Gulf

Oman to resume international flights on October 1

Oman said on Thursday it will resume scheduled international flights on Oct. 1 with strict measures to protect the country and aviation staff from the coronavirus, the Gulf state's aviation…

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UAE Central Bank urges banks to step up anti-money laundering efforts

The United Arab Emirates central bank said banks should increase anti-money laundering efforts to safeguard financial stability in the country. "To mitigate the risk of financial crimes ... banks are…

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Iran says it is ready to swap all prisoners with U.S

Iran is ready for a full prisoner exchange with the United States, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a virtual address to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York…

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Dubai’s Habtoor Group to open representative office in Israel

Dubai conglomerate Al Habtoor Group is to open a representative office in Israel, it said on Sunday. The United Arab Emirates and Israel last week agreed to establish bilateral diplomatic…

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Britain, France, Germany say U.N. sanctions relief for Iran to continue beyond Sept. 20

Britain, France and Germany told the U.N. Security Council on Friday that U.N. sanctions relief for Iran - agreed under a 2015 nuclear deal - would continue beyond Sept. 20,…

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Israel, Dubai diamond exchanges begin strategic collaboration

The Israel and Dubai diamond exchanges said on Thursday they have signed a strategic agreement to promote cooperation and dialogue between the two bourses. The agreement was announced two days…

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UAE and Bahrain to sign ‘normalisation’ agreement with Israel

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on Tuesday will become the latest Arab states to break a longstanding taboo when they sign agreements toward normalizing relations with Israel in a…

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Saudi Arabia to partially lift international flight suspension

Saudi Arabia will partially lift its suspension of international flights as of Sept. 15 to allow "exceptional categories" of citizens and residents to travel, the state news agency SPA said…

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Bahrain opposition rejects Israel normalisation, calls for resistance

Bahraini opposition groups have said they reject a decision by the Gulf state to normalise relations with Israel, with a leading Shi'ite cleric on Sunday calling on the people of…

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Palestinians protest against Arab normalisation ties with Israel

Palestinians in Gaza burnt pictures of Israeli, U.S., Bahraini and United Arab Emirates leaders on Saturday in protest over the two Gulf countries' moves to normalize ties with Israel. Bahrain…

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Saudi Arabian-led coalition fighter jets attack Houthi military sites in Yemen

Saudi Arabian-led coalition fighter jets early on Sunday attacked barracks and military sites of the armed Houthi movement in Yemen's capital Sanaa, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya reported. The coalition also destroyed four…

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Iranian fuel tankers round Africa en route to the Atlantic

Two Iranian-flagged tankers transporting fuel are sailing round Africa’s Cape of Good Hope en route to the Atlantic Ocean, according to Refinitiv Eikon’s vessel tracking data. The medium-size vessels Forest…

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Iranian wrestler executed

Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari was executed on Saturday after being convicted of stabbing a security guard to death during anti-government protests in 2018, state media said, in a case that…

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UAE daily coronavirus cases surge to near peak level

The United Arab Emirates health ministry reported on Friday 931 new daily cases of the coronavirus following a recent surge in infections that are near the highest since the pandemic…

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Photo Story: Photos from the Iranian military exercises in Gulf and Oman Sea

Handout photos made available by Iranian Army official website of military exercise in Persian Gulf, near strategic strait of Hormuz, southern Iran, 12 September 2020. Saturday was the last day…

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Afghan peace talks to open in Doha, 19 years after 9/11 triggered war

Talks between the Afghan government and Taliban insurgents start in Qatar’s capital Doha on Saturday with the goal of bringing an end to nearly two decades of a conflict that…

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Bahrain follows Emirates in normalizing ties with Israel

Bahrain joined the United Arab Emirates in agreeing to normalize relations with Israel on Friday, a move forged partly through shared fears of Iran but one that could leave the…

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Palestinians win Saudi support but no Arab condemnation of UAE-Israel deal

Palestinian leaders won renewed Saudi support for Palestinian statehood at a Wednesday meeting, but did not persuade the Arab League to condemn last month’s normalisation deal between Israel and the…

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Israel sees trade with UAE at $4 billion a year

Annual trade between Israel and the United Arab Emirates is expected to reach $4 billion, an Israeli minister said. Israel and the UAE announced in August they would normalise diplomatic…

