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Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday received United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the Delhi airport, signalling the importance India attached to his visit. Al Nahyan will be in the national capital for less than two hours, according to his schedule released by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). His visit to India comes amid a volatile situation in the Middle-East arising out of the sharp decline in Iran-US ties, simmering tensions between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over Yemen and the unsettling political scenario in Gaza. Al Nahyan and Modi will hold wide-ranging talks shortly. People familiar with the UAE president's visit said trade and investment, defence industry cooperation and energy initiatives are expected to be on the agenda of his talks with the Indian leadership. The situation in the Middle East is also likely to figure in the talks, they said. It will be the UAE leader's third official visit to India since assumin
Thousands of Yemenis gathered Saturday in the southern city of Aden in a show of support for a separatist group backed by the United Arab Emirates, a day after the group dissolved itself, following heightened tensions and armed clashes with forces of Yemen's internationally recognised government. Supporters of the Southern Transitional Council assembled in their stronghold of Khor Maksar district, where Aden's international airport is located. Armed groups loyal to the STC were seen securing the protest area, according to an Associated Press journalist in Khor Maksar. The protesters chanted slogans against Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni international government. They waved flags of southern Yemen, which was an independent state between 1967 and 1990. Some were seen holding posters showing the council's leader Aidarous al-Zubaidi who fled Aden to the UAE earlier this month, video footage aired by STC media showed. Yemen, located at the strategic southern entrance of the Red Sea, has be
Saudi Arabia alleged Thursday that the United Arab Emirates smuggled a separatist leader in Yemen wanted for treason out of the country and flew him to Abu Dhabi. The UAE had no immediate reaction to the claim, which further escalates tensions between the neighbouring nations on the Arabian Peninsula as their partnership in the years-long war in Yemen breaks down. A Saudi military statement claimed Aidarous al-Zubaidi, the leader of the Southern Transitional Council, fled Yemen by boat to Somalia. Then, UAE officials flew al-Zubaidi to Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Emirates, the statement said. The statement from Maj. Gen. Turki al-Malki included him, naming a major general in the UAE as being involved in al-Zubaidi's alleged escape, along with identifying his nom de guerre something highly unusual in the typical clubby world of Gulf Arab relations. It also suggested an Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft used in the operation had been used in conflict zones like Ethiopia, Libya and Somalia .
Yemen's transport ministry, which is aligned with Emirati-backed southern separatist authorities, on Thursday said Saudi Arabia has imposed requirements mandating that flights to and from Aden International Airport undergo inspection in Jeddah. The ministry, which is affiliated with the Southern Transitional Council or STC, said in a statement that it was shocked by what it denounced as sudden procedures requiring international flights departing from or arriving in Aden to stop in Jeddah for inspection before continuing their journeys. When local officials sought clarification, Saudi authorities said the restriction applies only to flights operating between the Yemeni city of Aden and the United Arab Emirates, according to the ministry's statement. The reasons behind the measures reportedly imposed by Saudi Arabia remain unclear. The Saudi and Emirati foreign ministries didn't immediately respond to requests for confirmation and comment. In its statement, the ministry demanded an e
Saudi Arabia on Tuesday said it bombed the port city of Mukalla in Yemen over a shipment of weapons for a separatist force there that arrived from the United Arab Emirates. The attack signals a new escalation in tensions between the kingdom and the Southern Transitional Council, which is backed by the Emirates. It also further strains ties between Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, which had been backing competing sides in Yemen's decadelong war against the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. A military statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency announced the strikes, which it said came after ships arrived there from Fujairah, a port city on the UAE's eastern coast. Given the danger and escalation posed by these weapons, which threaten security and stability, the Coalition Air Forces conducted a limited military operation this morning targeting weapons and combat vehicles unloaded from the two ships at the port of al-Mukalla, it said. There was no immediate comment from the UAE.
Indian-origin steel magnate Lakshmi N Mittal, until now based in Britain and a regular on the country's richest billionaires tally, has decided to quit the UK as the Labour Party-led government's feared tax shake-up for the super-rich nears, according to a UK media report on Sunday. Rajasthan-born Mittal is a resident in Switzerland for tax and will now spend much of his future in Dubai, according to the The Sunday Times'. The founder of ArcelorMittal steelworks is worth an estimated 15.4 billion pounds as per the 2025 Sunday Times Rich List', which ranked him the UK's eighth richest man. Now, the newspaper references sources close to the 75-year-old industrialist to claim he has become the latest billionaire to leave the UK ahead of a much-anticipated Budget by Chancellor Rachel Reeves on Wednesday. Mittal already has a mansion in Dubai and has now bought up tracts of an intriguing development on the nearby Naa Island in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the newspaper claims. The n
Indian companies are increasing their presence in Abu Dhabi, which has enabled them to access key markets across the middle east Africa and beyond, Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development, said on Thursday. Speaking at the CII-ADF Summit here, Al Zaabi, who is also chairman of Abu Dhabi's International Financial Centre and free economic zone ADGM (Abu Dhabi Global Market), said the emirate believes in partnerships and not transactional relationships. "India has always been an important part of our growth. That role tells a powerful story of confidence in Abu Dhabi's vision. Indian companies are increasing their presence in Abu Dhabi with an annual compounded growth rate (CAGR) of 38.4 per cent between 2019 and 2024. And they are more enabled than ever before to access key markets across Middle East Africa and beyond," he said. Describing India as a nation whose energy, talent and ambition inspire the whole world, he said, "The geographic .
Business solutions provider Transguard Group on Wednesday announced signing a strategic pact with digital automotive platform myTVS for transforming the automotive, aviation and supply chain sectors in the UAE. The collaboration is designed to introduce innovative solutions, drive industry-wide efficiencies, and competitiveness across these key sectors, the company said. "By providing complete end-to-end solutions, the collaboration between Transguard and myTVS will target logistics, fleet, enterprise and individual consumers across all industries in the UAE," said Rabie Atieh, Chief Executive Officer, Transguard Group. Leveraging on myTVS' experience and technology, the focus will be on introducing innovation in key operational areas in the UAE, including inventory management, parts and service, diagnostics, network connectivity and uptime management solutions, the company stated. "The myTVS digital platform will seamlessly integrate the ecosystem while supporting diagnostics, ...