Administrative and teaching staff in private schools and nurseries in Sharjah will commence in-person attendance from Wednesday, April 15, the Sharjah Private Education Authority announced on Tuesday night.
This is pursuant to the decision of the Education, Human Development and Community Development Council and to ensure readiness and provide training on emergency and crisis protocols, SPEA said on social media.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776197181434,"content-version-id":"3f523ae5-5e0e-440f-8688-ccecf41e8266","card-added-at":1776196356170,"status":"draft","id":"bab693ce-c27b-44d2-bc19-6334346ebcc8","content-id":"bab693ce-c27b-44d2-bc19-6334346ebcc8","version":2,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776195568391,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/cbc4fffb-db06-48e0-8f94-7d548be1a7e6","type":"title","family-id":"c8f0b230-50f6-4fcb-865f-3f3149027712","title":"","id":"cbc4fffb-db06-48e0-8f94-7d548be1a7e6","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The US says it prevented six vessels from leaving Iranian ports during the first 24 hours of the blockade\u00A0"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/e8cd5b03-111e-4881-be12-272ebb21875e","type":"text","family-id":"bf610a7c-1a43-4549-bd0a-830b8469a3a2","title":"","id":"e8cd5b03-111e-4881-be12-272ebb21875e","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The United States military said on Tuesday it had successfully prevented six vessels from leaving Iranian ports during the first 24 hours of a naval blockade imposed on Iran. The United States Central Command (Centcom), which oversees US forces in the Middle East, said more than 10,000 American troops, over 10 warships and dozens of aircraft were involved in the operation.
In a post on the X platform, it added that \u201Cduring the first 24 hours, no vessel was able to breach the US blockade, and six commercial ships complied with instructions from US forces and returned to Iranian ports on the Gulf of Oman\u201D. It said the blockade was being enforced \u201Cwithout discrimination on vessels of all nationalities entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman.\u201D
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/940573a9-f1f2-4615-8c85-291491b56e0a","type":"text","family-id":"22156d28-d770-40c5-89e6-651ba29d052e","title":"","id":"940573a9-f1f2-4615-8c85-291491b56e0a","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"4a730ff7-9bd1-41a5-ab89-10773290f740","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776192642671,"author-name":"AFP","headline":"Hormuz Strait blockade: Iran-linked ships cross despite US enforcement, some turn back","story-content-id":"4a730ff7-9bd1-41a5-ab89-10773290f740","is-published":true,"slug":"world/mena/hormuz-strait-blockade-iran-linked-ships-cross-despite-us-enforcement-some-turn-back-1.500506599","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776192625316,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Mixed signals in Hormuz as ships pass, turn back","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Mixed signals in Strait of Hormuz as ships pass, turn back","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/yJgkGOnVVjbCOHuEcdcJWJAFDgY_P-q7HvFFY_jqFkGIH84PxCqSrx_2lUBiHqG3","published-at":1776192625316,"status":"published","id":"4a730ff7-9bd1-41a5-ab89-10773290f740","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/hormuz-strait-blockade-iran-linked-ships-cross-despite-us-enforcement-some-turn-back-1.500506599","author-id":2118725,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"syndicated","authors":[{"author-collection-id":null,"email":"afp@gulfnews.com","slug":"afp","last-name":null,"social":{},"name":"AFP","avatar-url":null,"roles":[{"id":25321,"name":"Contributor"},{"id":25323,"name":"Admin"}],"bridgekeeper-id":8673409,"settings":{},"first-name":null,"communication-email":null,"bio":null,"can-login":true,"id":2118725,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null,"metadata":{"designation":""}}],"metadata":{"imported-card-is-read-only":false,"story-attributes":{"syndicatedfrom":["Wire - AFP"],"syndicated-categories":null},"imported-card-id":"bc1bac2e-ef5f-4ae6-b5ee-aaf954e31164"},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"yJgkGOnVVjbCOHuEcdcJWJAFDgY_P-q7HvFFY_jqFkGIH84PxCqSrx_2lUBiHqG3","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Hormuz Strait blockade: Iran-linked ships cross despite US enforcement, some turn back"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/a9b4cf65-c619-4565-a5b4-75e0dff903c6","type":"text","family-id":"f2017656-4509-4d9c-8cbf-4eb8b8db4948","title":"","id":"a9b4cf65-c619-4565-a5b4-75e0dff903c6","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for\u00A0FREE: Download the\u00A0Gulf News\u00A0app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply\u00A0click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."}],"card-updated-at":1776197181434,"content-version-id":"ec14be11-00f7-4876-b4e3-e7fd6bbd8f1c","card-added-at":1776195568391,"status":"draft","id":"55baac83-2490-4cc6-9ddf-1c48f745c4fe","content-id":"55baac83-2490-4cc6-9ddf-1c48f745c4fe","version":3,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776194767862,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/19c7b3d7-1855-46d2-bfa3-2775db36cda8","type":"title","family-id":"c4428397-6d28-4a1d-98cf-9d7db7ee3008","title":"","id":"19c7b3d7-1855-46d2-bfa3-2775db36cda8","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Israel, Lebanon agree to direct negotiations after 'productive' talks: US statement\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/49af34f0-2913-41b8-be14-b3860cbe4b20","type":"text","family-id":"8de51598-baf5-4bde-b7c0-aaf40566daf7","title":"","id":"49af34f0-2913-41b8-be14-b3860cbe4b20","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
Israel and Lebanon agreed to hold direct negotiations after \"productive discussions\" between the two sides in Washington, the United States said on Tuesday.
\"The participants held productive discussions on steps toward launching direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon,\" State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement, adding: \"All sides agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue.\"
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"7dfb34e3-2d9c-49b0-a61e-9b82543b1acc","card-added-at":1776194767862,"status":"draft","id":"e96d1424-6a1e-4dd6-842d-dda09fdc9644","content-id":"e96d1424-6a1e-4dd6-842d-dda09fdc9644","version":3,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776194656593,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/cc360649-bbea-41ff-91ef-5ce43fac72c0","type":"title","family-id":"831a3b7a-11de-4b7d-a95a-f8bcd5cf428c","title":"","id":"cc360649-bbea-41ff-91ef-5ce43fac72c0","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Thirty-two rescued Iranian sailors depart Sri Lanka: report\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/0150d23b-67cc-48b1-b073-7765020c1674","type":"text","family-id":"c5e79117-3667-438f-bc94-7d20ff377ee7","title":"","id":"0150d23b-67cc-48b1-b073-7765020c1674","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Thirty-two Iranian sailors rescued by Sri Lanka after their frigate was torpedoed by a US submarine last month have departed on a flight home, local media reported Tuesday.
The sailors from the IRIS Dena flew out of the island on Tuesday night, two local television networks reported. Sri Lankan defense authorities were not immediately available for comment.
The IRIS Dena was attacked just south of Sri Lanka on March 4, killing 104 sailors, many of them cadets, in the early days of the US and Israeli war against Iran, Iranian authorities say.
The bodies of 84 were recovered and have been repatriated.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"66b02ea9-7bca-4518-b3de-35e902b221a5","card-added-at":1776194656593,"status":"draft","id":"6467b47d-4d22-400c-934b-33fcb260a279","content-id":"6467b47d-4d22-400c-934b-33fcb260a279","version":5,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776194121085,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/8df24e34-0251-4804-8cbd-8f432fea6587","type":"title","family-id":"98048c8d-21f4-4cd6-9aba-1b69e918d631","title":"","id":"8df24e34-0251-4804-8cbd-8f432fea6587","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"US Treasury says not renewing temporary easing of Iran oil sanctions\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/8077ef61-dcd0-4078-8d30-91d26a3c0f64","type":"text","family-id":"17fdb994-65f9-4744-ab04-895169fd3e6f","title":"","id":"8077ef61-dcd0-4078-8d30-91d26a3c0f64","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The US Treasury Department said Tuesday it does not plan to renew a temporary easing of sanctions on some Iranian oil, set to expire in a matter of days.
\"The short-term authorisation permitting the sale of Iranian oil already stranded at sea is set to expire in a few days and will not be renewed,\" the Treasury Department said in a statement.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"b695f012-1c70-4a3c-80f2-154e268e8fc3","card-added-at":1776194121085,"status":"draft","id":"c2a84b40-9502-46c6-a5fb-96e47f1a31d6","content-id":"c2a84b40-9502-46c6-a5fb-96e47f1a31d6","version":6,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776192806394,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/07a3effe-80f1-4d3c-85e6-44a8377343eb","type":"title","family-id":"131fb429-2cf8-4ee2-8490-29af8d177b45","title":"","id":"07a3effe-80f1-4d3c-85e6-44a8377343eb","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":" Israeli ambassador hails 'wonderful exchange' following talks with Lebanon\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/6117ce73-d767-4016-bc57-9642dba44372","type":"text","family-id":"c725f5f1-7861-418c-be18-98dd10ff9b44","title":"","id":"6117ce73-d767-4016-bc57-9642dba44372","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Israeli Ambassador Yechiel Leiter hailed the \"wonderful exhange\" during direct peace talks with Lebanon in Washington on Tuesday, saying the two countries were \"on the same side.\"
\"We enjoyed it together. We had a wonderful exchange of over two hours,\" Leiter told reporters following the talks.
\"We discovered today that we're on the same side,\" he said, adding: \"We are both united in liberating Lebanon from (an) occupation power dominated by Iran called Hezbollah.\"
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"ea04b9a9-6c47-4faf-a688-ab005bc5ec68","card-added-at":1776192806394,"status":"draft","id":"c3ed2826-e450-49ac-b054-00c55129a82d","content-id":"c3ed2826-e450-49ac-b054-00c55129a82d","version":7,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776188186414,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/a410cd08-6757-4cfb-890c-66d04e4bfc6c","type":"title","family-id":"45389173-86d9-4f75-b4ec-94958130eb65","title":"","id":"a410cd08-6757-4cfb-890c-66d04e4bfc6c","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Two days to US-Iran talks?"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/a47cd9d4-b92c-4aac-a473-0a9e53ce253d","type":"text","family-id":"2701d928-cfde-4f55-b1b1-ff537671941f","title":"","id":"a47cd9d4-b92c-4aac-a473-0a9e53ce253d","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a new round of direct talks with Iran could be held in Pakistan within the next two days.
In remarks to the New York Post, Trump said discussions with Iran are already underway but are progressing \"somewhat slowly,\" adding that holding the next round in Pakistan is the most likely option
He praised the role of Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir in facilitating dialogue between the two sides, describing him as \"a great person\" and indicating that returning to Pakistan for further talks is highly probable
Trump also denied media reports claiming that the United States had requested Iran to suspend its uranium enrichment programs for at least 20 years during last week's talks in Pakistan
He reiterated that Iran must not possess nuclear weapons, stressing that he does not accept any arrangement that would limit enrichment restrictions to a fixed period such as 20 years.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/d5d36fc0-e40f-4a33-a166-5fc5d4cb4348","type":"text","family-id":"2b85a3d9-3ac6-413b-a2fb-33a4f9590323","title":"","id":"d5d36fc0-e40f-4a33-a166-5fc5d4cb4348","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for\u00A0FREE: Download the\u00A0Gulf News\u00A0app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply\u00A0click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"7a24bab9-2e0d-466e-b56e-b4a68e2e2126","card-added-at":1776188186414,"status":"draft","id":"b24a4e78-830c-44ac-964b-1611e4ee32f5","content-id":"b24a4e78-830c-44ac-964b-1611e4ee32f5","version":14,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776188054229,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/63f48a0d-b9dd-438c-b656-e3933bf02392","type":"title","family-id":"72ce4bb0-3801-439f-b1ef-7630a01ce3d4","title":"","id":"63f48a0d-b9dd-438c-b656-e3933bf02392","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"UN chief says 'no military solution' for Mideast crisis\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/855fe75e-9899-4477-8875-6ca42c2029bb","type":"text","family-id":"5ba2a0b5-a6d0-457a-8ed2-5b52a27e2a97","title":"","id":"855fe75e-9899-4477-8875-6ca42c2029bb","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
The UN secretary-general on Tuesday called for the resumption of \"serious negotiations\" to end the war in the Middle East, saying the crisis has \"no military solution.\"
Antonio Guterres also told journalists at United Nations headquarters in New York that international freedom of navigation must be respected \"by all parties\" in the Strait of Hormuz.
\"There is no military solution to this crisis. Peace agreements require persistent engagement and political will. Serious negotiations must resume,\" he said.
Guterres said the ceasefire between the United States and Iran \"must be preserved\" - referring to the two-week truce agreed last Wednesday after mediation by Pakistan.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"9965a47d-25af-4e04-98d1-a5994fedde88","card-added-at":1776188054229,"status":"draft","id":"8a675e5d-6653-44b8-aef9-8c9d1fb7bd0c","content-id":"8a675e5d-6653-44b8-aef9-8c9d1fb7bd0c","version":15,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776185989294,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/9e342391-4d9a-4791-9a64-b1f542ab6287","type":"title","family-id":"d5947dd9-22e8-452c-a939-ff6bd372ddd7","title":"","id":"9e342391-4d9a-4791-9a64-b1f542ab6287","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Early childhood centres in Dubai to reopen on Thursday: KHDA \r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/10cfab59-4188-4e53-9fba-afc5ebfad294","type":"text","family-id":"d361315f-fd6e-41ff-8d25-e5f17a936090","title":"","id":"10cfab59-4188-4e53-9fba-afc5ebfad294","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Following the latest updates issued by the Education, Human Development and Community Development Council, private early childhood centres in Dubai are set for a gradual return to on-site learning, beginning with those located in government premises and commercial buildings, from Thursday, April 16 onwards, subject to KHDA approval and in line with comprehensive safety regulations and procedures to ensure a safe and supportive environment for children, KHDA announced on Tuesday evening.
\u201CThe safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and the wider community remain the highest priority. We also encourage everyone to rely on official national sources for information and to avoid circulating unverified news,\u201D the authority added.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776197181434,"content-version-id":"7814c574-e043-48cc-955b-8ca2a02acf64","card-added-at":1776185989294,"status":"draft","id":"43dcd600-578c-432c-b0e4-7aaa5846bc66","content-id":"43dcd600-578c-432c-b0e4-7aaa5846bc66","version":17,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776184927450,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/e059f835-bec2-4bbc-9441-785fa5828fc9","type":"title","family-id":"78e16edb-b975-4ab3-a3f5-846826a850c5","title":"","id":"e059f835-bec2-4bbc-9441-785fa5828fc9","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Lebanon, Israel start direct talks as Hezbollah launches new attacks\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/a77e43cc-7f3f-4587-b5a7-1d85d25f6d7d","type":"text","family-id":"f36afd7b-22c1-4b18-9d1e-9e88ed226965","title":"","id":"a77e43cc-7f3f-4587-b5a7-1d85d25f6d7d","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Washington's top diplomat urged Israel and Lebanon to seize a \"historic opportunity\" for peace as direct talks between the two opened on Tuesday despite objections from Hezbollah, which announced fresh attacks on Israel just as negotiations got underway.
The United States is pressing for a halt to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, fearing it could derail the two-week ceasefire in Washington's war with Iran after talks with Tehran in Pakistan failed to achieve a breakthrough.
Washington said \"the ball is in the Iranian court\" on ending the region-wide war, after a US naval blockade on Iranian ports began in the Strait of Hormuz, which had already been effectively closed by Tehran.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"e9349bce-d247-4957-9161-c599d83291a8","card-added-at":1776184927450,"status":"draft","id":"f68c52b7-491c-45a1-b65b-6a93cb0faced","content-id":"f68c52b7-491c-45a1-b65b-6a93cb0faced","version":17,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776184286117,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/7b39cf89-38e5-4418-983b-eab8c34475b3","type":"title","family-id":"b21f52f3-6998-4d2b-83bc-79c72ca9c38e","title":"","id":"7b39cf89-38e5-4418-983b-eab8c34475b3","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Kuwait denies reports of airport's Terminal 5 being operational\u00A0"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/39daa8bb-8df1-4d11-8dbc-0799cab54847","type":"text","family-id":"4d09cbd6-87d1-4488-abfd-bf1d03e981bb","title":"","id":"39daa8bb-8df1-4d11-8dbc-0799cab54847","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Kuwait Directorate General of Civil Aviation denied reports claiming the resumption of operations at Terminal 5 designated for Jazeera Airways.
The directorate said the information circulating on the matter is inaccurate and was not issued by official entities in Kuwait, stressing that any decisions related to terminal operations or the resumption of flights are announced through approved official channels.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"c08a25c6-1607-46d4-91e5-1e096e93d789","card-added-at":1776184286117,"status":"draft","id":"f37b6d02-0824-450d-a1ae-175a02c29b08","content-id":"f37b6d02-0824-450d-a1ae-175a02c29b08","version":18,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776183854179,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/d9e6fda8-b078-4264-8960-ef1fb0cd73c1","type":"title","family-id":"58fe39cb-5c2f-4ac1-8975-391a5c4c0c91","title":"","id":"d9e6fda8-b078-4264-8960-ef1fb0cd73c1","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Saudi, Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey FMs to hold talks amid Iran tensions: source\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/c2f1ad64-90bf-4f30-8441-882399e8ac90","type":"text","family-id":"af9ba8f1-b622-403f-a181-5f0d5e076ae4","title":"","id":"c2f1ad64-90bf-4f30-8441-882399e8ac90","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Egypt will meet Turkey's top diplomat this week in Turkey for talks on regional matters, a ministry source told AFP on Tuesday.
\"This is the third meeting of the four countries to discuss regional affairs, not specifically Hormuz,\" said the source, who wished to remain anonymous. The top diplomats are due to hold talks on the margins of an annual diplomacy forum in southern Turkey that opens on Friday.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/4370736b-c854-4290-973b-34734852143a","type":"text","family-id":"0c15c028-7fa5-49ec-a4c2-9a92fbdf43a5","title":"","id":"4370736b-c854-4290-973b-34734852143a","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for\u00A0FREE: Download the\u00A0Gulf News\u00A0app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply\u00A0click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"4e3738a5-2445-4379-bdfa-0eb2944ca6d5","card-added-at":1776183854179,"status":"draft","id":"3ae3041e-625e-49c7-8b13-a2151580205d","content-id":"3ae3041e-625e-49c7-8b13-a2151580205d","version":20,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776183718759,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/0c0cc3bd-ef2f-46e8-839d-67b499cd6d08","type":"title","family-id":"81d879b6-3ba9-4e05-a058-757759cbd1dd","title":"","id":"0c0cc3bd-ef2f-46e8-839d-67b499cd6d08","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"10,000 military personnel stationed at US blockade\u00A0"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/f0ba7475-5e2c-4e0b-8575-c8fe8bed50f5","type":"text","family-id":"a7fe59d7-9894-448c-97a1-7a6d34cb80dc","title":"","id":"f0ba7475-5e2c-4e0b-8575-c8fe8bed50f5","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
United States Central Command said on Tuesday that more than 10,000 US military personnel, over 12 warships, and dozens of aircraft are taking part in the maritime blockade of Iran that began yesterday to tighten control over vessels entering and leaving Iranian ports.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"b9c9ee46-c499-450b-af53-b71b2a755705","card-added-at":1776183718759,"status":"draft","id":"81f50a6f-655a-4acc-af40-bb767a39c127","content-id":"81f50a6f-655a-4acc-af40-bb767a39c127","version":21,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776183106849,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/28e5605e-bd56-4bee-bb1c-5e2e17268c06","type":"title","family-id":"8934c253-c5ab-41be-8bd1-65588a519bb2","title":"","id":"28e5605e-bd56-4bee-bb1c-5e2e17268c06","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Iran:\u00A0 Initial assessment of damages caused by war has reached $270 billion"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/671108bd-63c1-4451-be64-5b2f7206fe87","type":"text","family-id":"9959bff5-f86a-4ae8-bce1-6651f9e4b96c","title":"","id":"671108bd-63c1-4451-be64-5b2f7206fe87","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Iran\u2019s government said on Tuesday that an initial assessment of war-related damages has reached $270 billion, stressing that the figure remains preliminary and subject to revision, according to local media.
Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said that the estimate is not final, noting that \u201Cdamages are typically assessed across multiple levels.\u201D
She added that the issue of war reparations is being pursued through diplomatic channels, saying: \u201COne of the files our negotiating team is working on, and which was also discussed in the talks in Islamabad , is the issue of war compensation.\u201D
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"23012e5e-8d9f-4d1d-ab7f-a5cfc87fcc5c","card-added-at":1776183106849,"status":"draft","id":"7f521bac-f48a-4883-8953-d8ae649b9cd7","content-id":"7f521bac-f48a-4883-8953-d8ae649b9cd7","version":22,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776181889911,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/815be06b-1ff8-49c8-b3b6-045345aa8b96","type":"title","family-id":"bedc47eb-b2fd-4f6c-82cb-e34f4263478d","title":"","id":"815be06b-1ff8-49c8-b3b6-045345aa8b96","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Iran nuclear programme 'set back' but not wiped out\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/c606e451-2979-4c1d-90c8-218e7e666942","type":"text","family-id":"3eeda3f8-8faa-4e1a-8426-792261b41bff","title":"","id":"c606e451-2979-4c1d-90c8-218e7e666942","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The United States and Israel may have obstructed the path towards a future Iran-built nuclear bomb by severely damaging the Islamic republic's nuclear and ballistic capabilities in recent attacks.
But they have not succeeded in seizing its stockpile of highly enriched uranium, key to any future negotiations between Washington and Tehran, experts and diplomatic sources told AFP.
One of US President Donald Trump's justifications for the war he launched was an accusation - denied by Tehran - that Iran was developing an atomic bomb. Trump has repeatedly vowed to never allow the country to possess a nuclear weapon.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, for his part, has stated that the previous war waged against Iran, a 12-day conflict in June 2025, as well as the current one \"wiped out\" Iran's nuclear programme.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"ba6582bf-95a3-4f05-bb3e-2a46c35ff50d","card-added-at":1776181889911,"status":"draft","id":"37290540-a199-4fd0-82a2-189a1749a820","content-id":"37290540-a199-4fd0-82a2-189a1749a820","version":23,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776180988435,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/f1c4a8ef-4f43-42f8-ac92-99736f791c10","type":"title","family-id":"65c8e3fc-2463-4c55-bbfb-3b0c569469d4","title":"","id":"f1c4a8ef-4f43-42f8-ac92-99736f791c10","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":" Lebanon president hopes Israel talks 'beginning of the end' of country's suffering\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/d066d57d-f0af-4438-b72f-5f369bf85802","type":"text","family-id":"be056edb-e404-478e-9862-5bceaddd5444","title":"","id":"d066d57d-f0af-4438-b72f-5f369bf85802","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Lebanon's president expressed hope that direct talks on Tuesday in Washington with Israel would lead to an end of his country's suffering after war erupted again between Israel and Hezbollah last month.
\"I hope that the meeting in Washington... will mark the beginning of the end of the suffering of the Lebanese people in general, and those in the south in particular,\" President Joseph Aoun said in a statement, adding that \"stability will not return to the south if Israel continues to occupy its lands\".
\"The only solution lies in the Lebanese army re-deploying up to the internationally recognised border, and so being solely responsible for the security of the area and the safety of its residents, without the partnership of any other party,\" Aoun added.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"3fa4d4c9-4200-4bbd-a681-f2decee6c2bf","card-added-at":1776180988435,"status":"draft","id":"39c1ff80-8dea-4385-b6aa-df3a2bf27d93","content-id":"39c1ff80-8dea-4385-b6aa-df3a2bf27d93","version":24,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776179976674,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/72f01dc2-27c8-4b65-9b66-f70ca17f2589","type":"title","family-id":"21774b1e-896f-4af2-ac58-3f9d65463b05","title":"","id":"72f01dc2-27c8-4b65-9b66-f70ca17f2589","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":" Rubio hosts Israeli, Lebanese envoys for first direct talks in decades\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/46890316-daeb-4a0d-88c6-a7bd829ef346","type":"text","family-id":"026f61ae-5605-4bd9-991d-6c652800711d","title":"","id":"46890316-daeb-4a0d-88c6-a7bd829ef346","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"US Secretary of State Marco Rubio hosted the Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors in Washington on Tuesday for the first direct peace talks between the countries in decades.
Rubio is mediating the talks between Israeli envoy Yechiel Leiter and Lebanon's Nada Hamadeh Moawad, which began around 1500 GMT.
But pro-Iran Hezbollah - which is battling Israeli forces in southern Lebanon - called for the talks to be scrapped before they even began.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"52e428f7-ca66-4687-bfc9-c4ecee94aa05","card-added-at":1776179976674,"status":"draft","id":"c3f8eb7b-033f-4f0a-bf84-a69e373e9a1b","content-id":"c3f8eb7b-033f-4f0a-bf84-a69e373e9a1b","version":25,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776179507398,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/df8e5d29-7005-4861-b066-af7a7a5020e7","type":"title","family-id":"11de0a2d-fd39-42b3-a1c4-5828f83eab2c","title":"","id":"df8e5d29-7005-4861-b066-af7a7a5020e7","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"India-US talk discuss situation in West Asia"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/2ef3acdb-6334-4aa7-b50b-8d8fd7888a0c","type":"text","family-id":"a11f4e59-ab18-4833-a26c-90f6e5b21b1f","title":"","id":"2ef3acdb-6334-4aa7-b50b-8d8fd7888a0c","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Indian PM Narendra Modi tweeted post a call with the US President Donald Trump. He said: \"Received a call from my friend President Donald Trump. We reviewed the substantial progress achieved in our bilateral cooperation in various sectors. We are committed to further strengthening our Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership in all areas. We also discussed the situation in West Asia and stressed the importance of keeping the Strait of Hormuz open and secure.\"
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"2e34cad3-972b-4ff2-873d-a79642813775","card-added-at":1776179507398,"status":"draft","id":"0e90eb6f-27ee-431d-89ab-a093104e6ca3","content-id":"0e90eb6f-27ee-431d-89ab-a093104e6ca3","version":26,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776178624096,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/fa193bc1-4f50-4037-a2c0-bb9b0c754303","type":"title","family-id":"59dd87a2-9366-4c02-a79b-1b5472927cd0","title":"","id":"fa193bc1-4f50-4037-a2c0-bb9b0c754303","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Canada's prime minister suspends fuel tax in first act after securing majority government\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/9a204600-5eb4-4f2f-9d29-1ad820b990a8","type":"text","family-id":"b57e93b1-3d0b-46a0-bf91-e4a51d1ce141","title":"","id":"9a204600-5eb4-4f2f-9d29-1ad820b990a8","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday suspended the fuel tax in response to the Iran war in his first act after securing a majority government.
Carney said that with fuel prices increasing sharply, he is suspending the federal fuel excise tax from next Monday until Labor Day. He called it a \"responsible, temporary measure\" that also will reduce costs for truckers and businesses.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"d79f8da5-9a1a-48fd-bb7a-ab7e9db06b2c","card-added-at":1776178624096,"status":"draft","id":"b1e81055-3130-4ab6-93ca-03a9ce1159ab","content-id":"b1e81055-3130-4ab6-93ca-03a9ce1159ab","version":27,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776177397673,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/17c3fbfa-4771-4380-bf89-7b0845ccfb3c","type":"title","family-id":"6a66f244-7561-47ff-ab56-b79a3a547641","title":"","id":"17c3fbfa-4771-4380-bf89-7b0845ccfb3c","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":" US oil price falls 5% on hope for Middle East de-escalation\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/3cf545d0-1a9a-4ae8-a560-1433fca63305","type":"text","family-id":"59a6c2bf-69b0-4884-be2f-294513eef75e","title":"","id":"3cf545d0-1a9a-4ae8-a560-1433fca63305","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The main US oil contract fell 5 per cent Tuesday on hopes of a de-escalation of tensions in the Middle East war.
West Texas Intermediate (WTI) fell 6.2 per cent to $92.94 for May delivery, while the main international benchmark Brent North Sea crude slipped 3.77 per cent to $95.61 a barrel.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"0cac9479-f9b0-4dff-811d-d7303acc46ed","card-added-at":1776177397673,"status":"draft","id":"2530b372-e66c-4599-b90b-53a04f56a23c","content-id":"2530b372-e66c-4599-b90b-53a04f56a23c","version":28,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776176723380,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/a1a73d9e-6ffb-423d-be63-62080733f269","type":"title","family-id":"72737740-94de-4879-b21b-f785484e38cd","title":"","id":"a1a73d9e-6ffb-423d-be63-62080733f269","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Trump says Italy's Meloni lacks 'courage' on Iran war: report\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/5d5bf32d-6860-474b-8191-833efbcfd473","type":"text","family-id":"737ba6ed-b864-4e75-a888-21a22b372e8c","title":"","id":"5d5bf32d-6860-474b-8191-833efbcfd473","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"US President Donald Trump criticised Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, a political ally, in an interview published on Tuesday for her unwillingness to help in the Iran war.
\"I'm shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong,\" he told Italian daily Corriere della Sera.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"1f05d95e-d0db-4b5c-927d-b5f13a443832","card-added-at":1776176723380,"status":"draft","id":"bbdbe458-ea45-416f-b3a4-9809e63a2d94","content-id":"bbdbe458-ea45-416f-b3a4-9809e63a2d94","version":30,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776176685283,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/33945bbe-2f7d-4ba9-aa82-e74eceb7d456","type":"title","family-id":"25caf0ce-bd7b-4f64-8908-46ea3fb8e942","title":"","id":"33945bbe-2f7d-4ba9-aa82-e74eceb7d456","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"17 nations urge Israel, Lebanon to seize talks 'opportunity'\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/b4d371ce-eabd-42a2-bd4f-2c06f7be62a1","type":"text","family-id":"b5195ef2-1586-48a7-b2e8-a51af216ef69","title":"","id":"b4d371ce-eabd-42a2-bd4f-2c06f7be62a1","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Foreign ministers from 17 countries, including the UK, Tuesday urged Israel and Lebanon to \"seize this opportunity\" ahead of talks between the two nations in Washington.
Britain's foreign ministry posted the ministers' joint statement saying \"direct negotiations can pave the way to bring lasting security for Lebanon and Israel as well as the region\".
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"d20017cf-b61f-4cc5-8f74-0cef3b473a62","card-added-at":1776176685283,"status":"draft","id":"5e80f545-b82d-4289-ba22-a05a845f1165","content-id":"5e80f545-b82d-4289-ba22-a05a845f1165","version":31,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776175164301,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/0b5e5516-3616-41c4-a4fc-0add630addc0","type":"title","family-id":"e9022651-2e97-4911-a0f2-ef61f7c528af","title":"","id":"0b5e5516-3616-41c4-a4fc-0add630addc0","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Red Cross makes first aid shipments into Iran since start of war\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/45bada8b-b48a-469f-bc7b-4d2ab2342b61","type":"text","family-id":"c3992402-4207-4807-938c-97ce560f2d15","title":"","id":"45bada8b-b48a-469f-bc7b-4d2ab2342b61","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The international Red Cross movement said Tuesday that a shipment of life-saving medical supplies and other aid has crossed the border into Iran, its first since the start of the war.
The shipment of medical supplies and other aid entered the country on Sunday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said.
IFRC spokesman Tommaso Della Longa told reporters in Geneva that the IFRC had sent trauma kits, \"designed to provide immediate, life-saving care\".
\"The operation is critical as humanitarian supply chains into Iran have been severely disrupted in recent weeks due to the conflict, making it increasingly difficult and more costly for essential medical and relief items to reach those in need,\" he said.
Della Longa said the IFRC aimed to bring in more trauma kits \"in the next three weeks\".
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"6957565f-b360-434c-8909-fc04671c645b","card-added-at":1776175164301,"status":"draft","id":"b9a6593a-dfdd-432a-b8ac-13e32b22283f","content-id":"b9a6593a-dfdd-432a-b8ac-13e32b22283f","version":33,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776172321842,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/7f95582d-a777-457c-bb71-d27bbbda95ef","type":"title","family-id":"b40d0449-e598-4b51-9de1-170ec7c9f12f","title":"","id":"7f95582d-a777-457c-bb71-d27bbbda95ef","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"IMF cuts eurozone growth forecast to 1.1%, warns of strong euro\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/a0d4eb1c-49f9-4e93-8152-8a68c597353b","type":"text","family-id":"6e7f6e45-1aaf-46b8-9361-a5a850d10bb2","title":"","id":"a0d4eb1c-49f9-4e93-8152-8a68c597353b","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Economic growth across the eurozone will slow to an estimated 1.1 percent this year as higher energy prices weigh on manufacturing, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday.
In its first update to forecasts since the Mideast war erupted, the IMF said eurozone exporters are also exposed to the euro's strength against the dollar and other currencies, which makes their products more expensive on global markets.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/13a88090-0f6a-4757-b194-81fc99334365","type":"text","family-id":"30716ec3-760d-415b-836c-124ba73348e8","title":"","id":"13a88090-0f6a-4757-b194-81fc99334365","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"ff66df55-34c0-4e8c-9ce7-7a81c69063ef","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776176902684,"author-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","headline":"IMF lowers 2026 global growth forecast as war threatens oil supply, inflation","story-content-id":"ff66df55-34c0-4e8c-9ce7-7a81c69063ef","is-published":true,"slug":"business/economy/imf-lowers-2026-global-growth-forecast-as-war-threatens-oil-supply-inflation-1.500506782","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776176904217,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"IMF cuts world growth outlook as war drives oil fears","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"IMF lowers 2026 global growth forecast as Middle East war threatens oil supply, inflation","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85448,"name":"economy","slug":"economy","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/GentlvR66Gf0Dyaabtds10QG9APFS7u2rBY21RwraYU-Bt_JJbJYn0QT_2cF11li","published-at":1776176904217,"status":"published","id":"ff66df55-34c0-4e8c-9ce7-7a81c69063ef","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/economy/imf-lowers-2026-global-growth-forecast-as-war-threatens-oil-supply-inflation-1.500506782","author-id":2172381,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2172381,"name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","email":"dgokulan@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"GentlvR66Gf0Dyaabtds10QG9APFS7u2rBY21RwraYU-Bt_JJbJYn0QT_2cF11li","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"IMF lowers 2026 global growth forecast as war threatens oil supply, inflation"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/bce39fe0-5637-40c4-8c6c-2bd1e883a85f","type":"text","family-id":"e0fe569b-736c-452a-825c-b4df6ee29061","title":"","id":"bce39fe0-5637-40c4-8c6c-2bd1e883a85f","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The forecasts assume that the US and Israeli war against Iran \"will last for a few more weeks and a recovery will then gradually take hold\" and oil exports normalise, the fund said.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/d1aab497-67d7-42c9-8278-432741d0c3bd","type":"text","family-id":"90675c96-e5d0-477f-b1b4-5c9dc19706c4","title":"","id":"d1aab497-67d7-42c9-8278-432741d0c3bd","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for\u00A0FREE: Download the\u00A0Gulf News\u00A0app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply\u00A0click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"3527b2a0-08f7-4ddd-b745-6f8e49fd1ec9","card-added-at":1776172321842,"status":"draft","id":"4f1f5d0c-16f8-41e3-a0fd-54aae0e964eb","content-id":"4f1f5d0c-16f8-41e3-a0fd-54aae0e964eb","version":35,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776171540117,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/44bebdad-4c6a-438d-969c-3a50e4777eab","type":"title","family-id":"643f61ca-0794-4952-97c9-f6525b0c8a5e","title":"","id":"44bebdad-4c6a-438d-969c-3a50e4777eab","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Lebanon, Israel to hold direct talks as Trump blockades Iran\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/4f06083e-d6bf-41e9-b27f-0569235391bc","type":"text","family-id":"a0d271bd-effe-45e9-b438-448800bcde55","title":"","id":"4f06083e-d6bf-41e9-b27f-0569235391bc","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
Israel said it was open to peace with Lebanon ahead of the first direct talks in decades between the neighbours Tuesday, but that Hezbollah remained the \"problem\" blocking an agreement on ending fighting.
The United States is pressing for a halt to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, fearing it could derail the two-week ceasefire in Washington's war with Iran, despite talks with Tehran in Pakistan failing to achieve a breakthrough.
Washington said \"the ball is in the Iranian court\" on ending the region-wide war, after a US naval blockade on Iranian ports began in the Strait of Hormuz, which had already been effectively closed by Tehran.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"97d593e8-08ca-4093-8498-46b52ecdbb20","card-added-at":1776171540117,"status":"draft","id":"411bb057-8812-4ca1-87be-e680e43f10a6","content-id":"411bb057-8812-4ca1-87be-e680e43f10a6","version":36,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776168872640,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/9cbc91c5-53f3-4932-8cdf-ce95cada9841","type":"title","family-id":"e51bfa3f-d486-4639-acd3-c30fbae2a9bf","title":"","id":"9cbc91c5-53f3-4932-8cdf-ce95cada9841","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":" France's Macron says urged Trump, Iran president to restart talks\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/a667a65f-083d-4178-94a9-e37956c3ee00","type":"text","family-id":"371441c9-5152-4999-ab5f-d8ba000781c8","title":"","id":"a667a65f-083d-4178-94a9-e37956c3ee00","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday he had urged US President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart Massoud Pezeshkian to resume stalled talks towards ending the Iran war.
\"I urged the resumption of the negotiations suspended in Islamabad, the clearing up of misunderstandings, and the avoidance of any further escalation,\" the French president wrote on X, after speaking to both of them on Monday.
\"It is essential, in particular, that the ceasefire be strictly respected by all parties and that it include Lebanon,\" Macron said.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"507865f7-b6d8-4fdb-b8ec-0467d59090f5","card-added-at":1776168872640,"status":"draft","id":"24828afe-7c3f-405b-b006-e0742a7b2f96","content-id":"24828afe-7c3f-405b-b006-e0742a7b2f96","version":38,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776168521440,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/ef43ff27-c998-43be-a0c6-010e5503e49b","type":"title","family-id":"66ff64d9-ca04-4b77-a41b-fbe3ce92bda0","title":"","id":"ef43ff27-c998-43be-a0c6-010e5503e49b","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Two ships from Iran ports pass Hormuz Strait despite US blockade: tracker\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/58d9f6e0-ba0e-4012-82bb-763ae6235e87","type":"text","family-id":"030d2375-d8f5-4423-8875-073360e9e606","title":"","id":"58d9f6e0-ba0e-4012-82bb-763ae6235e87","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"At least two ships sailing from Iranian ports crossed the Hormuz Strait on Monday despite a US military blockade, maritime tracking data indicated Tuesday.
They were among at least four Iran-linked vessels that used the route after Washington's blockade came into effect at 1400 GMT on Monday, according to maritime data provider Kpler.
The Liberia-flagged bulk carrier Christianna crossed after unloading 74,000 tonnes of corn at the Iranian port of Bandar Imam Khomeini, passing Iran's Larak Island in the strait around 1600 GMT on Monday, Kpler data showed.
A second ship, the Comoros-flagged tanker Elpis, was near Larak Island around 1100 GMT and cleared the strait about 1600 GMT.
It was loaded with 31,000 tonnes of methanol, having left the Iranian port of Bushehr on March 31, Kpler data showed.
US Central Command had said the blockade would target \"vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas\".
A Chinese tanker, the Rich Starry, also crossed the strait overnight from Monday to Tuesday via the Iranian-approved vetting route south of Larak Island.
Kpler said that vessel was carrying 31,500 tonnes of methanol and was bound for Sohar in Oman, according to data from its transponder.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"c089395a-c225-4373-a3ab-594d901806a8","card-added-at":1776168521440,"status":"draft","id":"976ef4f5-4c21-4912-b7c2-fb785e4679b9","content-id":"976ef4f5-4c21-4912-b7c2-fb785e4679b9","version":39,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776167588744,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/c5a055b2-5ee2-4fe7-9f1b-ee1ffe3d21da","type":"title","family-id":"6963fb0e-7171-48e4-9696-f1a87296951e","title":"","id":"c5a055b2-5ee2-4fe7-9f1b-ee1ffe3d21da","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Oman Air to resume flights to Dubai"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/c4b3a9e0-9052-4ed7-a818-29ef0a3c3ec1","type":"text","family-id":"eb49a755-275d-4ad3-b811-b4c464b35cce","title":"","id":"c4b3a9e0-9052-4ed7-a818-29ef0a3c3ec1","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Oman Air took to its social media to announce that it's returning with services to Dubai. It's X post reads: \"We're flying you back to Dubai via daily flights starting from 18 April 2026. Book now!\"
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"00690aeb-17c0-4e97-9481-919698bb7cdd","card-added-at":1776167588744,"status":"draft","id":"fee4d4b8-d1ec-4a7e-81a1-c43f091040ce","content-id":"fee4d4b8-d1ec-4a7e-81a1-c43f091040ce","version":40,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776166992081,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/13719bb3-2d6e-47d0-af87-6b3d4a560457","type":"title","family-id":"255a0a82-9989-4adb-88df-1369957d403a","title":"","id":"13719bb3-2d6e-47d0-af87-6b3d4a560457","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"EU fears jet fuel supply issues in 'near future'\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/35cc7a3d-1c14-4f48-8f7a-790b9c36ec1c","type":"text","family-id":"493834ca-c2bb-407a-b5e7-57259dc3a79c","title":"","id":"35cc7a3d-1c14-4f48-8f7a-790b9c36ec1c","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The European Commission said Tuesday it fears Europe could face jet fuel supply issues \"in the near future\" with no end in sight to the Iran war roiling global energy markets.
\"There is no evidence for fuel shortages in the European Union at present, but supply issues could occur in the near future in particular for jet fuels,\" said spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen.
\"That remains our primary concern,\" she told reporters.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"603560bc-0860-4faa-93d2-e9d137629395","card-added-at":1776166992081,"status":"draft","id":"961ce9a5-9d2d-45d6-b32e-39fff7b9241e","content-id":"961ce9a5-9d2d-45d6-b32e-39fff7b9241e","version":41,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776166477184,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/f4d624d0-646a-4717-bbd6-352bc3a29a06","type":"title","family-id":"08ca4d39-9f99-4a55-b517-ba2574b26b58","title":"","id":"f4d624d0-646a-4717-bbd6-352bc3a29a06","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Italian PM says suspends defence agreement with Israel\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/7e7e7f2d-c7ee-4f73-899f-51f1f24785dc","type":"text","family-id":"cce0c37b-f13e-4a22-81cd-3db5c8ec8b96","title":"","id":"7e7e7f2d-c7ee-4f73-899f-51f1f24785dc","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Italy has suspended its defence agreement with Israel, which involves the exchange of military equipment and technology research, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and diplomatic sources said Tuesday.
\"In view of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defence agreement with Israel,\" Meloni said on the sidelines of an event in Verona, according to Italian news agencies ANSA and AGI.
An Italian diplomatic source confirmed to AFP that the agreement had been suspended, saying: \"It would have been politically difficult to keep it going.\"
Approved by Israel in 2006, the agreement is reviewed every five years.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"b806b4e2-ba2b-4177-9ebb-52b97c6ce982","card-added-at":1776166477184,"status":"draft","id":"683ed3ad-3117-404b-9bc3-464752434aa9","content-id":"683ed3ad-3117-404b-9bc3-464752434aa9","version":43,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776166281252,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/cb35307a-3b33-4c17-a442-6086c99aa206","type":"title","family-id":"553c6ede-338e-4a47-8bf1-0a133407f103","title":"","id":"cb35307a-3b33-4c17-a442-6086c99aa206","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Israeli FM says keen to reach 'peace and normalisation' with Lebanon\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/92667b9a-b3be-4adc-b1c8-ddbf6e95afa6","type":"text","family-id":"c896e5e5-9fa0-4119-860e-639bb0172626","title":"","id":"92667b9a-b3be-4adc-b1c8-ddbf6e95afa6","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said his country is seeking \"peace and normalisation\" with Lebanon, ahead of talks between officials from both nations in Washington on Tuesday.
\"We want to reach peace and normalisation with the state of Lebanon... Israel and Lebanon don't have any major disputes between them. The problem is Hezbollah,\" Saar said at a press conference.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776196356170,"content-version-id":"2f363c2f-3a72-4be9-ace1-039f1103c4b5","card-added-at":1776166281252,"status":"draft","id":"12e2bd02-0d12-4ee8-8ca3-bc4581fd01be","content-id":"12e2bd02-0d12-4ee8-8ca3-bc4581fd01be","version":44,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776163632704,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/621a9b05-0d26-42d4-8d59-b62db1c6bd38","type":"title","family-id":"12f8ec13-c579-4971-96be-3486a1adf385","title":"","id":"621a9b05-0d26-42d4-8d59-b62db1c6bd38","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Iraq says has 'understandings' to bypass Hormuz blockade\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/5f3b9caa-b4cf-48e1-b928-8a2d066dc0ef","type":"text","family-id":"a79f5265-7c8e-41a9-bb25-20ad478616de","title":"","id":"5f3b9caa-b4cf-48e1-b928-8a2d066dc0ef","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Baghdad's oil ministry said it has \"understandings\" with the United States and Iran to reduce the impact of the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz on Iraqi oil exports.
The ministry did not elaborate or say when these reported understandings were reached.
But Iran announced earlier this month that it would allow Iraqi shipping to transit the key waterway.
Iraqi oil ministry spokesperson Saheb Bazoun told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) \"there are understandings with the American and Iranian sides to circumvent the blockade imposed on the Strait of Hormuz, and with all parties to guarantee exports\".
A founding member of the OPEC oil cartel, Iraq normally exports the majority of its crude through the strait, but like other exporters in the oil-rich region, it has been left scrambling for alternative routes.
Bazoun told INA that Iraq was continuing to use secondary export routes, including a pipeline to the Turkish port of Ceyhan and via Syria's Baniyas port.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/8f896d22-5a8a-4964-84b9-8b00a5f7dc62","type":"text","family-id":"1146a4c6-15df-4ba3-b458-55c80a7d8207","title":"","id":"8f896d22-5a8a-4964-84b9-8b00a5f7dc62","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."}],"card-updated-at":1776163632704,"content-version-id":"4aefb3ab-767b-4940-9141-cf778b44c941","card-added-at":1776163632704,"status":"draft","id":"e31d6c93-40d3-429b-a5c3-9ba2e53b6e1b","content-id":"e31d6c93-40d3-429b-a5c3-9ba2e53b6e1b","version":1,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776162295542,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/91ab5a4c-78d7-4527-9ff7-07fe1f473d8b","type":"title","family-id":"ffb9c23e-9185-449d-9d3d-c14b0def7bd1","title":"","id":"91ab5a4c-78d7-4527-9ff7-07fe1f473d8b","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"France, UK to host Hormuz talks on Friday"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/d43b3dbb-35d0-41af-b1bb-092d32e07579","type":"text","family-id":"96312ad2-794f-4a95-93d7-ec82c5e8ec8e","title":"","id":"d43b3dbb-35d0-41af-b1bb-092d32e07579","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will co-chair a conference Friday in Paris, bringing together non-belligerent nations willing to participate in a mission in the Strait of Hormuz \u201Cwhen security conditions allow.\u201D
Other participants will take part via videoconference, Macron\u2019s office said. European and other partners are ready to contribute to a \u201Cpurely defensive mission aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz,\u201D the statement said.
France and Britain have been working in recent weeks to set up an operation to escort oil tankers and container ships to help ensure safe passage through the strait.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776163632704,"content-version-id":"eb82c08d-6f67-481b-9664-22b7c4a3a8ec","card-added-at":1776162295542,"status":"draft","id":"ea854836-962f-41f9-b6f0-f4507cb845b7","content-id":"ea854836-962f-41f9-b6f0-f4507cb845b7","version":5,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776159636592,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/781ba55c-3a93-4191-a208-ea9de0b77726","type":"title","family-id":"d293a618-607d-42ce-ae24-6c4f26502771","title":"","id":"781ba55c-3a93-4191-a208-ea9de0b77726","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Four Iran-linked ships transit Strait of Hormuz"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/c5cfcccf-159d-4bf9-afd6-249fde5ecce4","type":"text","family-id":"ba0a944b-fec5-480a-a97b-203f160f4bcb","title":"","id":"c5cfcccf-159d-4bf9-afd6-249fde5ecce4","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Ship-tracking data shows four Iran-linked vessels have crossed the Strait of Hormuz despite a US naval blockade coming into effect, according to BBC. The ships include a mix of sanctioned tankers and cargo vessels, some of which had previously called at Iranian ports or departed from China and Iran-bound routes.
One vessel, Christianna, crossed after visiting an Iranian port, while US-sanctioned tankers Rich Starry and Murlikishan also transited the strait, alongside Elpis, which sailed from Iran\u2019s Bushehr port. Analysts say some vessels may be using GPS spoofing to disguise their positions.
The US military has said it is blocking all maritime traffic linked to Iranian ports but maintains freedom of navigation for non-Iranian routes through the strategic waterway.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776163632704,"content-version-id":"3dbf54b3-64c5-49de-9184-60747e6e3d1f","card-added-at":1776159636592,"status":"draft","id":"5aa045c5-78c8-4473-8946-b1e238be0d14","content-id":"5aa045c5-78c8-4473-8946-b1e238be0d14","version":7,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776156987133,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/f6a48fa8-6383-49b7-a9ba-f96aefe8f63a","type":"title","family-id":"80223b54-a244-4096-8728-6c31d8610f88","title":"","id":"f6a48fa8-6383-49b7-a9ba-f96aefe8f63a","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"France calls Israeli strikes \u2018intolerable\u2019"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/996f0604-3935-44dd-bee1-d60df55314c3","type":"text","family-id":"45a73fa3-1c2e-430e-94af-958796ff2056","title":"","id":"996f0604-3935-44dd-bee1-d60df55314c3","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-No\u00EBl Barrot reaffirmed Tuesday that Lebanon must be included in the initial ceasefire agreement.
\u201CThe ceasefire must absolutely include Lebanon, which under no circumstances can be the scapegoat of the Israeli government,\u201D Barrot said on French radio RFI.
Israel\u2019s strikes on Lebanon are \u201Cintolerable,\u201D he said, because they undermine the ceasefire reached between the United States and Iran and because it strengthens militant group Hezbollah.
\u201CDestroying Lebanon, targeting the Lebanese state, does not weaken Hezbollah \u2014 quite the opposite, it strengthens it,\u201D Barrot said.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776163632704,"content-version-id":"c63637f5-bdcd-4273-a0d8-b3f573a70c61","card-added-at":1776156987133,"status":"draft","id":"01138dcc-53f1-47c9-8f6a-7f191573f8ee","content-id":"01138dcc-53f1-47c9-8f6a-7f191573f8ee","version":9,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776156952971,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/a4ac76ac-ab97-4152-844e-4b190a151349","type":"title","family-id":"cb9957d9-58fc-4f72-a566-0b432bb2f85c","title":"","id":"a4ac76ac-ab97-4152-844e-4b190a151349","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Egypt discusses de-escalation efforts with EU"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/fd78692f-6b52-45b8-9a8e-77271f5446cb","type":"text","family-id":"f333d85d-4292-4de1-983b-b95660c4a250","title":"","id":"fd78692f-6b52-45b8-9a8e-77271f5446cb","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty discussed de-escalation efforts in the region with Kaja Kallas, the European Union\u2019s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
During a Monday phone call, both assessed the situation in the region following the US-Iran talks in Islamabad.
The foreign minister urged the international community, along with the EU, to play a role in advancing diplomacy and political solutions.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776163632704,"content-version-id":"c7886cc0-6267-4a04-bf59-30e23cf649e4","card-added-at":1776156952971,"status":"draft","id":"c820806d-daa6-4473-84b3-2cf7c671ea3e","content-id":"c820806d-daa6-4473-84b3-2cf7c671ea3e","version":10,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776156543825,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/f99777d6-be8b-4a0b-91b9-44d2ba66b8c5","type":"title","family-id":"1112cf74-3675-49a1-988c-c7eb3db7ef59","title":"","id":"f99777d6-be8b-4a0b-91b9-44d2ba66b8c5","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":" \r\n\r\nIran demands reparations from 5 Arab states"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/e5f55928-6e3e-499f-ade6-b3a86e99880c","type":"text","family-id":"85086ebf-b687-4864-a112-f560c8950f30","title":"","id":"e5f55928-6e3e-499f-ade6-b3a86e99880c","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Iran has called for compensation from five Arab countries, accusing them of enabling \"US-Israeli aggression\" by allowing their territories to be used for attacks against the country, the Iranian state media, Press TV, reported.
In a letter addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Security Council President Jamal Fares Alrowaiei, Iran's Ambassador and Permanent Representative Amir-Saeid Iravani rejected compensation demands made by Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Jordan.
In a submission to the UN, Iran\u2019s envoy rejected similar compensation claims from the five Arab states and argued they cannot invoke Article 51 of the UN Charter on self-defence, insisting Tehran is the victim of aggression.
Iran further alleged that some \u201Cunlawful attacks\u201D on civilian targets inside its territory were carried out directly by those states, and called for them to stop any actions it considers internationally wrongful.
Separately, Tehran strongly condemned what it described as an \u201Cillegal\u201D US naval blockade, calling it a violation of sovereignty and international law, and warned it reserves the right to respond to protect its national interests.
Iran has urged the UN Security Council to intervene, condemn the blockade and prevent further escalation, warning it could destabilise an already tense region.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/6fac41fe-bc65-4baa-85ca-34aa3e1cea63","type":"text","family-id":"9167a203-0471-4d7c-b69a-51f70e26d33b","title":"","id":"6fac41fe-bc65-4baa-85ca-34aa3e1cea63","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."}],"card-updated-at":1776163632704,"content-version-id":"49f25b84-2d91-4110-9838-37b3beb58a90","card-added-at":1776156543825,"status":"draft","id":"e99911ab-c0f0-4f20-80ec-86608d58e854","content-id":"e99911ab-c0f0-4f20-80ec-86608d58e854","version":11,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776152992434,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/a4ff9f47-0ef0-43d6-be8b-c0cfd02c8f43","type":"title","family-id":"bfb64202-b3fd-4cfd-8a2b-ba87b8450011","title":"","id":"a4ff9f47-0ef0-43d6-be8b-c0cfd02c8f43","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"China vows 'countermeasures' to Trump tariff threats\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/e9be366e-4ac3-43c3-a1bb-2d0cea091018","type":"text","family-id":"e88b3c7a-c99c-4f73-85c6-d44d2447cf45","title":"","id":"e9be366e-4ac3-43c3-a1bb-2d0cea091018","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
China vowed Tuesday to impose \"countermeasures\" after US President Donald Trump threatened new tariffs on its goods entering the United States if Beijing provided military assistance to Iran during the Middle East war.
\"If the US insists on using this as an excuse to impose additional tariffs on China, China will definitely take resolute countermeasures,\" foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news conference, adding that reports China was providing weapons to Iran \"are completely fabricated\".
"}],"card-updated-at":1776163632704,"content-version-id":"83e12c95-905f-4004-90f4-ecc6cfbc1cf5","card-added-at":1776152992434,"status":"draft","id":"bf8efbd1-381f-4c9e-b216-e12935e29f16","content-id":"bf8efbd1-381f-4c9e-b216-e12935e29f16","version":12,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776152309980,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/4bfa428c-5e15-4b65-86c3-6367c0b64e41","type":"title","family-id":"039899bb-9282-41b8-87b0-9da96a6ba6cd","title":"","id":"4bfa428c-5e15-4b65-86c3-6367c0b64e41","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"China calls US blockade of Iran ports 'dangerous and irresponsible'\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/dd3f15e0-8732-416b-99f3-8249f13eceaf","type":"text","family-id":"56777167-db50-478b-ae27-e02d8d69a7ed","title":"","id":"dd3f15e0-8732-416b-99f3-8249f13eceaf","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"China said on Tuesday that a US blockade around Iranian ports was \"dangerous and irresponsible\", after US President Donald Trump threatened to sink any boats that sought to leave or dock there.
\"The US increased military operations and took a targeted blockade action, which will only exacerbate tensions and undermine the already fragile ceasefire agreement and further jeopardise safety of passage through the Strait,\" Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news conference, adding \"this is dangerous and irresponsible behaviour\".
