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

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United Arab Emirates

February 8, 2026

Abu Dhabi 10:00 pm

23°C

Participants visit the Token 2049 crypto conference in Dubai on May 1, 2025.

Crypto crash collides with UAE’s big bet on digital assets

After hitting record highs in 2025, Bitcoin’s sell-off is roiling global markets and making waves in the UAE.

United Arab Emirates

US Department of State's senior advisor to the president for Arab and African Affairs Massad Fares Boulos attends the Sudan Humanitarian Fund event at the Institute of Peace in Washington, on Feb. 3, 2026.

US says Sudan warring parties back withdrawal plan as donors pledge $700M in aid

State Department senior adviser Massad Boulos announced Tuesday that a "comprehensive peace plan" has been approved by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, though it still needs to be approved by Sudan's warring parties.

Diplomatic advisor to the United Arab Emirates President Anwar Gargash (C) react on stage with Former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L) and Atlantic Council President and CEO Frederick Kempe (R) during the World Governments Summit in Dubai on February 3, 2026. Spain will seek to ban social media for under-16s to protect them from harmful content such as pornography and violence, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said on February 3, in the latest such move by governments. Australia established a world first i

On eve of talks, UAE's Gargash throws weight behind Iran-US deal

Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the UAE president, spoke at a panel discussion at the World Governments Summit in Dubai, where he discussed the latest developments in Gaza, Iran, Sudan and Yemen.

United Arab Emirates

Latest News

How US-India trade deal could impact Mideast energy, trade routes

US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a joint press conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, on Feb. 13, 2025.

UAE’s MBZ reportedly cancels Japan visit amid US-Iran standoff: What to know

UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrives for a welcoming ceremony prior to talks with the Russian president at the Kremlin in Moscow, on Jan. 29, 2026.

United Arab Emirates

Gulf markets recover after gold rout, buoyed by Iran de-escalation hopes

A woman checks a window shop at a jewelry store in Dubai, on March 10, 2025.

United Arab Emirates

Analysis

Caught in the Gulf crossfire: Pakistan navigates Saudi-UAE rivalry

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice president and prime minister of the UAE and ruler of Dubai, meets with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari at Za’abeel Palace in Dubai on Jan. 28, 2026.

Sabena Siddiqui

By Sabena Siddiqui

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

Samuel Wendel

Senior Market Research Analyst

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

Scott Behrens dives for the ball during a friendly game of volleyball with friends in the snow Jan. 25, 2016 in Washington, DC.

Dubai to host region's first snow volleyball tournament

With the four-day tournament, Dubai is hoping to bolster its reputation as a destination for snow sports enthusiasts.

United Arab Emirates

KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images

UAE approves China's Sinopharm vaccine for children 3-17

The decision followed clinical trials in June involving 900 children in Abu Dhabi, including members of the royal family.

United Arab Emirates

GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

Abu Dhabi returns to partial lockdown against COVID-19 variants

Beginning Monday, movement will be restricted from midnight to 5 a.m. and public spaces will operate at limited capacity.

United Arab Emirates

Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan

UAE and Georgia sign security cooperation agreement

The agreement will focus on policing and crime, and follows the United Arab Emirates' warming up to Georgia's historical foe Russia.

United Arab Emirates

pmu march in baghdad

The Takeaway: Does Iran want to scuttle nuclear deal talks with militia attacks in Iraq?

Also: Fresh reporting from Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Gaza; high oil prices may undercut GCC reforms; a cure for termites in Egypt; and more.

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

UAE orders Italy to withdraw forces from base in arms sale row

The Emirates is kicking Italy's forces out of Al Minhad airbase

United Arab Emirates

Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

Abu Dhabi offers tourists free coronavirus vaccines

The capital of the United Arab Emirates is also set to remove quarantine requirements on travelers from certain countries deemed low-risk.

United Arab Emirates

The photo appears to show the Dubai ruler's daughter, Princess Latifa, vacationing in Spain.

Photo appears to show UAE Princess Latifa in Madrid amid house arrest claims

Princess Latifa has alleged in secret video recordings that her family is holding her captive and she fears for her safety.

United Arab Emirates

Boxes of coronavirus vaccines are stacked on the tarmac after the first batch arrived at Khartoum airport on an Emirates flight, Sudan, March 3, 2121.

Emirates loses more than $5 billion in 2020

The Dubai-based airline's financial struggles amid the coronavirus pandemic has led to job cuts and a massive cash injection from the government.

A general view of the city skyline at sunset from Dhow Harbour on Feb. 5, 2015 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

UN expert calls on UAE to release prominent human rights defenders

The five activists are accused of trying to overthrow the Emirati government, but the United Nations says they should have never been detained in the first place.

United Arab Emirates

Netanyahu in Lod

Has war on Hamas given Netanyahu a political lifeline?

Conflict with Gaza proving a political winner, so far, for the embattled Israeli prime minister; Arab states may take center stage in mediation efforts; Al-Monitor’s unmatched reporting from Gaza.

People are pictured inside a restaurant in Dubai, as the Gulf emirate moved to ease its lockdown measures amid the coronavirus pandemic, United Arab Emirates , May 26, 2020.

Dubai restaurants to stop screening dining areas during Ramadan fast

Restaurants in the UAE's largest city previously had to screen off places where people ate during fasting hours during the Islamic holy month, as is customary throughout the region.

United Arab Emirates