Category: Latest Updates

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai The United Arab Emirates said it had dismantled a terrorist organisation inside the country and arrested its members over what authorities described as a covert plot to undermine national unity, infiltrate sensitive locations and prepare sabotage operations. Investigators said the group was tied to Iran’s Wilayat al-Faqih doctrine, while state-linked reporting in the UAE said officials had publicly identified 27 suspects as part of the case.Authorities said the organisation had moved beyond rhetoric and was

Arabian Post Staff -DubaiUAE officials used the World Bank Group and IMF Spring Meetings in Washington to press a broader case for stronger multilateral coordination, flexible fiscal policy and wider financial partnerships, as the gatherings unfolded against a darker global backdrop of slower growth, energy-market strain and rising uncertainty. The delegation, led by Mohamed bin Hadi Al Hussaini, Minister of State for Financial Affairs, said the meetings from 13 to 18 April produced concrete outcomes in bilateral and multilateral

Arabian Post Staff -DubaiPrestige One Developments has begun handing over Vista, a 140-home residential project in Dubai Sports City, marking a delivery milestone for the developer as it expands construction activity across the emirate. The handover comes as Prestige One says it has more than 20 active developments under way and about 2,500 residential units under construction, underscoring how mid-sized developers are trying to convert off-plan momentum into completed stock at a time when Dubai’s property market is balancing

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai The Integrated Transport Centre, an affiliate of Abu Dhabi’s Department of Municipalities and Transport, has held its annual ceremony to honour strategic partners, using the event to spotlight the role of public-private collaboration in shaping the emirate’s transport ambitions. The gathering in Abu Dhabi came as the transport authority continues to widen its work with technology firms, mobility operators and infrastructure partners across road, maritime and advanced mobility projects.The ceremony was framed not simply as a recognition

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Commercial shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remained far from normal on Friday evening even after Tehran said the waterway was open to all merchant traffic, with ship-tracking data showing a cluster of vessels moving towards the passage before many stopped or turned back. The movements underlined the gap between Iran’s political signal and the shipping industry’s assessment of operational risk across one of the world’s most sensitive maritime chokepoints.Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai UAE equities closed higher on Friday, extending a second straight week of gains as traders responded to signs that Washington and Tehran may keep diplomatic channels open, lifting sentiment across Gulf markets and pushing Dubai to its highest level in about six weeks. Dubai outpaced Abu Dhabi, with buying concentrated in banking and property names as investors weighed the prospect of lower geopolitical risk around the Strait of Hormuz and the wider region.Dubai’s main share

Arabian Post Staff -DubaiAbu Dhabi has moved to expand lower-cost rental housing through a new partnership between the Department of Municipalities and Transport and Aldar, with the two sides planning about 9,000 value housing units across Mohamed Bin Zayed City and Baniyas in a scheme aimed at easing pressure on tenants and broadening access to professionally managed homes. The projects, announced on 17 April, sit within the government’s Value Housing Programme and carry a gross development value of AED2.8

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Oil prices fell sharply on Friday after Iran’s foreign minister said the Strait of Hormuz would remain open to commercial shipping during a ceasefire, easing immediate fears of a prolonged choke on one of the world’s most important energy routes. Brent crude and US West Texas Intermediate both tumbled by more than 11% at one stage of trading, as investors unwound risk premiums that had built up during weeks of conflict and supply disruption.The market

Arabian Post Staff -DubaiEmirates and Wesgro have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at increasing inbound travel to Cape Town and the Western Cape, giving the province a fresh marketing and air-connectivity push at a time when South Africa’s visitor numbers have climbed above pre-pandemic levels. The agreement was formalised on 16 April on the sidelines of World Travel Market Africa in Cape Town and was signed by Afzal Parambil, Emirates’ regional manager for Southern Africa, and Wrenelle Stander,

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai has completed its first purpose-built station for electric vertical take-off and landing air taxis near Dubai International Airport, marking a tangible step in the emirate’s bid to introduce commercial aerial taxi services before the end of 2026. The four-storey facility, presented by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is designed as the main operational hub for a new urban air mobility network that officials say will connect major parts of the city in

Arabian Post Staff -DubaiAbu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan used meetings in Beijing with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang to push the UAE-China relationship deeper into energy, investment, technology and industrial cooperation, as both sides sought to align long-term economic goals with a more volatile regional backdrop. The visit, which ran from April 12 to April 14, also carried diplomatic weight as China sharpened its focus on Gulf stability and the

