Middle East

Dubai – October 19, 2026 -- The HONOR X9e Pro pairs an 11,000mAh silicon-carbon battery with a 3-metre marble drop rating, IP68, IP69 and IP69K protection, and a body about 8.08mm thin and roughly 203g.

HONOR frames the phone as the latest step in an X Series that has raised its durability bar with each generation. Two of those generations have also earned Guinness World Records titles.

X9a and X9b made the screen and frame tougher

The X9a used 0.65mm reinforced glass rated to withstand more than 900MPa of stress. HONOR tested it with marble drops, squeezing, rolling and steel-ball impact.

The X9b added 360-degree whole-device protection and drop resistance from up to 1.5 metres. It became the first smartphone in the industry to receive Switzerland's SGS Five-Star Overall Drop Resistance Certification.

Dubai – – October 15, 2026 -- The Gorenje G800 oven combines a 77-litre interior, more than 70 automatic cooking programs and a self-cleaning cycle, built for evenings when two dinner guests turn into six.

A 77-litre cavity replaces the two-batch dinner

The large interior takes wide trays without wrestling them into place. Several dishes can run at once across all shelves, so roasting, baking and reheating happen in parallel instead of in two rounds. According to the source, heat stays consistent across every level, which removes the need to rotate trays every fifteen minutes.

AutoBake handles more than 70 dishes from weight alone

The AutoBake feature includes over 70 pre-tested programs. You select a dish, enter its weight and press start. There is no preheating and no temperature calculation. Gorenje's pitch is to "press start and get on with your evening."

Abu Dhabi – October 14, 2026 -- Visitors to Zayed National Museum can see 6,500-year-old wild camel bones when the museum opens its first temporary exhibition, Tracks Through Time: The Camel in Society, Trade and Art, in early December 2026.

The show coincides with the museum's first anniversary. The museum describes it as the world's first exhibition to comprehensively explore more than 7,000 years of camel history in the UAE and the wider region.

Ancient bones show wild camels, then domesticated ones

Wild camel bones from the Baynunah archaeological site in Abu Dhabi date to the Neolithic Period (4,500-4,000 BCE). They are on loan from Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi. Remains from Al Sufouh in Dubai date to the Bronze Age (2,500-1,300 BCE) and come from Dubai Culture and Arts Authority. According to the museum, it is the first time detailed evidence of the now-extinct wild camel species will be shown to the public.

Dubai – October 12, 2026 -- Travellers heading to Dubai for the cooler months can rent sports cars, convertibles, luxury cars and SUVs from VIP Transits, which delivers to hotels, homes and Dubai airport and takes bookings through WhatsApp.

The fleet spans SUVs, luxury cars and convertibles

VIP Transits' published fleet includes the Bentley Bentayga, BMW X7, Cadillac Escalade, Aston Martin Vantage Roadster and BMW M4 Competition Convertible. Customers should confirm availability for their preferred dates.

The BMW X7 and Cadillac Escalade are listed with seven seats. Luggage space can run short when every row is occupied, and families should confirm child seat arrangements. Before booking, customers should also check seating, boot space and ground clearance.

ABU DHABI – October 12, 2026 -- Abu Dhabi has opened an events season of more than 40 live experiences that runs through early 2027, with the debut of Frieze Abu Dhabi, the opening of Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and a Formula 1 weekend with major concerts.

Art fairs and a Gehry-designed museum anchor the culture calendar

Frieze Abu Dhabi makes its debut from 19 to 22 November at Manarat Al Saadiyat. It builds on nearly two decades of Abu Dhabi Art and links the emirate to Frieze's network of galleries, artists and collectors. NOMAD Abu Dhabi runs from 18 to 22 November in Terminal 1 of the Old Abu Dhabi Airport, with collectible design, contemporary art and architecture.

Guggenheim Abu Dhabi opens on 11 December on Saadiyat Island. The museum was designed by the late Frank Gehry and is dedicated to modern and contemporary art. Culture Summit Abu Dhabi takes place from 8 to 10 December under the theme Towards a Reimagined Commons.

Amsterdam – October 08, 2026 -- Subway is rolling out a redesigned restaurant concept called Blueprint to every new location and remodel across Europe, the Middle East and Africa starting January 1, 2027.

The first Blueprint restaurants already opened this summer in the Netherlands and the UK, giving an early look at what guests across the region can expect over the coming years.

Restaurants get digital ordering options and a redesigned layout

Blueprint locations feature warmer, more modern interiors with salad ingredients, sauces and freshly baked bread displayed at the center of the store. Guests can order at the counter with a Sandwich Artist, use self-order kiosks, or order ahead through the Subway app or delivery. An order-ready screen and a marked collection point are meant to speed up pickup.

Dubai – September 24, 2026 -- Gorenje, the European home appliance brand owned by Hisense Group, has named football star Luka Modrić as its brand ambassador for the Middle East market.

The campaign centers on Gorenje's Life Simplified appliance range

The partnership is built around the tagline "True Greatness Begins at Home," tying Modrić's on-field consistency to Gorenje's push for simpler household routines. The Life Simplified range covers cooking, refrigeration, laundry and dishwashing appliances, combining intuitive controls and smart technology with European design.

Modrić links his performance to stability at home

"My performance on the pitch reflects the stability and support I have at home. Gorenje shares these values by creating an environment that allows me to focus on training, matches, and my family," Modrić said.

Dubai, UAE – September 24, 2026 -- The Saudi Tourism Authority (STA) and travel app Wego have launched a joint campaign encouraging travellers across the Middle East and North Africa to explore Saudi Arabia's cities, coastlines and cultural sites.

The campaign spans Riyadh to the Red Sea

The initiative highlights destinations including Riyadh, Jeddah, AlUla's archaeological landscapes, and the Red Sea coastline, positioning them as parts of a single travel itinerary rather than separate trips. Organizers say the campaign targets different traveller types: families combining culture with entertainment, couples seeking coastal escapes and dining, and adventure travellers interested in diving, desert activities and mountain landscapes.

Dubai – September 19, 2026 -- Bybit has opened the fifth and final round of its USD1 Hold & Earn program, giving users until October 16, 2026 to claim a share of a 35,000,000 WLFI reward pool simply by holding the USD1 stablecoin in their account.

Users can earn up to 8% APR with no staking required

Enrolled holders qualify for daily rewards and an annual percentage rate of up to 8%, with no subscription, staking or lock-up period needed. Participants can track their ranking on a daily-updated leaderboard that lists the top 50 USD1 holders on the exchange by effective holdings.

Dubai – September 17, 2026 -- Gorenje has launched the G600 dishwasher in the UAE and wider Middle East, an appliance the company says uses 10 percent less energy than the A-class industry standard while delivering full cleaning performance.

Smart Dosing cuts refills to once a month

The G600's Smart Dosing feature lets households fill the detergent container once and run up to 20 wash cycles, roughly a month of use, without refilling. The system automatically dispenses the precise detergent amount for each selected programme, aiming to reduce waste.

An optional UV light targets 99.99 percent of bacteria

An optional UV Light Function claims to eliminate 99.99 percent of bacteria and viruses, even during lower-temperature cycles such as Eco at 55°C. The machine offers six programmes: Eco, Auto, Intensive, Daily, Night, and Hygiene.