Gulf

Russians invest in property in Dubai and Istanbul to evade sanctions

Wealthy Russians are pouring money into real estate in Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, seeking a financial haven in the wake of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and Western sanctions,…

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Blinken to attend Israeli-Arab summit, eyes Iran and Ukraine in Mideast tour

JERUSALEM, March 27 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken kicks off a Middle East trip on Sunday in Israel, where he will take part in a rare Arab-Israeli summit and…

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Iraq parliament fails to elect new state president over lack of quorum

BAGHDAD, March 26 (Reuters) - Iraq's parliament failed again on Saturday to vote for a president after Iran-backed groups boycotted the session, in a setback to an alliance led by cleric Moqtada…

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Photo Story: Malala Yousafzai and David Beckham at the Doha Forum 2022

Pakistani activist and Nobel Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai (L) and British former soccer player David Beckham (R) attend the opening session of the Doha Forum at Sheraton Grand Doha Resort…

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Saudi-led coalition launches operation against Yemen’s Houthis after Aramco petroleum storage site attack

March 26 (Reuters) - The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen began a military operation on Saturday to stop attacks on its oil facilities and "protect global energy sources," Saudi state media reported.…

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Riyadh gets U.S. military help as Washington seeks better ties

The United States has stepped up its military support for Saudi Arabia over the past few months following missile strikes on the kingdom by the Yemeni Houthi group, Western diplomats…

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U.N. envoy discussing Yemen truce for Ramadan

RIYADH, March 20 (Reuters) - United Nations special envoy Hans Grundberg is discussing a possible truce for Yemen, where a Saudi-led coalition is battling the Houthi movement, during the Muslim holy month…

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Saudi Arabia hikes oil investments as it profits from price surge

Saudi Arabia's state oil company Aramco, under pressure from the West to boost output amid soaring prices, pledged on Sunday to hike investments by around 50% this year as it…

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Houthis launch attacks on Saudi energy, desalination facilities-coalition

RIYADH, March 20 (Reuters) - The Saudi-led coalition said early on Sunday that Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group launched missile and drone strikes on energy and water desalination facilities in the kingdom that caused some material…

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Most crew members from UAE sunken ship rescued by Iran

DUBAI, March 17 (Reuters) - All but one of the 30 crew members of a United Arab Emirates cargo ship that sank off Iran have been rescued, Iran's official IRNA…

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UPDATED: Two British-Iranians land back in UK, ending long prison ordeal

BRIZE NORTON, England, March 16 (Reuters) - British-Iranian aid worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and dual national Anoosheh Ashoori arrived in Britain from Iran on Thursday, ending an ordeal during which they…

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U.N. seeks over $4 bln for Yemen to avert mass starvation as funding dwindles

March 16 (Reuters) - The United Nations seeks to raise nearly $4.3 billion at a pledging event on Wednesday for war-torn Yemen where the humanitarian drive has seen funding dry up even…

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Saudi king receives new pacemaker battery, leaves hospital – royal court

March 16 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz left a hospital in Riyadh after undergoing medical tests and replacement of his heart pacemaker battery, the royal court said on Wednesday. State…

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Iran says it thwarted nuclear site sabotage it ascribes to Israel

Iranian state television said its security forces had thwarted a planned sabotage at the country's major Fordow nuclear site by a network it accused Israel of recruiting. It said the…

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Fearing West’s wrath, Russia’s rich look to stash wealth in Dubai

Rich Russians are trying to shift some of their wealth from Europe to Dubai to shield assets from a tightening wave of Western sanctions on Russia over its invasion of…

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Ballistic missiles hit Iraq’s Kurdish capital, U.S. blames Iran

ERBIL, Iraq, March 13 (Reuters) - A dozen ballistic missiles struck Iraq's northern Kurdish regional capital of Erbil in the early hours of Sunday, Kurdish authorities said, with a U.S. official blaming…

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Saudi Arabia executes 81 men in one day for terrorism, other offences

RIYADH (Reuters) -Saudi Arabia executed 81 men including seven Yemenis and one Syrian on Saturday, the interior ministry said, in the kingdom's biggest mass execution in decades. The number dwarfed…

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New Islamic State leader is brother of slain caliph Baghdadi

The new leader of Islamic State, whose appointment the group announced on Thursday, is the brother of slain former caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, according to two Iraqi security officials and…

