A UN body investigating discrimination complaints lodged by Qatar against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia concluded its work following the resolution of these disputes, according to an announcement Thursday. The ad hoc Conciliation Commission was established by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in the wake of a diplomatic crisis between the neighbouring Gulf nations, nearly eight years ago.  "I hope that the consensus found by Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia to discontinue the proceedings is the result of a genuine dialogue between the parties to end the dispute which arose in 2018 concerning allegations of racial discrimination," CERD Chair Verene Shepherd said. In June 2017, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar, citing "support for terrorism." The following March, Qatar submitted complaints against the UAE and Saudi Arabia to CERD, marking a first in the UN Committee's history. The authorities claimed that political and economic sanctions, including the blockade of its borders, were directed at Qatari citizens solely based on their nationality, without legitimate justification. CERD monitors the global implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which entered into force more than 50 years ago. Read more: French prime minister unveils plans to tackle racism Two ad hoc conciliation commissions were appointed in February 2020 to discuss the complaints. The committee commended all countries concerned for their cooperation towards reaching an amicable settlement to the racial discrimination disputes.  Qatar and the UAE had both requested and agreed to end their proceedings at an ad hoc conciliation commission meeting on January 26. The second commission involving Saudi Arabia wrapped up last year following an agreement by both parties. CERD has registered another case, Palestine against Israel, which is still pending. 

Bangladesh were eliminated from the ICC U-19 Women's T20 World Cup despite beating the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by five wickets in their last Super Six match of Group-1 at the North-West University Ground-1 in South Africa's Potchefstroom Wednesday. After Group-1 Super Six matches, India, Australia, South Africa and Bangladesh secured six points each from four matches. But India (2,844) and Australia (2,210) made the semi-final with a better run rate than Bangladesh (1,226) and South Africa (0.374). In today's match, the UAE folded for 69-9 in the stipulated 20 overs after choosing to bat first. Only Lavanya Keny (29) and Mahika Gaur (17) reached double digits. Rabeya Khan grabbed three wickets for 14 runs in her four-over spell; all-rounder Marufa Akter claimed two wickets for 16 runs in four overs. Chasing 70, Bangladesh scored 73-5 in 9.1 overs. Shorna Akter top scored 38 runs off 19 balls, with four fours and two sixes. Also, Afia Prottasha scored run-a-ball 15 with three boundaries; Robeya Khan made a 13-ball 14 runs, with two boundaries. Also read: U-19 Women’s World Cup: Bangladesh to play UAE on Wednesday for a semifinal berth Samaira Dharnidharka and Indhuja Nandakumar picked up two wickets for 18 and 34 runs, respectively.  Earlier, Bangladesh reached the Super Six after topping Group A with an unbeaten record, securing six points from three straight matches. They earned a seven-wicket victory over giant Australia, a 10-run win over Sri Lanka and a five-wicket victory over the US. But the young tigresses slipped in the semifinal race after losing their first Super Six match against hosts South Africa by five wickets Saturday.    

A United Arab Emirates returnee was detained with two kilograms (KG) of gold at Hazrat Shah Amanat International Airport in the port city of Chattogram on Tuesday. Expatriate Md Ziaul Hoque is from Companyganj upazila in Noakhali. Bashir Ahmed, director general at Chattogram Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate, confirmed the gold recovery  and detention saying that a flight of Dubai Airlines FZ-563 landed at the airport in the morning.   Noticing suspicious movement of the expatriate, members of customs intelligence challenged him and searched his bags, he said. Read more: Man held with 2kg gold from Ctg airport The gold weighing around 2kg was recovered from his bag,  the customs officer said, adding that legal actions were taken against him in this connection.

