Bahrain's Interior Ministry reissued a danger alert.

Qatar-based UCC Oil and Gas Holding is negotiating to take over two onshore oil and gas fields in Venezuela, targeting the El Furrial and Jusepin fields in northern Monagas state. Monagas is a major Venezuelan oil-producing region; Shell and other firms have already agreed to develop projects there this year. If completed, an El Furrial deal would give UCC access to one of PDVSA’s most valuable conventional oil assets. Foreign reports say the talks reflect UCC’s push to expand in Venezuela and note that the Trump administration in January removed Maduro and has since cooperated with his successor, Rodriguez.

IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol said at COP31 that balancing energy security with the green transition is a shared challenge. He said China’s clean-energy deployment and green-industrial advantages will help other countries accelerate low-carbon transitions. Birol added that rising geopolitical tensions are speeding global energy transitions, driven by climate goals as well as energy-security and economic-development concerns.