Geneva, Switzerland -- More than one million people have returned to their homes in Syria after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad, including 280,000 refugees who came back from abroad, the UN said on Tuesday. Assad was toppled in December in a rebel offensive, putting an end to his family's decades-long grip...

Dubai, UAE -- The International Monterey Fund (IMF) has projected global growth to remain at 3.3 percent this year and the next, before slowing to just above 3 percent over the next five years, well below the historical average. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said that growth in the Middle...

Davos, Switzerland -- The Middle East, Africa, and India have an important role and influence in shaping the evolving world order and driving innovation, particularly in technology adoption and sustainable practices, said Ram Ramachandran, Senior VP India, Middle East, and Africa at Tech Mahindra, India’s leading provider of technology consulting and...

Beyond AI, new technologies will leverage artificial intelligence to drive the next phase of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Alphaeus Hanson, Chair of Jacksonville Global Shapers tells TRENDS in an interview.

Trump vowed to be a “peacemaker and unifier,” citing the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage release as key steps toward peace, drawing a standing ovation during his inauguration speech.

Abu Dhabi, UAE - A new report highlighted the UAE's leadership in the regional solar energy sector, driven by initiatives like the Dubai Clean Energy Strategy 2050, targeting 75 percent clean energy by 2050, and Abu Dhabi Vision 2030, aiming for 30 percent renewable energy within five years. The "Solar...

Dubai’s aggressive initiatives like the 1 Billion Followers Summit and specialized creator visas put it ahead in attracting global talent, whereas Doha’s $1 billion investment focuses more on arts and sports-driven content creation.

The Trump administration faces a Middle East shaped by shifting alliances, unresolved conflicts, and evolving regional priorities, demanding a measured strategy to balance stability, diplomacy, and U.S. interests.

Rome, Italy -- Pope Francis called Wednesday for "arms to be silenced" around the world in his Christmas address, appealing for peace in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan as he denounced the "extremely grave" humanitarian situation in Gaza. He used his traditional message to the world's 1.4 billion Catholics to...

Barbara Leaf, Washington's top diplomat for the Middle East, told Syria's new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa of the "critical need to ensure terrorist groups cannot pose a threat inside of Syria or externally, including to the US and our partners in the region."

The Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham rebels shocked the world by swiftly seizing Aleppo and Damascus, overshadowing global focus on the Gaza war and Israel's strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Washington, United States -- American B-52 bombers have arrived in the Middle East, the US military said Saturday, a day after Washington announced their deployment in a warning to Iran. "B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers from Minot Air Force Base's 5th Bomb Wing arrived in the US Central Command area of responsibility,"...

The UN's special coordinator for Middle East peace warned that the region was at its "most dangerous juncture" in decades

Explosions sounded across Tehran after Israel’s airstrikes on Iranian military sites, raising fears of a broader conflict in the Middle East involving Iran and its allies in neighboring countries.

The UAE has agile governance and it is not beholden to short-termism, Maroun Kairouz, Head of Regional Agenda for the MENA region at WEF, tells TRENDS.

In its new World Economic Outlook (WEO) report, the International Monetary Fund also estimates that global inflation will continue to ease, hitting 5.8 percent this year, before falling to 4.3 percent in 2025. "We are seeing inflation moving in the right direction without a major slowdown in economic growth or...

The KDP is the largest party in the outgoing parliament, with 45 seats against 21 for the PUK. The KDP's majority was assured by an alliance with deputies elected via a quota reserved for Turkmen, Armenian and Christian minorities. Iraqi court rulings have reduced the number of seats in the Kurdish...

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed meets his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss bilateral ties and Middle East. Sheikh Mohamed will also attend BRICS Summit in the Russian city of Kazan.

Hong Kong, China - Gold prices hit a record high above $2,700 on Friday as traders piled into the safe-haven commodity at a time of heightened geopolitical uncertainty, including in the Middle East after Israel said it killed Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar. Bullion hit an all-time high of $2,704.89 in early...

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...

According to the organization's October report, the total world oil demand is anticipated to reach 105.6 mb/d in 4Q-24, to average 104.1 mb/d in 2024, bolstered by strong air travel demand and road mobility, including trucking, as well as healthy industrial, construction and agricultural activities, primarily in non-OECD countries, added...

In 2024 and 2025, inflation is expected to gradually abate, allowing real incomes to grow again in advanced economies, boosting consumption of manufactured goods. “A recovery of demand for tradable goods in 2024 is already evident. This is related to an increase in household consumption linked to improved income prospects.,"...

While Israel continues to attack Gaza and Lebanon, the situation is "very scary" in Gaza Strip according to a Red Cross official. Also, Lebanese government says it got assurances that Israel will not attack Beirut international airport.

Rome, Italy -- The G7 on Wednesday vowed to work together to reduce tensions in the Middle East and said a diplomatic solution to prevent widening conflict "is still possible". Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni -- whose country holds the G7 presidency this year -- called a telephone meeting of the...

While Israeli defense minister indicates imminent ground invasion of Lebanon speaking to his country's troops, Prime Minister Netanyahu addresses Iranian people through a video saying that change will "come a lot sooner than people think"

The World Food Program says it had launched an emergency operation to provide meals for one million people affected by the escalating conflict in Lebanon, calling on the international community to mobilize US$105 million to fund the operation.

