Doha, Qatar -- As Iran and Israel trade strikes and the US weighs joining in, wealthy Gulf states on the conflict's doorstep are engaged in frantic diplomacy to halt the war -- but solutions remain elusive. A spillover of the conflict or the Iranian government's collapse are both worrying outcomes...

Sales to countries considered part of the Abraham Accords -- the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Morocco who signed groundbreaking normalization agreements with Israel in 2020 -- appeared to have sharply risen from 3 percent in 2023 to 12 percent.

Palm oil is an indispensable part of the Middle East and North Africa’s food and hospitality industries. From luxury hotel kitchens to spa treatments and guest amenities, palm oil continues to be an essential ingredient powering world-class guest experiences across the region.

The trade-dependent economies are looking to insulate themselves after US President Donald Trump blew up global trade norms by announcing a slew of tariffs targeting countries around the world this year.

The Arab League is meeting in Baghdad on Saturday to discuss Gaza and other regional crises, but some key leaders are expected to miss the talks that come straight after US President Donald Trump's Gulf tour.

In the days before the trip, the White House has played an instrumental part in hammering out a ceasefire between India and Pakistan, the release of an American hostage in Gaza and holding another round of nuclear talks with Iran.

The Franklin Templeton Emerging Markets Equity outlook emphasizes how GCC countries have reduced their dependence on oil and gas, opened their capital markets, and diversified their economies — all underpinned by strong fiscal positions that bolster investor confidence.

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - This weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix is the final leg of the first 'triple header' of the season. From Suzuka in Japan, to the desert of Bahrain, Formula One now pitches up on the shores of the Red Sea in Jeddah.AFP Sport looks at five talking...

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - When US and Iranian negotiators meet in Oman on Saturday they will be just the latest to turn to crisis mediation in the Gulf Arab states, whose wealthy rulers are increasingly seeking out the role. Oman is a long-established venue for Iranian talks, while promoting...

The global logistics market is expected to be around US$10 trillion in 2024, and is estimated to reach US$21.91 trillion by 2033, registering a healthy CAGR growth of 9.35 percent from 2024 until 2033.

PwC forecasts that AI could contribute US$320 billion to Middle Eastern economies by 2030, with healthcare predicted to see some of the largest gains relative to its current size

Muscat, Oman - The population of the six GCC countries reached 57.6 million in 2023, compared to 56.6 million in 2022. Males accounted for 62.4% of the total population, while females made up 37.6%.The report also indicates that the population density was 23.9 people per square kilometre, with the total...

London, United Kingdom -- Britain's leader Keir Starmer makes his first trip to the Gulf as prime minister from Sunday, seeking to attract investment from the region's oil-rich states, Downing Street announced.Starmer will first visit the United Arab Emirates and then travel to Saudi Arabia, before stopping off in Cyprus on...

Confirmed at the last minute, the presence of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince among the six Gulf leaders in attendance heightened expectations. Trade, energy and climate change were all on the table, but Israel's conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon -- on which the two groups hold broadly converging views -- were...

In an interview with TRENDS, CEO of ITCN Asia, Muhammad Umair Nizam highlights the expanding role of Pakistani IT firms in the GCC tech landscape.

Digitalization is revolutionizing GCC entrepreneurship, offering vast opportunities and challenges, and driving innovation and growth, Jigar Sagar, an influential figure in the GCC's entrepreneurial ecosystem., tells TRENDS in an exclusive interview.

Investments in H1 2024 led by the top Middle East sovereign wealth funds reached$38.2 billion in 58 different deals, according to industry tracker Global SWF, Zawya reports.The amount invested by the ‘Oil Five’ - Saudi’s PIF, Abu Dhabi’s ADIA, Mubadala and ADQ, and Qatar’s QIA - is more than double...

Abha, Saudi Arabia - Saudi taekwondo standout Donia Abu Taleb had an unusual introduction to the sport: for years she trained at a boys' club because there were no girls to compete with.Now the 27-year-old has become the first Saudi woman to qualify for the Olympics and is dreaming of bringing...

