Mena Today

As the world grapples with ongoing conflicts, economic instability, and rapid technological advancements, heads of state and key global figures have gathered in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Annual Meeting 2025.

The Kurdish forces guarding Islamic State fighters at a jail in northern Syria say they are opposed to handing the facility to the new Islamist rulers in Damascus as they brace for attacks by the ultra hardline group and monitor its attempts to re-emerge.

Israeli security forces backed by helicopters raided the volatile West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday, killing at least eight Palestinians in what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called a "large-scale and significant military operation".

Italy has released a senior member of Libya's judicial police who it had arrested on a warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) over war crimes accusations, an interior ministry source said on Tuesday.

Pakistan has agreed terms for a $1 billion loan with two Middle Eastern banks at a 6%-7% interest rate, its Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb told Reuters on Tuesday, as the South Asian country looks for more financing.

Harvard University has agreed to provide additional protections for Jewish students to settle two lawsuits accusing the Ivy League school of becoming a hotbed of rampant antisemitism.

Turkish authorities have ramped up investigations and detentions of opposition figures, with three such actions on Monday alone, raising concerns about a widening crackdown on dissent against the government.

Israel's army chief Herzi Halevi said on Tuesday he would resign on March 6, taking responsibility for the massive security lapse on Oct. 7, 2023 when Palestinian Hamas gunmen from Gaza carried out a cross-border attack on Israel.

Turkey could restart trade with Israel "if peace is permanent", Nail Olpak, head of the Turkish Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK), said on Tuesday.

A controversial system orchestrated by the Grand Mosque of Paris, with backing from Algerian authorities, has created a monopolistic framework for halal certification. 

Egypt’s Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, Rania Al-Mashat, met earlier this week with Elena Flores, Deputy Director-General of the European Commission, to lay the groundwork for the second phase of the €4 billion Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) program. 

Sharjah’s free zones—Hamriyah Free Zone Authority (HFZA) and Sharjah Airport International Free Zone Authority (SAIF Zone)—celebrated significant achievements in 2024, reinforcing the emirate’s position as a premier destination for local, regional, and international businesses.