Gulf

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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Iran says it is holding talks on prisoner exchanges with U.S.

Iran said on Tuesday it was holding talks on prisoner exchanges with the United States aimed at securing the release of Iranians held in U.S. jails and other countries over violations of U.S. sanctions.…

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At least 44 killed, 67 injured in coronavirus hospital fire in Iraq

At least 44 people were killed and over 67 injured in a fire likely caused by an oxygen tank explosion at a coronavirus hospital in Iraq's southern city of Nassiriya, health officials and…

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Seeking summer breeze and natural getaway, Saudis flock to Ukraine

Nabeel Kensara and Nasal Alzamzmi, a couple from Saudi Arabia, used to go for holidays to Switzerland twice a year, but coronavirus travel restrictions across Europe have forced them to…

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Cambridge University, UAE in talks on partnership

The University of Cambridge said on Wednesday it is in talks with the United Arab Emirates, and according to media reports, their partnership will provide for the university's biggest donation…

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Iran takes steps to make enriched uranium metal; U.S., Europe powers dismayed

Iran has begun the process of producing enriched uranium metal, the U.N. atomic watchdog said, a move that could help it develop a nuclear weapon and that three European powers…

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UAE non-oil private sector growth weakens as pandemic impact lingers – PMI

The United Arab Emirates' non-oil private sector expanded for a seventh consecutive month in June, though at a pace slightly lower than in May as coronavirus measures continued to hamper…

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Saudi non-oil sector employment rises amid steady growth – PMI

audi Arabia's non-oil private sector continued to expand in June at a fast rate and job creation rose to a 19-month high, a survey showed, as the largest Arab economy…

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Saudi Arabia amends import rules from Gulf in challenge to UAE

Saudi Arabia has amended its rules on imports from other Gulf Cooperation Council countries to exclude goods made in free zones or using Israeli input from preferential tariff concessions, in…

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UAE’s Abu Dhabi updates COVID travel procedures

Citizens and residents of Abu Dhabi arriving in the emirate from abroad will have to take two coronavirus PCR tests, on arrival and on day 11, and quarantine for 12…

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New Saudi airline plan takes aim at Emirates, Qatar Airways

Saudi Arabia plans to target international transit passenger traffic with its new national airline, going head-to-head with Gulf giants Emirates and Qatar Airways and opening up a new front in…

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Saudi Arabia bans entry from UAE, Vietnam, Ethiopia and Afghanistan

Saudi Arabia will restrict travel to and entry from Ethiopia, UAE, Vietnam and Afghanistan over coronavirus concerns, the state news agency (WAS) reported on Saturday. The ban goes into effect…

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Dubai Companies face owner disclosure as UAE acts to avoid FATF’s dirty money list

DUBAI, June 30 (Reuters) - More than 500,000 firms in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) must disclose their ultimate owners from Wednesday or face penalties, as the Middle East financial…

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Saudi Arabia plans new national airline as it diversifies from oil

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman announced plans on Tuesday to launch a second national airline as part of a broader strategy to turn the kingdom into a global…

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UPDATED: Israel seeks to extend new Gulf ties to all Middle East, says Lapid

Israel's foreign minister said on Wednesday his visit to the United Arab Emirates was just the start of a road to peace with other Middle East countries, signalling an offer…

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More infectious COVID-19 variants account for most UAE cases, authority says

New coronavirus infections in the United Arab Emirates are mostly from more infectious variants leading to an increase in the number of virus-linked deaths, a federal authority has said. The…

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U.S. carries out air strikes against Iran-backed militia in Iraq, Syria

The United States said on Sunday it carried out another round of air strikes against Iran-backed militia in Iraq andSyria, this time in response to drone attacks by the militia against U.S. personnel and facilities in Iraq. In a statement, the U.S. military said it…

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