Gulf

Saudi retains top spot in oil supplies to China with volumes up 53% y/y

Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter, kept its ranking as China's top crude supplier for a ninth straight month in August as major producers relaxed production cuts. Saudi oil…

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UAE central bank sees COVID-19 increasing money-laundering risks

The United Arab Emirates central bank sees increased risks of illicit financial flows emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic, including money-laundering and terrorism financing, it said in a report published on…

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U.S. issues sanctions tied to supporters of Hezbollah, Iran

WASHINGTON, Sept 17 (Reuters) - The United States said on Friday it was imposing sanctions on Lebanon and Kuwait-based financial conduits that fund the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah as well…

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Emirates seeks 3,000 cabin crew as operations ramp up

DUBAI, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Emirates on Thursday said it would look to hire 3,000 flight attendants and another 500 people for roles at Dubai airport over the next six…

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Iran to allow IAEA to service nuclear monitoring cameras after talks

DUBAI, Sept 12 (Reuters) - Iran has agreed to let the U.N.'s atomic watchdog service monitoring cameras at Iranian nuclear sites, both sides said, after talks held on Sunday to…

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Iraqi PM becomes first foreign leader to meet Iran’s Raisi

(Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi became the first foreign leader on Sunday to visit and meet with Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi since the hardliner took office in August.…

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UAE lifts ban on entry from certain countries for vaccinated residents

The United Arab Emirates said on Friday residents who had been fully vaccinated with a shot approved by the World Health Organization could return as of Sept. 12 from a…

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Etihad boss says July the airline’s best month in over a year

The chief executive of Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways on Wednesday said there was cause for some optimism after July marked the airline's strongest month in about a year and a…

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Oil extends losses after deep Saudi price cuts signal demand concerns

Oil prices extended losses on Monday, falling more than 1%, after the world's top exporter Saudi Arabia slashed crude prices for Asia over the weekend, signalling demand concerns and that…

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UAE non-oil private sector maintains solid growth, employment rises

The United Arab Emirates' non-oil private sector continued its solid growth in August, only marginally below an expansion in July that was the fastest pace in two years, a business…

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Saudi non-oil sector expansion loses momentum in August – PMI

Saudi Arabia's non-oil private sector continued to grow in August but lost momentum due to a sharp drop in output expansion, a business survey showed, signalling a challenging recovery from…

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UAE announces plans to boost economy, attract workers

The United Arab Emirates plans to launch 50 new economic initiatives to boost the country's competitiveness and attract 550 billion dirhams ($150 billion) in foreign direct investment in the next…

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Islamic State attack kills 10 policemen near Iraq’s Kirkuk

Islamic State militants killed 10 Iraqi policemen and wounded four during an overnight attack on a guard post near the city of Kirkuk, police sources said on Sunday. Police sources…

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UPDATED: Missile intercepted over Saudi oil region injures two, damages buildings

Two children were injured and buildings were damaged when a ballistic missile was intercepted over Saudi Arabia's oil-rich eastern region on Saturday, the ministry of defence said. The missile was…

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Saudi state media companies to start moving from Dubai to Riyadh

DUBAI, Sept 3 (Reuters) - Dubai-based Saudi state-owned media companies will start moving staff this month to the capital Riyadh, sources said, as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman presses ahead…

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Abu Dhabi removes quarantine for all vaccinated travellers

Abu Dhabi will remove the need to quarantine for all vaccinated travellers arriving from international destinations starting Sunday, said the Abu Dhabi government media office on Twitter on Thursday. A…

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Britain’s Raab, in Qatar, cites need to engage with Taliban

British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Thursday there is a need to engage with the Taliban on Afghanistan, but Britain has no immediate plans to recognise their government. Raab…

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Iran’s Khamenei says Biden ‘no different’ from Trump on nuclear deal – France 24

France 24 - The multilateral deal that offers Iran relief from sanctions in return for curbs on its nuclear programme was torpedoed by Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States…

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OPEC+ could reconsider output increase, says Kuwaiti oil minister

KUWAIT, Aug 29 (Reuters) - The 400,000 barrel per day increase in oil output agreed by OPEC+ nations in previous gatherings might be reconsidered at its next meeting on Sept.…

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Abu Dhabi bourse to cut trading commissions by 50%, extend trading hours

The Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) said on Saturday it has cut its trading commissions by 50% and will extend its trading hours by one hour from Oct. 3. The…

