WEATHER ALERT
Syrian government falls in stunning end to 50-year rule of Assad family
Read full article: Syrian government falls in stunning end to 50-year rule of Assad familyThe Syrian government fell early Sunday in a stunning end to the 50-year rule of the Assad family after a sudden rebel offensive sprinted across government-held territory and entered the capital in 10 days.
Trump dispatched his incoming envoy to the Mideast for high-level talks on reaching Gaza ceasefire
Read full article: Trump dispatched his incoming envoy to the Mideast for high-level talks on reaching Gaza ceasefirePresident-elect Donald Trumpās incoming Middle East envoy recently visited Israel and Qatar for high-level talks on landing a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza.
Hamas official says Gaza ceasefire talks have resumed after weekslong hiatus
Read full article: Hamas official says Gaza ceasefire talks have resumed after weekslong hiatusA Hamas official says that after a weekslong hiatus international mediators have resumed negotiating with the militant group and Israel over a ceasefire in Gaza, and that he was hopeful a deal to end the 14-month war was within reach.
US first lady Jill Biden in the capital of the United Arab Emirates on her last solo foreign trip
Read full article: US first lady Jill Biden in the capital of the United Arab Emirates on her last solo foreign tripJill Biden has used a tour of the United Arab Emiratesā capital to praise efforts to fight cancer and call for more attention on womenās health issues as part of her final solo foreign tour as first lady.
Dubai International Airport, busiest for global travel, sees half-year record of 44.9M passengers
Read full article: Dubai International Airport, busiest for global travel, sees half-year record of 44.9M passengersDubai International Airport has seen a record 44.9 million travelers pass through its terminals in the first half of this year.
Palestinian prime minister visits Madrid after Spain, Norway and Ireland recognize Palestinian state
Read full article: Palestinian prime minister visits Madrid after Spain, Norway and Ireland recognize Palestinian stateSpanish Prime Minister Pedro SƔnchez has met with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and leading officials from several Middle Eastern countries in Madrid a day after Spain, Ireland and Norway recognized a Palestinian state.
Dubai plans to move its busy international airport to a $35 billion new facility within 10 years
Read full article: Dubai plans to move its busy international airport to a $35 billion new facility within 10 yearsDubai International Airport, the worldās busiest for international travel, will move its operations to the city-stateās second, sprawling airfield in its southern desert reaches āwithin the next 10 yearsā in a project worth nearly $35 billion.
United Arab Emirates struggles to recover after heaviest recorded rainfall ever hits desert nation
Read full article: United Arab Emirates struggles to recover after heaviest recorded rainfall ever hits desert nationThe United Arab Emirates is struggling to recover from the heaviest recorded rainfall ever to hit the desert nation, as its main airport worked to restore normal operations even as floodwater still covered portions of major highways and roads.
Lebanese Sunni militant group head says coordination with Shiite Hezbollah is vital to fight Israel
Read full article: Lebanese Sunni militant group head says coordination with Shiite Hezbollah is vital to fight IsraelThe head of a Lebanese Sunni political and militant group that has joined the Shiite militant group Hezbollah in its fight against Israel on Lebanonās border says the conflict has helped strengthen cooperation between the two groups.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi opens stone-built Hindu temple in UAE ahead of India's elections
Read full article: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi opens stone-built Hindu temple in UAE ahead of India's electionsIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has visited the Middle Eastās first traditional stone-built Hindu temple, internationalizing both his reelection campaign and his effort to push secular and multicultural India into a Hindu state.
India's Modi arrives in the UAE on his seventh trip to a nation that is home to millions of Indians
Read full article: India's Modi arrives in the UAE on his seventh trip to a nation that is home to millions of IndiansIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has arrived in the United Arab Emirates on his seventh trip to the nation.
US secretary of state rallies Mideast leaders to prepare for Gaza's post-war future
Read full article: US secretary of state rallies Mideast leaders to prepare for Gaza's post-war futureU.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says four key Arab nations and Turkey have agreed to begin planning for the reconstruction and governance of Gaza once Israelās war against Hamas ends.
Russia's Putin is visiting the UAE and Saudi Arabia, seeking to bolster Moscow's Mideast clout
Read full article: Russia's Putin is visiting the UAE and Saudi Arabia, seeking to bolster Moscow's Mideast cloutRussian President Vladimir Putin visited the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in a one-day lightning tour intended to raise Russiaās profile as a Middle East power broker, even as his war Ukraine grinds on.
