DUBAI — The UAE has set its federal spending course for the next three years, with the Cabinet approving a general budget plan worth AED292.5 billion (approximately $79.6 billion) for 2027 through 2029, state-run news agency reported.

The approval came during a Cabinet session on Monday, chaired by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.

Within that three-year framework, the Cabinet also signed off on the budget for fiscal year 2027 alone, set at AED 90.1 billion ($24.5 billion).

Spending for the year ahead is spread across five sectors. Social Development and Pensions takes the biggest share at AED 34.6 billion ($9.4 billion), or 38.4% of the total.

Inside that figure, education programs for public and university levels receive 18.8%, healthcare gets 6.7%, pensions take 6.4%, social affairs receive 4.4%, and public services get 2.1%.

Government Affairs follows with AED 29.1 billion ($7.9 billion), or 32.3% of the budget. Federal Expenses account for AED 17.8 billion ($4.8 billion), or 19.7%.

The Financial Investments Sector receives AED 5.6 billion ($1.5 billion), equal to 6.2%, and the Infrastructure and Economic Sector is allocated AED 3 billion ( $817 million), or 3.4%.

Finance Minister Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who also serves as First Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Deputy Prime Minister, said the true measure of the budget lies in its long-term impact on society, not its size alone.

He said the spending plan is built to sharpen government efficiency and speed up projects that raise living standards for citizens and residents.

Spending on education and healthcare, he said, shows steady, long-term investment in people.

He linked this spending to stronger, more responsive public services, greater social unity, and progress toward the “We the UAE 2031” vision.

Sheikh Maktoum also pointed to a growing focus on artificial intelligence and data-driven financial analysis within the budget, along with simplified procedures meant to protect the economy from global shifts.

“We are not spending simply to meet the needs of today,” he said.

“We are investing in a proactive government services ecosystem that exceeds expectations and reinforces the UAE’s global leadership.”

He described the UAE’s financial strategy as a balance of three goals: driving economic growth, funding major projects, and maintaining strict fiscal discipline, alongside updates to tax and development laws.

This balance, he said, strengthens economic stability and the country’s international competitiveness.

Both the three-year plan and the 2027 budget were approved under Federal Decree-Law No. 26 of 2019 on Public Finance, as amended, along with its related resolutions.

Looking ahead, the government’s new planning cycle puts digital transformation at its center, with the UAE aiming to lead regionally and globally in adopting advanced technology and artificial intelligence across government work, economic activity, and financial planning.

Note: AED 3.6725 = US$1 (fixed rate, unchanged as of October 2026).

(With files from WAM)

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RIYADH,— UAE’s Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman.

It marked the first trip by a top Emirati official to the kingdom since a serious dispute split the two Gulf allies last year.

Prince Khalid extended the invitation for the visit.

It came as Saudi Arabia deals with growing threats from the Iran-backed Houthi movement, which has launched missile and drone attacks on the kingdom for several weeks.

Saudi officials have been seeking international backing to push back against the Houthis. It remains unclear whether that appeal included a request for UAE help.

The UAE had long served as Saudi Arabia’s top regional ally in the fight against Houthi forces.

During the meeting with Prince Khalid, the two sides talked about shared concerns and ways to strengthen ties and coordination, the Saudi Defense Ministry said in a post on X.

In a separate meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Sheikh Mansour discussed the countries’ “fraternal relations” and regional developments, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

Long-standing tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE, covering issues from regional politics to oil output, became public in December.

That happened after fighters from a UAE-backed separatist group in southern Yemen advanced near the Saudi border.

Saudi Arabia denounced the UAE’s role in the advance and later struck a weapons shipment tied to the UAE at Yemen’s Mukalla port.

The UAE responded by saying it had pulled all its troops out of Yemen, though friction between the two nations continued.

Yemen has been gripped by civil war for 12 years, since Houthi fighters took over the capital, Sanaa, triggering a Saudi-led military campaign.

