The United Arab Emirates announced on Saturday a major overhaul of the country’s Islamic personal laws, allowing unmarried couples to cohabitate, loosening alcohol restrictions and criminalizing so-called "honor killings." The broadening of personal freedoms reflects the changing...

The health of jailed Saudi women's right activist Loujain al-Hathloul, on hunger strike since last week, is rapidly worsening, and she should be released "immediately", UN experts said Thursday. Hathloul, whose jailing since 2018 has made her emblematic of the fight for women's rights in...

Dubai budget airline flydubai said Wednesday it will start direct flights to Tel Aviv this month, the first regular commercial service between the cities, after the UAE and Israel agreed to normalise ties. "The carrier will operate 14 flights a week, offering a double daily service between...

Bahrain announced Tuesday it convicted 51 people, more than half of them abroad, on charges of belonging to a militant group. It was the latest mass trial conducted in this island kingdom amid a yearslong crackdown on all dissent. Bahrain described those convicted as belonging to an unnamed...