Middle East Experience

US director Julian Schnabel defended Gal Gadot and Gerard Butler after activists urged the Venice Film Festival to exclude them over their support for Israel.
Source: Jerusalem Post
Full Article: No reason to boycott actors over Gaza, director Schnabel says at Venice Film Festival

Dubai Holding Asset Management launches Dubai Retail, uniting 40 malls and lifestyle destinations to drive growth and customer experiences
Source: Arabian Business
Full Article: Dubai Retail to reshape city’s shopping with over 40 malls, lifestyle and community centres

Dubai property sales hit $13.9bn in August 2025 with record mortgages, rising rents and 18,678 transactions driving market growth
Source: Arabian Business
Full Article: Dubai real estate breaks records with .9bn sales and surging rents

UAE non-oil trade with India hit $65bn in 2024 as CEPA drives growth, with new initiatives boosting private sector ties and investment flows
Source: Arabian Business
Full Article: CEPA boosts UAE-India economic ties as trade surges 19.7% to bn

Qatar Airways to start direct Doha–Red Sea flights from Oct 21, 2025, linking Saudi’s Vision 2030 destination with Hamad International Airport
Source: Arabian Business
Full Article: Qatar Airways to launch direct Doha–Red Sea International Airport flights in October 2025

The first direct flight from Istanbul to Misrata since 2015 underscores Turkey’s efforts to maintain good relations with the Tripoli government as well as its eastern-based rival.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Turkey resumes flights to Libya's Misrata as Ankara courts Tripoli, Hifter

By Maya Gebeily and Laila BassamBEIRUT (Reuters) -Lebanon's government is set to discuss a plan on Friday for disarming Hezbollah, a critical juncture in a standoff between the Iran-backed group which is refusing to give up its weapons and rivals who want it to disarm in line with U.S. demands.Calls for Hezbollah's disarmament have taken centre stage in Lebanon since last year's devastating war with Israel, which upended a power balance long dominated by the Shi'ite Muslim group.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Lebanon faces crunch point on Hezbollah arms

Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed at least 44 people on Thursday, including 25 in Gaza City where the military has increased bombardments ahead of a planned offensive.Nearly two years into the devastating conflict, Israel has built up its forces in recent days, with troops operating on the outskirts of Gaza City, the Palestinian territory's largest urban centre.The United Nations estimates that nearly one million people live in and around Gaza City in the territory's north, where it has declared famine.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Gaza civil defence says Israeli fire kills 44

GCC labour market grows 25% in four years as Gulf economy outpaces global average, with women now making up 40.2% of the workforce
Source: Arabian Business
Full Article: GCC labour market grows 25% in four years as Gulf economy beats global average

By Emma FargeGENEVA (Reuters) -A U.N. body has found that the United States and the United Arab Emirates are jointly responsible for holding an Afghan man in arbitrary detention in Abu Dhabi for over two years in a case rights groups say is emblematic of thousands of others.The man, a former police force colonel who had worked with U.S. forces and received threats from the Islamist Taliban movement, was evacuated with his family during the hurried U.S. exit from Afghanistan in 2021 under former President Joe Biden.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: UN body finds US and UAE responsible for Afghan refugee's arbitrary detention