UAE GDP fell 2.1% in Q2; first half still up 0.4%
UAE real GDP fell 2.1% year on year to Dh476.9 billion in Q2 2026, leaving first-half growth at 0.4% (Dh961.9 billion), the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre said.
What it means: GDP grew 6.2% in 2025. In Q2 non-oil activity fell 1.1%, with tourism, transport and trade hit hardest, while finance and insurance grew 14.8% in the first half.
Source: The National
Forward: WhatsApp Telegram
Flights & Airspace Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia's civil aviation authority said three Saudi citizens were killed in two missile attacks on Riyadh's King Khalid airport on 8 October that hit a Saudia aircraft and airport facilities.
What it means: Riyadh flights, first suspended on 7 October, were gradually returning to normal on 9 October; the Houthis claimed the strike, saying they used two cruise missiles.
Source: The National
Forward: WhatsApp Telegram
Iran has warned regional countries that any attempt to open new oil export routes would be treated as hostile, a senior regional official close to Tehran told Reuters.
What it means: The routes in question: Gulf producers have been moving oil along the Omani side of the strait and transferring it in the Gulf of Oman with US aerial support, Reuters sources said.
Source: MarineLink
Forward: WhatsApp Telegram
President Trump said on 8 October he had no intention of ordering attacks on Iran before the US midterm elections in November.
What it means: The pledge covers strikes, not the strait: Trump also said the US blockade of Iranian shipments through Hormuz stays in full force.
Source: The National
Forward: WhatsApp Telegram