Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Yamahi, Speaker of the Arab Parliament, stressed that any talk of control over the occupied Palestinian territories constitutes a flagrant violation of international legitimacy.

Abu Dhabi, UAE -- Abu Dhabi’s real estate market recorded transactions worth a record AED 142 billion ($38.7 billion) in 2025, marking a 44 percent increase in value and a 52 percent rise in transaction volume compared with 2024, the Abu Dhabi Real Estate Centre (ADREC) has said. According to...

Mahmud Qamati, a Hezbollah official, described the strike in the Bekaa Valley as “a new massacre and a new aggression” in remarks broadcast on the group’s Al-Manar television channel.

Indirect talks in Geneva have yielded what officials call “guiding principles” for a possible agreement, but the framework remains skeletal and major gaps still separate US demands from Iran’s red lines.

Futuristic, lifestyle-changing entrepreneurial ideas are targeting liquid GCC markets, where hyperscalers and deep-pocketed sovereign and private investors and family offices fuel growth ambitions.

Speaking in Washington before representatives from nearly 50 countries, Trump said nine member states had committed more than $7 billion toward a relief package for the war-battered Gaza Strip.

S4 Capital founder Martin Sorrell tells TRENDS digital dominance, AI disruption and consolidation are reshaping global advertising, urging agile, tech-first players to implement change decisively.

Drew Propson, Head of Technology and Innovation in Financial Services at the World Economic Forum, explains how sustainable growth, AI innovation, and a strong regulatory and talent infrastructure are reshaping global and MENA startup ecosystems.

With national campaigns such as The Emirates: The Startup Capital of the World setting targets of training 10,000 Emiratis and creating 10 unicorns, the Sharjah Entrepreneurship Center (Sheraa) is emerging as a key engine driving this shift.

As Gulf states race to build sovereign AI and cloud infrastructure, the real opportunity lies in pooling capital, standards and talent to avoid costly digital duplication.

Despite fierce branding as rivals, Gulf startup hubs share capital, policy, and talent structures that are quietly shaping distinct, globally ambitious growth paths.

Dubai faces substantial supply headwinds that may absorb currency-driven demand without triggering significant price gains. Approximately 45,000-50,000 new residential units are expected in 2025-2026, with vacancy rates elevated in older secondary locations, he adds.

The GCC is competing to build world-class technology hubs, investing heavily in AI, infrastructure, and sovereign capital to drive digital transformation, attract global partners, and position the region as a leading innovation powerhouse.

Palestinian officials described the Israeli parliament's decision related to West Bank land as a “serious escalation,” while armed groups and political factions condemned what they called an attempt to permanently change the territory’s status.

In an interview with TRENDS, Josh Lerner says Gulf economies pursuing diversification must recognize that transformation takes time, patience, and resilience through inevitable ups and downs.

The Pentagon confirmed that the USS Gerald R. Ford is being moved from the Caribbean toward the Middle East, a voyage expected to take at least a week. The carrier will join the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group already operating in or near the region.

In interviews with Israeli media, Trump warned of consequences if negotiations fail. “Either we reach a deal or we'll have to do something very tough,” Israel's Channel 12 quoted him as saying.

Becoming AI-native starts with a shift in mindset. To harness its full potential, we need to see AI not as a product but as a partner. It’s less about which model you’re using and more about how you use it, writes Cloke, CTO Endava.

The synergy between humans and AI agents is driving a ‘Great Redeployment’ where there is a structural shift in how organizations operate and how roles are defined. AI agents are built to solve problems end-to-end, they naturally cut across the functional silos that have long fragmented decision-making and customer experience,...

Iran and the US resumed indirect nuclear talks on Monday in Muscat under Omani mediation, marking the first round of diplomacy in nearly eight months.

Innovation doesn’t happen by decree. It happens when people collide, when ideas rub up against each other, when unlikely conversations spark new possibilities, writes Siriki Sangare in an interview with TRENDS.

The discussions took place in Muscat, with the US delegation led by special envoy Steve Witkoff and the Iranian side headed by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.

The GCC has quickly moved from passive capital allocation into active ecosystem building, spurred on by heavy sovereign capital and large infrastructure bets, setting the region apart from Europe and US markets. 

As geopolitical turbulence grows, companies are increasingly at the mercy of forces beyond corporate leadership’s control.

The report, Impacts of Multinational Corporations: What Citizen-Consumers Want from Foreign Companies Doing Business in Their Country, draws on a survey of more than 23,500 adults across 31 countries conducted in late 2025.