"}],"card-updated-at":1776163632704,"content-version-id":"998dc55a-6daa-4ff4-af88-e26b97a2c818","card-added-at":1776152309980,"status":"draft","id":"f7c361ed-6003-4105-b735-c8e44c1b67b3","content-id":"f7c361ed-6003-4105-b735-c8e44c1b67b3","version":13,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776149392445,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/8763ff69-8851-407b-ab7a-dbba2751192a","type":"title","family-id":"42ba9a3c-c065-4b35-8374-2f38e2e33360","title":"","id":"8763ff69-8851-407b-ab7a-dbba2751192a","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Xi says China to play 'constructive role' in promoting peace talks\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/098c463b-e4ae-4933-a912-cfbda18c3c65","type":"text","family-id":"8c341be4-34c6-440e-a80f-5b09068045bf","title":"","id":"098c463b-e4ae-4933-a912-cfbda18c3c65","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"China's President Xi Jinping vowed Tuesday that his country would play a \"constructive role\" in promoting peace talks in the Middle East, Chinese state media reported, after a first round of discussions between the United States and Iran ended without agreement.
\"Xi Jinping stressed China's principled stance of promoting peace and urging talks, and reiterated it will continue to play a constructive role on this,\" state news agency Xinhua said.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776163632704,"content-version-id":"16634b74-03e0-4765-9eeb-2997a038aed6","card-added-at":1776149392445,"status":"draft","id":"00af1d47-cad3-4884-9530-4b21fecd060f","content-id":"00af1d47-cad3-4884-9530-4b21fecd060f","version":14,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776140294540,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/9f1fed9c-029f-45d4-b10f-19c4cbdd8360","type":"title","family-id":"5cd42169-4daa-4550-9534-c48425b3017d","title":"","id":"9f1fed9c-029f-45d4-b10f-19c4cbdd8360","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"US-sanctioned Chinese tanker passes Strait of Hormuz"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/d62abee3-bf1f-486e-be29-339a75b2d5a2","type":"text","family-id":"84056ce5-e497-4510-9c3a-cf5637924a2f","title":"","id":"d62abee3-bf1f-486e-be29-339a75b2d5a2","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"US-sanctioned tankers have continued to pass through the Strait of Hormuz despite a reported US blockade, shipping data shows.
A Chinese-owned tanker, Rich Starry, crossed the chokepoint on Tuesday, becoming the first vessel to transit the strait since the blockade began, according to LSEG, MarineTraffic and Kpler data.
The vessel, previously sanctioned by the US for dealings with Iran, was carrying around 250,000 barrels of methanol loaded from the UAE, the data indicated. Another sanctioned tanker, Murlikishan, was also seen heading into the strait, with reports suggesting it is expected to load fuel oil in Iraq later this month.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776143752068,"content-version-id":"c3eb644b-e999-4485-b743-eb2864f5a105","card-added-at":1776140294540,"status":"draft","id":"2aac0917-3094-48b6-94fb-ddf340cc8011","content-id":"2aac0917-3094-48b6-94fb-ddf340cc8011","version":4,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{"key-event":true}}},{"card-event-at":1776138971798,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/9e6857c3-910d-4f32-a151-46d2d771a40e","type":"title","family-id":"3b1c9f3f-3334-4d76-a9bc-d9ff02df0c1a","title":"","id":"9e6857c3-910d-4f32-a151-46d2d771a40e","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Iran proposes up to five-year nuclear suspension: Report"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/db3bbd2f-6ca2-4b59-b789-694f2338b347","type":"text","family-id":"bc3ccfed-aa02-46c5-8b0b-2c2c756fd017","title":"","id":"db3bbd2f-6ca2-4b59-b789-694f2338b347","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Iran has reportedly proposed suspending uranium enrichment for up to five years, a move rejected by the United States, which is said to have pushed for a 20-year freeze, according to The New York Times, citing senior Iranian and US officials.
The report added that both sides exchanged proposals during recent talks in Pakistan aimed at curbing Iran\u2019s nuclear activity, but remain far apart on reaching an agreement.
However, BBC reporting suggests discussions are continuing, with indications that a potential path toward a peace deal could still exist, including the possibility of a second round of face-to-face talks. There has been no official confirmation of the reported proposal.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776143752068,"content-version-id":"8c0fdde9-ef5a-4c9c-974e-b78732cf9ae4","card-added-at":1776138971798,"status":"draft","id":"e6f506ac-165a-4c91-b816-3f632d6f78fe","content-id":"e6f506ac-165a-4c91-b816-3f632d6f78fe","version":7,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{"key-event":true}}},{"card-event-at":1776138706629,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/768902d4-8dc5-439a-b3d0-eef0ab414bef","type":"title","family-id":"8ab04123-1334-4ebc-bfb6-1f8355302cb4","title":"","id":"768902d4-8dc5-439a-b3d0-eef0ab414bef","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"China\u2019s export growth slows as war raises uncertainty"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/de6f97e3-9d33-4f6b-9643-5ab11af06948","type":"text","family-id":"3cc56afe-e5a2-4b4c-a5f2-49762a621827","title":"","id":"de6f97e3-9d33-4f6b-9643-5ab11af06948","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"China\u2019s exports grew 2.5% in March from a year ago, significantly slowing from the previous two months as uncertainties rose from the Iran war and its impact on energy prices and global demand.
The March export data released by China\u2019s customs agency Tuesday missed analysts\u2019 estimates and was sharply down from the 21.8% export growth recorded for January and February.
Technology-related exports including a jump in shipments of semiconductors from China on the global artificial intelligence boom have powered its robust exports in early 2026, but economists say impacts from the prolonged Iran war could affect overall global demand for Chinese exports this year.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776143752068,"content-version-id":"2448b554-3fbd-4d21-9399-6af9248c7583","card-added-at":1776138706629,"status":"draft","id":"3b9070e1-99aa-4682-bb8c-a5cf5b648e77","content-id":"3b9070e1-99aa-4682-bb8c-a5cf5b648e77","version":8,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776137557763,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/b0520ec2-8523-4e06-aeb0-165ffc49fe25","type":"title","family-id":"a3506455-7a60-46e5-8ddb-34b9997c9b82","title":"","id":"b0520ec2-8523-4e06-aeb0-165ffc49fe25","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Trump warns Iran: \u2018Won\u2019t be pleasant\u2019 if ceasefire fails"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/a65fa6e0-8b68-49d5-b582-dea2fec8eecc","type":"text","family-id":"2fcd1fcc-0885-4a2b-8c29-59602e0e25d5","title":"","id":"a65fa6e0-8b68-49d5-b582-dea2fec8eecc","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Trump has issued a stark warning to Iran over the future of the ongoing ceasefire, saying the consequences of failing to reach a deal would be severe while reiterating that Tehran will not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon.
Answering questions on what would happen if no agreement is reached by the end of the ceasefire, Trump said, \"I don't want to comment on that, but it won't be pleasant for them. Right now, there is no fighting. Right now, we have a blockade. They are doing no business... So now Iran is doing absolutely no business. And we are going to keep it that way very easily. Their Navy is gone, their Air Force is gone, their radar is gone, and their leaders are gone. It's a lot.\"
He further underscored Washington's position on Iran's nuclear ambitions, stating, \"Iran will not have a nuclear weapon... If they don't agree, there is no deal... There will never be a deal. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon, and we are going to get the dust back; either we will get it back from them, or we will take it.\"
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/02bf5803-33fc-41ed-9d24-e4845d7ee749","type":"text","family-id":"799df622-7c39-4138-bc27-0dcd5d6bba0c","title":"","id":"02bf5803-33fc-41ed-9d24-e4845d7ee749","metadata":{"content":"We can't let a country blackmail or extort the world because that is what they are doing, they are really blackmailing the world. We are not going to let that happen... Many ships are heading to our country right now as we speak to load up with the best oil...","attribution":"Donald Trump "},"subtype":"blockquote","text":"We can't let a country blackmail or extort the world because that is what they are doing, they are really blackmailing the world. We are not going to let that happen... Many ships are heading to our country right now as we speak to load up with the best oil...Donald Trump
Israel\u2019s military says a reserve soldier was killed and three others wounded in fighting in southern Lebanon.
The military said late Monday that the reservist killed was a firefighting vehicle driver.
The death brought the number of Israeli soldiers killed in the current war in Lebanon to 13.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776143752068,"content-version-id":"f494a022-764a-4695-99e1-c89c0fa4e39c","card-added-at":1776137370059,"status":"draft","id":"85e78d7a-f9a3-4653-b023-ee1c0dc0f801","content-id":"85e78d7a-f9a3-4653-b023-ee1c0dc0f801","version":10,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776134892855,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/c4c3e7cb-ba50-47cd-be65-22d1582aa73a","type":"title","family-id":"c985e17e-9232-4206-b0cb-43312e25969a","title":"","id":"c4c3e7cb-ba50-47cd-be65-22d1582aa73a","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"'Grave violation': Iran assails US blockade around its port\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/0ef74863-ce6a-40d4-9a48-6492b768e57a","type":"text","family-id":"00229132-cca3-4b01-abdc-3871c1ad60f5","title":"","id":"0ef74863-ce6a-40d4-9a48-6492b768e57a","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Iran has slammed a US blockade around its ports as a \"grave violation\" of its sovereignty, as Washington and Tehran's belligerent rhetoric rattled a fragile truce. The US Navy's blockade of Iran started at 6pm Gulf Standard Time on Monday, 10am EST.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776134962868,"content-version-id":"2a4bfafa-3b6e-410f-b6aa-3bf66c0cd89a","card-added-at":1776134892855,"status":"draft","id":"5a409115-a537-45d2-af8b-0ae075664417","content-id":"5a409115-a537-45d2-af8b-0ae075664417","version":2,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776134728137,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/1abfcc12-3671-40e5-9972-f5e7a03d16d5","type":"title","family-id":"bfd44a24-0901-4ba0-921f-d326764fdd16","title":"","id":"1abfcc12-3671-40e5-9972-f5e7a03d16d5","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Pakistan proposes a second round of talks in Islamabad"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/f5325ff1-f0b8-4803-b970-c37555aec085","type":"text","family-id":"6f4dd738-3bdb-4ae9-8dd4-0b4e9383c471","title":"","id":"f5325ff1-f0b8-4803-b970-c37555aec085","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Pakistan has proposed hosting a second round of talks between the United States and Iran in Islamabad in the coming days, before the end of the ceasefire, two Pakistani officials said.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter with the press, said the proposal would depend on whether the parties request a different location.
One of the officials said that, despite ending without an agreement, the first talks were part of an ongoing diplomatic process rather than a one-off effort.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/d0c736a2-368d-4e0c-b59d-152cefc976bf","type":"text","family-id":"e30d8be1-15c3-4e24-8935-50b6406f90ee","title":"","id":"d0c736a2-368d-4e0c-b59d-152cefc976bf","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."}],"card-updated-at":1776134834713,"content-version-id":"81899e89-f511-40fb-9f39-314eb1880475","card-added-at":1776134728137,"status":"draft","id":"8c8ac6d4-945f-449e-9fd7-6a4d81384f20","content-id":"8c8ac6d4-945f-449e-9fd7-6a4d81384f20","version":3,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{"key-event":true}}},{"card-event-at":1776126900000,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/60e23431-e0e9-458e-8cb7-aba59f95783c","type":"title","family-id":"c73264da-c877-45de-b687-716862a53aac","title":"","id":"60e23431-e0e9-458e-8cb7-aba59f95783c","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Vance says Iran made progress in nuclear talks"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/2933f7a5-2fe7-4294-8658-5c1ddcfabaff","type":"text","family-id":"1cb4d22e-1fa7-425d-88d1-54e457934396","title":"","id":"2933f7a5-2fe7-4294-8658-5c1ddcfabaff","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
Vice President JD Vance said in an interview with FOX News Channel\u2019s \u201CSpecial Report\u201D that negotiations \u201Cdid make some progress\u201D in the Islamabad talks on the US insistence on the removal of nuclear material from Iran as well as a mechanism to ensure uranium cannot be enriched in the future.
\u201CThey moved in our direction,\u201D Vance said in the interview. He said he thought Iranian negotiators were \u201Cunable to cut a deal\u201D and needed to get approval from others in Tehran.
Vance also said that US negotiators made clear that Trump \u201Cwould be very happy if Iran was treated like a normal country, if it had a normal economy,\u201D but he did not go into details about what he meant.
\u201CThere really is, I think, a grand deal to be had here. But, it\u2019s up to the Iranians, I think, to take the next step,\u201D Vance said.
"},{"description":"","embed-js":"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","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/c1595127-08c6-4ce0-9aaa-6e3b58b819c6","type":"jsembed","family-id":"12ebeeb7-a29b-4519-b8a3-b92b17c42052","title":"","id":"c1595127-08c6-4ce0-9aaa-6e3b58b819c6","metadata":{"tweet-url":"https://twitter.com/VP/status/2043856990452007329","provider":"twitter","tweet-id":"2043856990452007329"},"subtype":"tweet"}],"card-updated-at":1776143752068,"content-version-id":"5aef313e-219b-46fb-8407-c9dc4ce1bccb","card-added-at":1776134728137,"status":"draft","id":"54364467-84b2-4a0f-aa97-6d7166866879","content-id":"54364467-84b2-4a0f-aa97-6d7166866879","version":14,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{"key-event":true}}},{"card-event-at":1776126600000,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/0a558114-67bd-4ac2-9ad0-3cd719cd3f44","type":"title","family-id":"f9f2308c-4890-4edc-86e6-86c1c3d24f5c","title":"","id":"0a558114-67bd-4ac2-9ad0-3cd719cd3f44","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"White House won\u2019t say if talks are in the works"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/9902ec70-9d35-41b1-9581-a618ff6f3a49","type":"text","family-id":"b1c6e96f-716c-48bf-a918-c1fe808cf00f","title":"","id":"9902ec70-9d35-41b1-9581-a618ff6f3a49","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The White House was not responsive to queries about whether new talks were being weighed.
\u201CPresident Trump, Vice President Vance and the negotiating team have made the US red lines very clear. The Iranians desperation for a deal will only increase with President Trump\u2019s highly effective Naval blockade now in effect,\u201D White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776134834713,"content-version-id":"33154648-d002-47b5-8c86-ddd9428fe75f","card-added-at":1776134728137,"status":"draft","id":"1e79e66b-443b-45dc-8e59-33bcca0ac374","content-id":"1e79e66b-443b-45dc-8e59-33bcca0ac374","version":3,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{"key-event":true}}},{"card-event-at":1776121260000,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/8be366de-9008-4f3a-91b0-e6e6a8f2aaf2","type":"title","family-id":"ea1eac24-28e7-46c7-bb0f-8baafaa4b6fa","title":"","id":"8be366de-9008-4f3a-91b0-e6e6a8f2aaf2","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"US, Iran discuss another ceasefire talks"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/29d74927-3e43-499e-86e0-2587c78d91e1","type":"text","family-id":"da925600-0558-4ebd-af79-ab4f53b162ff","title":"","id":"29d74927-3e43-499e-86e0-2587c78d91e1","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The United States and Iran are in active discussions about holding another round of face-to-face negotiations aimed at securing a longer-term ceasefire and preventing renewed conflict after recent talks in Pakistan ended without a deal, Bloomberg reported, citing \"people familiar with the matter\".
"}],"card-updated-at":1776134834713,"content-version-id":"648eac6f-f6ee-4ae9-8625-5dca9dd3e96f","card-added-at":1776134728137,"status":"draft","id":"a46a0946-a181-4ac6-b68b-0121022edd23","content-id":"a46a0946-a181-4ac6-b68b-0121022edd23","version":3,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{"key-event":true}}},{"card-event-at":1776118980000,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/889ce9ee-68d0-4e70-bed0-b562cde2b89f","type":"title","family-id":"79d6a490-9edf-4039-b33d-69309dd989c8","title":"","id":"889ce9ee-68d0-4e70-bed0-b562cde2b89f","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Saudi restores full Red Sea pipeline capacity: Report"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/62c52951-201b-472c-90e6-aacd79a339f2","type":"text","family-id":"6c7450d7-e0c0-4223-94fd-ed6bf97c323b","title":"","id":"62c52951-201b-472c-90e6-aacd79a339f2","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Saudi Arabia said it has restored full pumping capacity through its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea, along with output from the Manifa field, Trading Economics reported.
Brent, the North Sea crude oil benchmark, pared earlier gains made on Monday, dropping to $98.09 as of 7.19 am (Tokyo).
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/0fdf9574-e97c-4f85-962b-ce955a32fc07","type":"text","family-id":"e4f03509-8761-4201-aa9b-0b8e7a18012c","title":"","id":"0fdf9574-e97c-4f85-962b-ce955a32fc07","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."}],"card-updated-at":1776134834713,"content-version-id":"84b128da-06a0-4482-af9f-3da2a73d528e","card-added-at":1776134728137,"status":"draft","id":"3f5728df-cfa5-456a-b180-0cb464f07842","content-id":"3f5728df-cfa5-456a-b180-0cb464f07842","version":3,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776118800000,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/19036399-71ce-4b3f-9073-e69b5e082628","type":"title","family-id":"6ed00fbc-8aa3-4a44-aefb-9eb81ac96032","title":"","id":"19036399-71ce-4b3f-9073-e69b5e082628","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Oil prices cut gains, WTI slips under $100/barrel"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/849e6478-9e66-45de-ad02-a6c5536134bf","type":"text","family-id":"82891c5e-bdfd-40a6-b762-3fd1e9458f63","title":"","id":"849e6478-9e66-45de-ad02-a6c5536134bf","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
Oil futures cut gains WTI crude oil futures were up less than 2% at nearly $98 per barrel early on Tuesday in Asia, cutting gains of up to 9% from the Monday session as investors hoped that a deal would eventually be reached between the US and Iran.
Failure of the Iran-US talks to strike a deal prompted Washington to announce a blockade targeting Iranian oil shipments. Trump later stated that Iran had \"reached out\" and is now seeking to resume negotiations. A report from OPEC+ showed the group's output declined 7.9 million barrels per day in March due to the closure of the Strait.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776134834713,"content-version-id":"368dc143-c35c-491c-978d-ecd962ce04c2","card-added-at":1776134728137,"status":"draft","id":"69042fe7-1e57-4cdb-a155-0f7ef6973d8b","content-id":"69042fe7-1e57-4cdb-a155-0f7ef6973d8b","version":3,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{"key-event":true}}},{"card-event-at":1776117660000,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/0ae531e6-b5ec-43ef-8ac8-7723dfd14e0f","type":"title","family-id":"b0363e93-3e29-4deb-b886-191d58559b22","title":"","id":"0ae531e6-b5ec-43ef-8ac8-7723dfd14e0f","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"US, Iran talks continue as Trump issues blockade warning"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/6ac3eb9c-1051-4259-8993-9211cda30a72","type":"text","family-id":"ab895211-34b0-4302-836c-b10f67d63849","title":"","id":"6ac3eb9c-1051-4259-8993-9211cda30a72","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Diplomatic channels between the US and Iran have not completely shut down, and there remains a possibility of further direct negotiations, even as the situation in the Gulf grows more tense, officials said. US media reports indicate leaders on both sides have left the door open to a potential second round of in-person talks after recent face-to-face discussions in Islamabad failed to produce an deal.
Mediators are also urging both sides to keep talking, even as US President Donald Trump has taken an increasingly hard line, including the announcement of the US Navy would begin a naval blockade of Iran\u2019s ports and the strategic Strait of Hormuz, aiming to stop Iranian oil exports and pressure Tehran. Trump warned that any Iranian \u201Cfast-attack\u201D or other naval vessels that approach or threaten the blockade could be \u201Celiminated,\u201D drawing parallels to US operations against drug-smuggling boats at sea.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776134834713,"content-version-id":"76067a6b-4665-417e-807d-35e3a610f170","card-added-at":1776134728137,"status":"draft","id":"077fc8b4-4a14-4ba2-8a86-46f038502031","content-id":"077fc8b4-4a14-4ba2-8a86-46f038502031","version":3,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776114000000,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/f58a9582-b36d-463e-b123-56d4ea6a191c","type":"title","family-id":"414edd6a-74f5-4c15-b2e0-59c549a60d9c","title":"","id":"f58a9582-b36d-463e-b123-56d4ea6a191c","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"King Hamad of Bahrain receives US Admiral Brad Cooper"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/314208d6-7acd-442d-861f-d497c445f2e3","type":"text","family-id":"40040d11-3a16-400a-96c3-6d52564a08ce","title":"","id":"314208d6-7acd-442d-861f-d497c445f2e3","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Bahrain, received Admiral Charles Bradford \"Brad\" Cooper II, the Commander of the US Central Command, and an accompanying delegation.
King Hamad commended the key and active role played by the United States of America alongside allied countries in strengthening regional and global security and stability.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776134834713,"content-version-id":"4dfce263-abaf-40c1-93dd-82452151fb0e","card-added-at":1776134728137,"status":"draft","id":"909f5da8-e195-42e6-8261-5fdca5d280f7","content-id":"909f5da8-e195-42e6-8261-5fdca5d280f7","version":3,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776112200000,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/f8177876-ef77-4743-8e2e-350c242493e3","type":"title","family-id":"ed53e3ad-3172-43cb-828a-05d9970f3bb9","title":"","id":"f8177876-ef77-4743-8e2e-350c242493e3","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"UAE FM holds talks with counterparts on regional issues"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/549a9632-c209-460a-806b-1b856f2feb04","type":"text","family-id":"7cb6aaea-bb21-4502-964b-b159428d860e","title":"","id":"549a9632-c209-460a-806b-1b856f2feb04","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, has discussed regional developments during telephone conversations with several foreign ministers of brotherly and friendly nations, following the unprovoked and terrorist Iranian missile attacks against the UAE and a number of countries in the region.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/29fc52f0-62a6-4c7a-b63d-30582e1d6acb","type":"text","family-id":"f2fc2539-fc71-48ef-984d-07e05da47677","title":"","id":"29fc52f0-62a6-4c7a-b63d-30582e1d6acb","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."}],"card-updated-at":1776134834713,"content-version-id":"51398056-f4d9-4888-aef2-6dcda10c24b3","card-added-at":1776134728137,"status":"draft","id":"147fec53-96f0-4960-9705-a4179afe48c0","content-id":"147fec53-96f0-4960-9705-a4179afe48c0","version":3,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776110400000,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/ce008d5c-04b5-4066-906a-29373e7ffd13","type":"title","family-id":"1803d3c6-56db-4244-a6ef-afc0a1278ea4","title":"","id":"ce008d5c-04b5-4066-906a-29373e7ffd13","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"US\u2011Israel war on Iran: Recent developments"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6/element/ec567f94-af0f-4315-a5e9-1445c2483eab","type":"text","family-id":"0db276c4-bfd9-4b83-9424-890178ca7b0e","title":"","id":"ec567f94-af0f-4315-a5e9-1445c2483eab","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
Day 45: US, Iran discuss 'another round' of direct talks
Day 44: US to begin 'blockade' of Iranian ports on Monday
Day 43: 3-way talks with the US and Iran begin in Pakistan
Day 42: Trump says Iran has 'no cards' as Vance heads for talks
Day 41: Kuwait condemns drone attacks, US warns vs Hormuz toll
Day 40: Trump agrees to suspend attack on Iran by two weeks
Day 39: UAE, Qatar on alert as Trump's deadline nears
Day 38: Iran and US receive draft proposal for war ceasefire
Day 37: Second F-15E crew member rescued in Iran
Day 36: Trump warns Iran: 48 hours or all hell will reign down
Day 35: Trump seeks $1.5t defence budget as war intensifies
Day 34: UN chief warns world on 'edge of a wider war'
Day 33: Trump says US to hit Iran 'extremely hard'
Day 32: Debris hits several homes in Dubai, 4 injured
Day 31: Trump threatens to obliterate Iran's Kharg island
"}],"card-updated-at":1776134834713,"content-version-id":"d76dcf90-ff3c-4c47-afeb-683ce523f060","card-added-at":1776134728137,"status":"draft","id":"6b3484f6-3ad4-4fab-b7bd-76c80317a4c5","content-id":"6b3484f6-3ad4-4fab-b7bd-76c80317a4c5","version":3,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]}}},"attributes":{"key-event":true}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/us-iran-ceasefire-trump-warns-iran-as-us-blockade-on-ports-takes-effect-new-peace-talks-loom-1.500505960","story-version-id":"0ccd491d-b14a-4a0a-989c-c1d11c81aee5","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776197182363,"author-id":2165829,"owner-id":2170753,"linked-story-ids":["4a730ff7-9bd1-41a5-ab89-10773290f740","ff66df55-34c0-4e8c-9ce7-7a81c69063ef"],"access":null,"last-updated-by":{"member-name":"Christian Borbon","member-id":2165444},"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776134838327,"hero-image-caption":"US President Donald Trump speaks to the press outside the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2026. ","version":78,"story-template":"live-blog","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776197181401,"authors":[{"slug":"nathaniel-lacsina","social":{},"name":"Nathaniel Lacsina","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Nathaniel Lacsina is a Senior Web Editor at Gulf News, helping shape the homepage while covering tech, business, viral human-interest stories, crime and offbeat news. With over 10 years\u2019 experience in digital publishing, he brings calm, accurate and dependable reporting across fast-moving beats.","id":2165829,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null},{"slug":"jay-hilotin-2","social":{},"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2183048,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null},{"slug":"huda-ata","social":{},"name":"Huda Ata","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE.","id":2287057,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null},{"slug":"lekshmy-pavithran","social":{},"name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/0iyy2fe8/lk__2_.jpg","bio":"Lekshmy is a rockstar in the digital newsroom! With nearly two decades of experience, she revels in breaking news, riding viral trends, and spotting those hidden stories everyone else misses. \n\nAs the Assistant Online Editor, she steers the homepage, blending editorial brilliance with a no-nonsense approach. Whether it\u2019s UAE headlines, global affairs, business stories, or the latest buzz in entertainment and sports, Lekshmy is always on top of the game, delivering real-time coverage with precision. \n\nHer work ethic? Clarity, impact, and a dash of flair. All that is evident in her in-depth stories, special reports and explainers. Add in her social media savvy, and it\u2019s no wonder she consistently cranks out content that gets eyeballs and keeps them coming back for more.","id":2170753,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/0iyy2fe8/lk__2_.jpg","twitter-handle":null},{"slug":"christian-borbon","social":{},"name":"Christian Borbon","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-12/pkgif7br/philipgn.jpg","bio":"Christian is a detail-oriented digital professional who works behind the scenes to ensure every piece of content is delivered seamlessly across platforms. With a sharp eye for detail and a strong sense of diligence, he helps keep the digital side of the newsroom running smoothly. Known for being dependable and easy to work with, he\u2019s always ready to jump in, solve problems, and support the team. ","id":2165444,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-12/pkgif7br/philipgn.jpg","twitter-handle":null},{"slug":"karishma-h-nandkeolyar","social":{},"name":"Karishma H. Nandkeolyar","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-10-13/j2u1m1tw/Karishma_Nandkeolyar_2__1_.jpg","bio":"Karishma Nandkeolyar is a lifestyle and entertainment journalist with a lifelong love for storytelling \u2014 she wrote her first \u201Cbook\u201D at age six and has been chasing the next sentence ever since. Known for her sharp wit, thoughtful takes, and ability to find the humor in just about anything, she covers everything from celebrity culture and internet trends to everyday lifestyle moments that make you go, \u201CSame.\u201D\n\nHer work blends insight with a conversational tone that feels like catching up with your cleverest friend \u2014 if your friend also had a deadline and a latte in hand. Off-duty, Karishma is a proud dog mom who fully believes her pup has a personality worth documenting, and yes, she does narrate those inner monologues out loud.\n\nWhether she\u2019s writing features, curating content, or crafting the perfect headline, Karishma brings curiosity, creativity, and just the right amount of sarcasm to the mix.","id":2165038,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-10-13/j2u1m1tw/Karishma_Nandkeolyar_2__1_.jpg","twitter-handle":null},{"slug":"sajila-saseendran","social":{},"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Sajila is a powerhouse in UAE journalism, with over two decades of impactful reporting that has informed, empowered, and transformed lives. She is widely recognised as one of the most trusted voices on local affairs, particularly within the Indian expat community.\n\nFrom exposing scams and reuniting families to shifting policies and freeing jailed workers, Sajila\u2019s stories often make front pages and a real-world difference. Once the only female crime reporter in Bangalore, India, she brought her razor-sharp news instincts to the UAE, covering everything from civic matters, health, education, and environment to stories that matter to both expats and Emiratis alike.\n\nShe has covered the launch of iconic projects in Dubai and milestone national moments\u2014from COP28, Expo 2020 Dubai, Presidential and Prime Ministerial visits, multiple visa amnesties and landmark space missions to plane crashes, tragic fires, accidents and COVID-19 crises. She broke the news of Indian actress Sridevi\u2019s accidental drowning and did a literally out-of-the-world interview with UAE astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, who went on to become a minister, live from the International Space Station.\u00A0\n\nHer storytelling blends deep editorial insight with compelling human interest, backed by an extensive network across officials and communities alike. Recognised with numerous journalism awards, Sajila doesn\u2019t just report stories; she helps write the history of the UAE.","id":2207522,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"live-blog-introduction":"The US blockade on Iranian ports came into effect, with US President Donald Trump warning Iranian vessels near the restricted zone could be \u201Celiminated\u201D. However, he also said a diplomatic deal is still possible and, in fact, a meeting between the US and Iran may be as close as two days away. Meanwhile, after a historic meeting, Israel, and Lebanon have agreed to direct negotiations. Closer to home, in Dubai and Sharjah, early education centers speak of a return to school. Follow our live coverage for the latest developments in the region.","story-attributes":{"label":["LIVE"]},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"hero-image-url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran"},"id":"52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776124805175,"seo":{"claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2183048,"author-name":"Huda Ata","tags":[],"headline":"US, Iran discuss 'another round' of direct talks before current ceasefire expires","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"4a464719-684e-4b2c-bb08-04b237a33ff4","slug":"world/mena/us-iran-discuss-another-round-of-direct-talks-before-current-ceasefire-expires-1.500505901","linked-stories":{"7f751f03-7925-483e-8a6d-e14dfc7089c2":{"author-name":"AFP","headline":"Trump vows US will sink any Iran boats that challenge blockade","story-content-id":"7f751f03-7925-483e-8a6d-e14dfc7089c2","slug":"world/mena/trump-vows-us-will-sink-any-iran-boats-that-challenge-blockade-2-1.500505588","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Hormuz blockade: Trump says Iran ships will be hit","hero-image":{"member-id":2165599,"hero-image-extracted-data":null,"index":30,"uploaded-at":1773150744180,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","focus-point":[594,425],"width":1200,"file-size":292771,"file-name":"Strait-of-Hormuz44-Read-Only.jpg","height":900},"source":null,"hero-image-attribution":"AFP","hero-image-alt-text":"","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-10/ihkjsyq9/Strait-of-Hormuz44-Read-Only.jpg","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":" ","extracted-data":null,"hero-image-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-03-10/ihkjsyq9/Strait-of-Hormuz44-Read-Only.jpg","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"americas","name":"Americas","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas","id":85243,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Americas","collection":{"slug":"americas-world","name":"Americas (World)","id":194667},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"focus-point":[395,236],"width":750,"height":563},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2024/11/08/Donald-Trump_1930a43601b_large.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/trump-vows-us-will-sink-any-iran-boats-that-challenge-blockade-2-1.500505588","content-updated-at":1776119483348,"author-id":2118725,"first-published-at":1776092000198,"authors":[{"slug":"afp","social":{},"name":"AFP","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2118725,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"2e19ad2b-8854-4057-a47d-53039786962d":{"author-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","headline":"Pakistan invites US and Iran to Islamabad talks; says ceasefire extends \u2018everywhere\u2019, Lebanon","story-content-id":"2e19ad2b-8854-4057-a47d-53039786962d","slug":"world/asia/pakistan/pakistan-invites-us-and-iran-to-islamabad-talks-says-ceasefire-extends-everywhere-lebanon-1.500499611","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Pakistan PM says US\u2011Iran ceasefire includes Lebanon ","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"pakistan","name":"Pakistan","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan","id":85232,"parent-id":85230,"display-name":"Pakistan","collection":{"slug":"pakistan-asia-world","name":"Pakistan (Asia, World)","id":194656},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"file-size":215532,"original-url":"https://d3lzcn6mbbadaf.cloudfront.net/media/details/ANI-20260318050130.jpg","width":1600,"height":1200},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-18/ifyb77k3/ANI_20260318050130.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/pakistan-invites-us-and-iran-to-islamabad-talks-says-ceasefire-extends-everywhere-lebanon-1.500499611","content-updated-at":1775618129268,"author-id":2170753,"first-published-at":1775608486896,"authors":[{"slug":"lekshmy-pavithran","social":{},"name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/0iyy2fe8/lk__2_.jpg","bio":"Lekshmy is a rockstar in the digital newsroom! With nearly two decades of experience, she revels in breaking news, riding viral trends, and spotting those hidden stories everyone else misses. \n\nAs the Assistant Online Editor, she steers the homepage, blending editorial brilliance with a no-nonsense approach. Whether it\u2019s UAE headlines, global affairs, business stories, or the latest buzz in entertainment and sports, Lekshmy is always on top of the game, delivering real-time coverage with precision. \n\nHer work ethic? Clarity, impact, and a dash of flair. All that is evident in her in-depth stories, special reports and explainers. Add in her social media savvy, and it\u2019s no wonder she consistently cranks out content that gets eyeballs and keeps them coming back for more.","id":2170753,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/0iyy2fe8/lk__2_.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"62d7ba49-4860-47ee-829b-a7af5204489a":{"author-name":"AFP","headline":"Iran says talks fail over \u2018unreasonable\u2019 US demands","story-content-id":"62d7ba49-4860-47ee-829b-a7af5204489a","slug":"world/mena/iran-says-talks-fail-over-unreasonable-us-demands-1.500504024","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Iran says talks fail over \u2018unreasonable\u2019 US demands","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":373415,"original-url":"https://d3lzcn6mbbadaf.cloudfront.net/media/details/ANI-20260411205817.jpeg","width":1600,"height":1200},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-11/sngzb2tq/ANI_20260411205817.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/iran-says-talks-fail-over-unreasonable-us-demands-1.500504024","content-updated-at":1775964693526,"author-id":2118725,"first-published-at":1775964692767,"authors":[{"slug":"afp","social":{},"name":"AFP","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2118725,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65":{"author-name":"Stephen N R","headline":"Inside US\u2013Iran talks: Why gaps persist and what comes next","story-content-id":"c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65","slug":"world/americas/inside-us-iran-talks-why-gaps-persist-and-what-comes-next-1.500504255","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"US\u2013Iran talks: Why gaps persist and what comes next\n","hero-image":{"member-id":2207517,"hero-image-extracted-data":null,"index":16,"uploaded-at":1775961271707,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":222652,"original-url":"https://d3lzcn6mbbadaf.cloudfront.net/media/details/ANI-20260412023244.jpg","width":1600,"height":1200},"source":"Wire - ANI","hero-image-attribution":"","hero-image-alt-text":"","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/6y0cuqgo/ANI_20260412023244.jpg","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":"Iranian delegation in Pakistan (Photo/Reuters)","extracted-data":null,"hero-image-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-12/6y0cuqgo/ANI_20260412023244.jpg","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"americas","name":"Americas","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas","id":85243,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Americas","collection":{"slug":"americas-world","name":"Americas (World)","id":194667},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":205169,"width":1200,"height":801},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/7pmilh88/newsml_afp_com_20260412T031929Z_doc_a7hg2rh.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/inside-us-iran-talks-why-gaps-persist-and-what-comes-next-1.500504255","content-updated-at":1775988167705,"author-id":2171005,"first-published-at":1775987509960,"authors":[{"slug":"stephen-n-r","social":{},"name":"Stephen N R","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/lxugegpt/Stephen_N_R__pic.jpg","bio":"A Senior Associate Editor with more than 30 years in the media, Stephen N.R. curates, edits and publishes impactful stories for Gulf News \u2014 both in print and online \u2014 focusing on Middle East politics, student issues and explainers on global topics. \n\nStephen has spent most of his career in journalism, working behind the scenes \u2014 shaping headlines, editing copy and putting together newspaper pages with precision. \n\nFor the past many years, he has brought that same dedication to the Gulf News digital team, where he curates stories, crafts explainers and helps keep both the web and print editions sharp and engaging. ","id":2171005,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/lxugegpt/Stephen_N_R__pic.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"9be522ea-107b-42ca-933c-5b3127032d23":{"author-name":"Jay Hilotin","headline":"Iran says was 'inches away' from deal with US in Islamabad","story-content-id":"9be522ea-107b-42ca-933c-5b3127032d23","slug":"world/mena/iran-says-was-inches-away-from-deal-with-us-in-islamabad-2-1.500504734","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Iran says 'inches away' from deal with US","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"americas","name":"Americas","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas","id":85243,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Americas","collection":{"slug":"americas-world","name":"Americas (World)","id":194667},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1024,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/cea6325d844a4201b8eb2a9f271a57a0.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7Ecea6325d844a4201b8eb2a9f271a57a0%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7E63e77693f9064bc387c9b853dd3bb8ea%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7ET4gih9O87ZeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","height":683},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-07-13/vnwacf2b/preview.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/iran-says-was-inches-away-from-deal-with-us-in-islamabad-2-1.500504734","content-updated-at":1776034317344,"author-id":2183048,"first-published-at":1776031884610,"authors":[{"slug":"jay-hilotin-2","social":{},"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2183048,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"bdbd6810-1e21-4685-905c-9ff82b4e25a8":{"author-name":"Alex Abraham","headline":"Make-or-break talks: Can US and Iran avoid another war?","story-content-id":"bdbd6810-1e21-4685-905c-9ff82b4e25a8","slug":"world/mena/make-or-break-talks-can-us-and-iran-avoid-another-war-1.500502504","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Fragile truce, high stakes: Inside US-Iran talks","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"americas","name":"Americas","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas","id":85243,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Americas","collection":{"slug":"americas-world","name":"Americas (World)","id":194667},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":293170,"width":1200,"height":800},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-10/f1k0yqce/newsml_afp_com_20260410T063034Z_doc_a7ce7nr.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/make-or-break-talks-can-us-and-iran-avoid-another-war-1.500502504","content-updated-at":1775818613318,"author-id":2165599,"first-published-at":1775815097794,"authors":[{"slug":"alex-abraham","social":{},"name":"Alex Abraham","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/pgbfjnif/Alex_Abraham_office_pic.jpg","bio":"Alex has been on the frontline of global headlines for nearly 30 years. A Senior Associate Editor, he\u2019s part newsroom veteran and part globe-trotting correspondent. \n\nHis credentials? He was part of the select group of journalists who covered Pope Francis\u2019 historic visit to the UAE - flying with the pontiff himself. \n\nWith 27 years on the ground in the Middle East, Alex is one of the most trusted voices in the region when it comes to decoding politics and power plays. He breaks down global affairs into slick, 60-second news - his morning reels are practically a daily ritual for audiences across the UAE. \n\nSharp. Grounded. Fast. Insightful. That\u2019s Alex at his best, bringing a steady editorial hand to every story he tells. ","id":2165599,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/pgbfjnif/Alex_Abraham_office_pic.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776122071541,"public-identifier":"1.500505901","subheadline":"New US-Iran talks sought to shield region, energy markets from fresh unrest","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"US, Iran discuss 'another round' of direct talks","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null}],"read-time":1,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776121927455,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Jay Hilotin","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":180055,"width":992,"height":797,"focus-point":null},"comments":null,"word-count":251,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776122071541,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"last-correction-published-at":1776124809658,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"AFP","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"4a464719-684e-4b2c-bb08-04b237a33ff4","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/6kol8ddv/newsml_afp_com_20260411T210210Z_doc_a7h88fg.jpeg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/4a464719-684e-4b2c-bb08-04b237a33ff4/element/3482bb43-13b6-4502-963e-c17f2039ae03","type":"text","family-id":"c76ddccc-dfec-4f5e-806c-12c03d279ff4","title":"","id":"3482bb43-13b6-4502-963e-c17f2039ae03","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The United States and Iran are in active discussions about holding another round of face-to-face negotiations aimed at securing a longer-term ceasefire and preventing renewed conflict after recent talks in Pakistan ended without a deal, Bloomberg reported, citing \"people familiar with the matter\".
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/4a464719-684e-4b2c-bb08-04b237a33ff4/element/93567421-2f1f-47af-ba9b-babef6bbf128","type":"text","family-id":"b8e86ae7-2cf6-48ce-9091-e026a4aa5789","title":"","id":"93567421-2f1f-47af-ba9b-babef6bbf128","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"bdbd6810-1e21-4685-905c-9ff82b4e25a8","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775818611007,"author-name":"Alex Abraham","headline":"Make-or-break talks: Can US and Iran avoid another war?","story-content-id":"bdbd6810-1e21-4685-905c-9ff82b4e25a8","is-published":true,"slug":"world/mena/make-or-break-talks-can-us-and-iran-avoid-another-war-1.500502504","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775815097794,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Fragile truce, high stakes: Inside US-Iran talks","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null},{"id":85243,"name":"Americas","slug":"americas","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/6CXOMmcJdTg101nXrPmNl4JaX4kWlBAVnCFTqrE9sCjX83kh8692MhEZe3sjDXua","published-at":1775815097794,"status":"published","id":"bdbd6810-1e21-4685-905c-9ff82b4e25a8","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/make-or-break-talks-can-us-and-iran-avoid-another-war-1.500502504","author-id":2165599,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2165599,"name":"Alex Abraham","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"6CXOMmcJdTg101nXrPmNl4JaX4kWlBAVnCFTqrE9sCjX83kh8692MhEZe3sjDXua","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Make-or-break talks: Can US and Iran avoid another war?"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/4a464719-684e-4b2c-bb08-04b237a33ff4/element/d12622b0-e636-49c5-9046-a51c0962ed58","type":"text","family-id":"2432c58a-ab23-4e60-8cd1-b2c0ad612cac","title":"","id":"d12622b0-e636-49c5-9046-a51c0962ed58","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The proposal under discussion focuses on scheduling a follow-up meeting before the current temporary ceasefire \u2014 brokered earlier in April \u2014 expires later this month.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/4a464719-684e-4b2c-bb08-04b237a33ff4/element/ea5dd59c-0d5d-464d-af92-ffd69e4f8205","type":"text","family-id":"fac0dce7-5a5c-493d-bff1-c4f19ec342f4","title":"","id":"ea5dd59c-0d5d-464d-af92-ffd69e4f8205","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for\u00A0FREE: Download the\u00A0Gulf News\u00A0app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply\u00A0click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/4a464719-684e-4b2c-bb08-04b237a33ff4/element/f1165cab-2535-4885-a891-a0359baa6a9e","type":"text","family-id":"30a767d3-3847-48c3-9dd6-f625f18f9391","title":"","id":"f1165cab-2535-4885-a891-a0359baa6a9e","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
Both sides have signalled they want to keep diplomatic channels open even after the latest round in Islamabad, Pakistan, failed to produce a comprehensive agreement.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/4a464719-684e-4b2c-bb08-04b237a33ff4/element/85792813-3726-48fe-aa3b-b276c7ebe62e","type":"text","family-id":"6f3ed1f4-5eea-4c65-844e-4b81e4855b9b","title":"","id":"85792813-3726-48fe-aa3b-b276c7ebe62e","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"7f751f03-7925-483e-8a6d-e14dfc7089c2","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776119481133,"author-name":"AFP","headline":"Trump vows US will sink any Iran boats that challenge blockade","story-content-id":"7f751f03-7925-483e-8a6d-e14dfc7089c2","is-published":true,"slug":"world/mena/trump-vows-us-will-sink-any-iran-boats-that-challenge-blockade-2-1.500505588","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776092000198,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Hormuz blockade: Trump says Iran ships will be hit","hero-image":{"member-id":2165599,"hero-image-extracted-data":null,"index":30,"uploaded-at":1773150744180,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","focus-point":[594,425],"width":1200,"file-size":292771,"file-name":"Strait-of-Hormuz44-Read-Only.jpg","height":900},"source":null,"hero-image-attribution":"AFP","hero-image-alt-text":"","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-10/ihkjsyq9/Strait-of-Hormuz44-Read-Only.jpg","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":" ","extracted-data":null,"hero-image-url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-03-10/ihkjsyq9/Strait-of-Hormuz44-Read-Only.jpg","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null},{"id":85243,"name":"Americas","slug":"americas","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/1Zy9YhMb1JSKMayYA-0sRnH25sP9RuxvwtsMydQzykL5yB7MOk4qb6tAiW-WvW15","published-at":1776092000198,"status":"published","id":"7f751f03-7925-483e-8a6d-e14dfc7089c2","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/trump-vows-us-will-sink-any-iran-boats-that-challenge-blockade-2-1.500505588","author-id":2118725,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"syndicated","authors":[{"author-collection-id":null,"email":"afp@gulfnews.com","slug":"afp","last-name":null,"social":{},"name":"AFP","avatar-url":null,"roles":[{"id":25321,"name":"Contributor"},{"id":25323,"name":"Admin"}],"bridgekeeper-id":8673409,"settings":{},"first-name":null,"communication-email":null,"bio":null,"can-login":true,"id":2118725,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null,"metadata":{"designation":""}}],"metadata":{"imported-card-is-read-only":false,"story-attributes":{"syndicatedfrom":["Wire - AFP"],"syndicated-categories":null},"imported-card-id":"80d691c2-7b84-4e88-a4f9-cb84464ffd54"},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"1Zy9YhMb1JSKMayYA-0sRnH25sP9RuxvwtsMydQzykL5yB7MOk4qb6tAiW-WvW15","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Trump vows US will sink any Iran boats that challenge blockade"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/4a464719-684e-4b2c-bb08-04b237a33ff4/element/3721833f-1024-48af-a709-b10a867e22f9","type":"text","family-id":"27417c41-2b07-447e-8979-1f998cf8beaf","title":"","id":"3721833f-1024-48af-a709-b10a867e22f9","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Islamabad has been suggested as one of the possible venues for this next round of negotiations, highlighting Pakistan\u2019s role as a key mediator between Washington and Tehran amid the ongoing tension.
Pakistani officials have said they are \"engaged\" with both parties to help revive the diplomatic process before the ceasefire lapses.
The talks come against a backdrop of a fragile cease-fire and broader regional conflict that has at times threatened to escalate into wider hostilities, including economic disruption in global energy markets.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776124800811,"content-version-id":"dab36042-daf3-4d77-b53e-cc8dbc57f8e3","card-added-at":1776121927462,"status":"draft","id":"c8d3caaa-52a6-4227-ad25-f87d7af07eaf","content-id":"c8d3caaa-52a6-4227-ad25-f87d7af07eaf","version":6,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US, Iran discuss 'another round' of direct talks before current ceasefire expires","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/6kol8ddv/newsml_afp_com_20260411T210210Z_doc_a7h88fg.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"AFP","alt-text":null,"caption":"US Vice President JD Vance (L) speaks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ahead of their meeting on Iran amid the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad. File photo taken on April 11, 2026.","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":180055,"width":992,"height":797,"focus-point":null}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/4a464719-684e-4b2c-bb08-04b237a33ff4/element/0c55cda6-f321-4921-8eb4-0e2a064e27f3","type":"text","family-id":"6bf5b7f0-4505-4f84-aab7-88e8db5c85a3","title":"","id":"0c55cda6-f321-4921-8eb4-0e2a064e27f3","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775988164046,"author-name":"Stephen N R","headline":"Inside US\u2013Iran talks: Why gaps persist and what comes next","story-content-id":"c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65","is-published":true,"slug":"world/americas/inside-us-iran-talks-why-gaps-persist-and-what-comes-next-1.500504255","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775987509960,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"US\u2013Iran talks: Why gaps persist and what comes next\n","hero-image":{"member-id":2207517,"hero-image-extracted-data":null,"index":16,"uploaded-at":1775961271707,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":222652,"original-url":"https://d3lzcn6mbbadaf.cloudfront.net/media/details/ANI-20260412023244.jpg","width":1600,"height":1200},"source":"Wire - ANI","hero-image-attribution":"","hero-image-alt-text":"","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/6y0cuqgo/ANI_20260412023244.jpg","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":"Iranian delegation in Pakistan (Photo/Reuters)","extracted-data":null,"hero-image-url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-12/6y0cuqgo/ANI_20260412023244.jpg","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"id":85243,"name":"Americas","slug":"americas","data":null},{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/wsfwcImEON_hXA4hs4fsTPDwwhqnYZIR7Lr9zvIaS6Crm8UQsBn54me5O0SUjmAr","published-at":1775987509960,"status":"published","id":"c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/inside-us-iran-talks-why-gaps-persist-and-what-comes-next-1.500504255","author-id":2171005,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"syndicated","authors":[{"author-collection-id":null,"email":"nstephen@gulfnews.com","slug":"stephen-n-r","last-name":null,"social":{},"name":"Stephen N R","avatar-url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/lxugegpt/Stephen_N_R__pic.jpg","roles":[{"id":25321,"name":"Contributor"},{"id":28409,"name":"Sub-Editor"},{"id":29903,"name":"AI Usage"}],"bridgekeeper-id":8726676,"settings":{},"first-name":null,"communication-email":null,"bio":"A Senior Associate Editor with more than 30 years in the media, Stephen N.R. curates, edits and publishes impactful stories for Gulf News \u2014 both in print and online \u2014 focusing on Middle East politics, student issues and explainers on global topics. \n\nStephen has spent most of his career in journalism, working behind the scenes \u2014 shaping headlines, editing copy and putting together newspaper pages with precision. \n\nFor the past many years, he has brought that same dedication to the Gulf News digital team, where he curates stories, crafts explainers and helps keep both the web and print editions sharp and engaging. ","can-login":true,"id":2171005,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/lxugegpt/Stephen_N_R__pic.jpg","twitter-handle":null,"metadata":{"designation":"Senior Associate Editor "}}],"metadata":{"imported-card-is-read-only":null,"story-attributes":{"syndicatedfrom":["Wire - Print"],"syndicated-categories":["Americas"]},"imported-card-id":"149dd309-a55a-4e43-a58c-4ab1a5e48d01"},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"wsfwcImEON_hXA4hs4fsTPDwwhqnYZIR7Lr9zvIaS6Crm8UQsBn54me5O0SUjmAr","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Inside US\u2013Iran talks: Why gaps persist and what comes next"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/4a464719-684e-4b2c-bb08-04b237a33ff4/element/f23676d4-2f58-4608-8e18-9fa8f2ec41c7","type":"text","family-id":"1622fd60-10fe-452c-ae14-7a38714629a2","title":"","id":"f23676d4-2f58-4608-8e18-9fa8f2ec41c7","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"9be522ea-107b-42ca-933c-5b3127032d23","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776034314329,"author-name":"Jay Hilotin","headline":"Iran says was 'inches away' from deal with US in Islamabad","story-content-id":"9be522ea-107b-42ca-933c-5b3127032d23","is-published":true,"slug":"world/mena/iran-says-was-inches-away-from-deal-with-us-in-islamabad-2-1.500504734","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776031884610,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Iran says 'inches away' from deal with US","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null},{"id":85243,"name":"Americas","slug":"americas","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/YtWzxSGgTmyIAnCzq9FTr_uoPISATObfRokIk4RS7qQfd3WtkD9p1HReBub9ZXKK","published-at":1776031884610,"status":"published","id":"9be522ea-107b-42ca-933c-5b3127032d23","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/iran-says-was-inches-away-from-deal-with-us-in-islamabad-2-1.500504734","author-id":2183048,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2183048,"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"YtWzxSGgTmyIAnCzq9FTr_uoPISATObfRokIk4RS7qQfd3WtkD9p1HReBub9ZXKK","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Iran says was 'inches away' from deal with US in Islamabad"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/4a464719-684e-4b2c-bb08-04b237a33ff4/element/ed30cb9b-5a3b-4d1e-a722-bbafd04285ab","type":"text","family-id":"4adb6641-c781-48e2-9b91-c25d635977c1","title":"","id":"ed30cb9b-5a3b-4d1e-a722-bbafd04285ab","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"62d7ba49-4860-47ee-829b-a7af5204489a","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775964691139,"author-name":"AFP","headline":"Iran says talks fail over \u2018unreasonable\u2019 US demands","story-content-id":"62d7ba49-4860-47ee-829b-a7af5204489a","is-published":true,"slug":"world/mena/iran-says-talks-fail-over-unreasonable-us-demands-1.500504024","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775964692767,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Iran says talks fail over \u2018unreasonable\u2019 US demands","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/kk1sbnvP6hBb81lwHVwaKxwMxjoGvIBgomkuoguSuczTf_Pnbv_8HdYlB_uJi_MR","published-at":1775964692767,"status":"published","id":"62d7ba49-4860-47ee-829b-a7af5204489a","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/iran-says-talks-fail-over-unreasonable-us-demands-1.500504024","author-id":2118725,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2118725,"name":"AFP","email":"afp@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"kk1sbnvP6hBb81lwHVwaKxwMxjoGvIBgomkuoguSuczTf_Pnbv_8HdYlB_uJi_MR","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Iran says talks fail over \u2018unreasonable\u2019 US demands"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/4a464719-684e-4b2c-bb08-04b237a33ff4/element/dbe6b06b-acb3-4d6e-a0f0-43391b538cd2","type":"text","family-id":"82c07147-faa8-45a8-ae2b-7a27e98a0266","title":"","id":"dbe6b06b-acb3-4d6e-a0f0-43391b538cd2","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"2e19ad2b-8854-4057-a47d-53039786962d","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775618126191,"author-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","headline":"Pakistan invites US and Iran to Islamabad talks; says ceasefire extends \u2018everywhere\u2019, Lebanon","story-content-id":"2e19ad2b-8854-4057-a47d-53039786962d","is-published":true,"slug":"world/asia/pakistan/pakistan-invites-us-and-iran-to-islamabad-talks-says-ceasefire-extends-everywhere-lebanon-1.500499611","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775608486896,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Pakistan PM says US\u2011Iran ceasefire includes Lebanon ","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85232,"name":"Pakistan","slug":"pakistan","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/psqcs1BnuvPRc25JoNhns3pu0-9OA4DHGbTciVGU4y4Nlu4L2uFUXs-xVMweMqk2","published-at":1775608486896,"status":"published","id":"2e19ad2b-8854-4057-a47d-53039786962d","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/pakistan-invites-us-and-iran-to-islamabad-talks-says-ceasefire-extends-everywhere-lebanon-1.500499611","author-id":2170753,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2170753,"name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"psqcs1BnuvPRc25JoNhns3pu0-9OA4DHGbTciVGU4y4Nlu4L2uFUXs-xVMweMqk2","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Pakistan invites US and Iran to Islamabad talks; says ceasefire extends \u2018everywhere\u2019, Lebanon"}],"card-updated-at":1776124800811,"content-version-id":"4e276667-2be9-4b39-984c-350b4f862f3c","card-added-at":1776124743771,"status":"draft","id":"f698af20-4d93-45de-9af6-1563eeaa0df7","content-id":"f698af20-4d93-45de-9af6-1563eeaa0df7","version":3,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US, Iran discuss 'another round' of direct talks before current ceasefire expires","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/6kol8ddv/newsml_afp_com_20260411T210210Z_doc_a7h88fg.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"AFP","alt-text":null,"caption":"US Vice President JD Vance (L) speaks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ahead of their meeting on Iran amid the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad. File photo taken on April 11, 2026.","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":180055,"width":992,"height":797,"focus-point":null}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_In_This_Package"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/us-iran-discuss-another-round-of-direct-talks-before-current-ceasefire-expires-1.500505901","story-version-id":"575b8fc5-1ac5-4079-8b61-f1d1824a844d","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776124811208,"author-id":2287057,"owner-id":2183048,"linked-story-ids":["7f751f03-7925-483e-8a6d-e14dfc7089c2","9be522ea-107b-42ca-933c-5b3127032d23","c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65","62d7ba49-4860-47ee-829b-a7af5204489a","bdbd6810-1e21-4685-905c-9ff82b4e25a8","2e19ad2b-8854-4057-a47d-53039786962d"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776122071541,"hero-image-caption":"US Vice President JD Vance (L) speaks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif ahead of their meeting on Iran amid the US-Iran peace talks in Islamabad. File photo taken on April 11, 2026.","version":11,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776124800798,"authors":[{"slug":"huda-ata","social":{},"name":"Huda Ata","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE.","id":2287057,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null},{"slug":"jay-hilotin-2","social":{},"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2183048,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"label":["UPDATE"]},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Jay Hilotin"},"id":"4a464719-684e-4b2c-bb08-04b237a33ff4"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776169891259,"seo":{"meta-title":"CBSE Class 10 Results 2026 for UAE Students Soon: Provisional Scores, Improvement Exams and DigiLocker Details Explained","meta-description":"Even highest scorer among more than 13,600 UAE students cannot be named a topper. Here\u2019s why","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2207522,"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","tags":[{"id":11150259,"name":"UAE","meta-description":"Follow the latest updates from the UAE including government news, national developments, economic trends, and lifestyle highlights.","meta-title":"UAE News \u2013 National Events, Economy & Government Updates","slug":"uae","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11456798,"name":"india","meta-description":"Stay updated with the latest news from India including politics, economy, culture, and global affairs.","meta-title":"India News \u2013 National Updates, Politics & Business","slug":"india","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11462751,"name":"Education","meta-description":"Stay informed on education updates including school policies, academic results, university news, and learning trends.","meta-title":"Education News \u2013 Policies, Exams & Academic Trends","slug":"education","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":14773106,"name":"US-Israel-Iran war","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"us-israel-iran-war","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"CBSE Class 10 results 2026 due for UAE students soon: Why they won\u2019t be final","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"de5145d3-c7dc-41a4-97c6-d1ee288f10d0","slug":"uae/education/cbse-class-10-results-2026-due-for-uae-students-today-why-they-wont-be-final-1.500506156","linked-stories":{"faecd1e8-ae82-49d0-8205-19e8be4a250b":{"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","headline":"CBSE announces special assessment scheme for Class 10 students in UAE, Middle East","story-content-id":"faecd1e8-ae82-49d0-8205-19e8be4a250b","slug":"uae/education/cbse-announces-special-assessment-scheme-for-class-10-students-in-uae-middle-east-1.500478828","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"CBSE reveals Class 10 result scheme for Middle East","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education","id":85261,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-uae","name":"Education (UAE)","id":194685},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1280,"file-size":132845,"file-name":"1.jpeg","height":960},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-02-25/vz1ymzdm/1.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/cbse-announces-special-assessment-scheme-for-class-10-students-in-uae-middle-east-1.500478828","content-updated-at":1773840939568,"author-id":2207522,"first-published-at":1773839964506,"authors":[{"slug":"sajila-saseendran","social":{},"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Sajila is a powerhouse in UAE journalism, with over two decades of impactful reporting that has informed, empowered, and transformed lives. She is widely recognised as one of the most trusted voices on local affairs, particularly within the Indian expat community.\n\nFrom exposing scams and reuniting families to shifting policies and freeing jailed workers, Sajila\u2019s stories often make front pages and a real-world difference. Once the only female crime reporter in Bangalore, India, she brought her razor-sharp news instincts to the UAE, covering everything from civic matters, health, education, and environment to stories that matter to both expats and Emiratis alike.\n\nShe has covered the launch of iconic projects in Dubai and milestone national moments\u2014from COP28, Expo 2020 Dubai, Presidential and Prime Ministerial visits, multiple visa amnesties and landmark space missions to plane crashes, tragic fires, accidents and COVID-19 crises. She broke the news of Indian actress Sridevi\u2019s accidental drowning and did a literally out-of-the-world interview with UAE astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, who went on to become a minister, live from the International Space Station.\u00A0\n\nHer storytelling blends deep editorial insight with compelling human interest, backed by an extensive network across officials and communities alike. Recognised with numerous journalism awards, Sajila doesn\u2019t just report stories; she helps write the history of the UAE.","id":2207522,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"972aa2e2-d7f4-4e18-bc5f-694d4b84d0bb":{"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","headline":"CBSE Class 10 assessment in Middle East: Why thousands of UAE students may reappear","story-content-id":"972aa2e2-d7f4-4e18-bc5f-694d4b84d0bb","slug":"uae/education/cbse-class-10-assessment-in-middle-east-why-thousands-of-uae-students-may-reappear-1.500479357","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"CBSE Class 10: Why several UAE students may reappear","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"CBSE Class 10 assessment in Middle East: Why thousands of UAE students may reappear","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education","id":85261,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-uae","name":"Education (UAE)","id":194685},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":4372,"height":2915},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-02-17/e4pt6sr5/STAFFNAT_260217_CBSE_Exam_VSAKLANI_31771306550887.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/cbse-class-10-assessment-in-middle-east-why-thousands-of-uae-students-may-reappear-1.500479357","content-updated-at":1773878462330,"author-id":2207522,"first-published-at":1773878461072,"authors":[{"slug":"sajila-saseendran","social":{},"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Sajila is a powerhouse in UAE journalism, with over two decades of impactful reporting that has informed, empowered, and transformed lives. She is widely recognised as one of the most trusted voices on local affairs, particularly within the Indian expat community.\n\nFrom exposing scams and reuniting families to shifting policies and freeing jailed workers, Sajila\u2019s stories often make front pages and a real-world difference. Once the only female crime reporter in Bangalore, India, she brought her razor-sharp news instincts to the UAE, covering everything from civic matters, health, education, and environment to stories that matter to both expats and Emiratis alike.\n\nShe has covered the launch of iconic projects in Dubai and milestone national moments\u2014from COP28, Expo 2020 Dubai, Presidential and Prime Ministerial visits, multiple visa amnesties and landmark space missions to plane crashes, tragic fires, accidents and COVID-19 crises. She broke the news of Indian actress Sridevi\u2019s accidental drowning and did a literally out-of-the-world interview with UAE astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, who went on to become a minister, live from the International Space Station.\u00A0\n\nHer storytelling blends deep editorial insight with compelling human interest, backed by an extensive network across officials and communities alike. Recognised with numerous journalism awards, Sajila doesn\u2019t just report stories; she helps write the history of the UAE.","id":2207522,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776149348569,"public-identifier":"1.500506156","subheadline":"Even highest scorer among more than 13,600 students cannot be named a topper. Here\u2019s why","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"CBSE Class 10: Why first results, toppers won't count","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"CBSE Class 10 exams 2026 results due for UAE students soon: Why they won\u2019t be final","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education","id":85261,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-uae","name":"Education (UAE)","id":194685},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"india","name":"India","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india","id":85231,"parent-id":85230,"display-name":"India","collection":{"slug":"india-asia-world","name":"India (Asia, World)","id":194655},"data":null}],"read-time":4,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776148739045,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Sajila Saseendran","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":5595,"height":3730},"comments":null,"word-count":952,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776149348569,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"last-correction-published-at":1776169898461,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"Virendra Saklani/Gulf News Archives","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"de5145d3-c7dc-41a4-97c6-d1ee288f10d0","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-02-17/dvmpxozj/STAFFNAT_260217_CBSE_Exam_VSAKLANI_161771306557707.jpg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/de5145d3-c7dc-41a4-97c6-d1ee288f10d0/element/67067102-ae48-41a7-aecd-caf6e51762bb","type":"text","family-id":"95834832-fda0-4ed5-b0ec-d308bbfc5a4e","title":"","id":"67067102-ae48-41a7-aecd-caf6e51762bb","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Dubai: More than 13,600 Grade 10 students in UAE schools affiliated to India's Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) are expected to receive their board exam results soon, but there is a crucial catch.
