United Arab Emirates News in English

July 30, 2021

Yemen rebels say made gains in central Al-Bayda province

Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels confirmed Friday they had seized two districts in central Al-Bayda province, amid an ongoing battle for control of the government stronghold of Marib further north. Operations have led to “the liberation of the Naman and Nateh…

July 30, 2021

Activists call on Bahrain to release key opposition figure on hunger strike

Activist groups Friday urged Bahrain to release a key opposition figure, saying he has been on hunger strike since July 8 over “ill-treatment”. Sixteen organisations — including Amnesty International and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) — called…

July 28, 2021

Saudi jails Sudanese journalist on ‘bogus charges’: HRW

A Saudi court handed a Sudanese journalist a four-year prison sentence on June 8 for social media posts critical of the kingdom, the group Human Rights Watch reported. Ahmad Ali Abdelkader, 31, was charged with “insulting state institutions and symbols”…

July 26, 2021

Trump ally denies acting as foreign agent

A close ally of former US president Donald Trump who is one of his top fundraisers pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges that he illegally lobbied on behalf of a foreign government. “Of course I am innocent of all…

July 26, 2021

Yemen’s warring sides converge on strategic central district

Yemen’s warring sides have deployed reinforcements to the outskirts of a strategic central district, a government military source said Monday, after Huthi rebels made significant gains in the nearby province of Al-Bayda. The possible fall to the rebels of the…

July 26, 2021

Abu Dhabi slashes business registration costs by 90%

Abu Dhabi will slash the cost of establishing new businesses by “more than 90 percent” from Tuesday to increase the “competitiveness regionally and internationally” of the emirate, already a magnet for commerce. In recent weeks authorities have ramped up efforts…

July 25, 2021

Israel freezes UAE oil deal over environmental concerns

Israel’s environmental protection ministry said Sunday it was delaying implementation of a proposed oil transport deal with the United Arab Emirates, freezing a project that has angered environmentalists. The agreement, which followed the UAE and Israel establishing diplomatic ties last…

July 22, 2021

Saudi Arabia and UAE deny Pegasus spyware allegations

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have dismissed allegations they used Israeli-supplied Pegasus malware to spy on journalists and human rights activists. A statement by the UAE’s foreign ministry on Thursday said “allegations … claiming that the UAE is…

July 22, 2021

UAE denies mistreatment of jailed activist

The United Arab Emirates rejected Thursday claims by rights groups that jailed activist Ahmed Mansoor was held in solitary confinement and mistreated in other ways. The UAE’s foreign ministry said the “claims are categorically untrue”, in a statement quoted by…