Bangladesh Women's Cricket team will play United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the last super-six match of the ICC U-19 Women's T20 World Cup on Wednesday (January 25) at the Absa Puk Oval in Potchefstroom, South Africa to decide a semifinal berth from Group-1.   Bangladesh, the unbeaten champions of Group A, made their semifinal berth difficult after conceding a five-wicket defeat against hosts South Africa in their first super-six match last Saturday (January 21). To assure one of the two semifinal berths from Group-1, Bangladesh has to beat UAE by a huge margin on Wednesday to improve as their three opponents India, Australia and South Africa enjoying a good advantage in points and positive run-rate. India assured the semifinal berth from Group-1 securing six points from all the four matches with a good net run-rate of 2.844, followed by Australia, also with six points from all the four outings, having a net run rate of 2.210. South Africa have secured four points from three matches with a net run rate of 0.508 while Bangladesh bagged also four points from three matches, having a net run rate of 0.251.  South Africa was due to play their remaining super six-match against Sri Lanka Tuesday night (Bangladesh time) while Bangladesh will play their last super-six match against UAE on Wednesday. So, it will be very difficult for Bangladesh to manage one of the two semifinal berths from Group-1 toppling Australia and South Africa   Earlier, Bangladesh clinched the Group A crown with all-win record securing full six points from straight three matches after a creditable seven-wicket victory over giant Australia, 10-run win over Sri Lanka and five wickets victory over USA, but they went down in the semifinal race losing their first super six match against hosts South Africa by five wickets last Saturday.  

Bangladesh won two prizes in two out of the six categories of the Zayed Sustainability Awards in the UAE. The prizes were in 'Water' and 'Global High Schools' categories. UAE President Sheik Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan handed over the prizes to the winners at the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week opening ceremony in presence of several heads of states & governments including the president of the Republic of Korea. Read More: BAT Bangladesh scoops up ACES Awards 2022 as 'top sustainability advocate' Bangladesh ambassador to the UAE Abu Zafar was also present at the ceremony and congratulated the winners and commended their innovative works that raised the flag of Bangladesh very high in this global event. Read more: 2 Bangladesh projects win 2022 Aga Khan Award for Architecture NGO Local Environment Development and Agricultural Research Society (LEDARS) working on integrated water resource management approach in disaster-prone coastal area likely Sundarban and Satkhira won the prize in 'Water' category with $ 600,000.00 Starting its journey in 1996, it has been supporting vulnerable communities with water management solutions to make saline ground water suitable for drinking and cultivating crops. On the other hand, Dhaka Residential Model College working on nutrient conservation secured the school category prize with $100,000.00. Read More: Nagad wins UK-based Global Brand Award 2022 Mentionable, the Zayed Sustainability Prize, an evolution of the Zayed Future Energy Prize, is the UAE’s pioneering global award in sustainability and a tribute to the legacy of the late founding father of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. To recognise and reward the achievements of those who are driving impactful, innovative and inspiring sustainability solutions across five distinct categories--Health, Food, Energy, Water and Global High Schools, it has been awarding since its journey in 2008.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol received an honor guard welcome Sunday on a trip to the United Arab Emirates as he hopes to expand its military sales here. Yoon’s visit comes as South Korea conducts business deals worth billions of dollars and stations special forces troops to defend the UAE, an arrangement that drew criticism under his liberal predecessor. Now, however, it appears the conservative leader wants to double down on those military links even as tensions with neighboring Iran have already seen Tehran seize a South Korean oil tanker in 2021. “I think that the situation in the Middle East is changing very rapidly when it comes to geopolitics,” said June Park, a fellow with the International Strategy Forum at Schmidt Futures. “So Korea wants to make sure some of the strategic partnerships and the components ... with the UAE.” Yoon arrived at Qasr Al Watan palace in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. He was greeted by Emirati leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who took office in May after serving as the country’s de facto ruler for years. Also Read: S. Korea military sorry for failing to down North’s drones An honor guard of traditionally dressed Emiratis greeted Yoon and his wife, Kim Keon Hee. They twirled model Lee-Enfield rifles alongside troops on camelback and horseback. Inside, a military band played the South Korean and Emirati national anthems. While energy-hungry South Korea does rely on the Emirates for just under 10% of its crude oil supply, Seoul has struck a series of deals far beyond oil with this nation of seven sheikhdoms that closely tie the nation to Abu Dhabi. South Korea’s trade with the UAE is into the billions of dollars worth of cars, material and other goods. Before Yoon’s trip, officials described the visit as seeking to solidify the ties already between the two countries. “This visit will strengthen strategic cooperation with our brother country UAE in the four core cooperative sectors of nuclear