The marks that are expected to come out anytime soon will not be final for all, and the student becoming the top scorer in a school may not hold that position a month from now.
Educators in the UAE are urging families not to read too much into the provisional figures, even as the results are expected imminently on the DigiLocker platform. In a first for the Board, no hard-copy mark sheets will be issued. This change applies not just to the UAE or the Gulf but to CBSE students worldwide.
The situation stems from a two-phase exam policy introduced by CBSE from 2026 which is entirely new. For the first time, the Board is offering all Class 10 students, in India and abroad, the opportunity to sit improvement examinations in up to three subjects and potentially boost their scores. Under this policy, the results declared now are provisional. The final mark sheet will only be issued after the second board examinations, expected to be held in May.
\"If the students are happy with the result, this is final for them. But the final mark list will come after the second exam happens,\" explained Dr Pramod Mahajan, Director-Principal of Sharjah Indian School and CBSE City Coordinator for schools in Sharjah, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah.
This improvement window, not the war-related disruptions, is the primary reason the results being declared now carry a provisional status. As per CBSE rules, students will be given five days after results are declared to apply and submit their List of Candidates (LOC) forms, including their choice of subjects for the second examination.
"},{"description":"","image-metadata":{"width":2788,"height":3178,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":1541608,"focus-point":null},"page-url":"/story/de5145d3-c7dc-41a4-97c6-d1ee288f10d0/element/69a2bad7-5785-49a2-a068-bc1682d8de5f","type":"image","family-id":"6775ca26-b4d9-489c-8415-de6472313c61","image-attribution":"","title":"Dr Pramod Mahajan","id":"69a2bad7-5785-49a2-a068-bc1682d8de5f","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/bxa06b4d/pp_NEW__jpg.jpeg","metadata":{},"subtype":null},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/de5145d3-c7dc-41a4-97c6-d1ee288f10d0/element/6a2f3b44-04a4-449c-a17d-498f3c1a58c6","type":"text","family-id":"d18604ae-4f91-477a-8395-ee81e0f67ad8","title":"","id":"6a2f3b44-04a4-449c-a17d-498f3c1a58c6","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"There is another layer to the story that will matter to high achievers: CBSE has not declared national toppers or published merit lists for the past three years. The Board has shifted entirely to a competency-based assessment model, doing away with the merit certificates that once formally recognised distinction.
\"From CBSE, there is no India topper, there is no merit list,\" said Dr Mahajan. Yet, schools in the UAE continued to celebrate their high scorers internally.
And even that school-level spotlight is risky right now, given the provisional nature of the results. If a student scoring 98 per cent today opts for the improvement exam and pushes their marks higher, any announcement made before then would need to be revised.
\"Suppose my school topper has got 98 per cent, and she applies for the second exam for improvement. She makes it 99.5 with that. And if today we say she is the topper, then after one month, we have to say, no, she's not a topper; somebody else is. There is no authenticity for that topper concept based on this result because this result is not final,\u201D Dr Mahajan explained.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/de5145d3-c7dc-41a4-97c6-d1ee288f10d0/element/0ac2e33d-059a-4272-ad24-4355629ad917","type":"text","family-id":"b3aeeef5-27a5-4978-a213-b16de1f45925","title":"","id":"0ac2e33d-059a-4272-ad24-4355629ad917","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/de5145d3-c7dc-41a4-97c6-d1ee288f10d0/element/98eeafcb-1de7-41ba-9741-cd900d3b766d","type":"text","family-id":"a5d0e0ff-5a19-4274-82b8-e6b44e097976","title":"","id":"98eeafcb-1de7-41ba-9741-cd900d3b766d","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
The UAE's 13,669 enrolled Grade 10 students, previously confirmed by Dr Ram Shankar, Professor and Director of the CBSE Regional Office and Centre of Excellence in Dubai, are also navigating a separate, war-related complexity in how their marks were calculated.
CBSE cancelled all remaining Class 10 board examinations in the Middle East on March 5, 2026, following a critical review of the security situation caused by the US-Israel-Iran war across Bahrain, Iran, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Only the papers held between February 17 and February 28 went ahead successfully, covering 44 subjects in total.
To calculate results for the missed papers, CBSE applied a category-wise formula. Students who sat four papers had missing subjects filled in using the average of their best three. Those who completed only three had remaining subjects calculated from the average of their best two. Students who managed just two examinations had those two averaged across all remaining papers.
With improvement exams now firmly on the table, schools across the UAE expect a significant number of students to opt in, as reported by Gulf News earlier.
Dr Mahajan had earlier said that around 40 to 55 per cent of students in Sharjah, Fujairah and Ras Al Khaimah had indicated interest in appearing for the improvement examinations. In Dubai, numbers were expected to be lower, with some schools projecting around 30 per cent of students opting to reappear in one or two subjects.
However, a clear picture in this regard will emerge once schools submit the LoC appearing for the second exam in five days.
Dr Mahajan reminded that second exam will be conducted from the same centres as the original, meaning students who have relocated to India but wish to sit any paper again will need to return to the UAE.
In the meantime, Grade 11 classes have already begun for students in the UAE, as schools in the region traditionally start the new academic year before Grade 10 board results are out.
Dr Mahajan said reiterated that schools would support students with remedial and enrichment sessions if they choose to sit improvement exams alongside their Grade 11 studies.
The results, once declared, will be accessible through each student's DigiLocker account. While the absence of a hard-copy mark sheet is a new experience for students and families, the information on the digital certificate will be complete with percentages, subject-wise scores and all.
\"It will be a complete record. The only difference is that a hard copy will not be issued,\" Dr Mahajan confirmed.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776169890824,"content-version-id":"2e4dbce4-aec6-4d0a-93ce-2b5a8f8189a4","card-added-at":1776148739052,"status":"draft","id":"3ba8fd6c-858d-490d-95a6-615a57c8640f","content-id":"3ba8fd6c-858d-490d-95a6-615a57c8640f","version":13,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"CBSE Class 10 results 2026 due for UAE students soon: Why they won\u2019t be final","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/bxa06b4d/pp_NEW__jpg.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"","caption":null,"alt-text":"","metadata":{"width":2788,"height":3178,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":1541608,"focus-point":null}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/de5145d3-c7dc-41a4-97c6-d1ee288f10d0/element/4bbe9455-ed8f-4b97-9d93-0a87ad604d58","type":"text","family-id":"f2a0c497-84fc-4ed5-a007-277235015a11","title":"","id":"4bbe9455-ed8f-4b97-9d93-0a87ad604d58","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"faecd1e8-ae82-49d0-8205-19e8be4a250b","linked-story":{"updated-at":1773840935861,"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","headline":"CBSE announces special assessment scheme for Class 10 students in UAE, Middle East","story-content-id":"faecd1e8-ae82-49d0-8205-19e8be4a250b","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/education/cbse-announces-special-assessment-scheme-for-class-10-students-in-uae-middle-east-1.500478828","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1773839964506,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"CBSE reveals Class 10 result scheme for Middle East","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85261,"name":"Education","slug":"education","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/RLKG8YhPzu-Qg-YUjb8Sgfng5S3WCkBArKKSnbnKJVWLif-VYS4r8kCXsD0pq5R4","published-at":1773839964506,"status":"published","id":"faecd1e8-ae82-49d0-8205-19e8be4a250b","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/cbse-announces-special-assessment-scheme-for-class-10-students-in-uae-middle-east-1.500478828","author-id":2207522,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2207522,"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"label":["UPDATE"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"RLKG8YhPzu-Qg-YUjb8Sgfng5S3WCkBArKKSnbnKJVWLif-VYS4r8kCXsD0pq5R4","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"CBSE announces special assessment scheme for Class 10 students in UAE, Middle East"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/de5145d3-c7dc-41a4-97c6-d1ee288f10d0/element/8a5f47ae-1731-45c7-a872-d06cc6bcc077","type":"text","family-id":"6f1b650d-191b-4d16-a225-4c0764d0b83a","title":"","id":"8a5f47ae-1731-45c7-a872-d06cc6bcc077","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"972aa2e2-d7f4-4e18-bc5f-694d4b84d0bb","linked-story":{"updated-at":1773878453645,"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","headline":"CBSE Class 10 assessment in Middle East: Why thousands of UAE students may reappear","story-content-id":"972aa2e2-d7f4-4e18-bc5f-694d4b84d0bb","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/education/cbse-class-10-assessment-in-middle-east-why-thousands-of-uae-students-may-reappear-1.500479357","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1773878461072,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"CBSE Class 10: Why several UAE students may reappear","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"CBSE Class 10 assessment in Middle East: Why thousands of UAE students may reappear","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85261,"name":"Education","slug":"education","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/UiCqZu8pXFdbYg4FkDCLwsWsqfMrwnkL7IRqdCiaZoYVvK0W-g6XOkhIptW74Nqi","published-at":1773878461072,"status":"published","id":"972aa2e2-d7f4-4e18-bc5f-694d4b84d0bb","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/cbse-class-10-assessment-in-middle-east-why-thousands-of-uae-students-may-reappear-1.500479357","author-id":2207522,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2207522,"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"UiCqZu8pXFdbYg4FkDCLwsWsqfMrwnkL7IRqdCiaZoYVvK0W-g6XOkhIptW74Nqi","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"CBSE Class 10 assessment in Middle East: Why thousands of UAE students may reappear"}],"card-updated-at":1776169890824,"content-version-id":"20edb951-b443-48d4-ac94-a7510b6ab69e","card-added-at":1776169726375,"status":"draft","id":"34dab4e9-268f-44ed-859b-79077dc06350","content-id":"34dab4e9-268f-44ed-859b-79077dc06350","version":5,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"CBSE Class 10 results 2026 due for UAE students soon: Why they won\u2019t be final","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-02-17/dvmpxozj/STAFFNAT_260217_CBSE_Exam_VSAKLANI_161771306557707.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Virendra Saklani/Gulf News Archives","alt-text":null,"caption":"Photo used for illustrative purposes","metadata":{"width":5595,"height":3730}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_Read"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/cbse-class-10-results-2026-due-for-uae-students-today-why-they-wont-be-final-1.500506156","story-version-id":"65fbd4e1-ef59-453b-8d19-8c22b9efc571","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776169898733,"author-id":2207522,"owner-id":2207522,"linked-story-ids":["972aa2e2-d7f4-4e18-bc5f-694d4b84d0bb","faecd1e8-ae82-49d0-8205-19e8be4a250b"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776149348569,"hero-image-caption":"Photo used for illustrative purposes","version":47,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776169890802,"authors":[{"slug":"sajila-saseendran","social":{},"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Sajila is a powerhouse in UAE journalism, with over two decades of impactful reporting that has informed, empowered, and transformed lives. She is widely recognised as one of the most trusted voices on local affairs, particularly within the Indian expat community.\n\nFrom exposing scams and reuniting families to shifting policies and freeing jailed workers, Sajila\u2019s stories often make front pages and a real-world difference. Once the only female crime reporter in Bangalore, India, she brought her razor-sharp news instincts to the UAE, covering everything from civic matters, health, education, and environment to stories that matter to both expats and Emiratis alike.\n\nShe has covered the launch of iconic projects in Dubai and milestone national moments\u2014from COP28, Expo 2020 Dubai, Presidential and Prime Ministerial visits, multiple visa amnesties and landmark space missions to plane crashes, tragic fires, accidents and COVID-19 crises. She broke the news of Indian actress Sridevi\u2019s accidental drowning and did a literally out-of-the-world interview with UAE astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, who went on to become a minister, live from the International Space Station.\u00A0\n\nHer storytelling blends deep editorial insight with compelling human interest, backed by an extensive network across officials and communities alike. Recognised with numerous journalism awards, Sajila doesn\u2019t just report stories; she helps write the history of the UAE.","id":2207522,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Sajila Saseendran"},"id":"de5145d3-c7dc-41a4-97c6-d1ee288f10d0"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776069166783,"seo":{"claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2171247,"author-name":"Lakshana N Palat","tags":[],"headline":"How Asha Bhosle built a food empire that even Tom Cruise couldn\u2019t resist: The viral chicken tikka masala moment","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"dbdafa74-1684-468a-a135-71ea3f375b4b","slug":"entertainment/how-asha-bhosle-built-a-food-empire-that-even-tom-cruise-couldnt-resist-the-viral-chicken-tikka-masala-moment-1.500505053","linked-stories":{"8b4f382d-00f0-4c5f-821f-2a386685bdd6":{"author-name":"Areeba Hashmi","headline":"Asha Bhosle wrapped in the Indian tricolour flag as Mumbai pays its final farewell","story-content-id":"8b4f382d-00f0-4c5f-821f-2a386685bdd6","slug":"entertainment/asha-bhosle-wrapped-in-the-indian-tricolour-flag-as-mumbai-pays-its-final-farewell-1.500505019","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Asha Bhosle honoured with Indian flag tribute for rites","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Asha Bhosle honoured with Indian tricolour flag tribute as fans gather in Mumbai for final rites","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"entertainment","name":"Entertainment","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment","id":85221,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"Entertainment","collection":{"slug":"entertainment","name":"ENTERTAINMENT","id":194645},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"music","name":"Music","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/music","id":85285,"parent-id":85221,"display-name":"Music","collection":{"slug":"music-entertainment","name":"Music (Entertainment)","id":194709},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"bollywood","name":"BollyWood","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/bollywood","id":85280,"parent-id":85221,"display-name":"BollyWood","collection":{"slug":"bollywood-entertainment","name":"BollyWood (Entertainment)","id":194704},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1080,"height":810,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":189134,"file-name":"SnapInsta.to670939342184618187921011314174937164366752143n.jpg","focus-point":null},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/rrm5he4u/SnapInsta.to670939342184618187921011314174937164366752143n.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/asha-bhosle-wrapped-in-the-indian-tricolour-flag-as-mumbai-pays-its-final-farewell-1.500505019","content-updated-at":1776069188715,"author-id":2357168,"first-published-at":1776064588840,"authors":[{"slug":"areeba-hashmi","social":{},"name":"Areeba Hashmi","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-10-20/8mw0y7z5/Pic.jpg","bio":"I\u2019m a passionate journalist and creative writer graduate specialising in arts, culture, and storytelling. My work aims to engage readers with stories that inspire, inform, and celebrate the richness of human experience. From arts and entertainment to technology, lifestyle, and human interest features, I aim to bring a fresh perspective and thoughtful voice to every story I tell.","id":2357168,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-10-20/8mw0y7z5/Pic.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"57551b22-395d-403c-8201-50824a6098e6":{"author-name":"Lakshana N Palat","headline":"Priyanka Chopra mourns Asha Bhosle in emotional tribute: 'Losing a piece of childhood...'","story-content-id":"57551b22-395d-403c-8201-50824a6098e6","slug":"entertainment/priyanka-chopra-mourns-asha-bhosle-in-emotional-tribute-losing-a-piece-of-childhood-1.500504913","alternative":{"social":{"default":{"headline":" 'Losing a piece of childhood...': Priyanka Chopra mourns Asha Bhosle in emotional tribute","hero-image":null}},"home":{"default":{"headline":"Priyanka Chopra mourns Asha Bhosle in emotional tribute","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"entertainment","name":"Entertainment","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment","id":85221,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"Entertainment","collection":{"slug":"entertainment","name":"ENTERTAINMENT","id":194645},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":549,"height":309,"mime-type":"image/avif","file-size":16889,"file-name":"priyanka.avif"},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/spxodz4f/priyanka.avif","url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/priyanka-chopra-mourns-asha-bhosle-in-emotional-tribute-losing-a-piece-of-childhood-1.500504913","content-updated-at":1776056433070,"author-id":2171247,"first-published-at":1776056432276,"authors":[{"slug":"lakshana-n-palat","social":{},"name":"Lakshana N Palat","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Lakshana is an entertainment and lifestyle journalist with over a decade of experience. She covers a wide range of stories\u2014from community and health to mental health and inspiring people features. \n\nA passionate K-pop enthusiast, she also enjoys exploring the cultural impact of music and fandoms through her writing.","id":2171247,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776067459124,"public-identifier":"1.500505053","subheadline":"The Hollywood star reportedly ordered the dish twice at the restaurant in Birmingham","alternative":{"social":{"default":{"headline":"How Asha Bhosle built a food empire that Tom Cruise couldn\u2019t resist: The viral chicken tikka masala moment","hero-image":null}},"home":{"default":{"headline":"How Asha Bhosle built a food empire across countries","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"entertainment","name":"Entertainment","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment","id":85221,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"Entertainment","collection":{"slug":"entertainment","name":"ENTERTAINMENT","id":194645},"data":null}],"read-time":2,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776066347271,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Lakshana N Palat","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":31029,"original-url":"https://d2lnbwhcsmj8tp.cloudfront.net/thumbnails/202604123745305.jpg","width":449,"height":337,"focus-point":null},"comments":null,"word-count":548,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776067459124,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"last-correction-published-at":1776069169143,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":null,"bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"dbdafa74-1684-468a-a135-71ea3f375b4b","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/34da3pir/202604123745305.jpg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/dbdafa74-1684-468a-a135-71ea3f375b4b/element/0f5a4eb9-a4f2-46b3-a3b2-c09d3426710c","type":"text","family-id":"9f8b6402-5108-472a-812f-e152c9d2a06c","title":"","id":"0f5a4eb9-a4f2-46b3-a3b2-c09d3426710c","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Tom Cruise walking into a restaurant unannounced is not an everyday occurrence, but it is exactly what happened at Asha\u2019s Birmingham, turning a dinner service into one of the most talked-about celebrity moments in the brand\u2019s history.
The actor dropped in during 2021, accompanied by director Christopher McQuarrie and members of the Mission: Impossible \u2013 Dead Reckoning Part One crew.
He reportedly ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala Curry and enjoyed it so much that he ordered another portion. The moment quickly gained traction online after the restaurant shared it on social media, sparking the now-famous \u201CTwo Tikka Tom\u201D reference.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/dbdafa74-1684-468a-a135-71ea3f375b4b/element/68d8cbff-9319-4a3e-b871-19044a486790","type":"text","family-id":"11dfb48b-33f2-4a1d-91f5-3773f553757b","title":"","id":"68d8cbff-9319-4a3e-b871-19044a486790","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.
"},{"description":"","embed-js":"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","page-url":"/story/dbdafa74-1684-468a-a135-71ea3f375b4b/element/8c8ebfa0-7979-4de5-95fa-405685014f82","type":"jsembed","family-id":"edf101e8-88c6-40a7-ac6c-abf22ee34558","title":"","id":"8c8ebfa0-7979-4de5-95fa-405685014f82","metadata":{"tweet-url":"https://twitter.com/Ashas_UK/status/1429387345195900933","provider":"twitter","tweet-id":"1429387345195900933"},"subtype":"tweet"}],"card-updated-at":1776069164156,"content-version-id":"0cd44377-177d-4638-8c24-a838db78cb27","card-added-at":1776066347279,"status":"draft","id":"8c5cebb1-6b23-4495-a106-10e55be5fed8","content-id":"8c5cebb1-6b23-4495-a106-10e55be5fed8","version":28,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"How Asha Bhosle built a food empire that even Tom Cruise couldn\u2019t resist: The viral chicken tikka masala moment","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/34da3pir/202604123745305.jpg","url":null,"attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"Asha Bhosle\u2019s legend isn't just written in the melodies of the 12,000+ songs she recorded over an 80-year career; it\u2019s also etched into the global culinary map","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":31029,"original-url":"https://d2lnbwhcsmj8tp.cloudfront.net/thumbnails/202604123745305.jpg","width":449,"height":337,"focus-point":null}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/dbdafa74-1684-468a-a135-71ea3f375b4b/element/adb2aab8-f5a7-4923-9dbe-45b77bfc337d","type":"text","family-id":"21d419ef-bfef-4683-8876-9a444acfe05b","title":"","id":"adb2aab8-f5a7-4923-9dbe-45b77bfc337d","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Asha Bhosle\u2019s legend isn't just written in the melodies of the 12,000+ songs she recorded over an 80-year career; it\u2019s also etched into the food that transcended boundaries. While the world knew her as the 'voice of love', she built a second empire as a savvy entrepreneur. Inspired by her deep-rooted love for the kitchen, she launched Asha\u2019s, a prestigious restaurant chain that now spans 14 locations across two continents, proving that her taste for excellence was just as sharp as her famous soprano.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776067456905,"content-version-id":"d6dabfd1-c66a-40a0-b7ba-2cf79d9bcbdc","card-added-at":1776066373262,"status":"draft","id":"488bd891-c835-4bb4-870e-e6713544a76e","content-id":"488bd891-c835-4bb4-870e-e6713544a76e","version":26,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"How Asha Bhosle built a food empire that even Tom Cruise couldn\u2019t resist: The viral chicken tikka masala moment","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/34da3pir/202604123745305.jpg","url":null,"attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"Asha Bhosle\u2019s legend isn't just written in the melodies of the 12,000+ songs she recorded over an 80-year career; it\u2019s also etched into the global culinary map","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":31029,"original-url":"https://d2lnbwhcsmj8tp.cloudfront.net/thumbnails/202604123745305.jpg","width":449,"height":337,"focus-point":null}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/dbdafa74-1684-468a-a135-71ea3f375b4b/element/ba78b57e-7942-4c52-9e9e-4b7bb92b460a","type":"text","family-id":"1962593f-bbe1-4df3-8a21-ff0760508a69","title":"","id":"ba78b57e-7942-4c52-9e9e-4b7bb92b460a","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The journey of Asha\u2019s began in 2002 at Dubai\u2019s Wafi Mall, but its true seasoning started decades earlier. Far from being a hands-off celebrity owner, Asha Bhosle was the restaurant\u2019s culinary architect, infusing the menu with her own secret recipes and the hand-pounded garam masala of her Mumbai roots.
Her culinary spark was lit during her childhood, watching her father\u2019s theater troupe bond over shared meals on the road. When tragedy struck and her father died when she was only nine, cooking transitioned from a girlhood curiosity to a survival skill. Alongside her sisters, including the legendary Lata Mangeshkar, Asha stepped up to provide for the household.
A passion bloomed. She spent years perfecting the delicate balance of North Indian and Maharashtrian spices, eventually turning those private experiments into the global brand identity that today serves everyone from local fans to Hollywood elite.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776067456905,"content-version-id":"d08b4070-b029-42e9-800a-8acf47afee18","card-added-at":1776066373262,"status":"draft","id":"eefae7b8-bbaa-4c79-9e17-32cc941a08a0","content-id":"eefae7b8-bbaa-4c79-9e17-32cc941a08a0","version":26,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"How Asha Bhosle built a food empire that even Tom Cruise couldn\u2019t resist: The viral chicken tikka masala moment","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/34da3pir/202604123745305.jpg","url":null,"attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"Asha Bhosle\u2019s legend isn't just written in the melodies of the 12,000+ songs she recorded over an 80-year career; it\u2019s also etched into the global culinary map","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":31029,"original-url":"https://d2lnbwhcsmj8tp.cloudfront.net/thumbnails/202604123745305.jpg","width":449,"height":337,"focus-point":null}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/dbdafa74-1684-468a-a135-71ea3f375b4b/element/3e30343e-4dee-4e60-af6e-7cc933c1ddf7","type":"text","family-id":"f4d8c715-98c8-49b6-918c-b7ef57b806a1","title":"","id":"3e30343e-4dee-4e60-af6e-7cc933c1ddf7","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Following its success in Dubai, Asha\u2019s expanded across the Middle East, opening outlets in Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar. The brand later entered the UK with restaurants in Birmingham and Manchester.
Across its outlets, Asha\u2019s serves primarily North Indian cuisine with both vegetarian and non-vegetarian options. Signature dishes include Bhatti Ka Chaap, Makai Seekh Kebab, Fish Biryani, Muscat Gosht, Awadhi Chicken Biryani, Kodi Curry, and Peshawari Maa Ki Daal.
Several recipes were personally shaped by Asha Bhosle herself. She also learnt Awadhi cooking from Firdaus Jahan, wife of poet and lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri, a frequent collaborator in her music career.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776067456905,"content-version-id":"0c308334-8104-4a46-8a17-36374654d95e","card-added-at":1776066425248,"status":"draft","id":"98984b5c-fe7a-442f-8973-f4c2d86b39c5","content-id":"98984b5c-fe7a-442f-8973-f4c2d86b39c5","version":25,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"How Asha Bhosle built a food empire that even Tom Cruise couldn\u2019t resist: The viral chicken tikka masala moment","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/34da3pir/202604123745305.jpg","url":null,"attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"Asha Bhosle\u2019s legend isn't just written in the melodies of the 12,000+ songs she recorded over an 80-year career; it\u2019s also etched into the global culinary map","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":31029,"original-url":"https://d2lnbwhcsmj8tp.cloudfront.net/thumbnails/202604123745305.jpg","width":449,"height":337,"focus-point":null}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/dbdafa74-1684-468a-a135-71ea3f375b4b/element/54ad09a1-fb4a-4fa2-b6be-caffe0965b86","type":"text","family-id":"6cbba1a3-96c6-4a8f-a84b-b26707c05974","title":"","id":"54ad09a1-fb4a-4fa2-b6be-caffe0965b86","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Asha\u2019s has long attracted high-profile diners, with names like Shah Rukh Khan and Javed Akhtar expressing admiration for its kebabs. Internationally, the Birmingham outlet became a magnet for global celebrities.
Other global names have also visited the chain, including Ed Sheeran in 2022, Rolling Stones members Mick Jagger and Ronnie Wood in 2020, and Pink in 2023, who reportedly called it \u201Cthe best Indian food she\u2019s ever had\u201D during a performance in the UK.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776067456905,"content-version-id":"fdf51864-9ae7-4e68-ac48-f19c5b8b1568","card-added-at":1776066482876,"status":"draft","id":"d86627de-a6e4-41c6-b8d5-428a98075486","content-id":"d86627de-a6e4-41c6-b8d5-428a98075486","version":22,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"How Asha Bhosle built a food empire that even Tom Cruise couldn\u2019t resist: The viral chicken tikka masala moment","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/34da3pir/202604123745305.jpg","url":null,"attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"Asha Bhosle\u2019s legend isn't just written in the melodies of the 12,000+ songs she recorded over an 80-year career; it\u2019s also etched into the global culinary map","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":31029,"original-url":"https://d2lnbwhcsmj8tp.cloudfront.net/thumbnails/202604123745305.jpg","width":449,"height":337,"focus-point":null}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/dbdafa74-1684-468a-a135-71ea3f375b4b/element/2254458f-e4d5-4fac-994b-a81e98bff589","type":"text","family-id":"cbc3e023-425a-4652-a1cc-650b5be6e2da","title":"","id":"2254458f-e4d5-4fac-994b-a81e98bff589","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"8b4f382d-00f0-4c5f-821f-2a386685bdd6","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776064583761,"author-name":"Areeba Hashmi","headline":"Asha Bhosle wrapped in the Indian tricolour flag as Mumbai pays its final farewell","story-content-id":"8b4f382d-00f0-4c5f-821f-2a386685bdd6","is-published":true,"slug":"entertainment/asha-bhosle-wrapped-in-the-indian-tricolour-flag-as-mumbai-pays-its-final-farewell-1.500505019","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776064588840,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Asha Bhosle honoured with Indian flag tribute for rites","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Asha Bhosle honoured with Indian tricolour flag tribute as fans gather in Mumbai for final rites","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85221,"name":"Entertainment","slug":"entertainment","data":null},{"id":85285,"name":"Music","slug":"music","data":null},{"id":85280,"name":"BollyWood","slug":"bollywood","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/AiESCIsOIUyEC3924s4VWksySJ-LLKq52ROFjub_dLUd8gv27YrO89HiH0lTRRRe","published-at":1776064588840,"status":"published","id":"8b4f382d-00f0-4c5f-821f-2a386685bdd6","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/asha-bhosle-wrapped-in-the-indian-tricolour-flag-as-mumbai-pays-its-final-farewell-1.500505019","author-id":2357168,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2357168,"name":"Areeba Hashmi","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"AiESCIsOIUyEC3924s4VWksySJ-LLKq52ROFjub_dLUd8gv27YrO89HiH0lTRRRe","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Asha Bhosle wrapped in the Indian tricolour flag as Mumbai pays its final farewell"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/dbdafa74-1684-468a-a135-71ea3f375b4b/element/77cddaef-cc9b-425d-94f8-f1b60d2b8f38","type":"text","family-id":"a469fd70-3e68-49a3-8965-5c5ddff4dbab","title":"","id":"77cddaef-cc9b-425d-94f8-f1b60d2b8f38","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"57551b22-395d-403c-8201-50824a6098e6","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776056426562,"author-name":"Lakshana N Palat","headline":"Priyanka Chopra mourns Asha Bhosle in emotional tribute: 'Losing a piece of childhood...'","story-content-id":"57551b22-395d-403c-8201-50824a6098e6","is-published":true,"slug":"entertainment/priyanka-chopra-mourns-asha-bhosle-in-emotional-tribute-losing-a-piece-of-childhood-1.500504913","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776056432276,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"social":{"default":{"headline":" 'Losing a piece of childhood...': Priyanka Chopra mourns Asha Bhosle in emotional tribute","hero-image":null}},"home":{"default":{"headline":"Priyanka Chopra mourns Asha Bhosle in emotional tribute","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85221,"name":"Entertainment","slug":"entertainment","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/pIr5gO842nfz8DUcr3VhAsv8anNM1Wy_oAVyUszUSAGM05GIIdEY6gMSSU8y3E9T","published-at":1776056432276,"status":"published","id":"57551b22-395d-403c-8201-50824a6098e6","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/priyanka-chopra-mourns-asha-bhosle-in-emotional-tribute-losing-a-piece-of-childhood-1.500504913","author-id":2171247,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2171247,"name":"Lakshana N Palat","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"pIr5gO842nfz8DUcr3VhAsv8anNM1Wy_oAVyUszUSAGM05GIIdEY6gMSSU8y3E9T","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Priyanka Chopra mourns Asha Bhosle in emotional tribute: 'Losing a piece of childhood...'"}],"card-updated-at":1776067456905,"content-version-id":"af92363d-3047-4b12-bee4-1e746c0204dc","card-added-at":1776067289316,"status":"draft","id":"3f899a56-deab-4989-a8ae-b1c680d2c062","content-id":"3f899a56-deab-4989-a8ae-b1c680d2c062","version":7,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"How Asha Bhosle built a food empire that even Tom Cruise couldn\u2019t resist: The viral chicken tikka masala moment","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/34da3pir/202604123745305.jpg","url":null,"attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"Asha Bhosle\u2019s legend isn't just written in the melodies of the 12,000+ songs she recorded over an 80-year career; it\u2019s also etched into the global culinary map","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":31029,"original-url":"https://d2lnbwhcsmj8tp.cloudfront.net/thumbnails/202604123745305.jpg","width":449,"height":337,"focus-point":null}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_In_This_Package"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/how-asha-bhosle-built-a-food-empire-that-even-tom-cruise-couldnt-resist-the-viral-chicken-tikka-masala-moment-1.500505053","story-version-id":"74e36aab-fd78-4248-9247-d58f1a3876a4","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776069169374,"author-id":2171247,"owner-id":2171247,"linked-story-ids":["8b4f382d-00f0-4c5f-821f-2a386685bdd6","57551b22-395d-403c-8201-50824a6098e6"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776067459124,"hero-image-caption":"Asha Bhosle\u2019s legend isn't just written in the melodies of the 12,000+ songs she recorded over an 80-year career; it\u2019s also etched into the global culinary map","version":28,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776069164122,"authors":[{"slug":"lakshana-n-palat","social":{},"name":"Lakshana N Palat","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Lakshana is an entertainment and lifestyle journalist with over a decade of experience. She covers a wide range of stories\u2014from community and health to mental health and inspiring people features. \n\nA passionate K-pop enthusiast, she also enjoys exploring the cultural impact of music and fandoms through her writing.","id":2171247,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Lakshana N Palat"},"id":"dbdafa74-1684-468a-a135-71ea3f375b4b"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776135287908,"seo":{"meta-title":"US-Iran Ceasefire Collapses: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","meta-description":"US-Iran ceasefire holds as Trump orders naval blockade near Strait of Hormuz, rattling global energy markets and raising fears of a deeper Middle East crisis.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2170753,"author-name":"Jay Hilotin","tags":[{"id":11390904,"name":"Pakistan","meta-description":"Explore breaking news and major developments from Pakistan across politics, society, and international relations.","meta-title":"Pakistan News \u2013 Politics, Society & Global Affairs","slug":"pakistan","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11441529,"name":"Donald Trump","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"donald-trump","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11682813,"name":"Iran Israel conflict","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"iran-israel-conflict","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11951909,"name":"americas","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"americas","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":14773106,"name":"US-Israel-Iran war","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"us-israel-iran-war","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70","slug":"world/mena/us-iran-ceasefire-us-moves-to-blockade-iranian-ports-as-strait-of-hormuz-traffic-halts-oil-prices-surge-1.500504821","linked-stories":{"39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78":{"author-name":"Alex Abraham","headline":"Strait or canal: Who can charge ships - and who can\u2019t?","story-content-id":"39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78","slug":"world/mena/strait-or-canal-who-can-charge-ships-and-who-cant-1.500505563","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Strait or canal: Who can charge ships \u2014 and who can\u2019t?","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":7536,"height":5024},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-06-23/z4x4q753/newsml_afp_com_20250623T160050Z_doc_63g96ja.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/strait-or-canal-who-can-charge-ships-and-who-cant-1.500505563","content-updated-at":1776161793481,"author-id":2165599,"first-published-at":1776089995052,"authors":[{"slug":"alex-abraham","social":{},"name":"Alex Abraham","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/pgbfjnif/Alex_Abraham_office_pic.jpg","bio":"Alex has been on the frontline of global headlines for nearly 30 years. A Senior Associate Editor, he\u2019s part newsroom veteran and part globe-trotting correspondent. \n\nHis credentials? He was part of the select group of journalists who covered Pope Francis\u2019 historic visit to the UAE - flying with the pontiff himself. \n\nWith 27 years on the ground in the Middle East, Alex is one of the most trusted voices in the region when it comes to decoding politics and power plays. He breaks down global affairs into slick, 60-second news - his morning reels are practically a daily ritual for audiences across the UAE. \n\nSharp. Grounded. Fast. Insightful. That\u2019s Alex at his best, bringing a steady editorial hand to every story he tells. ","id":2165599,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/pgbfjnif/Alex_Abraham_office_pic.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"347afbb5-eba7-42cd-9559-8c6109b17adb":{"author-name":"Devadasan K P","headline":"Video: Pope Leo XIV has 'no response' to Trump criticism","story-content-id":"347afbb5-eba7-42cd-9559-8c6109b17adb","slug":"world/video-pope-leo-xiv-has-no-response-to-trump-criticism-1.500505543","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Pope Leo XIV has no response to Trump criticism","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"\u201CNo response\u201D: Pope Leo XIV brushes off Trump, focuses on peace call","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"world","name":"World","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world","id":85218,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"World","collection":{"slug":"world","name":"World LANDING PAGE","id":194642},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"news","name":"news-video","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/videos/news","id":85336,"parent-id":85315,"display-name":"News","collection":{"slug":"news-videos","name":"news-video (Videos)","id":194760},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1200,"file-size":108354,"file-name":"Pope-and-Trump.jpg","height":900},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-10-06/ukhlbrsg/Pope-and-Trump.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/video-pope-leo-xiv-has-no-response-to-trump-criticism-1.500505543","content-updated-at":1776088891208,"author-id":2169471,"first-published-at":1776088889987,"authors":[{"slug":"devadasan-k-p","social":{},"name":"Devadasan K P","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/wssththa/DEVADASAN_PIC.jpg","bio":"Devadasan K P is the Chief Visual Editor at Gulf News, bringing more than 26 years of experience in photojournalism to the role. He leads the Visual desk with precision, speed, and a strong editorial instinct. \n\nWhether he\u2019s selecting images of royalty, chasing the biggest celebrity moments in Dubai, or covering live events himself, Devadasan is always a few steps ahead of the action. \n\nOver the years, he has covered a wide range of major assignments \u2014 including the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, feature reportage from Afghanistan, the IMF World Bank meetings, and wildlife series from Kenya. \n\nHis work has been widely recognised with industry accolades, including the Minolta Photojournalist of the Year award in 2005, the Best Picture Award at the Dubai Shopping Festival in 2008, and a Silver Award from the Society for News Design in 2011. \n\nHe handles the newsroom pressure with a calm attitude, a quick response time, and his signature brand of good-natured Malayali humour. There's no fuss \u2014 just someone who gets the job done very well, every single time.","id":2169471,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/wssththa/DEVADASAN_PIC.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776135290562,"public-identifier":"1.500504821","subheadline":"Tehran warns of retaliation as US ultimatum crawls by","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"'Grave violation': Iran assails US naval blockade","hero-image":{"member-id":2118564,"hero-image-extracted-data":{},"index":21,"uploaded-at":1759607565679,"hero-image-metadata":{"focus-point":[324,252],"width":750,"height":563},"source":null,"hero-image-attribution":"AFP","hero-image-alt-text":"Donald Trump","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2024/11/07/Donald-Trump_1930495bbba_large.jpg","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":"US President Donald Trump.","extracted-data":{},"hero-image-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/import/2024/11/07/Donald-Trump_1930495bbba_large.jpg","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null}],"read-time":28,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776045553803,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]},"comments":null,"word-count":7346,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776135290562,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"AP","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"card-event-at":1776024000000,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/08367db5-d8b5-462b-b238-b8b2f71b8850","type":"title","family-id":"50c98e96-9ddc-452b-a995-880cb587c1aa","title":"","id":"08367db5-d8b5-462b-b238-b8b2f71b8850","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"US\u2011Israel war on Iran: Recent developments\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/9ef5781e-2e7d-4731-ac7c-f175c3068fb8","type":"text","family-id":"13d71d10-2cfa-46ed-90eb-22e9435d20f1","title":"","id":"9ef5781e-2e7d-4731-ac7c-f175c3068fb8","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Day 44: US to begin 'blockade' of Iranian ports on Monday
Day 43: 3-way talks with the US and Iran begin in Pakistan
Day 42: Trump says Iran has 'no cards' as Vance heads for talks
Day 41: Kuwait condemns drone attacks, US warns vs Hormuz toll
Day 40: Trump agrees to suspend attack on Iran by two weeks
Day 39: UAE, Qatar on alert as Trump's deadline nears
Day 38: Iran and US receive draft proposal for war ceasefire
Day 37: Second F-15E crew member rescued in Iran
Day 36: Trump warns Iran: 48 hours or all hell will reign down
Day 35: Trump seeks $1.5t defence budget as war intensifies
Day 34: UN chief warns world on 'edge of a wider war'
Day 33: Trump says US to hit Iran 'extremely hard'
Day 32: Debris hits several homes in Dubai, 4 injured
Day 31: Trump threatens to obliterate Iran's Kharg island
"}],"card-updated-at":1776047086611,"content-version-id":"a457113b-4ac8-4ae7-bce3-e88a18270e2e","card-added-at":1776045553809,"status":"draft","id":"2c58d4ee-e7d7-43ce-aff1-f397b4cd937e","content-id":"2c58d4ee-e7d7-43ce-aff1-f397b4cd937e","version":10,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776031800000,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/df7b8f1a-ef90-42e5-9b01-c6583dd1df90","type":"title","family-id":"781f889b-ecf4-4f10-9238-8f301fda64fe","title":"","id":"df7b8f1a-ef90-42e5-9b01-c6583dd1df90","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Iran says was 'inches away' from deal with US in Islamabad"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/10016deb-0d14-4277-978a-a1f249da6d94","type":"text","family-id":"31c7b649-a085-4a4f-af4c-fc2541a05512","title":"","id":"10016deb-0d14-4277-978a-a1f249da6d94","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Iran says was \"inches away\" from deal with US in Islamabad, French news agency AFP reported.
The talks in Islamabad ended without an agreement. Iran\u2019s foreign ministry has publicly said Tehran entered the high-stakes negotiations in Islamabad in \u201Cgood faith\u201D and came close to an agreement with US officials, but ultimately no deal was reached after 21 hours of face-to-face talks aimed at stabilising the fragile ceasefire and ending the ongoing Middle East conflict.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776047086611,"content-version-id":"c98fe584-ddc6-4f76-abd4-366f6cae2222","card-added-at":1776046758797,"status":"draft","id":"4140cda7-8f40-43ca-afd3-73380707aeb9","content-id":"4140cda7-8f40-43ca-afd3-73380707aeb9","version":5,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776032700000,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/54290354-d1d9-4a46-b72b-daea32eaedea","type":"title","family-id":"4feb2c54-4079-4669-941b-f373fbccd44c","title":"","id":"54290354-d1d9-4a46-b72b-daea32eaedea","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Lebanon PM says 'working' to get Israeli troop withdrawal"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/cf788a37-d60b-4cb6-9d89-336a160629d1","type":"text","family-id":"621c910a-9f65-46e9-b50d-91cdf6156761","title":"","id":"cf788a37-d60b-4cb6-9d89-336a160629d1","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Sunday he was working to stop the Israel-Hezbollah war, even as Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu told troops in south Lebanon that the fight there was far from over.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776047086611,"content-version-id":"6e9067d7-ad58-4b7e-a5d7-497455b7469f","card-added-at":1776046758797,"status":"draft","id":"57e2f1bf-03a8-4b34-886f-359f469fab47","content-id":"57e2f1bf-03a8-4b34-886f-359f469fab47","version":5,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776032820000,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/cb5f42d5-723c-45bf-ba00-b32d21758e22","type":"title","family-id":"8a376fc2-99b6-4582-8b6f-e34a738b496f","title":"","id":"cb5f42d5-723c-45bf-ba00-b32d21758e22","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"US to begin blockade of Iranian ports on Monday: military"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/ddc1292c-80eb-4832-8ee2-439b8521ae68","type":"text","family-id":"26054f00-85a9-411a-927d-e24da2bb4560","title":"","id":"ddc1292c-80eb-4832-8ee2-439b8521ae68","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The US military said it would begin a blockade of all Iranian ports \"within hours\", after peace talks in Pakistan collapsed with Washington blaming the Islamic republic's refusal to abandon its nuclear ambitions.
The announcement came despite a ceasefire agreed on Wednesday aimed at pausing the six-week war until April 22, with tensions centred on whether the United States can force Iran to reopen the strategic Strait of Hormuz, another of its key demands in the stalled negotiations.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/72332671-cb74-4393-8660-926cf71b5647","type":"text","family-id":"418b9742-1c45-4935-be0c-9d41a9cde558","title":"","id":"72332671-cb74-4393-8660-926cf71b5647","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"18a5730c-2af5-4c8a-9632-2d3a191e3ae8","card-added-at":1776046758797,"status":"draft","id":"73ae3fe7-90b8-415a-a078-28c532ba53ab","content-id":"73ae3fe7-90b8-415a-a078-28c532ba53ab","version":52,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{"key-event":true}}},{"card-event-at":1776036600000,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/d5a46412-316f-4b39-9b1c-d3eaa75a7fda","type":"title","family-id":"6d5e2b1d-72ad-4de0-a96c-217b01c9a78c","title":"","id":"d5a46412-316f-4b39-9b1c-d3eaa75a7fda","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Oil prices jump, WTI soars to $104 as Mideast talks fail"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/d4844d19-5390-46d8-a549-8b33ea09af2b","type":"text","family-id":"9098536c-3495-49fb-985e-8139e060ae37","title":"","id":"d4844d19-5390-46d8-a549-8b33ea09af2b","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
Oil prices jumped in early trading Monday, with US and global benchmarks climbing sharply amid heightened tensions in the Middle East and investor concern over potential supply disruptions through key shipping lanes.
As of 7:19 am (Asia time) on April 13, West Texas Intermediate crude traded at $104.8 a barrel, up $8.24 or 8.53% in the last 10 minutes. Brent crude, the international benchmark, stood at $102.7, up $7.54 or 7.92%. Murban crude slipped 1.47% to $98.16.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776047086611,"content-version-id":"04a46957-eaf9-4c25-b3ae-50e40392c35f","card-added-at":1776046758797,"status":"draft","id":"1abbde55-5b83-43d7-b3b0-865c34dec27c","content-id":"1abbde55-5b83-43d7-b3b0-865c34dec27c","version":5,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776040500000,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/bf8f0e9b-e33d-49a2-871b-c63955d58c06","type":"title","family-id":"78334f5f-e254-4d33-bb64-ccaea22fd948","title":"","id":"bf8f0e9b-e33d-49a2-871b-c63955d58c06","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Ships have stopped moving through the Strait of Hormuz \r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/91c2c77c-dd0a-41ee-a4c7-a9019a46ae0a","type":"text","family-id":"8b71ca97-2bdc-446c-8522-7fde46f1d88e","title":"","id":"91c2c77c-dd0a-41ee-a4c7-a9019a46ae0a","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Lloyd\u2019s List Intelligence wrote Sunday that \u201Call traffic\u201D through the Strait of Hormuz stopped after the president announced that the U.S. would blockade the waterway. It said two vessels that were leaving the strait turned around.
A trickle of traffic had returned to the strait in the days since the U.S. and Iran agreed to pause the conflict.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"41b71339-97c8-4bfc-98fe-3ba0f44efdcb","card-added-at":1776046902360,"status":"draft","id":"32f07c27-31ff-4b35-909d-79da6076b073","content-id":"32f07c27-31ff-4b35-909d-79da6076b073","version":51,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{"key-event":true}}},{"card-event-at":1776046902360,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/de797e82-b2ae-4bc9-9d6d-ade5f91403f8","type":"title","family-id":"f1c28727-ae0a-4983-ab65-5dc0e38beb21","title":"","id":"de797e82-b2ae-4bc9-9d6d-ade5f91403f8","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Trump lambasts Pope Leo XIV, extending feud over Iran war"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/4cc400b6-fa5d-4417-9b3c-c3f9fa34f484","type":"text","family-id":"5426442a-f1b8-492c-87f7-116da9712e84","title":"","id":"4cc400b6-fa5d-4417-9b3c-c3f9fa34f484","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Trump attacked Pope Leo XIV on social media Sunday, saying the first American pope should \u201Cstop catering to the Radical Left.\u201D
It was an extraordinary broadside against the global leader of the Catholic Church, exacerbating a feud that began over the war in Iran.
A short time later, speaking to reporters after Air Force One landed outside Washington from Florida, Trump said, \u201CWe don\u2019t like a pope who says it\u2019s OK to have a nuclear weapon.\u201D
\u201CI don\u2019t think he\u2019s doing a very good job,\u201D Trump said, adding that \u201CI\u2019m not a fan of Pope Leo.\u201D
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/95da0312-064a-4a19-9759-38e8973e6a8b","type":"text","family-id":"c19cfb5a-ab7e-4a5f-afee-3d85df05fdf8","title":"","id":"95da0312-064a-4a19-9759-38e8973e6a8b","metadata":{"content":"Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy. He talks about 'fear' of the Trump Administration, but doesn't mention the FEAR that the Catholic Church\u2026 had during COVID when they were arresting priests, ministers, and everybody else, for holding Church Services. I don't want a Pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.","attribution":"Donald Trump"},"subtype":"blockquote","text":"Pope Leo is WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy. He talks about 'fear' of the Trump Administration, but doesn't mention the FEAR that the Catholic Church\u2026 had during COVID when they were arresting priests, ministers, and everybody else, for holding Church Services. I don't want a Pope who thinks it's OK for Iran to have a Nuclear Weapon.Donald Trump
Trump he does not care if Iran comes back to negotiations with the United States after talks in Pakistan failed to produce a deal.