Israeli official says talks continuing, hostage release won't take place before Friday
Read full article: Israeli official says talks continuing, hostage release won't take place before FridayIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuās national security adviser says a planned hostage-for-prisoner swap with Hamas has been delayed until at least Friday.
UAE's president-designate for UN COP28 offers full-throated defense of nation hosting climate talks
Read full article: UAE's president-designate for UN COP28 offers full-throated defense of nation hosting climate talksThe Emirati president-designate for the upcoming United Nations COP28 climate conference has offered a full-throated defense of his nation hosting the talks.
Japan's prime minister visits the UAE as part of a Gulf trip focused on energy and commerce
Read full article: Japan's prime minister visits the UAE as part of a Gulf trip focused on energy and commerceJapanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida visited the United Arab Emirates on Monday as part of a swing through the Arab Gulf states focused on energy and commerce.
UAE announces plans to invest $54B in energy and triple renewable sources
Read full article: UAE announces plans to invest $54B in energy and triple renewable sourcesThe United Arab Emirates plans to triple its supply of renewable energy and invest up to $54 billion over the next seven years to meet its growing energy demands.
UAE leader welcomes Iranian foreign minister in latest softening of Persian Gulf tensions
Read full article: UAE leader welcomes Iranian foreign minister in latest softening of Persian Gulf tensionsThe president of the United Arab Emirates has met with Iranās visiting foreign minister in the latest sign of improving relations between Arab Gulf countries and the Islamic Republic.
UAE announces groundbreaking mission to asteroid belt, seeking clues to life's origins
Read full article: UAE announces groundbreaking mission to asteroid belt, seeking clues to life's originsThe United Arab Emirates has unveiled plans to send a spaceship to explore the galaxyās main asteroid belt, the latest space project by the oil-rich nation after it launched the successful Hope spacecraft to Mars in 2020.
Ukraine first lady Olena Zelenska in UAE amid Russia's war
Read full article: Ukraine first lady Olena Zelenska in UAE amid Russia's warUkraineās first lady has offered spirited support to her nationās people while visiting the United Arab Emirates, a country that still remains open to Russia despite Western sanctions.
Pakistan premier says UAE extends $2B loan, offers $1B more
Read full article: Pakistan premier says UAE extends $2B loan, offers $1B morePakistanās prime minister says that the United Arab Emirates agreed to extend a $2 billion loan to his country and provide a additional $1 billion as his nation struggles to recover from devastating floods this summer and a dire economic crisis.
UAE names oil company chief to lead UN climate talks COP28
Read full article: UAE names oil company chief to lead UN climate talks COP28The United Arab Emirates has named a veteran technocrat who both leads Abu Dhabiās state-run oil company and oversees its renewable energy efforts to be the president of the upcoming United Nations climate negotiations in Dubai.
Putin hosts United Arab Emirates leader for economic talks
Read full article: Putin hosts United Arab Emirates leader for economic talksRussian President Vladimir Putin has hailed a recent decision by OPEC, Russia and other oil producing nations to limit production as key to stabilizing the global energy market, as he met the leader of the United Arab Emirates for talks on fostering economic ties.
Germany secures more gas shipments as Scholz visits Gulf
Read full article: Germany secures more gas shipments as Scholz visits GulfGerman Chancellor Olaf Scholz planted a tree at a mangrove park in the United Arab Emirates in a token nod to environmentalism during a two-day visit to the Gulf region focused mainly on securing new fossil fuel supplies and forging fresh alliances against Russia.
German leader seeks energy deals, alliances on Gulf trip
Read full article: German leader seeks energy deals, alliances on Gulf tripGerman Chancellor Olaf Scholz has arrived in Saudi Arabia for the first stop of a two-day, three-country visit aimed at striking new energy deals and forging fresh alliances.
US vice president, top officials visit UAE to pay respects
Read full article: US vice president, top officials visit UAE to pay respectsVice President Kamala Harris has led a high-powered American delegation to the United Arab Emirates to pay respects to the federationās late ruler and meet with the newly ascended president.
World leaders descend on UAE to pay respects to late ruler
Read full article: World leaders descend on UAE to pay respects to late rulerAn array of presidents and prime ministers were descending on the United Arab Emirates from around the world to pay their respects to the federationās late ruler and greet his successor, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan becomes UAE's president
Read full article: Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan becomes UAE's presidentRulers in the United Arab Emirates have announced that they unanimously appointed Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the president of this hereditarily ruled nation on the Arabian Peninsula.
