Host of @CNNConnect & CNN Abu Dhabi Managing Editor. Join us Mon-Fri for our Emmy-award winning show @CNNi 17:00 UAE | 14:00 London | 09:00 New York
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Joined March 2010
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From the ruins of war to an award-winning rebuilding initiative. As part of our Road to @turkiyecop31 series, I spoke with Tala, 17, and Farah, 15, Palestinian sisters from Gaza who won the Earth Prize for transforming rubble into reusable building bricks:
"Our first step is to say no dark money in presidential primaries" @jjz1600 tells me about the attacks on Abdul El-Sayed in the Michigan Senate race, in what is on track to be the most expensive U.S midterms in history:
Becky Anderson retweeted
My book West Asia argues that a Turkey-Pakistan will be foundational to a broader Indo-Islamic coalition (not an alliance) that would bring in Qatar Saudi, and perhaps Egypt, and eventually link with Indonesia and Malaysia. And here we are: the Iran war has catalyzed the thesis.
Turkiye, Qatar, Pakistan and Indonesia have signed an agreement aimed at boosting defence cooperation and strengthening defensive capabilities, according to the Turkish Defence Ministry.
🔴 LIVE updates: aje.news/70ozws
Becky Anderson retweeted
Earlier in the war, when Iran attacked AI infrastructure, I argued that Tehran understands the value of AI. The Iranians recognized that this infra would shift the broader balance of power in favor of the Gulf states over the long term, apart from its economic value.👇🏽👇🏽
I was in Sharm el-Sheikh for the Gaza peace summit just over a year ago.
President Trump said at the time that "A new and beautiful day is rising and now the rebuilding begins. The rebuilding is maybe going to be the easiest part."
Well, a year later rebuilding has not been easy - in fact it's not even begun yet.
Here's why Gaza is still stuck in limbo.
Could Gulf sovereign wealth funds pull back on investments? Amid regional uncertainty and fears of global bond market spillover, I ask @ThisIsSoliman if investors should be worried:
Amid riots and protests in his country, President Macron is on a Middle East tour. What can the timing of his visit tell us about Paris's priorities? I ask @PedderSophie
The far left and far right both oppose the French government's response to the protests, but for opposite reasons. @PedderSophie explains what that says about the polarization in France:
A senior official familiar with Saudi government thinking tells me the Kingdom has no intention of backing down in its fight against the Houthis. So what are Riyadh’s tactical options moving forward? I ask @Abbas_Dahouk.
"What lasts is eventually the power of the rule of law" Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Navi Pillay tells me. Our conversation ranged from U.S. sanctions against the International Criminal Court, to President Trump’s comments on her Nobel win, to her UN inquiry’s finding that Israel was committing genocide in Gaza. But one of my key take aways was her optimism about the strength of international rules and norms. Have a listen:
I sat down with former US Secretary of State @mikepompeo at the @TrendsRA Annual Conference to discuss the Middle East's post-war future. While he couldn’t weigh in on the tactical reasons behind why Saudi air defenses failed to intercept missiles that struck an airport over the weekend, Pompeo said the attacks prove one thing: "You have to crush the Iranian regime, period, full stop. There's no solution short of that."
@mikepompeo also told me he sees no viable deal between Washington and Tehran, saying: "What is the deal while Iran still has a set of capabilities?" He agreed that reopening the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for significant sanctions relief would be a "cheap deal" for President Trump. To Mr. Pompeo’s mind, the conflict could drag on over the next 12 to 24 months.
Strong words from the UAE at the conference, too. @Dralnoaimi, Chairman of the UAE Federal National Council's Defense Affairs Committee, questioned the Arab League's joint defense pact, saying it has been "mere ink on paper ever since its signing." He warned about the regional implications of attacks on Saudi Arabia, making it clear that the threat extends beyond the Kingdom.
Breaking: the latest on the UAE #Flydubai investigation:
The Attorney-General of the UAE says the investigation into flight FZ1073 revealed a premeditated terrorist plot by the aircraft's Omani co-pilot.
AG Hamad Saif Al Shamsi, Attorney-General of the UAE says:
- The co-pilot planned to seize control of the aircraft and launch a suicide attack on the passenger terminal at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.
- The suspect's extremist tendencies began in 2017 while studying in Australia, where he was influenced by takfiri ideology.
- He worked for several airlines, including Oman Air and Royal Air Maroc, before joining flydubai in January 2026. The suspect used two previous flights to Tel Aviv to familiarise himself with the route and airport.
- On the day of the incident, he attacked the aircraft's captain with an emergency axe but was restrained by a pilot assigned to the return flight, a cabin crew member, and several passengers.
- The suspect confessed to acting alone, but investigations are ongoing to verify this claim.
- The Public Prosecution continues to examine evidence and investigate possible accomplices.
wam.ae/en/article/c2nmy0l-ua… -
Human rights pioneer and Nobel Peace Prize winner Navi Pillay missed the first call from the Nobel Committee. Their message: “If you see a Norwegian number calling, please pick up.” I asked the Committee's Chair, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, about the conversation that followed: (1/2)
Once a sharp critic of Obama, Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed now has the former president campaigning by his side ahead of the U.S. midterms. How revealing is this of the Democratic Party’s ideological tensions? I ask the Editor-in-Chief of @LeverNews.
Student protests are exposing France’s deepening debt crisis. @PDonovan_econ tells me the answer may lie in the country’s private wealth. Here’s how:
New World Bank figures show the US war with Iran has hit regional economic forecasts. Qatar and Kuwait have seen their 2026 GDP growth outlooks slashed by 20.9% and 14.6%, respectively. But both are expected to see huge rebounds in 2027.
The UAE’s outlook is less dramatic, down 1.6% this year, but expected to be up nearly 10% next year.
I spoke to the UAE’s economy minister about how the country plans to drive its next phase of growth.
Is there a link between loneliness and technology? I ask the author of the "Infrastructure of Belonging" @masumaahuja whether our increasingly digital lives are making us feel more connected, or more isolated?