\"I don't care if they come back or not. If they don't come back, I'm fine,\" Trump told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, upon his return from Florida.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"902bc6df-7bca-420c-821b-f9cd6dcd0082","card-added-at":1776047592035,"status":"draft","id":"bfa97c3a-a3c3-479a-90e2-8964ee50b659","content-id":"bfa97c3a-a3c3-479a-90e2-8964ee50b659","version":52,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{"key-event":true}}},{"card-event-at":1776048887172,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/59096515-e63a-48b4-92d3-b3aeccab8b3e","type":"title","family-id":"763bddcc-420d-4e9b-a3eb-31de2aa5f7c2","title":"","id":"59096515-e63a-48b4-92d3-b3aeccab8b3e","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Iran adviser warns of \u2018untouched levers\u2019 against Hormuz blockade"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/87cf53ad-f0b9-44d1-afad-0afc36b937f8","type":"text","family-id":"1982198e-6c09-4fa0-aa27-c3a963937b1d","title":"","id":"87cf53ad-f0b9-44d1-afad-0afc36b937f8","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Mohsen Rezaei, a military adviser and a former Revolutionary Guard Commander, joined the chorus of Iranian officials vowing to counter the US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
In a post on X, Rezaei said the country\u2019s armed forces had \u201Cmajor untouched levers\u201D to counter a Hormuz blockade. He said Iran would not be coerced by \u201Ctweets and imaginary plans.\u201D
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/64b20e65-1a0f-439d-a134-d43f2a01c6e0","type":"text","family-id":"fe94f7e8-ddaf-4e44-95e4-798f0b1bcd8e","title":"","id":"64b20e65-1a0f-439d-a134-d43f2a01c6e0","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"ead9ec3e-aebf-4308-a14c-10df3ce3e0bb","card-added-at":1776048887172,"status":"draft","id":"b75c5a93-d116-4122-8fa9-2ac2249bf7e8","content-id":"b75c5a93-d116-4122-8fa9-2ac2249bf7e8","version":51,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776048941303,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/11522156-f319-4fee-b3cd-37508f6cf7ed","type":"title","family-id":"b4d92a1c-b491-4950-98d9-0dc1f7e96fa7","title":"","id":"11522156-f319-4fee-b3cd-37508f6cf7ed","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Trump says Iran still pursuing nuclear weapon"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/a1923e9c-5392-4b48-a8ae-6b3da9d990be","type":"text","family-id":"af7d3d21-ffb9-425f-8649-1c9921b7ffb8","title":"","id":"a1923e9c-5392-4b48-a8ae-6b3da9d990be","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
Donald Trump has said Iran still wants to develop a nuclear weapon, claiming the intention was made clear during recent talks in Islamabad.
\u201CThey still want it, and they made that clear the other night. Iran will not have a nuclear weapon,\u201D Trump told reporters.
He added that direct negotiations with Tehran failed because Iran was \u201Cunwilling to give up its nuclear ambitions,\u201D following marathon discussions that ended without agreement.
The remarks come amid heightened tensions after renewed diplomatic efforts failed to produce a breakthrough on Iran\u2019s nuclear programme.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"13c47206-ef27-4ee2-be7c-645e2e897a95","card-added-at":1776048941303,"status":"draft","id":"ee9a881b-e3fe-442a-90ec-dd0dded1b70c","content-id":"ee9a881b-e3fe-442a-90ec-dd0dded1b70c","version":50,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776049025965,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/b86c767e-f23d-40f9-989b-f295f103e94c","type":"title","family-id":"4d3c955a-9964-4d88-aa28-defd9fdfcc73","title":"","id":"b86c767e-f23d-40f9-989b-f295f103e94c","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"US airmen rescued from Iran \u2018in very good shape\u2019, Trump says\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/3a1a9e11-9084-4a96-907f-3c5ae61cc5fc","type":"text","family-id":"3f6c09de-03ac-4ff3-83c3-9dee99cfb5ed","title":"","id":"3a1a9e11-9084-4a96-907f-3c5ae61cc5fc","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Donald Trump has said two US airmen rescued after their fighter jet was shot down over Iran earlier this month are in good condition.
Speaking at Joint Base Andrews, Trump said: \u201CThey are in very good shape and we\u2019re very proud of them.\u201D
The crew included the pilot, who was located shortly after ejecting from the aircraft, and a weapons-system officer who survived for more than 24 hours while hiding in mountainous terrain before being rescued.
Both sustained injuries during the incident but are now reported to be recovering.
"},{"description":"","image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":84742,"width":1024,"height":682},"page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/247e0101-d08e-4af7-a47e-4fa616e430ef","type":"image","family-id":"7350d9ed-a79a-4b05-8b26-c93560d5e620","image-attribution":"AFP","title":"Trump speaks the the media after disembarking from Air Force One ","id":"247e0101-d08e-4af7-a47e-4fa616e430ef","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/bz6hi47p/newsml_afp_com_20260412T000000Z_PH_GTY_2271062921.jpeg","metadata":{},"subtype":null}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"2f9592d1-10da-4640-b5cc-ab43505e337b","card-added-at":1776049025965,"status":"draft","id":"96cb64a6-0a83-4fab-951b-92319e681ae3","content-id":"96cb64a6-0a83-4fab-951b-92319e681ae3","version":49,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/bz6hi47p/newsml_afp_com_20260412T000000Z_PH_GTY_2271062921.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"AFP","caption":null,"alt-text":"","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":84742,"width":1024,"height":682}}},"attributes":{"key-event":true}}},{"card-event-at":1776049152577,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/f86d9659-2878-49b9-a6e9-b8589e19a35b","type":"title","family-id":"e9005642-129c-4299-a57c-a48d6dfe5acd","title":"","id":"f86d9659-2878-49b9-a6e9-b8589e19a35b","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Trump says Iran 'desperate' as blockade looms"},{"description":"","image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":126142,"width":1200,"height":800},"page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/2aa3faab-bd73-4030-b1e9-27e90e183d85","type":"image","family-id":"0db7e3f7-0d53-47e1-bfc5-13d6a9420e2f","image-attribution":"AFP","title":"Trump speaks to the press upon arrival at Joint Base Andrews.","id":"2aa3faab-bd73-4030-b1e9-27e90e183d85","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/xfjw49aj/newsml_afp_com_20260413T011427Z_doc_a7ke3kv.jpeg","metadata":{},"subtype":null},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/6531fb3a-db57-4961-850d-fd9c237dfebe","type":"text","family-id":"ebe8c2f5-e6c6-4282-893b-cf2c32bb7df4","title":"","id":"6531fb3a-db57-4961-850d-fd9c237dfebe","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Trump said that Iran was in \"very bad shape\" and \"pretty desperate,\" as he confirmed a planned blockade would take effect within hours.
Speaking to reporters on the tarmac after returning from Miami, Trump said a ceasefire in the region was \"holding well,\" but signalled no softening in Washington's position ahead of the blockade set to begin at 10 a.m. Monday.
\"The blockade will go into effect tomorrow at 10 am,\" Trump said, adding that \"there are many boats heading toward our country to fill up with oil.\"
He indicated that other countries were cooperating with efforts to curb Iran's oil sales, though he did not identify them. \"Other nations are working so that Iran cannot sell oil,\" he said.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/76dad725-60e0-40b2-b92b-f3ae631d59aa","type":"text","family-id":"cba93a5a-c4bf-4ac0-bfe2-93f24106acc0","title":"","id":"76dad725-60e0-40b2-b92b-f3ae631d59aa","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"b7fba6ef-0b96-41b6-8ff9-f9081aa78474","card-added-at":1776049152577,"status":"draft","id":"12237b24-8c0c-4977-8c81-996c9de22c13","content-id":"12237b24-8c0c-4977-8c81-996c9de22c13","version":48,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/xfjw49aj/newsml_afp_com_20260413T011427Z_doc_a7ke3kv.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"AFP","caption":null,"alt-text":"","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":126142,"width":1200,"height":800}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776051148486,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/11423051-78db-42f8-9a28-87c4c0d4e5ef","type":"title","family-id":"9b33fe1f-e598-4f54-a490-f96c5d6d2f02","title":"","id":"11423051-78db-42f8-9a28-87c4c0d4e5ef","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Australian PM to visit Brunei and Malaysia to secure fuel supplies"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/048eedf0-fcd3-4ee6-808c-a8943359ebfa","type":"text","family-id":"b1f266ad-911a-411e-9d64-fd6b20d9557c","title":"","id":"048eedf0-fcd3-4ee6-808c-a8943359ebfa","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced he will visit regional neighbors in his efforts to secure fuel supplies threatened by the Iran war.
Albanese visited Singapore last week and said on Monday he would visit Brunei and Malaysia this week to \u201Censure Australia\u2019s energy supply remains secure during times of uncertainty.\u201D
The three Southeast Asian countries are major suppliers of Australia\u2019s gasoline, diesel and jet fuel. Singapore and Malaysia also buy Australian liquefied natural gas.
Albanese will meet Brunei\u2019s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim in visits between Tuesday and Friday.
Albanese told reporters in the Australian capital Canberra on Monday he would not preempt outcomes of those meetings.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"59e57140-ff39-4fc1-bfc4-6087b527bdb1","card-added-at":1776051148486,"status":"draft","id":"5175f505-d1c4-4356-b28b-f38f01ebf9cb","content-id":"5175f505-d1c4-4356-b28b-f38f01ebf9cb","version":43,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776052860000,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/1d5c3011-97b6-4caa-90c5-919cd7d1c736","type":"title","family-id":"1deba65a-3e3b-4e96-a892-4a0f564b7622","title":"","id":"1d5c3011-97b6-4caa-90c5-919cd7d1c736","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Trump says US-Iran ceasefire agreement is 'holding well.'\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/4cf6f128-aa38-4b03-9de9-7ef8c81e8acc","type":"text","family-id":"e9be6e83-51b3-4af1-a4cd-f4ab3ee53fc5","title":"","id":"4cf6f128-aa38-4b03-9de9-7ef8c81e8acc","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Trump said the US\u2013Iran ceasefire is \u201Cholding well,\u201D according to US media, even as he unveiled new military measures in the Gulf.
The two-week ceasefire between Iran and the US-Israel began on April 7, 2026. Trump announced that the US Navy will begin blockading the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, April 13. The order includes interdicting any vessel that has paid Iran a toll to pass through the strait.
Trump warned that US forces will destroy mines laid by Iran in the strait. He added that any Iranian who fires at US or peaceful vessels will be \u201Cblown to hell.\u201D
A US official said the Islamabad negotiations collapsed over Iran\u2019s uranium enrichment, funding for regional proxy groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, and reopening the Strait of Hormuz without Iranian tolls.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/9f9c6292-e85d-4494-85c1-25f3ba095cf0","type":"text","family-id":"e761b11a-f16e-484e-82ad-51b6958ea158","title":"","id":"9f9c6292-e85d-4494-85c1-25f3ba095cf0","metadata":{"content":"No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas .We will also begin destroying the mines the Iranians laid in the Straits. Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!","attribution":"Trump wrote on Truth Social"},"subtype":"blockquote","text":"No one who pays an illegal toll will have safe passage on the high seas .We will also begin destroying the mines the Iranians laid in the Straits. Any Iranian who fires at us, or at peaceful vessels, will be BLOWN TO HELL!Trump wrote on Truth Social
Lebanon\u2019s Ministry of Health says the number of people killed since the start of the Israeli offensive on March 2 has risen to 2,055.
It added that at least 6,588 people have been injured in the ongoing escalation.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"8f78b7f5-5e8b-4a52-bd78-92fede2c0739","card-added-at":1776053230930,"status":"draft","id":"f53532c7-970d-4a44-be5a-f965bb8058fa","content-id":"f53532c7-970d-4a44-be5a-f965bb8058fa","version":42,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776055958609,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/1d8123dd-37dd-4630-8765-5eb517056f59","type":"title","family-id":"997d1dc6-15e2-4662-b35f-f85ceb72270f","title":"","id":"1d8123dd-37dd-4630-8765-5eb517056f59","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Why gold fell even with war fears in March"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/595fc7f0-e988-4871-941d-1d08f0b746b9","type":"text","family-id":"da39473a-505d-4376-a803-875f66081c64","title":"","id":"595fc7f0-e988-4871-941d-1d08f0b746b9","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Dubai: Gold\u2019s sharp March decline has caught investors off guard, coming at a time when geopolitical tensions and inflation risks would typically support prices, yet the move was driven less by fundamentals and more by a rapid unwind of leveraged positions across markets. (Check latest UAE gold prices here, alongside prices in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and India.)
Gold\u2019s slide unfolded during the first three weeks of March, in what the World Gold Council describes as a counterintuitive but familiar pattern during periods of stress.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"d6676f74-b79d-41e0-bb5c-ab2a115a4174","card-added-at":1776055958609,"status":"draft","id":"e9049caa-4bb5-439e-bb9d-d41f13215687","content-id":"e9049caa-4bb5-439e-bb9d-d41f13215687","version":41,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776058797996,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/bc43f605-41c0-4868-9dd2-579ae0c413b4","type":"title","family-id":"33370b8f-aaa3-44da-b7d6-0a46e8ad8f32","title":"","id":"bc43f605-41c0-4868-9dd2-579ae0c413b4","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Oil prices resume their climb and Asian markets decline "},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/4a79c90a-07ea-4a7b-ae9b-cdf4b674d376","type":"text","family-id":"e0b553ec-030f-422c-93bc-4f31431ebffb","title":"","id":"4a79c90a-07ea-4a7b-ae9b-cdf4b674d376","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Oil prices resumed their climb and Asian markets mostly declined as the US military prepared to blockade ships entering or leaving the Strait of Hormuz, where most shipping has been stalled by Iran since the start of the war.
Oil prices have been rising as shipping through the strait has essentially stalled since late February. Brent crude oil, the international standard, has gone from roughly $70 per barrel before the war in late February to more than $119 at times.
On Monday, benchmark US crude jumped $8.38 or 8.7% to $104.95 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, rose $7.00, or 7.4%, to $102.23 a barrel.
Japan's benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 1.0% in morning trading to 56,357.40. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.5% to 8,913.50. South Korea's Kospi dipped 1.1% to 5,795.15. Hong Kong's Hang Seng slipped nearly 1.5% to 25,513.42, while the Shanghai Composite fell 0.2% to 3,976.57.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"5e46069e-9c54-4959-b730-c181cf5b1b6f","card-added-at":1776058797996,"status":"draft","id":"5edcedf7-20e9-4e42-a44a-2fd0b6db68f4","content-id":"5edcedf7-20e9-4e42-a44a-2fd0b6db68f4","version":40,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776061198990,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/a533f646-5b55-4961-9571-70ec6a049df7","type":"title","family-id":"db026a8c-396a-4685-8a78-3b462ea30bb0","title":"","id":"a533f646-5b55-4961-9571-70ec6a049df7","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Iran restores rail links between Tehran, Tabriz and Mashhad\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/ce244af9-7261-49eb-89d6-e877f8656ea7","type":"text","family-id":"74109ce5-d9c8-4af5-b016-2a071cb08a49","title":"","id":"ce244af9-7261-49eb-89d6-e877f8656ea7","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Iran says damaged rail lines connecting Tehran\u2013Tabriz and Tabriz\u2013Mashhad have been repaired and passenger services have resumed after a suspension of around four to five days.
The restoration was reported by the Iranian state news agency IRNA, which said train operations restarted once key sections of the network were brought back into service.
Separately, the Tehran\u2013Tabriz\u2013Van international train service has also resumed, with services operating overnight from Tehran towards Van in Turkey via the restored rail corridor.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/9db1659d-c0d2-4197-b4a8-1418edf4a47f","type":"text","family-id":"7ad39ce7-d47b-4631-b115-0f3b87b7378a","title":"","id":"9db1659d-c0d2-4197-b4a8-1418edf4a47f","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"d2b032cc-ed4a-48c7-9e31-aed9ab19d76d","card-added-at":1776061198990,"status":"draft","id":"da0b809d-45ea-4ca8-afee-523ad1445a07","content-id":"da0b809d-45ea-4ca8-afee-523ad1445a07","version":39,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776062926667,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/169801fe-b413-4b1b-995e-c89ec0d5e1b1","type":"title","family-id":"884d1598-9bb5-4e86-bacf-3e56dea69445","title":"","id":"169801fe-b413-4b1b-995e-c89ec0d5e1b1","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Israel dismantles Hezbollah tunnel in Lebanon"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/8adea0ea-15e8-443f-b64d-13fc0e6cfc2f","type":"text","family-id":"318971c8-5cff-408b-8e4c-7817db97e8a0","title":"","id":"8adea0ea-15e8-443f-b64d-13fc0e6cfc2f","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says its troops have dismantled an underground tunnel route used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
In a statement shared on social media, the IDF said the tunnel was used for \u201Cplanning and advancing terror activities\u201D against its soldiers.
The military added that the operation targeted infrastructure it described as part of Hezbollah\u2019s cross-border capabilities, without providing further operational details.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"87e627be-a913-4f78-b79a-928f22782883","card-added-at":1776062926667,"status":"draft","id":"65cf1686-d179-465a-a8fa-1ae8db0590ff","content-id":"65cf1686-d179-465a-a8fa-1ae8db0590ff","version":36,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776063620052,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/45d917fc-ca86-47e7-878b-3d68247194f8","type":"title","family-id":"3faa3d6e-6e33-4ef7-b110-7c98571c13e1","title":"","id":"45d917fc-ca86-47e7-878b-3d68247194f8","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Vatican official responds to Trump\u2019s criticism"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/8ecaabb1-eb83-4159-a933-bc3c95767a60","type":"text","family-id":"e5aefe38-bb1b-43d7-aade-8b1ae36b2dc9","title":"","id":"8ecaabb1-eb83-4159-a933-bc3c95767a60","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"A senior Vatican official has responded to criticism from US President Donald Trump of Pope Leo XIV, saying the US leader is targeting \u201Ca moral voice\u201D he \u201Ccannot contain\u201D.
In remarks shared on X, Fr Antonio Spadaro said Trump was not engaging in debate but attempting to push the Pope into \u201Ca language that he can dominate\u201D.
He added that the Pope \u201Cspeaks another language\u201D, one that \u201Crefuses to be reduced to the grammar of force, security and national interest,\u201D in comments marking a rare public exchange between the Vatican and the US president ahead of the pontiff\u2019s Africa tour.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"2237c3e3-df56-48c3-8a24-3d8873a95e49","card-added-at":1776063620052,"status":"draft","id":"3a19cd44-fe3c-4b61-87d1-3775aeb415ae","content-id":"3a19cd44-fe3c-4b61-87d1-3775aeb415ae","version":35,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{"key-event":true}}},{"card-event-at":1776064364675,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/4bb19e4b-6b57-409b-8753-618f5abaa7a6","type":"title","family-id":"bdd65ca4-c1e6-45b0-adca-c117acd2a054","title":"","id":"4bb19e4b-6b57-409b-8753-618f5abaa7a6","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Iran military says US naval blockade 'illegal' and 'piracy'"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/b6324efb-b6eb-48a4-9758-d5fe80a82e64","type":"text","family-id":"cb5906b9-1062-4f8a-ac4e-cebff5d633b3","title":"","id":"b6324efb-b6eb-48a4-9758-d5fe80a82e64","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Iran\u2019s military has described the US naval blockade of Iranian ports as \u201Cillegal\u201D and an act of \u201Cpiracy\u201D, according to state media.
It accused Washington of restricting maritime movement in international waters and violating international law amid rising tensions in the region.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/4f96b521-c58b-4865-b586-9ba79a4da9f7","type":"text","family-id":"1b0eea4d-a014-40c9-ac30-12bfae8b9d18","title":"","id":"4f96b521-c58b-4865-b586-9ba79a4da9f7","metadata":{"content":"The restrictions imposed by criminal America on maritime navigation and transit in international waters are illegal and constitute an example of piracy","attribution":"Iranian military"},"subtype":"blockquote","text":"The restrictions imposed by criminal America on maritime navigation and transit in international waters are illegal and constitute an example of piracyIranian military
Iran's military said a US naval blockade set to begin would be illegal and amount to piracy, warning that no Gulf ports would be safe if its own were threatened.
\"The restrictions imposed by criminal America on maritime navigation and transit in international waters are illegal and constitute an example of piracy,\" said a statement issued by the Iranian military's central command centre, Khatam Al Anbiya, that was read on state television.
\"If the security of the Islamic Republic of Iran's ports in the waters of the Gulf and the Arabian Sea is threatened, no port in the Gulf and the Arabian Sea will be safe,\" it added.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"751ec243-7b66-47b9-9fa3-7a055072b8eb","card-added-at":1776065722019,"status":"draft","id":"f1e684bf-973d-4b95-ac79-bee49bed2b99","content-id":"f1e684bf-973d-4b95-ac79-bee49bed2b99","version":31,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{"key-event":true}}},{"card-event-at":1776065722019,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/fd05d69a-fc0a-45e2-8dad-8bb83aeaa81e","type":"title","family-id":"6835a7b3-2c99-4b53-820c-845a5bdde951","title":"","id":"fd05d69a-fc0a-45e2-8dad-8bb83aeaa81e","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Germany to cut tax on fuel for two months: Merz"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/ffa0d28e-a437-43a8-a93f-cd386cddb8a0","type":"text","family-id":"cca11469-0341-47ce-ab18-e9063dad90b3","title":"","id":"ffa0d28e-a437-43a8-a93f-cd386cddb8a0","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Germany would cut petrol and diesel taxes for two months to provide relief to households and businesses hit by the energy shock during the Middle East war.
\"We will reduce... the fuel tax on diesel and gasoline by approximately 17 (euro) cents per litre for two months,\" Merz told a press conference after talks between his CDU party and its coalition partners.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"4005fd84-e212-425a-8d97-d3b79d14a675","card-added-at":1776065722019,"status":"draft","id":"ca9101d4-ec33-4038-8bac-039f0d15d8c2","content-id":"ca9101d4-ec33-4038-8bac-039f0d15d8c2","version":31,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776066268437,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/b4c1ea91-90db-4f12-85df-80df508f1e11","type":"title","family-id":"dcc9b89d-e0a9-4371-b74b-30fba3015852","title":"","id":"b4c1ea91-90db-4f12-85df-80df508f1e11","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"China says hopes US, Iran will not reignite war after talks fail\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/901e603f-c167-4df8-b991-62c3052872a3","type":"text","family-id":"6ea087fc-f374-4627-9941-a5ae83610104","title":"","id":"901e603f-c167-4df8-b991-62c3052872a3","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"China said it hoped the United States and Iran would not reignite the Middle East war, after talks between Tehran and Washington in Pakistan failed to deliver a deal.
\"China hopes the relevant sides will abide by the temporary ceasefire agreement, continue resolving disputes through political and diplomatic means, avoid reigniting war and create conditions for an early return to peace and tranquility in the Gulf region,\" foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a news conference.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"a7bcd507-4c43-47dc-aa0c-59d8668c1e4c","card-added-at":1776066268437,"status":"draft","id":"6735b5bf-c22e-4cbd-989d-a0205085d9f5","content-id":"6735b5bf-c22e-4cbd-989d-a0205085d9f5","version":28,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776067162159,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/c538606d-e649-4fb0-a9e2-fd3b6c0dfdf9","type":"title","family-id":"d05726c5-713e-437f-894f-a34ee2e6316b","title":"","id":"c538606d-e649-4fb0-a9e2-fd3b6c0dfdf9","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Dana Gas resumes operations at Kurdish Iraq gas plant "},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/84f9eeeb-b0bc-4bec-a82b-2cf7654df007","type":"text","family-id":"b30ca024-508e-4d23-99ea-1889225abe92","title":"","id":"84f9eeeb-b0bc-4bec-a82b-2cf7654df007","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Operations resumed at a major gas facility in Iraq's Kurdish region, the Emirati company running the complex said, after more than a month of disruption due to the US-Iran war.
Dana Gas announced \"the resumption of production of the Khor Mor gas facility in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, following a period of intermittent operations\", according to a statement published by the Abu Dhabi stock exchange.
On February 28 the UAE company suspended natural gas supplies from the complex as war broke out, authorities in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region had said.
Kurdistan's electricity and natural resources ministries said the decision was made \"due to the extraordinary circumstances and ongoing events in the region, and to protect employees at the Khor Mor field\".
The Khor Mor complex, which supplies most of Kurdistan's power stations, has been hit several times in recent years in attacks blamed on pro-Iran armed groups in Iraq.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"ede596b1-acff-4df5-89b0-97ad74861c9f","card-added-at":1776067162159,"status":"draft","id":"d9f73162-2d7d-4d7e-8bd0-1ba65ed9d0dc","content-id":"d9f73162-2d7d-4d7e-8bd0-1ba65ed9d0dc","version":25,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776069877311,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/f81d206b-27b8-4f1a-b153-1db7b7a8be4d","type":"title","family-id":"b9a1a489-9dba-4b81-a65b-42fe1194836b","title":"","id":"f81d206b-27b8-4f1a-b153-1db7b7a8be4d","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"UK PM says Britain 'not supporting' US blockade of Hormuz strait\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/2cd2e0ef-6a2b-44bf-b6b6-8261d5885e81","type":"text","family-id":"bdbb98b5-87c6-4fc6-904a-ba875971aab7","title":"","id":"2cd2e0ef-6a2b-44bf-b6b6-8261d5885e81","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Britain will not join the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz announced by US President Donald Trump.
\"We are not supporting the blockade,\" Starmer told BBC radio, adding the UK \"is not getting dragged in\" to the war with Iran.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/b9b0a258-d6a0-4cba-8028-db25b1e2e875","type":"text","family-id":"862d942f-c33b-43a3-a414-a3bd2393d15b","title":"","id":"b9b0a258-d6a0-4cba-8028-db25b1e2e875","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"2b76b720-8277-4827-8d52-6eb6afcae9e0","card-added-at":1776069877311,"status":"draft","id":"01a9f09f-9186-4b13-803b-e1cd375cbd33","content-id":"01a9f09f-9186-4b13-803b-e1cd375cbd33","version":23,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776069877311,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/49c3ef47-abfc-4f91-9da2-c2083776deb0","type":"title","family-id":"1b45dee6-fe5f-4776-9793-a8c0bc2393a4","title":"","id":"49c3ef47-abfc-4f91-9da2-c2083776deb0","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Iran, US 'sincere' about ceasefire: Turkey FM"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/fc741e59-89c7-4f2f-b61f-39007ab27a93","type":"text","family-id":"2e904ef2-a35d-4029-9f67-2e1c8e3ad654","title":"","id":"fc741e59-89c7-4f2f-b61f-39007ab27a93","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
Turkey's foreign minister said he believed both Iran and the United States remain \"sincere\" about reaching a ceasefire despite the failure of Pakistan-mediated talks on the weekend.
\"Both sides are sincere about the ceasefire,\" Hakan Fidan said in an interview with the official Anadolu news agency, adding that he has been in contact with the parties involved in the negotiations.
\"I am thinking that if the nuclear issue comes down to an all-or-nothing situation especially regarding enrichment, we might face serious obstacles,\" Fidan said.
\"Hopefully, we will try to overcome this with the support of some mediators,\" he added.
Turkey, while a fierce critic of Israel, joined diplomatic efforts with Egypt and Pakistan to reach a ceasefire in the conflict.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"a011f797-8a3c-473b-ace5-ba1587ed8ae4","card-added-at":1776069877311,"status":"draft","id":"8c1eab93-a0c4-40c4-8688-8dbe220bfbf1","content-id":"8c1eab93-a0c4-40c4-8688-8dbe220bfbf1","version":23,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776071281328,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/d4ac4157-8481-4d67-8c26-1e92395b5014","type":"title","family-id":"4e7c4f95-ecbc-4b72-b368-3d83272e7cdf","title":"","id":"d4ac4157-8481-4d67-8c26-1e92395b5014","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Pope Leo hits back at Trump over Iran war"},{"description":"","image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":134341,"width":1200,"height":800},"page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/744029df-2003-49b4-b0b6-cd61eb1f88e4","type":"image","family-id":"03a13170-430b-4a73-b4e9-645f491488eb","image-attribution":"AFP ","title":" ","id":"744029df-2003-49b4-b0b6-cd61eb1f88e4","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/aima6rez/newsml_afp_com_20260413T085726Z_doc_a7l69p4.jpeg","metadata":{},"subtype":null},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/63bbee13-afa5-4c0a-a5b0-4e601a9423d0","type":"text","family-id":"5b8e9040-0319-4283-a061-af70551250d6","title":"","id":"63bbee13-afa5-4c0a-a5b0-4e601a9423d0","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Pope Leo XIV said that the Vatican\u2019s appeals for peace and reconciliation are rooted in the Gospel, and that he didn\u2019t fear the Trump administration.
\u201CTo put my message on the same plane as what the president has attempted to do here, I think is not understanding what the message of the Gospel is,\u201D Leo told The Associated Press aboard the papal plane.
\u201CAnd I\u2019m sorry to hear that but I will continue on what I believe is the mission of the church in the world today.\u201D
History\u2019s first US-born pope stressed that he was not making a direct attack against Trump or anyone else with his general appeal for peace and criticisms of the \u201Cdelusion of omnipotence\u201D that is fueling the Iran wars and other conflicts around the world.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"64bafb19-3991-4e39-ac7d-2f186e5ca27e","card-added-at":1776071281328,"status":"draft","id":"c6d23776-dac0-4e61-90e6-6869e4be4bc5","content-id":"c6d23776-dac0-4e61-90e6-6869e4be4bc5","version":21,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/aima6rez/newsml_afp_com_20260413T085726Z_doc_a7l69p4.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"AFP ","caption":null,"alt-text":"","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":134341,"width":1200,"height":800}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776073103406,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/3a619941-83ae-4512-b234-cd1348a60f96","type":"title","family-id":"04f2e1fe-232c-444a-8f4b-643076b72da8","title":"","id":"3a619941-83ae-4512-b234-cd1348a60f96","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"UAE denies rumours of distance learning extension"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/3882a8dd-6cd0-4ac6-929a-a17c7f2de17b","type":"text","family-id":"15d0a224-9b00-46a2-9235-7319322699ef","title":"","id":"3882a8dd-6cd0-4ac6-929a-a17c7f2de17b","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The UAE Ministry of Education has firmly denied rumours circulating on social media claiming that distance learning will be extended until May 1, 2026.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"a76a6cac-fdcc-407c-969d-ca43db4ae46b","card-added-at":1776073103406,"status":"draft","id":"a68d0678-9b48-4984-8472-822f7fd1d6f1","content-id":"a68d0678-9b48-4984-8472-822f7fd1d6f1","version":19,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776074974594,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/8aaf4485-a227-4a77-b1af-af9bd4cab08f","type":"title","family-id":"a3281d03-b171-477a-89cd-8643c67edfce","title":"","id":"8aaf4485-a227-4a77-b1af-af9bd4cab08f","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Ship traffic appears to halt in Strait of Hormuz"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/bdb28d9e-d33b-4b66-ab93-a36ccabf6bc3","type":"text","family-id":"79b7817f-0ab6-497e-b025-2dcc561c7075","title":"","id":"bdb28d9e-d33b-4b66-ab93-a36ccabf6bc3","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Ships have stopped moving through the Strait of Hormuz, an intelligence firm said, and oil prices resumed their climb Monday after US President Trump announced on social media that the United States would blockade the waterway.
US Central Command later said the blockade would involve all vessels entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, and that it would still allow ships traveling between non-Iranian ports to transit the strait, a step down from the president's earlier threat to blockade the entire strait.
Trump confirmed the timing and some details of the CENTCOM statement in a post on his social media site early Monday.
Iran's Revolutionary Guard said the strait remained under Iran's \"full control\" and was open for non-military vessels, but military ones would get a \"forceful response,\" two semiofficial Iranian news agencies reported.
The moves came after marathon US-Iran ceasefire talks in Pakistan ended without an agreement, setting the stage for a showdown. Iranian parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, who led Iran's side in the talks, addressed Trump in a statement on his return to Iran: \"If you fight, we will fight.\"
"}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"e5413a61-b201-48ed-97aa-b883206fe8c9","card-added-at":1776074974594,"status":"draft","id":"16f00a72-6ae0-4124-9fec-eca212fa66b4","content-id":"16f00a72-6ae0-4124-9fec-eca212fa66b4","version":17,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776075808280,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/611d1e04-20b7-440b-bb9e-05eb139e112e","type":"title","family-id":"9f097ea8-bb79-4fd5-99ab-a58257532c74","title":"","id":"611d1e04-20b7-440b-bb9e-05eb139e112e","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Russia offers to take in Iran's enriched uranium\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/a58c812c-c02e-40cc-a898-f16c6d5d5943","type":"text","family-id":"e89f42a8-4060-4312-8f3e-7cbff3857759","title":"","id":"a58c812c-c02e-40cc-a898-f16c6d5d5943","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Russia is ready to take in Iran's enriched uranium as part of a future peace deal with the United States, the Kremlin said.
\"This proposal was voiced by President Putin in contacts with both the United States and regional states. The offer still stands, but has not been acted upon,\" the Kremlin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday in response to a question by AFP.
The Kremlin also criticised Trump's threat to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway that has been at a standstill since the US and Israel began striking Iran in late February.
\"Such actions will likely continue to negatively impact the international market,\" Peskov said.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"5b18c2b6-79bf-4c57-958e-1a87048ceefe","card-added-at":1776075808280,"status":"draft","id":"2ad32988-7159-435d-8444-b2c84a0e990e","content-id":"2ad32988-7159-435d-8444-b2c84a0e990e","version":15,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{"key-event":true}}},{"card-event-at":1776075886055,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/43975834-b796-44ab-afff-7238d73b1496","type":"title","family-id":"83049ed8-43cc-40e0-aa12-1dacc0ddc68d","title":"","id":"43975834-b796-44ab-afff-7238d73b1496","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Israel strike on Hamas-run security point in Gaza kills 3"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/a5cd11a4-5b40-4c3c-82fe-358792fcda27","type":"text","family-id":"ec0ae8d0-9402-4f88-bccb-2a521f86949b","title":"","id":"a5cd11a4-5b40-4c3c-82fe-358792fcda27","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"An Israeli airstrike killed at least three Palestinians in central Gaza Strip early Monday, hospital authorities said.
The strike hit a Hamas-manned security point just after midnight in the eastern part of Deir al-Balah city, in central Gaza, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital which received the dead men. One Palestinian was also wounded in the strike.
The military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The deaths were the latest among Palestinians in the coastal enclave since an October fragile ceasefire deal attempted to halt a more than two-year war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. While the heaviest fighting has subsided, the shaky ceasefire has seen almost daily Israeli fire.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/03585a89-2274-47bf-8a29-cb1b3f94da00","type":"text","family-id":"c9c67ca5-b71e-459b-97f5-5c6fbbaf2364","title":"","id":"03585a89-2274-47bf-8a29-cb1b3f94da00","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"f5d2693a-a647-420a-8ed0-d18045f1413b","card-added-at":1776075886055,"status":"draft","id":"832902e3-2eb4-400e-9273-44548defc54f","content-id":"832902e3-2eb4-400e-9273-44548defc54f","version":14,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776075939547,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/20e146ae-c972-4a78-94b9-445508093d93","type":"title","family-id":"8c5be075-c68c-44f7-ab4e-6ea89c4c629f","title":"","id":"20e146ae-c972-4a78-94b9-445508093d93","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Italian, US bishops defend pope after Trump's outburst\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/f9114e0d-7823-4f13-9ac3-5d8fae134dd1","type":"text","family-id":"de656af1-c52b-488a-a72b-870fa7053c31","title":"","id":"f9114e0d-7823-4f13-9ac3-5d8fae134dd1","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
Catholic bishops from the United States and Italy defended Pope Leo XIV after a blistering attack by US President Donald Trump, who accused the pontiff of being \"weak on crime\".
\"I am disheartened that the president chose to write such disparaging words about the Holy Father,\" the head of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Paul Coakley, said in a statement published on Sunday.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/6da3979b-e4fd-46dc-92b8-ee101806e7c5","type":"text","family-id":"513eea8a-6222-4c7e-9065-24d91ec3c739","title":"","id":"6da3979b-e4fd-46dc-92b8-ee101806e7c5","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"347afbb5-eba7-42cd-9559-8c6109b17adb","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776088888288,"author-name":"Devadasan K P","headline":"Video: Pope Leo XIV has 'no response' to Trump criticism","story-content-id":"347afbb5-eba7-42cd-9559-8c6109b17adb","is-published":true,"slug":"world/video-pope-leo-xiv-has-no-response-to-trump-criticism-1.500505543","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776088889987,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Pope Leo XIV has no response to Trump criticism","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"\u201CNo response\u201D: Pope Leo XIV brushes off Trump, focuses on peace call","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85218,"name":"World","slug":"world","data":null},{"id":85336,"name":"news-video","slug":"news","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/3TeJEwrlKG1jC-VoTSiNfbVXHMPqfAcIs8ECRAHTpbxbgVCKSKSlS9n0Y11M3IS5","published-at":1776088889987,"status":"published","id":"347afbb5-eba7-42cd-9559-8c6109b17adb","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/video-pope-leo-xiv-has-no-response-to-trump-criticism-1.500505543","author-id":2169471,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"video","authors":[{"id":2169471,"name":"Devadasan K P","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"3TeJEwrlKG1jC-VoTSiNfbVXHMPqfAcIs8ECRAHTpbxbgVCKSKSlS9n0Y11M3IS5","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Video: Pope Leo XIV has 'no response' to Trump criticism"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/094163cd-4dc4-4c4f-be44-5e5ef47dda26","type":"text","family-id":"4e8bc4f0-84f4-46c8-a0e9-69fe7064c7b5","title":"","id":"094163cd-4dc4-4c4f-be44-5e5ef47dda26","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"\"Pope Leo is not his rival; nor is the Pope a politician. He is the vicar of Christ who speaks from the truth of the Gospel and for the care of souls.\"
Asked about Trump's comments while he was on the papal plane flying to Algiers on Monday for the start of an 11-day African tour, the pope said he had \"no intention to debate\" with the US president.
The Italian Bishops' Conference also defended the 70-year-old American pope on Monday, saying Pope Leo was \"not a political counterpart but the successor of Peter, called to serve the Gospel, truth and peace\".
\"In a time marked by international conflicts and tensions, his voice represents a forceful call to the dignity of the person, to dialogue and to responsibility,\" the Italian bishops said in a statement.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"c7ab6332-a705-4590-be1c-b5b882241811","card-added-at":1776075939547,"status":"draft","id":"3180c434-e5ef-46b8-a1a8-21f079ddb5c2","content-id":"3180c434-e5ef-46b8-a1a8-21f079ddb5c2","version":51,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776075978730,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/b7ae518f-c7ce-47cb-b29e-82978b25a610","type":"title","family-id":"6c316a26-c43f-4d06-a864-fb4d8ddbfd2e","title":"","id":"b7ae518f-c7ce-47cb-b29e-82978b25a610","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Iran and Saudi Arabia discuss Islamabad talks: Reports\u00A0"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/2531bedb-a977-45bf-9f3c-32afa30f0bea","type":"text","family-id":"a7d46238-b1fe-4381-a870-6e93b42a13c8","title":"","id":"2531bedb-a977-45bf-9f3c-32afa30f0bea","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Iran\u2019s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has spoken by phone with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Iranian semiofficial media reported.
The ministers discussed the talks between the US and Iran in Pakistan which failed to achieve a deal, Mehr News agency said, without elaborating further.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"11e9f354-5677-40f2-8e90-ff0626508a89","card-added-at":1776075978730,"status":"draft","id":"acc72719-89a6-4e67-9f2e-6742094657c5","content-id":"acc72719-89a6-4e67-9f2e-6742094657c5","version":12,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776076188884,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/8f5440cc-4d50-4560-b19d-0ca3637e6a36","type":"title","family-id":"20cdc257-b63a-4d1d-9f9b-64c41aaef76f","title":"","id":"8f5440cc-4d50-4560-b19d-0ca3637e6a36","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Philippines cuts tax on petroleum products to ease price shock\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/044f45e6-6b15-47c4-95ce-73c07094ed7b","type":"text","family-id":"264d5ada-29ac-43e0-bd33-0d258ffa9c2b","title":"","id":"044f45e6-6b15-47c4-95ce-73c07094ed7b","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos said excise taxes on LPG and kerosene would be trimmed to ease the fuel price shock wrought by the US-Israeli war on Iran.
\"We were hoping for a good outcome from the peace talks (between) the US and Iran, but it appears they were unable to strike a deal, which is why we will continue to help our people,\" he told a news conference.
\"We have reduced the tax on petroleum products directly used by our people in their everyday lives.\"
Following the legislature's earlier passage of a law authorising him to adjust fuel excise taxes, Marcos said the cost of liquefied petroleum gas, the country's fuel of choice for cooking, would be trimmed by 3.36 pesos (5.6 US cents) per kilogram from Tuesday.
He said the price of kerosene, the cooking fuel used by poorer families, would drop by 5.60 pesos per litre.
Marcos said he would convene a meeting of a government crisis committee Tuesday to discuss possible excise tax adjustments on gasoline and diesel, the main fuels for public transport.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"f88eb0eb-fdd9-4bf1-82d5-d61be0ffdba6","card-added-at":1776076188884,"status":"draft","id":"f732b2cc-3c27-46a8-bc4f-8faf4a41597c","content-id":"f732b2cc-3c27-46a8-bc4f-8faf4a41597c","version":11,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776076390283,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/9129aed4-93b2-41cf-a429-b9d3c9c44ae2","type":"title","family-id":"8bd8e9fa-f5f8-4aba-a75a-0ce375688618","title":"","id":"9129aed4-93b2-41cf-a429-b9d3c9c44ae2","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"France, UK to work on 'peaceful multinational mission' for Hormuz\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/ac560eca-728a-4a8a-8d77-f0db46ea8cf6","type":"text","family-id":"2d2815cf-19d8-47da-b23a-ee308e842ec2","title":"","id":"ac560eca-728a-4a8a-8d77-f0db46ea8cf6","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"France and Britain will work on a \"peaceful multinational mission\" to restore traffic through the Strait of Hormuz but it would be \"separate from the warring parties\", French President Emmanuel Macron said.
The UK-French initiative, which Macron announced on X, appeared to be separate from Trump's announced blockade.
\"In the coming days, together with the United Kingdom, we will organise a conference with those countries prepared to contribute alongside us to a peaceful multinational mission aimed at restoring freedom of navigation in the strait,\" Macron said.
\"This strictly defensive mission, separate from the warring parties to the conflict, is intended to be deployed as soon as circumstances permit.\"
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said that Britain will not join the naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz announced by Trump.
"},{"description":"","embed-js":"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","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/09fe4572-228a-4a79-a14d-39fb6dd240a2","type":"jsembed","family-id":"8e6c7eb1-c97f-41c9-904b-8f5fbcf5c1c4","title":"","id":"09fe4572-228a-4a79-a14d-39fb6dd240a2","metadata":{"tweet-url":"https://twitter.com/Keir_Starmer/status/2043628699136749889","provider":"twitter","tweet-id":"2043628699136749889"},"subtype":"tweet"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"c184cdbc-bc9e-41c8-9376-a2ed8abb5a6d","card-added-at":1776076390283,"status":"draft","id":"c818e477-3a31-49f1-bb42-153d8a56090e","content-id":"c818e477-3a31-49f1-bb42-153d8a56090e","version":62,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776076669341,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/6ac65d12-9e6c-4046-9f8c-c49c59ba8f2d","type":"title","family-id":"480399ca-0d9d-40a2-bc91-4510a65f9140","title":"","id":"6ac65d12-9e6c-4046-9f8c-c49c59ba8f2d","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Russia warns blockade of Strait of Hormuz will rattle global markets"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/1b4827ab-9975-4f3b-abdc-82c8bab4de1a","type":"text","family-id":"a92f64f7-055b-41bd-941b-4a3b31289093","title":"","id":"1b4827ab-9975-4f3b-abdc-82c8bab4de1a","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Russia said that a US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz will likely hurt global markets.
Asked to comment on the US announcement of a blockade on Iran\u2019s ports and coastline, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: \u201CMost likely, such actions will continue to negatively impact international markets, this can be assumed with a high degree of certainty.\u201D
Peskov told reporters: \u201CMany details remain unclear and incomprehensible, so I would refrain from making any substantive comments at this time.\u201D
"}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"9ff06d3b-4039-45aa-aeb1-8a17e7f934c8","card-added-at":1776076669341,"status":"draft","id":"e65937d4-68db-4baf-b857-17b181a70d50","content-id":"e65937d4-68db-4baf-b857-17b181a70d50","version":6,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{"key-event":true}}},{"card-event-at":1776077324050,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/39453802-4cc1-4b38-b167-08f6dee91f38","type":"title","family-id":"18f67d25-775b-4b4e-a9cd-1b8a40c58856","title":"","id":"39453802-4cc1-4b38-b167-08f6dee91f38","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Mideast war boosts London Heathrow airport traffic\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/554f2cfe-385f-420f-b3de-f90b20f5667e","type":"text","family-id":"19d067e0-5e89-4858-9aee-364d03db861b","title":"","id":"554f2cfe-385f-420f-b3de-f90b20f5667e","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"London's Heathrow Airport announced a 10 percent increase in transit passengers during March as the US-Iran war forced Gulf countries to close their airspace.
Total passenger numbers, including those using Europe's busiest airport to transit, climbed 6.9 percent to 6.65 million last month compared with a year earlier, Heathrow added in a statement.
\"While Heathrow's long-haul network absorbed demand in March, the outlook for the next few months remains uncertain\" amid the conflict, said the airport's chief executive Thomas Woldbye.
Despite the absence of a complete truce, \"the knock-on impacts to global supply chains, including fuel, have not affected airport operations\", Heathrow said.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/04ed8445-2d07-4f58-92c0-0df7164cbb37","type":"text","family-id":"ee04e53a-5267-4229-a316-e86fc16dd24a","title":"","id":"04ed8445-2d07-4f58-92c0-0df7164cbb37","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."}],"card-updated-at":1776077940436,"content-version-id":"6e8acb0a-a1f9-432b-854e-83e9c2664e16","card-added-at":1776077324050,"status":"draft","id":"8efa252f-c2da-4d2e-9ad0-9710f1ab1088","content-id":"8efa252f-c2da-4d2e-9ad0-9710f1ab1088","version":4,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776077940436,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/5bb3248e-dc93-4771-aad2-13c56488dbce","type":"title","family-id":"914df697-5310-4586-a485-2688d0b3d44b","title":"","id":"5bb3248e-dc93-4771-aad2-13c56488dbce","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Expert previews potential conflict in Strait of Hormuz "},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/f3329f55-4846-4fe1-a33a-ca950951da95","type":"text","family-id":"dd9b02d6-d3cd-4d3c-b3e8-b00155d27aac","title":"","id":"f3329f55-4846-4fe1-a33a-ca950951da95","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
The coming days could be a stress test for the Strait of Hormuz and for the rules that are supposed to govern it, according to Sal Mercogliano, a maritime historian at Campbell University.
It remains unclear, he added, how the US would track, intercept and board vessels moving from Iranian ports through the strait.
Any US or Iranian attempt to choke off the waterway would run counter to the principle of freedom of navigation, said Mercogliano, who has testified before the U Senate on commercial shipping and written for the US Naval Institute.
\u201CWe are challenging the concept of freedom of the seas,\u201D Mercogliano said on his \u201CWhat\u2019s Going on With Shipping?\u201D podcast, which has more than 600,000 followers on YouTube.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"a147365a-0a38-4014-968a-a74d6683dd93","card-added-at":1776077940436,"status":"draft","id":"1787a2ba-4210-43f7-b2da-ce14014e6e26","content-id":"1787a2ba-4210-43f7-b2da-ce14014e6e26","version":56,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776079312338,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/4d597de5-3df0-457f-b1c1-554e057394b6","type":"title","family-id":"20a542b6-2a6e-47fe-b636-9a2201b76d96","title":"","id":"4d597de5-3df0-457f-b1c1-554e057394b6","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"European gas prices jump following rising tensions in Middle East\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/71d1ec06-4bde-4d2e-b8b7-7ff7f983729a","type":"text","family-id":"b9e7597a-d682-4f06-9a2d-3b33d5b2db02","title":"","id":"71d1ec06-4bde-4d2e-b8b7-7ff7f983729a","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"European gas prices have surged following rising tensions in the Middle East, as failed ceasefire talks between Iran and the United States unsettle global energy marketS, Belga News Agency reported.
On Monday morning, gas prices on the Dutch benchmark market rose by around 12 per cent to nearly 49 euros per megawatt hour for May delivery. Prices briefly spiked by almost 18 per cent overnight, reaching 51 euros.
The increase comes after the US announced a naval blockade targeting shipping to and from Iranian ports. The move follows unsuccessful negotiations between Washington and Tehran aimed at securing a ceasefire.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"819c8fc3-647b-4f2f-9948-977d372173d9","card-added-at":1776079312338,"status":"draft","id":"c2e52b2e-932f-4b7e-83e2-4c0e4f4893f2","content-id":"c2e52b2e-932f-4b7e-83e2-4c0e4f4893f2","version":54,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776079433974,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/bd1d580d-d13d-41aa-b336-5872de841674","type":"title","family-id":"970f341e-cb79-45eb-8932-9405c6781661","title":"","id":"bd1d580d-d13d-41aa-b336-5872de841674","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Netanyahu says Israel supports Trump's Iran naval blockade\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/ebe4b72b-6f24-40ac-8726-00e735a858f3","type":"text","family-id":"02afa440-be6f-4d92-a254-e7901a8df593","title":"","id":"ebe4b72b-6f24-40ac-8726-00e735a858f3","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that Israel supports US President Donald Trump's decision to impose a naval blockade on Iran, adding that his government is in full coordination with Washington on the matter.
\"Iran violated the rules (of the peace talks in Pakistan), President Trump decided to impose a naval blockade,\" Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting, according to a video statement released by his office.
\"We, of course, support this firm position, and we are in constant coordination with the United States.\"
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"7b35ea10-5cc3-4bfc-86d3-783e7552bb89","card-added-at":1776079433974,"status":"draft","id":"9d302a25-1772-4161-baa0-1aa407780032","content-id":"9d302a25-1772-4161-baa0-1aa407780032","version":53,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776079883540,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/d3ae0c1f-72d2-46f3-b65f-745e564bc01f","type":"title","family-id":"2041e3f0-97c8-4c19-a98b-e037fff379cc","title":"","id":"d3ae0c1f-72d2-46f3-b65f-745e564bc01f","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Germany unveils 1.6b euro fuel price relief to tackle energy shock "},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/ccffc2d7-05e3-49ea-91cc-425e80fcba75","type":"text","family-id":"897b7eba-6488-49bc-a9b6-f497f49e79ef","title":"","id":"ccffc2d7-05e3-49ea-91cc-425e80fcba75","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Germany on Monday unveiled 1.6 billion euros (Dh6.8 billion) in fuel price relief for households and businesses struggling with the energy shock unleashed by the Middle East war.
The announcement came after oil prices surged again following the collapse of US-Iran peace talks and US President Donald Trump's decision to blockade the Strait of Hormuz.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"e4850664-01ee-463c-9772-1cc1518cabd8","card-added-at":1776079883540,"status":"draft","id":"36c5a3f4-e382-468b-bd42-24e24dacfbbb","content-id":"36c5a3f4-e382-468b-bd42-24e24dacfbbb","version":52,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{"key-event":true}}},{"card-event-at":1776081707091,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/09480850-2304-47ba-a433-bdeba20a5b29","type":"title","family-id":"c3030c62-1a3d-42e8-9bd8-fc4d6f1216d1","title":"","id":"09480850-2304-47ba-a433-bdeba20a5b29","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Military escalation in Middle East could push more than 30 million people into poverty worldwide, UNDP warns"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/566f0567-65b5-4ded-8198-f1ef4f91a692","type":"text","family-id":"d694581f-33ed-4938-bd93-ea341b9eca44","title":"","id":"566f0567-65b5-4ded-8198-f1ef4f91a692","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Ongoing military escalation in the Middle East puts tens of millions of people at risk of falling into poverty across 162 countries, according to new projections released today by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
While the impacts are concentrated in countries directly affected by the conflict and those dependent on imported energy, the findings point to significant longer-term harm to poorer countries far removed from the fighting.
The findings are published in a new policy brief - Military escalation in the Middle East: Reversals in global development, policy response options - that uses Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) modelling to assess economic impacts under scenarios ranging from short-lived disruption to prolonged shocks lasting eight months.
Now in its 6th week, and despite the temporary ceasefire, the impacts are evolving from an 'acute' to an 'enduring' phase. The longer this phase continues, the greater the risk of accelerated lapses into poverty in vulnerable countries, the brief reveals. Under the worst-case scenario, an additional 32 million people could be pushed into poverty.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/2e4a00be-e75f-4e13-9f79-2623a7281e89","type":"text","family-id":"5ce6deee-c1cc-433a-9d44-0436c52058b0","title":"","id":"2e4a00be-e75f-4e13-9f79-2623a7281e89","metadata":{"content":"War is development in reverse. Conflict can undo in weeks what countries have built over years\"","attribution":" Alexander De Croo"},"subtype":"blockquote","text":"War is development in reverse. Conflict can undo in weeks what countries have built over years\"Alexander De Croo
\"War is development in reverse. Conflict can undo in weeks what countries have built over years,\" said UNDP Administrator and UN Under-Secretary-General Alexander De Croo. \"This new analysis shows that the shock of the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East is not limited to the countries directly affected, but falls disproportionately on those with the least fiscal room to absorb higher energy and food prices.
For these countries, the crisis forces impossible trade-offs between stabilising prices today and funding health, education, and jobs tomorrow. That is unacceptable, and it is preventable. Early policy action matters.\"
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"1b45a408-88cd-4604-8616-37a54fe16ce3","card-added-at":1776081707091,"status":"draft","id":"27517083-ba38-47be-be73-58f2084a27d5","content-id":"27517083-ba38-47be-be73-58f2084a27d5","version":49,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{"key-event":true}}},{"card-event-at":1776084468587,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/a7f1576b-2499-416b-847d-ba273007cb4c","type":"title","family-id":"383557bc-eacd-41cb-9679-2481f80fbcad","title":"","id":"a7f1576b-2499-416b-847d-ba273007cb4c","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Israel says troops fighting Hezbollah surrounded key Lebanon town\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/04e95069-cef0-4530-909e-febb8971df32","type":"text","family-id":"4df7c6ed-5aa4-479f-9386-795ab3345dcc","title":"","id":"04e95069-cef0-4530-909e-febb8971df32","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The Israeli military said on Monday its troops had completely surrounded a key town in southern Lebanon after killing more than 100 Hezbollah fighters there over the past week.
The announcement marks a significant advance in Israel's ongoing invasion of southern Lebanon.
\"The forces of the 98th Division have completed the encirclement of the town of Bint Jbeil and have begun an assault on it,\" the military's Arabic-language spokesman Colonel Avichay Adraee said on X.
Over the past week, Israeli forces have killed more than 100 Hezbollah fighters in and around the town in \"face-to-face\" clashes and with air strikes, he said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a cabinet meeting that since Sunday the fighting in southern Lebanon had been \"concentrated\" in Bint Jbeil.
\"The fighting continues. It has not stopped - it is ongoing all the time. Yesterday and today it has been concentrated in Bint Jbeil,\" he said, according to a video statement released by his office on Monday.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"ab7885d3-cc73-434c-bfa7-450cfdee3279","card-added-at":1776084468587,"status":"draft","id":"c7d033a6-7a71-47a3-a10a-982c1316882f","content-id":"c7d033a6-7a71-47a3-a10a-982c1316882f","version":44,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776084468587,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/ab669a34-31c6-4e35-ac86-1a6dc28623d2","type":"title","family-id":"307f33d9-7021-4333-b271-3e15c5877673","title":"","id":"ab669a34-31c6-4e35-ac86-1a6dc28623d2","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Almost all Russian staff withdrawn from Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant\u00A0"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/122f2a43-002c-4e44-892f-1ef87f09399e","type":"text","family-id":"60d5fe14-f38c-4a27-96cb-3289043cfc34","title":"","id":"122f2a43-002c-4e44-892f-1ef87f09399e","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Russia has withdrawn almost all its staff from Iran's sole nuclear power plant, built and operated with help from Moscow, the head of Russia's atomic energy agency said Monday.
