World oil prices soared Wednesday, with the benchmark international contract Brent North Sea crude surpassing $95 for the first time in nearly six weeks as the United States and Iran carried out more strikes.

Dubai will offer more than $800 worth of discounts and deals to residents who bring friends and family to visit, the emirate's media office said on Wednesday, as months of war have battered its tourism sector.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Tuesday that U.S. President Donald Trump's authorization for airlines to resume direct flights to Beirut presented a major opportunity for Lebanon's economy and connectivity with Washington.

Welcoming the announcement that came after Trump's meeting with President Joseph Aoun, Salam said the move "represents a significant opportunity to enhance travel and connectivity between Lebanon and the United States, and to support the Lebanese economy."

U.S. President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he has directed his administration to "allow all U.S. airline carriers to fly directly to Lebanon so that Americans can easily visit this beautiful land."

President Donald Trump on Monday imposed 50% tariffs on most Canadian goods, declaring that Canada has unfairly discriminated against American autos, alcohol and dairy products.

The move could unleash a new wave of economic chaos, with risks of higher inflation and further fraying of relations between two nations that had been closely woven together before Trump's return to the White House. The administration official previewing the action said that Canada was one of the only nations other than China that retaliated against Trump's previous tariffs and must be held accountable.

The European Commission on Monday fined Chinese online marketplace AliExpress 550 million euros ($629 million) for failing to adequately crack down on the sale of unsafe and counterfeit products on its site.

The fine, the biggest ever imposed for breaches of the 27-nation European Union's Digital Services Act, comes just months after another online retailer, Temu, was fined 200 million euros for similar breaches. Last year, Brussels issued a $120 million penalty for Elon Musk's social media site X.

The U.S. State Department reported a major oil pipeline between Iraq and Syria, which has been closed for decades, will be restored by the two countries.

Iraq signed 48 agreements and partnerships with American companies, many in the oil sector, during a visit to the U.S. by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, his office said Saturday.

The British government said Thursday it had taken British Steel into full public ownership to "protect the future of steel production in the UK", after taking control from Chinese firm Jingye.

The EU has asked the United States for tariff exemptions on more products, a spokesman said on Wednesday, including cheese and wine.