Agriculture and farming

An Iranian taxi driver cools down by splashing water on his face on a street amid soaring temperatures in Tehran on July 22, 2025.

Iran to close public offices as temperatures pass 105 F: What to know

Iranian officials are seeking to reduce public energy consumption as water levels decrease throughout the country and power cuts persist.

Smoke and flames rise from a forested area following a wildfire in the Seferihisar district of Izmir, Turkey, June 30, 2025.

At least two dead, hundreds displaced as wildfires rage across Turkey

Fire crews are battling to contain six fires across several Turkish provinces that have also displaced thousands on the Aegean coast.

ADEM ALTAN/AFP via Getty Images

Turkey closes livestock markets amid foot-and-mouth disease outbreak: What to know

The Agriculture Ministry has closed all livestock markets to prevent spread of the disease while vaccination efforts are underway.

An Air Tractor AT-802AF firefighting aircraft drops flame retardant while trying to extinguish a forest fire near the central Israeli town of Bet Shemesh, near Jerusalem on April 23, 2025. (Photo by Ahmad GHARABLI / AFP) (Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP via Getty Images)

Live Updates

Wildfire spreads around Jerusalem as Israel asks Italy, Greece for help

Several communities have already been evacuated over the fires blazing in the environs of Jerusalem and along Highway 1.

Latest News

Egypt's Sisi hosts Burhan, eyes reconstruction in Sudan: What to know

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received President of the Sovereign Council of the Republic of the Sudan General Abdel-Fattah Al-Burhan at Cairo International Airport.

Morocco's economic growth slows as drought, locusts deplete farmland

A couple hold their son's hands as they herd sheep near the village of Amellagou where Morocco's last nomads reside, on Sept. 2, 2022.

Analysis

Amid US rift and Saudi rivalry, UAE offers Zelenskyy economic lifeline

Voladymyr Zelenskyy meets with President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, on Feb. 17, 2025.

Jennifer Gnana

By Jennifer Gnana

In Dubai, reporting on Gulf energy policy and politics

How Turkey's egg tax complicates US soaring prices amid bird flu crisis

An employee checks eggs at Aytekin chicken farm on on May 06, 2022 in Bandirma, Turkey.

COMESA,

Saudi Arabia partners with Senegal on railway, desalination plant

The UAE, Israel and Turkey have also upped their engagement with African states in recent years.

AFP via Getty Images

With warming of diplomatic ties, Israel, Turkey expect bilateral trade boom

Now that diplomatic relations have improved, Israel hopes to increase and expand its exportations to Turkey in fields such as water treatment, smart agriculture and energy.

Ettihad Ayad.

Culture

Palestinian female tractor driver turns heads in West Bank

Ettihad Ayyad, a Palestinian woman who has farmland in Jericho, recently became the first Palestinian woman to obtain a tractor driver’s license.

A picture taken on February 18, 2017, shows a general view of a bridge in the Iranian city of Ahvaz during a sandstorm.

Iranian satellite to help agricultural production, disaster management

Iran experiences water issues due to inefficiency, drought and other factors, and this relates to the agricultural sector as well as sandstorms.

An aerial view shows Syrian farmers picking cherries in a field in the town of Juzif in the Jebel al-Zawiyah Mountains, Idlib province, Syria, May 30, 2022.

Syrian jihadi group charges farmers for irrigation amid water crisis

The water resources directorate of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-affiliated Salvation Government has imposed fees for irrigation as part of a project to rehabilitate water stations in al-Roj Plain in Idlib.

A farmer holds a handful of soil parched because of drought in Tunisia's east-central area of Kairouan.

Water crisis threatens millions with thirst in Tunisia

Tunisian President Kais Saied has called on the government to immediately address the water crisis in the country, where millions who rely on agriculture are facing the threat of thirst amid repeated water cuts and the disruption of work of the concerned institutions.

Israeli Ambassador to Uzbekistan Zehavit Ben-Hillel together with students at Webster University in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, November 2021.

Israel tightens ties with Uzbekistan

The recently signed agreement over Uzbeki nursing staff traveling to Israel only highlights the rapid growth in economic, diplomatic and cultural relations between the two countries.

Mazeej community products at a HORECA booth in Beirut, Lebanon, March 24, 2022.

Lebanese initiative to support struggling zaatar producers

Small-scale producers in Lebanon are struggling to stay in business due to harsh economic conditions, but projects like Mazeej are helping them to turn things around for the better.

SAID KHATIB/AFP via Getty Images

Culture

Gazan inventors produce wood vinegar to help farmers

Two Gazans have manufactured a device to extract wood vinegar from trees, a material that is promising for treating soil issues in the Gaza Strip.

African Union Chief and President of Senegal Macky Sall (2-R) participates at the OECD Africa Forum in France, on June 10, 2022.

African Union chief says Israel has role to play in Africa

Participating at the OECD Africa Forum, African Union Chief and President of Senegal Macky Sall acknowledged Israel’s engagement in Africa, especially on the backdrop of the crisis generated by the Ukraine war.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) walks with his Venezuelan counterpart, Nicolas Maduro.

Venezuela’s Maduro receives warm welcome in Turkey

Turkey and Venezuela have good relations, much to the chagrin of the United States.

Adam Lucente

By Adam Lucente

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Samar al-Baa inspects honey collected from her beehives in Beit Hanoun, Gaza Strip, in a still from a video uploaded May 30, 2021.

Culture

Gaza's first female beekeeper expands apiary

The enclave's first female beekeeper speaks about the challenges facing Gaza's beekeeping profession.