Read the latest news from regional and global sources, presenting different voices and perspectives.
UAE, Saudi Arabia Drive $59B Merger Surge In Middle East
MENAFN
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August 18, 2025
(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) The Middle East and North Africa's mergers and acquisitions (M&A) landscape showed remarkable momentum in the first half of 2025, with the UAE and Saudi Arabia continuing to lead the region's deal value. According to the...
Middle East AI Growth: Abu Dhabi’s Rise as a Global AI Powerhouse
IOL
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The Middle East’s artificial intelligence (AI) landscape is undergoing transformative growth, with the United Arab Emirates, (UAE) – specifically Abu Dhabi, emerging as a central hub of innovation, investment, and global influence. Recent data...
Iran Issues New War Warning: 'Any Moment'
Newsweek
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August 18, 2025
Iran warned on Monday that a new conflict with Israel could erupt at any moment, signaling a dramatic escalation in tensions months after a deadly 12-day confrontation in June. Yahya Rahim Safavi, senior military adviser to Supreme Leader Ali...
Israel's long history of rejecting peace with Palestinians
The New Arab
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August 18, 2025
For more than half a century, the greatest obstacle to Middle East peace has not been the absence of bold Palestinian overtures, but the relentless Israeli determination to bury them before they can take root. Time and again - from the Palestine...
Egypt, Qatar reject Israeli occupation of Gaza, demand ceasefire
Al Mayadeen
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August 18, 2025
Egypt and Qatar reject the Israeli occupation of Gaza and demand a ceasefire, urgent aid access, and an end to Palestinian forced displacement. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin...
Egypt’s PM heads to Japan for TICAD 9 Africa development summit
Daily News Egypt
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August 18, 2025
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly left for Japan on Monday to attend the ninth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD 9), where his Japanese counterpart, Shigeru Ishiba, is expected to propose a new economic...
Israel revokes visas for Australian diplomats to Palestinian Authority
The National News
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Israel has revoked the visas of Australian diplomats to the Palestinian Authority, after Canberra refused to grant visas to Israeli figures and announced its intention to recognise a Palestinian state. The Australian government said it cancelled...
Iraqi fintech Qi Card, Turkish Airlines launch Mastercard debit card
Khaleej Times
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Qi Card, Iraq’s leading digital payments provider, and Turkish Airlines, one of the world’s largest airlines, have signed a landmark partnership in Istanbul to launch a new co-branded Mastercard debit card for Iraqis. The partnership will benefit...
Egypt’s Al-Sisi meets central bank chief, calls for continued efforts to increase dollar inflows
Daily News Egypt
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August 18, 2025
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi on Monday stressed the need to continue efforts to increase the country’s foreign currency reserves, particularly from local sources, and to maintain a flexible and unified exchange rate, the presidency...
Iraq’s judiciary rules death of Basra psychiatrist as suicide amid public debate
The National News
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Iraq’s judiciary on Monday ruled that a female psychiatrist in the southern city of Basra died by suicide, closing a case that sparked public debate and speculation she was killed. Dr Ban Ziyad Tariq, a prominent mental health advocate, was found...
Israel to send humanitarian aid to South Sudan as it battles deadly cholera outbreak
The Times of Israel
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August 18, 2025
Israel will provide “urgent” humanitarian aid to South Sudan to address a cholera crisis there, the Foreign Ministry announced on Monday, days after a report suggested that Israel may be in talks with the country’s leadership about plans to...
Egypt sets ICT growth goals: 60,000 jobs, outsourcing expansion, AI adoption
ETHRWorld EMEA
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August 18, 2025
Egypt’s ICT sector is expanding, with 74 outsourcing firms committing to employ 60,000 specialists between 2022 and 2024. The country now hosts over 260 outsourcing centres, including 190 managed by global companies. Its electronics design...
TarabA new podcast series on the Middle East's music scene
The National News
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Tarab is a new weekly music podcast hosted by The National’s Saeed Saeed that takes you inside the Middle East’s music scene. The first season brings you conversations with some of the region’s most captivating voices, from genre-defying...
Syria's Wheat Crisis: Drought And Shortage Challenge New Leadership
MENAFN
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August 18, 2025
(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Syria faces a potential food crisis after the worst drought in 36 years slashed wheat production by around 40 per cent, squeezing the country's cash-strapped government, which has been unable to secure large-scale...
Israel to forcibly displace Palestinians from Gaza City, Putin courts Trump, Bolivia’s right-wing gains, U.S. stops medical treatment for Gaza’s children
Drop Site
·
August 18, 2025
Since dawn, Israeli forces have killed at least 17 people in Gaza, with the Ministry of Health reporting five more deaths from starvation. Israel announces plans to forcibly displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza southwards as part...
Syria: Food crisis concerns amid low wheat production, drought
The New Arab
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August 18, 2025
More than 2.5 million tons of wheat are needed to be imported in order to alleviate a hunger crisis in Syria [Getty/file photo] Syria faces a potential food crisis after the worst drought in 36 years slashed wheat production by around 40 percent,...
Syria, Saudi Arabia discuss Investment Development and Industrial Cooperation
SANA
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August 18, 2025
Riyadh, SANA- Minister of Economy and Industry, Mohammad Nidal Al-Shaar, discussed on Monday with Saudi Minister of Industry and Mineral Resources Bandar bin Ibrahim Al-Khorayef means of enhancing bilateral cooperation and developing investments...
Egypt: President El-Sisi Meets Qatar's Prime Minister And Minister Of Foreign Affairs
MENAFN
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August 18, 2025
(MENAFN- APO Group) Today, President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi met with Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. The meeting was attended by Head of the General Intelligence Services...
Israel to increase 2025 budget to cover war costs
Xinhua News Agency
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JERUSALEM, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Israel's Finance Ministry announced Monday that it will increase the 2025 state budget by 30.8 billion shekels (around 9.1 billion U.S. dollars) to cover a range of war-related expenses. The budget increase, expected...
Iraqi officers protest over delayed housing land
Shafaq News
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2025-08-18T15:27:24+00:00 font Enable Reading Mode A- A A+ Shafaq News – Baghdad Army officers in Baghdad staged a protest on Monday to demand long-promised housing plots, accusing the Officers’ Housing Association of corruption and diverting land...