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GDRFA Dubai introduces latest biometric technology to ensure contactless journeyUtilising the latest biometric technology — a mix of facial and iris recognition — passengers can check in for their flight, complete immigration formalities, enter the Emirates lounge and board their flights, simply by strolling through the airport. The new project by the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs (GDRFA)-Dubai called the “Biometric Passenger Journey” will ease travel through Dubai Airports in cooperation with Emirates. The new project has now been launched at Dubai International Airports to create a contact-free travel journey and to cut down on queues in light...

The daughter of Dubai's ruler who tried to flee the country in 2018 later sent secret video messages to friends accusing her father of holding her "hostage" as she feared for her life. In footage shared with BBC Panorama, Princess Latifa Al Maktoum says commandos drugged her as she fled by boat and flew her back to detention. The secret messages have stopped - and friends are urging the UN to step in. Dubai and the UAE have previously said she is safe in the care of family. Ex-UN rights envoy Mary Robinson, who had described Latifa as a "troubled...

Israeli police were summoned after two passengers on a return flight from the UAE refused repeated requests to put on protective masks. The two ignored calls by the airplane crew to conform to flight rules ...

Federal prosecutors are expected to unseal new charges against a bomb-maker linked to the 1988 attack on Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, according to a report. Abu Agila Mohammad Masud, a top bomb-maker for the late Libyan dictator Moammar Khadafy, is accused of constructing the explosive that downed the airliner and killed 270 people on board, the Wall Street Journal said. Masud is being held by Libyan authorities.

Jews observed the holiday of Hanukkah (or Chanukah) in public for the first time in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Thursday, following the peace deal between Israel and the UAE under the auspices of U.S. President Donald Trump. A “lavish” Hanukkah party was thrown at the foot of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, on Thursday evening.

Dubai’s highest court has rejected an appeal by the ex-wife of a Russian billionaire to seize a £350 million ($460 million)superyacht in one of the world’s costliest divorce battles, a court ruling last week said. The Dubai Court of Cassation rejected an appeal by Tatiana Akhmedova, ex-wife of oil and gas billionaire Farkhad Akhmedov, to seize the yacht as part of a 453 million pound divorce bill imposed by London’s High Court. The vessel, the M.V. Luna, was built for Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich before Akhmedov bought it in 2014. It has at least nine decks, space for 50 crew,...

Swiss refiners — chief among them Valcambi — are under scrutiny due to the high risk of conflict gold originating in Africa entering their supply chain via the United Arab Emirates. Two parallel NGO reports on the subject were published on Thursday. This content was published on July 16, 2020 - 18:00 July 16, 2020 - 18:00 Dominique Soguel-dit-Picard See in another language: 1 One of the reports, Golden Detour [Détour Dorée] by Bern-based Swissaid, examines the gold trade in the UAE, with a focus on the scandal-stricken Dubai company Kaloti Precious Metals and its ties to Valcambi, a precious...

The skeleton of one of Abu Dhabi’s earliest inhabitants has been uncovered on Marawah Island in what historians believe was a “house for the dead”. An archaeological dig on the Western Region island, about 100 kilometres west of Abu Dhabi city, has also revealed the first use of stone-built architecture in the Arabian Gulf, dating back 7,500 years, the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority (TCA) said on Thursday. “This partial skeleton was inserted into one of the already semi-collapsed rooms of the house, indicating that the structure had originally been used as a house for the living, and then...

The United Arab Emirates has become the first country among oil-producing Arab Gulf states to open a nuclear power plant. The UAE's state news agency reported on Saturday that the first unit at the Barakah nuclear power plant in Abu Dhabi had started operations. A South Korean-led consortium won the bid to build the plant in 2009, after competing with rivals from Japan and the United States. The plant will consist of four nuclear reactors. Thermal power generation using natural gas has been a main energy source in the UAE. This is the first time an Arab Gulf nation that...

DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates minister of state for foreign affairs said on Saturday that Turkey should stop interfering in Arab affairs, criticizing comments on Libya made by Turkey’s defense minister. Turkish media had reported the Turkish minister making remarks critical of the UAE’s actions over Libya. The UAE, alongside Egypt and Russia, backs eastern Libya commander Khalifa Haftar, whose fighters have been battling the forces of the internationally recognized government in Tripoli. Turkey has stepped up support for the Tripoli government. “Relations are not managed by threats and there is no place for colonialist delusions in this day and...

The United Arab Emirates has succeeded with the initial stage of its first ever Mars mission, thanks to the launch of an H-IIA rocket built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries from Tanegashima Space Center in Japan on Sunday. The rocket carried the Al Amal (Hope) Probe for the UAE, a Mars orbiter that is set to arrive at the red planet by February 2021, and spend a Martian year (687 days) on orbit around Mars collecting data about its atmosphere. This is the first of three separate planned missions to Mars that are scheduled to take place during July, including a...

