Kuwait City, Kuwait | AFP | Kuwait emir on Monday received a top Saudi envoy and phoned Qatar’s ruler in an apparent mediation effort after the kingdom and several Gulf states severed ties with Doha. The state-run KUNA news agency said Prince Khaled al-Faisal, an adviser to Saudi King Salman …
Read More »Gulf crisis could hit Qatar 2022
Doha, Qatar | AFP | The diplomatic crisis sweeping the Gulf could invigorate a campaign by critics of Qatar to strip Doha of the 2022 World Cup, experts said Monday. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Yemen were among those to cut diplomatic ties with Qatar on …
Read More »UAE’s Etihad to suspend flights to Qatar
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | AFP | Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways said Monday it would suspend flights to Qatar after the United Arab Emirates was among major Gulf states to sever ties with Doha in an unprecedented regional crisis. Etihad said flights would stop on Tuesday, after the UAE, …
Read More »First robotic cop joins Dubai police
Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | After bringing in Lamborghinis and Ferraris to patrol roads, Dubai police have enrolled a robotic officer, the first in a unit that aims to make up a quarter of the force by 2030. The robotic cop stood to attention Wednesday night at the …
Read More »Jump in renewable energy jobs worldwide, says IRENA
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | AFP | The renewable energy sector employed 9.8 million people worldwide in 2016, marking a sharp increase from 2012, the Abu Dhabi-based International Renewable Energy Agency said on Wednesday. In its “Renewable Energy and Jobs – Annual Review 2017”, IRENA says the sector employed …
Read More »Clouds of smoke as huge fire hits central Dubai
Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | Clouds of smoke billowed over central Dubai on Sunday after a fire burned for several hours in a residential tower under construction near the city’s largest shopping mall. The blaze erupted around 6:30 am (0230 GMT) at the complex, which is near the …
Read More »On collision course? Working out rules for drones
Paris, France | AFP | As drones increasingly crowd the skies, the risk of collision with other aircraft has come to the fore. Here’s an overview of international regulation aimed at limiting the dangers. – How many incidents? – The International Air Transport Association (IATA), which sets global standards for …
Read More »Dubai aims to launch hover-taxi by July
Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | Dubai has tested a Chinese prototype of a self-driving hover-taxi, its transport authority said on Monday, with the aim of introducing the aerial vehicle in the emirate by July. The test of the one-man electric vehicle comes as the city state in the …
Read More »IMF’s Lagarde ‘optimistic’ about US economy
Dubai, United Arab Emirates | AFP | International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde on Sunday voiced optimism for US economic growth under President Donald Trump but warned it could herald trouble for the rest of the world. “From the little we know, and I will insist on the little we …
Read More »‘Ugandans living in UAE most generous long distance lovers’
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, money transfer service WorldRemit has released statistics showing Ugandans living in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are the most romantic, sending on average $116 (sh415,000) more than usual to their loved ones . According to new WorldRemit data revealing the most romantic Ugandans living abroad, …
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