Deepthi Nair

Some hotels in Dubai have started bringing back employees who were relocated to other markets at the start of the U.S.-Iran war.

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Formula One has confirmed the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix will go ahead as scheduled — the final race of the 2026 season — despite months of uncertainty over whether the U.S.-Iran war would force it off the calendar.

UK-based luxury hospitality company Cheval Collection wants to double the size of its global portfolio within the next few years, with the Middle East emerging as a key growth driver, according to Daniel Johansson, the company's director of development and acquisitions.

UAE short-term rental occupancy is climbing. But AirDNA data says that's because supply is shrinking, not because demand has come back fully.

Saudi Arabia's Tourism Authority appointed Ageel Alshaibani as chief executive, the STA announced on LinkedIn Tuesday. He succeeds Fahd Hamidaddin who left the role in May after seven years.

The small Gulf nation of Qatar drew 303,000 visitors in August, up 6.3% from July's 285,000, according to Qatar Tourism data released on Wednesday.

Flyadeal, the budget subsidiary of Saudi Arabian national carrier Saudia, is preparing to add connecting flights onto its existing point-to-point network, according to acting CEO Sanjiv Kapoor.

Skift Take Rooms are filling at half-price, not at pre-war demand — that's hurting big brands and independents alike, but only one side has the balance sheet to outlast it.

Background: Severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) remain a major cause of hospitalization and mortality, particularly among children and other vulnerable populations. Early identification of pathogens and disease severity is essential for clinical decision-making. This study evaluated the etiology of non-SARS-CoV-2 SARI and the prognostic utility of the ViVI Disease Severity Score (ViVI Score) in a predominantly pediatric cohort. Methods: In this retrospective study, 117 hospitalized SARS-CoV-2-negative SARI patients, including 103 children and 14 adults, admitted to a tertiary care hospital in North India between September and December 2021 were evaluated. Respiratory pathogens were identified using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR), alongside blood and lower respiratory tract cultures. Serum C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin (PCT), and D-dimer were measured. Mortality prediction was assessed using the ViVI Score and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Results: The median age was 2.0 years (interquartile range, 0.5-7.5 years). Multiplex PCR detected respiratory pathogens in 69.2% of patients, with human respiratory syncytial virus (HRSV) A/B predominating. Blood cultures were positive in 40/117 patients (34.2%), predominantly yielding methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus. Overall mortality was 20.5%, increasing to 60% among patients with culture-confirmed sepsis. Elevated CRP and PCT were observed in all septic patients. The ViVI Score showed excellent mortality prediction (area under the curve (AUC) 0.946). A cutoff of ≥30 yielded 83.3% sensitivity and 91.4% specificity and was strongly associated with mortality (OR 53.1, 95% CI 14.5-194.0; p<0.001). Conclusion: HRSV was the predominant respiratory pathogen, whereas bacterial sepsis was the principal determinant of mortality. Multiplex molecular diagnostics combined with standardized severity assessment may improve clinical triage, antimicrobial stewardship, and respiratory pathogen surveillance in resource-limited settings.