Disney is heading to the Middle East with plans to open up a new theme park and resort in Abu Dhabi, the company announced Wednesday.

A rare blue diamond was displayed at an exhibition of $100 million worth of the world’s rarest diamonds in the United Arab Emirates’ capital.

The United Arab Emirates’ Federal Supreme Court has rejected appeals on behalf of dozens of dissidents convicted in a mass trial that faced widespread international criticism.

Long-haul carrier Etihad Airways has announced it made a record $427 million profit in 2024, part of a financial rebound for the Abu Dhabi-based airline.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has met with the leader of the United Arab Emirates, wrapping up an overseas trip that saw the highest-level outreach between the United States and Russia since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to the United Arab Emirates as momentum grows for potential peace talks ending Russia's war.

Grammy award winning DJ David Guetta will kick off his exclusive residency at Fontainebleau Miami Beach in March.

Formula 1 team Red Bull says Liam Lawson will be the partner for world champion Max Verstappen in 2025.

Lando Norris took pole position for the last Formula 1 race of the season alongside teammate Oscar Piastri to put McLaren on the verge of a first constructors’ title in 26 years.

Charles Leclerc and his younger brother Arthur drove side-by-side in matching Ferraris in the first practice session for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen is set to become a father for the first time with his girlfriend Kelly Piquet.

Paul Waring cards a 6-under 66 to win the Abu Dhabi Championship for the biggest victory of his career.

Paul Waring has hit the shot of his life to complete a career-low 11-under 61 in the second round of the Abu Dhabi Championship on Friday and establish a five-stroke lead heading into the weekend of the European tour’s first playoff event.

The world’s second Sphere will be built in the capital of the United Arab Emirates after the opening of the first in Las Vegas.

The NBA returned to the Persian Gulf on Friday for the third consecutive year.

A court in the United Arab Emirates has sentenced dozens of Bangladeshi nationals to prison, including three for life imprisonment, over protests against their home government in the Gulf country.

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates ordered an investigation and an expedited trial of Bangladeshi nationals arrested after protesting against their home government across the Gulf country.

A top U.S. commander says Houthi rebels in Yemen may be running through their supplies of drone swarms and anti-ship ballistic missiles as the pace of their attacks has slowed a bit.

Negotiators taking part in a World Trade Organization meeting in the United Arab Emirates have ended their summit after failing to reach agreements on several major initiatives.

The al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab has claimed an attack that killed four Emirati troops and a Bahraini military officer at a military base in the Somali capital.

The U.S. Navy’s top Mideast commander says Iran is “very directly involved” in ship attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels during Israel’s war against Hamas.

BP says its former chief executive has been denied a payout of 32.4 million pounds, or $41 million, after he was found to have misled the company over his past relationships with colleagues.

A bold, innovative project begun nearly a generation ago to erect a “green-city” in the United Arab Emirates has run into realities and largely missed its mark.

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in a one-day lightning tour intended to raise Russia’s profile as a Middle East power broker, even as his war Ukraine grinds on.

The first planeload of Palestinian children wounded in the Israel-Hamas war raging in the Gaza Strip has reached the United Arab Emirates, part of a pledged relief effort by the country to aid 1,000 children.

Islam Makhachev (26-1-0) used a devastating kick with his left leg to Alexander Volkanovski’s right temple, then quickly pounced and used nine hammering blows with his left hand before referee Marc Goddard stopped the fight at the 3:06 mark of the first round.

Karl-Anthony Towns and Naz Reid each scored 14 points, and the Minnesota Timberwolves topped the Dallas Mavericks 104-96 to complete a two-game sweep of the NBA Abu Dhabi Games.

The NBA returns to Abu Dhabi this week.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is set to make a rare public appearance at the White House, attending an arts event next week with first lady Jill Biden.

There is no history of world-class, elite basketball success in the United Arab Emirates.

Germany’s foreign minister had to wait for hours in Abu Dhabi after a technical problem on her government plane forced it to return to the airport rather than continue to Australia.

A state-run oil giant in the United Arab Emirates says it has moved up its target for achieving net zero emissions in its operations to 2045.

Tom Cruise has graced the red carpet in Abu Dhabi for the Middle Eastern premiere of “Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning Part One.”.

U.S. theme park chain SeaWorld, which has been mired in controversy in recent years over its treatment of killer whales and other marine mammals, has opened a massive new aquatic life park in the United Arab Emirates.

Restoration efforts are underway in the United Arab Emirates as coral reefs face threats in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.