WASHINGTON — A Japanese rocket launched the United Arab Emirates’ first mission to Mars July 19, an orbiter that will study the planet’s weather while demonstrating the country’s growing space capabilities. The H-2A rocket lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center in Japan at 5:58 p.m. Eastern. The launch was originally scheduled for July 14 but delayed five days by poor weather at the launch site. The rocket’s upper stage released the Emirates Mars Mission, or Hope, spacecraft, nearly an hour after liftoff. The spacecraft contracted controllers shortly after separation. Hope is a 1,350-kilogram satellite developed by the Mohammed bin...

First-Ever Corporate Enforcement Action by DOJ of North Korean Sanctions            WASHINGTON – Essentra FZE Company Limited (“Essentra FZE”), a global supplier of cigarette products that is incorporated in the United Arab Emirates (“UAE”), has agreed to pay a $665,112 fine and enter into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Justice Department for conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (“IEEPA”) and defrauding the United States in connection with evading sanctions on North Korea.  Today’s public filing against Essentra FZE is the first ever DOJ corporate enforcement action for violations of these regulations. ...

Palestinians say sending medical aid through Tel Aviv is a 'cover for normalisation' of ties with Israel. The Palestinian Authority (PA) has rejected an aid shipment from the United Arab Emirates, according to the Palestinian health minister. In a news conference on Thursday, Mai Kaila said her country refused to receive the medical aid as the Emirati side ignored to coordinate with them. "The UAE has not coordinated with us regarding the medical aid, and we reject to receive it without coordination," said the minister. "We are a sovereign country, and they should have coordinated with us first." Earlier on...

WASHINGTON - Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, and the UAE on Tuesday issued statements welcoming the Trump administration's peace plan. "The Kingdom reiterates its support for all efforts aimed at reaching a just and comprehensive resolution to the Palestinian cause," said the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "The kingdom appreciates the efforts of President Trump's administration to develop a comprehensive peace plan between the Palestinian and the Israeli sides, and encourages the start of direct peace negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides, under the auspices of the United States," the statement reads. It also called to resolve any disagreements with...

A European Vega launcher failed Wednesday night around two minutes after liftoff from French Guiana and fell into the Atlantic Ocean, destroying an Airbus-built surveillance satellite for the United Arab Emirates. Arianespace, the French launch service provider in charge of Wednesday night’s mission, declared a failure minutes after the 98-foot-tall (30-meter) Vega rocket took off from the Guiana Space Center on the northeastern coast of South America. Luce Fabreguettes, Arianespace’s executive vice president of missions, operations and purchasing, said the failure occurred around the time of ignition of the Vega rocket’s solid-fueled Zefiro 23 second stage. “As you have seen,...

The left is worried about Trump’s conflict of interests. Maybe they should worry about Barack Hussein Obama’s conflicts of interest. Lease Given to Our Enemies The family of Iraqi nuclear physicist Dr. Jafar Dhia Jafar, “the father of Iraq’s nuclear weapons program,” has been awarded a 35-year lease for cargo container operations at Port Canaveral, Florida. The Center for Security Policy reports that two intrepid researchers produced a paper titled, Secret Deal Allows Company Tied to Saddam’s Nuclear Bombmaker, Iran and U.A.E. to Manage Key Florida Port Facilities. The paper notes that Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew unilaterally approved...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump, declaring a national emergency because of tensions with Iran, swept aside objections from Congress on Friday to complete the sale of over $8 billion worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.The Trump administration informed congressional committees that it will go ahead with 22 military sales to the Saudis, United Arab Emirates and Jordan, infuriating lawmakers by circumventing a long-standing precedent for congressional review of major weapons sales.

FULL TITLE: Alleged UAE spy under investigation for possible links to Jamal Khashoggi killing found dead in Turkish jail =========================================================== An alleged spy for the United Arab Emirates (UAE) being investigated for possible links to the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi was found dead in his Turkish jail cell, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. Turkish prosecutors on Monday said wardens had found the suspect, Zaki Y.M. Hassan, hanged inside his solitary cell in Istanbul’s Silivri prison, according to the newspaper, which added that prosecutors are calling for an investigation into the death. Turkish authorities were reportedly investigating Hassan and...

Venezuela will fly 15 tonnes of gold to the United Arab Emirates in coming days in return for euros in cash as the country tries to stay solvent, sources have said. In total, Nicolas Maduro plans to sell 29 tonnes of Venezuelan gold - worth around $1.2billion - to the UAE by February in order to buy basic goods and prop up his crumbling government. Meanwhile Russia, which is backing Maduro, was forced to deny being in contact with opponent Juan Guaido after the politician said he sent a message to Moscow.