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Sequoia Capital has raised about $7 billion for a new fund, giving one of Silicon Valley’s best-known venture firms fresh firepower to back its largest and most expensive bets, especially in artificial intelligence, according to people familiar with the discussions. The fundraising marks the first major capital raise under the firm’s newer leadership era and arrives as investor appetite has swung sharply toward a small cluster of frontier technology companies commanding enormous valuations.The size of

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai has moved to widen the role of small and medium-sized enterprises in its property market after Dubai SME and Dubai Land Department signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at giving entrepreneurs greater access to owners’ associations and real-estate operations, as the emirate pushes ahead with a broader strategy to deepen private-sector participation in one of its strongest growth industries.The agreement, announced on 16 April, links Dubai SME, which operates under the Dubai Department of

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai has moved to protect its standing as a fast-rising hedge fund centre by giving financial firms more room to handle disruption linked to the Iran war, as market volatility, staffing strains and geopolitical risk test one of the emirate’s most carefully cultivated growth stories. The Dubai Financial Services Authority said on 9 April it would offer temporary, proportionate relief across licensing, governance, staffing, reporting and selected regulatory timelines, while keeping underlying supervisory standards unchanged.The

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Object 1 has made its first formal move into Abu Dhabi with the launch of A1LA Residence on Al Reem Island, a 171-unit residential tower that signals the developer’s intention to build a longer-term presence in the capital rather than test the market with a one-off scheme. The project, announced on Thursday, is set on one of Abu Dhabi’s busiest apartment investment corridors and comes months after the company opened its first sales gallery in the

Arabian Post Staff -DubaiParkin Company has teamed up with SP Corporation Car Parking Management, which operates as Secure Parking, in a deal aimed at speeding the spread of barrierless parking across the UAE after the two companies brought a fully integrated system into operation at City Walk in Dubai. The partners say they have identified a pipeline of more than 60,000 parking spaces for possible future collaboration, turning a single-site deployment into one of the country’s larger smart parking

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai EDGE Group and Indra Group have agreed to explore the development and production of next-generation radar systems in Brazil, extending a defence partnership that has widened from the Gulf into Europe and now Latin America. The memorandum of understanding was signed at LAAD Security 2026 in São Paulo, where both companies said the plan is intended to help build a domestic radar production base with technology transfer and skilled industrial jobs tied to Brazil’s defence sector.

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Aldar Properties has closed an AED 5 billion five-year syndicated sustainability-linked revolving credit facility, giving Abu Dhabi’s biggest listed developer a fresh layer of financial flexibility as it pushes ahead with expansion across development, investment properties and strategic capital partnerships. The senior unsecured facility, structured across conventional and Islamic tranches in dirhams and US dollars, lifts Aldar’s total available liquidity to AED 38.2 billion, including AED 13.9 billion in cash and AED 24.4 billion in undrawn committed

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Qatar’s finance minister has warned that the world economy faces a far sharper hit from the Middle East conflict than markets have yet absorbed, saying the oil-price surge seen so far is only an early sign of wider damage that could spread through energy, food and industrial supply chains by May or June. Speaking at the IMF and World Bank spring meetings in Washington on Wednesday, Ali bin Ahmed Al Kuwari said the impact would reach far

Arabian Post Staff -DubaiMarine fuel sales at Fujairah fell to a record low in March as the US-Iran conflict upended shipping patterns, strained fuel supply chains and pushed vessels to avoid one of the Gulf’s most important refuelling hubs. Data cited by traders and market reports showed sales at the port dropped to 158,852 cubic metres, down more than 70 per cent from February and from the same month a year earlier, underlining how sharply activity weakened at a

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Gold prices steadied on Wednesday after touching a one-month high earlier in the session, with traders weighing the pull of geopolitical risk against tentative signs that Washington and Tehran could return to the negotiating table within days. The metal’s pause came as broader markets turned cautious, reflecting uncertainty over whether diplomacy will gain traction or merely offer a brief respite in a conflict that has already rattled energy routes and unsettled global investors.Spot gold eased modestly to

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Global smartphone shipments fell in the first quarter, ending the run of growth that had followed the sector’s rebound from its 2023 downturn, as a squeeze in memory supply and higher component prices forced brands to trim volumes, raise prices and rethink launch plans. IDC said worldwide shipments declined 4.1 per cent in the January-March period, while Samsung and Apple were the only top-five vendors to post growth.The setback marks an early sign that 2026