Ramadan kicks off in much of Middle East amid soaring prices
Read full article: Ramadan kicks off in much of Middle East amid soaring pricesThe Muslim holy month of Ramadan ā when the faithful fast from dawn to dusk ā has begun in much of the Middle East, where Russiaās invasion of Ukraine has sent energy and food prices soaring.
Blinken in Morocco amid shifts in Mideast, NAfrica diplomacy
Read full article: Blinken in Morocco amid shifts in Mideast, NAfrica diplomacyU.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is visiting Morocco to discuss recent shifts in the diplomatic dynamic in the Middle East and North Africa that could upend some of the region's long-standing disputes.
Blinken set to see Israelis, Arabs wary about Iran, Ukraine
Read full article: Blinken set to see Israelis, Arabs wary about Iran, UkraineU.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will try to use his three-nation tour of the Middle East and North Africa to reassure wary Israelis and Arabs that the Biden administration is committed to the regionās security at a time when Washington is confronting multiple foreign policy challenges.
Syria's Assad visits UAE, 1st trip to Arab country since war
Read full article: Syria's Assad visits UAE, 1st trip to Arab country since warThe Syrian presidency says President Bashar Assad has travelled to the United Arab Emirates, marking his first visit to an Arab country since Syriaās civil war erupted in 2011.
Israel president on 1st visit to UAE amid regional tension
Read full article: Israel president on 1st visit to UAE amid regional tensionIsraelās figurehead president has met the powerful crown prince of Abu Dhabi on the first official visit to the United Arab Emirates by the countryās head of state.
South Korean president visits UAE, showcasing deep ties
Read full article: South Korean president visits UAE, showcasing deep tiesThe president of South Korea has reached a preliminary multibillion-dollar deal to sell Seoulās surface-to-air missiles to Abu Dhabi and pledged deeper cooperation with the United Arab Emirates during a visit to the Gulf Arab state.
UK High Court finds that Dubai ruler hacked ex-wife's phone
Read full article: UK High Court finds that Dubai ruler hacked ex-wife's phoneA UK court says the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, hacked the phones of his ex-wife Princess Haya and her attorneys during the legal battle over custody of their two children.
Moussaoui trial revisited on the eve of Sept. 11 anniversary
Read full article: Moussaoui trial revisited on the eve of Sept. 11 anniversaryA judge and lawyers in the case against the only person ever convicted in a U.S. court in connection with the Sept. 11 attacks recalled the difficulties in bringing that case to trial.
Viola's Known Agenda prevails in Florida Derby at Gulfstream
Read full article: Viola's Known Agenda prevails in Florida Derby at GulfstreamAnd he also owns Known Agenda, who is now well on his way to the Kentucky Derby. Known Agenda ran away from the field in the Florida Derby on Saturday, and might keep on going all the way to Churchill Downs to start the Triple Crown season. Pletcher won the Florida Derby for the sixth time, and Known Agenda covered the 1 1/8 miles on the dirt in 1 minutes, 49.45 seconds. Known Agenda was gone. Soup and Sandwich picked up 40 Derby standings points, and Greatest Honour got 20.
At Dubai airport, travelers' eyes become their passports
Read full article: At Dubai airport, travelers' eyes become their passportsA woman enters the face and iris-recognition gate to board a plane, during a media tour at Dubai Airport, in the United Arab Emirates, Sunday, March 7, 2021. In recent years, airports across the world have accelerated their use of timesaving facial recognition technology to move passengers to their flights. āBut in a democratic country, if the surveillance technology is used transparently, at least thereās an opportunity to have a public conversation about it." Iris scans, requiring people to stare into a camera as though they're offering a fingerprint, have become more widespread worldwide in recent years as questions have arisen over the accuracy of facial recognition technology. AdDespite concerns about overzealous surveillance in the UAE, the country's vast facial recognition network only shows signs of expanding.
4 men convicted in 1993 WTC bombing have had sentences cut
Read full article: 4 men convicted in 1993 WTC bombing have had sentences cutIn the last year, four men implicated in the 1993 bombing have won reductions to their sentences after one part of their convictions was dropped to be consistent with a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling. Nidal Ayyad, 53, Mohammad A. Salameh, 53, and Mahmud Abouhalima, 61, could be freed if they each live to be 100. AdThe bombers who had their sentences reduced were arrested in the intense FBI probe that followed the blast. In a 2012 memorandum, Duffy called Yousef āa cold-blooded killer, completely devoid of conscience.āAdIn a second trial, he was convicted as the mastermind of the 1993 bombing. Eyad Ismoil, 49, also convicted in the 1993 attack, is serving a 210-year sentence.
