RIYADH: The Middle East and North Africa region is projected to return to growth in 2027, expanding 8.5 percent, after a contraction this year, according to a forecast from BMI, a Fitch Solutions company. BMI expects the MENA economy to contract by 3.3 percent in 2026, a sharper decline than the 0.»»»

Morocco has deployed heavy security around the border city of Fnideq after false social media rumours claimed the border to Spain's Ceuta enclave would open. Hundreds of migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, have gathered nearby, raising fears of another mass crossing just weeks after tens of t»»»

Dubai: The total solar eclipse of 12 August 2026 may be over, but skywatchers will not have to wait long for the next solar spectacle. The next solar eclipse will take place on 6 February 2027, less than six months from now. It will be an annul solar eclipse, producing the distinctive “ring of fire»»»

Doha, Qatar: The Qatar Football Association (QFA) has called upon the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to consistently apply the principles of transparency and consultation in a manner that preserves its credibility and strengthens trust among its Member Associations (MAs). QFA also emphasised th»»»

Thousands of people attempted to cross into Ceuta last month, overwhelming local authorities. On Saturday, Moroccan officials said they detained 111 attempting to cross. Photo by Jalal Morchidi/EPA Aug. 15 (UPI) -- Dozens of migrants were detained in Morocco on Saturday as they attempted to cross i»»»

False social media posts claiming the Morocco-Ceuta border would open for Spain’s Assumption holiday have prompted migrants to gather near the crossing. Moroccan and Spanish authorities have tightened security after a recent mass influx into Ceuta, while Morocco says those spreading the false claim»»»

CEUTA, Spain: Moroccan police ​arrested at least 111 people on Saturday as they tried to enter Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta, amid tightened security on both sides of the border after social media posts called for another mass migrant crossing. The attempted crossing came two weeks after m»»»

Cases of infectious disease, including gastroenteritis, have been reported among migrants in Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta since the mass influx from neighboring Morocco occurred in late July. Spain’s National Institute for Health Management (INGESA) confirmed that gastroenteritis has brok»»»

Doha: The Qatar Football Association (QFA) has called upon the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to consistently apply the principles of transparency and consultation in a manner that preserves its credibility and strengthens trust among its members. QFA also emphasized the importance of adhering »»»

JOHANNESBURG: Prolific sisters Tabitha and Temwa Chawinga have been instrumental in transforming Malawi from no-hopers to giant killers to finalists at the 2026 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco. The Malawian Scorchers scored 12 goals en route to the title decider against Cameroon on Sunday »»»

DOHA: The Qatar Football Association (QFA) has called upon the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to consistently apply the principles of transparency and consultation in a manner that preserves its credibility and strengthens trust among its members. QFA also emphasized the importance of adhering »»»

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Moroccan security forces thwarted an attempt by hundreds of migrants to illegally enter the Spanish autonomous city of Ceuta, Spanish media reported, citing sources in Moroccan security agencies. The migrants were reportedly hiding on the outskirts of the Moroccan border town of »»»

CEUTA: Spain has beefed up police and military presence in its North African enclave of Ceuta amid social media messages encouraging migrants ​to attempt another mass border breach on Saturday, two weeks after tens of thousands rushed into the city. Soldiers in combat fatigues stood watch outside s»»»

MELBOURNE: New Zealand became the latest nation to withdraw its support for FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s reelection bid on Friday over the aborted commercial rights stake sale plan, while Oceania’s confederation cautiously backed the governing body’s leadership. Infantino has faced open revolt»»»

Russia's economy bounced back to 1.3% growth in the second quarter, beating official forecasts after a rare contraction at the start of the year. Preliminary data from Rosstat, the state statistics service, put second-quarter GDP up 1.3% y/y, above the 0.8% the central bank had forecast and the 0.9»»»

SHARJAH: UAE budget carrier Air Arabia’s net profit fell 51 per cent to Dh374 million in the first half of 2026 as the regional conflict disrupted flights, reduced capacity and pushed fuel prices to record highs. Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances.The Sharjah-based low-co»»»

The heads of six Arab football federations expressed their "full support" and "confidence" in Gianni Infantino on Thursday as the embattled FIFA president fights to keep his job after his failed World Cup private investment plan. The backing came from 2030 World Cup co-host Morocco, Qatar, Egypt, M»»»

