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☆ Jailed, deported and blacklisted: Qatar's outspoken World Cup guards
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Andrew Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Qatar's international media office confirmed that approximately 200 employees of Stark Security, which hired Maganga, were involved in a protest in January. Labour rights charity Equidem has documented the deportation of 38 former Stark Security guards to Kenya, India, Pakistan and Nepal. Qatar's media office said Stark would be penalized for violating the labour law. Rights groups had warned that security workers were especially vulnerable during the World Cup. Qatar's media office said the state has established "new channels for reporting grievances," which labour activists criticise as favouring employers.

☆ Factbox: Stampede highlights Yemen's dire humanitarian crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Houthis have faced criticism from humanitarian organisations for impeding aid movement, which has also led to concern from donor states. HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCEIn 2023, some 21 million people, or two thirds of Yemen's population, will need humanitarian aid and protection, according to the United Nations. The U.N. humanitarian plan requires $4.3 billion this year to reach the 17 million most vulnerable people. ECONOMYThe conflict has destroyed Yemen's economy and the national poverty rate was estimated at about 80% in 2022, according to the United Nations. Acute food insecurity in Yemen is driven by rising food prices and dwindling livelihoods and economic opportunities.

[1/4] Head of the Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, meets with Saudi and Omani delegations at the Republican Palace in Sanaa, Yemen April 9, 2023. Another Houthi official, Abdulmalik Alejri, said on Twitter that "with determination and honest intentions remaining difficulties can be resolved". STICKING POINTSTwo Yemeni sources, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said the parties could agree on an extended truce deal as they work out remaining differences. The United Nations and the PLC are not directly part of the Saudi-Houthi talks. The PLC was created to solidify the anti-Houthi bloc but has been beset by differences among Yemeni factions.

☆ Yemen's slide into political crisis and war
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

* 1994: Civil war in which Saleh prevents south, angered by what it sees as its lower status, from splitting with north. The Houthis seize the capital Sanaa in September 2014 with help from Saleh and demand a share of power. * 2015: Hadi tries to announce a new federal constitution opposed by the Iran-aligned Houthis and Saleh, who arrest him. He escapes, pursued by the Houthis, triggering Saudi intervention in March at the head of a military coalition. The coalition drives the Houthis and Saleh loyalists from Aden in south Yemen and from Marib, northeast of Sanaa.

☆ Houthi official says Saudi Arabia freed 13 detainees
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-08 | by ( Mohammed Alghobari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Aden, April 8 (Reuters) - An official of Yemen's Houthi movement said on Saturday the group had received 13 detainees released by Saudi Arabia in exchange for a Saudi detainee freed earlier, ahead of a wider prisoner exchange agreed by the warring sides. Houthi official Abdul Qader al-Mortada said on Twitter the 13 detainees had arrived in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, which is held by the Iranian -aligned Houthi group that has been battling a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia since 2015. At talks in Switzerland last month attended by the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross, Yemen's Saudi-backed government and the Houthis agreed to free 887 detainees. A visit by Saudi officials would indicate progress in Oman-mediated talks between Riyadh and the Houthis, which run in parallel to U.N. peace efforts, as well as a reduction in tensions after Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore relations. The Yemen conflict is widely seen as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.

☆ Analysis: Saudi crown prince acts to realign Mideast dynamics amid concern over US support
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-03 | by ( Aziz El Yaakoubi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

"Saudi Arabia is moving from disengagement towards engagement to allow it to focus on pushing ahead on Vision 2030," said Saudi analyst Abdulaziz Sager. A Saudi official said the United States and China are both very important partners for Riyadh. Washington and Riyadh are working on addressing common security challenges, he said. "The Saudis don’t want to be in a shooting war between Iran and the United States. Shadi Hamid of the Brookings Institution in Washington said Saudi Arabia's view that the U.S. is increasingly disengaged from the region is not entirely wrong.

Sheikh Mohammed, who became president and Abu Dhabi ruler last year after running the U.S.-allied OPEC oil producer for years, named his brother Sheikh Mansour as UAE vice president, alongside Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. This appeared to further centralise power in Abu Dhabi, which is the political capital by virtue of its immense oil wealth, of the UAE federation of seven emirates. Abu Dhabi has held the presidency since the founding of the UAE federation by Sheikh Mohammed's father in 1971. Sheikh Mohammed, known as MbZ, had been grooming his son in positions of authority in security - including intelligence - economy and governance, analysts say. Earlier this month, Sheikh Tahnoun was named chair of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, among the world's largest sovereign wealth funds.