power, energy, investment and defense,” said Kim Sung-han, director of national security in Yoon’s government. On Saturday, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency quoted an anonymous presidency official as also saying that an arms deal was planned. “The atmosphere is extremely ripe for security or military cooperation between South Korea and the UAE involving the arms industry,” the official said, according to Yonhap. Already, South Korea reached a $3.5 billion deal with the UAE in 2022 to sell the M-SAM, an advanced air defense system designed to intercept missiles at altitudes below 40 kilometers (25 miles). Emirati officials have grown increasingly concerned about protecting their airspace after being targeted in long-range drone attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels. While U.S. forces fired Patriot missiles for the first time in combat since the 2003 Iraq invasion to defend Abu Dhabi during those attacks, the Emiratis have been hedging their reliance on American military support since America’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan. But South Korea’s biggest project remains the Barakah nuclear power plant, Seoul’s first attempt to build atomic reactors abroad. The $20 billion facility, which ultimately will have four reactors, is in the UAE’s western deserts near the Saudi border and one day will account for nearly a quarter of all of the Emirates’ power needs. It’s also key to the UAE’s plans to go carbon neutral by 2050, a pledge that takes on special importance as it prepares to host the United Nations COP28 climate negotiations beginning in November in Dubai. Yoon likely wants to assure the Emiratis that South Korea wants to be in the running for lucrative maintenance contracts after his predecessor, President Moon Jae-in, had said Seoul wanted to move away from nuclear energy. “The energy policy took on a 180 degree shift” after the election, said Park, the analyst. “So Korea is now for nuclear and I guess that the Yoon administration wants to make sure to the Emiratis that there is no concern regarding policy shifts or anything like that.” Then there’s also the nuclear tensions with North Korea. Yoon, a former top prosecutor, became president in May on a promise to take a harder line on Pyongyang. Up until recent years, hundreds of North Korean laborers were believed to be working in the UAE and elsewhere in the Gulf Arab states, offering a cash stream to Pyongyang as it seeks to evade mounting sanctions over its nuclear program. However, a crackdown has seen their numbers drastically drop as nations stopped renewing their visas. A recent U.N. expert report did note that high-end camera gear bought in the UAE ended up in North Korea, while another mentioned a North Korean national living in Dubai obtaining foreign currency through an online app by lying about his nationality. The U.N. also said as recently as 2021 it had information about North Korean diplomats in Iran flying on Dubai-based long-haul carrier Emirates smuggling gold with them.

 The United Arab Emirates on Thursday 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, highlighting the balancing act ahead for this crude-producing nation. Authorities nominated Sultan al-Jaber, a trusted confidant of UAE leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who serves as CEO of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Co. That firm pumps some 4 million barrels of crude a day and hopes to expand to 5 million daily. Those revenues fuel the ambitions of this federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula — as well as the production of more of the heat-trapping carbon dioxide that the U.N. negotiations hope to limit. Read more: UAE keen to scale up engagements with Bangladesh But al-Jaber also once led a once-ambitious project to have a $22 billion “carbon-neutral” city on Abu Dhabi’s outskirts — an effort later pared back after the global financial crisis that struck the Emirates hard beginning in 2008. Even today, he serves as the chairman of Masdar, a clean energy company that grew out of the project that now operates in more than 40 countries. “Sultan al-Jaber has the credentials and background to lean into trends that are already on going,” said Ryan Bohl, an Austin, Texas-based Mideast analyst for a risk-intelligence firm called the RANE Network. “Him being an oilman, I don’t think that will be that big of a risk for him.” The Emirates’ state-run WAM news agency made the announcement, noting al-Jaber’s years also serving as a climate envoy. “This will be a critical year in a critical decade for climate action,” WAM quoted al-Jaber as saying. “The UAE is approaching COP28 with a strong sense of responsibility and the highest possible level of ambition.” He added: “We will bring a pragmatic, realistic and solutions-oriented approach that delivers transformative progress for climate and for low-carbon economic growth.” His nomination, however, drew immediate criticism. Harjeet Singh, who is the head of Global Political Strategy at Climate Action Network International, said al-Jaber holding the CEO title at the state oil company posed “an unprecedented and alarming conflict of interest.” “There can be no place for polluters at a climate conference, least of all presiding over a COP,” Singh said. Each year, the country hosting the U.N. negotiations known as the Conference of the Parties — where COP gets its name — nominates a person to chair the talks. Hosts typically pick a veteran diplomat as the talks can be incredibly difficult to steer between competing nations and their interests. The nominee’s position as “COP president” is confirmed by delegates at the start of the talks, usually without objections. The caliber of COP presidents has varied over the years. Observers widely saw Britain’s Alok Sharma as energetic and committed to achieving an ambitious result. Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry faced criticism by some participants for the chaotic and at times non-transparent way he presided over last year’s meeting. In its announcement about al-Jaber, WAM said the Emirates had invested “more than $50 billion in renewable energy projects across 70 countries, with plans to invest a minimum of $50 billion over the next decade.” It wasn’t immediately clear where those figures came from. Mubadala, Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth fund, has invested some $3.9 billion since 2018 in renewable energy, according to the New York-based research firm Global SWF. Masdar listed some $14.3 billion in investments in a 2020 briefing. Masdar did not respond to questions about its investments Thursday. But at the same time, Mubadala has invested $9.8 billion over the same period in oil and gas projects, Global SWF said. The UAE is home to a massive solar park in Dubai, as well as the Barakah Nuclear Power Plant, which is the Arabian Peninsula’s only atomic energy source. But it also requires vast amounts of energy to run the desalination plants that brought green golf courses to its desert expanses, power the air conditioners cooling its cavernous malls in the heat of the summer and power heavy industries like aluminum smelters. The UAE’s clean energy policies grew in the mid-2000s as Dubai’s real-estate boom saw it constructing the world’s tallest building and massive, palm-shaped archipelagos off its coast. The World Wildlife Fund at the time estimated the UAE had the world’s largest ecological footprint per capita — meaning that each of its residents used more resources on average than those living in any other nation. The UAE still ranks high on similar lists. The Masdar City project grew out of that concern of being tarnished, before being pared back. “By us actually doing it and investing money, we had access to lessons learned that no one had access to,” al-Jaber told The Associated Press in 2010. “We have to learn, adjust, adapt and move forward. We can’t be rigid.” The UAE then pivoted Masdar City into a campus now hosting the U.N.’s International Renewable Energy Agency and the firm itself into investing into renewables at home and abroad. Joe Biden, just before leaving office as America’s vice president, even visited Masdar City in 2016. Analysts believe the Emirates is trying to maximize its profits before the world increasingly turns to renewables. The Emirates itself has pledged to be carbon neutral by 2050 — a target that remains difficult to assess and one that authorities haven’t fully explained how they’ll reach. The UAE “have made no bones about being a major oil and gas producer and presumably he is very well connected to rulers in the country,” said Alden Meyer, a longtime climate talk observer at the environmental think tank E3G. “I hope (al-Jaber) has good diplomatic and negotiation skills and the ability to build consensus and compromise.” COP28 will be held at Dubai’s Expo City from Nov. 30 through Dec. 12.

Visiting State Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Ahmed bin Ali Al Sayegh called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday. During the meeting held at Ganabhaban, the state minister requested more cooperation from Bangladesh to expand the air connection between Bangladesh and the UAE, said a press release of PMO press wing. He also said the UAE is interested in strengthening cooperation with Bangladesh for the alliance of mangrove initiative, aforestation, renewable energy, floating based solar energy, food processing, agriculture, and investment. Ahmed thanked Sheikh Hasina for her government’s warm hospitality extended to his delegation during the IORA Ministerial meeting held in Dhaka on 23-24 November 2022. Read more: Bangladesh seeks wider cooperation with UAE He expressed his satisfaction with the arrangement of a very productive meeting of IORA by Bangladesh as the present Chairman of IORA. The UAE state minister highlighted that under the chairmanship of Bangladesh, IORA would be more integrated and effective. He mentioned that next year the UAE would host COP 28 and requested Bangladesh’s participation in it. Ahmed also appreciated the priority of Sheikh Hasina’s government on agriculture and poverty alleviation. The PM appreciated the excellent arrangement of the UAE during Expo 2020 held in Dubai. Read more: First Bangladesh-UAE consular consultations held She expressed that the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and UAE would be further strengthened in the coming days.

The first consular consultations between Bangladesh and the UAE were held in Abu Dhabi Wednesday. The Bangladesh delegation was led by Ambassador Mashfee Binte Shams, secretary (east) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). Senior officials from the ministry, representatives from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, and officials of the Bangladesh Embassy in Abu Dhabi, as members, joined the consultations. The UAE delegation was led by Faisal Essa Lutfi, assistant undersecretary, Consular Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, of the UAE. Read more: MoU on ‘e-visa’ inked between Bangladesh-UAE They discussed consular issues related to Bangladesh nationals living and working in the UAE as well as their welfare. It also covered the area of easing the visa renewal process, regularisation of over-stayers, cooperation in the area of combating human trafficking, and money laundering. It was decided that a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to form the legal framework for a joint consular committee would be concluded soon for holding such meetings on a regular basis on a larger scale with wider participation and broader agenda.  

