UAE

25 May 2023; MEMO: The United Arab Emirates and Malaysia announced on Tuesday that they have agreed to launch talks to reach a comprehensive economic partnership agreement.

The Malaysian Ministry of Commerce said in a statement that the agreement will cover the areas of trade in goods and services, as well as investments and economic cooperation.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Belgium and Iran conducted a prisoner exchange Friday in Oman, with officials saying Tehran released a Belgian aid worker in exchange for an Iranian diplomat convicted of attempting to bomb a meeting of exiles in France.

The initial announcement by Oman’s Foreign Ministry did not identify the prisoners being swapped.

24 May 2023; MEMO: The UAE has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Isaac Herzog to attend the UN climate conference COP28, which is taking place in Dubai in November.

24 May 2023; MEMO: The ground forces of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United States launched the Iron Union 19 joint military exercise, the UAE Defence Ministry said on Twitter.

The UAE ministry said the exercise is being carried out on UAE soil, and aims to develop joint cooperation and coordination between the two sides, and raise combat readiness to reach professionalism in carrying out tasks.

22 May 2023; MEMO: Legal authorities in the UAE have reminded the public of harsher punishments for using foul language or defaming others online.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s president on Monday appointed a new official to take over the post of secretary of the country’s Supreme National Security Council, replacing the longtime powerful official Ali Shamkhani after becoming implicated in a recent spy scandal.

President Ebrahim Raisi issued a decree replacing Shamkhani who has faced persistent corruption allegations — which he denied — as well as scrutiny because of close ties with a British-Iranian man hanged on spying charges earlier this year in Iran.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — As tensions with Iran have escalated over its nuclear program, the U.S. military this month posted pictures of a powerful bomb designed to penetrate deep into the earth and destroy underground facilities that could be used to enrich uranium.

The U.S. Air Force on May 2 released rare images of the weapon, the GBU-57, known as the “Massive Ordnance Penetrator.” Then it took the photos down — apparently because the photographs revealed sensitive details about the weapon’s composition and punch.

17 May 2023; MEMO: Jordanian authorities have handed over a wanted man to the UAE, the Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported today.

Dual Emirati-Turkish citizen, Khalaf Abdul Rahman Al-Romaithi was detained at Amman's Queen Alia International Airport on 7 May, having arrived from Turkiye where he had been living in exile following a 2013 court ruling sentencing him in absentia to 15 years in prison.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Dubai International Airport had over 21.2 million passengers pass through its terminals in the first quarter of the year, potentially nearing numbers it saw before the coronavirus pandemic grounded air traffic around the world.

The Dubai airport, the home of the long-haul carrier Emirates, is the world’s busiest for international travel and serves as a bellwether for the global aviation industry.

Abu Dhabi oil giant, ADNOC, intends to offer 15 per cent of its shares in unit ADNOC Logistics & Services (ADNOC L&S) through an initial public offering (IPO) on the Abu Dhabi stock exchange, the company said on Wednesday, Reuters reports.

According to the report, ADNOC will offer about 1.1 million shares in its maritime logistics services unit, which is expected to list on 1 June, subject to market conditions, the statement said.