☆ Emirates airline says 'substantial' ticket revenue trapped in Nigeria
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Ghaida Ghantous | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

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. Emirates declined to say how much was trapped in Nigeria, but a spokesperson said about half of the amount in its backlog was overdue for repatriation and that the process "remains beset with constant delays". Nigeria is withholding $743 million in revenue earned by international carriers operating in the country, the highest amount owed by any nation, global airline industry association IATA said last week. Oil is Nigeria's biggest foreign exchange earner, but rampant crude theft in the Niger Delta and years of under-investment have hit output and strained government finances. For a few months last year, Angola overtook Nigeria as Africa's biggest oil producer and exporter.

☆ Syria's Assad arrives in United Arab Emirates in official visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] Syria's President Bashar al-Assad meets with President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates March 19, 2023. Hamad Al Kaabi/UAE Presidential Court/Handout via REUTERSDUBAI, 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. "We held constructive talks aimed at developing relations between our two countries," Sheikh Mohammed later said in a Twitter post. The Syrian presidency said Asma al Assad, on her first known official visit abroad with Assad since 2011, would meet with Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak who is the Emirati president's mother and regarded in the UAE as the "Mother of the Nation". Saudi Arabia, Qatar and, to a lesser extent the UAE, once backed rebels against Assad.

☆ Kuwait court reinstates previous parliament
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-19 | by ( Ahmed Hagagy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

KUWAIT, March 19 (Reuters) - Kuwait's Constitutional Court on Sunday ruled that last September's parliamentary election, in which the opposition made gains, was void and that the previous assembly must be reinstated. Kuwait's crown prince last year dissolved parliament and called early polls in an effort to end prolonged domestic political feuding that has hindered fiscal reform. However, Justice Mohammad bin Naji on Sunday said the court had declared that dissolution of parliament as void and had annulled the early elections held in September. "The constitutional authority of the dissolved parliament shall be restored as of the date of this ruling," he told the court session attended by reporters. "Kuwait does not deserve such farces," MP Saleh Ashour said on Twitter after the court ruling.

☆ Iran's behaviour will be under microscope in coming months, say Saudi columnists
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

RIYADH, March 12 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia will watch Iran's behaviour during the two-month window agreed upon to restore relations, Saudi columnists said on Sunday, reflecting continued wariness in the longtime rivalry between the region's Sunni Muslim and Shi'ite powers. Gulf states have grown increasingly disillusioned with key ally and security guarantor the United States, including over global powers' 2015 nuclear pact with Iran which they deemed flawed for not tackling Iran's missile programme and proxies. "It is natural to have diplomatic ties even if at a low level because Iran's expansionist approach has created many touch points with Saudi Arabia....(But) we have to keep our eyes open," wrote Saudi columnist Tariq al-Homayed. The United States has voiced reservations about deepening ties between Gulf states and its economic rival China, whose president attended a Gulf summit in Riyadh last year at a time of severe strains in the strategic U.S.-Saudi relationship. Riyadh and Abu Dhabi have repeatedly said they are looking to diversify their strategic partners while pressing Washington for concrete commitments to regional security.

☆ Saudi Arabia deposits $5 bln in Turkey's central bank - statement
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI, March 6 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has signed an agreement with Turkey to deposit $5 billion in the country's central bank through the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), the fund said on Monday. Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed Bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan announced his country's intention to make the deposit in December. The Turkish central bank's net international reserves fell some $1.4 billion to $20.2 billion in the week to Feb. 24, data from the bank showed on Thursday. The Saudi deposit follows joint efforts by Ankara and Riyadh to mend ties that were ruptured after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018 at the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul. The deposit was signed between SFD Chairman Ahmed Aqeel Al-Khateeb, who is also Saudi Arabia's tourism minister, and Turkish Central Bank Governor Sahap Kavcioglu, the SFD statement said.

☆ Kuwait re-appoints Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf al-Sabah as PM - state news agency
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