A key innovator is warning that artificial intelligence poses an “existential risk” to humanity.

Actor Nazanin Boniadi is urging the world to back the protests in her native Iran calling for women’s rights and political change, saying despots fear nothing “more than a free and politically active woman.”.

Abu Dhabi’s state gas company expects to raise up to $2 billion by selling 4% of its shares in an initial public offering.

A new complex erected on the shores of the Persian Gulf, in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, houses a Catholic church, a Jewish synagogue and an Islamic mosque.

Russia is offering weapons for sale ranging from Kalashnikov assault rifles to missile systems despite facing sanctions from the West over its war on Ukraine.

The governing body for Formula One has issued guidance on a rule recently introduced that prohibited drivers from speaking out on political and controversial issues.

The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s gas processing firm plans to sell 4% of its shares to local investors in the latest initial public offering to be made by a state-run energy company in the Middle East.

The English Premier League vs Manchester City is a legal fixture for the ages.

Hundreds of climate and environmental groups from around the world released a letter Thursday that decried the nomination of an oil executive to oversee the United Nations climate negotiations at COP28.

Victor Perez won the Abu Dhabi Championship for the third and biggest European tour title of his career.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol has received an honor guard welcome on a trip to the United Arab Emirates.

Pakistan’s prime minister says that the United Arab Emirates agreed to extend a $2 billion loan to his country and provide a additional $1 billion as his nation struggles to recover from devastating floods this summer.

The United Arab Emirates has named a veteran technocrat who both leads Abu Dhabi’s state-run oil company and oversees its renewable energy efforts to be the president of the upcoming United Nations climate negotiations in Dubai.

Top-ranked Carlos Alcaraz has pulled out of the Australian Open because of an injured right leg.

Four-time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel has bowed out of the sport after 16 years.

Max Verstappen has won a record-extending 15th race of the year at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix to conclude one of the most dominant seasons in Formula One history.

BP’s earnings have more than doubled in the third quarter as the London-based energy giant benefited from high oil and natural gas prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Dejounte Murray scored 25 points in his Atlanta debut and the Hawks beat the Milwaukee Bucks 123-113 on in the NBA’s first game in the United Arab Emirates and the Arabian Gulf.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz's spokesman says the German leader has tested positive for the coronavirus.

Saudi Arabia plans to launch a training program with the goal of sending its own astronauts, including a woman, into space next year.

Seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams has been given a wild-card entry into the main draw of the National Bank Open next month.

British prosecutors say former Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone will be charged with fraud by false representation following a government investigation into his overseas assets.

Saudi Arabia has lifted a mask mandate for indoors spaces even as COVID-19 infection numbers steadily climb past 1,000 new cases a day after reaching double-digit lows just two months ago.

Indian celebrities and Bollywood stars are in Abu Dhabi this weekend for the International Indian Film Academy awards.

Vice President Kamala Harris has led a high-powered American delegation to the United Arab Emirates to pay respects to the federation’s late ruler and meet with the newly ascended president.

An array of presidents and prime ministers were descending on the United Arab Emirates from around the world to pay their respects to the federation’s late ruler and greet his successor, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The United Arab Emirates’ long-ailing ruler, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has died.

The Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks will have two preseason matchups at Abu Dhabi in October.

Turkey's red flag is illuminating major buildings in the United Arab Emirates and flew high in a ceremony in Dubai.

U.S. President Joe Biden is joining Pope Francis and a leading Sunni imam in calling for greater global cooperation to fight the coronavirus pandemic, climate change and other world crises.

The United Arab Emirates says it intercepted a ballistic missile fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels as the Israeli president is visiting the country.

Israel’s figurehead president has met the powerful crown prince of Abu Dhabi on the first official visit to the United Arab Emirates by the country’s head of state.

Collin Morikawa has had plenty of thinking to do ahead of this week's Dubai Desert Classic.

The United Arab Emirates and the U.S. military intercepted two ballistic missiles fired by Yemen’s Houthi rebels over the skies of Abu Dhabi early Monday.

A United Arab Emirates ambassador says Yemen's Houthi rebels used cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and drones in an attack on Abu Dhabi this week that killed three people and set off fires at a fuel depot and an international airport.

Satellite photos obtained by The Associated Press appear to show the aftermath of a fatal attack on an oil facility in the capital of the United Arab Emirates claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

The United Nations’ nuclear watchdog and Iran have reached a deal to reinstall cameras damaged at a site that manufactures centrifuge parts.

