Author: Editorial Team

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia’s Capital Market Authority announced the issuance of a final ruling against 11 former board and audit committee members of Middle East Healthcare Company over violations related to manipulation of the company’s financial statements between 2018 and 2021. The ruling was issued by the Appeal Committee for the Resolution of Securities Disputes and included collective fines totaling nearly SR18 million, along with work bans for several of the convicted individuals. According to the CMA, the violations involved breaching Article 49(a) of the Capital Market Law and Article 7 of the Market Conduct Regulations through inflating the company’s…

[Editor’s Note: Follow the Khaleej Times live blog for the latest regional developments with the US-Israel-Iran ceasefire now in effect.] Top UAE diplomat Anwar Gargash, who serves as Adviser to the UAE President, has laid out his thoughts on the current situation with Iran, expanding on the Islamic Republic’s “attempts to control the Strait of Hormuz.” On Tuesday, May 19, Iran announced the formation of a new body to manage the Strait of Hormuz called the PGSA. While it was not immediately clear how the body would control the strait, the Supreme National Security Council in Iran said at the time, “Navigation…

ABU DHABI, 21st May, 2026 (WAM) — Abdulla bin Touq Al Marri, Minister of Economy and Tourism, said that the UAE continues to consolidate an economic model based on openness, continuity and adaptability to global changes, noting that the national economy has demonstrated its ability to maintain competitiveness and stability despite geopolitical challenges and regional fluctuations. Speaking during the Economy Middle East Summit 2026, he said that the UAE did not build its economy solely for times of prosperity, but rather to be capable of performing under all conditions. He pointed out that, in a world marked by fragmentation and…

Less than 20 minutes after an Air India Express flight took off from Dubai on May 12, panic spread inside the cabin. A 32-year-old passenger collapsed and had become unresponsive. As frightened passengers stood up in confusion, Akilaoviyan Neelakandan, a nurse at RAK Hospital, rushed ahead from the back of the aircraft to help stabilise the man. She used limited medical supplies available onboard, monitoring him continuously for nearly two hours until the flight landed safely in India. Neelakandan was travelling home for her first vacation and was only on her second-ever flight when cabin crew announced that a medical…

STRASBOURG,21st May, 2026 (WAM) — Saqr Ghobash, Speaker of the Federal National Council (FNC), stressed the importance of establishing a regular strategic parliamentary dialogue between the United Arab Emirates and the European Parliament, in a manner that contributes to enhancing mutual understanding, expanding areas of cooperation, and building more mature approaches toward regional and international issues of common interest. This came during his address at the tenth session between the Federal National Council and the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with the Arabian Peninsula, attended by Antonella Sberna, Vice-President of the European Parliament, and members of the delegation. Ghobash stated…

Temperatures in the UAE are expected to rise further on Friday, May 22, as per the weather forecast shared by the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM). The mercury is expected to dip and touch a low of 20°C in Al Ruwais, while the highest temperature of 42°C will be in Ras Al Khaimah and Al Ain. Dubai and Abu Dhabi will see a high of 38°C and 40°C, respectively. Skies will be fair in general nationwide. Reisdents may expect light to moderate winds that will freshen at times, with speeds ranging from 10 to 25 kmph, reaching 35 kmph. The…

Neha Gupta, Chief Financial Officer, Core42. UAE-headquartered AI infrastructure operator strengthens capital base to scale cloud and compute deployments across the United States and Europe  Abu Dhabi — Core42, a G42 company specialising in sovereign cloud and AI infrastructure, today announced the successful arrangement of two structured trade finance facilities amounting to $550 million with HSBC to accelerate its AI cloud and compute deployments across the United States and Europe. The facilities of $240 million and $310 million were completed in February 2026 and May 2026, respectively.   The facilities have been purpose-built to support Core42’s capital intensity and deployment cycles of AI cloud infrastructure. Structured to enable strategic flexibility, both facilities are non-equity dilutive and reinforce Core42’s disciplined capital…

JEDDAH — The National Center for Meteorology (NCM) announced that it is continuing to advance its digital and innovative services during the current Hajj season by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into weather forecasts and awareness bulletins. Additionally, the center has launched specialized reports and a multilingual application to enhance the quality of climate services provided to pilgrims. Dr. Turki Habibullah, director general of Research, Development, and Innovation at the NCM, stated that the center began utilizing AI technologies in weather forecasting last year, entirely leveraging Saudi expertise. He emphasized that the technology has demonstrated exceptional efficiency compared to the…

RIYADH — Saudi Arabia’s non-oil exports, including re-exports, jumped by 21.5 percent in March 2026 compared to the same month in 2025, while national non-oil exports, excluding re-exports, declined by 27 percent. According to the data released by the General Authority for Statistics (GASTAT), the total value of merchandise trade reached SR173 billion in March 2026. Merchandise exports amounted to around SR115 billion, while imports totaled approximately SR58 billion, resulting in a merchandise trade surplus of roughly SR57 billion for the month. The GASTAT’s International Trade Report for March 2026 highlighted that the value of re-exported goods increased by 2.5…

ABU DHABI, 21st May, 2026 (WAM) — Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, today celebrated the inaugural flight of its new service to Salalah, introducing a direct connection between Abu Dhabi and Oman’s southern coastal city. The new route will operate year-round, launching with two weekly flights on 21 May and increasing to five flights per week from 15 June to coincide with the Khareef season, when Salalah’s coastline and mountains transform into vibrant green landscapes. The introduction of flights to Salalah reflects Etihad’s commitment to expanding its regional network, offering guests across the airline’s global…