United Arab Emirates - AL-MONITOR: The Middle Eastʼs leading independent news source since 2012

UAE cover image

United Arab Emirates

October 29, 2026

Abu Dhabi 1:22 pm

34°C

Dock workers load and unload shipping containers in the Port of Montreal in Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Canada, UAE sign trade pact as Ottawa seeks to diversify beyond US

The agreement is set to broadly lift tariffs on key products as Canadian officials hope to boost bilateral trade to $7 billion within a decade.

United Arab Emirates

FADEL SENNA / AFP via Getty Images

UAE battles tanker oil spill as war's environmental toll mounts

Gulf oil spills have become more frequent since the beginning of the US-Israel-Iran war on Feb. 28.

United Arab Emirates

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 23: Permanent Representative of the UAE to the United Nations Ambassador Lana Nusseibeh speaks during a meeting on February 23, 2023 at U.N. Headquarters in New York City. The Security Council met to discuss international peace and security issues. The General Assembly continues its Eleventh Emergency Special Session on Ukraine to resume introductions on a new draft resolution and two proposed amendments on the eve of the one year anniversary of the start of the war in Ukraine.

UAE nominates Lana Nusseibeh for UN secretary-general: What to know

Nusseibeh, who is of Palestinian descent, would become the second Middle Eastern person to serve as UN secretary-general after Boutros Boutros-Ghali and the first woman to hold the position.

United Arab Emirates

Latest News

Macron secures Gulf diesel supplies as France grapples with fuel costs, unrest

Benoit Tessier / AFP via Getty Images

Former Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar sues Netanyahu for nearly $1M over Oct. 7 claims

Israel's Chief of the Mossad David Barnea (R) and Security Agency director Ronen Bar, attend a ceremony marking the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7 last year that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza, at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem on October 27, 2024. (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN / POOL / AFP) (Photo by GIL COHEN-MAGEN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Explainer

IMF projects Gulf rebound in 2027. Can energy production keep pace?

TOPSHOT - Smoke rises from the direction of an energy installation in the Gulf emirate of Fujairah on March 14, 2026. Smoke could be seen rising from the direction of a major UAE energy installation on March 14, in what appeared to be the latest strike targeting the Gulf's petroleum facilities hours after the US struck Iran's Kharg Island. (Photo by AFP via Getty Images) /

Analysis

How Manchester City fallout tests Gulf’s global investment model

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Manchester City's Emirati owner and UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed

Samuel Wendel

By Samuel Wendel

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Samuel Wendel

Senior Analyst, Middle East Business & Tech

In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech

Adam Lucente

News and Business Correspondent

In New York City, reporting on regional news, militancy, climate change

Jack Dutton

Chief Business Correspondent

In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech

Sabena Siddiqui

In Karachi, reporting on South Asia, Middle East, Iran

Vanessa Ghanem

In Dubai, reporting on business, energy and politics

Mohammed Soliman

In Washington, DC, reporting on Gulf politics

Cryptocurrency

Analysis

Dubai's cryptocurrency regulator issues new rules for metaverse, virtual assets

New laws in Dubai define the rules for trading virtual assets and operating in the metaverse, including explain how to lend/borrow and remit virtual assets — as well as fines for some violations.

By Salim A. Essaid

Kraken

Cryptocurrency exchange Kraken closes Abu Dhabi office

Emirati officials are still bullish about the future of cryptocurrency, but the crash in the market has hit the UAE hard.

Saudi Arabia's Minister of Energy Abdulaziz bin Salman looks on during a press conference after the 45th Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee and the 33rd OPEC and non-OPEC Ministerial Meeting in Vienna, Austria, on October 5, 2022. (Photo by VLADIMIR SIMICEK/AFP via Getty Images)

OPEC+ likely to maintain oil output at meeting, in gesture to US

While the OPEC+ group is expected to maintain oil production at its virtual meeting set for Feb. 1, global demand for oil is estimated to reach a record high in 2023.

A list of the top restaurants in the Middle East and North Africa.

Culture

Restaurants in Dubai, Tel Aviv, Amman among top 50 in region

Dubai’s Orfali Bros Bistro is No. 1. on The World's 50 Best Restaurants in the Middle East. It was founded by three Syrian brothers from Aleppo.

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Cruise ship terminal opens in Jordan’s port of Aqaba

The agreement with Abu Dhabi’s AD Ports Group could help bolster Jordan’s tourism sector.

FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images

UAE defends crypto push at World Economic Forum amid FTX fallout

Emirati Minister Omar Sultan Al Olama discussed Samuel Bankman-Fried’s infamous trip to Dubai, cryptocurrency regulation, decentralized finance and more in Davos.

HALLDOR KOLBEINS/AFP via Getty Images

UAE to store carbon dioxide in rocks

The carbon mineralization project is part of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company's $15 billion investment in decarbonization initiatives.

Stock Market Exchange on a skyscraper in dubai background - Getty / stock photo

UAE announces new guidance to control money laundering

The United Arab Emirates has been working to counter money laundering since being added to the Financial Action Task Force’s “grey list” in 2022.

Libya migrants

Explainer: Interpol nabs alleged Libya-based trafficker

The UAE assisted in the task force to arrest Kidane Zekarias Habtemariam, who allegedly extorted migrants through a camp in Libya. The North African country is a major embarking point for irregular sea voyages to Europe.

Burj Khalifa

UAE offers corporate tax orientation as implementation nears

The Gulf state decided last year to start taxing business profits and the new tax will go into effect this June.

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP via Getty Images

Uber Travel now available in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt

The American ride-hailing giant faces significant competition in the Middle East and North Africa, but continues to expand in the region.

Sultan Ahmed al-Jaber, Emirati minister of state and CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, speaks during the opening ceremony of the 24th World Energy Congress, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Sept. 9, 2019.

Abu Dhabi to invest $15 billion in decarbonization

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s interest in carbon capture and hydrogen is not new, and is part of a wider shift in the United Arab Emirates.