The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog has warned that the restrictions faced by his inspectors in Iran threaten to give the world only a “very blurred image” of Tehran’s program as it enriches uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels.

The Israeli prime minister's office says a person on the Israeli leader's flight back from the United Arab Emirates has tested positive for COVID-19.

Event organizers say the Foo Fighters rock band has called off its concert at the Formula One race in Abu Dhabi due to “unforeseen medical circumstances.

Max Verstappen overcame a mistake in qualifying to grab the pole for the Formula One title-deciding Abu Dhabi GP.

The heads of Mercedes and Red Bull have shaken hands and wished one another good luck as drivers Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen head into the title-deciding Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The most dramatic championship fight in decades will be settled in Formula One's season finale this week at Abu Dhabi with Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen tied for the points lead.

There will be more host cities and fewer nations playing in the Davis Cup Finals next season in an attempt to increase fan engagement and keep the revamped team event sustainable.

France has announced multibillion-euro deals to sell fighter planes and combat helicopters to the United Arab Emirates.

Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton says Formula One is “duty bound” to raise awareness of human rights issues as the series closes its season in the Middle East.

The NBA is bringing two preseason games to Abu Dhabi next season, marking the first time the league will play in the Arabian Gulf.

Irish singer Ronan Keating has accepted “substantial damages” from a British tabloid newspaper publisher over phone hacking.

Thailand has opened the popular resort island of Phuket to fully vaccinated foreigners from lower-risk countries in an ambitious but risky plan that it hopes will breathe new life into a tourism industry devastated by the pandemic.

Israel’s new foreign minister is in the United Arab Emirates on the first high-level trip by an Israeli official to the Gulf Arab state since the two countries normalized relations last year.

The capital of the United Arab Emirates has apparently started offering free coronavirus vaccines to tourists flying into emirate, a move that could entice travelers and help revive the country’s struggling tourism industry.

The United Arab Emirates will offer booster shots to those who received the Chinese state-backed Sinopharm vaccine six months after vaccination.

Janet Jackson’s ensembles she wore in the “Scream” music video opposite of her brother Michael Jackson are among the items up for bid in a three-day auction.

Top Biden administration officials and U.S. senators have crisscrossed the Middle East, seeking to assuage growing unease among key Gulf Arab partners over America’s rapprochement with Iran and other policy shifts.

(AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)ABU DHABI – In spite of the surging coronavirus pandemic, major arms makers descended Sunday on a convention center in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, hoping to make deals with militaries across the Middle East. The UAE unveiled $1.36 billion in local and foreign arms deals to supply its forces with everything from South African drones to Serbian artillery. Significant national pavilions were absent, including the United States, the world’s largest arms exporter. Ad“The threats are obvious lately,” said Walid Abukhaled, CEO of Saudi Arabian Military Industries Company, a holding company owned by the country’s sovereign wealth fund. “If Iran goes into a major rearmament program or starts to flex its muscles, that’s where missile defense and air defense systems come in,” he said.

Italian tennis player Simone Bolelli, left, and Argentina's Maximo Gonzalez are escorted to their training session in Melbourne, Australia, Monday, Jan. 18, 2021. The number of players in hard quarantine swelled to 72 ahead of the Australian Open after a fifth positive coronavirus test was returned from the charter flights bringing players, coaches, officials and media to Melbourne for the season-opening tennis major. Some players have expressed anger at being classified as close contacts merely for being on board those flights with people who later tested positive. But local government, tennis and health authorities have said all players were warned of the risks in advance. The Australian Open starts Feb. 8 following a week of warmup tournaments at Melbourne Park and the ATP Cup.

Health authorities confirmed there'd been three positive tests for COVID-19 returned on Saturday, and another on Sunday. The Australian Open starts on Feb. 8. Kei Nishikori, the 2014 U.S. Open runner-up, and two-time Australian Open champion Victoria Azarenka were among a group of players who arrived on the flight from Los Angeles. Also, Americans Madison Keys and Tennys Sandgren returned positive tests, but Sandgren was given permission to fly after Australian health authorities determined he was no longer contagious though still shedding viral particles. South Australia health officials “confirmed that there is no one who has an active COVID-19 infection in the entire tennis cohort based in Adelaide,” the Australian Open said on Twitter.