Kuwait entered new political turbulence in May when the 83-year-old emir, Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, dissolved parliament just six weeks after elections. He also suspended some provisions of the constitution. He then named the second government since he took over as head of state in December.

Dubai, the Middle East's financial centre, has been paralyzed by the torrential rain that caused floods across the UAE and Bahrain, and left 18 dead in Oman on Sunday and Monday. Dubai airport operations were suspended for 25 minutes in the afternoon before resuming.

Gulf states are grappling with the widening Middle East conflict as hostilities between Iran and Israel threaten their security and ambitious plans to reshape their economies.Leaders of the resource-rich Gulf monarchies engaged in a rapid round of diplomacy after last weekend's Iranian drone and missile strikes on Israel raised the...

Kuwait City, Kuwait - Opposition lawmakers maintained a majority in Kuwait's parliament, results showed Friday, after the Gulf state's third parliamentary vote in as many years held just months into the new emir's reign.Opposition candidates won 29 seats in the 50-member assembly, according to results carried by the official KUNA news...

Moscow, Russia -- Russia is working to establish a visa-free regime with all Gulf countries, said Mikhail Bogdanov, Russia's deputy foreign minister and special presidential representative for the Middle East and African countries."In principle, such work is going on systematically. Because, of course, I think it is in the interests...

Abu Dhabi, UAE--Ireland wants to become a gateway for the UAE and other Gulf states to the European Union (EU) market, Simon Coveney, Ireland’s Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, told the Emirates News Agency (WAM).As evidence of thriving relations, he highlighted the growing Irish diaspora in Gulf Cooperation Council...

Doha, Qatar - Qatar is "hopeful" of a Gaza war ceasefire and is pushing for an agreement before Ramadan, its foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.The gas-rich Gulf state, which hosts Hamas's political bureau, has been a key mediator in negotiations involving the Palestinian fighters, Israel, the United States and Egypt."We...

Abu Dhabi, UAE -- The economies of the UAE and Gulf countries will outpace the global forecast for 2024, helped by the domestic multi-year investment cycle in the region, a report says.Despite recent geopolitical headwinds and muted global recovery, national and regional growth is expected to be driven by the...

Doha, Qatar - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday committed to strengthening ties with Qatar during his first visit to the gas-rich Gulf emirate since 2016.During a meeting with Qatar's ruler, Modi gave a "commitment to further expanding and deepening bilateral cooperation with Qatar", a statement from India's foreign ministry...

London, UK - Saudi Arabia will stage its first ranking snooker event in 2024, with a prize pool of more than £2 million ($2.5 million) for the "fourth major".The inaugural Saudi Arabia Snooker Masters will trail only the World Championship in terms of prize money.The World Snooker Tour has branded it...

"The Government of India welcomes the release of eight Indian nationals working for the Dahra Global company who were detained in Qatar," the foreign ministry said in a statement. "Seven out of the eight of them have returned to India," it added, thanking Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al...

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabia drew 27 million foreign tourists in 2023 and has more than doubled its goal for the end of the decade, an official said on Tuesday.The announcement came less than five years after the Gulf kingdom fully opened up to tourism and as fears persist that...

The announcement came hours after a British-navy maritime security agency said armed men boarded the Greek-owned, Marshall Islands-flagged St Nikolas off Oman and changed course towards Bandar-e-Jask in Iran. Four or five "unauthorized boarders are reported to be wearing military-style black uniforms with black masks", the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations...

Dubai, UAE - The Emirates is to put 84 people on trial for terror-related offenses, state media said on Saturday. The Gulf state's attorney general ordered the trial of "mostly members of the terrorist organization of (the) Muslim Brotherhood", official news agency WAM said.In 2013, the UAE tried 94 activists, lawyers,...

