Macron talks energy crisis during UAE visit, WFP to cut Gaza food aid and Dubai tests autonomous wheelchairs


In today’s episode of Trending Middle East, President Sheikh Mohamed meets French President Emmanuel Macron in Abu Dhabi for talks on regional security, energy supplies and the impact of the Iran war. Macron is visiting Bahrain and Qatar today.

Meanwhile, the UN’s World Food Programme announces it will cut food assistance to about half a million people in Gaza because of a funding shortage.

Lebanon rejects US-backed proposals for direct military co-ordination with Israel ahead of talks in Florida, insisting that American mediation must continue.

In the US, prosecutors seek to keep Saudi former OpenAI employee Abdulrahman Alfozan in custody over allegations that he hid a recording device at the company's San Francisco headquarters.

And Dubai International Airport is testing autonomous wheelchairs to help passengers with disabilities travel from check-in to their departure gates, as new assistive technologies are showcased at the AccessAbilities Expo.

Trending Middle East is AI-assisted, using original reporting published in The National and curated and edited by humans.

Updated: October 20, 2026, 6:16 AM
More podcasts