Read the latest news from around the Middle East and Africa region.

With dozens of flights to Qatar's Hamad International Airport, travelers from nearby Saudi Arabia are making the short day-trip to and from their neighboring country to take in the 2022 World Cup, the New York Times reports.

Saudi Arabia's surprise victory over World Cup powerhouse Argentina has only encouraged more of this travel trend, and it was a trip many had never made before despite the proximity.

"Into Qatar the fans came, through customs and past baggage claim — not a necessary stop for most — and into the hushed hall of the gleaming terminal," the newspaper reports. "Some stopped at booths for a SIM card or some Qatari cash. Some found a counter to stash their bag for the day, wishing they had packed lighter. Most, it turned out, had never been to Doha. It is an emerging global capital more than a regional destination."

Reuters reports stays at the Barwa Barahat al Janoub — a "concrete complex on the edge of the desert, next to a slaughterhouse and a set of high-voltage electrical wires" — have made the trip more affordable for many World Cup fans.

South Africa now lays claim to the world's third-highest unemployment rate, Bloomberg reports based on data from Statistics South Africa. Unemployment declined to 32.9% for the three months ending in September compared to 33.9% the three months prior.

"The improvement means South Africa’s jobless rate now trails Namibia and Nigeria on a list of 82 countries and the Eurozone monitored by Bloomberg, though some data are outdated," the news outlet reported. "It held the record from the second quarter of 2021."

Manufacturing, trade and construction were some of the worst industries in terms of employment rate.

Saudi Arabian officials have announced plans to turn the Riyadh airport into "a massive aviation hub with six parallel runways and designed to accommodate up to 120 million travelers by 2030."

"Aviation is part of a government strategy to become a global transportation and logistics hub by 2030, with Riyadh airport as the operation base of a brand new airline, RIA, that would compete with regional heavyweights Emirates and Qatar Airways," the news agency reports.

Reuters reports the Democratic Republic of Congo will hold presidential and parliamentary elections in December 2023.

"Announcing the date at a ceremony in Kinshasa on Saturday, the electoral body, CENI, outlined several challenges, including the logistics of transporting ballot materials thousands of miles, health concerns about Ebola and COVID-19, and unrest that has forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes," the news agency reports.

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