(With files from Reuters)

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DUBAI,—Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi on Sunday, a senior Israeli official told Reuters.

Neither Netanyahu’s office nor the UAE’s foreign ministry immediately issued a comment on the visit.

Later on Monday, the UAE’s state-run news agency WAM confirmed Netanyahu’s visit and his meeting with  Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed.

The visit follows a report by the Israeli newspaper Haaretz this month that Sheikh Mohamed warned Netanyahu about 10 days before October 7, 2023, that Hamas, an Islamic extremist group, was preparing a major attack against Israel.

Haaretz said the warning was not passed to Israeli intelligence agencies or the military.

Netanyahu denies the report and has threatened legal action against the paper.

He is facing a hard fight for reelection, and opposition leaders have accused him of bearing responsibility for security failures before the Hamas deadly attack on Oct. 7.

The UAE has not commented on the Haaretz report. It has stated that it and Israel have held “open and direct lines of communication” since diplomatic relations began in 2020.

A UAE source previously told Reuters that the Emirates discusses security matters with countries through “relevant entities,” and not “at the level of national leaders.”

The Israeli prime minister’s office had said in May that Netanyahu “secretly visited” the Gulf country and met the president.

A source familiar with the meeting said at the time that the two men met on March 26 in Al-Ain, an oasis city in Abu Dhabi along the country’s border with Oman.

The UAE denied that President Sheikh Mohamed met with Netanyahu in March 2026.

Since it came under attack during the Iran war, the UAE has drawn closer to the United States and Israel, with which it opened ties as a result of the 2020 Abraham Accords.

The relationship with Israel gives the UAE a way to gain regional influence and a special channel to Washington.

In May 2026, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said that Israel sent Iron Dome air defense batteries and personnel to operate them in the UAE during the conflict with Iran.

(With files from Reuters, Agencies)

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DUBAI,— Turkey has provided shelter, residency and, in some cases, citizenship to Emirati figures linked by the United Arab Emirates to a Muslim Brotherhood network that Abu Dhabi accuses of seeking to remove the country’s rulers from power, according to a report by Nordic Monitor.

The report is based in part on a recently disclosed communication sent to the UAE government by four United Nations special rapporteurs on April 28, 2026.

The UN document examined the UAE’s decision to place 11 individuals and eight organizations on its terrorism list over alleged links to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Several people named on the UAE list were reported by the UN to have lived in Turkey. Some were connected to the UAE94 case, while others left the UAE after a government crackdown on members of Al-Islah, which Abu Dhabi considers the UAE branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.

According to Nordic Monitor, Turkey became an important destination for Brotherhood-linked figures who left Arab countries after the Arab Spring.

The report says some people who first moved to Western countries later settled in Turkey, where they were able to continue their activities with fewer restrictions.

It also alleges that some members gained access to Turkish financial, banking and business networks and that several obtained Turkish citizenship.

The dispute dates back to March 2012, when UAE authorities began arresting members of Al-Islah.

Emirati prosecutors accused the group of creating a secret organization, attempting to turn public opinion against the government and establishing contacts with international Muslim Brotherhood organizations.

Prosecutors also alleged that the group sought foreign assistance, expertise and financial support as part of an effort to seize power.

They further accused members of using money from membership contributions and charitable donations to purchase companies, real estate, agricultural land and shares in order to conceal assets.

The defendants rejected the allegations, saying their activities were focused on political reform and greater public participation rather than an attempt to overthrow the government.

The UAE designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization in 2014.

The issue returned to the spotlight on January 8, 2025, when the UAE Cabinet approved a new terrorism list containing 11 individuals and eight organizations.

One person named was Saeed Khadem Ahmed Bintouq al-Marri, who holds both Emirati and Turkish citizenship.

According to the report, he left the UAE in 2012 after restrictions were imposed on him and later settled in Turkey, where he obtained Turkish citizenship.

