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In today’s episode of Trending Middle East, UAE authorities work to contain an oil spill from a supertanker in the Arabian Gulf after reports of a strong fuel smell. Beaches in Umm Al Quwain have been closed temporarily as clean-up operations continue. Yemen’s internationally recognised government warns citizens against attending Houthi-organised gatherings, accusing the group of recruiting children and young people as fighters. Oman and the UK pledge to strengthen trade and investment ties during Sultan Haitham’s historic state visit, with agreements involving more than £1 billion ($1.3 billion) in investment. Meanwhile, the UAE announces plans to invest a further €15 billion ($16.8 billion) in Greece during an official visit by Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. And a UAE-led international crackdown on digital fraud results in more than 960 arrests and uncovers $39 billion in illicit funds and assets. The three-month operation, involving law enforcement agencies from 30 countries, has also thwarted more than 123 million online fraud attempts. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.

In today's episode of Trending Middle East, the US has ordered non-essential diplomatic staff and their families to leave Saudi Arabia amid escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom. The move follows a strike on Dammam airport late on Wednesday that killed one person and injured eight. UAE Minister of State Lana Nusseibeh has entered the race to become the next UN secretary general. Her candidacy comes as the Security Council remains divided over who should succeed Antonio Guterres when his final term ends in December. Non-Iran Middle East oil exports have recovered to prewar levels despite continuing attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, experts say that France's deal to buy diesel from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain will not bring prices down immediately, although it could help ease fuel shortages. European diesel prices have more than doubled since the start of the year. In the West Bank, a candidate in the upcoming US midterm elections was briefly detained by Israeli troops while taking part in a Palestinian olive harvest. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.

Today on Trending Middle East, the UK is sending Typhoon fighter jets to Saudi Arabia to help defend its cities and vital infrastructure against Houthi attacks. The aircraft will be used to intercept aerial threats and will not carry out strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. Meanwhile, food and fuel prices have more than doubled in Yemen’s besieged city of Taiz, the UN has warned, as fighting between the Houthis and government forces intensifies. The UAE and France signed a series of defence agreements, including co-operation on advanced Rafale fighter jets, during President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Abu Dhabi. Iran says Iraq has agreed to expel Iranian Kurdish opposition groups from its northern Kurdistan region. The claim comes following security talks between the two countries, but Iraq's government has not confirmed it. And weight-loss drugs Mounjaro and Foundayo will be packaged in the UAE under a new agreement between Abu Dhabi’s Mubadala Bio and US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.

In today’s episode of Trending Middle East, President Sheikh Mohamed meets French President Emmanuel Macron in Abu Dhabi for talks on regional security, energy supplies and the impact of the Iran war. Macron is visiting Bahrain and Qatar today. Meanwhile, the UN’s World Food Programme announces it will cut food assistance to about half a million people in Gaza because of a funding shortage. Lebanon rejects US-backed proposals for direct military co-ordination with Israel ahead of talks in Florida, insisting that American mediation must continue. In the US, prosecutors seek to keep Saudi former OpenAI employee Abdulrahman Alfozan in custody over allegations that he hid a recording device at the company's San Francisco headquarters. And Dubai International Airport is testing autonomous wheelchairs to help passengers with disabilities travel from check-in to their departure gates, as new assistive technologies are showcased at the AccessAbilities Expo. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.

In today’s episode of Trending Middle East, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed meets Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman to discuss regional security and stability amid continuing Houthi attacks on the kingdom. Flydubai captain Smit Machchhar speaks exclusively to The National about how he thwarted a mid-air cockpit attack by his co-pilot, who struck him with an axe and sent the aircraft into a steep dive, before passengers and crew intervened and all 172 people on board were saved. Egypt’s National Defence Council pledges all necessary and possible support to Saudi Arabia as President Abdel Fattah El Sisi considers a possible defensive military mission. The parliament's vote on authorising assistance has been delayed. French President Emmanuel Macron begins a four-country Gulf visit, which will include the UAE, for talks on the Strait of Hormuz, energy security and regional stability. Dubai’s economy contracts by 2.3 per cent in the first half of 2026 as the Iran war disrupts travel and trade. Financial services and healthcare record growth despite declines in transport, retail and other sectors. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.