Kenin is the top-seeded woman in Abu Dhabi, where the first womens tour-level tennis event of 2021 begins main-draw play on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)ABU DHABI – Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin of the United States came back from match point down to beat Yulia Putintseva and reach the quarterfinals of the Abu Dhabi Open on Saturday. Kenin posted 57 unforced errors to Putintseva's 43 but still prevailed 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 over the 13th-seeded Putintseva. Kenin dropped the opening set for the second consecutive match in Abu Dhabi. Also, Aryna Sabalenka recorded her 12th consecutive win in tour matches with a 6-2, 6-4 win over Ons Jabeur.

MADRID – The law firm representing Juan Carlos I said Wednesday that Spain’s former monarch has paid tax authorities nearly 680,000 euros ($821,000) following a voluntary declaration of previously undisclosed income. The former king now lives in Abu Dhabi, where he moved in August amid a deepening financial scandal. His lawyer in Madrid, Javier Sánchez-Junco, said in an e-mailed statement that Juan Carlos I filed a self-declaration of undeclared past income and had paid by Wednesday the ensuing debt of 678,393.72 euros. The former king moved to the United Arab Emirates after it emerged that he had become the target of official investigations by prosecutors in Spain and Switzerland for possible financial wrongdoing. “Spain’s parliamentary monarchy is not in danger,” Sánchez said.

The United Arab Emirates said Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020, that a Chinese coronavirus vaccine by Sinopharm tested in the federation of sheikhdoms is 86% effective, though it released few details. (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell, File)DUBAI – The United Arab Emirates said Wednesday a Chinese coronavirus vaccine tested in the federation of sheikhdoms is 86% effective, in a statement that provided few details but marked the first public release of information on the efficacy of the shot. The UAE, home to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, conducted a trial beginning in September of the vaccine by Chinese state-owned pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm involving 31,000 volunteers from 125 nations. The Sinopharm vaccine has been approved for emergency use in a few countries and the company is still conducting late-stage clinical trials in 10 countries. Morocco is gearing up for an ambitious COVID-19 vaccination program, aiming to vaccinate 80% of its adults in an operation starting this month that’s relying initially on the Sinopharm vaccine.

TEL AVIV – The first commercial passenger flight to Israel by a carrier from the United Arab Emirates landed near Tel Aviv on Monday, further cementing a normalization deal between the two countries. Etihad said it plans regular passenger flights between the countries in the future and was launching a dedicated Hebrew website. In August, a Star of David-adorned El Al plane flew from Israel to Abu Dhabi, carrying a high-ranking American and Israeli delegation in the first-ever direct commercial passenger flight between the two countries. Israel and the UAE announced in August they had agreed to normalize ties, setting off a flurry of business, banking and intergovernmental agreements, along with an end to a longstanding boycott by the UAE against Israel. The UAE and Bahrain are the third and fourth Arab states to establish ties with Israel.

Caitlin McNamara alleged she was attacked in February by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family, the Sunday Times reported. The account is denied,” British lawyers for Sheikh Nahyan said in a statement. “Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan made a mockery of his ministerial responsibilities and tragically undermined his government’s attempt to work with Hay Festival to promote free speech and female empowerment,” she added. The sheikh’s ministry paid for the four-day festival in Abu Dhabi, which took place in late February and featured several famous authors. Sheikh Nahyan has received international attention as the Emirates hosted Pope Francis and moves toward normalizing ties with Israel while welcoming Jews to this Muslim-ruled nation.

Connecticut has seen an uptick in virus cases in communities across the state over the past few weeks. There were 3,747 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases reported Thursday, breaking the record of 3,279 set on Tuesday. The day of high case numbers comes just two weeks after the Republican governor repealed that same statewide mask mandate, citing declining numbers of virus cases. Mississippi has had more than 108,000 virus cases and at least 3,152 virus-related deaths. Mississippi’s state health officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs said Monday that six hospitals have no beds available in their intensive care units.

DUBAI – Abu Dhabi, the conservative capital of the United Arab Emirates, is eliminating its licensing system for alcohol purchases for drinkers after Dubai repeatedly loosened its own rules to boost sales and tourism amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. “We would like to announce the cancellation of alcohol licenses for individuals,” the circular said. Eliminating the licenses also would decriminalize alcohol possession, although the Emirates maintains a strict no-tolerance policy on drunk driving and public intoxication. Alcohol sales go on in six of the UAE's seven sheikhdoms, while Sharjah remains dry like the neighboring nations of Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The new alcohol rule also comes just after Abu Dhabi ordered hotels to offer Kosher food, a nod toward the UAE normalizing relations with Israel.

Israeli National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabbat, center left, elbow bumps with an Emirati official as he leaves Abu Dhabi, Arab Emirates, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020. (Nir Elias/Pool via AP)