UAE to exit OPEC, OPEC+ from May 1
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) said Tuesday it will withdraw from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the wider OPEC+ alliance, with effect from May 1, 2026, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported.
The decision reflects the UAE's long-term strategic and economic vision and evolving energy profile, including accelerated investment in domestic energy production, and reinforces its commitment to a responsible, reliable, and forward-looking role in global energy markets, WAM reported.
It follows a comprehensive review of the UAE's production policy and its current and future capacity, and is based on the UAE's national interest and commitment to contributing effectively to meeting the market's pressing needs, it reported.
The UAE said it will continue to act as a responsible and reliable energy supplier, bringing additional production to the market in a gradual and measured manner in line with demand and market conditions.
Trump administration challenges ABC station licenses after Jimmy Kimmel's remarks on Melania Trump
The Trump administration is moving to challenge ABC's station licenses, according to an order published by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Tuesday, signaling an escalation in tensions following late-night host Jimmy Kimmel's recent controversial remarks about First Lady Melania Trump.
"Disney's ABC is hereby directed to file license renewals for all of their licensed TV stations within 30 days -- in other words, by May 28, 2026," the order said.
Calling the FCC order the start of "a protracted legal process," a CNN report said that it is "an extraordinary escalation" by the Trump administration.
The report noted that while the FCC asserts that the license review is related to an ongoing probe into Disney's diversity initiatives, "it is being widely viewed as a form of government retaliation for airing Kimmel's show and resisting Trump's pressure."
Sentence for ex-S. Korean president Yoon's wife increased to 4 years on appeal for corruption
The sentence for Kim Keon-hee, wife of South Korea's former President Yoon Suk-yeol, was increased to four years on appeal for corruption, live footage showed Tuesday.
The Seoul High Court overturned the lower court's ruling, stiffening Kim's prison term from 20 months to four years with a fine of 50 million won (about 33,910 U.S. dollars).
The team of Min Joong-ki, an independent counsel who led an investigation into corruption charges involving Yoon and his wife, sought a 15-year jail term in the appellate court after requesting the same sentence in the first instance.
The court confirmed that Kim participated in stock price manipulation, finding her guilty on the receipt of valuables from the Unification Church.
British PM Starmer not to face investigation over Mandelson issue
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will not be investigated over claims that he misled Parliament regarding Peter Mandelson, the former British ambassador to the United States, after a House of Commons vote on Tuesday.
After more than five hours of debate, Members of Parliament voted 335 to 223 against a motion led by the Conservative Party that called for Starmer to be investigated by the House's Privileges Committee.
Starmer told British media on Monday that the vote was a "political stunt" by his opponents.
The vote centered on whether Starmer misled Parliament when he said that "full due process" had been followed in Mandelson's appointment. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch argued that this statement amounted to misleading Parliament.■
