Primark opens first Qatar store in Doha as Saudi Arabia launch confirmed for March 2027

Recent news reports reveal that the United Kingdom is deploying Typhoon fighter jets to Saudi Arabia to bolster defense against Houthi attacks. The aircraft will focus on intercepting aerial threats rather than launching strikes against the Houthis in Yemen. Simultaneously, the United Nations has issued a warning that food and fuel prices have more than doubled in the besieged city of Taiz due to ongoing clashes between Houthis and government forces.

During President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Abu Dhabi, the UAE and France have inked a series of defense agreements. These include cooperation on advanced Rafale fighter jets. Separately, Iran asserts that Iraq has agreed to expel Iranian Kurdish opposition groups from its northern Kurdistan region, following security talks between the two nations. However, Iraq's government has yet to confirm this claim.

In other developments, weight-loss drugs Mounjaro and Faujeck will be repackaged in the UAE under a new agreement between Abu Dhabi's Mubadala Bio and the US pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly. Trending Middle East reports these updates based on original articles from The National, with human curation and editing.