UAE

10 Sep 2021; MEMO: The United Arab Emirates said today residents who had been fully vaccinated with a shot approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO) could return as of 12 September from a list of previously suspended countries.

Dubai, one of the UAE's seven emirates, is due to open the Expo 2020 world fair on 1 October after a year-long delay due to the coronavirus pandemic. The regional business and tourism hub is relying on the fair to give its economy a boost.

DUBAI, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Bahraini authorities have authorised the use of a booster dose of the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, the first time the Russian shot has been approved for a third dose, the state-run Bahrain News Agency said on Saturday.

The booster shot was approved for use among all over-18s at least six months after receiving their second dose of the Sputnik V vaccine, the news agency reported.

Bahrain and fellow Gulf state the United Arab Emirates have already approved third booster shots using the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

31 Aug 2021; MEMO: The United Arab Emirates said yesterday its Public Prosecution office would be allowed to investigate ministers and senior officials suspected of wrongdoing in order to enhance accountability, Reuters reports.

The public prosecutor can receive complaints against any senior official and they will be referred for investigation in coordination with the UAE's federal government, a statement published by the Dubai Media office said, citing a presidential decree.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Qatar played an outsized role in U.S. efforts to evacuate tens of thousands of people from Afghanistan. Now the tiny Gulf Arab state is being asked to help shape what is next for Afghanistan because of its ties with both Washington and the Taliban, who are in charge in Kabul.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The capital of the United Arab Emirates on Sunday ordered all residents who received the Chinese state-backed Sinopharm coronavirus vaccine over six months ago to get a booster shot by September 20, adding that recipients of other vaccines do not need the third dose.

The UAE became the first country worldwide to formally offer the booster regimen earlier this year, following reports of Sinopharm recipients seeking the third shot amid concerns about an insufficient antibody response.

26 Aug 2021; MEMO: Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) yesterday announced that it has signed an agreement with the UAE's Etihad Engineering to set up an aircraft conversion facility in Abu Dhabi.

DUBAI, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Qatar is offering COVID-19 vaccines to evacuees from Afghanistan who are temporarily staying in the Gulf Arab state, which has been facilitating global evacuation efforts since the Taliban seized Kabul, the foreign ministry said on Thursday.

Qatar, which hosts the largest U.S. military base in the region, has so far helped evacuate more than 40,000 people to Doha and will continue to facilitate international efforts in "the coming days", the ministry said in a statement.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The head of Iran’s prison system acknowledged Tuesday that videos purportedly obtained by a self-described hacker group that show abuses at the Islamic Republic’s notorious Evin prison are real, saying he took responsibility for the “unacceptable behaviors.”

DUBAI, Aug 22 (Reuters) - Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi called on Japan to release Iranian funds frozen in the country because of U.S. sanctions, Iranian state TV reported after the president met on Sunday with the visiting Japanese foreign minister.

20 Aug 2021; MEMO: A suspected Italian drug trafficker who police believe may have bought two stolen paintings by Vincent Van Gogh has been arrested in the UAE, Reuters has reported.

Raffaele Imperiale, 46, was arrested in Dubai on 4 August by local police officers cooperating with their Italian counterparts. He had been on the run since 2016 and Italy had included him on its list of most dangerous fugitives.