90 cultures from around the world. This season features more than 3,500 shopping outlets, over 250 dining options, more than 40,000 shows and 200 rides, games, and attractions—all carefully curated to enhance guest experience.

Global Village is gearing up to host the New Year’s Eve celebrations on 31 December 2024, featuring seven dazzling fireworks displays, aligning with different time zones, alongside entertainment shows, presented at the Main Stage and throughout the destination, including a DJ performance. Global Village is offering extended hours to fully experience the countdown excitement from 4:00PM to 3:00AM.End-of-year shopping offers will be available at the Global Village’s 16 retail shops, located at the World Avenue, and the 30 cultural pavilions, all featuring over 3,500 outlets.

ANKARA — Turkey's foreign minister Hakan Fidan met with Syria's new leader in Damascus on Sunday, Ankara's foreign ministry said.

A video released by the Anadolu state news agency showed the two men greeting each other.

No details of where the meeting took place in the Syrian capital were released by the ministry.

Fidan had announced on Friday that he planned to travel to Damascus to meet Syria's new leaders, who ousted Syria's strongman Bashar Al Assad after a lightning offensive.

Turkey's spy chief Ibrahim Kalin had earlier visited the city on December 12, just a few days after Assad's fall.

Kalin was filmed leaving the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, surrounded by bodyguards, as broadcast by the private Turkish channel NTV.

Turkey has been a key backer of the opposition to Assad since the uprising against his rule began in 2011.

Besides supporting various rebel groups, it has welcomed Syrian dissenters and millions of refugees.

However, Fidan has rejected claims by US president-elect Donald Trump that the rebels' victory in Syria constituted an "unfriendly takeover" of the country by Turkey.

GAZA STRIP, Palestinian territories — Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes overnight and early Sunday killed at least 28 Palestinians, including at one family's home and at a school building.

There was no let-up in the violence in the Gaza Strip more than 14 months into the Israeli war, even as Palestinian groups involved in the fighting said a ceasefire deal was "closer than ever".

Civil agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said in a statement that at least 13 people were killed in an air strike on a house in central Gaza's Deir El Balah belonging to the Abu Samra family.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military, which has confirmed a separate strike further north, on a school in Gaza City.

Bassal said that eight people including four children were killed in the attack on the school, which had been repurposed as a shelter for Palestinians displaced by the war.

The Israeli military said it had carried out a "precise strike" overnight targeting Hamas militants operating there.

A military statement said that a Hamas "command and control centre... was embedded inside" the school compound in the city's east, adding that it was used "to plan and execute terrorist attacks" against Israeli forces.

Contacted by AFP, an Israeli military spokesperson said they were unable to immediately comment on other reported strikes elsewhere in Gaza.

Bassal said an overnight strike killed three people in Rafah, in the south.

And a drone strike early on Sunday hit a car in Gaza City, killing four people, Bassal said.

Hamas said on Saturday in a rare joint statement that an agreement to end the bloodshed was "closer than ever".

The groups, which include Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said that a truce in Gaza and hostage release deal was possible provided Israel does not impose new conditions in negotiations.

Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas, mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States, were held last week in Doha, rekindling hope of a potential breakthrough after months of stalling.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said he was "hopeful" for a deal, but avoided making any predictions as to when it would materialise.

Israel's offensive in Gaza has killed at least 45,227 people, a majority of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.