KUWAIT, March 5 (Reuters) - Kuwait's crown prince re-appointed Sheikh Ahmad Nawaf al-Sabah as prime minister and asked him to nominate a cabinet, state news agency KUNA reported on Sunday, more than a month after the government resigned due to renewed friction with parliament. Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah, who has taken over most of the ruling emir's duties, moved last year to end feuding by naming Sheikh Ahmad as premier, dissolving parliament and calling early polls, in which opposition members made gains. Kuwait bans political parties but has given its legislature more influence than similar bodies in other Gulf monarchies. While Kuwait has strong fiscal and external balance sheets, frequent political bickering and institutional gridlock have hampered investment and reforms aimed at reducing its heavy reliance on oil revenues. Reporting by Mahmoud Mourad; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Qatar’s emir criticises delay in aid to earthquake victims in Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DOHA, March 5 (Reuters) - Qatar's emir said on Sunday he was puzzled by the delay in delivering aid to victims of last month's earthquake in Syria, adding that it was wrong to abuse humanitarian aid for political purposes, in an apparent swipe at the Syrian government. The death toll in Turkey has risen to above 45,000, bringing the total toll including Syria to about 51,000. In Syria, the northwest region controlled by rebels at war with President Bashar al-Assad was the worst hit. The United Nations has called for access by all parties in Syria, already devastated by years of civil war, in order to scale up aid deliveries. Other aid agencies say hardline rebels have blocked aid deliveries from government-held parts of Syria, further complicating efforts.

HODEIDAH, Yemen, Feb 26 (Reuters) - A container ship carrying general commercial goods docked at Yemen's main port of Hodeidah for the first time since at least 2016 on Saturday as parties in Yemen's eight-year war are in talks to reinstate an expired U.N.-brokered truce deal. Goods arriving at Hodeidah have to be vetted by a U.N. body established to prevent arms shipments from entering Yemen. In the past seven years, Djibouti-based UNVIM has given approval only to ships carrying specific goods like foodstuffs, fuel and cooking oil. Port officials said the SHEBELLE, which according to ship tracking data is an Ethiopian-flagged general cargo ship, was given clearance by United Nations inspection body, the Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen (UNVIM). [1/2] Commercial ships are docked at the Houthi-held Red Sea port of Hodeidah, Yemen February 25, 2023.

☆ Oman opens airspace, joining Saudi in Israeli airline corridor
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Feb 23 (Reuters) - Oman's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Thursday said the Gulf Arab state's airspace will be open for all civilian carriers, a move that would enable Israeli airlines to utilise a Saudi-Oman corridor to cut flight times to Asia. Saudi Arabia, which like Oman does not have formal ties with Israel, last summer said it would open its airspace to all air carriers, but Israeli officials had said the corridor could not be implemented until Oman consented. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen on Thursday thanked Oman's ruler Sultan Haitham bin Tariq al-Said and described it as a "historic decision that will shorten the route to Asia, lower costs for Israelis and help Israeli airlines be more competitive". Israeli flag carrier El Al (ELAL.TA) said that beyond shortening current flight times, it would now examine opening new routes to Australia and restarting flights to India. Israel's foreign ministry said the corridor would shorten the flight route by more than two hours to some Asian destinations.

The senior source familiar with Syrian government thinking said that the UAE role in persuading Assad should not be underestimated. A Syrian source close to the Gulf said the UAE had used its "soft power" on Assad and a Turkish official also said the UAE had played a part in persuading him. Moscow has tussled with Western states repeatedly at the Security Council over cross-border aid into Syria, arguing it violates Syria's sovereignty. Other Arab states, including U.S. allies, have also moved to normalise ties with Assad. The UAE official said there was an "urgent need to strengthen the Arab role in Syria".

☆ Arab states need new approach towards Syria, says Saudi foreign minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud's remarks at a Munich security forum on Saturday mark a shift from the early years of Syria's 12-year civil war when several Arab states including Saudi Arabia backed rebels that fought Bashar al-Assad. "You will see not just among the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) but in the Arab world there is a consensus growing that the status quo is not workable," he said. Shunned by the West, Assad has been basking in an outpouring of support from Arab states that have normalised ties with him in recent years, notably the United Arab Emirates which aims for Arab influence in Syria to counter that of Iran. Assad has recovered control of most of Syria with support from Russia along with Iran and Iranian-backed Sh'ite Muslim groups such as Lebanon's Hezbollah. The UAE has been pressing for re-engagement with Damascus, despite opposition from the United States which has imposed sanctions on Syria that remain a complicating factor.

☆ Exclusive: UAE's Jaber says keeping 1.5 Celsius goal 'alive' is top priority for COP28
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Maha El Dahan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Jaber's appointment fuelled activist concern that big industry was hijacking the world's response to the global warming crisis. "I have no intention whatsoever of deviating from the 1.5 goal," Jaber said in his first interview since being assigned the role. "Keeping 1.5 alive is a top priority and it will cut across everything I do." As COP28 president, Jaber will help shape the conference agenda and intergovernmental negotiations. "How about for once we capitalise on everybody's capabilities and strengths and fight climate change rather than going after each other," he said when asked about the criticism.

