Author: Gulf News Week

Aviation Authority says flights remain unaffected during notice period after Algeria initiates termination of 2013 bilateral pact. The United Arab Emirates’ aviation regulator announced on Sunday that flights to and from Algeria will continue operating normally despite Algiers’ decision to cancel the countries’ air transport agreement. The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) stated that Algeria’s notification to terminate the 2013 air services pact “will not have any immediate impact on flight operations,” according to the UAE’s state news agency WAM. This response came a day after Algeria declared it had initiated the process of ending the bilateral agreement originally signed…

S&P Global report credits fiscal reforms and economic diversification for strengthening Gulf sovereign ratings amid persistent geopolitical headwinds. A new S&P Global report projects sustained economic growth across the Middle East in 2026, with the United Arab Emirates leading regional expansion through robust non-oil sector performance. The UAE’s real GDP is forecast to grow by 4.7% next year, with approximately 75% of this growth originating from non-hydrocarbon sectors. This momentum stems from Dubai’s dynamic private sector, Abu Dhabi’s substantial infrastructure investments, and expanding tourism projects across the northern emirates. “The UAE’s consolidated fiscal position is expected to maintain a surplus…

Sovereign cloud and AI infrastructure project with local partners FPT and Viet Thai Group aims to establish Vietnam as a Southeast Asian tech leader. Abu Dhabi-based technology conglomerate G42 will lead a $1 billion investment to build Vietnam’s sovereign artificial intelligence and cloud computing capabilities, in a landmark deal set to accelerate the country’s transformation into a regional tech hub. The partnership, formed with Vietnamese giants FPT Corporation and Viet Thai Group, will deploy advanced AI infrastructure across three data center locations in Vietnam. The initiative is designed to provide high-performance computing services for government and private sector use while…

Amid sanctions and threats of retaliation, Oman-hosted dialogue marks first diplomatic contact in over a year, with deep divides over scope of negotiations. SHARJAH — Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi struck a defiant tone on Saturday, declaring the country’s ballistic missile program “never negotiable” even as he confirmed that indirect talks with the United States would resume soon. The negotiations, held in Oman on Friday, were the first diplomatic encounter between the two adversaries since the collapse of nuclear talks and a subsequent regional war last year. Araghchi described the atmosphere as “very positive” and confirmed there was an informal opportunity…

January’s displacement numbers are particularly high in part due to the forced removal of an entire herding community in the Jordan Valley, OCHA says.Israeli settler violence and harassment in the occupied West Bank have displaced nearly 700 Palestinians in January, the highest number since Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza erupted in October 2023, according to the United Nations.At least 694 Palestinians were forcefully driven from their homes last month, according to a statement by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on Thursday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Amnesty demands Israel drop death penalty…

media documentary identifies Gaza armed groups working with Israeli forces, tracking their movements and training sites.media is set to release a new investigation on armed groups in Gaza accused of collaborating with the Israeli military against Palestinians, detailing their names, movements and training locations, as Israel’s genocidal war on the enclave continues unabated.The investigation, a new episode of the programme What is Hidden is Greater, by media journalist Tamer Almisshal, will be broadcast at 9pm in Doha (18:00 GMT) on Friday. It includes audio and video material that the network says documents how individuals inside Gaza were recruited and operated.Recommended…

Analysts say US strategy unclear as Trump officials insist on including ballistic missiles, regional ‘proxies’ in talks.Washington, DC – The administration of United States President Donald Trump is entering the latest round of talks with Iran with a list of maximalist demands, even as their wider strategy remains unclear, analysts have told media.The talks in Muscat, Oman, on Friday are the first since the US attacked Iran’s nuclear facilities in June. They mark the latest chapter in US-Iran relations during Trump’s second term, which initially saw the president seek a new agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme, before those talks were…

Global Sumud Flotilla to carry up to 1,000 activists in largest-ever ‘coordinated humanitarian intervention’ for Gaza.Organisers of a Gaza-bound aid flotilla that Israel seized at sea last year say they are planning a new, larger mission next month.The Global Sumud Flotilla announced Thursday that it will sail more than 100 boats carrying up 1,000 activists, including medics and war crimes investigators, to Gaza in March.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3How the world is responding to Israel’s interception of Gaza flotillalist 2 of 3Last boat in Gaza humanitarian flotilla intercepted by Israellist 3 of 3Gaza protests held in…

Friedrich Merz said concerns about a further escalation with Iran have dominated his trip to the Gulf region.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has warned of the threat of a military escalation in the Middle East before talks between Iran and the United States in Oman on Friday.Speaking in Doha on Thursday, Merz said that fears of a new conflict had characterised his talks during his trip to the Gulf region.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3What would be the impact of a US attack on Iran?list 2 of 3Some in Israel question its influence over US as Iran war…

Food security experts say famine thresholds for acute malnutrition exceeded in Darfur’s Um Baru and Kernoi.Acute malnutrition has reached famine levels in two more areas of western Sudan’s Darfur region, United Nations-backed experts warn, as a civil war between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army has caused widespread hunger.In an alert issued on Thursday by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), global food security experts said famine thresholds for acute malnutrition had been surpassed in North Darfur state’s contested areas of Um Baru and Kernoi.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘Like judgement day’:…