\"We began the final rotation at the Bushehr station,\" Alexei Likhachev said, adding that 108 people were evacuated while just 20 - top managers and those responsible for equipment safety - remained at the station.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"50b2d302-a961-4d8d-bd60-043d2014126c","card-added-at":1776084468587,"status":"draft","id":"8b4232ad-0660-4c13-99cb-311b1a17f75a","content-id":"8b4232ad-0660-4c13-99cb-311b1a17f75a","version":44,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776085008438,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/6b2df7a1-d742-4e59-a861-3c7ba1f6b90c","type":"title","family-id":"0f3c9ec3-fe7c-4913-89ee-5058f65ad415","title":"","id":"6b2df7a1-d742-4e59-a861-3c7ba1f6b90c","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Saudi and Iranian ministers discuss regional developments\u00A0"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/619c9f3a-5bad-4d4f-83e0-6d1ff33b47d2","type":"text","family-id":"1d37d8ee-61bb-4d52-af71-693d3c14b8eb","title":"","id":"619c9f3a-5bad-4d4f-83e0-6d1ff33b47d2","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud discussed with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Monday the latest developments following peace negotiations between Iran and the United States. The Saudi Foreign Ministry stated in a press release that the conversation took place during a phone call initiated by Araghchi. During the call, both sides exchanged views on the ongoing Iran-US peace negotiations, the statement added.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"e7f01020-1201-4064-9216-482e70776f3e","card-added-at":1776085008438,"status":"draft","id":"1ec22aac-facb-490e-afdf-18c88d04f07e","content-id":"1ec22aac-facb-490e-afdf-18c88d04f07e","version":43,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776088100592,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/a2ba4330-29ba-48c1-8ff1-9bbddb248c41","type":"title","family-id":"32a3fd4e-ee06-473d-81f5-1654a06ee659","title":"","id":"a2ba4330-29ba-48c1-8ff1-9bbddb248c41","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Lebanese\u2013Israeli talks to be held tomorrow for the first time in 43 years"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/0c524d4b-ebab-4d99-9639-4c61484838c9","type":"text","family-id":"07c6bbbb-4eef-41f0-9446-9ed61939eabd","title":"","id":"0c524d4b-ebab-4d99-9639-4c61484838c9","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Lebanon and Israel are set to hold direct talks in Washington on Tuesday for the first time in 43 years, in a move that has drawn broad welcome in Lebanon despite sharp differences over conditions.
Beirut has insisted on a ceasefire before negotiations begin, a demand rejected by Israel, which has said talks will proceed amid ongoing military operations in southern Lebanon, including in Bint Jbeil, a known Hezbollah stronghold. While Hezbollah will not be formally represented, its position is expected to weigh heavily on the Lebanese side, as discussions focus on de-escalation along the border and the prospects for a more stable ceasefire framework.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"2a653535-b715-48dd-b5da-f00820bf0dd9","card-added-at":1776088100592,"status":"draft","id":"277ed9df-93c0-4cd6-beff-f2261da6aee2","content-id":"277ed9df-93c0-4cd6-beff-f2261da6aee2","version":41,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776088504645,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/7f9aa781-fbe4-4e6c-86db-46b40dd9a1f0","type":"title","family-id":"ab066ea7-4d92-449a-ae4e-d7b90beb9682","title":"","id":"7f9aa781-fbe4-4e6c-86db-46b40dd9a1f0","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"UN maritime chief says 'no countries' have right to close Hormuz\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/4ad8fae8-4f41-426b-9721-61b9cda69672","type":"text","family-id":"e0d5de2b-f77c-4896-935f-c930bbc4b026","title":"","id":"4ad8fae8-4f41-426b-9721-61b9cda69672","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The head of the UN maritime agency said Monday no country had a legal right to block shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, a trade passage paralysed by the US-Iran war.
\"In accordance to international law, no countries have the right to prohibit the right of innocent passage or the freedom of navigation through international straits that are used for international transit,\" the International Maritime Organisation's Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez told a news conference.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/972c3aa2-6cbb-430b-9e43-49f816a5f02b","type":"text","family-id":"275f9885-cadb-4469-8b8d-b3d8f066826e","title":"","id":"972c3aa2-6cbb-430b-9e43-49f816a5f02b","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for\u00A0FREE: Download the\u00A0Gulf News\u00A0app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply\u00A0click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"b48a626e-ecab-4670-8630-0290e4d26b6b","card-added-at":1776088504645,"status":"draft","id":"9bf9e355-5250-4263-9cf3-20f908d3d332","content-id":"9bf9e355-5250-4263-9cf3-20f908d3d332","version":40,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776088593440,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/c379df31-07bc-4356-a3de-0e12b44a25b7","type":"title","family-id":"ea205b87-e2ad-4058-974d-6a64f13c6803","title":"","id":"c379df31-07bc-4356-a3de-0e12b44a25b7","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Bahrain summons the charg\u00E9 d\u2019affaires of the Iraqi Embassy"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/25182e3c-a068-4f19-aa27-b0a35f9391f5","type":"text","family-id":"6792c5ad-1acb-48ad-bd0c-6bc751a3d90e","title":"","id":"25182e3c-a068-4f19-aa27-b0a35f9391f5","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
Bahrain\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday summoned the charg\u00E9 d\u2019affaires of the Iraqi Embassy in Manama, Ahmed Ismail Al Karawi, to convey the Kingdom\u2019s strong condemnation and denunciation of continued drone attacks launched from Iraqi territory targeting Bahrain and several GCC states. According to the Bahrain News Agency, Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al Khalifa, Director General of Bilateral Relations, handed the envoy an official protest note, stressing the need for Iraq to address these threats and attacks urgently and responsibly in line with relevant international and regional laws. The Kingdom also affirmed its right to take all necessary measures to safeguard its security, stability, and the safety of its citizens and residents.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"c18a1084-3bfa-4eb3-aed2-531a2ece6b5a","card-added-at":1776088593440,"status":"draft","id":"702f9277-9027-4478-902b-10678df607cd","content-id":"702f9277-9027-4478-902b-10678df607cd","version":39,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776089765509,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/d0effc65-5ea2-4c9c-bdd6-ed5c51d8c6de","type":"title","family-id":"fc704ebd-9c0d-4a92-9879-db2d891b223f","title":"","id":"d0effc65-5ea2-4c9c-bdd6-ed5c51d8c6de","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":" Deadline passes for US blockade of Iran ports\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/61c80e2e-3267-48d0-b582-e3c7287ccf1c","type":"text","family-id":"578fa597-2e67-4406-87a3-f418aaf50d2f","title":"","id":"61c80e2e-3267-48d0-b582-e3c7287ccf1c","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The Monday deadline set by US President Donald Trump for a naval blockade of Iranian ports has passed.
Trump announced a blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz after weekend peace talks with Tehran ended without an agreement.
The US military announced Sunday it will begin blockading all Iranian Gulf ports on Monday at 1400 GMT, but will allow ships not coming or going to Iran to pass through the strait.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"6c4649e1-1633-4d57-bbe5-8099670c1da9","card-added-at":1776089765509,"status":"draft","id":"a06f80c4-2169-4574-a774-ae50e9330edf","content-id":"a06f80c4-2169-4574-a774-ae50e9330edf","version":37,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776089835578,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/67449afe-a388-4298-8eb1-2fe29848bc19","type":"title","family-id":"944b6fdd-9c18-4cb8-9311-8a7fcd7583eb","title":"","id":"67449afe-a388-4298-8eb1-2fe29848bc19","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":" Pakistan PM says US-Iran ceasefire 'holding', efforts underway to resolve issues\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/207acb01-c2ed-45c7-bd1c-2adcc604a6c9","type":"text","family-id":"3c704a80-0f15-4540-abd9-504063eab221","title":"","id":"207acb01-c2ed-45c7-bd1c-2adcc604a6c9","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday a ceasefire between the United States and Iran was \"holding\" and that efforts were underway to reach an agreement after weekend talks failed to do so.
\"The ceasefire is still holding and, as I speak, full efforts are underway to resolve the outstanding issues,\" Sharif told a cabinet meeting in brief televised remarks.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"a1dc544f-89c7-4e5b-be38-77a018260458","card-added-at":1776089835578,"status":"draft","id":"97a7370d-ade8-4fd9-930f-0c4b664c16d4","content-id":"97a7370d-ade8-4fd9-930f-0c4b664c16d4","version":36,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776090464897,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/a901ce2e-7900-4f22-96d1-4930c52d4117","type":"title","family-id":"ecea3a49-64ec-4346-a4de-dc4b2b6ff31d","title":"","id":"a901ce2e-7900-4f22-96d1-4930c52d4117","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"US begins blockade of Iranian ports"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/2e1dea6f-f3f7-46f5-9442-b736113d834b","type":"text","family-id":"36009871-e448-4f4e-8e62-81fd2e7b5899","title":"","id":"2e1dea6f-f3f7-46f5-9442-b736113d834b","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The US has begun enforcing a military blockade on Iran\u2019s ports and coastal areas, which came into effect at 10am ET (6pm UAE time), according to US officials. The US Central Command said the move targets all Iranian Gulf ports and coastal areas, effectively placing maritime traffic linked to Iran under US control, while still allowing vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz if travelling between non-Iranian ports. Reuters reported that the US military issued a notice to seafarers warning that the blockade would apply to all vessels, regardless of flag, marking a significant escalation in the conflict.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/ff8eaa7d-d076-4282-a7fd-7779bcbd48d8","type":"text","family-id":"b47be0fc-c075-4f9e-9546-e207b862dde1","title":"","id":"ff8eaa7d-d076-4282-a7fd-7779bcbd48d8","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776089993219,"author-name":"Alex Abraham","headline":"Strait or canal: Who can charge ships - and who can\u2019t?","story-content-id":"39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78","is-published":true,"slug":"world/mena/strait-or-canal-who-can-charge-ships-and-who-cant-1.500505563","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776089995052,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Strait or canal: Who can charge ships \u2014 and who can\u2019t?","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/drg0RLiNRj-AFNybXPy8XXHuJyD1qUFbL-OJIBfRKaKAzqTro8h-WMsjVVSj2URw","published-at":1776089995052,"status":"published","id":"39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/strait-or-canal-who-can-charge-ships-and-who-cant-1.500505563","author-id":2165599,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2165599,"name":"Alex Abraham","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"drg0RLiNRj-AFNybXPy8XXHuJyD1qUFbL-OJIBfRKaKAzqTro8h-WMsjVVSj2URw","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Strait or canal: Who can charge ships - and who can\u2019t?"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"511cb46f-8b34-4d3f-9d8b-62aaa0971f8a","card-added-at":1776090464897,"status":"draft","id":"4290c04d-b4d2-4a01-bac0-5071e5051c6a","content-id":"4290c04d-b4d2-4a01-bac0-5071e5051c6a","version":34,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776090864583,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/b9f18acc-4d05-4081-beaf-40419af1e68d","type":"title","family-id":"c9117fd8-aaad-4e02-838e-a1bedf91374f","title":"","id":"b9f18acc-4d05-4081-beaf-40419af1e68d","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"'If any of Iran\u2019s ships\u2026 come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED'"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/e9f37f2b-39f4-463a-afd5-0d6108575889","type":"text","family-id":"d9442be0-9393-4559-9d8d-f15a0b292424","title":"","id":"e9f37f2b-39f4-463a-afd5-0d6108575889","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"US President Donald Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform: Iran\u2019s Navy is laying at the bottom of the sea, completely obliterated - 158 ships. What we have not hit are their small number of, what they call, \u201Cfast attack ships,\u201D because we did not consider them much of a threat.
"},{"description":"","embed-js":"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","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/946c72e1-f629-4d68-bf2a-1c7ccb76d278","type":"jsembed","family-id":"9996952c-1e20-41c1-8e12-fb18c43476d2","title":"","id":"946c72e1-f629-4d68-bf2a-1c7ccb76d278","metadata":{"tweet-url":"https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/2043701166521909753","provider":"twitter","tweet-id":"2043701166521909753"},"subtype":"tweet"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/337a4748-0458-44bc-b28c-25c906c15d4d","type":"text","family-id":"4de23f6c-8ac8-4b03-8b69-85b0ea46ffc4","title":"","id":"337a4748-0458-44bc-b28c-25c906c15d4d","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"\"Warning: If any of these ships come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED, using the same system of kill that we use against the drug dealers on boats at Sea. It is quick and brutal. P.S. 98.2% of Drugs coming into the U.S. by Ocean or Sea have STOPPED! Thank you for your attention to this matter.\"
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"66cb77f1-0f1d-4dce-a068-33b263a5b549","card-added-at":1776090864583,"status":"draft","id":"8c1696b3-3fac-4ee4-bd47-07b108c13d61","content-id":"8c1696b3-3fac-4ee4-bd47-07b108c13d61","version":31,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776091087472,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/ad5bf9ec-2ec4-4315-977c-e20a5a89efd9","type":"title","family-id":"2418bd84-7457-4764-a16b-ac81746f2ec7","title":"","id":"ad5bf9ec-2ec4-4315-977c-e20a5a89efd9","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Ships should prepare for blockade: UKMTO"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/32698609-c1ed-4d40-8088-3f49edaea5d7","type":"text","family-id":"6a14c336-b800-4ae9-ab87-70db07184420","title":"","id":"32698609-c1ed-4d40-8088-3f49edaea5d7","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"BBC reported a new advisory that went out by the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).
The note to seafarers urges any vessels in the area to \"maintain heightened situational awareness\" and that more specific guidance is to follow.
It says additional guidance for mariners regarding \"how these measures will be applied in practice, including routing, verification and authorised transit producers, are in development\".
UKMTO encourages anyone sailing the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, and the Arabian Sea east of the Strait of Hormuz to expect military presence and possible interception.
\"These access restrictions apply without distinction to vessels of any flag engaging with Iranian ports, oil terminals, or coastal facilities,\" UKMTO said of the blockade.
It adds: \"Further clarification is expected to be provided through subsequent advisories as information becomes available.\"
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"050a9e27-00e4-41cf-b7bb-a3fbdd2e9cb6","card-added-at":1776091087472,"status":"draft","id":"22b31ef1-a9c5-4f84-bd4f-d69ce6a681cb","content-id":"22b31ef1-a9c5-4f84-bd4f-d69ce6a681cb","version":30,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776091111766,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/e2c32d68-93ec-40ff-af94-8f75d8fca897","type":"title","family-id":"032adef7-b53a-46fd-bddb-a457cc32ede5","title":"","id":"e2c32d68-93ec-40ff-af94-8f75d8fca897","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Spain reopens embassy in Tehran 'with commitment to support peace'"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/b6cd111b-cbfa-45ba-97ea-08dfeb93d257","type":"text","family-id":"a4ccabbf-c1ea-408a-9832-8b11519b6e97","title":"","id":"b6cd111b-cbfa-45ba-97ea-08dfeb93d257","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Spain reopened its embassy in Tehran on Monday, the Embassy of Spain in Iran announced, just days after the United States and Iran reached a temporary ceasefire and failed to advance further negotiations. Spanish Ambassador to Iran Antonio S\u00E1nchez-Benedito Gaspar said the mission had resumed operations as part of efforts to support peace, writing on X that he and his team were working \u201Cto join in efforts for peace from every possible quarter.\u201D
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"c268702c-e367-4236-b0d8-5949f18c5404","card-added-at":1776091111766,"status":"draft","id":"3873c32f-67f9-44b1-89db-6c55c4db886e","content-id":"3873c32f-67f9-44b1-89db-6c55c4db886e","version":29,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{"key-event":true}}},{"card-event-at":1776091757588,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/32c80fe4-c960-4efa-a4a2-d7c0dd265e18","type":"title","family-id":"36162d0f-c725-4a80-9012-443bd4e29ac4","title":"","id":"32c80fe4-c960-4efa-a4a2-d7c0dd265e18","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Iran\u2019s president condemns Trump\u2019s \u2018insult\u2019 in remarks to Pope"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/812a6802-a66c-43c5-b61b-84f2ce5cca31","type":"text","family-id":"0168e0bc-4e4f-400e-8329-c88f8c14edc3","title":"","id":"812a6802-a66c-43c5-b61b-84f2ce5cca31","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has condemned remarks by US President Donald Trump targeting Pope Leo XIV, describing the comments as unacceptable and offensive. In a post on the US-based platform X, Pezeshkian said \u201Con behalf of the great nation of Iran\u201D that disrespect towards the pontiff and towards Jesus, whom he described as \u201Cthe prophet of peace and brotherhood\u201D, would not be accepted by any free person. His statement came after Trump launched a broad public attack on Pope Leo, calling him \u201Cweak on crime\u201D and \u201Cterrible for foreign policy\u201D, while also questioning the circumstances of his election.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"39a30db8-5b4c-48d6-b7a9-78f65493dc4b","card-added-at":1776091757588,"status":"draft","id":"65b7b1a2-0b2f-44f6-a0bb-40d25ddfc4ae","content-id":"65b7b1a2-0b2f-44f6-a0bb-40d25ddfc4ae","version":26,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776093364941,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/81398870-f373-4a0c-8ad7-7a0380b6095c","type":"title","family-id":"8ef22d18-2ca8-44ec-8328-d2ad80fedea9","title":"","id":"81398870-f373-4a0c-8ad7-7a0380b6095c","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Kuwait FM discusses regional developments with India counterpart\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/5c6147f1-e935-45ab-b4fe-f88d888f462f","type":"text","family-id":"37ed787e-907c-482e-b727-73b1577fa404","title":"","id":"5c6147f1-e935-45ab-b4fe-f88d888f462f","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Jarrah Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah received a phone call Monday from Indian counterpart, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
According to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), The two examined regional developments and efforts exerted in that regard.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"3f2bcd97-1db1-435a-b105-8418dcc21d59","card-added-at":1776093364941,"status":"draft","id":"5b757bfb-fde2-48fe-bd89-2e33a576cd29","content-id":"5b757bfb-fde2-48fe-bd89-2e33a576cd29","version":24,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776094426896,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/8cabeb5d-048c-493f-9b23-eace4bdb5818","type":"title","family-id":"1f08740b-3e44-4adc-baca-80ded13dbde9","title":"","id":"8cabeb5d-048c-493f-9b23-eace4bdb5818","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Indonesia and the US are elevating their relationship to a 'major defence cooperation partnership': Pete Hegseth\u00A0"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/5209b3b8-4772-4cb5-9904-924a854d4556","type":"text","family-id":"03fb438a-fd6b-4c36-8892-94adcff382e2","title":"","id":"5209b3b8-4772-4cb5-9904-924a854d4556","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The United States and Indonesia, the largest country in Southeast Asia, have elevated their defence ties to a Major Defense Cooperation Partnership, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced. The move will see closer collaboration in joint exercises, defence technology, intelligence sharing and capacity building, as part of Washington\u2019s efforts to strengthen partnerships across the Indo-Pacific.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"56e1e2d1-d56f-4f12-a301-87a881e097cd","card-added-at":1776094426896,"status":"draft","id":"f292f5b6-83d0-4a47-b64e-b0b481f8b8a1","content-id":"f292f5b6-83d0-4a47-b64e-b0b481f8b8a1","version":23,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776094498703,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/4b38d0a3-ca1b-4c6c-8c54-6133b03fab87","type":"title","family-id":"a7d81d5a-34d4-4f6e-b20a-01bcaaffef78","title":"","id":"4b38d0a3-ca1b-4c6c-8c54-6133b03fab87","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Mideast ceasefire a 'priority', China's FM tells Pakistan\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/16c3506a-5027-41ee-ae4d-489f9dd299f5","type":"text","family-id":"fe636536-c751-4158-af80-e1a84d44c10c","title":"","id":"16c3506a-5027-41ee-ae4d-489f9dd299f5","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Maintaining a ceasefire in the Middle East war is an \"immediate priority\" for resolving the conflict, China's top diplomat told his Pakistan counterpart in a phone call on Monday.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also said on Monday that the ceasefire between the United States and Iran was \"holding\" and that efforts were underway to reach an agreement after talks in Islamabad at the weekend failed to do so.
\"The immediate priority is to make every effort toward preventing the resumption of hostilities and to maintain the hard-won ceasefire momentum,\" Wang Yi told Pakistan's Ishaq Dar, according to a Chinese foreign ministry statement.
Wang said a joint peace plan by China and Pakistan announced last month as the two officials met in Beijing \"still can serve as a direction for efforts toward a resolution\".
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"983578fa-5ad0-4e70-aae0-c69bee38e1c1","card-added-at":1776094498703,"status":"draft","id":"b0c8e7af-a367-44d7-b962-afe773389298","content-id":"b0c8e7af-a367-44d7-b962-afe773389298","version":22,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776097921481,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/145a6b98-00c1-478b-b3af-01428afd6043","type":"title","family-id":"58f908f2-364f-4f5f-b43f-debc9d79dde8","title":"","id":"145a6b98-00c1-478b-b3af-01428afd6043","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":" Israel military says struck 150 Hezbollah targets in past 24 hours\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/5b4345f9-ad22-415d-801e-9e835123ccdb","type":"text","family-id":"1edcae97-9978-4849-9577-5c255d358d77","title":"","id":"5b4345f9-ad22-415d-801e-9e835123ccdb","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Israel's military said Monday that it had struck around 150 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon over the past 24 hours, as the country prepares for peace talks with Lebanese officials in Washington.
\"In the past 24 hours, approximately 150 Hezbollah terrorist organisation targets were struck in numerous areas across southern Lebanon,\" the military said, adding that the targets included \"military structures, anti-tank missile launch points, and terror command centers\".
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"105ae788-d564-44fb-b8a5-30774c60bdc7","card-added-at":1776097921481,"status":"draft","id":"348b7b9a-7613-42e2-91dc-d45af4b8dbf6","content-id":"348b7b9a-7613-42e2-91dc-d45af4b8dbf6","version":21,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776098600519,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/ed4f05a9-5b89-418d-a983-a4e2e175782b","type":"title","family-id":"dc98c87c-4d3c-4c7e-9182-7889f6cab63c","title":"","id":"ed4f05a9-5b89-418d-a983-a4e2e175782b","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Trump says 34 ships crossed Hormuz Sunday, most since war began\r\n"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"65c05da0-886b-419a-a920-e61ba5bde900","card-added-at":1776098600519,"status":"draft","id":"bd60f3f8-ec64-4cc8-888e-157a800bc0c7","content-id":"bd60f3f8-ec64-4cc8-888e-157a800bc0c7","version":20,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776099269617,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/0f9951cc-fbc9-437c-82fb-357e569726f8","type":"title","family-id":"983a58f4-3520-4dd7-a48b-531f658ab916","title":"","id":"0f9951cc-fbc9-437c-82fb-357e569726f8","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Italian PM condemns 'unacceptable' Trump criticism of pope\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/0767703c-40d0-45c1-99b5-ed98bc360469","type":"text","family-id":"b04976c9-2d2b-41cd-869d-c958a0d03ee9","title":"","id":"0767703c-40d0-45c1-99b5-ed98bc360469","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Monday condemned US President Donald Trump's criticism of Pope Leo XIV as \"unacceptable\", after the US pontiff spoke out against the Middle East war.
\"The Pope is the head of the Catholic Church, and it is right and normal for him to call for peace and to condemn all forms of war,\" she said in a statement.
It represents a rare rebuke of Trump by Meloni, a far-right leader who has sought to be a bridge between the conservative US president and European leaders.
Meloni earlier put out a statement supporting Pope Leo's efforts at peace and reconciliation in a trip to Africa, which began Monday, just hours after Trump launched a scathing criticism of the first US pontiff.
\"I thought the meaning of my statement this morning was clear, but I will restate it more explicitly. I find President Trump's words about the Holy Father unacceptable,\" she said
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"7a5f494d-0375-4b29-ba70-b4830dcbe702","card-added-at":1776099269617,"status":"draft","id":"49e74198-511d-49aa-a2a3-e4dc5f44303f","content-id":"49e74198-511d-49aa-a2a3-e4dc5f44303f","version":19,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776099294657,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/77291fa6-b82f-4437-a9c4-ec1d3b7d4c8f","type":"title","family-id":"d4c8ef90-7824-409c-99af-50aa13c44afe","title":"","id":"77291fa6-b82f-4437-a9c4-ec1d3b7d4c8f","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Trump says won't apologise to 'very weak' Pope Leo "},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/3882e28b-f607-416c-9113-68bc8634cf8c","type":"text","family-id":"f02d9b04-e032-4d9f-8bcb-4b275dd6f0d2","title":"","id":"3882e28b-f607-416c-9113-68bc8634cf8c","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"US President Donald Trump refused to apologise Monday for criticising Pope Leo XIV, after the pontiff called for an end to violence in the Iran war.
\"There's nothing to apologise for. He's wrong,\" Trump told reporters, a day after a social media post and comments slamming the US-born pope.
\"Pope Leo said things that are wrong. He was very much against what I'm doing with regard to Iran, and you cannot have a nuclear Iran,\" said Trump, adding that Leo was \"very weak on crime and other things.\"
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"7835a1ae-88d7-4285-abe6-3426c36dba3a","card-added-at":1776099294657,"status":"draft","id":"b998bed3-084d-4a4b-b894-59c82fdbbb3a","content-id":"b998bed3-084d-4a4b-b894-59c82fdbbb3a","version":18,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776099895214,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/e2e990e7-14f5-4c18-a7cb-c44a366bed3f","type":"title","family-id":"04c5cbbb-0bc1-4eee-b509-b5584ca5e139","title":"","id":"e2e990e7-14f5-4c18-a7cb-c44a366bed3f","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Trump says Iranian officials called, want deal 'badly'\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/152c4d9a-6914-4d3b-b2ba-fc0908847129","type":"text","family-id":"0331939a-2bb7-4fb5-80c9-d4f5e0eddfa8","title":"","id":"152c4d9a-6914-4d3b-b2ba-fc0908847129","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"US President Donald Trump said Monday that Iranian representatives had called to make a peace deal after talks in Pakistan ended at the weekend without agreement.
\"I can tell you that we've been called by the other side. They'd like to make a deal. Very badly, very badly,\" Trump told reporters outside the Oval Office, without identifying which officials had called.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"41f53a2d-0ccc-47cc-b160-96ce222737a5","card-added-at":1776099895214,"status":"draft","id":"4351eac4-df6a-452d-a6c4-bd9aab778b04","content-id":"4351eac4-df6a-452d-a6c4-bd9aab778b04","version":14,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776103056074,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/6e785770-3e54-4336-be53-bcb6d46f7fdd","type":"title","family-id":"6e5ab9d1-bc66-4db3-9109-092c72eb45cc","title":"","id":"6e785770-3e54-4336-be53-bcb6d46f7fdd","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Hezbollah leader asks Lebanon to cancel Tuesday meeting with Israel\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/870fee1c-69df-4947-b53f-83bc9ad54040","type":"text","family-id":"2a84c3f8-a8fa-4bb0-bbd6-93d2ed3cb60b","title":"","id":"870fee1c-69df-4947-b53f-83bc9ad54040","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem on Monday urged Lebanon to cancel a planned meeting with Israel in Washington the following day, reiterating his group's rejection of direct negotiations with Israel.
\"We reject negotiations with the usurping Israeli entity... We call for a historic and heroic stance by cancelling this negotiating meeting,\" Qassem, whose Iran-backed group has been at war with Israel since March 2, said in a televised address.
The Lebanese and Israeli ambassadors to the United States are scheduled to meet in Washington on Tuesday to discuss holding direct negotiations between the two countries.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"5631ab63-8442-4c36-87df-026a3ca7d241","card-added-at":1776103056074,"status":"draft","id":"e0c50a97-1653-40b6-8936-0d5bf5d561cc","content-id":"e0c50a97-1653-40b6-8936-0d5bf5d561cc","version":11,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776103867520,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/7cff3b73-1b5a-4068-b64a-425cb60f5955","type":"title","family-id":"9fb825c5-6a75-41e7-9374-42c6a1a7334d","title":"","id":"7cff3b73-1b5a-4068-b64a-425cb60f5955","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Despite failed talks, US, Iran are 'still communicating'"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/1f9c9768-c972-414e-8ecb-a1d03181c739","type":"text","family-id":"13aa6b38-8e16-4d15-9f2d-b40e1e2c730a","title":"","id":"1f9c9768-c972-414e-8ecb-a1d03181c739","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Despite the lack of a breakthrough during recent negotiations in Islamabad, officials indicated that communication has continued since the weekend\u2019s talks, with \u201Cforward motion\u201D towards a potential agreement, although it remains unclear whether the two sides will meet face-to-face again in the near future.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776122175343,"content-version-id":"725552f1-aad7-4177-ab87-827b83857522","card-added-at":1776103867520,"status":"draft","id":"67a951e7-b12e-419b-8826-b2229db8e072","content-id":"67a951e7-b12e-419b-8826-b2229db8e072","version":18,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{"key-event":true}}},{"card-event-at":1776105108792,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/8b46c5c0-6e3b-4fac-aabf-dfa3aba006d3","type":"title","family-id":"15b7d3a9-3e44-49ec-8667-a4ff453ce2b7","title":"","id":"8b46c5c0-6e3b-4fac-aabf-dfa3aba006d3","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"EU chief touts electric power strategy as energy crisis bites\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/82497983-e6ab-481a-a2ae-e17055ddf925","type":"text","family-id":"26098672-9232-4eef-b719-410aad3375c3","title":"","id":"82497983-e6ab-481a-a2ae-e17055ddf925","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Brussels will present next week plans to tackle high energy costs caused by the Iran war and before the summer will unveil a broader package to boost Europe's electrification, EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Monday.
The energy crisis has already cost the 27-nation bloc more than 22 billion euros ($26 billion) in higher fossil fuel bills, von der Leyen said after a meeting of the EU's top executive body dedicated to the issue.
\"These events make clear we are paying a very high price for our over dependency on fossil fuels,\" the European Commission chief told a press conference in Brussels, calling for a faster switch towards renewables and nuclear power.
\"We need to scale up the homegrown, affordable, reliable energy,\" she said, adding the commission was hoping to get new rules aimed at accelerating grid connections across the bloc and present an \"electrification strategy\" before the summer.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776122175343,"content-version-id":"1b823e55-3611-4b2a-a22f-90cae8c96a52","card-added-at":1776105108792,"status":"draft","id":"4ff724a6-938a-4428-a5aa-764a2031a504","content-id":"4ff724a6-938a-4428-a5aa-764a2031a504","version":16,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{"key-event":true}}},{"card-event-at":1776105275972,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/a59bd46d-adad-4034-8922-4c454d075844","type":"title","family-id":"45d9ccbc-1c19-4248-8188-e9457db640ac","title":"","id":"a59bd46d-adad-4034-8922-4c454d075844","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Sanctioned oil tanker clears Strait of Hormuz: Reports"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/c45b64bf-f4b7-4e43-b7c5-600e0e99ded7","type":"text","family-id":"3c1637de-9d68-41eb-b107-cb9ca25050eb","title":"","id":"c45b64bf-f4b7-4e43-b7c5-600e0e99ded7","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"An oil tanker passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday afternoon after the Trump administration\u2019s blockade on Iranian shipping was set to take effect, according to data published by Kpler, a data intelligence and analytics platform on global trade flows, reported CNN.
The ship, registered in Comoros as Elpis, is partially laden and was sanctioned by the United States in 2025 for its \u201Cinvolvement in the sale, purchase, and transportation of Iranian petroleum\u201D as part of Iran\u2019s shadow fleet, it added.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"d7c93165-f44e-4042-b275-0f14a5042851","card-added-at":1776105275972,"status":"draft","id":"6461bb3b-3f38-41b9-a9b9-11200e866643","content-id":"6461bb3b-3f38-41b9-a9b9-11200e866643","version":7,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{"key-event":true}}},{"card-event-at":1776105492518,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/df8e3c11-80ef-4d30-93e3-7e7b67df569d","type":"title","family-id":"f70b3238-093b-42b7-a827-8f11b1cc5868","title":"","id":"df8e3c11-80ef-4d30-93e3-7e7b67df569d","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":" The naval blockade on Iran will cost it $435 million daily: WSJ"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/adb05068-daa0-4f38-b405-d22ae0997dff","type":"text","family-id":"f1660a9c-9e1a-4bc4-89da-8ae4ecc243d9","title":"","id":"adb05068-daa0-4f38-b405-d22ae0997dff","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The US blockade of the Strait of Hormuz will cost Iran approximately $435 million a day, including $276 million in lost exports, mostly of crude oil and petrochemicals, according to Wall Street Journal.
Miad Maleki, analyst with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies research group, based his estimate on Iran exporting 1.5 million barrels of oil a day at a wartime price of about $87 a barrel, and assumed more than 90 per cent of the oil transits through Kharg Island, inside the Arabian Gulf.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"2e6e8fb8-4655-4543-8992-591148b4b926","card-added-at":1776105492518,"status":"draft","id":"766e4c7d-ec35-4321-8515-d602a683360d","content-id":"766e4c7d-ec35-4321-8515-d602a683360d","version":6,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776107984244,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/728b22fa-d362-4dd6-bf4e-0ea00140264e","type":"title","family-id":"1fb9908d-142a-460b-8097-bbe636160a42","title":"","id":"728b22fa-d362-4dd6-bf4e-0ea00140264e","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Germany's Merz urges Netanyahu to end fighting in Lebanon\r\n\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/e159d185-0196-4f05-bc94-9e9ce9d61744","type":"text","family-id":"c1a5d0ed-2155-4b0e-96cb-13c9d0714a84","title":"","id":"e159d185-0196-4f05-bc94-9e9ce9d61744","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to end fighting in southern Lebanon and engage in direct peace talks with the Lebanese government, according to a spokesman.
Merz also expressed his \"grave concern\" about developments in the Palestinian territories in a telephone conversation with Netanyahu and demanded that there \"must be no de facto partial annexation of the West Bank\", the German government spokesman said.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"53f7adae-087a-45c9-be43-6344afe59356","card-added-at":1776107984244,"status":"draft","id":"584e735f-fae1-44c9-b7cd-cc0a872eecde","content-id":"584e735f-fae1-44c9-b7cd-cc0a872eecde","version":4,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776109312446,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/75bdb05e-0f56-489d-a2d2-851cc824475a","type":"title","family-id":"2714ef49-cf85-4349-96a1-235e33711765","title":"","id":"75bdb05e-0f56-489d-a2d2-851cc824475a","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"IEA chief warns of tougher month for energy markets due to Iran war\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/52edda9e-09f2-4eb0-98da-66bfc58e3106","type":"text","family-id":"c8af3366-78e9-4148-9b1e-df30ddea52b8","title":"","id":"52edda9e-09f2-4eb0-98da-66bfc58e3106","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"April could shape up to be a tougher month than March for energy markets and the economy due to the Middle East war, the head of the International Energy Agency said Monday.
While the month of March saw the delivery of cargo from the region \"loaded well before the crisis started,\" Fatih Birol said, \"during the month of April, nothing has been loaded.\"
\"The longer the disruption is, the more severe the problem becomes,\" he told reporters after a meeting at the International Monetary Fund.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/226bbda1-d807-4af3-81f6-e1b17f828844","type":"text","family-id":"5338bbf7-ff42-42d9-904a-898774178523","title":"","id":"226bbda1-d807-4af3-81f6-e1b17f828844","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for\u00A0FREE: Download the\u00A0Gulf News\u00A0app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply\u00A0click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."}],"card-updated-at":1776110705663,"content-version-id":"c616bedd-83f4-40e7-b010-b74cd0824056","card-added-at":1776109312446,"status":"draft","id":"882b4114-7a56-4f10-8747-bb369c1e2ebb","content-id":"882b4114-7a56-4f10-8747-bb369c1e2ebb","version":3,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776111840000,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/e185d014-08a8-4474-ab24-c930fae7172e","type":"title","family-id":"19877fc1-7749-4231-bfd4-34be8b6a27e2","title":"","id":"e185d014-08a8-4474-ab24-c930fae7172e","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"UAE Foreign Minister discusses regional developments with several counterparts"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/a63b8069-4455-4407-967c-d00027c3e168","type":"text","family-id":"69bdc149-7d38-4450-989f-345bebf876ee","title":"","id":"a63b8069-4455-4407-967c-d00027c3e168","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, has discussed regional developments during telephone conversations with several foreign ministers of brotherly and friendly nations, following the unprovoked and terrorist Iranian missile attacks against the UAE and a number of countries in the region.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776122175343,"content-version-id":"dd16619f-0f41-493c-9710-65d18d06774b","card-added-at":1776117329549,"status":"draft","id":"6c52ed2a-8008-4ded-9401-d5c1b93d4b2b","content-id":"6c52ed2a-8008-4ded-9401-d5c1b93d4b2b","version":10,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776114240000,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/4eb7fbcb-ec76-452a-8140-b2a0d2438107","type":"title","family-id":"5eaddb46-2985-4fc6-a150-45e378b483ed","title":"","id":"4eb7fbcb-ec76-452a-8140-b2a0d2438107","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"King Hamad of Bahrain receives US Admiral Brad Cooper"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/1f148539-f0e5-4ecb-8e23-0ff4d139497b","type":"text","family-id":"b5541577-22f0-4a37-8cd7-28a9530f3735","title":"","id":"1f148539-f0e5-4ecb-8e23-0ff4d139497b","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of Bahrain, received Admiral Charles Bradford \"Brad\" Cooper II, the Commander of the US Central Command, and an accompanying delegation.
King Hamad commended the key and active role played by the United States of America alongside allied countries in strengthening regional and global security and stability.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776122175343,"content-version-id":"e0c56af3-4b43-400d-8476-c0ca57aafb28","card-added-at":1776116848181,"status":"draft","id":"90c7e9fe-d998-4ad3-9864-28d739827a93","content-id":"90c7e9fe-d998-4ad3-9864-28d739827a93","version":11,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776118117103,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/192766b4-fc00-448c-983a-05d125897b6b","type":"title","family-id":"961fade2-77a8-4a86-86b9-6ade76223675","title":"","id":"192766b4-fc00-448c-983a-05d125897b6b","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"US, Iran still talking as Trump warns Iranian vessels could be 'blown up' near a US blockade "},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/ca87a581-e772-43e4-abda-db39acdeab5f","type":"text","family-id":"9e44891f-8224-4b3e-a6fe-98843370f00e","title":"","id":"ca87a581-e772-43e4-abda-db39acdeab5f","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Diplomatic channels between the US and Iran have not completely shut down, and there remains a possibility of further direct negotiations, even as the situation in the Gulf grows more tense, officials said. US media reports indicate leaders on both sides have left the door open to a potential second round of in-person talks after recent face-to-face discussions in Islamabad failed to produce an deal.
Mediators are also urging both sides to keep talking, even as US President Donald Trump has taken an increasingly hard line, including the announcement of the US Navy would begin a naval blockade of Iran\u2019s ports and the strategic Strait of Hormuz, aiming to stop Iranian oil exports and pressure Tehran. Trump warned that any Iranian \u201Cfast-attack\u201D or other naval vessels that approach or threaten the blockade could be \u201Celiminated,\u201D drawing parallels to US operations against drug-smuggling boats at sea.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776122175343,"content-version-id":"05bdc28f-c29e-42a2-8e56-7e175d8fc68e","card-added-at":1776118117103,"status":"draft","id":"998727dd-1452-4cb5-bfce-279257f1d99d","content-id":"998727dd-1452-4cb5-bfce-279257f1d99d","version":8,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776119067873,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/9fe95720-414a-4fd9-960f-dc7e7e06766c","type":"title","family-id":"f4431bf2-d5ec-4881-be72-651ec6705589","title":"","id":"9fe95720-414a-4fd9-960f-dc7e7e06766c","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Oil prices cut gains, WTI slips under $100/barrel"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/712da4e2-0485-4716-b260-7a7c688c7877","type":"text","family-id":"988b7421-83bc-4af1-b1c1-3f1bd6079182","title":"","id":"712da4e2-0485-4716-b260-7a7c688c7877","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Oil futures cut gains WTI crude oil futures were up less than 2% at nearly $98 per barrel early on Tuesday in Asia, cutting gains of up to 9% from the Monday session as investors hoped that a deal would eventually be reached between the US and Iran.
Failure of the Iran-US talks to strike a deal prompted Washington to announce a blockade targeting Iranian oil shipments. Trump later stated that Iran had \"reached out\" and is now seeking to resume negotiations. A report from OPEC+ showed the group's output declined 7.9 million barrels per day in March due to the closure of the Strait.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776122175343,"content-version-id":"1568454f-871b-4e5a-88e3-f39e0d7bec41","card-added-at":1776119067873,"status":"draft","id":"1b6a20f7-8556-4b1c-8563-6c08380a9e8e","content-id":"1b6a20f7-8556-4b1c-8563-6c08380a9e8e","version":7,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776119067873,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/3ff24783-f594-4a61-9cc6-75e547195c77","type":"title","family-id":"39d3674a-41bf-426c-aab4-97fda77123ac","title":"","id":"3ff24783-f594-4a61-9cc6-75e547195c77","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Saudi Arabia restores full pumping capacity through pipeline to the Red Sea: Report"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/0c418df4-19f3-4a66-b7ce-55be42785240","type":"text","family-id":"05b78c3e-969a-438d-82c6-37decd9d99ca","title":"","id":"0c418df4-19f3-4a66-b7ce-55be42785240","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Saudi Arabia said it has restored full pumping capacity through its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea, along with output from the Manifa field, Trading Economics reported.
Brent, the North Sea crude oil benchmark, pared earlier gains made on Monday, dropping to $98.09 as of 7.19 am (Tokyo).
"}],"card-updated-at":1776122175343,"content-version-id":"e0770452-8c02-4e85-83ed-7d6cc0aeb4d7","card-added-at":1776119067873,"status":"draft","id":"fa6fa0ac-f4df-4e7e-8f4c-ebf94741ef62","content-id":"fa6fa0ac-f4df-4e7e-8f4c-ebf94741ef62","version":7,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776121857029,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/2f2c9fbd-0b77-4c41-88b7-ec3f9b6a50d0","type":"title","family-id":"9439dc21-c184-4eb8-ae59-6140c1f920e6","title":"","id":"2f2c9fbd-0b77-4c41-88b7-ec3f9b6a50d0","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"US, Iran discuss to hold 'another round' of direct talks aimed at reaching long-term ceasefire before current one expires"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/6247c4ac-47b3-40ee-b064-a1f105b12071","type":"text","family-id":"98f860fd-2cd6-4de2-b74c-8aac31975884","title":"","id":"6247c4ac-47b3-40ee-b064-a1f105b12071","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The United States and Iran are in active discussions about holding another round of face-to-face negotiations aimed at securing a longer-term ceasefire and preventing renewed conflict after recent talks in Pakistan ended without a deal, Bloomberg reported, citing \"people familiar with the matter\".
"}],"card-updated-at":1776122175343,"content-version-id":"240a98ad-9557-4ca1-a2f7-6a77ada67a84","card-added-at":1776121857029,"status":"draft","id":"ad015c98-afd6-4b9e-82fa-e274bbe1e74d","content-id":"ad015c98-afd6-4b9e-82fa-e274bbe1e74d","version":2,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776134741853,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/3e419f1b-a44f-490f-888c-b70f4c4f56e5","type":"title","family-id":"29550ce9-bfba-4328-acd4-99f8cbfc542a","title":"","id":"3e419f1b-a44f-490f-888c-b70f4c4f56e5","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"'Grave violation': Iran assails US blockade around its port"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/ceb6fb9f-7b95-4a0d-8ad4-b8dbd41b2231","type":"text","family-id":"8fc9c517-bc42-4c77-a984-4c15f118878e","title":"","id":"ceb6fb9f-7b95-4a0d-8ad4-b8dbd41b2231","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Iran has slammed a US blockade around its ports as a \"grave violation\" of its sovereignty, as Washington and Tehran's belligerent rhetoric rattled a fragile truce. The US Navy's blockade of Iran started at 6pm Gulf Standard Time on Monday, 10AM EST.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776135226828,"content-version-id":"dc08b099-07f7-41e4-8c28-5cba76cfb13b","card-added-at":1776134741853,"status":"draft","id":"ff20a81a-4c3b-46d0-9402-4ca79248b7f1","content-id":"ff20a81a-4c3b-46d0-9402-4ca79248b7f1","version":2,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"card-event-at":1776135287723,"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70/element/ecc2ec28-5afd-41cb-a9d3-90cc9cc44909","type":"text","family-id":"68d0f131-922d-4d06-9a12-0cba03021795","title":"","id":"ecc2ec28-5afd-41cb-a9d3-90cc9cc44909","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"We are closing coverage for now. Follow our live updates for the latest developments here.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776135287723,"content-version-id":"9f764897-91cc-4f50-be4e-bb359ac478fc","card-added-at":1776135287723,"status":"draft","id":"db2830e2-68bf-49b3-a887-d83513dc40ff","content-id":"db2830e2-68bf-49b3-a887-d83513dc40ff","version":1,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]}}},"attributes":{}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/us-iran-ceasefire-us-moves-to-blockade-iranian-ports-as-strait-of-hormuz-traffic-halts-oil-prices-surge-1.500504821","story-version-id":"85009b09-ddfc-4c89-aa80-942cec98756c","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776135290852,"author-id":2183048,"owner-id":2170753,"linked-story-ids":["39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78","347afbb5-eba7-42cd-9559-8c6109b17adb"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776047088998,"hero-image-caption":" Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz ","version":133,"story-template":"live-blog","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776135287689,"authors":[{"slug":"jay-hilotin-2","social":{},"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2183048,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null},{"slug":"lekshmy-pavithran","social":{},"name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/0iyy2fe8/lk__2_.jpg","bio":"Lekshmy is a rockstar in the digital newsroom! With nearly two decades of experience, she revels in breaking news, riding viral trends, and spotting those hidden stories everyone else misses. \n\nAs the Assistant Online Editor, she steers the homepage, blending editorial brilliance with a no-nonsense approach. Whether it\u2019s UAE headlines, global affairs, business stories, or the latest buzz in entertainment and sports, Lekshmy is always on top of the game, delivering real-time coverage with precision. \n\nHer work ethic? Clarity, impact, and a dash of flair. All that is evident in her in-depth stories, special reports and explainers. Add in her social media savvy, and it\u2019s no wonder she consistently cranks out content that gets eyeballs and keeps them coming back for more.","id":2170753,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/0iyy2fe8/lk__2_.jpg","twitter-handle":null},{"slug":"christian-borbon","social":{},"name":"Christian Borbon","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-12/pkgif7br/philipgn.jpg","bio":"Christian is a detail-oriented digital professional who works behind the scenes to ensure every piece of content is delivered seamlessly across platforms. With a sharp eye for detail and a strong sense of diligence, he helps keep the digital side of the newsroom running smoothly. Known for being dependable and easy to work with, he\u2019s always ready to jump in, solve problems, and support the team. ","id":2165444,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-12/pkgif7br/philipgn.jpg","twitter-handle":null},{"slug":"huda-ata","social":{},"name":"Huda Ata","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE.","id":2287057,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null},{"slug":"karishma-h-nandkeolyar","social":{},"name":"Karishma H. Nandkeolyar","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-10-13/j2u1m1tw/Karishma_Nandkeolyar_2__1_.jpg","bio":"Karishma Nandkeolyar is a lifestyle and entertainment journalist with a lifelong love for storytelling \u2014 she wrote her first \u201Cbook\u201D at age six and has been chasing the next sentence ever since. Known for her sharp wit, thoughtful takes, and ability to find the humor in just about anything, she covers everything from celebrity culture and internet trends to everyday lifestyle moments that make you go, \u201CSame.\u201D\n\nHer work blends insight with a conversational tone that feels like catching up with your cleverest friend \u2014 if your friend also had a deadline and a latte in hand. Off-duty, Karishma is a proud dog mom who fully believes her pup has a personality worth documenting, and yes, she does narrate those inner monologues out loud.\n\nWhether she\u2019s writing features, curating content, or crafting the perfect headline, Karishma brings curiosity, creativity, and just the right amount of sarcasm to the mix.","id":2165038,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-10-13/j2u1m1tw/Karishma_Nandkeolyar_2__1_.jpg","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"live-blog-introduction":"The US military kicked off its plan of installing a blockade for Iranian ports on April 13, raising tensions despite a temporary ceasefire. As the world grapples with what this development will mean - tougher energy markets, increase in fuel costs - US President Donald Trump retained his tough rhetoric against Iran, saying: \"If any of Iran\u2019s ships\u2026 come anywhere close to our BLOCKADE, they will be immediately ELIMINATED.\" Iran, meanwhile, has warned it will retaliate against any military vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, while talks between Israel and Lebanon are expected later this week. Trump is also in the news for doubling down on his words against Pope Leo, while the pontiff has clearly said he isn't afraid of the Trump administration. Follow our live coverage for the latest developments in the region.","story-attributes":{"label":["UPDATE"]},"is-closed":true,"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran"},"id":"e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776141891587,"seo":{"meta-title":"UAE Summer Travel Demand Stays Strong Despite High Airfares, Limited Flights and Jet Fuel Crunch","meta-description":"UAE summer travel demand stays strong, but high airfares and limited seats are forcing families to delay bookings and wait for better prices and stability.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2172381,"author-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","tags":[{"id":11441531,"name":"UAE Airports","meta-description":"Get the latest on UAE airport operations including flight schedules, terminal expansions, and travel regulations.","meta-title":"UAE Airports News \u2013 Flights, Terminals & Expansion Updates","slug":"uae-airports","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11441628,"name":"UAE Travel","meta-description":"Stay updated on travel rules, visa changes, tourism announcements, and airline news for trips to and within the UAE.","meta-title":"UAE Travel News \u2013 Visa, Tourism & Flight Updates","slug":"uae-travel","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11583934,"name":"travel","meta-description":"Stay inspired with travel guides, destination updates, visa tips, and trending travel news from around the world.","meta-title":"Travel News \u2013 Destinations, Tips & Global Updates","slug":"travel","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":14773106,"name":"US-Israel-Iran war","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"us-israel-iran-war","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"UAE summer travel demand holds firm; high airfares delay bookings","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"f750106e-2a46-4797-80ea-2208b238ee9c","slug":"business/aviation/uae-summer-travel-demand-holds-firm-high-airfares-delay-bookings-1.500506041","linked-stories":{"c79b0963-6a27-4160-a293-026a7139db61":{"author-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","headline":"UAE travellers face sharp rise in airfares: What\u2019s driving the spike?","story-content-id":"c79b0963-6a27-4160-a293-026a7139db61","slug":"business/aviation/uae-travellers-face-sharp-rise-in-airfares-whats-driving-the-spike-1.500493994","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Airfares soar as war disrupts jet fuel supply","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Airfares soar as war disrupts jet fuel supply","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"aviation","name":"Aviation","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/aviation","id":85255,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Aviation","collection":{"slug":"aviation-business","name":"Aviation (Business)","id":194679},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"travel","name":"Travel","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/travel","id":85258,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"Travel","collection":{"slug":"travel","name":"TRAVEL","id":194682},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2023/12/22/Stock-Airfare-Rise_18c8ff1e115_large.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/uae-travellers-face-sharp-rise-in-airfares-whats-driving-the-spike-1.500493994","content-updated-at":1775113230202,"author-id":2172381,"first-published-at":1775113228613,"authors":[{"slug":"dhanusha-gokulan","social":{},"name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/yq2gc7a1/Dhanusha_Author_picture.jpeg","bio":"Dhanusha is a Chief Reporter at Gulf News in Dubai, with her finger firmly on the pulse of UAE, regional, and global aviation. She dives deep into how airlines and airports operate, expand, and embrace the latest tech. \n\nKnown for her sharp eye for detail, Dhanusha makes complex topics like new aircraft, evolving travel trends, and aviation regulations easy to grasp. Lately, she's especially fascinated by the world of eVTOLs and flying cars. \n\nWith nearly two decades in journalism, Dhanusha's covered a wide range, from health and education to the pandemic, local transport, and technology. When she's not tracking what's happening in the skies, she enjoys exploring social media trends, tech innovations, and anything that sparks reader curiosity. Outside of work, you'll find her immersed in electronic dance music, pop culture, movies, and video games. ","id":2172381,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/yq2gc7a1/Dhanusha_Author_picture.jpeg","twitter-handle":null}]},"565ac0bb-a8dc-4097-8e1e-40d172bc036f":{"author-name":"Justin Varghese","headline":"Airfares to stay up globally as Iran war disrupts flights, drives up fuel costs ","story-content-id":"565ac0bb-a8dc-4097-8e1e-40d172bc036f","slug":"business/tourism/airfares-to-stay-up-globally-as-iran-war-disrupts-flights-drives-up-fuel-costs-1.500484004","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Airfares will stay up as Iran war disrupts fuel costs ","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Airfares to stay up globally as Iran war disrupts flights, drives up fuel costs ","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"tourism","name":"Tourism","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/tourism","id":85263,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Travel & Tourism","collection":{"slug":"tourism-business","name":"Tourism (Business)","id":194687},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"aviation","name":"Aviation","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/aviation","id":85255,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Aviation","collection":{"slug":"aviation-business","name":"Aviation (Business)","id":194679},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"energy","name":"Energy","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/energy","id":85216,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Energy","collection":{"slug":"energy-business","name":"Energy (Business)","id":194640},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":449,"original-url":"https://d2lnbwhcsmj8tp.cloudfront.net/thumbnails/202602263688688.jpg","height":337},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-02-26/5p3zkbry/202602263688688.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/tourism/airfares-to-stay-up-globally-as-iran-war-disrupts-flights-drives-up-fuel-costs-1.500484004","content-updated-at":1774296061213,"author-id":2166483,"first-published-at":1774296060000,"authors":[{"slug":"justin-varghese","social":{},"name":"Justin Varghese","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/vtxiex60/Justin_Varghese05__1_.jpg","bio":"Justin is a personal finance author and seasoned business journalist with over a decade of experience. He makes it his mission to break down complex financial topics and make them clear, relatable, and relevant\u2014helping everyday readers navigate today\u2019s economy with confidence. \n\nBefore returning to his Middle Eastern roots, where he was born and raised, Justin worked as a Business Correspondent at Reuters, reporting on equities and economic trends across both the Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions. ","id":2166483,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/vtxiex60/Justin_Varghese05__1_.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"cf8b4d7c-b25e-42d2-bf62-165fcc51baf6":{"author-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","headline":"Travel demand, soaring jet fuel costs could keep airfares high for months","story-content-id":"cf8b4d7c-b25e-42d2-bf62-165fcc51baf6","slug":"business/aviation/travel-demand-soaring-jet-fuel-costs-could-keep-airfares-high-for-months-1.500502271","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Why UAE airfares may stay high for months ahead","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Travel demand, soaring jet fuel costs could keep airfares high for months","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"aviation","name":"Aviation","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/aviation","id":85255,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Aviation","collection":{"slug":"aviation-business","name":"Aviation (Business)","id":194679},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"travel","name":"Travel","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/travel","id":85258,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"Travel","collection":{"slug":"travel","name":"TRAVEL","id":194682},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":422657,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/e2ed4017d31d496c8ebfe4c84cf5d065.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7Ee2ed4017d31d496c8ebfe4c84cf5d065%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ef40242886ed341ec82f5184e07cb77b9%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EQVm1WCS--ueS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-09/4qdw5tog/preview.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/travel-demand-soaring-jet-fuel-costs-could-keep-airfares-high-for-months-1.500502271","content-updated-at":1775809797043,"author-id":2172381,"first-published-at":1775809739177,"authors":[{"slug":"dhanusha-gokulan","social":{},"name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/yq2gc7a1/Dhanusha_Author_picture.jpeg","bio":"Dhanusha is a Chief Reporter at Gulf News in Dubai, with her finger firmly on the pulse of UAE, regional, and global aviation. She dives deep into how airlines and airports operate, expand, and embrace the latest tech. \n\nKnown for her sharp eye for detail, Dhanusha makes complex topics like new aircraft, evolving travel trends, and aviation regulations easy to grasp. Lately, she's especially fascinated by the world of eVTOLs and flying cars. \n\nWith nearly two decades in journalism, Dhanusha's covered a wide range, from health and education to the pandemic, local transport, and technology. When she's not tracking what's happening in the skies, she enjoys exploring social media trends, tech innovations, and anything that sparks reader curiosity. Outside of work, you'll find her immersed in electronic dance music, pop culture, movies, and video games. ","id":2172381,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/yq2gc7a1/Dhanusha_Author_picture.jpeg","twitter-handle":null}]},"44633d73-8d20-40f1-9e1f-918824d16811":{"author-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","headline":"Airfares are soaring after jet fuel spike. What UAE residents must know before travelling ","story-content-id":"44633d73-8d20-40f1-9e1f-918824d16811","slug":"business/aviation/airfares-are-soaring-after-jet-fuel-spike-what-uae-residents-must-know-before-travelling-1.500494520","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Why UAE airfares are soaring amid jet fuel price surge","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Flights are getting expensive again \u2014 here\u2019s what\u2019s driving it and what UAE travellers should know ","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"aviation","name":"Aviation","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/aviation","id":85255,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Aviation","collection":{"slug":"aviation-business","name":"Aviation (Business)","id":194679},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"travel","name":"Travel","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/travel","id":85258,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"Travel","collection":{"slug":"travel","name":"TRAVEL","id":194682},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2022/01/21/STOCK-travel-airport-generic_17e7d5c4cda_large.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/airfares-are-soaring-after-jet-fuel-spike-what-uae-residents-must-know-before-travelling-1.500494520","content-updated-at":1775138221438,"author-id":2172381,"first-published-at":1775138221119,"authors":[{"slug":"dhanusha-gokulan","social":{},"name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/yq2gc7a1/Dhanusha_Author_picture.jpeg","bio":"Dhanusha is a Chief Reporter at Gulf News in Dubai, with her finger firmly on the pulse of UAE, regional, and global aviation. She dives deep into how airlines and airports operate, expand, and embrace the latest tech. \n\nKnown for her sharp eye for detail, Dhanusha makes complex topics like new aircraft, evolving travel trends, and aviation regulations easy to grasp. Lately, she's especially fascinated by the world of eVTOLs and flying cars. \n\nWith nearly two decades in journalism, Dhanusha's covered a wide range, from health and education to the pandemic, local transport, and technology. When she's not tracking what's happening in the skies, she enjoys exploring social media trends, tech innovations, and anything that sparks reader curiosity. Outside of work, you'll find her immersed in electronic dance music, pop culture, movies, and video games. ","id":2172381,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/yq2gc7a1/Dhanusha_Author_picture.jpeg","twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776141894457,"public-identifier":"1.500506041","subheadline":"Travel agents say demand is strong, but fewer flights & high fares are slowing decisions","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Why UAE travellers are delaying summer holiday bookings","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Why UAE travellers are delaying summer holiday bookings","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"aviation","name":"Aviation","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/aviation","id":85255,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Aviation","collection":{"slug":"aviation-business","name":"Aviation (Business)","id":194679},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"travel","name":"Travel","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/travel","id":85258,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"Travel","collection":{"slug":"travel","name":"TRAVEL","id":194682},"data":null}],"read-time":4,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776141413370,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":4968,"file-size":3169444,"file-name":"Dubaiairport","height":3047,"focus-point":[2426,1090]},"comments":null,"word-count":944,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776141894457,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"Virendra Saklani/Gulf News","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":"Dubaiairport","id":"f750106e-2a46-4797-80ea-2208b238ee9c","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-06/1q8wxklj/Dubaiairport","contributors":null,"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f750106e-2a46-4797-80ea-2208b238ee9c/element/e16264ab-9678-4d2a-9d54-3b29e80a4e38","type":"text","family-id":"0a41b3d7-f88f-44f3-b73f-6ee37a498927","title":"","id":"e16264ab-9678-4d2a-9d54-3b29e80a4e38","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Dubai: UAE residents are still eager to travel this summer, but soaring airfares and reduced flight availability due to the global jet fuel crunch are forcing many families to adopt a wait and watch approach to bookings, according to several travel agents.