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France, UK, Germany say Iran deal could collapse on Russian demands

PARIS, March 12 (Reuters) - France, Britain and Germany warned Russia on Saturday that its demands to have its trade guaranteed with Iran risked the collapse of an almost-completed nuclear deal. Negotiators…

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Saudi blogger Badawi out of prison, still faces travel ban

Saudi blogger Raif Badawi was released from prison on Friday after spending 10 years behind bars, his wife said, but rights groups said he is still banned from travel for…

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Dubai a favorite destination as some Moscow-based bankers beat path to exit

In the scramble by some bankers and financial industry executives to leave Moscow, Dubai is turning out to be a favorite location to land. Some bankers at Moscow offices of…

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FATF puts UAE on global ‘gray’ list

A global body focused on fighting money laundering has placed the United Arab Emirates on its so-called “gray list” over concerns that the global trade hub isn’t doing enough to…

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Iran says agreed roadmap with IAEA to resolve nuclear issues

VIENNA, March 5 (Reuters) - Iran said on Saturday it had agreed a roadmap with the U.N. nuclear watchdog to resolve outstanding issues which could help secure a revival of Tehran's 2015…

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Iran hopes for understanding with IAEA to resolve nuclear issues

VIENNA, March 5 (Reuters) - Iran hopes to resolve all outstanding issues with the visiting U.N. nuclear chief, a senior Iranian official told state TV on Saturday, in the latest push to…

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UAE says Ukrainians eligible for visas on arrival, in apparent about-face

DUBAI, March 3 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates said on Thursday that Ukraine nationals are eligible for visas on arrival in the Gulf Arab state, in an apparent reversal…

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Progress on Iran nuclear deal, but tough issues remain -U.S.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Negotiators have made significant progress in the last week or so on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal but very tough issues remain, a senior U.S. State Department official…

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Dubai airport CEO sees more countries dropping COVID travel testing rules soon

The head of Dubai International Airport, one of the world's busiest, said on Tuesday he expects more countries to soon start ending rules for vaccinated passengers to be tested for COVID-19.…

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Iran nuclear deal could be agreed very soon, EU official says

A senior European Union official said on Friday that a U.S.-Iranian deal to revive Iran's 2015 nuclear agreement was close but success depended on the political will of those involved.…

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UAE becomes world’s top trading hub for rough diamonds -DMCC CEO

DUBAI, Feb 21 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates in 2021 became the top trading hub for rough diamonds, overtaking Belgium, the head of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), home to…

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Qatar’s World Cup turf needs chilled stadiums, desalinated water to thrive

Winter will come early to soccer stadiums in baking-hot Qatar when groundskeepers blast chilled air starting in September to ensure pitch turf thrives in the desert country for the World…

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Iran says ‘significant progress’ made in Vienna nuclear talks

Talks in Vienna on reviving the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers have made "significant progress", Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh said on Monday. Separately, Iran's top…

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Iranian parliament sets six conditions for return to nuclear deal

DUBAI, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Iran's parliament has laid out six conditions for Tehran to rejoin the 2015 nuclear deal with global powers in a letter to President Ebrahim Raisi…

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Iran not seeking nuclear weapons, needs atomic energy, says Khamenei

Feb 17 (Reuters) - Iran's supreme leader said on Thursday that it will further develop peaceful nuclear capacity to preserve independence, amid negotiations with world powers to revive a 2015…

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US Navy eyes Israeli robot boats as Bennett visits Bahrain, official says

The U.S. Navy is considering adding unmanned Israeli boats to its Middle East operations, a U.S. official said, a move that could deepen Israel's growing role in regional military arrangements…

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U.S. F-22 fighter jets arrive in UAE following Houthi attacks

U.S. F-22 fighter jets arrived at an air base in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over the weekend following a spate of unprecedented attacks in Abu Dhabi by Houthi fighters…

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Qatar Petroleum no longer in EU antitrust crosshairs – sources

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Qatar Petroleum is unlikely to face further EU antitrust action three years after EU regulators opened an investigation into its 20-year gas contracts on concerns that these…

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U.S. to help UAE replenish missile defense interceptors after Houthi attacks

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The United States will help the United Arab Emirates replenish interceptors it uses to knock down incoming missiles following a spate of unprecedented…

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UPDATED: Intercepted drone shrapnel injures 12 at Saudi Abha airport