UN asks Emirates for 'proof of life' for missing princess
Read full article: UN asks Emirates for 'proof of life' for missing princessFILE - In this file photo dated Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum attends the 40th Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (AP Photo/Amr Nabil, FILE)BERLIN ā The U.N. human rights office said Friday that it has asked the United Arab Emirates for evidence that an Emirati princess held against her will for almost three years is still alive. āWe requested more information and clarification about Sheikha Latifaās current situation.āAdāWe did ask for proof of life,ā she added. The 35-year-old princess is the daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the hereditary ruler of Dubai who also serves as prime minister and vice president of the United Arab Emirates. Throssell stressed that it was standard practice for the U.N. human rights office to inquire about individual cases within its mandate.
Dubai princess' backers seek Biden help to win her freedom
Read full article: Dubai princess' backers seek Biden help to win her freedomFILE - In this file photo dated Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2019, Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum attends the 40th Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Sheikha Latifa was detained by commandos off the coast of India in 2018 after she tried to flee Dubai in a yacht. The 35-year-old princess is the daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the hereditary ruler of Dubai who also serves as prime minister and vice president of the United Arab Emirates. Sheikh Mohammed is the founder of the successful Godolphin horse-racing stable and is on friendly terms with Britainās Queen Elizabeth II. In the videos, the princess says she is āworried about my safety and my life.āāThey want propaganda from me.
Israel's Netanyahu: Vaccination campaign to begin Dec. 27
Read full article: Israel's Netanyahu: Vaccination campaign to begin Dec. 27Earlier Wednesday, Netanyahu welcomed the first shipment of doses of the Pfizer vaccine, calling it a ābig day of celebrationā for the country. In an evening news conference, Netanyahu said a public vaccination campaign would begin on Dec. 27, with the capacity to innoculate 60,000 people a day. While questions remain about the Sinopharm shot, already at least one country outside China plans to roll it out in a mass-vaccination campaign. The Sinopharm vaccine has been approved for emergency use in a few countries and the company is still conducting late-stage clinical trials in 10 countries. Morocco is gearing up for an ambitious COVID-19 vaccination program, aiming to vaccinate 80% of its adults in an operation starting this month thatās relying initially on the Sinopharm vaccine.
Saudi Arabia says end to yearslong Qatar boycott 'in reach'
Read full article: Saudi Arabia says end to yearslong Qatar boycott 'in reach'DUBAI ā Saudi Arabia's top diplomat said Friday that an end to the yearslong boycott of Qatar by the kingdom and three other Arab nations ālooks in reachā for all involved, though he offered no details on how this feud would be resolved. The boycott has torn apart the typically clubby Gulf Cooperation Council, a six-nation group comprised of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Kushner and other American officials have traveled in the waning days of the Trump administration to Saudi Arabia and Qatar over the crisis. Sheikh Mohammed, speaking earlier to the Mediterranean Dialogues, similarly said that āthis needless crisis needs to come to an end." Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE cut ties to Qatar on June 5, 2017, just after a summit in Saudi Arabia in which Gulf leaders met with Trump.
Muslims call for French goods boycott to protest caricatures
Read full article: Muslims call for French goods boycott to protest caricaturesTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday challenged the United States to impose sanctions against his country while also launching a second attack on French President Emmanuel Macron. The beheading earlier this month of a French teacher who had shown caricatures of the prophet in class has once again ignited a debate over such depictions ā which Muslims consider blasphemous. French President Emmanuel Macron has vigorously defended such depictions as protected by the right to free speech. Qatar University postponed its French cultural week indefinitely, saying its administration views insults to Islam and its symbols as unacceptable. One held up a caricature of the French president with footprints stamped over his face.
United Arab Emirates to launch spacecraft to moon in 2024
Read full article: United Arab Emirates to launch spacecraft to moon in 2024Sheikh Mohammed made the announcement Tuesday on Twitter that his country plans to send an unmanned spacecraft to the moon in 2024. Already, an Emirati space probe is hurtling through space on its way to Mars while last year it sent its first astronaut to the International Space Station. Sheikh Mohammed said the rover would be named āRashid,ā the same name of his late father, Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum. Sheikh Rashid was one of the original founding rulers of the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula. ___Associated Press writers Isabel DeBre in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.