Travel companies say the biggest issue right now is not lack of demand, but lack of seat supply \u2014 especially on heavily travelled routes such as India, where reduced airline frequencies have sharply pushed up ticket prices.
\u201CDemand is there \u2014 supply is the issue,\u201D said Raheesh Babu, Chief Operating Officer of Musafir.com. \u201CAirfares are very high because flights are limited. For example, Indian carriers like IndiGo were operating around 40 flights a day on certain sectors, and now that is down to fewer than 10. That shortage is directly leading to higher fares.\u201D
For UAE residents, especially families planning annual holidays or trips home during school breaks, this translates into delayed decisions. Many are monitoring prices daily, hoping fares will ease once more flights resume.
\u201CPeople are willing to travel \u2014 that has never changed,\u201D Babu said. \u201CThe only reason they are waiting is that prices are high. Airlines are saying fuel and insurance costs have gone up sharply, so passengers are choosing a wait-and-watch approach.\u201D
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f750106e-2a46-4797-80ea-2208b238ee9c/element/e9b6c9b7-0f9d-4262-9abb-14d2829f9cd3","type":"text","family-id":"c47de517-75ea-46c0-a7ce-567e082db3a1","title":"","id":"e9b6c9b7-0f9d-4262-9abb-14d2829f9cd3","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f750106e-2a46-4797-80ea-2208b238ee9c/element/53817f08-5e7e-480e-97a5-331d1560f5d8","type":"text","family-id":"f5450c96-1ddc-4a7f-9dec-72fcee112e23","title":"","id":"53817f08-5e7e-480e-97a5-331d1560f5d8","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
The aviation disruption comes as global airlines continue to struggle with soaring jet fuel prices following instability in the Middle East's supply chain.
Airlines worldwide have been forced to cut frequencies, reduce capacity, and raise fares as fuel becomes one of the biggest cost burdens. Industry estimates show jet fuel can account for as much as 40 per cent of airline operating expenses during crisis periods.
TP Sudeesh, general manager of Deira Travels, said UAE carriers are currently operating at approximately 60 to 70 per cent capacity.
\"There is still no additional supply,\u201D Sudeesh said. \u201CAirlines are only releasing schedules for the next five to seven days in some cases. Earlier, passengers had four or five flights a day to choose from on many regional routes \u2014 now they may only find one or two.\u201D
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f750106e-2a46-4797-80ea-2208b238ee9c/element/974be70d-2e63-4411-ab43-237b091318a9","type":"text","family-id":"c58612bb-c56e-493b-96b7-a7e14932b21a","title":"","id":"974be70d-2e63-4411-ab43-237b091318a9","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"44633d73-8d20-40f1-9e1f-918824d16811","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775138219460,"author-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","headline":"Airfares are soaring after jet fuel spike. What UAE residents must know before travelling ","story-content-id":"44633d73-8d20-40f1-9e1f-918824d16811","is-published":true,"slug":"business/aviation/airfares-are-soaring-after-jet-fuel-spike-what-uae-residents-must-know-before-travelling-1.500494520","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775138221119,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Why UAE airfares are soaring amid jet fuel price surge","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Flights are getting expensive again \u2014 here\u2019s what\u2019s driving it and what UAE travellers should know ","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85255,"name":"Aviation","slug":"aviation","data":null},{"id":85258,"name":"Travel","slug":"travel","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/qqCx0vbtS1ddmwgN9lP9m5IO0ZXGf1DhSi9aB6K4xPmzcstaz0M2rG0VCCj00OH9","published-at":1775138221119,"status":"published","id":"44633d73-8d20-40f1-9e1f-918824d16811","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/airfares-are-soaring-after-jet-fuel-spike-what-uae-residents-must-know-before-travelling-1.500494520","author-id":2172381,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2172381,"name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","email":"dgokulan@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"qqCx0vbtS1ddmwgN9lP9m5IO0ZXGf1DhSi9aB6K4xPmzcstaz0M2rG0VCCj00OH9","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Airfares are soaring after jet fuel spike. What UAE residents must know before travelling "},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f750106e-2a46-4797-80ea-2208b238ee9c/element/4fb02f40-9f69-4615-bdf2-cc80aa6b634d","type":"text","family-id":"6e02ae77-f9bb-4ecb-b1a5-5aefbfa5d3ab","title":"","id":"4fb02f40-9f69-4615-bdf2-cc80aa6b634d","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The issues have made travel particularly difficult for middle-income families, many of whom postponed trips during Eid Al Fitr and are now considering Eid Al Adha or late summer instead.
\u201CFamilies are waiting not only for lower fares, but also for geopolitical stability,\u201D Sudeesh added. \u201CIf the political situation improves and there is a lasting peace agreement, bookings will recover very quickly.\u201D
Rashid Abbas, Managing Director of Arooha Travels, said UAE travellers are cautiously optimistic after recent signs of regional calm, but confidence has not fully returned.
\u201COver the last two to three days, there have been no major incidents, and that is creating some positive sentiment,\u201D Abbas said. \u201CPeople are hoping things stabilise within a week. Once that happens, booking momentum could return quickly.\u201D
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f750106e-2a46-4797-80ea-2208b238ee9c/element/c2c343a9-d28e-4fb6-b190-520efe5a8d73","type":"text","family-id":"59951b6e-c14f-483d-bd0a-6b3de2a4e554","title":"","id":"c2c343a9-d28e-4fb6-b190-520efe5a8d73","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"cf8b4d7c-b25e-42d2-bf62-165fcc51baf6","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775809795073,"author-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","headline":"Travel demand, soaring jet fuel costs could keep airfares high for months","story-content-id":"cf8b4d7c-b25e-42d2-bf62-165fcc51baf6","is-published":true,"slug":"business/aviation/travel-demand-soaring-jet-fuel-costs-could-keep-airfares-high-for-months-1.500502271","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775809739177,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Why UAE airfares may stay high for months ahead","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Travel demand, soaring jet fuel costs could keep airfares high for months","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85255,"name":"Aviation","slug":"aviation","data":null},{"id":85258,"name":"Travel","slug":"travel","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/dge5pmqDPz_tTb81reBFGwbjlqFzwfotjamrgcyuctuBE7guAidcaOz7eRfj2K9D","published-at":1775809739177,"status":"published","id":"cf8b4d7c-b25e-42d2-bf62-165fcc51baf6","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/travel-demand-soaring-jet-fuel-costs-could-keep-airfares-high-for-months-1.500502271","author-id":2172381,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2172381,"name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"dge5pmqDPz_tTb81reBFGwbjlqFzwfotjamrgcyuctuBE7guAidcaOz7eRfj2K9D","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Travel demand, soaring jet fuel costs could keep airfares high for months"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f750106e-2a46-4797-80ea-2208b238ee9c/element/deae5296-43c8-4151-becc-b7082c3eb4aa","type":"text","family-id":"05118716-f70e-4a07-a775-74d8e059893a","title":"","id":"deae5296-43c8-4151-becc-b7082c3eb4aa","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Travel agents say summer demand is beginning to trickle in, rather than arrive in the strong wave usually seen by this time of year. Annual leave plans are being made, and enquiries are rising steadily \u2014 but many bookings remain unconfirmed.
\u201CSummer bookings are coming slowly,\u201D Babu said. \u201CHoliday enquiries and annual vacation requests have started. People are asking, comparing prices, checking options \u2014 but many are not pressing confirm yet.\u201D
One segment seeing strong growth despite airfare concerns is outbound visa demand, especially for Europe.
\u201CEuropean Schengen visa enquiries have gone up considerably,\u201D Babu said. \u201CIn fact, we have had to move two to three staff members into visa processing from other departments just to handle the increase.\u201D
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f750106e-2a46-4797-80ea-2208b238ee9c/element/8dd29c72-7ee4-478d-96c5-8de133c90d37","type":"text","family-id":"34c9e71c-a301-424c-a3e0-5fb0712d14fd","title":"","id":"8dd29c72-7ee4-478d-96c5-8de133c90d37","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"cf8b4d7c-b25e-42d2-bf62-165fcc51baf6","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775809795073,"author-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","headline":"Travel demand, soaring jet fuel costs could keep airfares high for months","story-content-id":"cf8b4d7c-b25e-42d2-bf62-165fcc51baf6","is-published":true,"slug":"business/aviation/travel-demand-soaring-jet-fuel-costs-could-keep-airfares-high-for-months-1.500502271","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775809739177,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Why UAE airfares may stay high for months ahead","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Travel demand, soaring jet fuel costs could keep airfares high for months","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85255,"name":"Aviation","slug":"aviation","data":null},{"id":85258,"name":"Travel","slug":"travel","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/dge5pmqDPz_tTb81reBFGwbjlqFzwfotjamrgcyuctuBE7guAidcaOz7eRfj2K9D","published-at":1775809739177,"status":"published","id":"cf8b4d7c-b25e-42d2-bf62-165fcc51baf6","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/travel-demand-soaring-jet-fuel-costs-could-keep-airfares-high-for-months-1.500502271","author-id":2172381,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2172381,"name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"dge5pmqDPz_tTb81reBFGwbjlqFzwfotjamrgcyuctuBE7guAidcaOz7eRfj2K9D","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Travel demand, soaring jet fuel costs could keep airfares high for months"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f750106e-2a46-4797-80ea-2208b238ee9c/element/28e76a86-c407-48af-9b90-b310eb31aa68","type":"text","family-id":"65c4fd33-b4f8-46ca-a512-4e84dce54902","title":"","id":"28e76a86-c407-48af-9b90-b310eb31aa68","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"However, higher-income UAE residents continue to book summer holidays, especially to Europe and parts of Asia, while middle-income households are holding back until airfares become more manageable.
\u201CWe are still seeing good movement to Japan, Sri Lanka and Schengen destinations,\u201D Abbas said. \u201CThose who can afford the current fares are travelling. The hesitation is mainly among price-sensitive travellers.\u201D
Demand to CIS destinations, however, has fallen sharply, making that one of the weakest-performing outbound markets this season.
Despite the short-term disruption, aviation\u2019s long-term outlook remains robust. The International Air Transport Association forecasts that global passenger demand will more than double by 2050, driven by rising middle-class travel and expanding connectivity in emerging markets.
\u201CThe outlook for air travel is positive. People want to travel,\u201D said Willie Walsh, IATA Director-General. \u201CUnder all our modelled scenarios, demand to fly is expected to more than double by mid-century.\u201D
For now, though, UAE travel demand remains constrained by a strong consumer appetite and limited airline capacity.
\u201CIf there is a permanent ceasefire within the next week or two, supply can recover quickly,\u201D Babu said. \u201CThe UAE market has the capability to restore volumes fast. Demand is already there \u2014 people want to travel.\u201D
Still, airlines are warning that relief may not come quickly. Carriers including Air India, Delta, Air New Zealand and Cathay Pacific have already raised fuel surcharges or cut flights due to the jet fuel squeeze. Analysts say fare increases and cancellations may continue into peak summer unless fuel supply disruptions ease.
For UAE residents, that means travel could remain expensive for months.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776141890456,"content-version-id":"df310a1c-4ba4-4ae6-a196-944c98327e40","card-added-at":1776141413376,"status":"draft","id":"43ee7a7f-0f1f-4538-8f3f-028ef24e9cd6","content-id":"43ee7a7f-0f1f-4538-8f3f-028ef24e9cd6","version":10,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"UAE summer travel demand holds firm; high airfares delay bookings","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-03-06/1q8wxklj/Dubaiairport","url":null,"attribution":"Virendra Saklani/Gulf News","alt-text":"Dubaiairport","caption":"Passengers at Dubai International Airport. ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":4968,"file-size":3169444,"file-name":"Dubaiairport","height":3047,"focus-point":[2426,1090]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f750106e-2a46-4797-80ea-2208b238ee9c/element/a81ce773-c1dc-4533-ada8-d96cbd5bbf25","type":"text","family-id":"9c3bf5b2-e66e-404e-bff6-f80228bc53a5","title":"","id":"a81ce773-c1dc-4533-ada8-d96cbd5bbf25","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"44633d73-8d20-40f1-9e1f-918824d16811","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775138219460,"author-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","headline":"Airfares are soaring after jet fuel spike. What UAE residents must know before travelling ","story-content-id":"44633d73-8d20-40f1-9e1f-918824d16811","is-published":true,"slug":"business/aviation/airfares-are-soaring-after-jet-fuel-spike-what-uae-residents-must-know-before-travelling-1.500494520","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775138221119,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Why UAE airfares are soaring amid jet fuel price surge","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Flights are getting expensive again \u2014 here\u2019s what\u2019s driving it and what UAE travellers should know ","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85255,"name":"Aviation","slug":"aviation","data":null},{"id":85258,"name":"Travel","slug":"travel","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/qqCx0vbtS1ddmwgN9lP9m5IO0ZXGf1DhSi9aB6K4xPmzcstaz0M2rG0VCCj00OH9","published-at":1775138221119,"status":"published","id":"44633d73-8d20-40f1-9e1f-918824d16811","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/airfares-are-soaring-after-jet-fuel-spike-what-uae-residents-must-know-before-travelling-1.500494520","author-id":2172381,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2172381,"name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","email":"dgokulan@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"qqCx0vbtS1ddmwgN9lP9m5IO0ZXGf1DhSi9aB6K4xPmzcstaz0M2rG0VCCj00OH9","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Airfares are soaring after jet fuel spike. What UAE residents must know before travelling "},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f750106e-2a46-4797-80ea-2208b238ee9c/element/c5905a02-3e4b-4188-aef8-0291e287b909","type":"text","family-id":"ac343790-c1c1-41f3-aaed-fb9ed44d4ac6","title":"","id":"c5905a02-3e4b-4188-aef8-0291e287b909","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"cf8b4d7c-b25e-42d2-bf62-165fcc51baf6","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775809795073,"author-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","headline":"Travel demand, soaring jet fuel costs could keep airfares high for months","story-content-id":"cf8b4d7c-b25e-42d2-bf62-165fcc51baf6","is-published":true,"slug":"business/aviation/travel-demand-soaring-jet-fuel-costs-could-keep-airfares-high-for-months-1.500502271","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775809739177,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Why UAE airfares may stay high for months ahead","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Travel demand, soaring jet fuel costs could keep airfares high for months","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85255,"name":"Aviation","slug":"aviation","data":null},{"id":85258,"name":"Travel","slug":"travel","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/dge5pmqDPz_tTb81reBFGwbjlqFzwfotjamrgcyuctuBE7guAidcaOz7eRfj2K9D","published-at":1775809739177,"status":"published","id":"cf8b4d7c-b25e-42d2-bf62-165fcc51baf6","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/travel-demand-soaring-jet-fuel-costs-could-keep-airfares-high-for-months-1.500502271","author-id":2172381,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2172381,"name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"dge5pmqDPz_tTb81reBFGwbjlqFzwfotjamrgcyuctuBE7guAidcaOz7eRfj2K9D","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Travel demand, soaring jet fuel costs could keep airfares high for months"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f750106e-2a46-4797-80ea-2208b238ee9c/element/0e5e22a9-880f-4e8f-b0cc-ec84ee4ab124","type":"text","family-id":"d85dd8f9-6012-454a-b733-7a53c25e6d2d","title":"","id":"0e5e22a9-880f-4e8f-b0cc-ec84ee4ab124","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"c79b0963-6a27-4160-a293-026a7139db61","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775113226805,"author-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","headline":"UAE travellers face sharp rise in airfares: What\u2019s driving the spike?","story-content-id":"c79b0963-6a27-4160-a293-026a7139db61","is-published":true,"slug":"business/aviation/uae-travellers-face-sharp-rise-in-airfares-whats-driving-the-spike-1.500493994","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775113228613,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Airfares soar as war disrupts jet fuel supply","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Airfares soar as war disrupts jet fuel supply","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85255,"name":"Aviation","slug":"aviation","data":null},{"id":85258,"name":"Travel","slug":"travel","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/RUCX-aSgpt22VrSI5PbNaVW-U8R14R7Kmr-XQ5FnaHfL4llgf0dKKLpgJ0ydsNRn","published-at":1775113228613,"status":"published","id":"c79b0963-6a27-4160-a293-026a7139db61","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/uae-travellers-face-sharp-rise-in-airfares-whats-driving-the-spike-1.500493994","author-id":2172381,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2172381,"name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","email":"dgokulan@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"RUCX-aSgpt22VrSI5PbNaVW-U8R14R7Kmr-XQ5FnaHfL4llgf0dKKLpgJ0ydsNRn","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"UAE travellers face sharp rise in airfares: What\u2019s driving the spike?"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f750106e-2a46-4797-80ea-2208b238ee9c/element/7f4c5a95-19fc-4628-8ce3-3622a4f6df3b","type":"text","family-id":"f9c20a7b-e2b2-4ca6-8113-cb42acd64f87","title":"","id":"7f4c5a95-19fc-4628-8ce3-3622a4f6df3b","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"565ac0bb-a8dc-4097-8e1e-40d172bc036f","linked-story":{"updated-at":1774287456578,"author-name":"Justin Varghese","headline":"Airfares to stay up globally as Iran war disrupts flights, drives up fuel costs ","story-content-id":"565ac0bb-a8dc-4097-8e1e-40d172bc036f","is-published":true,"slug":"business/tourism/airfares-to-stay-up-globally-as-iran-war-disrupts-flights-drives-up-fuel-costs-1.500484004","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1774296060000,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Airfares will stay up as Iran war disrupts fuel costs ","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Airfares to stay up globally as Iran war disrupts flights, drives up fuel costs ","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85263,"name":"Tourism","slug":"tourism","data":null},{"id":85255,"name":"Aviation","slug":"aviation","data":null},{"id":85216,"name":"Energy","slug":"energy","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/NqlIp-QQg54Bp_7Hm7PoLrltOsX-uoRZWXKXOoDsfscMayZteuDp8yo4sSWlufcp","published-at":1774296060000,"status":"published","id":"565ac0bb-a8dc-4097-8e1e-40d172bc036f","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/tourism/airfares-to-stay-up-globally-as-iran-war-disrupts-flights-drives-up-fuel-costs-1.500484004","author-id":2166483,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2166483,"name":"Justin Varghese","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"NqlIp-QQg54Bp_7Hm7PoLrltOsX-uoRZWXKXOoDsfscMayZteuDp8yo4sSWlufcp","publish-at":1774296060000}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Airfares to stay up globally as Iran war disrupts flights, drives up fuel costs "}],"card-updated-at":1776141890456,"content-version-id":"c120366a-f2c5-4715-bff5-042d046b16e0","card-added-at":1776141890456,"status":"draft","id":"e6293b51-69c6-4f16-8798-3fb17ec9c44e","content-id":"e6293b51-69c6-4f16-8798-3fb17ec9c44e","version":1,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":true,"title":"UAE summer travel demand holds firm; high airfares delay bookings","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-03-06/1q8wxklj/Dubaiairport","url":null,"attribution":"Virendra Saklani/Gulf News","alt-text":"Dubaiairport","caption":"Passengers at Dubai International Airport. ","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":4968,"file-size":3169444,"file-name":"Dubaiairport","height":3047,"focus-point":[2426,1090]}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_In_This_Package"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/aviation/uae-summer-travel-demand-holds-firm-high-airfares-delay-bookings-1.500506041","story-version-id":"8b86ed7d-a55c-49b5-819d-1511dd720b7a","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776141894706,"author-id":2172381,"owner-id":2172381,"linked-story-ids":["cf8b4d7c-b25e-42d2-bf62-165fcc51baf6","44633d73-8d20-40f1-9e1f-918824d16811","c79b0963-6a27-4160-a293-026a7139db61","565ac0bb-a8dc-4097-8e1e-40d172bc036f"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776141894457,"hero-image-caption":"Passengers at Dubai International Airport. ","version":10,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776141890441,"authors":[{"slug":"dhanusha-gokulan","social":{},"name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/yq2gc7a1/Dhanusha_Author_picture.jpeg","bio":"Dhanusha is a Chief Reporter at Gulf News in Dubai, with her finger firmly on the pulse of UAE, regional, and global aviation. She dives deep into how airlines and airports operate, expand, and embrace the latest tech. \n\nKnown for her sharp eye for detail, Dhanusha makes complex topics like new aircraft, evolving travel trends, and aviation regulations easy to grasp. Lately, she's especially fascinated by the world of eVTOLs and flying cars. \n\nWith nearly two decades in journalism, Dhanusha's covered a wide range, from health and education to the pandemic, local transport, and technology. When she's not tracking what's happening in the skies, she enjoys exploring social media trends, tech innovations, and anything that sparks reader curiosity. Outside of work, you'll find her immersed in electronic dance music, pop culture, movies, and video games. ","id":2172381,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/yq2gc7a1/Dhanusha_Author_picture.jpeg","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan"},"id":"f750106e-2a46-4797-80ea-2208b238ee9c"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776159049212,"seo":{"meta-title":"UAE School Reopening Update: Distance Learning Status, April 17 Decision and What Parents Need to Know","meta-description":"UAE schools remain on distance learning until April 17, 2026. No confirmed reopening date yet. Here\u2019s what parents, students and staff need to know.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2171326,"author-name":"Zainab Husain","tags":[{"id":11462752,"name":"UAE schools","meta-description":"Stay updated on UAE school news including academic calendars, admission updates, curriculum changes, and school rankings.","meta-title":"UAE Schools News \u2013 Curriculum, Admissions & Rankings","slug":"uae-schools","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11574726,"name":"Dubai private schools","meta-description":"Discover updates on Dubai\u2019s private schools including KHDA ratings, curriculum choices, and fee changes.","meta-title":"Dubai Private School News \u2013 Fees, Ratings & Admission Updates","slug":"dubai-private-schools","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"UAE school reopening status: Will classes return to campus on Monday? What we know so far","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"bb64a6c2-e339-4aa8-920b-d00845e25923","slug":"living-in-uae/education/uae-school-reopening-status-will-classes-return-to-campus-on-monday-what-we-know-so-far-1.500506230","linked-stories":{"29cab822-0a99-4e7b-a5dd-6033aa793e85":{"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","headline":"UK's OxfordAQA cancels IGCSE and A Level exams in UAE for May/June 2026 series","story-content-id":"29cab822-0a99-4e7b-a5dd-6033aa793e85","slug":"uae/education/uks-oxfordaqa-cancels-igcse-and-a-level-exams-in-uae-for-mayjune-2026-series-1.500494701","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UK's OxfordAQA cancels IGCSE and A Level exams in UAE","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"OxfordAQA cancels IGCSE and A Level exams in UAE for May/June 2026 series","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education","id":85261,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-uae","name":"Education (UAE)","id":194685},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":5243,"file-size":8996132,"file-name":"Examination","height":3751},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-02/wgywwdw8/Examination","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/uks-oxfordaqa-cancels-igcse-and-a-level-exams-in-uae-for-mayjune-2026-series-1.500494701","content-updated-at":1775150309568,"author-id":2207522,"first-published-at":1775149471996,"authors":[{"slug":"sajila-saseendran","social":{},"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Sajila is a powerhouse in UAE journalism, with over two decades of impactful reporting that has informed, empowered, and transformed lives. She is widely recognised as one of the most trusted voices on local affairs, particularly within the Indian expat community.\n\nFrom exposing scams and reuniting families to shifting policies and freeing jailed workers, Sajila\u2019s stories often make front pages and a real-world difference. Once the only female crime reporter in Bangalore, India, she brought her razor-sharp news instincts to the UAE, covering everything from civic matters, health, education, and environment to stories that matter to both expats and Emiratis alike.\n\nShe has covered the launch of iconic projects in Dubai and milestone national moments\u2014from COP28, Expo 2020 Dubai, Presidential and Prime Ministerial visits, multiple visa amnesties and landmark space missions to plane crashes, tragic fires, accidents and COVID-19 crises. She broke the news of Indian actress Sridevi\u2019s accidental drowning and did a literally out-of-the-world interview with UAE astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, who went on to become a minister, live from the International Space Station.\u00A0\n\nHer storytelling blends deep editorial insight with compelling human interest, backed by an extensive network across officials and communities alike. Recognised with numerous journalism awards, Sajila doesn\u2019t just report stories; she helps write the history of the UAE.","id":2207522,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"3784dec5-6363-428d-8a1e-9ce857f90db7":{"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","headline":"UAE extends distance learning for nurseries, schools till April 17","story-content-id":"3784dec5-6363-428d-8a1e-9ce857f90db7","slug":"uae/education/uae-extends-distance-learning-till-april-17-1.500491329","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE extends distance learning till April 17","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE extends distance learning till April 17","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education","id":85261,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-uae","name":"Education (UAE)","id":194685},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":800,"height":600},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2024-11-17/s1gge4yf/Stock_e_learning_student_home_173e33d9d70_original_ratio.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/uae-extends-distance-learning-till-april-17-1.500491329","content-updated-at":1774899048243,"author-id":2207522,"first-published-at":1774896539366,"authors":[{"slug":"sajila-saseendran","social":{},"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Sajila is a powerhouse in UAE journalism, with over two decades of impactful reporting that has informed, empowered, and transformed lives. She is widely recognised as one of the most trusted voices on local affairs, particularly within the Indian expat community.\n\nFrom exposing scams and reuniting families to shifting policies and freeing jailed workers, Sajila\u2019s stories often make front pages and a real-world difference. Once the only female crime reporter in Bangalore, India, she brought her razor-sharp news instincts to the UAE, covering everything from civic matters, health, education, and environment to stories that matter to both expats and Emiratis alike.\n\nShe has covered the launch of iconic projects in Dubai and milestone national moments\u2014from COP28, Expo 2020 Dubai, Presidential and Prime Ministerial visits, multiple visa amnesties and landmark space missions to plane crashes, tragic fires, accidents and COVID-19 crises. She broke the news of Indian actress Sridevi\u2019s accidental drowning and did a literally out-of-the-world interview with UAE astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, who went on to become a minister, live from the International Space Station.\u00A0\n\nHer storytelling blends deep editorial insight with compelling human interest, backed by an extensive network across officials and communities alike. Recognised with numerous journalism awards, Sajila doesn\u2019t just report stories; she helps write the history of the UAE.","id":2207522,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"de5145d3-c7dc-41a4-97c6-d1ee288f10d0":{"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","headline":"CBSE Class 10 results 2026 due for UAE students soon: Why they won\u2019t be final","story-content-id":"de5145d3-c7dc-41a4-97c6-d1ee288f10d0","slug":"uae/education/cbse-class-10-results-2026-due-for-uae-students-today-why-they-wont-be-final-1.500506156","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"CBSE Class 10: Why first results, toppers won't count","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"CBSE Class 10 exams 2026 results due for UAE students soon: Why they won\u2019t be final","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education","id":85261,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-uae","name":"Education (UAE)","id":194685},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"india","name":"India","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india","id":85231,"parent-id":85230,"display-name":"India","collection":{"slug":"india-asia-world","name":"India (Asia, World)","id":194655},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":5595,"height":3730},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-02-17/dvmpxozj/STAFFNAT_260217_CBSE_Exam_VSAKLANI_161771306557707.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/cbse-class-10-results-2026-due-for-uae-students-today-why-they-wont-be-final-1.500506156","content-updated-at":1776169898733,"author-id":2207522,"first-published-at":1776149348569,"authors":[{"slug":"sajila-saseendran","social":{},"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Sajila is a powerhouse in UAE journalism, with over two decades of impactful reporting that has informed, empowered, and transformed lives. She is widely recognised as one of the most trusted voices on local affairs, particularly within the Indian expat community.\n\nFrom exposing scams and reuniting families to shifting policies and freeing jailed workers, Sajila\u2019s stories often make front pages and a real-world difference. Once the only female crime reporter in Bangalore, India, she brought her razor-sharp news instincts to the UAE, covering everything from civic matters, health, education, and environment to stories that matter to both expats and Emiratis alike.\n\nShe has covered the launch of iconic projects in Dubai and milestone national moments\u2014from COP28, Expo 2020 Dubai, Presidential and Prime Ministerial visits, multiple visa amnesties and landmark space missions to plane crashes, tragic fires, accidents and COVID-19 crises. She broke the news of Indian actress Sridevi\u2019s accidental drowning and did a literally out-of-the-world interview with UAE astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, who went on to become a minister, live from the International Space Station.\u00A0\n\nHer storytelling blends deep editorial insight with compelling human interest, backed by an extensive network across officials and communities alike. Recognised with numerous journalism awards, Sajila doesn\u2019t just report stories; she helps write the history of the UAE.","id":2207522,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"38fe32dd-9d62-470f-910f-effbea41cd88":{"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","headline":"UAE universities to aid students after school board exam cancellations","story-content-id":"38fe32dd-9d62-470f-910f-effbea41cd88","slug":"uae/education/uae-universities-to-aid-students-after-school-board-exam-cancellations-1.500499552","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Board exams cancelled: UAE universities to aid pupils","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE universities to aid students after school board exam cancellations","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education","id":85261,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-uae","name":"Education (UAE)","id":194685},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"united-in-strength","name":"United in Strength","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/united-in-strength","id":102244,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"United in Strength","collection":{"slug":"united-in-strength-uae","name":"United in Strength (UAE)","id":225707},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2021/06/06/university-degree_179e1aba82f_large.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/uae-universities-to-aid-students-after-school-board-exam-cancellations-1.500499552","content-updated-at":1775626186535,"author-id":2207522,"first-published-at":1775610000000,"authors":[{"slug":"sajila-saseendran","social":{},"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Sajila is a powerhouse in UAE journalism, with over two decades of impactful reporting that has informed, empowered, and transformed lives. She is widely recognised as one of the most trusted voices on local affairs, particularly within the Indian expat community.\n\nFrom exposing scams and reuniting families to shifting policies and freeing jailed workers, Sajila\u2019s stories often make front pages and a real-world difference. Once the only female crime reporter in Bangalore, India, she brought her razor-sharp news instincts to the UAE, covering everything from civic matters, health, education, and environment to stories that matter to both expats and Emiratis alike.\n\nShe has covered the launch of iconic projects in Dubai and milestone national moments\u2014from COP28, Expo 2020 Dubai, Presidential and Prime Ministerial visits, multiple visa amnesties and landmark space missions to plane crashes, tragic fires, accidents and COVID-19 crises. She broke the news of Indian actress Sridevi\u2019s accidental drowning and did a literally out-of-the-world interview with UAE astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, who went on to become a minister, live from the International Space Station.\u00A0\n\nHer storytelling blends deep editorial insight with compelling human interest, backed by an extensive network across officials and communities alike. Recognised with numerous journalism awards, Sajila doesn\u2019t just report stories; she helps write the history of the UAE.","id":2207522,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"a976c042-9974-418c-937d-382ea29afe20":{"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","headline":"American University of Sharjah announces distance learning till end of semester","story-content-id":"a976c042-9974-418c-937d-382ea29afe20","slug":"uae/education/american-university-of-sharjah-announces-distance-learning-till-end-of-semester-1.500493460","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"American University of Sharjah goes online for semester","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"American University of Sharjah announces distance learning till end of semester","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education","id":85261,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-uae","name":"Education (UAE)","id":194685},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"uae","name":"UAE","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae","id":85212,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"UAE","collection":{"slug":"uae","name":"UAE LANDING PAGE","id":194636},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1125,"height":844,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":168179,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-01-at-6.29.18-PM.jpeg","focus-point":null},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-01/jfxlcth2/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-01-at-6.29.18-PM.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/american-university-of-sharjah-announces-distance-learning-till-end-of-semester-1.500493460","content-updated-at":1775054122924,"author-id":2207522,"first-published-at":1775054122659,"authors":[{"slug":"sajila-saseendran","social":{},"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Sajila is a powerhouse in UAE journalism, with over two decades of impactful reporting that has informed, empowered, and transformed lives. She is widely recognised as one of the most trusted voices on local affairs, particularly within the Indian expat community.\n\nFrom exposing scams and reuniting families to shifting policies and freeing jailed workers, Sajila\u2019s stories often make front pages and a real-world difference. Once the only female crime reporter in Bangalore, India, she brought her razor-sharp news instincts to the UAE, covering everything from civic matters, health, education, and environment to stories that matter to both expats and Emiratis alike.\n\nShe has covered the launch of iconic projects in Dubai and milestone national moments\u2014from COP28, Expo 2020 Dubai, Presidential and Prime Ministerial visits, multiple visa amnesties and landmark space missions to plane crashes, tragic fires, accidents and COVID-19 crises. She broke the news of Indian actress Sridevi\u2019s accidental drowning and did a literally out-of-the-world interview with UAE astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, who went on to become a minister, live from the International Space Station.\u00A0\n\nHer storytelling blends deep editorial insight with compelling human interest, backed by an extensive network across officials and communities alike. Recognised with numerous journalism awards, Sajila doesn\u2019t just report stories; she helps write the history of the UAE.","id":2207522,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"0a6dc76f-4704-4a5a-8653-d72286e9be55":{"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","headline":"Indian Consulate in Dubai issues advisory for Grade 12 students ahead of university admission","story-content-id":"0a6dc76f-4704-4a5a-8653-d72286e9be55","slug":"uae/education/indian-consulate-in-dubai-issues-advisory-for-grade-12-students-ahead-of-college-admission-1.500493038","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Indian Consulate issues advisory for Grade 12 students","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Indian Consulate in Dubai issues advisory for Grade 12 students ahead of college admission","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education","id":85261,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-uae","name":"Education (UAE)","id":194685},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"uae","name":"UAE","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae","id":85212,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"UAE","collection":{"slug":"uae","name":"UAE LANDING PAGE","id":194636},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"india","name":"India","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india","id":85231,"parent-id":85230,"display-name":"India","collection":{"slug":"india-asia-world","name":"India (Asia, World)","id":194655},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":4127,"height":2756},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-02-17/1ug5rc0o/STAFFNAT_260217_CBSE_Exam_VSAKLANI_131771306551939.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/indian-consulate-in-dubai-issues-advisory-for-grade-12-students-ahead-of-college-admission-1.500493038","content-updated-at":1775037842940,"author-id":2207522,"first-published-at":1775033752464,"authors":[{"slug":"sajila-saseendran","social":{},"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Sajila is a powerhouse in UAE journalism, with over two decades of impactful reporting that has informed, empowered, and transformed lives. She is widely recognised as one of the most trusted voices on local affairs, particularly within the Indian expat community.\n\nFrom exposing scams and reuniting families to shifting policies and freeing jailed workers, Sajila\u2019s stories often make front pages and a real-world difference. Once the only female crime reporter in Bangalore, India, she brought her razor-sharp news instincts to the UAE, covering everything from civic matters, health, education, and environment to stories that matter to both expats and Emiratis alike.\n\nShe has covered the launch of iconic projects in Dubai and milestone national moments\u2014from COP28, Expo 2020 Dubai, Presidential and Prime Ministerial visits, multiple visa amnesties and landmark space missions to plane crashes, tragic fires, accidents and COVID-19 crises. She broke the news of Indian actress Sridevi\u2019s accidental drowning and did a literally out-of-the-world interview with UAE astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, who went on to become a minister, live from the International Space Station.\u00A0\n\nHer storytelling blends deep editorial insight with compelling human interest, backed by an extensive network across officials and communities alike. Recognised with numerous journalism awards, Sajila doesn\u2019t just report stories; she helps write the history of the UAE.","id":2207522,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776158818455,"public-identifier":"1.500506230","subheadline":"As rumors circulate online, here's latest update on distance learning extensions in UAE","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Will UAE schools reopen after April 17?","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"The April 17 deadline: What parents in the UAE need to know before Monday","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Living-Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/living-in-uae/education","id":85354,"parent-id":85340,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-living-in-uae","name":"Living-Education (Living-UAE)","id":194778},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education","id":85261,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-uae","name":"Education (UAE)","id":194685},"data":null}],"read-time":3,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776152050307,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Zainab Husain","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1600,"file-size":344616,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2025-08-25-at-08.08.27.jpeg","height":1067},"comments":null,"word-count":616,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776158818455,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"last-correction-published-at":1776159050909,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"Virendra Saklani/Gulf News","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"bb64a6c2-e339-4aa8-920b-d00845e25923","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-08-25/1szwegi4/WhatsApp-Image-2025-08-25-at-08.08.27.jpeg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bb64a6c2-e339-4aa8-920b-d00845e25923/element/02663d6e-f1be-4590-a214-f7d220613d22","type":"text","family-id":"719f5746-709f-4fed-911d-250fa7062325","title":"","id":"02663d6e-f1be-4590-a214-f7d220613d22","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Dubai: Schools and universities across the UAE have been on distance learning since early March 2026. With the current extension running until Friday, April 17, many parents, students and staff are asking the same question: what happens next?
Here is a clear breakdown of where things stand and what to expect.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776153168733,"content-version-id":"c62809bb-9c76-40fc-885b-75bd2e98e23f","card-added-at":1776152050314,"status":"draft","id":"0bce94cc-d1a1-4859-84f4-85e4ae600b25","content-id":"0bce94cc-d1a1-4859-84f4-85e4ae600b25","version":24,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"UAE school reopening status: Will classes return to campus on Monday? What we know so far","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2025-08-25/1szwegi4/WhatsApp-Image-2025-08-25-at-08.08.27.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"Virendra Saklani/Gulf News","alt-text":null,"caption":"Picture used for illustrative purposes.","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1600,"file-size":344616,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2025-08-25-at-08.08.27.jpeg","height":1067}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bb64a6c2-e339-4aa8-920b-d00845e25923/element/e19c3e32-9ee7-43dd-a91d-94e7806f4b31","type":"text","family-id":"7adcee02-44e5-4df1-9e92-2cf2c3e6c5d4","title":"","id":"e19c3e32-9ee7-43dd-a91d-94e7806f4b31","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"On April 14, Tuesday, UAE announced phased return to in-person learning for schools and nurseries.
The Education, Human Resources and Community Development Council announced that educational institutions are preparing for a gradual return to in-person learning, with nurseries set to reopen in phases starting this week.
Authorities said further details on whether classes will resume in person or remotely will be announced on Wednesday, April 15, through official Ministry of Education and higher education channels.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776158792756,"content-version-id":"fc26aa46-f72d-417a-b009-024be25d45fd","card-added-at":1776152178369,"status":"draft","id":"80bf446e-9b63-4eb3-ad28-3d3a6c9737ac","content-id":"80bf446e-9b63-4eb3-ad28-3d3a6c9737ac","version":33,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"UAE school reopening status: Will classes return to campus on Monday? What we know so far","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2025-08-25/1szwegi4/WhatsApp-Image-2025-08-25-at-08.08.27.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"Virendra Saklani/Gulf News","alt-text":null,"caption":"Picture used for illustrative purposes.","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1600,"file-size":344616,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2025-08-25-at-08.08.27.jpeg","height":1067}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bb64a6c2-e339-4aa8-920b-d00845e25923/element/c3d1f2f2-d38e-4638-add7-ccc9fed3f5b6","type":"text","family-id":"0db6e2b1-365f-4698-8c91-5838f5bccfea","title":"","id":"c3d1f2f2-d38e-4638-add7-ccc9fed3f5b6","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Officials stated that additional information on whether institutions will return to in-person instruction or continue with remote learning will be released on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, via the official communication channels of the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the relevant higher education authorities.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) has specifically stated that reports claiming distance learning will continue until May 1 are inaccurate.
Similarly, suggestions that schools will reopen on Monday, April 20 are not official.
Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."}],"card-updated-at":1776159048802,"content-version-id":"cfa3ca88-b260-4691-aca7-81e186a549b1","card-added-at":1776152178369,"status":"draft","id":"bb4e1e0a-4af9-4ac6-8a7d-bda20a81521e","content-id":"bb4e1e0a-4af9-4ac6-8a7d-bda20a81521e","version":34,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"UAE school reopening status: Will classes return to campus on Monday? What we know so far","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2025-08-25/1szwegi4/WhatsApp-Image-2025-08-25-at-08.08.27.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"Virendra Saklani/Gulf News","alt-text":null,"caption":"Picture used for illustrative purposes.","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1600,"file-size":344616,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2025-08-25-at-08.08.27.jpeg","height":1067}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bb64a6c2-e339-4aa8-920b-d00845e25923/element/fd308a63-97cc-43cb-aa09-69ce1da33769","type":"text","family-id":"cc687538-6794-4847-91c2-af670fc816a5","title":"","id":"fd308a63-97cc-43cb-aa09-69ce1da33769","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
Distance learning was introduced on March 2, 2026 as a precautionary measure amid regional security concerns linked to ongoing conflict in the area, following Iran's attacks on Gulf countries, including the UAE.
The arrangement was initially set to run until March 6, before officials brought the spring break forward.
Since then, remote learning has been extended in stages as authorities continue to monitor the situation and prioritise the safety of students and staff.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776158792756,"content-version-id":"cd21bd16-d917-491a-9c97-6e9e6e7bf2ee","card-added-at":1776152178369,"status":"draft","id":"aedc33d9-06a7-4ebf-8b56-800622ee5cd2","content-id":"aedc33d9-06a7-4ebf-8b56-800622ee5cd2","version":28,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"UAE school reopening status: Will classes return to campus on Monday? What we know so far","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2025-08-25/1szwegi4/WhatsApp-Image-2025-08-25-at-08.08.27.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"Virendra Saklani/Gulf News","alt-text":null,"caption":"Picture used for illustrative purposes.","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1600,"file-size":344616,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2025-08-25-at-08.08.27.jpeg","height":1067}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bb64a6c2-e339-4aa8-920b-d00845e25923/element/1ec55633-af0c-4c92-b269-56c6e9a81113","type":"text","family-id":"c89549ba-967a-47f2-bfbc-9bbb92e157bd","title":"","id":"1ec55633-af0c-4c92-b269-56c6e9a81113","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Today, the UAE announced a gradual return to in-person learning, with nurseries set to reopen in phases starting this week. Authorities will continue to assess the situation while preparing for the phased reopening.
Authorities will conduct field inspections to assess preparedness ahead of the phased reopening. Updated guidelines have also been developed to manage any shifts between in-person and remote learning.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776158792756,"content-version-id":"7f4f94a4-4869-4973-8a2c-82e5a5be0f81","card-added-at":1776152178369,"status":"draft","id":"5614289f-32bd-40f7-a376-0f8b03f34d2b","content-id":"5614289f-32bd-40f7-a376-0f8b03f34d2b","version":27,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"UAE school reopening status: Will classes return to campus on Monday? What we know so far","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2025-08-25/1szwegi4/WhatsApp-Image-2025-08-25-at-08.08.27.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"Virendra Saklani/Gulf News","alt-text":null,"caption":"Picture used for illustrative purposes.","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1600,"file-size":344616,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2025-08-25-at-08.08.27.jpeg","height":1067}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bb64a6c2-e339-4aa8-920b-d00845e25923/element/3250508f-0ddd-43ae-9651-a0faaa3ba698","type":"text","family-id":"f2f049cb-1b57-40a9-ab6c-3f2eb0ef5801","title":"","id":"3250508f-0ddd-43ae-9651-a0faaa3ba698","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The KHDA has introduced two new services for children up to six years old. Nurseries can now run small groups of up to eight children from different families in home settings, and can also send teachers into homes for one-to-one or small-group sessions with up to four siblings.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776153168733,"content-version-id":"2e1d8256-d14a-43c0-9b31-e54602aed3ee","card-added-at":1776152178369,"status":"draft","id":"606c8f65-4a9f-42ad-908e-84222a6db4ec","content-id":"606c8f65-4a9f-42ad-908e-84222a6db4ec","version":23,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"UAE school reopening status: Will classes return to campus on Monday? What we know so far","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2025-08-25/1szwegi4/WhatsApp-Image-2025-08-25-at-08.08.27.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"Virendra Saklani/Gulf News","alt-text":null,"caption":"Picture used for illustrative purposes.","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1600,"file-size":344616,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2025-08-25-at-08.08.27.jpeg","height":1067}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bb64a6c2-e339-4aa8-920b-d00845e25923/element/355ffdbb-ae96-4a14-b677-efce47e112a8","type":"text","family-id":"15d2265d-7092-4d10-a4c8-1bb534e314b3","title":"","id":"355ffdbb-ae96-4a14-b677-efce47e112a8","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The situation regarding international examinations has evolved considerably. Several major awarding bodies have cancelled their external examinations in the UAE for 2026. These include:
CBSE and ISC
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP)
Cambridge International
Pearson Edexcel
OxfordAQA
This means that qualifications including IGCSEs and A Levels will not have external exams in the UAE this year. Schools and awarding bodies are expected to communicate directly with students about how grades will be determined.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bb64a6c2-e339-4aa8-920b-d00845e25923/element/63f48de1-b395-473e-9242-5ffc0aecfd90","type":"text","family-id":"8963561d-7781-4b8b-9ed1-89c9b81b1a22","title":"","id":"63f48de1-b395-473e-9242-5ffc0aecfd90","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"38fe32dd-9d62-470f-910f-effbea41cd88","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775626184865,"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","headline":"UAE universities to aid students after school board exam cancellations","story-content-id":"38fe32dd-9d62-470f-910f-effbea41cd88","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/education/uae-universities-to-aid-students-after-school-board-exam-cancellations-1.500499552","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775610000000,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Board exams cancelled: UAE universities to aid pupils","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE universities to aid students after school board exam cancellations","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85261,"name":"Education","slug":"education","data":null},{"id":102244,"name":"United in Strength","slug":"united-in-strength","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/N-wpkzMntqOC9Rs84sj1LsreNzgBDzrite07xd4XU3GgbvvNXE9rNbeTD_503QKv","published-at":1775610000000,"status":"published","id":"38fe32dd-9d62-470f-910f-effbea41cd88","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/uae-universities-to-aid-students-after-school-board-exam-cancellations-1.500499552","author-id":2207522,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2207522,"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"N-wpkzMntqOC9Rs84sj1LsreNzgBDzrite07xd4XU3GgbvvNXE9rNbeTD_503QKv","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"UAE universities to aid students after school board exam cancellations"}],"card-updated-at":1776153168733,"content-version-id":"e9c04d54-b233-42fc-84bc-9be4e18bcc1a","card-added-at":1776152178369,"status":"draft","id":"c0bf6f78-3d3c-4592-8a8c-952cf9f51852","content-id":"c0bf6f78-3d3c-4592-8a8c-952cf9f51852","version":23,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"UAE school reopening status: Will classes return to campus on Monday? What we know so far","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2025-08-25/1szwegi4/WhatsApp-Image-2025-08-25-at-08.08.27.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"Virendra Saklani/Gulf News","alt-text":null,"caption":"Picture used for illustrative purposes.","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1600,"file-size":344616,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2025-08-25-at-08.08.27.jpeg","height":1067}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bb64a6c2-e339-4aa8-920b-d00845e25923/element/3f3951bc-9c65-46a1-b930-bb8c7fd91837","type":"text","family-id":"504984a4-a295-45ff-a952-e55ca5a4a550","title":"","id":"3f3951bc-9c65-46a1-b930-bb8c7fd91837","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Universities nationwide, both public and private, are also currently operating via distance learning.
However, universities often have more internal flexibility than schools. While most are running fully online classes and exams, some institutions may offer:
Hybrid arrangements: Case-by-case flexibility for specific practical components.
Remote services: All student support and administrative services remain available digitally.
Manila: With the Philippine government discontinuing its multi-billion-peso support programme for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle manufacturing, electric vehicle (EV) makers are stepping up interest in the country\u2019s new \u20B160-billion ($1 billion) Electric Vehicle Incentive Strategy (EVIS).
The shift follows the formal end of the Comprehensive Automotive Resurgence Strategy (CARS) and RACE Programmes, which for more than a decade enjoyed up to \u20B127 billion in government incentives, to create jobs while developing small passenger cars, like Toyota Vios and Mitsubishi Mirage.
Amid the global oil crunch, both CARS and RACE had been scrubbed recently. Now, officials said a number of interested investors have expressed their intent to apply under EVIS.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/2ccef3b6-11ee-466c-8a8f-94f51f3d05f8/element/4662795e-4d81-4297-a970-a449cf075bf0","type":"text","family-id":"82881a3e-b845-4b18-892f-8d44eb241d14","title":"","id":"4662795e-4d81-4297-a970-a449cf075bf0","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"5f36a0c8-1df1-4930-8c47-3a6a1bd4a4e8","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775802868731,"author-name":"Jay Hilotin","headline":"Philippines shifts focus to EVs \u2014 scraps multi-year, multi-billion incentives for Toyota Vios, Mitsubishi Mirage","story-content-id":"5f36a0c8-1df1-4930-8c47-3a6a1bd4a4e8","is-published":true,"slug":"business/energy/philippines-shifts-focus-to-evs-scraps-multi-year-multi-million-incentives-for-toyota-vios-mitsubishi-mirage-1.500502261","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775802684689,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Philippines: Subsidies for Toyota, Mitsubishi scrapped","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85216,"name":"Energy","slug":"energy","data":null},{"id":85371,"name":"Auto News","slug":"news","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/HFrq2_16lN-te6UfsOpZ3pkc027Jtb4LM2zm6YXvF4wHvuKfbmg32diXPJzeJvPO","published-at":1775802684689,"status":"published","id":"5f36a0c8-1df1-4930-8c47-3a6a1bd4a4e8","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/energy/philippines-shifts-focus-to-evs-scraps-multi-year-multi-million-incentives-for-toyota-vios-mitsubishi-mirage-1.500502261","author-id":2183048,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2183048,"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"HFrq2_16lN-te6UfsOpZ3pkc027Jtb4LM2zm6YXvF4wHvuKfbmg32diXPJzeJvPO","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Philippines shifts focus to EVs \u2014 scraps multi-year, multi-billion incentives for Toyota Vios, Mitsubishi Mirage"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/2ccef3b6-11ee-466c-8a8f-94f51f3d05f8/element/d33aa922-2636-4537-bf12-7ab88d21c504","type":"text","family-id":"f7e8913b-f865-41af-80f2-23ea25314430","title":"","id":"d33aa922-2636-4537-bf12-7ab88d21c504","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"A senior Philippine trade official said the policy pivot reflects global industry trends and the country\u2019s intent to position itself within the fast-growing EV supply chain rather than continue backing conventional engine platforms.
Under EVIS, the government is crafting a package of fiscal and non-fiscal incentives aimed at attracting EV assemblers, battery manufacturers and parts suppliers.
The plan complements the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act, which already grants tax breaks, import duty exemptions and priority registration for EVs.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/2ccef3b6-11ee-466c-8a8f-94f51f3d05f8/element/4a22be2b-2ec3-43c1-affa-7e59a76a504f","type":"text","family-id":"622bdddc-1995-44c6-a646-49381e7a92b0","title":"","id":"4a22be2b-2ec3-43c1-affa-7e59a76a504f","metadata":{"content":"EVIS: The Electric Vehicle Incentive Strategy (EVIS) is\u00A0a proposed \u20B160-billion Philippine government fiscal package aimed at accelerating local electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing and adoption. As a successor to the CARS program, EVIS offers incentives to attract investors to produce EVs, batteries, and charging infrastructure, targeting a shift toward electrified transport by 2028\u20132040."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"EVIS: The Electric Vehicle Incentive Strategy (EVIS) is a proposed \u20B160-billion Philippine government fiscal package aimed at accelerating local electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing and adoption. As a successor to the CARS program, EVIS offers incentives to attract investors to produce EVs, batteries, and charging infrastructure, targeting a shift toward electrified transport by 2028\u20132040."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/2ccef3b6-11ee-466c-8a8f-94f51f3d05f8/element/89768de9-162f-48e1-b9b5-57a0bf49fe36","type":"text","family-id":"249b804e-3e5e-42bb-9d4a-3878f663031b","title":"","id":"89768de9-162f-48e1-b9b5-57a0bf49fe36","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
EVIS is expected to prioritise battery manufacturing, assembly, charging infrastructure and e-public transport.
Industry groups say several Asian and European EV brands have initiated exploratory talks, seeing an opportunity as policy support shifts decisively toward electrified mobility
EV sales in Southeast Asia grew by over 60% in 2025, led by Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam.
The CARS programme set a target of 200,000 units per participant over six years, with billions of pesos in incentives.
Transport accounts for about 30% of the Philippines\u2019 energy use, much of it oil-based.
The Philippines imports nearly 100% of its fuel, making electrification attractive for energy security.