Shunned by the West, Assad has been basking in an outpouring of support from Arab states that have normalised ties with him in recent years, notably the United Arab Emirates (UAE). On Tuesday, Saudi Arabia sent its first reported plane of aid to Assad-controlled Aleppo, a notable gesture from a Gulf state still at odds with Syria's president. 'BREAK THE SIEGE'The UAE has pledged $50 million in aid to Syria, without saying in which part of Syria it will be spent. Once a backer of Assad's foes, the UAE has been pressing other Arab states to re-engage with Damascus, according to two Gulf sources, despite opposition from its strategic ally the United States. Tunisia, which cut off ties with Syria a decade ago, has said it will strengthen relations with Damascus since the quake.

☆ WTO director general: dispute settlement reform a 'priority'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Ghaida Ghantous | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

DUBAI Feb 13 (Reuters) - The World Trade Organization's director general said on Monday that reforming the body's dispute settlement system is a "priority." When asked whether reforming the process would be a focus of the remainder of her term, which ends in 2025, WTO Director General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said "Absolutely. The WTO's trade dispute arbitration system, which rules on top disputes, has been stalled for more than two years due to Trump-era blockages of adjudicator appointments. Under President Joe Biden, Washington has resisted calls by WTO members to approve appointments and has instead been leading negotiations on how to reboot the WTO's dispute system. The United States has criticized the WTO's alleged overreach and lengthy processes and it has strongly contested some of its recent rulings against the United States.

☆ IMF chief says markets have good reasons to be more upbeat on economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI Feb 13 (Reuters) - The head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Monday that financial markets have good reason to be more upbeat, pointing to the U.S. economy likely avoiding recession and China's reopening from pandemic controls. Positive factors were resilient U.S. and EU labour markets, China's reopening and "surprisingly good results of central banks tightening up financial conditions and inflation finally trimming down, although the fight is not yet won", she added. Asked whether there would be more doses of monetary tightening, Georgieva said the Fund expected monetary tightening this year but did not project it would continue "way into" 2024. The IMF chief was speaking in an onstage interview at the annual summit hosted by Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Georgieva lauded Gulf Arab oil and gas producers for "relentlessly" pursuing fiscal reforms, including diversifying revenue sources by introducing new taxes.

☆ M.East/N.Africa region needs to bolster fiscal resilience -IMF
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

DUBAI, Feb 12 (Reuters) - The head of the International Monetary Fund said on Sunday that public debt in some Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries is of concern and that governments need to build resilience through fiscal policies to protect against shocks. Kristalina Georgieva, addressing an Arab Fiscal Forum in Dubai, said the earthquake that devastated large parts of Syria and Turkey "brought tremendous tragedy on people but also very significant impact on the Turkish economy". "So we have to build more resilience to these shocks," she said. The IMF forecast last month that economic growth in the MENA region will slow to 3.2% this year, before ticking up to 3.5% in 2024. Reporting by Yousef Saba and Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Susan FentonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pakistan ex-President Pervez Musharraf dies in Dubai after years in exile
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/7] Pakistan's General Pervez Musharraf salutes during the playing of Pakistan's national anthem at the Joint Staff Headquarters in Rawalpindi November 27, 2007. REUTERS/Mian KhursheedISLAMABAD, Feb 5 (Reuters) - Pakistani former President Pervez Musharraf died on Sunday following a prolonged illness at a hospital in Dubai, after years in self-imposed exile. Musharraf joined what Washington called its "war on terror" after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. This made Musharraf a target for militants in Pakistan as well as causing him to lose support among conservative elements in Pakistan. Allowed abroad for medical treatment even as he faced a treason case in Pakistan, Musharraf last flew to Dubai in 2016.

☆ ADNOC eyes valuation of at least $50 bln for its gas business - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Hadeel Al Sayegh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The state oil giant announced in November it was combining its gas processing arm and its liquefied natural gas (LNG) subsidiary into a single listed entity. ADNOC is eyeing a valuation of at least $50 billion for ADNOC Gas, though deliberations over valuations have not finalised and the company is yet to determine the size of the offering, said the sources close to the matter, declining to be named as the matter is not public. They said an initial public offering of ADNOC Gas could launch as soon as February, ahead of a slowdown in market activity during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan which begins end of March. At $50 billion and above, ADNOC Gas' valuation would be broadly comparable to Italian energy group Eni (ENI.MI), U.S. Over the past two years, ADNOC listed petrochemicals company Borouge (BOROUGE.AD), fertilisers and clean ammonia products maker Fertiglobe (FERTIGLOBE.AD) and ADNOC Drilling (ADNOCDRILL.AD).

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