Other Emiratis identified in the UN document include Ibrahim Ahmed Ibrahim Ali al-Hammadi, a Swedish-Emirati dual citizen reported to be living in Turkey, and Elham Abdulla Ahmad al-Hashemi, who reportedly remained in Turkey after deciding not to return to the UAE following medical treatment in Britain.

Another case involves Abderrahman Omar Salim Bajubair al-Hadhrami, who was living in Turkey and was accused in 2013 of helping suspects in the UAE94 case by creating and operating a social-media account called “uaemot.” The account remains online, according to Nordic Monitor.

Jasem Rashed Khalfan Rashed al-Shamsi was also reported to have been living in Turkey. .

Turkish authorities detained him and members of his family at Dalaman Airport in March 2024 after his name reportedly appeared in an INTERPOL system. He was not transferred to the UAE and later moved with his family to Syria.

Another wanted Emirati, Khalaf Abdul Rahman Humaid al-Romaithi, lived in Turkey and obtained Turkish citizenship. He had been sentenced in absentia by a UAE court to 15 years in prison.

After traveling to Jordan in May 2023, he was arrested and later handed over to the UAE.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s longstanding relationship with political Islamist movements, including Hamas, which was founded as a Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Erdoğan said in September 2025 that he did not consider Hamas a terrorist organization but a “resistance group,” according to Nordic Monitor.

Turkey and the UAE began repairing relations in 2021, with trade and investment playing an important role.

However, Nordic Monitor reports that Ankara took no visible action after the UAE’s January 2025 terrorism designations, even though several listed Emiratis were reportedly living in Turkey.

The UAE says its terrorism designations are intended to disrupt networks linked to Muslim Brotherhood financing and terrorism.

Financial institutions were instructed to take measures against the listed individuals and organizations.

The Muslim Brotherhood is a radical Islamist organization founded in Egypt in 1928, which several countries have designated as a terrorist group, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

The full report from the Nordic Monitor.

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DUBAI,— Saffron, cumin, pistachios and almonds from Iran continue to fill stalls in the markets of old Dubai, despite a war that has strained ties between the two sides of the Gulf, despite the new restrictions on trade, AFP reported.

The United Arab Emirates last month announced a suspension of trade and financial exchanges with Tehran.

Iran has responded to U.S. attacks by targeting the US-allied country and tightening its grip on the strategic Strait of Hormuz.

Yet Iranian merchants firmly established in old Dubai do not expect the ties built over decades between the UAE’s financial hub and southern Iran to be broken.

Some Iranian products have become harder to find since the war began, while prices for others have risen sharply, said Morteza Asaadi, who runs the grocery store his father founded in 1963.

Most traditional food products, including nuts and zereshk, small red berries used in Persian cuisine, remain available.

Two wholesalers interviewed by AFP on condition of anonymity said they continue to source goods from Iran, particularly through Omani ports. One said they can no longer export from the Emirates but can still bring in certain goods.

At Yasser’s saffron shop, the expensive spice is arriving by air from Mashhad in northeastern Iran after air links resumed following a brief interruption.

Dubai has a large Iranian community, estimated at several hundred thousand people. It has contributed to the emirate’s commercial development and endured repeated periods of tension with Tehran.

After the United States tightened sanctions on the Islamic Republic in 2012, Mehran Haghirian of the London-based Bourse & Bazaar Foundation think tank told AFP that people in Dubai persuaded partners in Abu Dhabi that trade needed to continue despite sanctions because it contributed to the UAE economy.

In 2024, the UAE was the main entry point for goods into Iran, accounting for more than 30 percent of imports valued at $21 billion.

The UAE was also Iran’s third-largest customer, taking nearly 12 percent of its exports worth more than $7 billion, according to the World Trade Organization.

Dubai is an important financial hub for Iranian businesses. Washington has accused the emirate of being a key node in financial networks used to circumvent sanctions.

At the end of August, the United States announced new measures targeting Iran’s trading partners as part of its economic pressure policy and sanctioned the director of the Dubai branch of Iran’s Bank Melli.