Recently, the Japanese automaker announced plans to produce what could become the Philippines\u2019 first locally-manufactured EV, amid the nearly 200% surge in local fuel prices, particularly diesel, driving overall inflation.
The plan involves producing a \u201Cnew hybrid EV model\u201D at the Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Corp. plant in Santa Rosa, Laguna by 2028.
Vietnam has already gone full blast with electrification of transport, and VinFast is now helping refleet Manila taxis.
"},{"description":"","image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/webp","width":1200,"file-size":183458,"file-name":"green-xentro.webp","height":800},"page-url":"/story/2ccef3b6-11ee-466c-8a8f-94f51f3d05f8/element/b26f13af-2ba1-4ba8-aec8-3ce0854a0861","type":"image","family-id":"aede603c-ac9e-4ae6-b8dd-ea9bb4ede33a","image-attribution":"X | Green Xentro","title":"The first 500 of fully electric taxis were unveiled in Antipolo, Rizal province, near Manila, giving passengers a more affordable transport option amid the global oil supply crunch. It marks the initial phase of a planned 2,500-unit fleet of fully electric taxis across the greater Metro Manila area operated by a company known as Green Xentro. The vehicles used in this fleet are made by Vietnam's VinFast.\n","id":"b26f13af-2ba1-4ba8-aec8-3ce0854a0861","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-25/h5gcg8ml/green-xentro.webp","metadata":{},"subtype":null},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/2ccef3b6-11ee-466c-8a8f-94f51f3d05f8/element/d64cb664-1079-4f04-b300-c7da0d3f0e26","type":"text","family-id":"3ad15d1c-260a-408f-96b0-ca2057a59991","title":"","id":"d64cb664-1079-4f04-b300-c7da0d3f0e26","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Meanwhile, an official of local automaker Francisco Motors, which is producing e-jeepneys being exported to Africa, said they are getting sidelined.
While the list of state incentives under EVIS (including the number of slots, support package and production milestones) to be given to EV makers is yet to be published, the pivot is a signal the Asian nation it now fully open for EV business.
\"There have been consultations, including on the package support, to guage what level would really by needed by investors,\" Trade Undersecretary and Board of Investments (BOI) Managing Head Ceferino Rodolfo told local media.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776066128511,"content-version-id":"def3b9e7-8406-491e-8390-cdc5644c9339","card-added-at":1776061667799,"status":"draft","id":"65567c27-164d-48b5-817f-39f449d2dc93","content-id":"65567c27-164d-48b5-817f-39f449d2dc93","version":19,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"EV makers eye Philippines as Manila sets \u20B160-billion incentives, ends ICE subsidy amid global oil shock","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-03-25/h5gcg8ml/green-xentro.webp","url":null,"attribution":"X | Green Xentro","caption":null,"alt-text":"","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/webp","width":1200,"file-size":183458,"file-name":"green-xentro.webp","height":800}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/2ccef3b6-11ee-466c-8a8f-94f51f3d05f8/element/3bf8b148-2761-4163-8119-94205e336dd5","type":"text","family-id":"c5683259-500c-4018-9980-27ec11701b55","title":"","id":"3bf8b148-2761-4163-8119-94205e336dd5","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"981559a1-e7c6-4bc6-ba50-0e45ba7c79f3","linked-story":{"updated-at":1773615494742,"author-name":"Jay Hilotin","headline":"Philippines boosts EV adoption with tax breaks, driving privileges under new law","story-content-id":"981559a1-e7c6-4bc6-ba50-0e45ba7c79f3","is-published":true,"slug":"business/energy/philippines-boosts-ev-adoption-with-tax-breaks-driving-privileges-under-new-law-1.500475318","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1773615499672,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Philippines: Perks for EV users highlighted","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85216,"name":"Energy","slug":"energy","data":null},{"id":85233,"name":"Philippines","slug":"philippines","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/LeKuG9bsyVEWt6nGFqM7SFKv_8JaJYn-885YGqZQFHM6jVBqYV88N_RHsFLLDlQK","published-at":1773615499672,"status":"published","id":"981559a1-e7c6-4bc6-ba50-0e45ba7c79f3","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/energy/philippines-boosts-ev-adoption-with-tax-breaks-driving-privileges-under-new-law-1.500475318","author-id":2183048,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2183048,"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"LeKuG9bsyVEWt6nGFqM7SFKv_8JaJYn-885YGqZQFHM6jVBqYV88N_RHsFLLDlQK","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Philippines boosts EV adoption with tax breaks, driving privileges under new law"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/2ccef3b6-11ee-466c-8a8f-94f51f3d05f8/element/72fe04cd-b1d2-441f-8c4f-71466a0f675a","type":"text","family-id":"7b5992a4-0658-4573-80ff-7c3da1a849d5","title":"","id":"72fe04cd-b1d2-441f-8c4f-71466a0f675a","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"f2c28829-0182-41b2-863a-04225b1f7639","linked-story":{"updated-at":1774077836909,"author-name":"Jay Hilotin","headline":"Philippines: 600% jump in hybrid car sales, EVs hit fast lane, ICE cars snagged by high oil prices","story-content-id":"f2c28829-0182-41b2-863a-04225b1f7639","is-published":true,"slug":"business/energy/philippine-ev-sales-hit-fast-lane-hybrids-jump-600-1.500481638","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1774066388070,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Philippines: 600% jump in hybrids, EVs hit fast lane","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85216,"name":"Energy","slug":"energy","data":null},{"id":85371,"name":"Auto News","slug":"news","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/dQIppo0TcE8kIKdyDO6MMo7PciS2Qv5p6JbfA13n71XIstH7-_rew_Xc6NqBiPhW","published-at":1774066388070,"status":"published","id":"f2c28829-0182-41b2-863a-04225b1f7639","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/energy/philippine-ev-sales-hit-fast-lane-hybrids-jump-600-1.500481638","author-id":2183048,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2183048,"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"dQIppo0TcE8kIKdyDO6MMo7PciS2Qv5p6JbfA13n71XIstH7-_rew_Xc6NqBiPhW","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Philippines: 600% jump in hybrid car sales, EVs hit fast lane, ICE cars snagged by high oil prices"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/2ccef3b6-11ee-466c-8a8f-94f51f3d05f8/element/c847d19b-61d6-4618-a656-e9552a56a5e8","type":"text","family-id":"80639d77-f115-4c02-aab7-c08cb2667fc5","title":"","id":"c847d19b-61d6-4618-a656-e9552a56a5e8","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"8b98a679-aeca-4577-baf8-bce675e2bd76","linked-story":{"updated-at":1774446587361,"author-name":"Jay Hilotin","headline":"Philippines: 2,500 EV taxis, $333 million 'emergency fund' released as diesel skyrockets to \u20B1121/litre","story-content-id":"8b98a679-aeca-4577-baf8-bce675e2bd76","is-published":true,"slug":"business/energy/philippines-500-electric-taxis-rolled-out-333-million-emergency-fund-released-as-diesel-skyrockets-to-121litre-1.500485694","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1774428740979,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Manila: 500 EV taxis rolled out, $333m fund released","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85216,"name":"Energy","slug":"energy","data":null},{"id":85233,"name":"Philippines","slug":"philippines","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/a2qZKOcrj-JvWFQ7CBQxc9_sOdIQWvQzNusDuV7K_3A-Msb_vmK3I7ZEGwLxuFyT","published-at":1774428740979,"status":"published","id":"8b98a679-aeca-4577-baf8-bce675e2bd76","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/energy/philippines-500-electric-taxis-rolled-out-333-million-emergency-fund-released-as-diesel-skyrockets-to-121litre-1.500485694","author-id":2183048,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2183048,"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"a2qZKOcrj-JvWFQ7CBQxc9_sOdIQWvQzNusDuV7K_3A-Msb_vmK3I7ZEGwLxuFyT","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Philippines: 2,500 EV taxis, $333 million 'emergency fund' released as diesel skyrockets to \u20B1121/litre"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/2ccef3b6-11ee-466c-8a8f-94f51f3d05f8/element/f2a9af99-85e5-4645-9de0-574ae3b63685","type":"text","family-id":"4132d0dd-f340-4fba-9ad9-e1596be955f9","title":"","id":"f2a9af99-85e5-4645-9de0-574ae3b63685","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"da178cf9-23c7-41a1-9b7f-cd282d09ce13","linked-story":{"updated-at":1774831388886,"author-name":"Jay Hilotin","headline":"33 million litres/day: Diesel consumption in the Philippines \u2014 a data-driven look at diesel dependence and the electrification challenge","story-content-id":"da178cf9-23c7-41a1-9b7f-cd282d09ce13","is-published":true,"slug":"world/asia/philippines/33-million-litresday-diesel-consumption-in-the-philippines-a-data-driven-look-at-diesel-dependence-and-the-electrification-challenge-1.500488626","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1774681736805,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Where the Philippines will get 33M litres/day of diesel","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85233,"name":"Philippines","slug":"philippines","data":null},{"id":85216,"name":"Energy","slug":"energy","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/WLG6cQxpuVON2tXENpc3uNm_LYsbjAI-W1_wVAoZAS-87cXji_lyLfMnfURSpbAJ","published-at":1774681736805,"status":"published","id":"da178cf9-23c7-41a1-9b7f-cd282d09ce13","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/philippines/33-million-litresday-diesel-consumption-in-the-philippines-a-data-driven-look-at-diesel-dependence-and-the-electrification-challenge-1.500488626","author-id":2183048,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2183048,"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"WLG6cQxpuVON2tXENpc3uNm_LYsbjAI-W1_wVAoZAS-87cXji_lyLfMnfURSpbAJ","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"33 million litres/day: Diesel consumption in the Philippines \u2014 a data-driven look at diesel dependence and the electrification challenge"}],"card-updated-at":1776063057723,"content-version-id":"e6c00534-a932-4336-bce8-1812be0f76a6","card-added-at":1776061601842,"status":"draft","id":"02c3a34d-f713-4a85-a563-7626515d8df0","content-id":"02c3a34d-f713-4a85-a563-7626515d8df0","version":20,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"EV makers eye Philippines as Manila sets \u20B160-billion incentives, ends ICE subsidy amid global oil shock","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2025-01-08/7gyyr9bx/20250108-metro-manila-traffic","url":null,"attribution":"Shutterstock","alt-text":null,"caption":"CARMAGEDDON, ENERGY INSECURITY: Traffic in Metro Manila earned top rank as the 'worst in the world' for a Metro area in 2024. The Philippines imports nearly 100% of its fuel for transportation.","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1200,"file-size":275121,"file-name":"20250108-metro-manila-traffic","height":900}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_In_This_Package"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/energy/ev-makers-eye-philippines-as-manila-sets-60-billion-incentives-ends-ice-subsidy-amid-global-oil-shock-1.500504974","story-version-id":"5b55dd29-14a4-4740-933c-32cebedd0abd","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776066133144,"author-id":2183048,"owner-id":2183048,"linked-story-ids":["5f36a0c8-1df1-4930-8c47-3a6a1bd4a4e8","da178cf9-23c7-41a1-9b7f-cd282d09ce13","8b98a679-aeca-4577-baf8-bce675e2bd76","f2c28829-0182-41b2-863a-04225b1f7639","981559a1-e7c6-4bc6-ba50-0e45ba7c79f3"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776063061129,"hero-image-caption":"CARMAGEDDON, ENERGY INSECURITY: Traffic in Metro Manila earned top rank as the 'worst in the world' for a Metro area in 2024. The Philippines imports nearly 100% of its fuel for transportation.","version":28,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776066128496,"authors":[{"slug":"jay-hilotin-2","social":{},"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2183048,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Jay Hilotin"},"id":"2ccef3b6-11ee-466c-8a8f-94f51f3d05f8"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776132646233,"seo":{"meta-title":"UAE Ministry of Education Denies Rumours of Distance Learning Extension Until May 1, 2026","meta-description":"UAE Ministry of Education denies social media rumours about extending distance learning until May 1, 2026, confirming no such decision has been made.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2170753,"author-name":"Aghaddir Ali","tags":[{"id":11462751,"name":"Education","meta-description":"Stay informed on education updates including school policies, academic results, university news, and learning trends.","meta-title":"Education News \u2013 Policies, Exams & Academic Trends","slug":"education","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11462752,"name":"UAE schools","meta-description":"Stay updated on UAE school news including academic calendars, admission updates, curriculum changes, and school rankings.","meta-title":"UAE Schools News \u2013 Curriculum, Admissions & Rankings","slug":"uae-schools","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":14773106,"name":"US-Israel-Iran war","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"us-israel-iran-war","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"UAE denies rumours of distance learning extension until May 1","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"5d440259-f308-448b-aa72-b0699a9ab079","slug":"uae/education/uae-denies-rumours-of-distance-learning-extension-until-may-1-1.500505188","linked-stories":{"5ca3e881-cc99-4161-b40b-59b3a3017d38":{"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","headline":"UAE parents welcome distance learning extension: 'Our children's safety comes first'","story-content-id":"5ca3e881-cc99-4161-b40b-59b3a3017d38","slug":"uae/education/uae-parents-welcome-distance-learning-extension-our-childrens-safety-comes-first-1.500494409","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Why UAE parents back extension of distance learning","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE parents welcome distance learning extension: 'Our children's safety comes first'","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education","id":85261,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-uae","name":"Education (UAE)","id":194685},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"united-in-strength","name":"United in Strength","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/united-in-strength","id":102244,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"United in Strength","collection":{"slug":"united-in-strength-uae","name":"United in Strength (UAE)","id":225707},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1280,"height":960,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":155073,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-31-at-6.54.52-PM.jpeg","focus-point":null},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-02/4t2gn1y2/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-31-at-6.54.52-PM.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/uae-parents-welcome-distance-learning-extension-our-childrens-safety-comes-first-1.500494409","content-updated-at":1775134505318,"author-id":2207522,"first-published-at":1775134504499,"authors":[{"slug":"sajila-saseendran","social":{},"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Sajila is a powerhouse in UAE journalism, with over two decades of impactful reporting that has informed, empowered, and transformed lives. She is widely recognised as one of the most trusted voices on local affairs, particularly within the Indian expat community.\n\nFrom exposing scams and reuniting families to shifting policies and freeing jailed workers, Sajila\u2019s stories often make front pages and a real-world difference. Once the only female crime reporter in Bangalore, India, she brought her razor-sharp news instincts to the UAE, covering everything from civic matters, health, education, and environment to stories that matter to both expats and Emiratis alike.\n\nShe has covered the launch of iconic projects in Dubai and milestone national moments\u2014from COP28, Expo 2020 Dubai, Presidential and Prime Ministerial visits, multiple visa amnesties and landmark space missions to plane crashes, tragic fires, accidents and COVID-19 crises. She broke the news of Indian actress Sridevi\u2019s accidental drowning and did a literally out-of-the-world interview with UAE astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, who went on to become a minister, live from the International Space Station.\u00A0\n\nHer storytelling blends deep editorial insight with compelling human interest, backed by an extensive network across officials and communities alike. Recognised with numerous journalism awards, Sajila doesn\u2019t just report stories; she helps write the history of the UAE.","id":2207522,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"3784dec5-6363-428d-8a1e-9ce857f90db7":{"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","headline":"UAE extends distance learning for nurseries, schools till April 17","story-content-id":"3784dec5-6363-428d-8a1e-9ce857f90db7","slug":"uae/education/uae-extends-distance-learning-till-april-17-1.500491329","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE extends distance learning till April 17","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE extends distance learning till April 17","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education","id":85261,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-uae","name":"Education (UAE)","id":194685},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":800,"height":600},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2024-11-17/s1gge4yf/Stock_e_learning_student_home_173e33d9d70_original_ratio.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/uae-extends-distance-learning-till-april-17-1.500491329","content-updated-at":1774899048243,"author-id":2207522,"first-published-at":1774896539366,"authors":[{"slug":"sajila-saseendran","social":{},"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Sajila is a powerhouse in UAE journalism, with over two decades of impactful reporting that has informed, empowered, and transformed lives. She is widely recognised as one of the most trusted voices on local affairs, particularly within the Indian expat community.\n\nFrom exposing scams and reuniting families to shifting policies and freeing jailed workers, Sajila\u2019s stories often make front pages and a real-world difference. Once the only female crime reporter in Bangalore, India, she brought her razor-sharp news instincts to the UAE, covering everything from civic matters, health, education, and environment to stories that matter to both expats and Emiratis alike.\n\nShe has covered the launch of iconic projects in Dubai and milestone national moments\u2014from COP28, Expo 2020 Dubai, Presidential and Prime Ministerial visits, multiple visa amnesties and landmark space missions to plane crashes, tragic fires, accidents and COVID-19 crises. She broke the news of Indian actress Sridevi\u2019s accidental drowning and did a literally out-of-the-world interview with UAE astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, who went on to become a minister, live from the International Space Station.\u00A0\n\nHer storytelling blends deep editorial insight with compelling human interest, backed by an extensive network across officials and communities alike. Recognised with numerous journalism awards, Sajila doesn\u2019t just report stories; she helps write the history of the UAE.","id":2207522,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"7f15b45a-8fba-4e99-801b-2215b4a41551":{"author-name":"WAM","headline":"Distance learning to continue in UAE: What parents and students need to know","story-content-id":"7f15b45a-8fba-4e99-801b-2215b4a41551","slug":"uae/education-council-announces-continuation-of-distance-learning-in-schools-higher-education-institutions-flexible-remote-work-for-federal-government-caregivers-1.500476813","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Remote learning continues in UAE: What you need to know","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"uae","name":"UAE","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae","id":85212,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"UAE","collection":{"slug":"uae","name":"UAE LANDING PAGE","id":194636},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2020/07/29/NAT-E-LEARN11-1596022914012_1739a60fbe7_large.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education-council-announces-continuation-of-distance-learning-in-schools-higher-education-institutions-flexible-remote-work-for-federal-government-caregivers-1.500476813","content-updated-at":1773717224390,"author-id":2118648,"first-published-at":1773698993122,"authors":[{"slug":"wam","social":{},"name":"WAM","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2118648,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"1aee7e25-535c-45d1-b48d-cb6668361f89":{"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","headline":"Dubai's KHDA issues new update on distance learning","story-content-id":"1aee7e25-535c-45d1-b48d-cb6668361f89","slug":"uae/education/dubais-khda-issues-new-update-on-distance-learning-1.500492167","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Distance learning: Dubai's KHDA issues new update","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Distance learning: Dubai's KHDA issues new update","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education","id":85261,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-uae","name":"Education (UAE)","id":194685},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"uae","name":"UAE","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae","id":85212,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"UAE","collection":{"slug":"uae","name":"UAE LANDING PAGE","id":194636},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2020/08/12/Stock-e-learning-online-class-_173e33018b4_large.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/dubais-khda-issues-new-update-on-distance-learning-1.500492167","content-updated-at":1774963429884,"author-id":2207522,"first-published-at":1774963429167,"authors":[{"slug":"sajila-saseendran","social":{},"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Sajila is a powerhouse in UAE journalism, with over two decades of impactful reporting that has informed, empowered, and transformed lives. She is widely recognised as one of the most trusted voices on local affairs, particularly within the Indian expat community.\n\nFrom exposing scams and reuniting families to shifting policies and freeing jailed workers, Sajila\u2019s stories often make front pages and a real-world difference. Once the only female crime reporter in Bangalore, India, she brought her razor-sharp news instincts to the UAE, covering everything from civic matters, health, education, and environment to stories that matter to both expats and Emiratis alike.\n\nShe has covered the launch of iconic projects in Dubai and milestone national moments\u2014from COP28, Expo 2020 Dubai, Presidential and Prime Ministerial visits, multiple visa amnesties and landmark space missions to plane crashes, tragic fires, accidents and COVID-19 crises. She broke the news of Indian actress Sridevi\u2019s accidental drowning and did a literally out-of-the-world interview with UAE astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, who went on to become a minister, live from the International Space Station.\u00A0\n\nHer storytelling blends deep editorial insight with compelling human interest, backed by an extensive network across officials and communities alike. Recognised with numerous journalism awards, Sajila doesn\u2019t just report stories; she helps write the history of the UAE.","id":2207522,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"bb7a5512-9734-4489-bb6f-82dacd50533c":{"author-name":"Zainab Husain","headline":"UAE distance learning 2026: Latest updates on schools, universities and exams","story-content-id":"bb7a5512-9734-4489-bb6f-82dacd50533c","slug":"living-in-uae/education/uae-distance-learning-2026-latest-updates-on-schools-universities-and-exams-1.500493429","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE distance learning 2026: What's changed for schools?","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Living-Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/living-in-uae/education","id":85354,"parent-id":85340,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-living-in-uae","name":"Living-Education (Living-UAE)","id":194778},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":6777,"file-size":19028139,"file-name":"Remote-learning","height":4518},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-01/euatdj44/Remote-learning","url":"https://gulfnews.com/living-in-uae/education/uae-distance-learning-2026-latest-updates-on-schools-universities-and-exams-1.500493429","content-updated-at":1775095204019,"author-id":2171326,"first-published-at":1775095200000,"authors":[{"slug":"zainab-husain","social":{},"name":"Zainab Husain","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Zainab was born and raised in the UAE and proudly calls herself a Dubai kid. She oversees the Living in UAE section, where she writes stories that matter to people across the country, covering laws, rules, and everyday changes that impact residents, and breaking them down to make life easier for those living here. \n\nShe also dabbles in other beats, diving into human interest pieces that highlight the diverse stories of people in the UAE, and occasionally writing about mental health with a focus on real voices and lived experiences. ","id":2171326,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"5a46b5e9-8eff-4b65-a216-81bc1078f7c9":{"author-name":"Abdulla Rasheed","headline":"Abu Dhabi tightens distance learning rules: New guidelines on teaching and attendance","story-content-id":"5a46b5e9-8eff-4b65-a216-81bc1078f7c9","slug":"uae/education/abu-dhabi-tightens-distance-learning-rules-new-guidelines-on-teaching-and-attendance-1.500503266","alternative":{"social":{"default":{"headline":"Abu Dhabi tightens distance learning rules: New code of conduct on attendance, absences and online teaching","hero-image":null}},"home":{"default":{"headline":"New rules introduced for online teaching and attendance","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education","id":85261,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-uae","name":"Education (UAE)","id":194685},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2020/07/29/NAT-E-LEARN11-1596022914012_1739a60fbe7_large.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/abu-dhabi-tightens-distance-learning-rules-new-guidelines-on-teaching-and-attendance-1.500503266","content-updated-at":1775879403772,"author-id":2165256,"first-published-at":1775879402781,"authors":[{"slug":"abdulla-rasheed","social":{},"name":"Abdulla Rasheed","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/4gnhsgzf/IMG_20250514_WA0118.jpg","bio":"Abdullah Rashid Al Hammadi \u202Fis an accomplished Emirati journalist with over 45 years of experience in both Arabic and English media. He currently serves as the Abu Dhabi Bureau Chief fo Gulf News. \n\nAl Hammadi began his career in 1980 with Al Ittihad\u202Fnewspaper, where he rose through the ranks to hold key editorial positions, including Head of International News, Director of the Research Center, and Acting Managing Editor. \n\nA founding member of the UAE Journalists Association and a former board member, he is also affiliated with the General Federation of Arab Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists. Al Hammadi studied Information Systems Technology at the University of Virginia and completed journalism training with Reuters in Cairo and London. \n\nDuring his time in Washington, D.C., he reported for Alittihad \u202Fand became a member of the National Press Club. From 2000 to 2008, he wrote the widely read Dababees column, known for its critical take on social issues. \n\nThroughout his career, Al Hammadi has conducted high-profile interviews with prominent leaders including UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and key Arab figures such as the late Yasser Arafat and former presidents of Yemen and Egypt. \n\nHe has reported on major historical events such as the Iran-Iraq war, the liberation of Kuwait, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the establishment of the Palestinian Authority. His work continues to shape and influence journalism in the UAE and the wider Arab world. ","id":2165256,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/4gnhsgzf/IMG_20250514_WA0118.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776073049416,"public-identifier":"1.500505188","subheadline":"Ministry of Education urges public to rely on official channels for updates","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE denies rumours of distance learning extension","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education","id":85261,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-uae","name":"Education (UAE)","id":194685},"data":null}],"read-time":1,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776072980233,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563},"comments":null,"word-count":258,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776073049416,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"last-correction-published-at":1776132647969,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"AFP","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":"200325 Libya","id":"5d440259-f308-448b-aa72-b0699a9ab079","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2020/03/25/200325-Libya_1710eb9458e_large.jpg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/5d440259-f308-448b-aa72-b0699a9ab079/element/26047540-36ba-4a4e-a818-89e07c0e0652","type":"text","family-id":"a3a5a0a5-57c1-487e-97f2-8581e60e19d6","title":"","id":"26047540-36ba-4a4e-a818-89e07c0e0652","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The Ministry of Education has denied social media claims that distance learning will be extended until May 1, 2026, confirming that no such decision has been issued.
It said all updates related to the academic system will be communicated only through its official and verified platforms, stressing that current schedules remain unchanged.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/5d440259-f308-448b-aa72-b0699a9ab079/element/2dd56f4c-ccc7-4d9f-a462-4c17377cff32","type":"text","family-id":"7edebede-a6f9-4a06-acd8-038fcaa7c343","title":"","id":"2dd56f4c-ccc7-4d9f-a462-4c17377cff32","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/5d440259-f308-448b-aa72-b0699a9ab079/element/4d6948a5-f3b4-4659-9405-ae106c07b988","type":"text","family-id":"de0d5105-21ed-4903-8906-43f158ac1c47","title":"","id":"4d6948a5-f3b4-4659-9405-ae106c07b988","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
On March 30, officials confirmed that distance learning had been extended until Friday, April 17, for students, teachers and administrative staff across all nurseries, kindergartens and public and private schools nationwide.
"},{"description":"","embed-js":"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","page-url":"/story/5d440259-f308-448b-aa72-b0699a9ab079/element/6d85d184-7f8c-49ed-864a-107f4849115c","type":"jsembed","family-id":"5e6db6d6-1e00-459e-8523-8ffbb2d742a2","title":"","id":"6d85d184-7f8c-49ed-864a-107f4849115c","metadata":{"tweet-url":"https://twitter.com/MOEUAEofficial/status/2043621201042649359","provider":"twitter","tweet-id":"2043621201042649359"},"subtype":"tweet"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/5d440259-f308-448b-aa72-b0699a9ab079/element/2a70f260-2c03-4e46-b6e9-9649d77c6a56","type":"text","family-id":"edbf702d-878a-4779-86d6-d0414c913643","title":"","id":"2a70f260-2c03-4e46-b6e9-9649d77c6a56","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The ministry said the extension prioritises safety and wellbeing, with all schools continuing under remote learning arrangements across the country.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/5d440259-f308-448b-aa72-b0699a9ab079/element/d9656c6f-e40e-41d7-8c05-9baa02a0699b","type":"text","family-id":"4674dac0-d36d-4959-9107-92558f6bf359","title":"","id":"d9656c6f-e40e-41d7-8c05-9baa02a0699b","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"5ca3e881-cc99-4161-b40b-59b3a3017d38","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775134500491,"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","headline":"UAE parents welcome distance learning extension: 'Our children's safety comes first'","story-content-id":"5ca3e881-cc99-4161-b40b-59b3a3017d38","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/education/uae-parents-welcome-distance-learning-extension-our-childrens-safety-comes-first-1.500494409","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775134504499,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Why UAE parents back extension of distance learning","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE parents welcome distance learning extension: 'Our children's safety comes first'","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85261,"name":"Education","slug":"education","data":null},{"id":102244,"name":"United in Strength","slug":"united-in-strength","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/ELPbOSfjDg0LWaB4u9jWlZqBBvNejH4x3a80lGZoDF6xJ4ogukmBZC4o_UKPTiV5","published-at":1775134504499,"status":"published","id":"5ca3e881-cc99-4161-b40b-59b3a3017d38","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/uae-parents-welcome-distance-learning-extension-our-childrens-safety-comes-first-1.500494409","author-id":2207522,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2207522,"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"ELPbOSfjDg0LWaB4u9jWlZqBBvNejH4x3a80lGZoDF6xJ4ogukmBZC4o_UKPTiV5","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"UAE parents welcome distance learning extension: 'Our children's safety comes first'"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/5d440259-f308-448b-aa72-b0699a9ab079/element/0d8e5cad-4bba-438a-8245-97e9d9fc6690","type":"text","family-id":"32b15448-b91d-4981-81c9-847c59cb0f5f","title":"","id":"0d8e5cad-4bba-438a-8245-97e9d9fc6690","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Authorities added that the situation will be reviewed weekly, meaning the April 17 deadline could be adjusted depending on future developments.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/5d440259-f308-448b-aa72-b0699a9ab079/element/d8124d59-531f-4ede-9c01-f6fe55dd5314","type":"text","family-id":"7b1c415e-bbcf-4f7d-814a-daa31daa4458","title":"","id":"d8124d59-531f-4ede-9c01-f6fe55dd5314","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"5a46b5e9-8eff-4b65-a216-81bc1078f7c9","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775879401037,"author-name":"Abdulla Rasheed","headline":"Abu Dhabi tightens distance learning rules: New guidelines on teaching and attendance","story-content-id":"5a46b5e9-8eff-4b65-a216-81bc1078f7c9","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/education/abu-dhabi-tightens-distance-learning-rules-new-guidelines-on-teaching-and-attendance-1.500503266","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775879402781,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"social":{"default":{"headline":"Abu Dhabi tightens distance learning rules: New code of conduct on attendance, absences and online teaching","hero-image":null}},"home":{"default":{"headline":"New rules introduced for online teaching and attendance","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85261,"name":"Education","slug":"education","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/Mf_72K9cNZVrqzo5DTcA6cm8PAEbkvw2sxtyvvRNwGolY7FARLlMiadCjK1YPb0J","published-at":1775879402781,"status":"published","id":"5a46b5e9-8eff-4b65-a216-81bc1078f7c9","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/abu-dhabi-tightens-distance-learning-rules-new-guidelines-on-teaching-and-attendance-1.500503266","author-id":2165256,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2165256,"name":"Abdulla Rasheed","email":"aalhammadi@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"Mf_72K9cNZVrqzo5DTcA6cm8PAEbkvw2sxtyvvRNwGolY7FARLlMiadCjK1YPb0J","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Abu Dhabi tightens distance learning rules: New guidelines on teaching and attendance"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/5d440259-f308-448b-aa72-b0699a9ab079/element/a8701cb5-0bc6-4cb8-82e5-1554487ead48","type":"text","family-id":"c836c618-7fe0-40f9-a72c-39579a29e3f7","title":"","id":"a8701cb5-0bc6-4cb8-82e5-1554487ead48","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Distance learning was first introduced on March 2, before being extended into Term 3 on March 23 following an early spring break prompted by regional tensions.
Since then, schools have remained online, with students and staff connecting from multiple locations, including overseas, as the education system continues to operate under evolving conditions.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776074645550,"content-version-id":"8478c504-e3fa-4acf-9c81-6e7a8db8424b","card-added-at":1776072980380,"status":"draft","id":"0667f61a-99a4-4933-b469-53285c6ca8fc","content-id":"0667f61a-99a4-4933-b469-53285c6ca8fc","version":14,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"UAE denies rumours of distance learning extension until May 1","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/import/2020/03/25/200325-Libya_1710eb9458e_large.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AFP","alt-text":"200325 Libya","caption":"UAE clarifies no decision to prolong remote schooling despite online rumours","metadata":{"width":750,"height":563}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/5d440259-f308-448b-aa72-b0699a9ab079/element/2c93919e-4da1-4674-8cfa-36e6735cf9b9","type":"text","family-id":"307791b2-ecb4-44b2-b3d6-c833eec4cdcb","title":"","id":"2c93919e-4da1-4674-8cfa-36e6735cf9b9","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"3784dec5-6363-428d-8a1e-9ce857f90db7","linked-story":{"updated-at":1774899046024,"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","headline":"UAE extends distance learning for nurseries, schools till April 17","story-content-id":"3784dec5-6363-428d-8a1e-9ce857f90db7","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/education/uae-extends-distance-learning-till-april-17-1.500491329","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1774896539366,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE extends distance learning till April 17","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE extends distance learning till April 17","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85261,"name":"Education","slug":"education","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/hN6Yd9bbCFoc5KMMJAMD1-M03Lzxo8PrZwFV7xZcSPAFuf78pnBRTPbr8t1cIuB5","published-at":1774896539366,"status":"published","id":"3784dec5-6363-428d-8a1e-9ce857f90db7","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/uae-extends-distance-learning-till-april-17-1.500491329","author-id":2207522,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2207522,"name":"Sajila Saseendran","email":"ssaseendran@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"],"label":["UPDATE"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"hN6Yd9bbCFoc5KMMJAMD1-M03Lzxo8PrZwFV7xZcSPAFuf78pnBRTPbr8t1cIuB5","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"UAE extends distance learning for nurseries, schools till April 17"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/5d440259-f308-448b-aa72-b0699a9ab079/element/2afc2510-cdc2-40c6-8133-d2cdc57be199","type":"text","family-id":"4f91b792-5df4-40d6-b9ba-e3221e8b10cd","title":"","id":"2afc2510-cdc2-40c6-8133-d2cdc57be199","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"1aee7e25-535c-45d1-b48d-cb6668361f89","linked-story":{"updated-at":1774963425637,"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","headline":"Dubai's KHDA issues new update on distance learning","story-content-id":"1aee7e25-535c-45d1-b48d-cb6668361f89","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/education/dubais-khda-issues-new-update-on-distance-learning-1.500492167","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1774963429167,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Distance learning: Dubai's KHDA issues new update","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Distance learning: Dubai's KHDA issues new update","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85261,"name":"Education","slug":"education","data":null},{"id":85212,"name":"UAE","slug":"uae","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/0ari70rUuGx7Xm3N7g2r4YONrv2SJ0zU4UrCuKwZemzxkFCn_u6zeqL6q00Nwbom","published-at":1774963429167,"status":"published","id":"1aee7e25-535c-45d1-b48d-cb6668361f89","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/dubais-khda-issues-new-update-on-distance-learning-1.500492167","author-id":2207522,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2207522,"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"0ari70rUuGx7Xm3N7g2r4YONrv2SJ0zU4UrCuKwZemzxkFCn_u6zeqL6q00Nwbom","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Dubai's KHDA issues new update on distance learning"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/5d440259-f308-448b-aa72-b0699a9ab079/element/fd934df8-8d47-4057-a9af-7f7975b51797","type":"text","family-id":"4e2183c8-3fbf-40eb-8e6c-2237e570dd10","title":"","id":"fd934df8-8d47-4057-a9af-7f7975b51797","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"bb7a5512-9734-4489-bb6f-82dacd50533c","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775052558648,"author-name":"Zainab Husain","headline":"UAE distance learning 2026: Latest updates on schools, universities and exams","story-content-id":"bb7a5512-9734-4489-bb6f-82dacd50533c","is-published":true,"slug":"living-in-uae/education/uae-distance-learning-2026-latest-updates-on-schools-universities-and-exams-1.500493429","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775095200000,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE distance learning 2026: What's changed for schools?","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85354,"name":"Living-Education","slug":"education","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/hqvyXVoFVmrxAF9KJ4p5uroo3BgVBRxaZHSZ5fQP9G9dRZ4m3Nre54VDC6I6weNk","published-at":1775095200000,"status":"published","id":"bb7a5512-9734-4489-bb6f-82dacd50533c","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/living-in-uae/education/uae-distance-learning-2026-latest-updates-on-schools-universities-and-exams-1.500493429","author-id":2171326,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2171326,"name":"Zainab Husain","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"hqvyXVoFVmrxAF9KJ4p5uroo3BgVBRxaZHSZ5fQP9G9dRZ4m3Nre54VDC6I6weNk","publish-at":1775095200000}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"UAE distance learning 2026: Latest updates on schools, universities and exams"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/5d440259-f308-448b-aa72-b0699a9ab079/element/bc3a867a-a1bb-45b2-8a79-d24bb063f524","type":"text","family-id":"71bac428-42a7-4608-aab8-bb7b371cd2f2","title":"","id":"bc3a867a-a1bb-45b2-8a79-d24bb063f524","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"7f15b45a-8fba-4e99-801b-2215b4a41551","linked-story":{"updated-at":1773717222650,"author-name":"WAM","headline":"Distance learning to continue in UAE: What parents and students need to know","story-content-id":"7f15b45a-8fba-4e99-801b-2215b4a41551","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/education-council-announces-continuation-of-distance-learning-in-schools-higher-education-institutions-flexible-remote-work-for-federal-government-caregivers-1.500476813","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1773698993122,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Remote learning continues in UAE: What you need to know","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85212,"name":"UAE","slug":"uae","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/Nf1med2TxBCow9OpsuRQzxtVs_nlb4IBGpSXijAnWzKw1V-34Km3AlqacxZ9Yn6N","published-at":1773698993122,"status":"published","id":"7f15b45a-8fba-4e99-801b-2215b4a41551","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education-council-announces-continuation-of-distance-learning-in-schools-higher-education-institutions-flexible-remote-work-for-federal-government-caregivers-1.500476813","author-id":2118648,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"syndicated","authors":[{"id":2118648,"name":"WAM","email":"wam@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"imported-card-is-read-only":null,"story-attributes":{"syndicatedfrom":["Wire - WAM EN"],"syndicated-categories":null},"original-url":"https://www.wam.ae/article/174hyl8-education-council-announces-continuation-distance","imported-card-id":"80ab5dd1-5cf7-4da4-b5a7-f504c1fd52e5"},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"Nf1med2TxBCow9OpsuRQzxtVs_nlb4IBGpSXijAnWzKw1V-34Km3AlqacxZ9Yn6N","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Distance learning to continue in UAE: What parents and students need to know"}],"card-updated-at":1776073809303,"content-version-id":"d77dcd38-953e-4726-ba23-c0566984edfe","card-added-at":1776073805321,"status":"draft","id":"b3557eff-bd81-4112-b755-b1340e05cddb","content-id":"b3557eff-bd81-4112-b755-b1340e05cddb","version":2,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"UAE denies rumours of distance learning extension until May 1","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/import/2020/03/25/200325-Libya_1710eb9458e_large.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AFP","alt-text":"200325 Libya","caption":"UAE clarifies no decision to prolong remote schooling despite online rumours","metadata":{"width":750,"height":563}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_In_This_Package"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/uae-denies-rumours-of-distance-learning-extension-until-may-1-1.500505188","story-version-id":"29e4c17c-a10d-4e11-94da-b43c107ecb3c","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776132648184,"author-id":2208736,"owner-id":2170753,"linked-story-ids":["5a46b5e9-8eff-4b65-a216-81bc1078f7c9","5ca3e881-cc99-4161-b40b-59b3a3017d38","bb7a5512-9734-4489-bb6f-82dacd50533c","1aee7e25-535c-45d1-b48d-cb6668361f89","3784dec5-6363-428d-8a1e-9ce857f90db7","7f15b45a-8fba-4e99-801b-2215b4a41551"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776073049416,"hero-image-caption":"UAE clarifies no decision to prolong remote schooling despite online rumours","version":17,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776132643979,"authors":[{"slug":"aghaddir-ali","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/aghaddir"},"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/aghaddir-ali-b99a9535"}},"name":"Aghaddir Ali","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/4q9b74vq/White_background.jpg","bio":"Aghaddir is a senior news reporter at Gulf News with more than a decade of experience covering the UAE\u2019s most pressing developments. Known for her sharp eye for detail and deep expertise in the country\u2019s legal and security systems, Aghaddir delivers journalism that clarifies complex issues and informs public discourse. \n\nWhile based in Sharjah, she also covers Dubai and the northern emirates. She leads daily reporting with a strong focus on breaking news, law enforcement, courts, crime, and legislation. Her work also spans education, public safety, environmental issues, and compelling community and adventure features. \n\nAghaddir\u2019s investigative stories engage readers in meaningful conversations about the nation\u2019s evolving challenges and opportunities. Her interests include public policy, judicial affairs, social issues, healthcare, and governance, and her body of work reflects a commitment to accurate, impactful, and socially relevant journalism. She has established herself as a reliable and trusted voice in the region's media. ","id":2208736,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/4q9b74vq/White_background.jpg","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran"},"id":"5d440259-f308-448b-aa72-b0699a9ab079"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776106990249,"seo":{"meta-title":"Indian Expat Philatelist in Dubai Honors UAE With 100+ Flag-Themed Stamps and Rare Coins","meta-description":"From rare UAE flag stamps to NFT collectibles, Kerala collector celebrates Sheikh Mohammed\u2019s call to raise the flag with special philatelic tribute","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2207522,"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","tags":[{"id":11150259,"name":"UAE","meta-description":"Follow the latest updates from the UAE including government news, national developments, economic trends, and lifestyle highlights.","meta-title":"UAE News \u2013 National Events, Economy & Government Updates","slug":"uae","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11392631,"name":"kerala","meta-description":"Stay updated with the latest news from Kerala including tourism highlights, cultural stories, and government developments.","meta-title":"Kerala News \u2013 Tourism, Culture & State Updates","slug":"kerala","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11442957,"name":"Indian expats","meta-description":"Get news for Indian expats in the UAE including legal updates, visa tips, events, and community stories.","meta-title":"Indian Expat News \u2013 Life, Laws & Community in the UAE","slug":"indian-expats","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11457997,"name":"Dubai","meta-description":"Get the latest updates and stories from Dubai including news, events, city developments, lifestyle and entertainment highlights.","meta-title":"Dubai News \u2013 City Updates, Events & Lifestyle Highlights","slug":"dubai","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11635357,"name":"Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid","meta-description":"Explore updates from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid including leadership initiatives, policy reforms, and UAE development news.","meta-title":"Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid News \u2013 Speeches & Initiatives","slug":"sheikh-mohammed-bin-rashid","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":14773106,"name":"US-Israel-Iran war","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"us-israel-iran-war","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"Indian expat philatelist in Dubai honours UAE with over 100 flag-themed stamps","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"100f3b5f-804f-4d80-bded-c43f6ffa6e2f","slug":"uae/united-in-strength/united-in-1.500505797","linked-stories":{"852a0dae-9e70-466a-9e8a-a4c063342cbd":{"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","headline":"200kg UAE flag carried by 64 nationalities sets Guinness World Record in Abu Dhabi","story-content-id":"852a0dae-9e70-466a-9e8a-a4c063342cbd","slug":"uae/united-in-strength/200kg-uae-flag-carried-by-64-nationalities-sets-guinness-world-record-in-abu-dhabi-1.500504117","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Watch: 64 nationalities lift 200kg UAE flag, set record","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Watch: 200kg UAE flag carried by 64 nationalities sets Guinness World Record in Abu Dhabi","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"united-in-strength","name":"United in Strength","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/united-in-strength","id":102244,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"United in Strength","collection":{"slug":"united-in-strength-uae","name":"United in Strength (UAE)","id":225707},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"people","name":"people","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/people","id":85442,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"People","collection":{"slug":"people-uae","name":"people (UAE)","id":194866},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":2606,"height":1955,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":922341,"file-name":"Burjeel-healthcare-workers-during-the-Guinness-World-Record-attempt-carrying-the-UAE-flag-banner.jpg.jpeg","focus-point":null},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/j1u1hk19/Burjeel-healthcare-workers-during-the-Guinness-World-Record-attempt-carrying-the-UAE-flag-banner.jpg.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/united-in-strength/200kg-uae-flag-carried-by-64-nationalities-sets-guinness-world-record-in-abu-dhabi-1.500504117","content-updated-at":1776073411763,"author-id":2207522,"first-published-at":1775976363396,"authors":[{"slug":"sajila-saseendran","social":{},"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Sajila is a powerhouse in UAE journalism, with over two decades of impactful reporting that has informed, empowered, and transformed lives. She is widely recognised as one of the most trusted voices on local affairs, particularly within the Indian expat community.\n\nFrom exposing scams and reuniting families to shifting policies and freeing jailed workers, Sajila\u2019s stories often make front pages and a real-world difference. Once the only female crime reporter in Bangalore, India, she brought her razor-sharp news instincts to the UAE, covering everything from civic matters, health, education, and environment to stories that matter to both expats and Emiratis alike.\n\nShe has covered the launch of iconic projects in Dubai and milestone national moments\u2014from COP28, Expo 2020 Dubai, Presidential and Prime Ministerial visits, multiple visa amnesties and landmark space missions to plane crashes, tragic fires, accidents and COVID-19 crises. She broke the news of Indian actress Sridevi\u2019s accidental drowning and did a literally out-of-the-world interview with UAE astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, who went on to become a minister, live from the International Space Station.\u00A0\n\nHer storytelling blends deep editorial insight with compelling human interest, backed by an extensive network across officials and communities alike. Recognised with numerous journalism awards, Sajila doesn\u2019t just report stories; she helps write the history of the UAE.","id":2207522,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"6407391b-3e0f-4f6f-a8e5-956d3df2818d":{"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","headline":"This Indian expat in UAE has stamps containing seed, wood, gold and diamond","story-content-id":"6407391b-3e0f-4f6f-a8e5-956d3df2818d","slug":"uae/this-indian-expat-in-uae-has-stamps-containing-seed-wood-gold-and-diamond-1.500299913","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"From seed to diamond: UAE collector\u2019s incredible stamps","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"uae","name":"UAE","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae","id":85212,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"UAE","collection":{"slug":"uae","name":"UAE LANDING PAGE","id":194636},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"people","name":"people","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/people","id":85442,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"People","collection":{"slug":"people-uae","name":"people (UAE)","id":194866},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":987,"height":740,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":736000,"file-name":"IMG5441.jpg","focus-point":null},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-10-08/ej5ymsea/IMG5441.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/this-indian-expat-in-uae-has-stamps-containing-seed-wood-gold-and-diamond-1.500299913","content-updated-at":1759973407869,"author-id":2207522,"first-published-at":1759973400000,"authors":[{"slug":"sajila-saseendran","social":{},"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Sajila is a powerhouse in UAE journalism, with over two decades of impactful reporting that has informed, empowered, and transformed lives. She is widely recognised as one of the most trusted voices on local affairs, particularly within the Indian expat community.\n\nFrom exposing scams and reuniting families to shifting policies and freeing jailed workers, Sajila\u2019s stories often make front pages and a real-world difference. Once the only female crime reporter in Bangalore, India, she brought her razor-sharp news instincts to the UAE, covering everything from civic matters, health, education, and environment to stories that matter to both expats and Emiratis alike.\n\nShe has covered the launch of iconic projects in Dubai and milestone national moments\u2014from COP28, Expo 2020 Dubai, Presidential and Prime Ministerial visits, multiple visa amnesties and landmark space missions to plane crashes, tragic fires, accidents and COVID-19 crises. She broke the news of Indian actress Sridevi\u2019s accidental drowning and did a literally out-of-the-world interview with UAE astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, who went on to become a minister, live from the International Space Station.\u00A0\n\nHer storytelling blends deep editorial insight with compelling human interest, backed by an extensive network across officials and communities alike. Recognised with numerous journalism awards, Sajila doesn\u2019t just report stories; she helps write the history of the UAE.","id":2207522,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"880a0bc1-ee35-4e6c-bae5-015899a66146":{"author-name":"Tricia Gajitos","headline":"UAE residents heed to Sheikh Mohammed\u2019s call to raise flags in show of unity","story-content-id":"880a0bc1-ee35-4e6c-bae5-015899a66146","slug":"uae/uae-residents-heed-to-sheikh-mohammeds-call-to-raise-flags-in-show-of-unity-1.500502614","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE residents proudly raise flags in show of unity","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE residents heed to Sheikh Mohammed\u2019s call to raise flags in show of unity","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"uae","name":"UAE","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae","id":85212,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"UAE","collection":{"slug":"uae","name":"UAE LANDING PAGE","id":194636},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":540,"height":720},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2024-11-16/88ouz8c5/Reader_picture_16ea1f9b417_original_ratio.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/uae-residents-heed-to-sheikh-mohammeds-call-to-raise-flags-in-show-of-unity-1.500502614","content-updated-at":1775822194800,"author-id":2415442,"first-published-at":1775821206425,"authors":[{"slug":"tricia-gajitos","social":{},"name":"Tricia Gajitos","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-02-09/011ed9n1/Pat.jpg","bio":"Tricia is a reporter and anchor whose work focuses on people, policy, and the Filipino community at home and abroad. Her reporting spans national affairs, overseas Filipinos, and major developments across the Middle East. She holds a degree in Broadcasting and has contributed to leading media organisations. With experience across television, print, and digital platforms, Tricia continues to develop a clear, credible voice in a rapidly evolving global media landscape.","id":2415442,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-02-09/011ed9n1/Pat.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776128400000,"public-identifier":"1.500505797","subheadline":"Kerala collector's rare stamp collection celebrates 'Proud of UAE' campaign differently","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Watch: Indian expat honours UAE with 100+ flag stamps","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Watch: Indian expat philatelist in Dubai honours UAE with over 100 flag-themed stamps","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"united-in-strength","name":"United in Strength","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/united-in-strength","id":102244,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"United in Strength","collection":{"slug":"united-in-strength-uae","name":"United in Strength (UAE)","id":225707},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"people","name":"people","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/people","id":85442,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"People","collection":{"slug":"people-uae","name":"people (UAE)","id":194866},"data":null}],"read-time":4,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776104389742,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Sajila Saseendran","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":3137,"height":2353,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":1545457,"file-name":"202604111528190.jpg.jpeg","focus-point":null},"comments":null,"word-count":794,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776128400000,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"Supplied","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"100f3b5f-804f-4d80-bded-c43f6ffa6e2f","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/h9ak5puf/202604111528190.jpg.jpeg","contributors":null,"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/100f3b5f-804f-4d80-bded-c43f6ffa6e2f/element/25ec8524-528b-4992-ba7e-b95c98aa932a","type":"text","family-id":"b6539abc-8fea-484c-b00c-16e71cd81dbf","title":"","id":"25ec8524-528b-4992-ba7e-b95c98aa932a","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Ajman: When His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, called on citizens and residents to raise the national flag above homes, institutions and buildings, most responded by hoisting the UAE flag in a show of solidarity and national pride.
Dubai resident Imtiaz Qureshi did that and went a step further to celebrate the Proud of UAE campaign in a different way.
The Indian expat and passionate philatelist from Kasaragod, Kerala, who has lived in the UAE for over 20 years, marked the occasion by showcasing a remarkable personal collection: more than 100 UAE-issued stamps featuring the national flag. Each of them commemorates a milestone, achievement, or moment of national significance.
"},{"description":"","embed-js":"PGlmcmFtZSBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vcGxheWVyLnZpbWVvLmNvbS92aWRlby8xMTgyNzM1MDYyP2g9ZDc3OGQ3MWUwYiZhbXA7YXBwX2lkPTEyMjk2MyIgd2lkdGg9IjQ4MCIgaGVpZ2h0PSIzNjAiIGZyYW1lYm9yZGVyPSIwIiBhbGxvdz0iYXV0b3BsYXk7IGZ1bGxzY3JlZW47IHBpY3R1cmUtaW4tcGljdHVyZTsgY2xpcGJvYXJkLXdyaXRlOyBlbmNyeXB0ZWQtbWVkaWE7IHdlYi1zaGFyZSIgcmVmZXJyZXJwb2xpY3k9InN0cmljdC1vcmlnaW4td2hlbi1jcm9zcy1vcmlnaW4iIHRpdGxlPSJJbmRpYW4gZXhwYXQgaG9ub3VycyBVQUUgd2l0aCBmbGFnLXRoZW1lZCBzdGFtcCBjb2xsZWN0aW9uIj48L2lmcmFtZT4=","page-url":"/story/100f3b5f-804f-4d80-bded-c43f6ffa6e2f/element/203abd00-0dec-4441-94f8-a8e4ff4e1807","type":"jsembed","family-id":"4249433c-4762-451a-8bd6-916b6f1acf5a","title":"","id":"203abd00-0dec-4441-94f8-a8e4ff4e1807","metadata":{"vimeo-url":"https://vimeo.com/1182735062/d778d71e0b","provider":"vimeo-video","video-id":1182735062},"subtype":"vimeo-video"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/100f3b5f-804f-4d80-bded-c43f6ffa6e2f/element/d047c88d-65fb-425e-a03a-c4cff3fa6caa","type":"text","family-id":"2dc828e4-35c7-41b0-aa51-61113374bdf3","title":"","id":"d047c88d-65fb-425e-a03a-c4cff3fa6caa","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"For Imtiaz, director of a lubricants manufacturing and trading company in Ajman and a proud member of both the Emirates Philatelic Association (EPA) and the Kerala Pravasi Philatelic and Numismatic Association (KPPNA), this is far more than a collector's gesture. The UAE is home in the fullest sense of the word.
\"The UAE has been my home for more than 20 years,\u201D Imtiaz told Gulf News.
"},{"description":"","image-metadata":{"width":1280,"height":1280,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":222030,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-11-at-10.56.41-AM.jpeg"},"page-url":"/story/100f3b5f-804f-4d80-bded-c43f6ffa6e2f/element/8083438c-295f-4f76-b3ad-f9cf2fce6282","type":"image","family-id":"e6811f6e-8b80-40ba-9b82-7c6d6629fce0","image-attribution":"","title":"","id":"8083438c-295f-4f76-b3ad-f9cf2fce6282","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/7hfruw0y/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-11-at-10.56.41-AM.jpeg","metadata":{},"subtype":null},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/100f3b5f-804f-4d80-bded-c43f6ffa6e2f/element/2ae2c82a-9589-4f30-97bb-6996ce770fba","type":"text","family-id":"1e8aeec8-f32a-4bbe-834e-f421e49ed034","title":"","id":"2ae2c82a-9589-4f30-97bb-6996ce770fba","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"\u201CThis country has given my family safety, opportunity, and a deep sense of belonging. My three children were born and raised here, and they proudly consider the UAE their home. For us, this nation is not just a place of residence; it is the foundation of our lives and future,\" he pointed out.
His journey in philately began at the age of 12, when his grandfather C.H. Abdullah gifted him a stamp album. That small gesture ignited a lifelong passion. His parents, Prof CH Ahmed Hussain and Fareena, nurtured that interest from the start, and today his wife Gazna, a senior IT executive and crochet artist, and their three children (Ishaan, Ayaan and Imaan) continue to support and share in his love for stamps and coins.
"},{"description":"","image-metadata":{"width":1093,"height":856,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":263213,"focus-point":null},"page-url":"/story/100f3b5f-804f-4d80-bded-c43f6ffa6e2f/element/be782622-1246-4e6a-8fe3-11ab827ad7fa","type":"image","family-id":"189d93aa-a83f-46d0-9947-20a5558feae3","image-attribution":"","title":"","id":"be782622-1246-4e6a-8fe3-11ab827ad7fa","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/oqajrh1g/WhatsApp_Image_2026_04_11_at_10_52_37_AM.jpeg","metadata":{},"subtype":null},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/100f3b5f-804f-4d80-bded-c43f6ffa6e2f/element/87686468-6f4b-482f-99d8-a5d015a63ef4","type":"text","family-id":"f6b3b606-20af-4096-8fec-a317c89cafe1","title":"","id":"87686468-6f4b-482f-99d8-a5d015a63ef4","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Over 35 years, Imtiaz has built a philatelic treasure trove that spans centuries, continents and materials, from stamps made of wood, leather, silk, bamboo and ceramic, to others adorned with Swarovski crystals, gold, silver, platinum and even diamond. His collection spans stamps and coins from more than 150 countries.
In support of the Proud of UAE campaign, Imtiaz is now showcasing the portion of his collection devoted entirely to the UAE flag.
But the collection extends well beyond UAE-issued stamps. It also includes stamps issued by other countries in honour of the UAE flag.
