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United Arab Emirates (UAE)

The latest news, analysis and opinion on United Arab Emirates (UAE). In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.

Capital

Abu Dhabi

Head of State

President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Head of Government

Prime Minister Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced it will be leaving the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) and Opec+ from May 1. Photo: EPA

US, Israel war on Iran

UAE to exit Opec, dealing blow to oil cartel’s unity

Abu Dhabi, long at odds over quotas, says exit will free output as experts point to Saudi rift and push to boost production.

44 minutes agovideocam

United States

Austrian citizen admits plot to kill at Taylor Swift concert in Vienna

28 Apr 2026 - 6:52PMvideocam

United Nations

Landmark UN nuclear summit opens as world’s warhead count grows

28 Apr 2026 - 12:35PM

Thailand

Thailand to extradite Indonesian man in US$10 million scam targeting Americans

The suspect allegedly hired models to lure targets into phoney investment schemes over video calls, dating apps and social media.

27 Apr 2026 - 10:07AMvideocam

Waves crash on Kalim beach in Phuket. The suspect was arrested from a luxury resort on the Thai island. Photo: Shutterstock

US, Israel war on Iran

China is poised to reap rewards as energy shock heats up the race for renewables

The US war on Iran may have inadvertently triggered a global transition that will favour Beijing’s green leadership, analysts predict.

26 Apr 2026 - 8:00PMvideocam

Electric & new energy vehicles

Li Auto targets BMW and Mercedes with premium SUVs in Middle East, Asia-Pacific

Beijing-based EV maker expects overseas deliveries to account for 30 per cent of its total by 2030, president Ma Donghui says.

26 Apr 2026 - 7:10PM

China economy

Opinion | For the US dollar, a subtler shift than a ‘petroyuan’ order is underfoot

Talk of a dollar collapse or ‘petroyuan’ order arriving amid the Iran war misses the mark. The larger shift is subtler and no less consequential.

26 Apr 2026 - 4:30PMvideocam

China’s President Xi Jinping shakes hands with Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in Beijing on April 14. Photo: cnsphoto via Reuters

China-Middle East relations

Iran digs in as US envoys Kushner and Witkoff head to Pakistan for more talks

Trapped in the Persian Gulf, ship crews run low on food, water – and mental health reserves.

25 Apr 2026 - 10:35PMvideocam

US, Israel war on Iran

Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt: the Middle East’s new power brokers?

‘Fear of US abandonment’ is helping forge a new Middle East – but don’t expect an Islamic Nato just yet.

25 Apr 2026 - 1:30PM

US, Israel war on Iran

US sanctions China-based oil refinery and 40 shippers over Iran oil

Hengli Petrochemical’s facility in Dalian can process 400,000 barrels per day, making it one of the biggest independent refineries in China.

27 Apr 2026 - 1:13AMvideocam

A Hengli Group petrochemical industrial park is seen in China’s Dalian in June 2024. Photo: Xinhua

Singapore

Man convicted of trafficking Singaporean Tinder date for Dubai sex work

Achraf Arjaouy targeted the victim by pretending to be a wealthy pilot from Qatar who wished to marry her.

23 Apr 2026 - 2:15PM

A Singapore court has convicted an Italian man of human trafficking for deceiving his Tinder date into performing sex work in Dubai. Photo: Dreamstime/TNS

US, Israel war on Iran

Opinion | How China’s patient diplomacy can help secure peace in Iran

China’s diplomacy, backed by leverage and guarantees of assistance, could provide a template for contemporary conflicts where a single side cannot carry the day.

22 Apr 2026 - 8:30PMvideocam

Hong Kong economy

Letters | How Hong Kong can attract talent and capital from the Middle East

Readers discuss the opportunity for the city created by the Iran war, the proposal to allow taxis into Discovery Bay, and a planned pig farm in Sheung Shui.

21 Apr 2026 - 11:30AM

China trade

China presses IMF for quota reform, better surveillance of advanced economies

PBOC head urges IMF to ‘stand against protectionism’ amid effects from tariffs, Iran war.

20 Apr 2026 - 5:05PM

PBOC governor Pan Gongsheng appears with Kristalina Georgieva, managing director of the IMF. Photo: handout

US, Israel war on Iran

Iran war escalates as Houthis threaten to sever Saudi oil exports

Targets reportedly include a Saudi pipeline to the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and a UAE export terminal at Fujairah, outside the Gulf.

