Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

The United Arab Emirates struggled on Thursday to recover from the heaviest recorded rainfall ever to hit the desert nation, as its main airport worked to restore normal operations even as floodwater still covered portions of major highways and roads.

The Emirati president-designate for the upcoming United Nations COP28 climate talks forcefully denied on Wednesday a report alleging his nation planned to use the summit to strike oil and gas deals, a day before the summit was due to begin.

Dubai prepared to host the COP28 climate talks on Tuesday as world leaders including U.S. President Joe Biden signaled they would not be attending the negotiations that come during the ongoing Israel-Hamas war roiling the wider Middle East.

The United Arab Emirates' pick to lead the upcoming COP28 climate talks in Dubai called on the world on Tuesday to “fight climate change, not each other,” directly addressing the anger activists have felt over his selection.

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry backs the United Arab Emirates' decision to appoint the CEO of a state-run oil company to preside over the upcoming U.N. climate negotiations in Dubai, citing his work on renewable energy projects.

The United Arab Emirates on Thursday, January 12, 2023, named a veteran technocrat who both leads Abu Dhabi's state-run oil company and oversees its renewable energy efforts to be the president of the upcoming United Nations climate negotiations in Dubai, highlighting the balancing act ahead for this crude-producing nation.