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Emirates airline issued over $1.4 bln in coronavirus-related refunds

Emirates airline has issued over 5 billion dirhams ($1.4 billion) in refunds related to the new coronavirus crisis, it said on Monday. The Dubai-based carrier, which has processed more than…

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Ukraine to ship wheat to Saudi for the first time in 12 years

Ukraine will supply milling wheat to Saudi Arabia for the first time in 12 years, exporter Continental Farmers Group said on Monday, with 60,000 tonnes now being loaded at the…

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Bartolo discusses Libya, Eastern Mediterranean in meeting with Arab League

Foreign Affairs Minister Evarist Bartolo repeated calls for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict during a meeting with the Secretary General of the Arab League Ahmed Aboul Gheit. Malta…

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Saudi King wants to achieve fair solution to Palestinian issue

U.S. President Donald Trump told Saudi Arabia's King Salman in a phone call that he welcomed the opening of Saudi airspace to flights between Israel and the United Arab Emirates…

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Abu Dhabi’s Etihad extends wage cuts until end of year

Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways has extended the period of reduced pay for their staff until the end of the year, a spokeswoman for the carrier said on Sunday. Employees will…

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Dubai seeks to attract wealthy foreign retirees as expats leave

Dubai is seeking to attract wealthy foreign retirees as the economy of the Middle East trade and tourism hub reels from the coronavirus pandemic and low oil prices, prompting many…

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UAE reports over 500 new COVID-19 cases for second consecutive day

The United Arab Emirates recorded over 500 new COVID-19 infections for the second successive day on Tuesday after a rise in cases in the Middle East financial hub. The government’s…

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Saudi Arabia’s top military commander sacked

Saudi Arabia's King Salman sacked a top military commander and his son on Monday as part of an anti-corruption purge. The decree said Prince Fahd bin Turki bin Abdulaziz Al…

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First-ever direct Israel – UAE commercial flight held today

A high-ranking US and Israeli delegation went to Abu Dhabi in the first-ever direct commercial passenger flight to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The El Al flight, numbered LY971 as…

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Two explosions rock Dubai, three killed

Three people were killed and several others were injured on Monday in two separate explosions in the United Arab Emirates' capital Abu Dhabi and its tourism hub Dubai, the police and…

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PhotoStory – Iran’s Ashura celebration

An Iranian Shiite Muslim girl wearing face mask attends the Tasua (ninth day of Muharram) mourning ceremony, ahead of Ashura Day, at the Tehran's university Tehran, Iran, 29 August 2020. The…

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Israel – UAE relations ‘normalisation’ ceremony for September

Israel hopes to hold a signing ceremony in Washington for its normalisation deal with the United Arab Emirates by mid-September, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet said on…

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Geopolitics Insights – A Match in the Middle East Tinderbox

by Tonio Galea From CorporateDispatch PRO Amid a resurgence of the Covid-19 virus in many regions around the world and turmoil in Belarus and other countries, the United Arab Emirates…

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UAE cancels Israel boycott, allows economic agreements – state news agency

The president of the United Arab Emirates has issued a decree cancelling a law on boycotting Israel and allowing trade and financial agreements between the two countries, the UAE official…

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Pompeo discusses Libyan conflict, Iran with UAE counterpart

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discussed the Libyan conflict and countering Iranian regional influence with his Emirati counterpart during a brief visit to the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.…

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Iran says black boxes from downed Ukraine jet show missiles hit 25 seconds apart

Iran is calling on all countries involved to refrain from politicising data analysis from the blackboxes of a Ukrainian passenger plane that Tehran said it accidentally shot downed in January,…

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Kuwait to rebuild Lebanon’s only large grain silo destroyed in blast

Kuwait said it will rebuild Lebanon's only large grain silo that was destroyed by the massive Beirut port explosion, raising fears of food shortages in a country already in financial…

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Saudi price for ties with Israel is Palestinian state – Saudi royal

Saudi Arabia's price for normalising relations with Israel is the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, a senior member of the Saudi royal family said.…

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EU to chair Iran nuclear joint commission meeting

The joint commission on the Iran nuclear agreement will meet in Vienna on September 1, the European Union has said, after the U.S. and its European allies sparred over Washington's…

