Mena Today

Qatar is no mystery anymore. The danger is not that we don’t understand what it is doing. The danger is that we do—and still pretend we don’t.

Lebanon started its 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifying campaign with a narrow but valuable victory, defeating hosts Qatar 75–74 on Thursday in Lusail. 

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz will travel to Israel on December 6 and 7 for his first official visit since taking office, a German government spokesperson said on Friday.

Pope Leo condemned violence in the name of religion on Friday at a landmark event with Christian leaders from across the Middle East, urging them during his first overseas trip as leader of the Catholic Church to overcome centuries of heated divisions.

War simplifies and clarifies everything. When one’s own life or the very survival of family, friends and country is at stake, one learns to think quick and to act straight, to sweep away routine, clichés, and dead paradigms - and stick to fundamentals. 

Thirteen people were killed in an Israeli raid in southern Syria on Friday, Syrian state media reported, with Damascus accusing Israel of a "criminal attack" in a village where Israel said its troops came under fire during an operation to arrest militants.

A Tunisian appeals court on Friday handed jail terms of up to 45 years to opposition leaders, businessmen and lawyers, a court document showed, in what critics said was a sign of President Kais Saied's increasingly authoritarian rule.

Turkey on Thursday strongly rejected the newly signed maritime demarcation agreement between Lebanon and Cyprus, arguing that the deal ignores the rights of Turkish Cypriots and therefore cannot be accepted.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that outline draft peace proposals discussed by the United States and Ukraine could become the basis of future agreements to end the conflict in Ukraine, but that if not Russia would fight on.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan praised Pope Leo's stance on the Palestinian issue after meeting him in Ankara on Thursday, and said he hoped his first overseas visit as Catholic leader will benefit humanity at a time of tension and uncertainty.

Tunisia freed prominent lawyer Sonia Dahmani, a vocal critic of President Kais Saied, on Thursday after a year and a half in prison and she said she hoped her release would pave the way for dozens of other critics to walk free.

AD Ports Group, the UAE’s leading ports, logistics and trade-facilitation company, has announced the sale of its 9.77% stake in NMDC Group PJSC to Alpha Dhabi Holding for AED 1.6 billion (US$436 million).