The bank nevertheless continues to welcome clients. “We’ve been under sanctions for years,” an employee at one of its two Dubai branches said.

Haghirian said Abu Dhabi’s announcement suspending relations with Iran is part of an effort to bring Tehran back to the negotiating table and demonstrate the Gulf country’s alignment with the United States.

He said the move would not necessarily stop informal flows or exchanges between private actors, which are deeply rooted on both sides of the Gulf.

A lasting rupture could eventually affect Dubai’s economy, Haghirian said. It would be difficult to cut the relationship suddenly without an impact, he said, adding that such a large share could not easily be replaced.

At a conference in Dubai, Emirati businessman and former senior official Nasser al-Shaikh played down those concerns, saying Iran is “no longer as important to the emirate’s economy as it was a few years ago.”

He acknowledged that the relationship was mutually beneficial but said that during war, priorities change and national security comes first.

In Bur Dubai, Asaadi remains convinced trade will survive the crisis.

“You see the water there?” he said, gesturing toward the Gulf separating the UAE from the coasts of southern Iran. “Water can break a mountain.”

(With files from AFP)

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DUBAI,— Artificial intelligence company Anthropic said it had identified and disrupted a UAE-directed influence operation focused on the Muslim Brotherhood, the conflict in Sudan and UN accountability mechanisms.

The company said in its report “Detecting and countering misuse of AI: September 2026” that a single actor used Claude to sustain an AI persona called “Deadshot” on a private platform controlled by the actor.

Anthropic said the system contained a master doctrine file directing Claude to repeat a mission described as “a coordinated transatlantic and regional operation to dismantle the Muslim Brotherhood globally.”

The campaign operated through five connected activities. The actor simultaneously coordinated narrative production, efforts to conceal the operation and selection of targets.

Anthropic said the actor created and managed about 300 inauthentic influencer accounts across social media.

The actor also established a front NGO that copied the identity of a real Swiss organization and issued human-rights reports written by the state under that identity.

The operation also involved ghost-writing official testimony intended for delivery by two people at the 62nd session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Anthropic said the material included restrictions requiring that neither speech refer to the UAE.

The actor researched and profiled 18 members of the European Parliament and prominent journalists, compiling detailed personal files on the targets.

The operation also produced counter-accountability dossiers on UN Special Rapporteurs who had criticized the UAE’s conduct in Sudan.

Anthropic said its investigation linked the operation with high confidence to UAE government officials, even though the campaign was designed to prevent tracing it to those responsible.

The doctrine file identified senior UAE officials as intended recipients of the work. Anthropic also said the actor funded the social media network used to amplify the material.

The company said it could not determine whether the testimonies or target dossiers reached their intended audiences.

Anthropic classified the activity as Category Three under the Breakout Scale because it operated across several social media platforms. The company said a higher category would require evidence of broad public attention or policy impact, which it could not confirm.

Anthropic said the amplification network was centrally funded and coordinated. Internal reporting described the network’s “independence” as its “greatest strategic asset,” indicating an effort to conceal its state-directed character.

The company said the actor borrowed the identity of a real Sudanese human rights organization and prepared complete UN testimony for two named individuals.

The material was intended to present the interests of a party to the Sudan conflict to the UN as statements from independent local witnesses rather than state messaging.

Anthropic said the workflow combined real-world topics with pre-made political doctrine files, then used Claude to produce official-looking intelligence briefs, cloned-identity reports, ghost-written testimony and individual targeting lists.

Several materials were prepared for direct delivery to senior UAE officials.

The company said it discovered the activity through internal investigations and banned the accounts.

It also developed detections based on the documented behavioral signature to block related activity in the future and shared indicators with other industry partners.

Anthropic said the campaign’s components were closely connected rather than isolated efforts. The actor synchronized narrative generation, technical obfuscation and tactical target selection throughout the operation.

The company said this structure allowed the same political mission to guide activity across the campaign.

