Tag Archives: UAE

Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan left Qatar on Monday after two days in the Gulf trying to mediate in the worst row among Arab states for years but there was no sign he had made any progress. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and travel ties …

The United Arab Emirates has denied it was behind the alleged hacking of Qatar’s state news agency in May. The Washington Post cited US intelligence officials as saying the UAE had orchestrated the posting of incendiary quotes attributed to Qatar’s emir that he insisted were fabricated. The incident helped spark …

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson ended talks with ministers from Saudi Arabia and three Arab allies on Wednesday over how to end a month-long rift with Qatar but there was no immediate word of a breakthrough. Tillerson, en route to mediating country Kuwait, had inked a U.S.-Qatari accord on …

THE LEVANT EXCLUSIVE — By Emad El-Din Aysha, PhD — If you want to understand how things are done in the Arab world, the inner working of Arab politics, you have to keep your ear close to the ground. You can access to little titbits of information, raw data, that you’d …

Saudi Arabia and three other Arab states have extended the deadline for Qatar to accept a list of demands or face further sanctions by 48 hours. The initial deadline for Qatar to agree to the group’s 13 demands, including the shutting down of the Al Jazeera news network, expired on …

Faced with a sweeping set of demands, Qatar insisted Friday it can indefinitely survive the economic and diplomatic steps its neighbors have taken to try to pressure it into compliance, even as a top Emirati official warned the tiny country to brace for a long-term economic squeeze. Given 10 days …

The Wall Street Journal has fired longtime foreign affairs correspondent Jay Solomon for what it said was a violation of “his ethical obligations as a reporter.” The paper announced the move minutes before The Associated Press reported that Solomon was offered a 10 percent stake in a company headed by …

The Arabic-language account of Al Jazeera has been restored on Twitter after being suspended due to what the network called “an organised campaign”. The account, with just under 12 million followers, was suspended for an unspecified reason early on Saturday. Al Jazeera is the flagship broadcaster for Qatar, which is …

China fined Emirates airline 29,000 yuan (Dh15,678) and barred the carrier from expanding its operations in the country for six months, citing two incidents that violated air-safety norms. Regional officials of the Civil Aviation Administration of China in the western province of Xinjiang and central and southern China have met with …

The Qatar crisis is reverberating in Libya, inflaming political divisions in the war-torn oil exporter and dragging commodity-trading giant Glencore Plc into a dispute over crude sales. The row involves competing administrations of the National Oil Corp. that are vying to control crude exports from the OPEC member. In eastern …

Qatar said it is under an “illegal siege” by the Saudi-led alliance, which raised the stakes in the diplomatic crisis by encouraging the U.S. to move a key military base from the tiny Gulf state. The decision by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain to sever diplomatic and …

THE LEVANT NEWS – Turkey’s parliament is expected to fast-track on Wednesday a draft bill allowing its troops to be deployed to a Turkish military base in Qatar, officials from the ruling AK Party and the nationalist opposition said. The move appears to support the Gulf Arab country as it …

By Noah Browning for REUTERS| DUBAI | Yemen has endured thousands of air strikes and the deaths of more than 10,000 people in a 19-month war that has also unleashed hunger on the desperately poor country – but its biggest challenge may be yet to come. The conflict has led …

The Levant News — The United Arab Emirates announced that, in its view, the war in Yemen is winding down, possibly signaling a drawdown for its participation in operations in the Saudi-led intervention. The UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, said in remarks released yesterday that the …

THE LEVANT NEWS — The Saudi-led bloc of Gulf monarchies has officially labelled Hezbollah a ‘terrorist’ group for the first time. The move comes amid heightened tensions between those countries and Lebanon. Hezbollah flags Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Lebanon over an ongoing dispute involving Iran escalated on Wednesday when …

Source: Gulf News – The UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) has issued a public advisory on the responsible use of YouTube, warning that users are prohibited from “predatory behaviour”. The TRA said in its White Paper on YouTube that “stalking, threats and harassment of others” are also banned. Users were …

Source: Gulf News – The State Security Court in the UAE Federal Supreme Court has announced its verdicts in the case of the 15 men involved in the Al Nusra Front and Ahrar Al Sham (the Free Men of the Levant movement) cases on Tuesday. The first defendant, Mohammad Esmat …

IN COLLABORATION WITH MIDDLE EAST BUSINESS NEWS  – New aircraft and fresh routes will help Dubai’s flagship carrier Emirates grow profit by no less than eight to ten percent in coming months, its president said on Wednesday. “We will continue to grow at a percentage which is never going to …

THE LEVANT – The United Arab Emirates, which belongs to a US-led coalition fighting jihadists, on Saturday issued a list of 83 Islamist groups which it classified as “terrorist organisations”. The list, approved by the cabinet and published on the official WAM news agency, is similar to an announcement made …

THE LEVANT IN COLLABORATION WITH MIDDLE EAST BUSINESS – The UAE has been named one of the top 10 economies in the world for improving the business environment for local companies. The World Bank’s Doing Business 2015 report said the UAE had enhanced the administrative efficiency of its land registry, …

Source: The National – The new joint US-UAE financial counter-terrorism task force will be focused on combating extremist fund-raising and financial networks in the region, Abu Dhabi’s ambassador in Washington has said. The initiative comes as the US steps up efforts to choke off money flowing to ISIL from individual …

THE LEVANT – By Dr. Haytham Mouzahem – There are few sources that talk about the history of mysticism in the Arab Gulf states and particularly in the United Arab Emirates. G.G. Lorimer, who is considered one of the best historians and geographers that described the Arabian Gulf at the …

