Gulf

Emirates to restore almost 90% of passenger network by end of July

Emirates airline will operate close to 90% of its pre-pandemic network by the end of July as it restores more destinations and increases flights on other routes over the summer,…

Read More Here

Polls open in Iran election

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called for a high turnout in the country's presidential election on Friday, in a contest likely to be won by a judge fiercely…

Read More Here

Iran urges voters to take part in Friday’s presidential election

Iran's president appealed to voters to set aside their grievances and take part in a presidential election on Friday that record numbers of people are expected to boycott due to…

Read More Here

Abu Dhabi begins trial of Sinopharm vaccine on children aged 3-17

Abu Dhabi is beginning a trial administering China’s Sinopharm vaccine to children aged 3-17. The trial will monitor the immune response of 900 children “in preparation to vaccinate children in…

Read More Here

Oil rises as threat recedes of Iran supply resuming soon

Oil prices rose on Tuesday, with Brent gaining for a fourth consecutive session, as the prospect of extra supply coming to the market soon from Iran faded with talks dragging on…

Read More Here

Khamenei set to tighten grip in Iran vote as frustrations grow

Iranians elect a new president on Friday in a race dominated by hardline candidates close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with popular anger over economic hardship and curbs on…

Read More Here

Two thirds of eligible people in Dubai fully vaccinated against COVID-19

About two-thirds of people eligible for inoculation against COVID-19 have now received two doses of the vaccine in Dubai, the tourist and business hub of the United Arab Emirates, Dubai…

Read More Here

Qatar Airways to resume flying UK and Irish citizens to London starting Friday

Qatar Airways wrote in a tweet on Thursday that it would resume flying British and Irish nationals and UK residents to London from Qatar and across their network starting on…

Read More Here

Emirates Restarts Flights To Malta Via Larnaca

Emirates has announced it will resume three weekly services to Malta via Larnaca, Cyprus, from 14 July 2021, further expanding its European network to 34 destinations, and offering customers worldwide…

Read More Here

10

Jun

Al Jazeera network targeted in cyber attack

Pan-Arab satellite network Al Jazeera said it was subjected to continual hacking attempts over recent days but the cyber attack on Qatar's flagship broadcaster had been fended off. Al Jazeera's…

Read More Here

EPA’s Eye in the Sky: Kuwait City, Kuwait

Fishing boats are anchored in the harbor near Kuwait central fish market, in Kuwait City, Kuwait. Photo: EPA-EFE/NOUFAL IBRAHIM

Read More Here

UAE non-oil private sector recovery continues but pace softens slightly – PMI

The United Arab Emirates' non-oil private sector expanded for a sixth consecutive month in May, though it did so at a place slightly lower than in April and employment shrank…

Read More Here

Iran’s biggest navy ship sinks after fire in Gulf of Oman

Iran's largest navy ship the Kharg sank on Wednesday after catching fire in the Gulf of Oman, but the crew were safely rescued, Iranian media reported. No further explanation was…

Read More Here

Photo Story – Iran’s presidential election campaign

A woman walks past a huge poster depicting Iranian presidential conservative candidate Ebrahim Raisi in a street in Tehran, Iran, 31 May 2021. Iranians will vote in a presidential election…

Read More Here

Iran fails to explain uranium traces found at several sites -IAEA report

Iran has failed to explain traces of uranium found at several undeclared sites, a report by the U.N. nuclear watchdog showed on Monday, possibly setting up a fresh diplomatic clash between Tehran and…

Read More Here

Iran says progress made in nuclear talks but issues remain

Iran and six world powers have made significant progress in talks to revive their 2015 nuclear deal but important issues still need to be resolved, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman…

Read More Here

Saudi Arabia lifts ban from travelers arriving from 11 countries

Saudi Arabia is lifting a ban on travelers arriving from 11 countries that it imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus, the Saudi state news agency said, but will still…

Read More Here

Saudi oil exports in March rise to $14 billion

The value of Saudi Arabia's oil exports in March rose by 75% year on year to 52.3 billion riyals ($13.95 billion), official data showed on Wednesday. Non-oil exports increased by…

Read More Here

Vaccines mandatory for people attending all ‘live events’ in UAE

The United Arab Emirates said vaccinations against COVID-19 will be mandatory for people attending all "live events" from June 6, as the country pushes a vaccination campaign which has consistently…

Read More Here

Oil steady near one week high as prospect of Iran glut wanes

Oil prices were steady on Tuesday, holding around one-week highs after jumping more than 3% the previous session as investors tempered expectations of an early return of oil exporter Iran…

Read More Here

Emirates performing better than expected

Emirates is performing better than it had initially forecast, the Dubai-based airline's president said in an interview broadcast on Monday. "We are a lot further on and much better than…