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Mideast leaders plus France meet in Baghdad to talk security, diplomacy

Several Middle Eastern leaders and French President Emmanuel Macron met in Baghdad on Saturday at a summit hosted by Iraq, which wants its neighbours to talk to each other instead…

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Qatar offering COVID vaccines to Afghanistan evacuees yet to transit

Qatar is offering COVID-19 vaccines to evacuees from Afghanistan who are temporarily staying in the Gulf Arab state, which has been facilitating global evacuation efforts since the Taliban seized Kabul,…

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One of Italy’s most wanted drug traffickers arrested in Dubai

One of Italy's most wanted drug traffickers, 32-year-old Camorra boss Raffaele Mauriello, was arrested in Dubai on August 14, police said. He faced three arrest warrants for murder, mafia association…

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Iran prisons head apologises after leaked pictures show abuse

The head of Iran's prisons apologised on Tuesday for "bitter events" in Tehran's Evin prison after videos leaked by hackers showed beatings of prisoners, a rare admission of abuse by authorities. A hacking group calling itself Edalat-e…

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Iran resumes fuel exports to neighbouring Afghanistan

Iran resumed fuel exports to Afghanistan a few days ago following a request from the new Afghan government, which feels empowered by the U.S. withdrawal to buy the sanctioned nation's oil…

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Russia, Iran and China to hold joint drills in Gulf

Russia, Iran and China will hold joint maritime exercises in the Persian Gulf around late 2021 or early 2022, Russia's ambassador to Tehran said, the RIA news agency reported on…

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Saudi Arabia pledges to provide support for Tunisia, Tunisian presidency says

Saudi Arabia pledged to provide assistance to Tunisia, which is suffering a political, economic and health crisis, the Tunisian presidency said on Sunday, the latest sign of support for President…

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Dubai sets up money laundering court

Dubai has established a specialised court focused on combating money laundering, in a move to "strengthen the integrity of the financial system", the emirate's media office said on Sunday. The…

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Iran reports record daily death toll

Iran has reported an all-time daily coronavirus death toll, with 684 further fatalities recorded. Sunday’s figure passes the 655 deaths recorded in 24 hours on 16 August, taking the cumulative…

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Italy’s most wanted drug trafficker arrested in Dubai

Italian news agency ANSA reports that one of Italy's most dangerous mafia fugitives, top Camorra narco trafficker Raffaele Imperiale, was arrested in Dubai on August 4. Imperiali, 46, on the…

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Abu Dhabi says ends partial lockdown

Abu Dhabi emirate, the second-most populous in the United Arab Emirates, will on Thursday end a partial lockdown imposed last month as part of efforts to prevent the spread of…

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IAEA reports Iranian progress on uranium metal despite Western objections

Iran has made progress in its work on enriched uranium metal, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said in a report to member states on Monday seen by Reuters, despite Western warnings that such work…

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Detainee says China has secret jail in Dubai, holds Uyghurs

A young Chinese woman says she was held for eight days at a Chinese-run secret detention facility in Dubai along with at least two Uyghurs, in what may be the…

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Iran orders travel ban and shutdown amid COVID surge

Iran is to impose a one-week lockdown and a ban on road travel amid a fifth COVID-19 surge in the worst-hit country in the Middle East, state television reported on…

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Saudi oil giant Aramco sees profits soar by almost 300%

Saudi Arabian state oil producer Aramco reported a near four-fold rise in second-quarter net profit on Sunday, beating expectations and boosted by higher oil prices and a recovery in oil…

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Saudi Arabia to reopen borders for vaccinated umrah pilgrims

Saudi Arabia will gradually begin receiving Umrah pilgrimage requests from abroad for vaccinated pilgrims starting Aug. 9 after about a year and a half of not receiving overseas worshippers due…

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Photo Story: The first Arab female astronaut Nora Al Matrooshi

Emirati astronaut Nora Al Matrooshi talks during an interview with EFE at Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) in the Gulf emirate of Dubai, the United Arab Emirates. The 28-year-old…

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Hardline cleric Raisi sworn in as Iran president amid tensions with West

Hardline Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi took the oath of office before parliament on Thursday, with the Islamic Republic's clerical rulers facing growing crises at home and abroad. The mid-ranking Shi'ite…

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Hijacking ends in Arabian Sea, says UKMTO, as Oman identifies tanker involved

Oman on Wednesday identified the Panama-flagged Asphalt Princess as the tanker involved in a hijacking which Britain's maritime trade agency earlier said was over. The statement by Oman's Maritime Security Centre was the first…

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Iran-backed potentially hijack tanker, maritime sources say; Iran denies it

DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) -Iranian-backed forces are believed to have seized an oil tanker in the Gulf off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, three maritime security sources said, after Britain's…

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Incoming Iran president says he will take steps to lift ‘tyrannical’ U.S. sanctions

Iran will take steps to lift "tyrannical" sanctions imposed by the United States, hardline Shi'ite cleric Ebrahim Raisi said on Tuesday after winning the endorsement of the country's supreme leader to…

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‘There is no justification’ for attack on tanker -Blinken

The United States is confident that Iran carried out a drone attack on an Israeli-managed tanker transiting through international waters near Oman on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken…

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UK says ‘highly likely’ Iran attacked tanker off Oman

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain on Sunday said it believed Iran carried out an attack on an Israeli-managed petroleum product tanker off the coast of Oman on July 29 that killed…

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UPDATED: Two crewmen, a British and a Romanian, killed in attack on tanker off Oman

An attack on the Mercer Street petroleum products tanker in the Arabian Sea, off the Omani coast, has caused the deaths of two crew members, a British and a Romanian,…

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Saudi Arabia to open for tourist visa holders starting August 1

Saudi Arabia’s Tourism Ministry will re-allow entry for tourist visa holders starting Aug. 1, it said in a statement. “Vaccinated tourists will be allowed to enter without having to be…

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Kuwait bans unvaccinated citizens from travelling abroad

Kuwait said only citizens who have been vaccinated for the coronavirus will be allowed to travel abroad starting on Aug. 1. A government statement said the rule excepted children under…

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Saudi Arabia threatens 3-year travel ban for citizens who visit “red list” states

Saudi Arabia will impose a three-year travel ban on citizens travelling to countries on the kingdom's 'red list' under efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus and its new variants,…

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France says Iran endangers compromising chance for nuclear deal

France's foreign ministry said on Monday that Iran was endangering the chance of concluding an accord with world powers over reviving its 2015 nuclear deal if it did not return to the…

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After 18 years, US to announce exit from Iraq

U.S. President Joe Biden and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi on Monday sealed an agreement formally ending the U.S. combat mission in Iraq by the end of 2021, more than 18 years after…

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Abu Dhabi reduces business setup fees by 94% from current rates

Abu Dhabi will reduce business setup fees to 1,000 dirham ($272.27), a 94% reduction from current rates, effective from July 27, as part of efforts to enable the private sector,…

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Suicide attack in Iraq kills at least 35

A suicide bomber killed at least 35 people and wounded dozens in a crowded market in the Sadr City neighborhood of Baghdad on Monday, the eve of the Eid al-Adha…

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Masked haj pilgrims on Mount Arafat pray for COVID-free world

ARAFAT, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) -Thousands of face-masked Muslims gathered on Saudi Arabia's Mount Arafat on Monday, praying for an end to the pandemic and faster vaccination as the annual haj…

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Saudi citizens must have two COVID-19 vaccine doses for travel abroad

Saudi citizens will need two COVID-19 vaccine doses before they can travel outside the kingdom from Aug. 9, state news agency SPA reported on Monday, citing the ministry of interior.…

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OPEC+ agrees oil supply boost after UAE wins argument with Saudi

MOSCOW/DUBAI/LONDON, July 18 (Reuters) - OPEC+ ministers agreed on Sunday to boost oil supply from August to cool prices which have climbed to 2-1/2 year highs as the global economy…

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UAE’s Abu Dhabi announces partial lockdown effective July 19

The United Arab Emirate's Abu Dhabi Emergency, Crisis and Disasters Committee announced a partial lockdown and new entry requirements in the emirate starting July 19, from midnight until 5 a.m.,…

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Saudi inflation rises again in June, hits highest rate this year

Saudi Arabia’s annual inflation rate rose to 6.2% in June, the highest this year, from 5.7% in May, official data showed on Thursday. June marked a third consecutive monthly rise…

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Iran insists it can enrich uranium to 90% purity – weapons grade – if needed

Iran said on Wednesday it could enrich uranium up to 90% purity -- weapons grade -- if its nuclear reactors needed it, but added it still sought the revival of a…

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