THE LEVANT – The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday lowered its economic growth forecasts for most Arab countries although it said growth in oil-rich Gulf nations will remain strong. In its semi-annual World Economic Outlook, the IMF said the Middle East and North African (MENA) region would grow by 2.6 …

THE LEVANT  – The United Arab Emirates on Friday rejected a damning Human Rights Watch report claiming foreign maids from impoverished countries endure physical, sexual and emotional abuse in the oil-flush state. The report drew “hasty conclusions based on unrepresentative cases”, said Amna al-Meheiri, director of human rights at Abu Dhabi’s …

THE LEVANT – Oil-rich United Arab Emirates on Monday launched a project that aims to send the first Arab unmanned probe to Mars by 2021. The Gulf state set up the UAE Space Agency to supervise and finance the “Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology to execute and manage …

THE LEVANT – Dubai SME has launched a new hub to stimulate innovative entrepreneurial projects of the emirate’s youth. Presented to the public at Dubai Mall’s Star Atrium, the Hamdan Innovation Incubator (H2I) was established under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince …

THE LEVANT – Markets fell globally after a raft of weak indicators from Europe and China collided with concerns about the U.S. Federal Reserve’s plans to reduce monetary stimulus. Stock markets in the United Arab Emirates fell sharply on Sunday as declines on global bourses sparked a broad sell-off in …

THE LEVANT – A high-level Russian energy ministry delegation will meet UAE officials tomorrow to push for deals with the UAE, including oil concessions for Rosneft, and gas supply deals from Gazprom, the country’s two leading energy companies. Russia’s deputy energy minister, Yury Sentyurin, said he and other top Russian …

THE LEVANT – Developer Nakheel has awarded a contract worth almost AED120 million ($32.6 million) for infrastructure work at its Al Furjan community in Dubai. The agreement with Dubai-based Target & Jima Construction Company covers the construction of 16km of roads and the preparation of nearly 500 third party villa …

THE LEVANT – One of the UAE’s biggest food and beverage groups has announced the appointment of a new CEO. Agthia Group named Iqbal Hamzah as CEO, effective immediately, having previously held the position of Group chief financial officer and company secretary. Since May, he has also been acting CEO. …

THE LEVANT – Increased regulations in Dubai have meant that property speculation has become more difficult, according to Rera CEO. Speaking during a real estate seminar at CityScape, Rera CEO Marwan Bin Ghalita said the Land Department has made a number of changes aimed at reducing the number of speculators, …

THE LEVANT – A second financial market, which will exclusively trade shares in private companies, is set to start operating in the UAE within the next few months Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai, has approved the Second Market plans after …

THE LEVANT – Deyaar Development on Sunday unveiled the masterplan of its upscale AED3.5 billion ($952 million) ‘Midtown by Deyaar’ project which will include a total of 27 buildings. The 5.5 million sq feet masterplan comprises two hotels on the northern and southern tips, along with 13 separate residential buildings …

THE LEVANT – An attorney for a Motorola subsidiary asked New York’s top state court on Tuesday to allow it to freeze the assets of a Turkish family held by a branch of an international bank in the United Arab Emirates. US District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan in 2003 …

THE LEVANT – The design of the new cruise terminal at Zayed Port in Abu Dhabi will celebrate the UAE’s cultural heritage. Unveiled at the cruise event Seatrade Med 2014 in Barcelona, the terminal will feature traditional arabic ornaments, colours and shapes combined with modern architecture, with a lattice-work roof …

THE LEVANT – Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority (DSOA) on Saturday announced plans to set up the Dubai Technology Entrepreneurship Centre, the largest entrepreneurship centre in the MENA region. Set to be launched in Q1 2015, DTEC will encompass over 3,600 square metres in Dubai Silicon Oasis, the free zone technology …

THE LEVANT – New rules issued by the United Arab Emirates’ securities market regulator aim to develop local currency bond and sukuk markets in the Arab world’s second biggest economy. In meetings with potential issuers and financial firms in Abu Dhabi and Dubai this week, the Securities and Commodities Authority …

The Levant – People across the world will be able to have 360-degree virtual tours of Dubai’s tourist landmarks and attractions. Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, announced the upcoming launch of Dubai 360.com via his Instagram …

Approximately 600,000 visitors flocked to Dubai through the various entry points on the emirate during Eid Al Fitr holiday, according to the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA). Major General Mohammed Al Marri, Director General of GDRFA-Dubai, said that the department welcomed 597,652 visitors from 197 different countries, …

THE LEVANT – Diversion work for the construction of flyovers on Al Wasl Road and Jumeirah Beach Road will begin soon, even as work on all three phases of the Dubai Canal project is ongoing. A senior Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) official told reporters that the layout for the diversion is being …

Source: Gulf News –   Work on phase one of the Dubai Tram project is nearing completion with 11 trams ready to roll out in November. The trams have arrived in Dubai and technical and operational tests are being conducted on a daily basis. Served by seven stations on a …

Vice President and Prime Minister of the U.A.E.  Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has instructed the U.A.E. Suqia Water Aid Foundation to give top priority to the provision of potable water to Gazans who are suffering acute shortage of water as a result of Israeli bombardment, and to act …

The National Committee to Combat Human Trafficking organised a ceremony to mark the World Day against Trafficking in Persons, launched by the United Nations to promote international cooperation to eradicate the crime of trafficking. The day is held every year on July 30. Speaking on the occasion, Dr Anwar Mohammad …

The employment visa for a worker sponsored by governmental bodies will cost Dh200 per year, while the visa charge for workers employed by the private sector or free zones will be Dh250 per year. A new visa fee structure signed by Lieutenant General Shaikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy …