Trending Middle East brings you the latest social media and search trends from the region and around the world. Here are today's headlines.
Syria is gearing up for a critical national conference this week, bringing together representatives from its diverse social and political landscape to shape its future under the new rebel-led administration.
The conference's announcement followed statements by Syria's de facto leader, Ahmad Al Shara. He said elections in Syria could take up to four years and the process of drafting a new constitution may take three. Mohammad Khaled, a political affairs representative of the new administration led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), told The National that the conference will be held in Damascus on January 4 and 5.
Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, on Monday issued what he called a final warning to Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi militants to stop their missile attacks on Israel.
Mr Danon said that if they continued, they were at risk of suffering the same “miserable fate” as Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria's ousted dictator Bashar Al Assad. He also warned Iran that Israel can strike any target in the Middle East, including Iran, adding that Israel would not tolerate attacks by its proxies.
Russia and Ukraine exchanged 300 captives in a UAE-mediated swap confirmed by the UAE government on Monday. The UAE mediation resulted in the release of 150 Russian captives and 150 Ukrainian captives, Wam reported.
Russia's Defence Ministry said that each side had agreed to swap 150 prisoners of war. On X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that captured Ukrainians were being returned from Russia to Ukraine ahead of the new year. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the successful new mediation effort, the 10th since the beginning of 2024, took the total number of released captives to 2,484.
Biography
Favourite book: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Holiday choice: Anything Disney-related
Proudest achievement: Receiving a presidential award for foreign services.
Family: Wife and three children.
Like motto: You always get what you ask for, the universe listens.
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre, 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: CVT
Power: 170bhp
Torque: 220Nm
Price: Dh98,900
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The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre flat-six twin-turbocharged
Transmission: eight-speed PDK automatic
Power: 445bhp
Torque: 530Nm
Price: Dh474,600
On Sale: Now
WandaVision
Starring: Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany
Directed by: Matt Shakman
Rating: Four stars
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Company%20Profile
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
WISH
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