A County Durham dad is leading the United Arab Emirates’ most popular news brand during the biggest crisis that has faced the country.
Mark Thompson is editor-in-chief of GulfNews.com, the largest English-language newspaper and news website in the UAE.
His team has been fervently covering the Iran war, which has been directly impacting the whole of the Middle East and oil prices across the world.
County Durham-born journalist Mark Thompson is leading Gulf News, the UAE’s largest English-language news platform, during a major national crisis (Image: Supplied)
The dad-of-two, who was born in Middlesbrough and lived in Newton Aycliffe and then Shildon, moved to Dubai in March last year.
“It has been a real rollercoaster,” said the 42-year-old, who also spent time living in Saudi Arabia when he was a child.
“Dubai is a fantastic place to live with many opportunities for my family.
County Durham-born journalist Mark Thompson (Image: Supplied)
“What people often see on social media isn’t the real UAE; it’s not all influencers and brunches – people have very normal and fulfilling lives here.
“However, we didn’t expect a war that no-one here wanted or asked for to impact our lives within months of moving.
“It’s been testing at times but I’m really proud of how we’ve all coped.”
Since the start of the war, Iran has fired more than 2,700 missiles and drones at the UAE, while 13 Emiratis and ex-pats in the country are said to have been killed.
Mark’s two sons Elijah, seven, and Reuben, nine are both remote schooling due to the conflict (Image: Supplied)
A ceasefire is now in place between the USA, Israel, and Iran as attempts are made to end the conflict and reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which has impacted the delivery of oil and gas around the world, causing fuel and energy prices to surge.
Mark, who is married to Nicola, 42, said: “Life does go on. It’s nowhere near as bad as people will have seen reported by some UK media.
“Yes, we get alerts and we hear bangs, but I don’t feel like my family is in danger.
“I would have had them on the first flight out of here if I thought they were.”
Mark’s two sons Reuben, nine, and Elijah, seven, are both remote schooling due to the conflict, with the hope that they will be back in the classroom in a couple of weeks if the ceasefire holds.
“It’s not ideal for the kids to be at home and they can’t wait to be back with their friends,” added the avid Middlesbrough FC fan who studied at the University of Sunderland.
“But we’re still getting out and about.
“The boys have football teams, we head to the beach and waterparks, and we’re lucky to live somewhere with playgrounds and a swimming pool.
“The boys have been great. I couldn’t be prouder of them.
“Reuben asks really good questions and wants to know what’s going on.
“I think he may be a future journalist. Elijah just lives for the moment.
“We could all learn a thing or two from him.”
There have been reports of UK ex-pats and tourists being arrested for taking photos and videos of damage and projectiles during the war.
The UK Government is also telling people not to travel to the UAE during the current situation.
“We have been in a conflict zone,” said Mark, who attended Nunthorpe School in Middlesbrough.
“There’s no getting away from that. It’s not normal and we have to adapt.
“There are stories circulating about people being arrested for taking photos and videos but the rules are clear.
“In my job here, I lead a team of more than 40 journalists covering the crisis. We are reporting on the news 24/7.
“I’d say we know better than most what is really going on and we’re all still here, which says a lot.
“It’s been hectic and I had little sleep for the first two weeks, just because of the workload.
“We had more people visit our website in March than live in the UAE.
“The appetite for information has obviously been huge and it’s been a privilege to be in this role at such a key time.”
Does Mark, who has worked for news brands across the UK including the Sunderland Echo and Yorkshire Post, have any plans on returning to the UK?
“No, this is now our home,” said Mark, who started his career at the Hartlepool Mail.
“I firmly believe the UAE will come out of this even stronger than it was before. Being here, you can feel the determination and resilience.
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“Things move fast here as well, so the bounce back will be fast. Hopefully we can all go back to worrying about normal things like traffic jams and the school run.
“I’m also in a job that I am passionate about and working with a team that I love and respect, and who I want to help guide through this crisis.
“I’ve been in journalism all of my life and I think trusted news brands, like the Northern Echo, are very important for societies at all times, but even more so in these situations.”