Abu Dhabi, UAE -- The UAE cinema sector achieved revenues of AED 517 million during the first eight months of this year, attracting about 11 million visits to cinemas, the Emirates Media Council revealed. Mohammed Saeed Al Shehhi, Secretary General of the Emirates Media Council, said that the UAE accounts...

Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad said the death toll in Israeli strikes Monday rose to 492, including 35 children, the bloodiest daily toll in nearly a year of cross-border clashes.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel has dealt serious blows to the Lebanese group Hezbollah, as rapidly escalating cross-border exchanges raised fears of an all-out war. Netanyahu's remarks follow a night of intense rocket fire at northern Israel that had sent hundreds of thousands of people to...

While Europe and Americas have nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels, the Middle East's growth outpaces all other regions, UN World Tourism Organization says.

Saudi Arabia isn't aiming to be the next Dubai but is forging its own unique path in tourism," Aradhana Khowala tells TRENDS in an exclusive interview.

London, UK -- The Middle East is moving towards investing $75.63 billion in renewable energy projects until 2030, according to a new report. The report, released today by the Energy Industry Council, showed that these investments include 116 renewable energy projects, which are expected to be operational between 2025 and...

Palestinian medics said an air strike targeting a car in the occupied West Bank killed five people on Thursday, while the Israeli military reported it hit "an armed terrorist cell". "Five killed and (one) seriously wounded in a strike (on) a car in Tubas," the Palestinian Red Crescent Society said.

The result was perhaps the biggest exchange of fire in 10 months of a war which began with a Hamas attack launched from Gaza and has triggered both new violence on the Lebanon-Israel border and fears of a broader conflagration in the Middle East.

Making his ninth trip to the Middle East since the Gaza war began when Hamas attacked Israel in October, the US secretary of state is to meet Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders in a renewed bid to seal a deal that could help avert a wider conflagration.

Expectations of US interest rate cuts weakened the dollar, while oil prices tumbled as weak Chinese demand expectations offset turmoil in the Middle East, according to traders. Gold rose to a record high of $2,500.16 an ounce as investors snapped up the haven investment in the face of an increasingly likely...

Abu Dhabi, UAE -- The IPO market in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region remained resilient during the second quarter of this year, with 14 IPOs registering total proceeds of US$2.64 billion, up 45.3 percent compared to the same period last year. According to the Ernst & Young...

With tensions soaring in the Middle East, the United States says that Iran along with its proxies might attack Israel as early as this week. The world leaders are trying to persuade Iran and Israel to avoid war, but Iran says it has a right to defend itself just like...

He said Austin, who spoke with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant on Sunday, had also ordered the USS Georgia guided missile submarine to the area. Ryder said the pair discussed "the importance of mitigating civilian harm, progress towards securing a ceasefire and the release of hostages held in Gaza."

A prospective cessation of hostilities also involving the release of hostages held in Gaza and scaled-up aid deliveries has centred around a phased deal beginning with an initial truce. Recent discussions have focused on a framework outlined by US President Joe Biden in late May which he said had been...

Biden called King Abdullah II of Jordan, which helped down Iranian drones and missiles in an earlier showdown in April, while Blinken called top officials in Qatar and Egypt, the key intermediaries seeking a ceasefire in the 10-month Israel-Hamas war.

Rome, Italy -- G7 foreign ministers met by videoconference Sunday to discuss the Middle East and expressed "strong concern" over the threat of escalation, Italy's Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said. "Together with our partners, we have expressed strong concern about recent events that threaten to determine a regionalization of the crisis,...

Israel on Saturday again traded fire with Hezbollah, carried out a deadly raid in the occupied West Bank, and struck a school compound in Gaza City in an attack that the Hamas-ruled territory's civil defence agency said killed at least 17 people.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has also ordered additional ballistic missile defense-capable cruisers and destroyers to the Middle East and areas under US European Command, as well as a new fighter squadron to the Middle East. Israel killed Hizbollah commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut on Tuesday.

World Bank’s latest Migration and Development Brief said the modest 0.7 percent growth rate reflects large variances in regional growth, but remittances remained a crucial source of external finance for developing countries in 2023, bolstering the current accounts of several countries grappling with food insecurity and debt issues.

For the second consecutive year, the Middle East is the fastest-growing real-time payments market globally, according to the 2024 Prime Time for Real-Time report, published by ACI Worldwide, a global leader in mission-critical, real-time payments software, in partnership with GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company. In the Middle East,...

A "strong" Palestinian Authority is needed to bring peace in the Middle East, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said just before going into the meeting with Mustafa. The talks were being held as efforts were narrowing to try to find a Gaza truce and a hostage-release deal.

Alberta's tourism sector, with attractions resonating with GCC travelers, aims for a $25 billion visitor economy by 2035, says Joseph Schow in an exclusive interview with TRENDS.

Venkatasubramanian (Subbu) Hariharan, MD of Canon Middle East and Turkey, highlights the significance of remanufacturing and refurbishment for reducing environmental impact, in an interview with TRENDS.

Saudi Arabia and the UAE are the only high-income economies to rank among the top 10 most improved economies between 2019 and 2024, a WEF report says.