Arabian Post Staff -DubaiSaudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has stepped up its backing of Lucid Group with a fresh $550 million investment through affiliate Ayar Third Investment Company, extending the sovereign wealth fund’s role as the electric vehicle maker’s financial anchor at a time when Lucid is trying to stabilise cash burn, repair operational strains and broaden its commercial reach. The commitment forms part of a wider capital raise of about $1.05 billion announced by Lucid, which also includes

Arabian Post Staff -DubaiDubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism has signed a strategic agreement with HSBC Bank Middle East Limited aimed at drawing more multinational companies, institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals to the emirate, in a move that fits Dubai’s wider push to deepen capital inflows and strengthen its standing as a global business centre. The agreement was announced on April 13 and positions HSBC’s regional and international network alongside Dubai’s investment promotion machinery to support companies and investors

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Al Ansari Exchange has expanded its partnership with Etihad Credit Bureau, enabling individuals to obtain official credit reports through more than 285 branches across the UAE in a move that broadens physical access to personal financial data and underlines a wider push towards transparency in consumer finance.The service marks an extension of a relationship that had already covered corporate credit reports, and it arrives as financial institutions and regulators place greater emphasis on informed borrowing,

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Countries should avoid hoarding fuel supplies and imposing export controls that deepen shortages, the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and International Energy Agency said in Washington on Monday, as war-linked disruption in the Middle East drove oil back above $100 a barrel and sharpened fears over inflation, growth and food security. The three institutions issued the warning while opening a coordinated response aimed at limiting the spillover from what the IEA described as the biggest shock

Arabian Post Staff -DubaiGlobal bond markets fell on Monday as the collapse of US-Iran peace talks shifted investor attention away from hopes of de-escalation and back towards a harsher inflation outlook, with oil above $100 a barrel reinforcing bets that central banks will keep borrowing costs elevated for longer. Government bond yields moved higher across major markets as traders reassessed how persistent energy-driven price pressure could alter the path of monetary policy in the United States, Europe and parts

Arabian Post Staff -DubaiAD Ports Group is accelerating its effort to turn itself from a Gulf port operator into a broader trade and logistics network, using expansion in Egypt, Africa, Pakistan and the Mediterranean to win a larger role in global supply chains as companies seek more resilient routes and integrated cargo services.For the Abu Dhabi-based group, 2025 marked another year of record financial growth. Revenue rose 20 per cent to AED 20.8 billion, net profit increased 17 per

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority said a temporary technical issue disrupted services across multiple channels on Sunday, affecting access to its app and website and triggering complaints from users who said they were unable to complete tasks such as parking payments. The authority said its team was working to restore services as quickly as possible, while asking customers for understanding as the problem was addressed.The outage quickly drew attention because the RTA’s digital platforms sit

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai World Trade Centre Free Zone has partnered with Wio Bank to give businesses setting up or operating in the zone faster access to digital banking services, in a move aimed at easing one of the more persistent bottlenecks faced by new companies in the emirate: opening and managing a bank account during the early stages of incorporation.The agreement, announced on April 13, is structured as a memorandum of understanding under which eligible firms registered,

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has unveiled one of its largest single-market expansions in years, adding five mainland China destinations and 28 weekly flights as it deepens its joint venture with China Eastern Airlines and sharpens its focus on a corridor carrying growing weight in trade, tourism and cargo. The move will lift Etihad’s mainland China operation to 35 weekly services across six gateways, including its existing daily Beijing Daxing flight.The new routes from Zayed International

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Central Bank of the UAE has appointed financial software group VERMEG to develop a central securities depository solution, a move that places the monetary authority more directly inside the country’s post-trade market infrastructure and signals a broader push to tighten the links between payments, settlement and capital markets. The announcement was made on 13 April, with CBUAE saying the project is intended to strengthen market infrastructure and support safer, more efficient securities services.The plan matters

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Saudi Arabia has restored full pumping capacity on its East-West pipeline to about seven million barrels a day, reactivating a strategic export artery that has become central to global crude flows during the disruption of shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. The Ministry of Energy said operational and technical teams brought the line back to full strength within days of attacks that had cut throughput and damaged other parts of the kingdom’s energy system.The announcement

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai University of Sharjah has opened a conference on intellectual security and social media, placing the debate over online influence, youth vulnerability and responsible digital engagement at the centre of its academic agenda as governments, universities and religious scholars grapple with the speed at which harmful narratives can spread online.The event, organised by the College of Sharia and Islamic Studies through its Forum for Intellectual Security in Islam, is titled Safeguarding Intellectual Security on Social Media: