Gulf

Israeli defence contractors’ partner with UAE tech firm to fight coronavirus

Two Israeli defence contractors will partner with Abu Dhabi-based technology company Group 42 to develop technologies to help fight the new coronavirus, the companies said. Israel has no diplomatic relations…

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Saudi Arabia extends measures to mitigate pandemic impact

Saudi Arabia extended several government initiatives to support the private sector in mitigating the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, state news agency SPA reported, citing a decision by King Salman.…

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Emirates airline says issued over $517 mln in refunds in past two months

Emirates, one of the world's biggest long-haul airlines, has processed close to 650,000 refunds over the past two months, refunding over 1.9 billion dirhams ($517 million), it said on Thursday.…

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UAE says residents, citizens cannot travel abroad for tourism yet

United Arab Emirates authorities on Wednesday said residents and citizens were not yet allowed to travel abroad for tourism and leisure purposes and all travel abroad needed a permit, as…

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Emirates to re-start passenger flights to Cairo, Tunis, Glasgow and Malé

Emirates continues to add travel options for customers with the announcement that it will re-start passenger flights to Cairo (from 1 July), Tunis (from 1 July), Glasgow (from 15 July)…

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Qatar to further ease coronavirus curbs as infections pass peak

Qatar aims to further ease coronavirus curbs from July 1, allowing the limited reopening of restaurants, beaches and parks, as infections have passed their peak and the rate was subsiding,…

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UAE suspends incoming passengers from Pakistan over COVID fears

The United Arab Emirates will not receive passengers coming from Pakistan as of June 29 until a special COVID-19 lab is set up to test them, the civil aviation authority…

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Masks to become compulsory in parts of Iran

Mask-wearing will be mandatory in certain areas of Iran as of next week and virus-hit provinces can reimpose restrictive measures, President Hassan Rouhani said on Sunday. The Islamic republic has…

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UNICEF warns millions of Yemeni children could starve without urgent aid

Millions of children in Yemen could be pushed towards starvation by the end of the year as the humanitarian crisis is compounded by a lack of funding as the world…

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UAE and Israeli companies to cooperate to combat coronavirus

Two private companies from the United Arab Emirates will work with two Israeli companies on medical projects, including those to combat the new coronavirus, the UAE’s state-run news agency WAM…

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Gulf coronavirus infections surpass 400,000

The number of novel coronavirus cases in the six Gulf Arab states has doubled in a month to over 400,000, as the region’s two biggest economies this week fully lifted…

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UAE’s flydubai to resume flights from July 7

United Arab Emirates airline flydubai on Wednesday said it would resume some regular scheduled flights from July 7, when Dubai reopens its borders to foreign visitors. The government of Dubai…

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Emirates suspends flights from Pakistan after passengers test positive for coronavirus

Emirates, one of the world's biggest long-haul airlines, has suspended flights from Pakistan after passengers tested positive for coronavirus in Hong Kong, it said on Wednesday. The Dubai state carrier,…

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China to run human coronavirus vaccine trial in UAE

China National Biotec Group (CNBG) has won approval to run a large-scale "Phase 3" clinical trial of its novel coronavirus vaccine candidate in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the company…

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Dubai’s largest bank Emirates NBD begins new round of job cuts

Emirates NBD, Dubai's largest bank, began cutting hundreds of jobs this week after the impact of the coronavirus crisis accelerated planned lay-offs, three sources said. Although the full scale of…

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Dubai to build floating islands in new beach project

A series of floating islands will be built in Dubai as part of a new beach development project announced by the emirate's Road and Transport Authority (RTA) announced. Sunset Promenade…

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Abu Dhabi eases restrictions on movement

Abu Dhabi has eased restrictions to allow movement between its cities for all residents starting on Tuesday, but its media office said it would extend restrictions on entry into the…

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Dubai allows foreign tourists to enter from July 7

Dubai, whose economy is reliant on tourism and retail, said it will allow foreign visitors to enter from July 7, while those with residency visas will be able to enter…

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Saudi Arabia ending nationwide curfew today

Saudi Arabia will end a nationwide curfew and lift restrictions on businesses from today after three months of lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, state news agency SPA quoted a source…

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UNICEF airlifts COVID-19 testing kits to Yemen to boost response as cases soar

A first batch of 10,000 COVID-19 tests arrived in Sana’a on a UNICEF-chartered plane today, to increase the COVID-19 testing capacity amid the rapid increase of cases in Yemen. An…

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Turkey plans more military bases in north Iraq after offensive

Turkey plans to set up more temporary military bases in northern Iraq after stepping up its strikes against Kurdish militants there, a senior Turkish official told Reuters, saying the effort…

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UAE citizens from next week can travel to ‘low-risk’ countries

The United Arab Emirates said citizens and residents will be allowed to travel to countries deemed low-risk for catching the coronavirus from next Tuesday. Prospective travellers must test negative for…

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UAE says can work with Israel

The United Arab Emirates can work with Israel on some areas, including fighting the new coronavirus and on technology, while still having political differences with the state, a senior…

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Qatar Airways to lay off some pilots, cut wages

Qatar Airways will lay off some pilots and reduce the salaries of others by as much as a quarter due to the impact of the global coronavirus pandemic, according to…

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Saudi-led coalition in Yemen says it destroyed missile targeting Saudi Arabia

The Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen said that on Saturday it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile targeting the Saudi Arabian border city of Najran. In a statement issued…

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Yemen, Philippine missions in Saudi Arabia close due to coronavirus cases

The Yemeni Embassy in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, is shuttering indefinitely due to a number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus among staff. The embassy made the announcement on Twitter…

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Iran prepared to retaliate if U.S. stopped Venezuela-bound tankers

An Iranian news agency close to the elite Revolutionary Guards said on Saturday Iran's naval forces were preparing to target U.S. commercial vessels in the Gulf last month in case…

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UAE’s flydubai extends salary cuts, puts pilots on unpaid leave

United Arab Emirates carrier flydubai has indefinitely extended the period of reduced pay for employees and placed dozens of pilots on unpaid leave for a year, company sources said. The…

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Emirates announces four flights to Cairo to help Egyptians get home

To help stranded Egyptians get home, Emirates plans to operate four flights between Dubai and Cairo on 14,18,19 and 21 June. Customers can also connect to these flights in Dubai…

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UAE hiring starts to pick up after sharp coronavirus fall

Hiring in the United Arab Emirates has started to recover from a steep fall due to the coronavirus pandemic, according to data from Microsoft Corp's professional networking site LinkedIn. The…

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U.S. sanctions imposed on Iranian shipping network over proliferation take effect

U.S. sanctions imposed on Iran's shipping network took effect on Monday, months after they were announced in December following accusations of supporting proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. U.S. Secretary…

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Emirates, Etihad extend temporary salary cuts to September

Gulf carriers Emirates and Etihad Airways are extending the period of reduced pay for their staff until September as they try to preserve cash during the global coronavirus pandemic. The…

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Wedding party reported to have fuelled new COVID-19 surge in Iran

A wedding party contributed to a new surge in coronavirus infections in Iran, President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday but insisted the country had no option but to keep its…

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Iraq records over 1,000 coronavirus cases for first time

Iraq recorded more than 1,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day for the first time on Friday, with its total approaching 10,000 confirmed cases, the health ministry said. At…

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Qatar Airways to resume services to Venice and expand flights to Dublin, Milan and Rome

Qatar Airways announced it will be resuming services to Venice, Italy starting from 15 July 2020. The popular tourist destination and major arts and cultural centre will become the airline’s…

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Etihad to resume transit flights after UAE lifts suspension

Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways will resume carrying transit passengers from certain destinations on June 10 after the United Arab Emirates government lifted a suspension on those flights. Passengers from 20…

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Emirates offers flights for passengers to 29 cities and resumes transits through Dubai hub

Following the UAE Federal Government’s announcement to lift restrictions on transit passengers services, from 15th June Emirates will offer passenger services to 16 more cities on its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.…

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Iran fears ‘second wave’ of infections

