UAE

DUBAI, March 26 (Reuters) - Standard Chartered (STAN.L) plans to sell its Jordanian business to Arab Jordan Investment Bank (AJIB) (AJIB.AM), the two parties said on Sunday, as the emerging markets-focused lender presses ahead with plans to exit seven markets in Africa and the Middle East.

The bank entered into an agreement with AJIB, subject to central bank approval, which will see Standard Chartered's corporate, commercial and institutional banking, consumer lending and private banking businesses migrated to AJIB.

DUBAI, March 24 (Reuters) - Emirates Airline has a "substantial" amount of ticket sale revenue trapped in Nigeria and has made only slow progress in repatriating blocked funds out of Africa's biggest economy, it said on Friday.

A day earlier Nigeria's aviation minister Hadi Sirika told reporters that the Dubai-based carrier had received most of its funds out of Nigeria and had about $35 million that still needed to be released.

23 Mar 2023; MEMO: Khaldoun Al Mubarak, a Senior Advisor to the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), President Mohammed bin Zayed, has recently visited Israel and delivered a "strongly worded message" to officials there, Israel's Kan 11 channel reported on Wednesday.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Muslim authorities in Saudi Arabia and several other Middle Eastern countries say this year’s fasting month of Ramadan will begin Thursday based on the expected sighting of the crescent moon.

Clerics across the region said the moon was not visible Tuesday night, meaning it will almost certainly appear the following evening, heralding the start of the monthlong observance.

19 Mar 2023; MEMO: Head of the Syrian regime Bashar al-Assad arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday for an official visit, the state news agency SANA reported, Anadolu reports.

Assad and his wife Asma were welcomed upon arrival at the Abu Dhabi airport by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, SANA said.

Emirati news agency WAM said the two leaders held constructive talks aimed at developing relations between the two countries.

DUBAI, March 19 (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al Assad arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday for an official visit, accompanied by his wife Asma al Assad, at a time when more Arab states have signalled openness to easing the isolation of Damascus.

The visit was marked with more ceremony than his previous trip to the UAE last year, which had been his first to an Arab state since the Syrian civil war began in 2011, when Gulf states including the UAE backed rebels fighting to overthrow Assad.

DUBAI, March 19 (Reuters) - The Iranian government has proposed to Saudi Arabia three locations for a meeting at foreign minister level, Iran's foreign minister said on Sunday, citing the latest messages with Riyadh since the countries agreed to re-establish ties.

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian told a news conference in Tehran his country had agreed to such a meeting, although he did not list the three locations or say when such a meeting might take place.

17 Mar 2023; MEMO: President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has ordered the provision of $3 million to support the reconstruction of the Palestinian town of Huwara in the occupied West Bank after it was raided by illegal Israeli settlers.

16 Mar 2023; MEMO: An Israeli security company signed a deal yesterday with United Arab Emirates (UAE)'s telecom operator Etisalat to protect its business from cyberattacks.

According to the Times of Israel, Cyberint Technologies Ltd's platform can track cybercriminals and provide real-time threat intelligence through the constant analysis of hundreds of millions of data points and ongoing monitoring of external risk exposure.

16 Mar 2023; MEMO: India and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have partnered together to further the development of each other's Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs).

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) and the Central Bank of the United Arab Emirates (CBUAE) yesterday signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly drive innovation in various financial products and services, especially in CBDCs.