Pakistan's top court accepts appeal by Daniel Pearl's family
Read full article: Pakistan's top court accepts appeal by Daniel Pearl's familyBut the Supreme Court will rule on that next week, Siddiqi said. āToday the court admitted the appeal and next week it will decide if Sheikh stays in jailā until the appeal is decided. The acquittal stunned the U.S. government, Pearl's family and journalism advocacy groups. The U.S. State Department said in a statement that it is watching the case closely and āstands with the Pearl family during this arduous and painfull process." The Pearl family launched a foundation in Daniel's name following the killing, said his father.
US eyes building on Arab-Israel deals to end Gulf crisis
Read full article: US eyes building on Arab-Israel deals to end Gulf crisisPresident Donald Trump speaks in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday, Sept. 11, 2020, in Washington. From left, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Vice President Mike Pence, Trump, Jared Kushner and U.S. special envoy for Iran Brian Hook. "The Trump administration is eager to see this dispute resolved and to open Qatarās air and land borders currently blocked by other Gulf states. The four countries cut ties to Qatar on June 5, 2017, just after a summit in Saudi Arabia in which Gulf leaders met with President Donald Trump. They say the crisis stems from Qatarās support for extremist groups in the region, charges denied by Doha.
With Kushner in UAE, Iran's leader decries Israel-UAE ties
Read full article: With Kushner in UAE, Iran's leader decries Israel-UAE tiesAn official stands at the door of an Israeli El Al airliner after it landed in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Monday, Aug. 31, 2020. King Hamad praised the steadfast, historic stances of the United Arab Emirates in ensuring Palestinian rights, BNA said. Kushner has expressed optimism that other Arab countries will soon follow the UAE in establishing official ties with Israel, even in the absence of a peace deal with the Palestinians. The United Arab Emirates committed treachery against either the Islamic world or Arab nations and regional countries, as well as Palestine," Khamenei said. The treason will not last for long.Both the UAE and Israel share a mutual suspicion of Iran.
UAE orders government shakeup as virus erodes economic gains
Read full article: UAE orders government shakeup as virus erodes economic gainsKayakers race in front of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, off the coast of Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Friday, June 19, 2020. Competitions held Friday at the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club were among the first events to be held. As part of the shakeup, the ministries of energy and infrastructure were merged and will be led by current Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei. The UAE is home to airlines Emirates and Etihad Airways, port operator DP World, and the worlds tallest skyscraper, the Burj Khalifa. Dubai's plans to host the EXPO, or World Fair, this year and spur economic growth were delayed until 2021 because of the coronavirus.
Long-haul carrier Emirates says it fires staff amid virus
Read full article: Long-haul carrier Emirates says it fires staff amid virusDubais long-haul carrier Emirates said Sunday, May 31, 2020, that it fired an undisclosed number of employees as the coronavirus pandemic has halted global aviation. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)DUBAI Dubai's long-haul carrier Emirates said Sunday it fired an undisclosed number of employees as the coronavirus pandemic has halted global aviation, becoming the latest Mideast airline to shed staff over the outbreak. The carrier said it would treat fired staff with fairness and respect, without elaborating. Previously, Abu Dhabi-based Etihad and Doha-based Qatar Airways similarly fired staff as countries shut down their airspace as the virus spread. Dubai International Airport, the worlds busiest for international passengers that's home to Emirates, has been operating at a fraction of its usual pace.
Sept. 11 convict now says he renounces terrorism, bin Laden
Read full article: Sept. 11 convict now says he renounces terrorism, bin LadenALEXANDRIA, Va. ā The only man ever convicted in a U.S. court for a role in the Sept. 11 attacks now says he is renouncing terrorism, al-Qaida and the Islamic State. In a handwritten court motion Moussaoui filed with the federal court in Alexandria last month, Moussaoui wrote, āI denounce, repudiate Usama bin Laden as a useful idiot of the CIA/Saudi. At his final sentencing hearing, he told the judge āGod save Osama bin Laden you will never get him." Bin Laden was killed in a raid by U.S. forces on a compound in Pakistan in 2011. In particular, he says he wants either Rudy Giuliani or Alan Dershowitz to represent him as a lawyer, so he can testify in a civil trial filed by victims of the Sept. 11 attacks.