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Kuwait passes law to protect ailing companies, attract investors

The Kuwaiti parliament has approved a law to increase protection for troubled businesses and provide two new options before they are forced to declare bankruptcy, a parliamentary committee report showed.…

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UAE could reintroduce curfew in some areas as COVID-19 cases rise

The United Arab Emirates could reintroduce a de-facto overnight curfew in some areas of the country if there are a high number of COVID-19 infections there, a government official said.…

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Iran announces locally made ballistic and cruise missiles amid U.S. tensions

Iran displayed a surface-to-surface ballistic missile on Thursday that Defence Minister Amir Hatami said had a range of 1,400 kilometres and a new cruise missile, ignoring U.S. demands that Tehran…

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UAE could get F-35 jets in side agreement to Israel peace deal

The United States is eyeing the sale of stealthy F-35 fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates in a side agreement to the UAE's overtures to Israel, an industry insider…

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Iran surpasses 20,000 confirmed deaths from the coronavirus

Iran surpassed 20,000 confirmed deaths from the coronavirus on Wednesday, the health ministry said — the highest death toll for any Middle East country so far in the pandemic. The…

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Coronavirus deaths rise in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait

Local health authorities in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait recorded additional fatalities due to the coronavirus pandemic on Wednesday. In Saudi Arabia, 36 deaths and 1,363 infections were recorded as well…

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Bahrain ends mandatory self-isolation for all arrivals

Bahrain announced it would end a protocol that required all those arriving in the country to self-isolate at home for 10 days regardless of the outcome of testing, its health…

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Trump expects Saudi Arabia to join UAE-Israel deal

U.S. President Donald Trump said he expected Saudi Arabia to join the agreement announced last week by Israel and the United Arab Emirates to normalize diplomatic ties and forge a…

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UAE connects first unit of Barakah nuclear plant to national grid

The United Arab Emirates has connected the first unit at its Barakah nuclear power plant to the national power grid, Emirates Nuclear Energy Corp (ENEC) said on Wednesday. The plant…

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Oman opens tourist restaurants and swimming pools in hotels

Oman from Tuesday allowed the reopening of tourist and international restaurants, as well as gyms and swimming pools located in hotels, under certain regulations and requirements. Oman's ministry of tourism…

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Qatar Airways issued over $1.2 billion in refunds

Qatar Airways has issued over $1.2 billion in refunds to almost 600,000 passengers since March, the state-owned carrier said on Tuesday. Aviation has been one of the industries worst hit…

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UAE summons Iran charge d’affairs

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has summoned Iran's charge d'affaires in Abu Dhabi in response to a speech by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani over its agreement to normalise ties with…

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Spain’s former King Juan Carlos ‘found’ in UAE

Spain’s former king Juan Carlos I has been in the United Arab Emirates since August 3, the Royal Household said on Monday after weeks of silence on his whereabouts. The…

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Israel’s President invites UAE’s de facto leader

Israel’s president on Monday invited the United Arab Emirates’ de facto leader to visit Jerusalem, praising his role in achieving a “noble and courageous” deal to normalise relations between Israel…

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Saudi Arabia plans distance learning for schools as virus precaution

Students at Saudi Arabia’s public schools will be educated via distance learning as a precaution against coronavirus for the first seven weeks of the new term, which begins on Aug.…

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UAE’s Israel deal met with Arab dismay but quiet welcome in Gulf

From cries of "betrayal" to fears about "falling dominoes", the deal making the United Arab Emirates the third Arab state to forge ties with Israel stirred anger and dismay around…

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Iran’s president says Emirates made ‘huge mistake’ with Israel deal

The United Arab Emirates has made a "huge mistake" in reaching a deal toward normalising ties with Israel, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday in a speech furiously condemning…

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U.S. says seized four Iranian fuel shipments en route to Venezuela

The United States announced it had confiscated four Iranian fuel shipments that had been bound for Venezuela, disrupting a key supply line for both Tehran and Caracas as they defied…

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UN Security Council rejects resolution calling for extension of Iran arms embargo

The United Nations Security Council has rejected a US resolution to extend an Iranian arms embargo, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday, in a move with repercussions for the…

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