The Muslim Brotherhood is a radical Islamist organization founded in Egypt in 1928, which several countries have designated as a terrorist group, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

It is a transnational Sunni Islamist movement that seeks the establishment of a caliphate and has been described as the “mother organization” for terrorist groups including Hamas and al-Qaeda.

While the Brotherhood claims to have renounced violence, critics view it as a dangerous terrorist organization that must be dismantled.

(With files from Anthropic.com)

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FRANKFURT,— Germany and the United Arab Emirates moved to strengthen their energy partnership on Friday, signing several deals covering clean power and natural gas.

The agreements are part of a wider €40 billion ($46.4 billion) package aimed at supporting industry in Germany, Europe’s largest economy.

The two countries already trade about $15.5 billion worth of goods each year, and both sides have been working to build closer ties as instability tied to the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran continues to unsettle global markets.

RWE, Germany’s biggest electricity producer, signed a memorandum of understanding with Masdar, the UAE’s state-backed clean energy company, to explore teaming up for Germany’s offshore wind auctions set for 2027.

That potential partnership could bring in more than €3 billion in investment.

RWE also signed a letter of intent with ADNOC for future shipments of liquefied natural gas, expanding on a preliminary deal the companies reached in February.

ADNOC’s chief executive, Sultan al-Jaber, who also serves as the UAE’s Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, said the agreements reflect a long-standing partnership between the two nations aimed at driving economic growth for years to come.

The companies intend to finalize terms for as many as two LNG supply contracts, which would send gas to Germany along with other buyers in Europe and Asia starting in the early 2030s.

The gas would come from ADNOC Gas and ADNOC’s international division, XRG.

Separately, XRG, ADNOC and Germany’s state-owned energy company SEFE signed their own memorandum to look into expanding cooperation on gas and LNG projects.

Rainer Seele, who leads XRG’s chemicals division, said the company already holds a wide-ranging LNG portfolio and plans to keep investing in future supply, adding that he hopes to move quickly on a long-term partnership with SEFE.

In a separate deal, Masdar and Luxcara, a German energy infrastructure investment firm, agreed to look into joint projects in energy storage and offshore wind across Germany and other markets, a venture valued at more than €5 billion.

(With files from Reuters)

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DUBAI,— Algeria has cut diplomatic ties with the United Arab Emirates, state media reported Thursday, saying the two countries had reached the “exhaustion of all means to preserve bilateral ties.” No further explanation was given for the break.

The UAE’s Foreign Ministry had not issued a statement on the matter as of Thursday.

Algerian outlets have long taken aim at the UAE, claiming it works to stir up tension across the region.

Last year, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said his nation enjoyed friendly relations with every Gulf country but one, a comment widely seen as pointing to the UAE.

He called ties with Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar “brotherly,” while charging the unnamed nation with interfering in Algeria’s domestic matters and trying to weaken the state.

The rift deepened in February, when Algeria moved to cancel air services agreement with the UAE that had been signed in Abu Dhabi back in May 2013.

The two nations have repeatedly landed on opposite sides of regional disputes.

Their sharpest disagreement involves Western Sahara, where Algeria backs the Polisario Front’s push for self-rule, while the UAE became the first Arab nation to open a consulate in the Moroccan-held territory in 2020, backing Rabat’s claim.

Similar splits have emerged over Libya and Sudan, where each country has thrown support behind rival factions.

(With files from Reuters, Agencies)

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DUBAI,— Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Wednesday that he will sue the newspaper Haaretz for libel over a report claiming the leader of the United Arab Emirates warned him of an imminent Hamas attack just days before the October 7, 2023 assault on Israel.

Netanyahu’s office said the prime minister has instructed his lawyers to file the lawsuit against Haaretz, reporter Shlomi Eldar and other unnamed parties connected to the story.

The Haaretz report claimed that UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed personally alerted Netanyahu about the coming attack roughly a week and a half before it took place.

The prime minister’s office described the report as entirely fabricated.