Twelve people were injured at Saudi Arabia's Abha airport by shrapnel from a drone intercepted by air defences on Thursday, the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yeman's Iran-aligned Houthi group said. Air…

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Bahrain introduces golden permanent residency visas to lure talent

Bahrain on Monday introduced a new permanent residency visa to attract talent and investment, part of a trend in Gulf states to offer more flexible and longer-duration visas amid regional…

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Bahrain introduces “golden” permanent residency visas to attract talent

Bahrain on Monday introduced a new permanent residency visa to attract talent and investment, part of a trend in Gulf states to offer more flexible and longer-duration visas amid regional…

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UPDATED: Iran nuclear talks will resume on Tuesday, EU confirms

VIENNA, Feb 7 (Reuters) - Indirect talks in Vienna between Iran and the United States on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal will resume on Tuesday, the European Union, which…

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Saudi non-oil private sector January growth slows amid Omicron surge – PMI

DUBAI, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Growth in Saudi Arabia's non-oil private economy slipped again in January, falling to its slowest expansion rate since September amid a sharp rise in COVID-19…

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UAE non-oil private sector growth slows in January as COVID restricts demand – PMI

DUBAI, Feb 3 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates' non-oil private sector growth fell in January to its slowest in six months despite notching a 14th straight month of expansion,…

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Israel participates in huge U.S. Mideast naval exercise alongside Saudi, Oman

DUBAI (Reuters) - Israel is taking part in a huge U.S.-led naval exercise in the Middle East, for the first time publicly joining Saudi Arabia and Oman, two counties it…

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UAE says it blocked drone attack, little-known group claims responsibility

DUBAI (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates said it intercepted three drones that entered its airspace over unpopulated areas early on Wednesday in the fourth such attack on the Gulf…

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U.S. to send fighter jets and USS Cole to assist UAE after Houthi attacks

DUBAI, Feb 2 (Reuters) - The United States said it is sending fighter jets to assist the United Arab Emirates following missile attacks on the Gulf state launched by Yemen's…

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Biden tells emir he will make Qatar major non-NATO ally

President Joe Biden promised Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, on Monday that he will soon designate Qatar as a major non-NATO ally, granting special status to a key…

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Qatar seeks EU guarantees emergency gas stays within EU

Gas producer Qatar is asking the European Union to restrict resales of gas outside the bloc if it wants Qatar and other major gas suppliers to provide emergency supply in…

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UAE to lift entry, transit ban on passengers from 12 African countries

DUBAI (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates lifted an entry and transit ban on on Saturday on travellers who had recently visited South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia and eight other…

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Qatar could reroute some gas to Europe with U.S. mediation

LONDON, Jan 26 (Reuters) - Qatar will need help from the United States to persuade Doha's natural gas buyers to reroute some supplies to Europe in case a Russia-Ukraine conflict…

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Iran sentences French national to 8 years’ jail for spying – TV

An Iranian court on Tuesday convicted French national Benjamin Briere of espionage, sentencing him to eight years in prison, BFM TV reported. Briere, 36, has been held in Iran since…

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Dubai, Abu Dhabi residents on edge after Houthis attempt to strike again

Two missile attacks in a week on the United Arab Emirates have left some residents feeling on edge about security for the first time in the Gulf state's capital Abu…

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UPDATED: UAE blocks missile attack as Yemen’s Houthis target region’s business hub

DUBAI, Jan 24 (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates on Monday said it had foiled another Houthi missile attack following last week's deadly assault on the Gulf state as the…

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UAE grounds most private drones for a month after Houthi attack

The United Arab Emirates has grounded most private drones and light sports aircraft used for recreational purposes for a month starting Saturday, the Interior Ministry said, following a deadly attack…

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Iran, China and Russia hold naval drills in north Indian Ocean

Jan 21 (Reuters) - Iran, China and Russia held their third joint naval drills in the northern Indian Ocean on Friday, state TV reported. Navies from Iran's armed forces and…

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Russia, China and Iran to hold joint naval drill on Friday

DUBAI, Jan 20 (Reuters) - China, Russia and Iran will hold joint naval drills on Friday, a public relations official from Iran's armed forces told semi-official ISNA news agency on…

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Around 20 killed in deadliest coalition strikes on Yemen’s Sanaa since 2019

Air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthi group on the capital Sanaa killed at least 20 people overnight, including civilians, Houthi media and residents said, in one of…

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