Arab Finance: Roche Diagnostics has appointed Carlos Justiniani Ugarte as General Manager of Roche Diagnostics Egypt and North Africa Network Lead, strengthening the company’s leadership in the region, according to an emailed press release. Ugarte joins Roche’s Egypt affiliate after four years as C»»»

CASABLANCA, MOROCCO: The Professional Fighters League has announced the six semifinal matchups, and heavyweight main event for PFL Africa: Morocco on Oct. 10, as the league’s continental tournament reaches its penultimate round across the bantamweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions. Winner»»»

Lebanon has formally abolished the death penalty, going against the grain in a region where Iran and Saudi Arabia are reportedly the second- and third-biggest executors globally, after China. Here's a look at which countries in the Middle East and North Africa top the list of executioners, which ha»»»

BAMAKO: Mali’s junta chief on Thursday pardoned a French intelligence agent serving a 20 year jail term, a rare conciliatory gesture following years of tension between the west African nation and its former colonial ruler. The decision came as Mali’s military authorities have been weakened by a mas»»»

CASABLANCA: Ghana came from behind to beat Ivory Coast 2-1 Thursday and earn one of Africa’s last two chances to qualify for the Women’s World Cup. Nigeria were to play South Africa for the other later as the four beaten quarterfinalists at the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations were pitted against each»»»

TUNIS: Economic pressures and changing social norms are driving couples in Tunisia, Morocco, and Algeria to have fewer babies, with a recent study saying Maghreb fertility was at a historic low. Experts and couples interviewed by AFP spoke of a combination of factors, including longer educations an»»»

GENEVA: The heads of six Arab soccer federations expressed their “full support” and “confidence” in Gianni Infantino on Thursday as the embattled FIFA president fights to keep his job after his failed World Cup private investment plan. The backing came from 2030 World Cup co-host Morocco, Qatar, Eg»»»

RABAT: Cameroon won a penalty shootout 3-1 against Morocco after a scoreless draw in the other semi. Malawi beat Algeria 3-1 in the first semifinal match on Wednesday, led by Tabitha Chawinga with a pair of goals. Upstart Malawi will face Cameroon in the final of the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations o»»»

DUBAI: The eagerly anticipated 2026/27 ADNOC Pro League kicks off this weekend, with questions ranging from whether an era of Al-Ain dominance awaits, to what revolutionary upstarts United FC can achieve on their debut with Italy icon Andrea Pirlo, somehow, still at the helm. The unbeaten Boss live»»»

Dubai: Morocco has arrested several people suspected of inciting mass irregular migration into the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla and stepped up security to prevent a repeat of large-scale border crossings, the Interior Ministry said. The measures follow the circulation of anonymous posts on»»»

Doha, Qatar: High school students from Qatar and abroad aspiring to pursue careers in medicine were given a glimpse of the profession and campus life through the Medical Minds Online Programme (MMOP), a summer initiative organised by Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q). In its second edition, the »»»

Amsterdam: Former Spain international midfielder Xavi Hernandez has been appointed head coach of the Netherlands national football team, succeeding Ronald Koeman, who resigned following the 2026 World Cup, the Dutch Football Association announced today, Wednesday. The 46-year-old coach, who led Bar»»»

Tribune News Network Doha High school students from Qatar and abroad aspiring to pursue careers in medicine were given a glimpse of the profession and campus life through the Medical Minds Online Programme (MMOP), a summer initiative organised by Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q). In its second »»»

PARIS: Xavi Hernandez has been named as the successor to Ronald Koeman as head coach of the Netherlands national team, becoming their first foreign boss in 48 years, the country’s football association announced on Wednesday. The Barcelona great, who won the 2010 World Cup with Spain as a player, ha»»»

CASABLANCA, Morocco: Morocco said Wednesday it has beefed up security along its border with Spain as calls resurfaced on social media for mass crossings into the Spanish city of Ceuta, raising concerns of another surge, similar to the one last month when tens of thousands of migrants rushed the bor»»»

PARIS: FIFA is facing a crisis of confidence and needs sweeping governance reforms, the head of players’ union FIFPRO Europe said on Wednesday, as he raised concerns about the concentration of power within world soccer’s governing body. FIFPRO Europe president David Terrier said FIFA was trapped in»»»