20 Apr 2026 - 8:36PM

Armed Houthi loyalists attend a rally in Yemen last month demanding a resumption of attacks against Red Sea shipping. Photo: Xinhua

Banking & finance

Hong Kong reasserts role as safe haven in global finance amid Iran conflict

The city’s safe-harbour appeal for capital and investments grows as China’s support strengthens its edge while Dubai faces pressure.

20 Apr 2026 - 10:47AM

Crime

LA woman charged in US with trafficking arms to Sudan for Iran

Shamim Mafi is accused ‘brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses and millions of rounds of ammunition’.

20 Apr 2026 - 11:46AM

Hong Kong property

Hong Kong real estate gains as Middle East tensions rattle Dubai market

Early signs of capital inflows and tenant movement emerge as Dubai property softens and investors rethink regional bets.

20 Apr 2026 - 2:04PM

Sino Land’s La Mirabelle project sold 595 units over the past three weeks, generating more than HK$5.2 billion. Photo: Jelly Tse

US, Israel war on Iran

How China’s military could learn vital lessons from war in Iran

The US-Israeli attacks are a ‘massive learning opportunity’, a Middle East analyst tells a seminar held in Shenzhen.

18 Apr 2026 - 7:00PMvideocam

China-Middle East relations

Exclusive | Hong Kong-flagged tanker passes through Strait of Hormuz in test of US blockade

AVA 6 passage marks at least the second transit of a China-linked tanker through the waterway since the US military operation began.

17 Apr 2026 - 9:38PMvideocam

Middle East

‘First of its kind’ flying taxi station completed in Dubai

Commercial operations, with flights by California-based Joby Aviation, are expected to begin by the end of the year.

17 Apr 2026 - 6:36AMvideocam

An electric air taxi by Joby Aviation flies near the Downtown Manhattan Heliport in New York in November 2023. Photo: Reuters

US, Israel war on Iran

China’s Wang Yi calls on Iran to ensure freedom and safe passage through strait

In phone call with Iran’s top envoy, China’s foreign minister says situation is at ‘critical stage of transition between conflict and peace’.

16 Apr 2026 - 2:52PMvideocam

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi spoke with his Iranian counterpart in a phone call on Wednesday regarding the Iran war and access to the Strait of Hormuz. Photo: Xinhua

Banking & finance

Mark Mobius, pioneering investor in China, dies at 89

‘Father of emerging markets’ was among the first fund managers to champion investments in Hong Kong and mainland China.

16 Apr 2026 - 7:13PM

US, Israel war on Iran

Chinese tanker retreats twice from US’ Hormuz blockade in 48 hours

While the Rich Starry didn’t visit an Iranian port, it is on a US blacklist for allegedly helping Tehran evade sanctions.

15 Apr 2026 - 10:14PMvideocam

Africa

Sudan enters 4th year of war as ‘abandoned crisis’ grows

The war has pushed parts of Sudan into famine and the UN says about 34 million people, or almost two of every three Sudanese, need help.

16 Apr 2026 - 12:07AM

A Sudanese man pulls a donkey cart filled with water for sale in Port Sudan on Tuesday. Photo: AFP

Pakistan

Pakistan seeks to shield Gulf states as US-Iran talks set to resume

A senior official involved in Islamabad’s diplomacy says it is trying to defuse the crisis ‘in any way we can’.

15 Apr 2026 - 10:50PMvideocam

US Vice-President J.D. Vance (centre) walks with Pakistan’s Field Marshall Asim Munir (left) and Pakistani Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar after arriving for talks with Iranian officials in Islamabad on Saturday. Photo: AFP/Getty Images/TNS

US, Israel war on Iran

China cements Russia ties as both win from US war

Russia is boosting oil exports, including to China, as the Iran war upends Middle East supplies, while Chinese renewables companies will benefit from efforts to diversify away from fossil fuels.

15 Apr 2026 - 5:49PM

2026 Trump-Xi summit

Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker 2026

World leaders are flocking to Beijing this year as Trump’s trade war spurs US allies to look for new ties.

15 Apr 2026 - 5:45PM

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United Arab Emirates (UAE)

UAE to exit Opec, dealing blow to oil cartel’s unity

Abu Dhabi, long at odds over quotas, says exit will free output as experts point to Saudi rift and push to boost production.

Austrian citizen admits plot to kill at Taylor Swift concert in Vienna

Landmark UN nuclear summit opens as world’s warhead count grows

Thailand to extradite Indonesian man in US$10 million scam targeting Americans

The suspect allegedly hired models to lure targets into phoney investment schemes over video calls, dating apps and social media.