ISTANBUL, TURKEY - Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh has called on US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to use his current Middle East tour to end Israel's "aggression" as war rages in Gaza.The top US diplomat arrived in Turkey on Friday at the start of a trip that includes planned visits...

Saudi Arabia and Qatar condemned comments by two Israeli ministers calling for Palestinians to emigrate from the Gaza Strip. Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir on Monday called for promoting "a solution to encourage the emigration of Gaza's residents" and the re-establishment of Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip.

Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, who was sworn in as emir last month, named Sheikh Mohammed Sabah al-Salem Al-Sabah, a popular ex-foreign minister, as the new premier. He replaces Sheikh Ahmed Nawaf al-Ahmed al-Sabah, son of the late emir whose death has raised hopes of a political shift in the country.

Indian media have reported that the eight Indian nationals -- among them former high-ranking and decorated officers, including captains who once commanded warships -- were arrested in Doha in August 2022.

KLP, which manages over 700 billion kroner ($70 billion), said the exclusion amounted to $15 million. The fund dropped 11 companies in the telecommunications and real estate sectors from Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates "over unacceptably high human rights violations' risks".

Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan - On the Caspian Sea coast in Turkmenistan, Batyr Yusupov can no longer ferry his passengers between two ports. There is not enough water."I used to go between Turkmenbashi and Hazar," the 36-year-old ferry worker said of the ports separated by a small gulf on Turkmenistan's coast."But we haven't...

Officially taking over from his half-brother Sheikh Nawaf, who passed away on Saturday, Sheikh Meshal is faced with the task of pulling the country out of longstanding political paralysis and reforming a bloated public sector that have turned Kuwait into one of the Gulf's most laggard states.

London, UK - A UK destroyer has brought down a suspected attack drone in the Red Sea, defense minister Grant Shapps said on Saturday, amid rising maritime tensions in the region.Britain announced last month that it was sending HMS Diamond, one of its most advanced naval vessels, to the Gulf to shore...

"With great sadness and sorrow, we mourn... the death of Sheikh Nawaf al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, Emir of the State of Kuwait," said a statement aired on Kuwaiti state television. In November, Sheikh Nawaf was admitted to the hospital "due to an emergency health problem", according to the official KUNA news agency.

Dubai, UAE - An agreement to "transition away" from fossil fuels may be a landmark moment but don't expect quick changes among the major producers of the Gulf, where the deal was hammered out.After the UN's COP28 climate talks in Dubai, Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman immediately played down...

The leaders of the US Central Intelligence Agency and Israel's Mossad were scheduled to meet Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the source said, adding that Egyptian officials were also taking part. The informed source said CIA director Bill Burns and Mossad head David Barnea would hold a...

As global temperatures tick higher, with this year on course to be the hottest on record, the UAE is changing its building designs and urban planning to create cooler living environments, even outdoors, Almheiri said.

The emergency meetings of the Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation come after over one month of Israeli bombardment has killed more than 10,000 people in Gaza, many of them children, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. With Israel's leaders rebuffing talk of a ceasefire until the captives...

Manama, Bahrain - Batelco, part of the Beyon Group, announces its latest service “Mobile Peering” for members of the platform. Batelco is the first in the MENA region to offer a Mobile Peering service, which is an open interconnecting solution, enabling mobile operators and Internet Packet Exchange (IPX) providers to...

Dubai, UAE-- A day after Bahrain's parliament announced that its ambassador to Israel is being recalled, the Jewish state said it had not been informed about such a move, adding that relations with the Gulf state were “stable”.According to Israel's Foreign Ministry, the country has not received any “announcement or...

India's navy chief, Admiral R. Hari Kumar, told reporters on Monday that "every effort" was being made by the government to "get relief for our personnel".

This drop is smaller than the 31 percent fall in Q2.

Qatar's top diplomat Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said the two governments -- both Western allies -- "reaffirm our complete rejection of responding to the crisis with double standards when it comes to human life". "It is not permissible to condemn the killing of civilians in one context and justify it...