Read More Here

Saudi-led coalition in Yemen foils Houthi attack south of Red Sea

The Saudi-led military coalition engaged in Yemen thwarted an "imminent" Houthi attack using an explosives-laden boat south of the Red Sea, Saudi Arabian state media said on Monday. A coalition…

Read More Here

Dubai house prices to rise for first time in six years in 2021

Dubai house prices will rise for the first time in six years this year, supported by a swift vaccine rollout that has lifted hopes for an overall economic recovery, according…

Read More Here

UAE asks to host 2023 UN climate change conference

The United Arab Emirates has asked to host the COP 28 international conference on climate change in 2023, Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan said on Sunday. The…

Read More Here

Photo Story: Iran’s IRGC unveils new drone called Gaza

A handout photo made available by Iranian revolutionary guard corps (IRGC) official website Sepahnews shows the new drone called 'Gaza' at an undisclosed location in Iran. The IRGC unveiled the…

Read More Here

Dubai eases COVID-19 restrictions, allows full hotel capacity

Dubai on Monday eased COVID-19 restrictions, allowing hotels in the regional tourism hub to operate at full capacity and permitting concerts and sports events where all attendees and participants have…

Read More Here

UPDATED: Saudi Arabia to reopen to foreign tourists soon

Saudi Arabia plans to soon reopen to foreign tourists, a senior tourism official said on Monday after the kingdom announced the lifting of quarantine restrictions for certain foreign arrivals. The…

Read More Here

No alternative to vaccine passports, says Dubai airport boss

The boss of the world's busiest airport for international passengers has said Covid passports are the only way to restart mass foreign travel. Dubai Airports chief executive Paul Griffiths told…

Read More Here

UAE attracts foreign investments of $20 billion in 2020

Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the United Arab Emirates rose to $19.88 billion in 2020, up 44.2% from the previous year, the government said. Contributing to this figure were large…

Read More Here

Abu Dhabi to allow quarantine-free travel from July 1

Abu Dhabi plans to remove quarantine restrictions for global travellers from July 1, except for those travelling from India, and will expand its green list of countries until then to boost tourism…

Read More Here

Two main contenders for Iranian president register candidacy for election

The two main contenders to become Iranian president, hardline judiciary chief Ebrahim Raisi and former parliament speaker Ali Larijani, registered on Saturday to run in next month's election. The June…

Read More Here

Iran’s former hardliner President Ahmadinejad to run again for elections

Iran's hardline former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday registered to run again in an election in June which is being seen as a test of the legitimacy of the country's…

Read More Here

Iran has enriched uranium to up to 63% purity, IAEA report says

Iran has enriched uranium to up to 63% purity at its above-ground Natanz enrichment plant, even higher than the 60% it had announced, the U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Tuesday…

Read More Here

U.S. military ship fires 30 warning shots after encounter with Iranian vessels

A U.S. Coast Guard ship fired about 30 warning shots after 13 vessels from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) came close to it and other American Navy vessels in the…

Read More Here

Saudi Arabia’s GDP contracts 3.3% in Q1 on oil output, non-oil economy recovers

Saudi Arabia's economy shrank 3.3% in the first quarter from a year earlier, hit by oil output cuts, but the non-oil economy expanded 3.3%, recovering from the pandemic, according to…

Read More Here

UAE to bar entry to travellers from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka

The United Arab Emirates will bar entry for travellers from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka starting on Wednesday. It is part of measures to contain the spread of the…

Read More Here

Iran confirms talks with Saudi Arabia, promises best efforts

Iran confirmed publicly for the first time on Monday that it is in talks with its regional arch rival Saudi Arabia, saying it would do what it could to resolve…

Read More Here

Saudi to make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for all workers

All public and private sector workers wishing to attend a workplace in Saudi Arabia will be required to have taken a COVID-19 vaccination, the human resources ministry said on Friday,…

Read More Here

Iran – Senior Swiss diplomat found dead

DUBAI (Reuters) -The first secretary at the Swiss embassy in Tehran was found dead on Tuesday after falling from a high-rise building where she lived in the north of the…

Read More Here

Washington denies Iran state media report saying prisoner swap agreed

DUBAI, May 2 (Reuters) - Iranian state television said on Sunday that Tehran would free four Americans accused of spying in exchange for four Iranians held in the United States…

Read More Here

Dubai Gold and Commodities Exchange says Israeli firms can join

The Dubai Gold & Commodities Exchange (DGCX) said on Sunday qualified Israeli companies could now join and use its trading services and platforms. It said approval from the Israeli Securities…

Read More Here

Iran nuclear talks make progress and will resume Friday, Russia says

VIENNA, May 1 (Reuters) - Indirect talks between Iran and the United States on bringing both sides fully back into compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal are making steady progress…

Read More Here

Saudi crown prince says he will further centralise policy-making

DUBAI, April 28 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said he will further centralise policymaking to ensure the success of his drive to diversify the economy. In an interview aired on Saudi state TV late on Tuesday, he said the kingdom…

Read More Here