China is poised to reap rewards as energy shock heats up the race for renewables

The US war on Iran may have inadvertently triggered a global transition that will favour Beijing’s green leadership, analysts predict.

Li Auto targets BMW and Mercedes with premium SUVs in Middle East, Asia-Pacific

Beijing-based EV maker expects overseas deliveries to account for 30 per cent of its total by 2030, president Ma Donghui says.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}Opinion | For the US dollar, a subtler shift than a ‘petroyuan’ order is underfoot

Talk of a dollar collapse or ‘petroyuan’ order arriving amid the Iran war misses the mark. The larger shift is subtler and no less consequential.

Iran digs in as US envoys Kushner and Witkoff head to Pakistan for more talks

Trapped in the Persian Gulf, ship crews run low on food, water – and mental health reserves.

Pakistan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Egypt: the Middle East’s new power brokers?

‘Fear of US abandonment’ is helping forge a new Middle East – but don’t expect an Islamic Nato just yet.

US sanctions China-based oil refinery and 40 shippers over Iran oil

Hengli Petrochemical’s facility in Dalian can process 400,000 barrels per day, making it one of the biggest independent refineries in China.

Man convicted of trafficking Singaporean Tinder date for Dubai sex work

Achraf Arjaouy targeted the victim by pretending to be a wealthy pilot from Qatar who wished to marry her.

Opinion | How China’s patient diplomacy can help secure peace in Iran

China’s diplomacy, backed by leverage and guarantees of assistance, could provide a template for contemporary conflicts where a single side cannot carry the day.

.css-19im5qg{color:#c79a00;}Letters | How Hong Kong can attract talent and capital from the Middle East

Readers discuss the opportunity for the city created by the Iran war, the proposal to allow taxis into Discovery Bay, and a planned pig farm in Sheung Shui.

China presses IMF for quota reform, better surveillance of advanced economies

PBOC head urges IMF to ‘stand against protectionism’ amid effects from tariffs, Iran war.

Iran war escalates as Houthis threaten to sever Saudi oil exports

Targets reportedly include a Saudi pipeline to the Red Sea, the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and a UAE export terminal at Fujairah, outside the Gulf.

Hong Kong reasserts role as safe haven in global finance amid Iran conflict

The city’s safe-harbour appeal for capital and investments grows as China’s support strengthens its edge while Dubai faces pressure.

LA woman charged in US with trafficking arms to Sudan for Iran

Shamim Mafi is accused ‘brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses and millions of rounds of ammunition’.

Hong Kong real estate gains as Middle East tensions rattle Dubai market

Early signs of capital inflows and tenant movement emerge as Dubai property softens and investors rethink regional bets.

How China’s military could learn vital lessons from war in Iran

The US-Israeli attacks are a ‘massive learning opportunity’, a Middle East analyst tells a seminar held in Shenzhen.

Exclusive | Hong Kong-flagged tanker passes through Strait of Hormuz in test of US blockade

AVA 6 passage marks at least the second transit of a China-linked tanker through the waterway since the US military operation began.

‘First of its kind’ flying taxi station completed in Dubai

Commercial operations, with flights by California-based Joby Aviation, are expected to begin by the end of the year.

China’s Wang Yi calls on Iran to ensure freedom and safe passage through strait

In phone call with Iran’s top envoy, China’s foreign minister says situation is at ‘critical stage of transition between conflict and peace’.

Mark Mobius, pioneering investor in China, dies at 89

‘Father of emerging markets’ was among the first fund managers to champion investments in Hong Kong and mainland China.

Chinese tanker retreats twice from US’ Hormuz blockade in 48 hours

While the Rich Starry didn’t visit an Iranian port, it is on a US blacklist for allegedly helping Tehran evade sanctions.

Sudan enters 4th year of war as ‘abandoned crisis’ grows

The war has pushed parts of Sudan into famine and the UN says about 34 million people, or almost two of every three Sudanese, need help.

Pakistan seeks to shield Gulf states as US-Iran talks set to resume

A senior official involved in Islamabad’s diplomacy says it is trying to defuse the crisis ‘in any way we can’.

China cements Russia ties as both win from US war

Russia is boosting oil exports, including to China, as the Iran war upends Middle East supplies, while Chinese renewables companies will benefit from efforts to diversify away from fossil fuels.

Xi Jinping meets foreign leaders: tracker 2026

World leaders are flocking to Beijing this year as Trump’s trade war spurs US allies to look for new ties.

Opinion | For the US dollar, a subtler shift than a ‘petroyuan’ order is underfoot

Letters | How Hong Kong can attract talent and capital from the Middle East