DOHA: High school students from Qatar and abroad aspiring to pursue careers in medicine were given a glimpse of the profession and campus life through the Medical Minds Online Program (MMOP), a summer initiative organized by Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q). In its second edition, the week-long»»»

Dubai: Today's total solar eclipse sweeps across northern Russia, Greenland, Iceland and northern Spain. It does not come anywhere near the Emirates. The next total solar eclipse visible from the UAE falls on 3 September 2081. Fifty-five years from now. Most people reading this will not see one fro»»»

MADRID: Spanish police said Tuesday they have dismantled a criminal ring accused of recruiting unaccompanied migrant girls from care centers in Gran Canaria and moving them to mainland Spain and France, where some were sexually exploited. The operation comes as migration debates have returned to th»»»

VILNIUS: Latvia said ‌on Tuesday a tunnel had been discovered under the border with Belarus and announced plans to combat networks that it says are helping a growing number of migrants cross the frontier illegally. Latvian soldiers last month used teargas and fired a warning shot to stop migrants t»»»

BRUSSELS, Belgium: The EU said Tuesday Meta and TikTok had agreed to voluntary steps to boost fact-checking of harmful disinformation linked to the Ceuta migrant rush — but did not rule out compelling the tech giants to do more. Experts say social media disinformation helped drive the deadly rush o»»»

JERUSALEM: A former head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency on Tuesday said its spies had visited Iran’s Fordow nuclear site “many times” in the past in order to better understand the facility. In June last year, Israel launched a war against its arch-foe Iran with the stated goal of degrading »»»

JERUSALEM: Donald Trump’s latest plan to end the Gaza war calls on Hamas to ‌lay down its arms as Israel withdraws from the territory, terms endorsed by the militants but rejected by Israel, which says it will not pull back until the group’s disarmament is complete. WHAT IS TRUMP’S LATEST PLAN FOR »»»

U.S. Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper told Israel in a visit during the weekend that the United States wants Israel to end the fighting on the three active fronts – Iran, Gaza and Lebanon, Israel’s Channel 13 reported. According to the channel, the Israeli military informed the U.S. side t»»»

Dubai: Millions of skywatchers across Europe and North America are preparing for one of the year's most significant astronomical events on Wednesday, August 12, 2026 - a rare total solar eclipse tracing a dramatic path over the North Atlantic. The spectacle will not look the same for everyone. A na»»»

RIYADH: Saudi Arabian Mining Co. reported a 16 percent increase in second-quarter revenue to $2.9 billion, driven by its best-ever quarterly aluminum performance and stronger gold output. The Riyadh-based miner said in a statement that earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization»»»

Twitch has banned top US streamer Zack ‘Asmongold’ Hoyt after he suggested that migrants crossing into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta – including children – should be shot to stop the flow and avoid unrest in the area. The controversy erupted on Monday when Asmongold reacted to a video about the cris»»»

The 12th international mountain rescue training camp is taking place in Ala-Archa Nature Park, bringing together mountain rescuers from member states of the International Civil Defense Organization (ICDO). According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the participants are undergoing practical »»»

Rabat: The first Arab forum for artificial intelligence and entrepreneurship called for the development of an Arab-African model for AI that benefits from Arab and African expertise and competencies, and takes into account linguistic, cultural and economic particularities, in order to enhance digit»»»

FIFA on Saturday issued a statement defending its president, Gianni Infantino, against what it called a “concerted and ongoing effort” to undermine his leadership of the organisation. It came a day after a British newspaper accused the FIFA boss of paying off a fomer lover while at UEFA, alleg»»»

Johannesburg, South Africa: A triumphant night for north Africa ended on Saturday with hosts Morocco and Algeria reaching the Women's Africa of Nations (WAFCON) semi-finals and the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. They took contrasting paths to quarter-finals success as Morocco built a two-goal lead, then»»»

HARARE, Zimbabwe: More than 178,000 African immigrants have left South Africa in recent months, spurred by a crackdown on undocumented migration by authorities and sometimes violent anti-immigration protests that have led many to leave citing fears of attacks. It’s one of the most significant migra»»»

JOHANNESBURG: A triumphant night for north Africa ended Saturday with hosts Morocco and Algeria reaching the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) semifinals and securing places at next year’s Women’s World Cup in Brazil. They took contrasting paths to quarter-final success, with Morocco building »»»