In today’s episode of Trending Middle East, the Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted and destroyed a drone launched towards Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. Meanwhile, the death toll from a Houthi attack on Yemen’s presidential palace in Aden rises to five, with 16 injured. US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, declines to rule out using the “mother of all bombs” against Iran after the November midterm elections. Iraq’s parliament completes Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi’s cabinet, including the appointment of a deputy prime minister under US sanctions. In the UAE, Sharjah Police arrest 33 suspects from 12 countries accused of involvement in an international cyber crime and money-laundering network, seizing more than Dh200 million ($54.4 million) in cash. And figures show applications from students in the UAE seeking to study in the UK fell by 59 per cent between 2022 and 2025, amid tighter immigration rules and growing concerns over costs and safety. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.

In today's episode of Trending Middle East, about 800,000 people in Yemen’s city of Taiz are largely cut off from food, fuel and medical supplies as fighting between the government troops and the Houthi rebels intensifies. As the Iran conflict drags on, the global diesel shortage is expected to continue well into 2027, the International Energy Agency has warned. In Lebanon, private suppliers now provide half of the country’s electricity, leaving households facing soaring bills. A special report by The National reveals how politically connected businesses are profiting from the country's power crisis. The Palestinian committee set up to administer Gaza has signed an agreement with Germany’s development agency, GIZ, to support reconstruction. However, Israel continues to block the committee’s entry into the strip. And the UAE has announced a $1 million prize for a global competition to develop agentic artificial intelligence solutions that improve everyday life. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.

Today on Trending Middle East, a building of Saudi Arabia's state oil company Aramco is attacked in Dharan, as the Houthi rebels in Yemen escalate their missile campaign against the kingdom. The Energy Ministry says the strike cause a fire but there were no casualties. Families of two Indian sailors who have been missing since a drone hit an oil tanker off Oman's coast tell The National they are "sick with grief" as they wait for news. A group of senators has urged US President Donald Trump to cancel a Russian diesel deal, warning that it could help Iran and endanger American troops in the Middle East. Meanwhile Dubai has unveiled plans for a new underground transport network. Research from the World Economic Forum suggests that artificial intelligence could help to create more than $1 trillion in wealth for countries in the Middle East and North Africa by 2030. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.

In today’s episode of Trending Middle East, Yemen’s Houthi rebels launch further attacks against Saudi Arabia as authorities extend the closure of Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport until October 17. The attacks have disrupted flights across the region, with Etihad Airways cancelling services between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh until October 19. The UK imposes sanctions on two Iranian citizens accused of involvement in plots to carry out attacks in the country, while Tehran denies involvement. Meanwhile, Pakistan detains allies of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan after imposing emergency rule and suspending the provincial government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The International Monetary Fund sharply downgrades its Gulf economic forecasts because of the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz, projecting a 3.9 per cent contraction in the UAE economy this year. In the UAE, the Cabinet approves a Dh292.5 billion ($$79.64 billion) federal budget for 2027 to 2029, an increase of 28.3 per cent compared with the previous three-year period. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.

In today’s episode of Trending Middle East, one person is killed and 11 injured in another attack on Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport – a day after 13 were killed and more than 300 injured in a strike claimed by the Houthi rebels. The airport is to remain closed for another 24 hours as Saudi Arabia responds to further threats. US President Donald Trump announces an immediate ceasefire on attacks against energy infrastructure in Russia and Ukraine, although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he is unaware of any agreement. Meanwhile, at least 139 migrants have died and more than 80 remain missing after a boat capsizes off Djibouti while heading towards Yemen. Australian engineer and Dubai resident Robert Pether leaves Iraq after years of detention and travel restrictions linked to a contract dispute, allowing him to reunite with his family. And Abu Dhabi announces plans to upgrade 13km of roads in Mussaffah to reduce congestion and improve connections with surrounding communities. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.

