In an Iraqi province where unemployment is about 40 percent, a lucky few hoped to find work Sunday at a university job fair attended by French firms alongside local companies.
The three-day event is taking place at the University of Mosul in Iraq's war-ravaged second city, where reconstruction has been slow five years after the Iraqi army backed by US-led coalition air strikes pushed out Islamic State jihadists.
Saudi Aramco on Sunday posted an 82-percent jump in first quarter profits, buoyed by a global surge in oil prices that has made it the world's most valuable company.
The announcement continued a string of recent positive economic news for Saudi Arabia, where a booming oil sector is fuelling the fastest growth rate in a decade.
Aramco's net income of $39.5 billion was up from $21.7 billion compared with the same period in 2021, "primarily driven by higher crude oil prices and volumes sold, and improved downstream margins," it said in a press release.
The UAE's new president Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan held talks Sunday with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron as world leaders streamed in to Abu Dhabi to pay tribute to his predecessor.
Macron, who was re-elected this month, expressed his condolences to Sheikh Mohamed following the death of his half-brother Sheikh Khalifa, who died on Friday following a long illness.
Turnout was low as Lebanon held its first election Sunday since a painful economic crisis dragged it to the brink of becoming a failed state.
The vote is seen as a major test for opposition groups bent on ousting the ruling elite. But few observers expected a seismic shift, with all levers of political power firmly in the hands of traditional sectarian parties and an electoral system seen as rigged in their favour.
A cartoon series on an alien who crash-lands in World Cup host Qatar aims to ease a culture clash between more than a million foreign football fans and the conservative state's residents.
Like the arriving fans, Kawkabani, star of the series launched by Qatar's first animation studio, has to learn Arabic pronunciation, how to drink coffee -- and to discover that Qataris prepare way too much food for their guests.
Drought is threatening the Iraqi tradition of growing amber rice, the aromatic basis of rich lamb and other dishes, and a key element in a struggling economy.
The long-grained variety of rice takes its name from its distinctive scent, which is similar to that of amber resin. It is used in Iraqi meals including sumptuous lamb qouzi, mansaf and stuffed vegetables.
But after three years of drought and declining rainfall, Iraq's amber rice production will be only symbolic in 2022, forcing consumers to seek out imported varieties and leaving farmers pondering their future.
Lebanon headed to the polls Sunday for its first election since multiple crises dragged it to the brink of failed statehood, with the ruling elite expected to comfortably weather public anger.
The parliamentary election is a first test for opposition movements spawned by an unprecedented anti-establishment uprising in 2019 that briefly raised hopes of regime change in Lebanon.
Yet observers have warned not to expect any seismic shift, with every lever of power firmly in the hands of traditional sectarian parties and an electoral system rigged in their favour.
US President Joe Biden congratulated the UAE's de facto ruler Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on being elected Saturday as the country's president following his half-brother's death.
"I congratulate my long-time friend Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on his election as president of the United Arab Emirates," Biden said in a statement, adding that he looked forward to working with the leader "to further strengthen the bonds between our countries and peoples."
A Palestinian man died on Saturday of wounds suffered last month during clashes with Israeli police at Jerusalem's flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque compound, an Israeli hospital said.
Walid al-Sharif, 23, was taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital with a "head injury" on April 22 and he was "pronounced dead this morning", the hospital said in a statement.
His family confirmed his death in an audio message shared with journalists.
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who was elected as UAE president on Saturday, has long been seen as a strongman who has driven the Gulf country's rise to greater prominence.
A trained soldier and football fan, Sheikh Mohamed has for years been the quiet power behind the throne of Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.
The 61-year-old took office, as was widely expected, after the death on Friday of his half-brother Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who had led the country since 2004.
