Newsletter: City Pulse Dubai Memories of home by Salah Elmur Also this week: Dubai Design Week, Christie’s auction highlights and Levantine dining. By Rebecca Anne Proctor In Dubai, reporting on culture
Costa Rica's Grynspan extends lead in UNSG poll as Nusseibeh places fourth The Costa Rican candidate received 12 encourage votes in Thursday's UN Security Council straw poll. United Arab Emirates
Newsletter: Business & Tech Democrats’ win: What’s at stake for Gulf business The immediate concern for the region is whether Washington and Israel will resume strikes on Iran, potentially triggering further Iranian attacks on Gulf states. By Jack Dutton In Bristol, reporting on regional business, climate change, AI, tech
Newsletter: FutureVerse US elections spotlight Gulf tech risks A sweeping victory by Democrats could put the White House’s recent Gulf dealings under greater scrutiny. By Samuel Wendel In Washington, DC, reporting on regional business and tech
United Arab Emirates signs deal to buy F-35s, drones just before Biden sworn in President Joe Biden has suggested his administration might review or impose conditions on arms sales, but it is not yet clear he will oppose the deal. United Arab Emirates
UAE steps in to ease Nile dam crisis Sudanese reports recently revealed that the United Arab Emirates is seeking an initiative to bring the views of Egypt, Sudan and Ethiopia closer so as to break the deadlock in the negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. United Arab Emirates
Can World Cup soccer help heal Gulf wounds? Communities torn apart by a yearslong rift between Gulf rulers may need time to heal the wounds of a crisis that damaged social ties that have historically transcended borders. Saudi Arabia
UAE reopens land, sea, air ports to Qatar following Gulf deal The announcement comes after Gulf leaders this week agreed to end their years-long embargo of Qatar. Saudi Arabia
Israel, UAE top Middle East vaccination rates Other countries in the region have only just recently imported vaccines, and the status of vaccination in Iran and Syria in particular is unclear. Legacy: Gulf
Emirati official says Gulf states to work on trade with Qatar before resuming diplomatic ties UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash's comments indicate that healing the Gulf rift may still take more time. Legacy: Gulf
Was UAE behind Israeli decision to allow Palestinian farmers access to Jordan Valley? For the first time in 46 years, Israel allowed Palestinians to enter al-Qa'oun valley in the northern Jordan Valley to cultivate their land. Despite the Palestinian Authority’s statement that this was in implementation of a judicial decision, Al-Monitor received information about Emirati-Israeli understandings that led to this action. United Arab Emirates
UAE helps Gaza resume COVID-19 testing as normalization dust settles The UAE sent a medical aid convoy to the Gaza Strip as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens, in the first such shipment since normalizing ties with Israel. United Arab Emirates
Dubai begins administering Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine Saudi Arabia and Israel have also approved the American-German vaccine. United Arab Emirates
Israel's Sephardic chief rabbi returns from Emirates Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel Yitzhak Yosef paid a historic visit this weekend to the United Arab Emirates, inviting several ministers to visit Jerusalem. United Arab Emirates
Emirates resumes flights to Istanbul The Dubai-based airline recently reported a massive revenue loss for 2020, but continues to rebuild its flight network toward pre-pandemic status. United Arab Emirates
Gulf economies face major challenges in post-COVID 19 world Signals indicate the embargo imposed on Qatar could come to an end, but can the Gulf Cooperation Council play a coordinating role vital to diversify Gulf economies post-pandemic? Legacy: Gulf