Virus infections are seeing a renewed spike in Iran with more than 3,000 new cases for the second consecutive day. Officials said there were 3,134 positive tests, taking the total…

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Air Arabia lays off more staff due to COVID-19 impact

Air Arabia, the only listed carrier in the United Arab Emirates, has made further job cuts due to the business impact of COVID-19, a spokesman said on Wednesday. The Sharjah-based…

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Donors fall short of U.N. target to save aid operations in Yemen

International donors raised $1.35 billion in humanitarian aid for Yemen on Tuesday but the amount fell short of the United Nations' target of $2.4 billion needed to save the world's…

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Dubai reopens malls and private businesses

Dubai will allow the full reopening of malls and private businesses starting on Wednesday, its media office said, after the gleaming United Arab Emirates business hub began easing restrictions last…

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Emirates to decide on fleet size in the next few months

Emirates will decide over the next few months on the size of its future fleet, the Dubai-based airline's president said. It is not clear when Emirates, which flew to 157 destinations in…

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Emirates could take four years to resume flying to entire network

Emirates' outgoing President Tim Clark on Monday said it could take the state carrier up to four years to resume flying to its entire network that has been decimated by…

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Emirates airline lays off trainee pilots, cabin crew

Emirates airline said on Sunday it had made some staff redundant due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, with two company sources saying trainee pilots and cabin crew…

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Saudi Arabian airlines to resume some domestic flights from May 31

Saudi Arabian airlines are preparing to resume some domestic flights from Sunday as the Kingdom eases coronavirus containment measures, the state news agency said on Wednesday. Sixty flights will resume…

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Dubai to allow free movement, business activity from today

Dubai began allowing free movement and business activity to restart from Wednesday. Starting Wednesday there will be no restrictions on movement or business operations between 6.00 am and 11.00 pm,…

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UAE banks risk rise in bad loans

United Arab Emirates banks are at risk from a spike in bad loans over the next one to two years as the oil-producing economy is hit by a "triple…

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Khashoggi family forgives those who killed their father

The family of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi said on Friday that they have forgiven those who murdered their father, his son Salah wrote in a tweet on Friday. “In…

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Coronavirus having a devastating impact on Yemen

The impact of coronavirus on Yemen will be devastating after years of civil war, the head of the United Nations Refugee Agency in the country has told Sky News. Speaking…

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Pirate attack in the Gulf of Aden on British tanker deterred

Armed pirates attacked a British-flagged chemical tanker in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday but were repulsed, the ship's manager Stolt Tankers has said. The pirates approached the Stolt Apal…

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Wear a mask or face jail in Kuwait and Qatar

Kuwait and Qatar both announced they would start jailing people or fining them thousands of dollars for failing to wear a mask to combat the novel coronavirus. Kuwait's health ministry…

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Iran sentenced French-Iranian academic to 5-year imprisonment

Iran has sentenced a 60-year-old French-Iranian academic to five years in prison over national security charges and allegations of propaganda against the state, her lawyer said on Saturday according to Middle East Eye. …

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Oman considers cutting oil output in June by an extra 10,000-15,000 bpd

Oman is considering cutting its oil output in June by another 10,000 to 15,000 barrels per day, the Omani oil minister told Reuters on Friday, after Saudi Arabia and other…

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Kuwait tells oil buyers to load less crude on ships in June

Kuwait Petroleum Corp (KPC) has told customers they will have to load less crude oil in June as it has set operational tolerance at minus 5% for all crude cargoes,…

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Iraqi women denied their property by relatives, tribes and militias – NRC

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi women displaced by war remain unable to return to their homes because of systemic injustices that prevent them from proving or claiming ownership of their…

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Abu Dhabi announces partial refund for restaurant and tourism property leases

Abu Dhabi has announced a 20% refund on annual commercial property leases for restaurants and for tourism and entertainment facilities, state news agency WAM reported on Monday. Eligible businesses…

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Yemen declares Aden an “infested” city as coronavirus spreads

Yemeni authorities declared Aden, interim seat of the Saudi-backed government, an "infested" city on Monday after the number of coronavirus cases there jumped to 35, with four deaths. A five-year…

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