In today’s episode of Trending Middle East, the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen vows to “punish” the Houthi rebels after attacks on airports in the kingdom killed three people and injured 36. The UAE has condemned the strikes and emphasised its full solidarity with Saudi Arabia. Syria denies reports that Riyadh asked Damascus to send troops to support the kingdom against the Houthis. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump says the US will not launch attacks on Iran before the November midterm elections. He adds that Washington is engaged in “productive discussions” with Tehran. In the UAE, Elon Musk’s Boring Company signs an agreement to explore underground transport and utility tunnels in Abu Dhabi. And the Emirates is to decriminalise attempted suicide under amendments to the country’s Crimes and Penalties Law. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.

In today's episode of Trending Middle East, flights from Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport were disrupted this morning after the Houthis claimed a ballistic missile strike there. It comes after Saudi authorities confirmed that three people were killed in earlier attacks on Riyadh and Abha airports. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Iran has lost control of the Strait of Hormuz, claiming oil exports from the Gulf have returned to near prewar levels. Iran has disputed the claim. Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has sparked backlash for handing out pins depicting a hangman’s noose to high school pupils in the city of Herzliya. The move is part of his campaign to promote the use of the death penalty against Palestinians convicted of deadly attacks. Abu Dhabi is rolling out a major training programme to teach 20,000 government employees AI skills. The initiative is part of the emirate's ambition to become the world’s first AI-powered government by 2027. And President Sheikh Mohamed has called for special rain prayers, known as Salaat Al Istisqaa, be held at mosques across the UAE this Friday. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.

In today's episode of Trending Middle East, the Houthis have claimed missile and drone attacks on airports and military sites in Saudi Arabia and Yemen this morning. The Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted ballistic missiles near Riyadh and Khamis Mushait, but authorities have not confirmed the claims about the airports. Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara has met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh during an official visit to the kingdom, whether the two leaders discussed bilateral ties and the latest developments in the region. UAE businesses are raising their prices at the fastest rate in more than 15 years, pointing to higher inflation across the country. Qatar and Turkey are among seven countries bidding to host the 2036 Summer Olympics. And UAE food producer Al Ain Farms is taking its camel milk brand global, with plans to turn it into a superfood in China and Europe. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.

In today’s episode of Trending Middle East, Yemeni government forces secure control of the Bab Al Mandeb strait and the strategic port city of Mokha as their offensive against the Houthis expands. The Saudi-led coalition is providing air support, while Yemeni forces have also begun what they call a “strategic offensive” on Sanaa. Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed and Jordan’s King Abdullah attend the ground-breaking of a $2.3 billion railway linking the Port of Aqaba with major mining centres. Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi-based Eagle Hills signs an agreement for two major developments in Syria that are expected to create more than 40,000 jobs. Dubai launches a new accelerator to expand the use of agentic AI across government services, bringing together 33 government entities in its first phase. And schools in Dubai remind parents not to photograph or film other children or staff without their consent. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.

In today’s episode of Trending Middle East, Yemen’s internationally recognised government announces the start of military operations to retake territory held by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, as fighting intensifies around Taiz. Egypt says it remains committed to a diplomatic and political solution to its dispute with Ethiopia over its Nile dam, despite a new escalation in tensions between the countries. Meanwhile, the Pentagon says all US bombers stationed at RAF Fairford in England have returned to America. In the UAE, the first commercial satellite built entirely in the country has been launched into orbit, marking the start of a planned constellation of 10 AI-powered satellites. The UAE has also secured another Asian Games medal, as Abdullah Humaid Al Muhairi claimed individual silver in the equestrian competition. Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.