It said there had been no contact of any kind between Netanyahu and the UAE government from the start of September 2023 through October 7, the day Hamas Islamist fighters launched their deadly attack on Israel.

According to the statement, a review of the prime minister’s phone records, along with entry logs for the prime minister’s office, turned up no record showing that any Emirati representative had entered the building at any point during that period.

The prime minister’s office went on to describe the report as part of a deliberate and politically timed scheme, saying it was connected to an election campaign being run by opposition parties on the left.

Officials warned that additional false claims of this nature should be expected in the coming weeks.

The statement also placed blame for failures surrounding the October 7 attack on two former security officials, Ronen Bar and Herzi Halevi.

It claimed that both men had noticed warning signs of the coming assault hours before it began, yet failed to pass that information along to Netanyahu in time for any response.

Haaretz responded to news of the lawsuit by saying it stands firmly behind its original reporting and has no plans to issue a correction or retraction.

For its part, the UAE foreign ministry said it does not comment on media reports or speculation regarding private conversations between government leaders.

The ministry stopped short of directly denying that any such call between the two leaders had taken place.

(With files from The Jerusalem Post, Agencies)

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Netanyahu’s Office Calls Report “Absolute Lie”

DUBAI,— Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s Prime Minister, came under fire from opposition leaders Tuesday following a Haaretz newspaper report that the UAE president had cautioned him about a planned Hamas attack days before October 7, 2023.

The Haaretz report, drawn from an upcoming book by its journalists, revealed that UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan MBZ contacted Netanyahu roughly ten days prior to the assault.

The Emirati leader allegedly informed Netanyahu that Hamas was preparing a major offensive operation.

According to the newspaper report, Netanyahu failed to notify security chiefs about this warning.

Netanyahu’s office flatly rejected the claim, calling it “an absolute lie” and saying he never spoke with bin Zayed at that time.

Gadi Eisenkot, a former military commander now challenging Netanyahu in the October 27, 2026 elections, attacked the prime minister’s credibility.

Eisenkot stated Netanyahu received numerous warnings before October 7 and ignored them all.

He accused Netanyahu of shirking responsibility for security failures and making excuses, such as claiming he was not awakened quickly enough on the morning of the attack. Eisenkot specifically described these excuses as pathetic.

“Netanyahu is unfit,” Eisenkot posted on X.

Naftali Bennett, another former prime minister running in elections, argued Netanyahu carries personal responsibility for the October 7 deaths, the deadliest attack in Israeli history.

“Netanyahu cannot remain in office,” Bennett declared.

According to Haaretz, Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who Israel later killed, told a Gaza Arab official that the militants were preparing what he called a terrifying operation and an earthquake.

That Gaza Arab official passed the message to an Emirati advisor, who shared it with the UAE president, who then contacted Netanyahu.

The newspaper reported, citing mostly unnamed sources, that Netanyahu responded calmly to this warning.

Netanyahu had long supported keeping the status quo with Hamas.

Hamas, an Islamic extremist Arab group affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, has been formally designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, European Union, other Western countries.

The Gaza militant group received funding through Qatar under an arrangement where both sides apparently understood Hamas prioritized self-preservation over full-scale conflict with Israel.

On October 7, Hamas militants stormed across the border into Israel in a rampage featuring mass civilian killings at a music festival and in surrounding areas.

The attack killed 1,221 people, mostly civilians including children, according to official Israeli numbers.

The militants also took approximately 251 hostages into Gaza, with 44 already dead at the time of the initial tally.

Israel’s massive response operation has devastated Gaza and killed thousands, predominantly Hamas militants.

The UAE normalized relations with Israel in 2020 through the Abraham Accords, a deal brokered by the United States under President Donald Trump’s first administration.

Netanyahu has considered his ties with the UAE a significant foreign policy success and achievement.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Tuesday that it declines to comment on the report, saying it does not address media coverage of conversations between government officials.

(With files from AFP, France24, UAE’s MOFA, Agencies)

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