United Arab Emirates

The truce will bring some relief to a country exhausted by war and famine, but critics say the Houthis will use the peace to regroupThe UN has announced that the warring sides in Yemen have agreed to extend the current ceasefire for a further two months.Late on Tuesday the government and the Houthi rebels committed to intensify efforts on negotiations, said […]

Pentecostalism is quietly thriving, with pastors saying churches are helping low-paid workers in crisisEvangelical Christianity is quietly flourishing among migrant groups in the Gulf as churches provide low-paid workers facing horrific abuse with aid in times of crisis, according to pastors and parishioners across the region.About 30 million migrant […]

US citizen Asim Ghafoor detained in Dubai and convicted two days later of money laundering and tax evasionThe United Arab Emirates has sentenced the former lawyer of Jamal Khashoggi – the dissident Saudi journalist who was killed at Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul in 2018 – to three years in prison on charges of money laundering and tax […]

Rescue work carried out after 12 also injured in magnitude-6.1 quake followed by two others and more than dozen aftershocksAt least five people were killed by a magnitude-6.1 earthquake in southern Iran early on Saturday, state media reported, with the area also hit by two later strong quakes of up to 6.3 magnitude.“Five people have died in the earthquake […]

The climate agenda risks being derailed by energy market disruptions caused by Russia’s war in UkraineJoe Biden’s trip to Saudi Arabia this month highlights the paradox of American power. The US has the economic heft to punish an opponent – but not enough to alter the behaviour of a determined adversary. Sanctions will see Russia’s economy contract […]

Tech giant imposes restrictions on goods such as books and rainbow-coloured flags after threats of penaltiesAmazon has bowed to pressure from the United Arab Emirates and restricted search results for LGBTQ+-related products such as books and rainbow-coloured flags on its website in the country.The company decided to restrict the searches after being […]

UN working group rules that Ryan Cornelius has been held arbitrarily and subjected to rights violationsUN officials have called on the United Arab Emirates to immediately release a British businessman who has been detained in the country since 2008.The UN’s working group on arbitrary detention has ruled that Ryan Cornelius has been held arbitrarily in the […]

Data suggests exits after invasion of Ukraine, and UAE to overtake US and UK as top destination for world’s wealthyRussia-Ukraine war: latest updatesMore than 15,000 millionaires are expected to flee Russia this year, as wealthy citizens turn their back on Vladmir Putin’s regime after the invasion of Ukraine, according to an analysis of migration […]

UAE has become haven for superyachts, private jets and ‘dirty money’ since invasion of Ukraine, but has taken no actionCampaigners and politicians are calling for the United Arab Emirates to be blacklisted over its failures to combat the flow of “dirty money” and to enforce sanctions imposed on Russian oligarchs.The Gulf state has emerged as a key […]

Police begin process to transport Indian-born pair wanted on criminal and money-laundering chargesPolice in Dubai are coordinating with their South African counterparts to secure the extradition of two wealthy Indian-born brothers wanted by South African authorities on criminal and money-laundering charges who were arrested in the emirate on Monday.Atul and […]

Ceremony held for first time since pandemic began with all-singing, all-dancing awards showWar movie Shershaah marched off with Best Picture and Best Director as Bollywood’s Oscars returned for the first time since the pandemic began with an all-singing, all-dancing awards ceremony in Abu Dhabi on Saturday.Shershaah, depicting Indian war hero Vikram […]

State-controlled e&, formerly known as Etisalat, is now UK mobile phone company’s biggest shareholderA Middle Eastern telecoms group has taken a near 10% stake in Vodafone as the UK mobile phone company comes under pressure for a business shake-up.The state-controlled Emirates Telecommunications Group, which recently rebranded from Etisalat to e&, […]

Speed of transition, one day after death of Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, appears designed to show unityRulers in the United Arab Emirates have unanimously appointed Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the president of the hereditarily ruled nation on the Arabian peninsula.The state-run WAM news agency said the rulers of the country’s seven sheikhdoms […]

Ministry of presidential affairs announces 40-day mourning period for ruler who succeeded father in 2004The United Arab Emirates’ long-ailing ruler, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has died aged 73, the government’s state-run news agency has announcedKhalifa, the president of the UAE, oversaw much of the country’s blistering economic growth and […]

Matthew Hedges and Ali Issa Ahmad allege Ahmed Naser al-Raisi was responsible for abuse in detentionTwo British men who spent time in detention in the United Arab Emirates have testified in Paris that an Emirati security official who is now the president of Interpol was responsible for their alleged torture.Matthew Hedges, an academic imprisoned in the UAE […]

Information released under data protection laws sheds light on apparent effort to undermine Canadian research group Citizen LabWhen Downing Street was recently named as the suspected victim of a phone hack by the United Arab Emirates using the Israeli-made spyware, Pegasus, few were surprised at who was behind the discovery.The Citizen Lab at the University […]

Peter Ricketts’ warning comes as UAE accused of using Pegasus spyware to hack into mobile phone at Downing StreetBoris Johnson should “pay close attention” to basic rules of cybersecurity, a former national security adviser has said, after it emerged that the United Arab Emirates was accused of hacking into a mobile phone at Downing Street.Peter […]

City allegedly liaised with government agency over paymentsClub under Premier League investigation, claims Der SpiegelPotential rule breaches include paying fees for underage playersEmails have been released that appear to show the state of Abu Dhabi facilitating payments to Manchester City, reigniting the controversy that led to the club receiving a ban […]

Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi says a newly established council will lead negotiations with Iranian-backed HouthisYemen’s exiled president has stepped aside and transferred his powers to a presidential council as international and regional efforts to end the country’s long-running civil war gained momentum with a two-month truce.Saudi Arabia and the United Arab […]

Analysis: As oil prices – and diplomatic tensions – rise, two of the biggest US allies are questioning the basis of their relationshipAs Joe Biden moved to open US strategic oil reserves, his two biggest oil-producing allies have kept their tanks firmly shut. The UAE and Saudi Arabia continue to rebuff the US president as he attempts to counter soaring […]