An ancient Christian monastery possibly dating as far back as the years before Islam spread across the Arabian Peninsula has been discovered on an island off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, officials announced Thursday. The monastery on Siniyah Island, part of the sand-dune sheikhdom of Umm al-Quwain, sheds new light on the history of early Christianity along the shores of the Persian Gulf. It marks the second such monastery found in the Emirates, dating back as many as 1,400 years — long before its desert expanses gave birth to a thriving oil industry that led to a unified nation home to the high-rise towers of Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The two monasteries became lost to history in the sands of time as scholars believe Christians slowly converted to Islam as that faith grew more prevalent in the region. Read more: What’s the status of women in Qatar, host of 2022 FIFA World Cup? Today, Christians remain a minority across the wider Middle East, though Pope Francis arrived in nearby Bahrain on Thursday to promote interfaith dialogue with Muslim leaders. For Timothy Power, an associate professor of archaeology at the United Arab Emirates University who helped investigate the newly discovered monastery, the UAE today is a “melting pot of nations.” “The fact that something similar was happening here a 1,000 years ago is really remarkable and this is a story that deserves to be told,” he said. Read more: Archaeologists unearth 2,700-year-old rock carvings The monastery sits on Siniyah Island, which shields the Khor al-Beida marshlands in Umm al-Quwain, an emirate some 50 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of Dubai along the coast of the Persian Gulf. The island, whose name means “flashing lights” likely due to the effect of the white-hot sun overhead, has a series of sandbars coming off of it like crooked fingers. On one, to the island's northeast, archaeologists discovered the monastery. Carbon dating of samples found in the monastery's foundation date between 534 and 656. Islam's Prophet Muhammad was born around 570 and died in 632 after conquering Mecca in present-day Saudi Arabia. Viewed from above, the monastery on Siniyah Island's floor plan suggests early Christian worshippers prayed within a single-aisle church at the monastery. Rooms within appear to hold a baptismal font, as well as an oven for baking bread or wafers for communion rites. A nave also likely held an altar and an installation for communion wine. Next to the monastery sits a second building with four rooms, likely around a courtyard — possibly the home of an abbot or even a bishop in the early church. On Thursday, the site saw a visit from Noura bint Mohammed al-Kaabi, the country's culture and youth minister, as well as Sheikh Majid bin Saud Al Mualla, the chairman of the Umm al-Quwain's Tourism and Archaeology Department and a son of the emirate's ruler. The island remains part of the ruling family's holdings, protecting the land for years to allow the historical sites to be found as much of the UAE has rapidly developed. The UAE's Culture Ministry has sponsored the dig in part, which continues at the site. Just hundreds of meters (yards) away from the church, a collection of buildings that archaeologists believe belongs to a pre-Islamic village sit. Elsewhere on the island, piles of tossed-aside clams from pearl hunting make for massive, industrial-sized hills. Nearby also sits a village that the British blew up in 1820 before the region became part of what was known as the Trucial States, the precursor of the UAE. That village's destructions brought about the creation of the modern-day settlement of Umm al-Quwain on the mainland. Historians say early churches and monasteries spread along the Persian Gulf to the coasts of present-day Oman and all the way to India. Archaeologist have found other similar churches and monasteries in Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. In the early 1990s, archaeologists discovered the first Christian monastery in the UAE, on Sir Bani Yas Island, today a nature preserve and site of luxury hotels off the coast of Abu Dhabi, near the Saudi border. It similarly dates back to the same period as the new find in Umm al-Quwain. However, evidence of early life along the Khor al-Beida marshlands in Umm al-Quwain dates as far back as the Neolithic period — suggesting continuous human inhabitance in the area for at least 10,000 years, Power said. Today, the area near the marshland is more known for the low-cost liquor store at the emirate’s Barracuda Beach Resort. In recent months, authorities have demolished a hulking, Soviet-era cargo plane linked to a Russian gunrunner known as the “Merchant of Death” as it builds a bridge to Siniyah Island for a $675 million real estate development. Power said that development spurred the archaeological work that discovered the monastery. That site and others will be fenced off and protected, he said, though it remains unclear what other secrets of the past remain hidden just under a thin layer of sand on the island. “It’s a really fascinating discovery because in some ways it’s hidden history — it’s not something that’s widely known,” Power said.