UAE-backed deal could be disastrous for UK government and freedom of press, opponents say. MPs have attacked the proposed UAE-backed takeover of the Telegraph newspapers, warning that it is impossible to “separate sheikh and state” and calling for further investigations to be launched before the deal “turns into a disaster for the government”. Julia Lopez,...
The United Arab Emirates has dispatched an ambassador to Damascus for the first time since the Syrian civil war erupted in 2011, Syria’s state media reported today, in a new signal of Syria’s warming ties with the Arab region, Reuters reports. Incoming Emirati envoy Hassan Al-Shehi presented his credentials to Syria’s Foreign Affair Minister Faysal Al-Meqdad at...
Can petrostates lead the world in the transition away from fossil fuels? The all-male committee panel for this year’s 29th summit of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Azerbaijan has included 12 women in response to international criticisms, which some perceive as a sign of the inexperienced climate leadership in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan’s success in...
China’s human rights record faced rare public scrutiny at the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva last week, and while Beijing was able to lobby some countries from the Global South to praise human rights conditions in the country, analysts and advocates say its charm offensive has had a limited effect. “A lot of governments...
While December 2023 saw the global spotlight on Dubai for the COP28, Abu Dhabi discreetly conducted the second-largest political mass trial in the UAE’s history, known as the “UAE87” in a complete absence of media coverage. On December 7, 2023, the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal held its first hearing of a new mass trial involving...
As the U.S. opioid crisis spirals further out of control, and threatens to engulf Europe, the U.S. government has been scrambling in recent weeks for solutions. Some are sensible, if misguided, such as the Biden administration’s “fentanyl strike force” within the Treasury Department to aggressively scrutinize the finances of suspected narcotics dealers. Others, such as...
Projects covering 10% of Zambia & Liberia’s land have been signed with a UAE-based company. Over the last year, the carbon offset industry has faced a barrage of investigations on instances of abuse and attracted disapproval from multiple quarters. The spotlight now is on the development of United Nations-based markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement and new...
Russian defense exports agency Rosoboronexport has said it wants to establish drone production facilities in the Middle Eastern region, including the UAE, as Moscow attempts to grab market share in a region it deems receptive to the idea. State-owned Russian media agency TASS cited the export agency as saying it would make overtures to regional...
National security concerns focus on arm of Vodafone that provides sensitive tech to government departments and agencies. Vodafone should be forced to spin off its most sensitive activities in order to quash national security concerns raised by a United Arab Emirates-backed telecoms group swooping on its shares, government officials have told the Guardian. The deputy...
There are mounting concerns in Armenia and among Armenians regarding a controversial land lease agreement in East Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter, with many fearing the issue goes well beyond just a commercial deal. In 2021, a land leasing agreement was signed between the Armenian Patriarchate and a private company owned by a Jewish Australian investor for...