Titled Creative Futures: The Springboard for Sustained Economic Growth and Diversification, the report argues that cultural and creative industries — including film, music, design, gaming — have moved from the margins of economic policy to its core.

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has announced that he has instructed diplomats to pursue negotiations with the United States, signalling a possible easing of tensions after weeks of heightened military rhetoric and manoeuvres in the region.

The summit features a high-profile lineup of speakers, including Canva co-founder Cliff Obrecht, IBM Chief Impact Officer Justina Nixon-Saintil, Twitch creator Hasan Piker, and senior executives from global technology companies such as Google, Meta, Amazon and Microsoft.

The models that once governed aid, CSR, employment, and economic engagement are shifting, and the GCC has an opportunity to lead the transition rather than adapt to it.

Iran's supreme leader on Sunday likened recent anti-government protests to a "coup", warning that any US attack on the Islamic republic following Washington's military deployments in the Middle East would trigger a regional war.

The Pakistan-Saudi pact was signed just months after Pakistan and India fought an intense four-day conflict in May that killed more than 70 people on both sides in missile, drone and artillery fire

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are leading the gaming surge with world-class ecosystems and youth-driven expansion. Across the region, governments increasingly recognize gaming and esports as key drivers of future economies.

Gold and silver prices dived Friday, European stock markets ended the week up while Wall Street fell slightly with investors reassured by US President Donald Trump's pick to take over as head of the Federal Reserve.

By pairing sovereign capital with frictionless regulation, Doha reversed the startup playbook, attracting investors and founders first, then letting an ecosystem form around them naturally

Friday's visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi comes after US President Donald Trump threatened a military strike on Iran over its deadly protest crackdown this month and the lack of a nuclear agreement.

Over the next five years, knowledge and innovation will redefine the MENA region’s economic landscape, moving it beyond traditional resource dependence, says Mark Mortensen, Associate Dean and Professor of Organizational Behavior at INSEAD.

In his latest post on Truth Social, Trump did not mention the protests but said Iran needed to negotiate a deal over its nuclear programme, which the West believes is aimed at making an atomic bomb.

Amazon Ads is evolving from a marketing channel into a business-building engine, helping GCC startups use full-funnel advertising, retail media intelligence, and AI to scale globally, says Rayan Karaky in an interview with TRENDS.

"Protocols are prepared, files are complete, and committees are in place to oversee the handover, ensuring a complete transfer of governance in the Gaza Strip across all sectors to the technocratic committee," Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem told AFP.

In a world where our screens shape how we think, feel, and connect, entertainment has become more than an escape — it’s how we make sense of everything around us, says Andy Climan, CEO of Entertainment Media Ventures.

Haleon delivers better everyday health with humanity, as Sensodyne drives trusted innovation through The 5th Sense, Murtaza Mahfouz tells TRENDS

A US naval strike force led by an aircraft carrier was in Middle Eastern waters on Tuesday as Iran vowed to hit back against any strike and President Donald Trump said he believed the Islamic republic still wanted talks.

Los Angeles, United States -- Jury selection begins Tuesday for a landmark trial that could establish a legal precedent on whether social media companies deliberately designed their platforms to addict children. The case being heard in a California state court in Los Angeles is being called a "bellwether" proceeding because...

The Gulf combines an interrelated web of business habitats and tech infrastructure to create rapid, policy-driven media and knowledge hubs that attract talent and investment, writes Hadi Khatib.

Despite ongoing disagreements over economic and geopolitical shifts, there remains a strong commitment to collaboration, says Andrew Moose, Head of Innovation & Health Systems Transformation, at WEF.

A US naval strike group led by an aircraft carrier has deployed to Middle Eastern waters, the United States said Monday, as Tehran warned it was ready to hit back at any American attack launched in response to a crackdown on anti-government protests.

A visiting Qatari official on Monday announced a multi-million dollar aid package for Lebanon, primarily to support the country's crumbling electricity sector.

While turbulence over Trump's ambitions for Greenland and pressure on the Federal Reserve have provided the most recent support for gold, the precious metal has, for two years, achieved all-time peaks on factors ranging from strong central bank demand and elevated inflation.

Qadi, the Middle East’s first sovereign regulatory compliance platform, has partnered with Core42, a G42 company, to power its artificial intelligence infrastructure as it scales operations following a pre-seed funding round. The partnership will see Qadi run its workloads on Core42’s Sovereign Public Cloud, built on Microsoft Azure, ensuring full...

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reopen the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt during talks in Jerusalem, Israeli media reported Sunday.