"},{"description":"","image-metadata":{"width":1600,"height":614,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":150133,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-11-at-11.36.58-AM.jpeg"},"page-url":"/story/100f3b5f-804f-4d80-bded-c43f6ffa6e2f/element/446985f5-b58c-4d12-b75d-32e2e53a24b5","type":"image","family-id":"fa6d3487-73c7-4477-821e-d66a115eebab","image-attribution":"Supplied","title":"Some of the stamps of friendship issued by other countries.","id":"446985f5-b58c-4d12-b75d-32e2e53a24b5","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/kq678d3m/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-11-at-11.36.58-AM.jpeg","metadata":{},"subtype":null},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/100f3b5f-804f-4d80-bded-c43f6ffa6e2f/element/71a851f1-3a0f-4140-b6f4-216e3ade92ca","type":"text","family-id":"f05719b4-ce7c-42c3-a582-467c3ca3a71f","title":"","id":"71a851f1-3a0f-4140-b6f4-216e3ade92ca","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Among them are India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Algeria, Iraq as well as the United Nations.
Adding further depth are first day covers from the UAE and other countries featuring the national flag. \"There is a special cover issued by India with the UAE flag, celebrating the enduring friendship between our nations,\" he said.
His collection also features rare numismatic and digital pieces. A silver commemorative coin issued on Commemoration Day bears the UAE flag, while a separate silver coin marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the UAE.
"},{"description":"","image-metadata":{"width":1280,"height":960,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":94534,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-12-at-11.52.52-AM.jpeg"},"page-url":"/story/100f3b5f-804f-4d80-bded-c43f6ffa6e2f/element/1ebb769c-ee91-47d4-8c56-2f66579a055a","type":"image","family-id":"79548de9-0311-40d4-a18c-79e6812c26ed","image-attribution":"Supplied","title":"The special silver coins and the NFT stamps.","id":"1ebb769c-ee91-47d4-8c56-2f66579a055a","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/umd3gxs0/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-12-at-11.52.52-AM.jpeg","metadata":{},"subtype":null},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/100f3b5f-804f-4d80-bded-c43f6ffa6e2f/element/bfb9a3fe-03bf-4164-a653-5e20e79396c8","type":"text","family-id":"61695b5d-9d19-40c6-a047-84e85fdcdcb1","title":"","id":"bfb9a3fe-03bf-4164-a653-5e20e79396c8","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Among the most prized items are two NFT stamps issued by the UAE. These include one paired with a 1-gram gold bar minted with the Spirit of the Union \"Year of the 50th\" logo, prominently displaying the UAE flag. That NFT stamp, priced at Dh2,021, remains one of the most expensive items in Imtiaz's extensive collection.
Imtiaz says the timing of sharing this collection feels especially meaningful. Amid a period of regional uncertainty, he expressed his sincere appreciation for the stability and security the UAE has consistently provided.
\"From the challenging days of the COVID-19 pandemic to the ongoing regional tensions involving Iran, the UAE has consistently stood as a pillar of stability, security, and unity. We are sincerely thankful to the UAE government for the sense of safety and reassurance we continue to experience every day,\" he said.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/100f3b5f-804f-4d80-bded-c43f6ffa6e2f/element/02f0ec2f-57c2-4d89-a875-3068d7cbb8ff","type":"text","family-id":"037df803-3c23-447b-8994-5cd9f5e13857","title":"","id":"02f0ec2f-57c2-4d89-a875-3068d7cbb8ff","metadata":{"content":"\r\nGet updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.\r\n"},"subtype":"blurb","text":"\r\nGet updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.\r\n"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/100f3b5f-804f-4d80-bded-c43f6ffa6e2f/element/a371b2c8-826f-4fbf-9860-5660104bf15f","type":"text","family-id":"2c10dc04-2eb1-4c74-9a29-8ccf10d4e8c2","title":"","id":"a371b2c8-826f-4fbf-9860-5660104bf15f","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
With 2025 declared the Year of Family, the significance of the moment is not lost on him either.
\"The Year of Family holds special meaning for us because the UAE is truly where our family's story belongs. Through this collection, I wish to convey a simple yet sincere message of loyalty, unity, and gratitude,\" said Imtiaz.
\"By proudly hoisting the UAE flag and sharing this collection, we stand together in appreciation of a nation that has provided us with security, opportunity, and a place we are proud to call home,\u201D he added.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776106986178,"content-version-id":"6a6b7ee2-a9dd-4c0e-919d-4a87b82c97a5","card-added-at":1776104389750,"status":"draft","id":"b46f7fdf-59c6-484a-a2ca-d98d739309ae","content-id":"b46f7fdf-59c6-484a-a2ca-d98d739309ae","version":44,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Indian expat philatelist in Dubai honours UAE with over 100 flag-themed stamps","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/7hfruw0y/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-11-at-10.56.41-AM.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"","caption":null,"alt-text":"","metadata":{"width":1280,"height":1280,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":222030,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-11-at-10.56.41-AM.jpeg"}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/100f3b5f-804f-4d80-bded-c43f6ffa6e2f/element/c21f2b55-346a-4b0f-a627-b4f833ae5404","type":"text","family-id":"8dc72b40-41de-481b-9b41-7fe08b3e7117","title":"","id":"c21f2b55-346a-4b0f-a627-b4f833ae5404","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"880a0bc1-ee35-4e6c-bae5-015899a66146","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775822192165,"author-name":"Tricia Gajitos","headline":"UAE residents heed to Sheikh Mohammed\u2019s call to raise flags in show of unity","story-content-id":"880a0bc1-ee35-4e6c-bae5-015899a66146","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/uae-residents-heed-to-sheikh-mohammeds-call-to-raise-flags-in-show-of-unity-1.500502614","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775821206425,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE residents proudly raise flags in show of unity","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE residents heed to Sheikh Mohammed\u2019s call to raise flags in show of unity","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85212,"name":"UAE","slug":"uae","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/lJ-BjH0CMEisrRcrtSbHU9E8utt2DDAw_6v8nCmHNjLEAV7WrhE5BaYco17vXtMq","published-at":1775821206425,"status":"published","id":"880a0bc1-ee35-4e6c-bae5-015899a66146","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/uae-residents-heed-to-sheikh-mohammeds-call-to-raise-flags-in-show-of-unity-1.500502614","author-id":2415442,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2415442,"name":"Tricia Gajitos","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"lJ-BjH0CMEisrRcrtSbHU9E8utt2DDAw_6v8nCmHNjLEAV7WrhE5BaYco17vXtMq","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"UAE residents heed to Sheikh Mohammed\u2019s call to raise flags in show of unity"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/100f3b5f-804f-4d80-bded-c43f6ffa6e2f/element/2bad01ba-35f5-4b52-a3c2-e4f123a514df","type":"text","family-id":"e69786c6-ec3e-4f52-9f00-961707cd2a77","title":"","id":"2bad01ba-35f5-4b52-a3c2-e4f123a514df","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"6407391b-3e0f-4f6f-a8e5-956d3df2818d","linked-story":{"updated-at":1759965843314,"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","headline":"This Indian expat in UAE has stamps containing seed, wood, gold and diamond","story-content-id":"6407391b-3e0f-4f6f-a8e5-956d3df2818d","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/this-indian-expat-in-uae-has-stamps-containing-seed-wood-gold-and-diamond-1.500299913","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1759973400000,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"From seed to diamond: UAE collector\u2019s incredible stamps","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85212,"name":"UAE","slug":"uae","data":null},{"id":85442,"name":"people","slug":"people","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/2Y6tkRq_oINz_lJSdwPjXu29paHpHMaUY8SzoJxRq9OP4Nc5OXuwA5BBmkT13cH9","published-at":1759973400000,"status":"published","id":"6407391b-3e0f-4f6f-a8e5-956d3df2818d","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/this-indian-expat-in-uae-has-stamps-containing-seed-wood-gold-and-diamond-1.500299913","author-id":2207522,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2207522,"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"2Y6tkRq_oINz_lJSdwPjXu29paHpHMaUY8SzoJxRq9OP4Nc5OXuwA5BBmkT13cH9","publish-at":1759973400000}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"This Indian expat in UAE has stamps containing seed, wood, gold and diamond"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/100f3b5f-804f-4d80-bded-c43f6ffa6e2f/element/0f7e2420-620c-421e-a829-549170444c8f","type":"text","family-id":"7b94e857-c6da-4891-9114-593cfcac0531","title":"","id":"0f7e2420-620c-421e-a829-549170444c8f","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"852a0dae-9e70-466a-9e8a-a4c063342cbd","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776073409453,"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","headline":"200kg UAE flag carried by 64 nationalities sets Guinness World Record in Abu Dhabi","story-content-id":"852a0dae-9e70-466a-9e8a-a4c063342cbd","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/united-in-strength/200kg-uae-flag-carried-by-64-nationalities-sets-guinness-world-record-in-abu-dhabi-1.500504117","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775976363396,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Watch: 64 nationalities lift 200kg UAE flag, set record","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Watch: 200kg UAE flag carried by 64 nationalities sets Guinness World Record in Abu Dhabi","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":102244,"name":"United in Strength","slug":"united-in-strength","data":null},{"id":85442,"name":"people","slug":"people","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/YCNm0nYDu9qK5-ZTjB91-YjN_msksm26-ddzwMTsDtfvMC1Ev_RC7Tv835eGXCko","published-at":1775976363396,"status":"published","id":"852a0dae-9e70-466a-9e8a-a4c063342cbd","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/united-in-strength/200kg-uae-flag-carried-by-64-nationalities-sets-guinness-world-record-in-abu-dhabi-1.500504117","author-id":2207522,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2207522,"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"YCNm0nYDu9qK5-ZTjB91-YjN_msksm26-ddzwMTsDtfvMC1Ev_RC7Tv835eGXCko","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"200kg UAE flag carried by 64 nationalities sets Guinness World Record in Abu Dhabi"}],"card-updated-at":1776106986178,"content-version-id":"02ca7c4d-bd23-451f-8ea0-b126f801eb15","card-added-at":1776104897000,"status":"draft","id":"eae9b961-7ab2-40ec-971f-e22c13d13327","content-id":"eae9b961-7ab2-40ec-971f-e22c13d13327","version":38,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Indian expat philatelist in Dubai honours UAE with over 100 flag-themed stamps","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/h9ak5puf/202604111528190.jpg.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"Supplied","alt-text":null,"caption":"Imtiaz Qureshi with his UAE flag-themed stamps.","metadata":{"width":3137,"height":2353,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":1545457,"file-name":"202604111528190.jpg.jpeg","focus-point":null}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_Read"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/united-in-strength/united-in-1.500505797","story-version-id":"2d87ff95-fcec-46d8-bf8e-0ffa4395611c","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776128400249,"author-id":2207522,"owner-id":2207522,"linked-story-ids":["852a0dae-9e70-466a-9e8a-a4c063342cbd","880a0bc1-ee35-4e6c-bae5-015899a66146","6407391b-3e0f-4f6f-a8e5-956d3df2818d"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776128400000,"hero-image-caption":"Imtiaz Qureshi with his UAE flag-themed stamps.","version":44,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776106986160,"authors":[{"slug":"sajila-saseendran","social":{},"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Sajila is a powerhouse in UAE journalism, with over two decades of impactful reporting that has informed, empowered, and transformed lives. She is widely recognised as one of the most trusted voices on local affairs, particularly within the Indian expat community.\n\nFrom exposing scams and reuniting families to shifting policies and freeing jailed workers, Sajila\u2019s stories often make front pages and a real-world difference. Once the only female crime reporter in Bangalore, India, she brought her razor-sharp news instincts to the UAE, covering everything from civic matters, health, education, and environment to stories that matter to both expats and Emiratis alike.\n\nShe has covered the launch of iconic projects in Dubai and milestone national moments\u2014from COP28, Expo 2020 Dubai, Presidential and Prime Ministerial visits, multiple visa amnesties and landmark space missions to plane crashes, tragic fires, accidents and COVID-19 crises. She broke the news of Indian actress Sridevi\u2019s accidental drowning and did a literally out-of-the-world interview with UAE astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, who went on to become a minister, live from the International Space Station.\u00A0\n\nHer storytelling blends deep editorial insight with compelling human interest, backed by an extensive network across officials and communities alike. Recognised with numerous journalism awards, Sajila doesn\u2019t just report stories; she helps write the history of the UAE.","id":2207522,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"label":["EXCLUSIVE"]},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":1776128400000,"assignee-name":"Sajila Saseendran"},"id":"100f3b5f-804f-4d80-bded-c43f6ffa6e2f"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776111306763,"seo":{"meta-title":"Why UAE Weather Still Feels Like Winter in Spring 2024 \u2013 Cooler Temperatures, Rain and When the Heat Will Arrive","meta-description":"Why is the UAE still so cool this spring? Experts explain the longer winter feel, recent rain and when hotter summer temperatures will finally arrive.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2165038,"author-name":"Huda Ata","tags":[],"headline":"UAE in spring, not winter: Why cool weather is lasting longer this year","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"d9d7bfee-bd03-4311-9283-c840a7c4627e","slug":"uae/weather/uae-in-spring-not-winter-why-cool-weather-is-lasting-longer-this-year-1.500505842","linked-stories":{"20b59eaf-8c0e-4395-85e0-f038a3d3aaff":{"author-name":"Surabhi Vasundharadevi","headline":"Scorpion season brings weather changes to UAE: What to expect this winter","story-content-id":"20b59eaf-8c0e-4395-85e0-f038a3d3aaff","slug":"uae/weather/scorpion-season-brings-weather-changes-to-uae-what-to-expect-this-winter-1.500442627","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Is winter changing? Scorpion season in UAE explained","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Is winter changing? Scorpion season in UAE explained","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"weather","name":"Weather","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather","id":85296,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Weather","collection":{"slug":"weather","name":"Weather (UAE)","id":194720},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":640,"height":480,"mime-type":"image/avif","file-size":31330,"file-name":"gulfnews2024-11-18dmt2jyx3FoginDubai185524fe5c2originalratio.avif"},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-02-13/qkvbexr4/gulfnews2024-11-18dmt2jyx3FoginDubai185524fe5c2originalratio.avif","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather/scorpion-season-brings-weather-changes-to-uae-what-to-expect-this-winter-1.500442627","content-updated-at":1771046273068,"author-id":2208704,"first-published-at":1771030800000,"authors":[{"slug":"surabhi-vasundharadevi","social":{},"name":"Surabhi Vasundharadevi","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/z7skwaiz/Surabhi.jpg","bio":"Surabhi is a social media reporter with almost a decade of experience in the field of journalism. She\u2019s all about trending stories, while being a full-on car and bike enthusiast. \n\nIf it\u2019s got wheels or horsepower, Surabhi is interested. She also enjoys writing about cool tech and tasty food\u2014basically, anything that makes life more exciting. \n\nWhether she\u2019s exploring new recipes, or spotting the next big online trend, Surabhi is all about creating content that\u2019s fun to read, easy to share, and always on point with what\u2019s hot right now. Have a story to share with her? Reach out to Surabhi on svasundharadevi@gulfnews.com","id":2208704,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/z7skwaiz/Surabhi.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"801c0f13-5d15-45a9-b02d-26bb23ca6124":{"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"Why the UAE is seeing rain and cooler weather this spring","story-content-id":"801c0f13-5d15-45a9-b02d-26bb23ca6124","slug":"uae/weather/why-the-uae-is-seeing-rain-and-cooler-weather-this-spring-1.500501974","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Why UAE is seeing rain and cooler weather this spring","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Why the UAE is seeing rain and cooler weather this spring","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"weather","name":"Weather","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather","id":85296,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Weather","collection":{"slug":"weather","name":"Weather (UAE)","id":194720},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"file-size":1095825,"width":2246,"height":1498,"focus-point":[1262,662]},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-21/6j75ux4j/STAFFNAT_260321_Rain_VSAKLANI_51774080935814.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather/why-the-uae-is-seeing-rain-and-cooler-weather-this-spring-1.500501974","content-updated-at":1775775300199,"author-id":2287057,"first-published-at":1775775300000,"authors":[{"slug":"huda-ata","social":{},"name":"Huda Ata","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE.","id":2287057,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"cdb29570-8581-4eab-8354-0d2e96b3d6cb":{"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"When will the UAE heat hit? Not as soon as you think","story-content-id":"cdb29570-8581-4eab-8354-0d2e96b3d6cb","slug":"uae/weather/when-will-the-uae-heat-hit-not-as-soon-as-you-think-1.500503229","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"When will the UAE heat hit? Not as soon as you think","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"weather","name":"Weather","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather","id":85296,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Weather","collection":{"slug":"weather","name":"Weather (UAE)","id":194720},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":5712,"file-size":4546784,"file-name":"Manju-Hareesh-Pic-mar-10.jpg","height":4080},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-03-24/xosvn501/Manju-Hareesh-Pic-mar-10.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather/when-will-the-uae-heat-hit-not-as-soon-as-you-think-1.500503229","content-updated-at":1775871895904,"author-id":2287057,"first-published-at":1775871895117,"authors":[{"slug":"huda-ata","social":{},"name":"Huda Ata","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE.","id":2287057,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"acb473f2-91a5-4654-aabb-68b2c4479b90":{"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"Natural weather or cloud seeding: What really caused the UAE\u2019s record March rainfall","story-content-id":"acb473f2-91a5-4654-aabb-68b2c4479b90","slug":"uae/weather/natural-weather-or-cloud-seeding-what-really-caused-the-uaes-record-march-rainfall-1.500490661","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE rain explained: Seasonal weather or cloud seeding?","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"weather","name":"Weather","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather","id":85296,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Weather","collection":{"slug":"weather","name":"Weather (UAE)","id":194720},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1200,"file-size":279026,"file-name":"Anupam-Shivnani-2.jpeg","height":900},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-30/cfuhp5r2/Anupam-Shivnani-2.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather/natural-weather-or-cloud-seeding-what-really-caused-the-uaes-record-march-rainfall-1.500490661","content-updated-at":1774860325406,"author-id":2287057,"first-published-at":1774860324579,"authors":[{"slug":"huda-ata","social":{},"name":"Huda Ata","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE.","id":2287057,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776128460000,"public-identifier":"1.500505842","subheadline":" Cooler days continue across the UAE as seasonal shift towards summer begins","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":" Why spring still feels like winter in the UAE","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":" Why spring still feels like winter in the UAE","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"weather","name":"Weather","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather","id":85296,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Weather","collection":{"slug":"weather","name":"Weather (UAE)","id":194720},"data":null}],"read-time":3,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776111094729,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Karishma H. Nandkeolyar","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563,"focus-point":[335,157]},"comments":null,"word-count":663,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776128460000,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"Shutterstock","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":"Stock-Dubai-Park","id":"d9d7bfee-bd03-4311-9283-c840a7c4627e","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2024/09/05/Stock-Dubai-Park_191c0bed01b_large.jpg","contributors":null,"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/d9d7bfee-bd03-4311-9283-c840a7c4627e/element/5a629eec-3162-4158-b3b5-f73c87aaafbb","type":"text","family-id":"b1fe156c-4e30-482a-9b8d-8d0576bfa016","title":"","id":"5a629eec-3162-4158-b3b5-f73c87aaafbb","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Dubai: It\u2019s mid-spring in the UAE, yet the weather still carries a distinct winter feel. Cooler temperatures, fresh winds and recent rainfall have extended what many residents believe as an unusually long winter, but has it finally come to an end?
The short answer, experts say, is not just yet, but it\u2019s close.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/d9d7bfee-bd03-4311-9283-c840a7c4627e/element/12969a57-e062-46e7-b3b9-90bfd8151355","type":"text","family-id":"68f2b9b0-52c6-40aa-8b8f-405f8e05ac35","title":"","id":"12969a57-e062-46e7-b3b9-90bfd8151355","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Despite the calendar shift into spring, conditions across the UAE in recent weeks have remained milder than usual. Since last Thursday, the country has been influenced by a combination of atmospheric systems, a surface low-pressure extension from the east and a high-pressure system from the west, supported by an upper-level ridge.
This interaction has created relatively cool, stable conditions, with occasional cloud cover and rainfall, giving residents a continuation of pleasant weather well into April.
But the real explanation lies deeper in the atmosphere.
At this time of year, the UAE sits at the crossroads of cool northern air masses and warmer southern flows. The balance between the two determines how the weather behaves from one week to the next.
\u201CWhen colder air masses dominate, temperatures drop and we can see unstable conditions, including rain,\u201D meteorologists explain. \u201CWhen warmer air takes over, temperatures begin to rise quickly.\u201D
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/d9d7bfee-bd03-4311-9283-c840a7c4627e/element/00c5cab7-951f-44bb-83e8-2ec207c60dbc","type":"text","family-id":"2cb5237c-e7f7-4882-af0e-5e6b2273b800","title":"","id":"00c5cab7-951f-44bb-83e8-2ec207c60dbc","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for\u00A0FREE: Download the\u00A0Gulf News\u00A0app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply\u00A0click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/d9d7bfee-bd03-4311-9283-c840a7c4627e/element/dd363d0d-55af-4b64-a30d-53382e2e095d","type":"text","family-id":"800a3f56-b929-4c46-8417-928a9915671e","title":"","id":"dd363d0d-55af-4b64-a30d-53382e2e095d","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
Right now, the cooler air has had the upper hand, which is why it still feels closer to winter than summer.
Many residents are not imagining it; this year\u2019s winter has felt longer than in previous years. Temperatures have remained below seasonal averages, extending the period of comfortable weather deeper into spring.
That said, this extended mild phase is still within the range of normal seasonal variability for the region.
From a meteorological perspective, winter has already ended, and the UAE is currently in spring, a transitional season that lasts until 21 June, when summer officially begins.
From that point onwards, temperatures rise sharply, with typical summer highs ranging between 40\u00B0C and 45\u00B0C, and occasionally exceeding 50\u00B0C in inland and desert areas.
But the question here: is more cool weather on the way? Possibly but only for a limited time.
According to Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Astronomical Society and a member of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences, there remains a window for further weather fluctuations, including low-pressure systems, until around the first week of May.
This period is known for seasonal disturbances such as \u201CSarayat\u201D, which can bring sudden changes in weather, including thunderstorms and rainfall.
Late April may also see what is locally referred to as \u201CThuraya rains\u201D, which are often associated with brief but sometimes intense weather activity.
Al Jarwan also pointed to the likelihood of a brief early heatwave in the coming days, with temperatures potentially approaching 40\u00B0C, before settling again at more typical spring levels, above 35\u00B0C.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/d9d7bfee-bd03-4311-9283-c840a7c4627e/element/fffb2310-ec0c-4e35-b9bd-7f78628692ca","type":"text","family-id":"d42d65af-4654-4492-8fb3-e6f46e6192df","title":"","id":"fffb2310-ec0c-4e35-b9bd-7f78628692ca","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Once the first week of May passes, the transition becomes more decisive.
Temperatures begin to rise steadily, and the atmosphere stabilises as the influence of cooler northern air weakens. At the same time, a major seasonal driver begins to take shape, the Indian monsoon low-pressure system.
This vast thermal system starts forming over the Indian subcontinent in April and intensifies through June and July. As it expands, it draws in hotter air across the Arabian Peninsula, gradually establishing the UAE\u2019s familiar summer pattern.
As of now, the UAE remains in a transitional window, a period where cooler days, clouds and even rain are still possible, but increasingly interspersed with warmer conditions.
So while winter has not disappeared overnight, its presence is fading.
The coming weeks are likely to bring a mix of lingering spring variability and a steady climb in temperatures. By the time May settles in, the shift will be unmistakable.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776111304866,"content-version-id":"0d99b79b-7a1e-4cd1-8c6e-1463ab11009b","card-added-at":1776111094739,"status":"draft","id":"10fa68e8-41df-4e52-aa44-ae00067a60c2","content-id":"10fa68e8-41df-4e52-aa44-ae00067a60c2","version":5,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"UAE in spring, not winter: Why cool weather is lasting longer this year","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/import/2024/09/05/Stock-Dubai-Park_191c0bed01b_large.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Shutterstock","alt-text":"Stock-Dubai-Park","caption":null,"metadata":{"width":750,"height":563,"focus-point":[335,157]}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/d9d7bfee-bd03-4311-9283-c840a7c4627e/element/e01f8b27-39b1-46c8-96b5-c16d19eb2bc8","type":"text","family-id":"fbb3979e-b080-430f-a501-aa330c55ecd9","title":"","id":"e01f8b27-39b1-46c8-96b5-c16d19eb2bc8","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"cdb29570-8581-4eab-8354-0d2e96b3d6cb","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775871892560,"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"When will the UAE heat hit? Not as soon as you think","story-content-id":"cdb29570-8581-4eab-8354-0d2e96b3d6cb","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/weather/when-will-the-uae-heat-hit-not-as-soon-as-you-think-1.500503229","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775871895117,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"When will the UAE heat hit? Not as soon as you think","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85296,"name":"Weather","slug":"weather","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/d55i9n3zYf09IKZVzglVLdiZ7B_q_1ibJH3BPpM2FH2ckHK4uE96i94lsN_V4cm3","published-at":1775871895117,"status":"published","id":"cdb29570-8581-4eab-8354-0d2e96b3d6cb","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather/when-will-the-uae-heat-hit-not-as-soon-as-you-think-1.500503229","author-id":2287057,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2287057,"name":"Huda Ata","email":"huda.ata@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"d55i9n3zYf09IKZVzglVLdiZ7B_q_1ibJH3BPpM2FH2ckHK4uE96i94lsN_V4cm3","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"When will the UAE heat hit? Not as soon as you think"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/d9d7bfee-bd03-4311-9283-c840a7c4627e/element/0db1cf69-7cd6-45e1-8753-a5a3d602444d","type":"text","family-id":"1b429377-e104-43f6-b2c9-8b3306034e80","title":"","id":"0db1cf69-7cd6-45e1-8753-a5a3d602444d","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"801c0f13-5d15-45a9-b02d-26bb23ca6124","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775764553415,"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"Why the UAE is seeing rain and cooler weather this spring","story-content-id":"801c0f13-5d15-45a9-b02d-26bb23ca6124","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/weather/why-the-uae-is-seeing-rain-and-cooler-weather-this-spring-1.500501974","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775775300000,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Why UAE is seeing rain and cooler weather this spring","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Why the UAE is seeing rain and cooler weather this spring","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85296,"name":"Weather","slug":"weather","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/hwU53Fw8sE84OiD8dTviZEmyH0lM9k4PgMwgw1h8CV5ISB8B7dBZfzeLq_FUp4dO","published-at":1775775300000,"status":"published","id":"801c0f13-5d15-45a9-b02d-26bb23ca6124","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather/why-the-uae-is-seeing-rain-and-cooler-weather-this-spring-1.500501974","author-id":2287057,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2287057,"name":"Huda Ata","email":"huda.ata@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"hwU53Fw8sE84OiD8dTviZEmyH0lM9k4PgMwgw1h8CV5ISB8B7dBZfzeLq_FUp4dO","publish-at":1775775300000}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Why the UAE is seeing rain and cooler weather this spring"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/d9d7bfee-bd03-4311-9283-c840a7c4627e/element/07439044-60db-49f8-9a48-133f5946d8d2","type":"text","family-id":"b8dbba44-ee5d-4937-b331-dd0505f656ab","title":"","id":"07439044-60db-49f8-9a48-133f5946d8d2","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"20b59eaf-8c0e-4395-85e0-f038a3d3aaff","linked-story":{"updated-at":1771046268972,"author-name":"Surabhi Vasundharadevi","headline":"Scorpion season brings weather changes to UAE: What to expect this winter","story-content-id":"20b59eaf-8c0e-4395-85e0-f038a3d3aaff","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/weather/scorpion-season-brings-weather-changes-to-uae-what-to-expect-this-winter-1.500442627","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1771030800000,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Is winter changing? Scorpion season in UAE explained","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Is winter changing? Scorpion season in UAE explained","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85296,"name":"Weather","slug":"weather","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/oYEAhapU92D-VBW2V_pN9N-UB-tOnet0oSTmFmwW7_QsQuJT7XDjH0Iz7cqFr_Xs","published-at":1771030800000,"status":"published","id":"20b59eaf-8c0e-4395-85e0-f038a3d3aaff","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather/scorpion-season-brings-weather-changes-to-uae-what-to-expect-this-winter-1.500442627","author-id":2208704,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2208704,"name":"Surabhi Vasundharadevi","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"oYEAhapU92D-VBW2V_pN9N-UB-tOnet0oSTmFmwW7_QsQuJT7XDjH0Iz7cqFr_Xs","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Scorpion season brings weather changes to UAE: What to expect this winter"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/d9d7bfee-bd03-4311-9283-c840a7c4627e/element/b9596b1b-1224-4ee4-b5db-2e00eae17361","type":"text","family-id":"e65b8139-7cf1-47b5-b285-915609016cf5","title":"","id":"b9596b1b-1224-4ee4-b5db-2e00eae17361","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"acb473f2-91a5-4654-aabb-68b2c4479b90","linked-story":{"updated-at":1774860319980,"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"Natural weather or cloud seeding: What really caused the UAE\u2019s record March rainfall","story-content-id":"acb473f2-91a5-4654-aabb-68b2c4479b90","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/weather/natural-weather-or-cloud-seeding-what-really-caused-the-uaes-record-march-rainfall-1.500490661","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1774860324579,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE rain explained: Seasonal weather or cloud seeding?","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85296,"name":"Weather","slug":"weather","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/Ew_F0sbYMuAeWcMl9P_kgY1ibL-cXiD4bn4cIJbwjQLqo0qi2z_GOFDpljPfNLul","published-at":1774860324579,"status":"published","id":"acb473f2-91a5-4654-aabb-68b2c4479b90","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather/natural-weather-or-cloud-seeding-what-really-caused-the-uaes-record-march-rainfall-1.500490661","author-id":2287057,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2287057,"name":"Huda Ata","email":"huda.ata@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"Ew_F0sbYMuAeWcMl9P_kgY1ibL-cXiD4bn4cIJbwjQLqo0qi2z_GOFDpljPfNLul","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Natural weather or cloud seeding: What really caused the UAE\u2019s record March rainfall"}],"card-updated-at":1776111304866,"content-version-id":"8385125e-a11b-46f9-afac-9984ca7d93b6","card-added-at":1776111239924,"status":"draft","id":"cd65c703-3e46-4a77-83a2-4940fcb1aae5","content-id":"cd65c703-3e46-4a77-83a2-4940fcb1aae5","version":2,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"UAE in spring, not winter: Why cool weather is lasting longer this year","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/import/2024/09/05/Stock-Dubai-Park_191c0bed01b_large.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Shutterstock","alt-text":"Stock-Dubai-Park","caption":null,"metadata":{"width":750,"height":563,"focus-point":[335,157]}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_In_This_Package"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather/uae-in-spring-not-winter-why-cool-weather-is-lasting-longer-this-year-1.500505842","story-version-id":"7330d7e3-34c7-4788-953d-b790536eff7d","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776128460533,"author-id":2287057,"owner-id":2165038,"linked-story-ids":["cdb29570-8581-4eab-8354-0d2e96b3d6cb","801c0f13-5d15-45a9-b02d-26bb23ca6124","acb473f2-91a5-4654-aabb-68b2c4479b90","20b59eaf-8c0e-4395-85e0-f038a3d3aaff"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776128460000,"hero-image-caption":null,"version":5,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776111304852,"authors":[{"slug":"huda-ata","social":{},"name":"Huda Ata","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE.","id":2287057,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":1776128460000,"assignee-name":"Karishma H. Nandkeolyar"},"id":"d9d7bfee-bd03-4311-9283-c840a7c4627e"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776143288320,"seo":{"meta-title":"Who Is Zanai Bhosle? Asha Bhosle\u2019s Granddaughter to Debut in \u2018The Pride of Bharat \u2013 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj\u2019 Opposite Rishab Shetty","meta-description":"Discover who Zanai Bhosle is as Asha Bhosle\u2019s granddaughter steps into films with The Pride of Bharat \u2013 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2165036,"author-name":"Manjusha Radhakrishnan","tags":[{"id":11390159,"name":"bollywood","meta-description":"Catch up on Bollywood\u2019s biggest stories including film releases, celebrity news, and entertainment industry highlights.","meta-title":"Bollywood News \u2013 Movies, Stars & Entertainment Buzz","slug":"bollywood","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11442796,"name":"Bollywood icons","meta-description":"Celebrate the legacy of Bollywood\u2019s biggest icons through film retrospectives, interviews, and iconic performances.","meta-title":"Bollywood Icons \u2013 Legendary Actors, Films & Legacies","slug":"bollywood-icons","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11456798,"name":"india","meta-description":"Stay updated with the latest news from India including politics, economy, culture, and global affairs.","meta-title":"India News \u2013 National Updates, Politics & Business","slug":"india","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11458675,"name":"Music","meta-description":"Discover the latest in music including song releases, chart-topping artists, album reviews, and trends from around the world.","meta-title":"Music News \u2013 New Releases, Artists & Global Trends","slug":"music","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"Who is Zanai Bhosle? Granddaughter of Asha Bhosle to debut opposite Rishab Shetty in historical epic","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"07624ddb-8f1f-438e-95ae-90a8d76099fb","slug":"entertainment/who-is-zanai-bhosle-granddaughter-of-asha-bhosle-to-debut-opposite-rishab-shetty-in-historical-epic-1.500506074","linked-stories":{"1ede2f8a-c005-498c-a1cd-d0160a733a8c":{"author-name":"Areeba Hashmi","headline":"Asha Bhosle, the voice of a nation, dies at 92 \u2014 8 decades of her love for music","story-content-id":"1ede2f8a-c005-498c-a1cd-d0160a733a8c","slug":"entertainment/asha-bhosle-the-voice-of-a-nation-dies-at-92-a-look-back-on-her-legendary-career-1.500504161","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Asha Bhosle dies at 92: Look back on her iconic career","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Legendary singer Asha Bhosle dies at 92 after eight decades in music: Looking back on her career","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"entertainment","name":"Entertainment","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment","id":85221,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"Entertainment","collection":{"slug":"entertainment","name":"ENTERTAINMENT","id":194645},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"bollywood","name":"BollyWood","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/bollywood","id":85280,"parent-id":85221,"display-name":"BollyWood","collection":{"slug":"bollywood-entertainment","name":"BollyWood (Entertainment)","id":194704},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"music","name":"Music","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/music","id":85285,"parent-id":85221,"display-name":"Music","collection":{"slug":"music-entertainment","name":"Music (Entertainment)","id":194709},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":800,"height":530},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2024-11-17/pzuju3hm/TAB_Asha_Bhosle_1_1556354473978_original_ratio.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/asha-bhosle-the-voice-of-a-nation-dies-at-92-a-look-back-on-her-legendary-career-1.500504161","content-updated-at":1775980063755,"author-id":2357168,"first-published-at":1775979650250,"authors":[{"slug":"areeba-hashmi","social":{},"name":"Areeba Hashmi","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-10-20/8mw0y7z5/Pic.jpg","bio":"I\u2019m a passionate journalist and creative writer graduate specialising in arts, culture, and storytelling. My work aims to engage readers with stories that inspire, inform, and celebrate the richness of human experience. From arts and entertainment to technology, lifestyle, and human interest features, I aim to bring a fresh perspective and thoughtful voice to every story I tell.","id":2357168,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-10-20/8mw0y7z5/Pic.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"57551b22-395d-403c-8201-50824a6098e6":{"author-name":"Lakshana N Palat","headline":"Priyanka Chopra mourns Asha Bhosle in emotional tribute: 'Losing a piece of childhood...'","story-content-id":"57551b22-395d-403c-8201-50824a6098e6","slug":"entertainment/priyanka-chopra-mourns-asha-bhosle-in-emotional-tribute-losing-a-piece-of-childhood-1.500504913","alternative":{"social":{"default":{"headline":" 'Losing a piece of childhood...': Priyanka Chopra mourns Asha Bhosle in emotional tribute","hero-image":null}},"home":{"default":{"headline":"Priyanka Chopra mourns Asha Bhosle in emotional tribute","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"entertainment","name":"Entertainment","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment","id":85221,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"Entertainment","collection":{"slug":"entertainment","name":"ENTERTAINMENT","id":194645},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":549,"height":309,"mime-type":"image/avif","file-size":16889,"file-name":"priyanka.avif"},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/spxodz4f/priyanka.avif","url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/priyanka-chopra-mourns-asha-bhosle-in-emotional-tribute-losing-a-piece-of-childhood-1.500504913","content-updated-at":1776056433070,"author-id":2171247,"first-published-at":1776056432276,"authors":[{"slug":"lakshana-n-palat","social":{},"name":"Lakshana N Palat","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Lakshana is an entertainment and lifestyle journalist with over a decade of experience. She covers a wide range of stories\u2014from community and health to mental health and inspiring people features. \n\nA passionate K-pop enthusiast, she also enjoys exploring the cultural impact of music and fandoms through her writing.","id":2171247,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776143292080,"public-identifier":"1.500506074","subheadline":"Zanai Bhosle to play Rani Sai Bhonsale in multilingual historical saga","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Who is Zanai Bhosle, granddaughter of Asha Bhosle?","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Zanai Bhosle: All about Asha Bhosle\u2019s granddaughter set to debut in \u2018Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj\u2019 film","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"entertainment","name":"Entertainment","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment","id":85221,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"Entertainment","collection":{"slug":"entertainment","name":"ENTERTAINMENT","id":194645},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"bollywood","name":"BollyWood","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/bollywood","id":85280,"parent-id":85221,"display-name":"BollyWood","collection":{"slug":"bollywood-entertainment","name":"BollyWood (Entertainment)","id":194704},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"music","name":"Music","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/music","id":85285,"parent-id":85221,"display-name":"Music","collection":{"slug":"music-entertainment","name":"Music (Entertainment)","id":194709},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"india","name":"India","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india","id":85231,"parent-id":85230,"display-name":"India","collection":{"slug":"india-asia-world","name":"India (Asia, World)","id":194655},"data":null}],"read-time":2,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776142972731,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Manjusha Radhakrishnan","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","focus-point":null,"width":1042,"file-size":221653,"file-name":"Screenshot-2026-04-12-at-9.28.00-AM.png","height":782},"comments":null,"word-count":296,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776143292080,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"Instagram","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"07624ddb-8f1f-438e-95ae-90a8d76099fb","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/aky43pu2/Screenshot-2026-04-12-at-9.28.00-AM.png","contributors":null,"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/07624ddb-8f1f-438e-95ae-90a8d76099fb/element/e5ff648d-9ad4-46e2-a8a5-7547eeae80ce","type":"text","family-id":"a54f09e2-6e37-429a-a340-d77ef32edd8a","title":"","id":"e5ff648d-9ad4-46e2-a8a5-7547eeae80ce","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Dubai: Zanai Bhosle, granddaughter of legendary playback singer Asha Bhosle, is set to make her acting debut with the historical film The Pride of Bharat \u2013 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
The film will see her play Rani Sai Bhonsale, the first wife of the Maratha ruler, opposite Rishab Shetty, according to reports.
Born in Mumbai in 2002, Zanai comes from a family closely associated with the music and acting industry. Her father, Anand Bhosle, has worked as an actor. Growing up in a musically rich environment shaped by Asha Bhosle\u2019s legacy, Zanai was exposed to the arts from an early age.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/07624ddb-8f1f-438e-95ae-90a8d76099fb/element/1791ed4c-5b6a-4cb3-9881-505d02d19de2","type":"text","family-id":"d1c8b40b-5bcf-45b9-8d5f-25993bcfe996","title":"","id":"1791ed4c-5b6a-4cb3-9881-505d02d19de2","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for\u00A0FREE: Download the\u00A0Gulf News\u00A0app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply\u00A0click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/07624ddb-8f1f-438e-95ae-90a8d76099fb/element/5fd732b8-ef51-46e3-b91b-651e1b8b5613","type":"text","family-id":"57846202-0579-47c5-a551-386f91f49107","title":"","id":"5fd732b8-ef51-46e3-b91b-651e1b8b5613","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
Before entering films, she explored music, releasing singles such as Main Heer Teri and Kehndi Hai, along with a few remakes. She has also built a presence on social media. In the last few days, images of her openly grieving her grandmother's loss has been doing the rounds on social media. And as expected, she has faced heightened public scrutiny
Her debut film is directed by Sandeep Singh and is a multi-language project, with releases planned in Hindi, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Malayalam and Bengali. The film is scheduled to release in theatres on January 21, 2027.
Her debut comes at a significant moment for the family following the passing of Asha Bhosle at the age of 92. The veteran singer, who had been facing health complications, is one Indian music\u2019s most influential voices. Tributes have poured in from across the film industry, including from actor Ranveer Singh, Indian prime minister Narendra Modi, and Oscar winner AR Rahman.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776143287234,"content-version-id":"bb67f7c1-5452-4ecf-9b9b-06c623317370","card-added-at":1776142972737,"status":"draft","id":"fe36dff1-e5ee-4594-94c4-0d816ec2fafd","content-id":"fe36dff1-e5ee-4594-94c4-0d816ec2fafd","version":6,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Who is Zanai Bhosle? Granddaughter of Asha Bhosle to debut opposite Rishab Shetty in historical epic","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/aky43pu2/Screenshot-2026-04-12-at-9.28.00-AM.png","url":null,"attribution":"Instagram","alt-text":null,"caption":"Asha Bhosle with her granddaughter Zanai Bhosle","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","focus-point":null,"width":1042,"file-size":221653,"file-name":"Screenshot-2026-04-12-at-9.28.00-AM.png","height":782}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/07624ddb-8f1f-438e-95ae-90a8d76099fb/element/14d053f7-80a2-49b6-9dbc-de2b0d8cd896","type":"text","family-id":"e6edba17-667a-4ed0-968d-43a17d3ef154","title":"","id":"14d053f7-80a2-49b6-9dbc-de2b0d8cd896","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"1ede2f8a-c005-498c-a1cd-d0160a733a8c","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775980061686,"author-name":"Areeba Hashmi","headline":"Asha Bhosle, the voice of a nation, dies at 92 \u2014 8 decades of her love for music","story-content-id":"1ede2f8a-c005-498c-a1cd-d0160a733a8c","is-published":true,"slug":"entertainment/asha-bhosle-the-voice-of-a-nation-dies-at-92-a-look-back-on-her-legendary-career-1.500504161","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775979650250,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Asha Bhosle dies at 92: Look back on her iconic career","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Legendary singer Asha Bhosle dies at 92 after eight decades in music: Looking back on her career","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85221,"name":"Entertainment","slug":"entertainment","data":null},{"id":85280,"name":"BollyWood","slug":"bollywood","data":null},{"id":85285,"name":"Music","slug":"music","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/2uybk9hGqBbSepHe3hoBtNw-1A5uJ9pnXlJTAKD4F2cRT2AGGoGz3O7lF8CYwvLj","published-at":1775979650250,"status":"published","id":"1ede2f8a-c005-498c-a1cd-d0160a733a8c","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/asha-bhosle-the-voice-of-a-nation-dies-at-92-a-look-back-on-her-legendary-career-1.500504161","author-id":2357168,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2357168,"name":"Areeba Hashmi","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"2uybk9hGqBbSepHe3hoBtNw-1A5uJ9pnXlJTAKD4F2cRT2AGGoGz3O7lF8CYwvLj","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Asha Bhosle, the voice of a nation, dies at 92 \u2014 8 decades of her love for music"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/07624ddb-8f1f-438e-95ae-90a8d76099fb/element/77564f2e-5e6a-4353-b0a1-ad1286a77080","type":"text","family-id":"5e129594-8bc3-4196-a26c-63a2326d273e","title":"","id":"77564f2e-5e6a-4353-b0a1-ad1286a77080","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"57551b22-395d-403c-8201-50824a6098e6","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776056426562,"author-name":"Lakshana N Palat","headline":"Priyanka Chopra mourns Asha Bhosle in emotional tribute: 'Losing a piece of childhood...'","story-content-id":"57551b22-395d-403c-8201-50824a6098e6","is-published":true,"slug":"entertainment/priyanka-chopra-mourns-asha-bhosle-in-emotional-tribute-losing-a-piece-of-childhood-1.500504913","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776056432276,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"social":{"default":{"headline":" 'Losing a piece of childhood...': Priyanka Chopra mourns Asha Bhosle in emotional tribute","hero-image":null}},"home":{"default":{"headline":"Priyanka Chopra mourns Asha Bhosle in emotional tribute","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85221,"name":"Entertainment","slug":"entertainment","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/pIr5gO842nfz8DUcr3VhAsv8anNM1Wy_oAVyUszUSAGM05GIIdEY6gMSSU8y3E9T","published-at":1776056432276,"status":"published","id":"57551b22-395d-403c-8201-50824a6098e6","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/priyanka-chopra-mourns-asha-bhosle-in-emotional-tribute-losing-a-piece-of-childhood-1.500504913","author-id":2171247,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2171247,"name":"Lakshana N Palat","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"pIr5gO842nfz8DUcr3VhAsv8anNM1Wy_oAVyUszUSAGM05GIIdEY6gMSSU8y3E9T","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Priyanka Chopra mourns Asha Bhosle in emotional tribute: 'Losing a piece of childhood...'"}],"card-updated-at":1776143287234,"content-version-id":"cff4d1ae-9c8d-4fb8-9f95-ac6a9e5038a1","card-added-at":1776143201620,"status":"draft","id":"c0a5697b-003f-4ee4-9bbf-b54543caa603","content-id":"c0a5697b-003f-4ee4-9bbf-b54543caa603","version":3,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Who is Zanai Bhosle? Granddaughter of Asha Bhosle to debut opposite Rishab Shetty in historical epic","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/aky43pu2/Screenshot-2026-04-12-at-9.28.00-AM.png","url":null,"attribution":"Instagram","alt-text":null,"caption":"Asha Bhosle with her granddaughter Zanai Bhosle","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","focus-point":null,"width":1042,"file-size":221653,"file-name":"Screenshot-2026-04-12-at-9.28.00-AM.png","height":782}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_In_This_Package"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/who-is-zanai-bhosle-granddaughter-of-asha-bhosle-to-debut-opposite-rishab-shetty-in-historical-epic-1.500506074","story-version-id":"f459aaad-f793-4ab3-8113-ee6617d98bab","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776143292377,"author-id":2165036,"owner-id":2165036,"linked-story-ids":["57551b22-395d-403c-8201-50824a6098e6","1ede2f8a-c005-498c-a1cd-d0160a733a8c"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776143292080,"hero-image-caption":"Asha Bhosle with her granddaughter Zanai Bhosle","version":6,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776143287221,"authors":[{"slug":"manjusha-radhakrishnan","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/manjushark"},"facebook":{"url":"https://www.facebook.com/manjusha.radhakrishnan.5"},"instagram":{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/manjusha_gn"}},"name":"Manjusha Radhakrishnan","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-04-24/iq3y8zu1/Untitled__1___2_.png","bio":"Manjusha Radhakrishnan has been slaying entertainment news and celebrity interviews in Dubai for 18 years\u2014and she\u2019s just getting started. As Entertainment Editor, she covers Bollywood movie reviews, Hollywood scoops, Pakistani dramas, and world cinema. \n\nRed carpets? She\u2019s walked them all\u2014Europe, North America, Macau\u2014covering IIFA (Bollywood Oscars) and Zee Cine Awards like a pro. She\u2019s been on CNN with Becky Anderson dropping Bollywood truth bombs like Salman Khan Black Buck hunting conviction and hosted panels with directors like Bollywood\u2019s Kabir Khan and Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh. She has also covered film festivals around the globe. \n\nOh, and did we mention she landed the cover of Xpedition Magazine as one of the UAE\u2019s 50 most influential icons? \n\nShe was also the resident Bollywood guru on Dubai TV\u2019s Insider Arabia and Saudi TV, where she dishes out the latest scoop and celebrity news. Her interview roster reads like a dream guest list\u2014Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Shah Rukh Khan, Robbie Williams, Sean Penn, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Joaquin Phoenix, and Morgan Freeman. \n\nFrom breaking celeb news to making stars spill secrets, Manjusha doesn\u2019t just cover entertainment\u2014she owns it while looking like a star herself. ","id":2165036,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-04-24/iq3y8zu1/Untitled__1___2_.png","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Manjusha Radhakrishnan"},"id":"07624ddb-8f1f-438e-95ae-90a8d76099fb"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776146927173,"seo":{"meta-title":"Dubai Residents Sustain Hospitality Growth as Tourist Traffic Dips, Says McGettigan\u2019s Chief","meta-description":"Dubai\u2019s hospitality sector leans on residents as tourist traffic dips, with McGettigan\u2019s chief highlighting community venues and value-led offers driving resilience.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2172381,"author-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","tags":[{"id":11469211,"name":"Dubai tourism","meta-description":"Explore the latest Dubai tourism news including attractions, festivals, visitor stats, and travel planning tips.","meta-title":"Dubai Tourism News \u2013 Attractions, Events & Travel Insights","slug":"dubai-tourism","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"Dubai residents are powering hospitality growth as tourist traffic dips, says McGettigan's chief ","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4","slug":"business/economy/dubai-residents-are-powering-hospitality-growth-as-tourist-traffic-dips-says-mcgettigans-chief-1.500506079","linked-stories":{"eeb5a884-c3d7-4a5e-839c-bb36e693fcfb":{"author-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan (Chief Reporter)","headline":"Dubai \u2018well-positioned\u2019 to ride global economic uncertainty wave, says tourism chief","story-content-id":"eeb5a884-c3d7-4a5e-839c-bb36e693fcfb","slug":"business/tourism/dubai-well-positioned-to-ride-global-economic-uncertainty-wave-says-tourism-chief-1.500104342","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai tourism resilient against economic downturns: DET","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"tourism","name":"Tourism","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/tourism","id":85263,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Travel & Tourism","collection":{"slug":"tourism-business","name":"Tourism (Business)","id":194687},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1200,"file-size":325339,"file-name":"Stock-Dubai-Skyline-2.jpg","height":900},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-01-07/y5xjlpfh/Stock-Dubai-Skyline-2.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/tourism/dubai-well-positioned-to-ride-global-economic-uncertainty-wave-says-tourism-chief-1.500104342","content-updated-at":1745501193763,"author-id":2172381,"first-published-at":1745490180864,"authors":[{"slug":"dhanusha-gokulan","social":{},"name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/yq2gc7a1/Dhanusha_Author_picture.jpeg","bio":"Dhanusha is a Chief Reporter at Gulf News in Dubai, with her finger firmly on the pulse of UAE, regional, and global aviation. She dives deep into how airlines and airports operate, expand, and embrace the latest tech. \n\nKnown for her sharp eye for detail, Dhanusha makes complex topics like new aircraft, evolving travel trends, and aviation regulations easy to grasp. Lately, she's especially fascinated by the world of eVTOLs and flying cars. \n\nWith nearly two decades in journalism, Dhanusha's covered a wide range, from health and education to the pandemic, local transport, and technology. When she's not tracking what's happening in the skies, she enjoys exploring social media trends, tech innovations, and anything that sparks reader curiosity. Outside of work, you'll find her immersed in electronic dance music, pop culture, movies, and video games. ","id":2172381,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/yq2gc7a1/Dhanusha_Author_picture.jpeg","twitter-handle":null}]},"565f82df-ad65-459d-9f59-b7e04256402b":{"author-name":"Manjusha Radhakrishnan","headline":"Coca-Cola Arena shopping fests replace concerts in Dubai: 'We will keep the lights on' ","story-content-id":"565f82df-ad65-459d-9f59-b7e04256402b","slug":"uae/united-in-strength/coca-cola-arena-shopping-fests-replace-concerts-in-dubai-we-will-keep-the-lights-on-1.500492954","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Coca-Cola Arena boss: From concerts to shopping sales","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"\u201CWe will keep the lights on\u201D: Coca-Cola Arena shifts from concerts to shopping fests in Dubai","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"united-in-strength","name":"United in Strength","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/united-in-strength","id":102244,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"United in Strength","collection":{"slug":"united-in-strength-uae","name":"United in Strength (UAE)","id":225707},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"music","name":"Music","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/music","id":85285,"parent-id":85221,"display-name":"Music","collection":{"slug":"music-entertainment","name":"Music (Entertainment)","id":194709},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"retail","name":"Retail","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail","id":85277,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Retail","collection":{"slug":"retail-business","name":"Business Component (Retail)","id":194701},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"uae","name":"UAE","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae","id":85212,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"UAE","collection":{"slug":"uae","name":"UAE LANDING PAGE","id":194636},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"events-concerts","name":"Things-To-Do-Events-Concerts","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/things-to-do/events-concerts","id":85451,"parent-id":85449,"display-name":"Events & Concerts","collection":{"slug":"events-concerts-nightlife-things-to-do","name":"Things-To-Do-Events-Concerts (Things-To-Do-Nightlife, Things-To-Do)","id":194875},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"business","name":"Business","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business","id":85215,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"Business","collection":{"slug":"business","name":"Business LANDING PAGE","id":194639},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"entertainment","name":"Entertainment","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment","id":85221,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"Entertainment","collection":{"slug":"entertainment","name":"ENTERTAINMENT","id":194645},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1200,"file-size":693850,"file-name":"COCA-COLA-NEW-1.jpg","height":900},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-01/z4owaaaf/COCA-COLA-NEW-1.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/united-in-strength/coca-cola-arena-shopping-fests-replace-concerts-in-dubai-we-will-keep-the-lights-on-1.500492954","content-updated-at":1775040262192,"author-id":2165036,"first-published-at":1775033503067,"authors":[{"slug":"manjusha-radhakrishnan","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/manjushark"},"facebook":{"url":"https://www.facebook.com/manjusha.radhakrishnan.5"},"instagram":{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/manjusha_gn"}},"name":"Manjusha Radhakrishnan","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-04-24/iq3y8zu1/Untitled__1___2_.png","bio":"Manjusha Radhakrishnan has been slaying entertainment news and celebrity interviews in Dubai for 18 years\u2014and she\u2019s just getting started. As Entertainment Editor, she covers Bollywood movie reviews, Hollywood scoops, Pakistani dramas, and world cinema. \n\nRed carpets? She\u2019s walked them all\u2014Europe, North America, Macau\u2014covering IIFA (Bollywood Oscars) and Zee Cine Awards like a pro. She\u2019s been on CNN with Becky Anderson dropping Bollywood truth bombs like Salman Khan Black Buck hunting conviction and hosted panels with directors like Bollywood\u2019s Kabir Khan and Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh. She has also covered film festivals around the globe. \n\nOh, and did we mention she landed the cover of Xpedition Magazine as one of the UAE\u2019s 50 most influential icons? \n\nShe was also the resident Bollywood guru on Dubai TV\u2019s Insider Arabia and Saudi TV, where she dishes out the latest scoop and celebrity news. Her interview roster reads like a dream guest list\u2014Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Shah Rukh Khan, Robbie Williams, Sean Penn, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Joaquin Phoenix, and Morgan Freeman. \n\nFrom breaking celeb news to making stars spill secrets, Manjusha doesn\u2019t just cover entertainment\u2014she owns it while looking like a star herself. ","id":2165036,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-04-24/iq3y8zu1/Untitled__1___2_.png","twitter-handle":null}]},"f8f9e661-f62a-4cfb-8cbb-edec221c72de":{"author-name":"Gulf News Report","headline":"Business council leaders highlight Dubai\u2019s resilience and investor confidence amid global developments","story-content-id":"f8f9e661-f62a-4cfb-8cbb-edec221c72de","slug":"uae/business-council-leaders-highlight-dubais-resilience-and-investor-confidence-amid-global-developments-1.500482918","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Business council leaders highlight Dubai\u2019s resilience","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Business council leaders highlight Dubai\u2019s resilience","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"uae","name":"UAE","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae","id":85212,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"UAE","collection":{"slug":"uae","name":"UAE LANDING PAGE","id":194636},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"united-in-strength","name":"United in Strength","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/united-in-strength","id":102244,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"United in Strength","collection":{"slug":"united-in-strength-uae","name":"United in Strength (UAE)","id":225707},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"focus-point":[416,319],"width":800,"height":600},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2024-11-17/7azzme0m/reader_picture_175275b53b4_original_ratio.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/business-council-leaders-highlight-dubais-resilience-and-investor-confidence-amid-global-developments-1.500482918","content-updated-at":1774246228768,"author-id":2123543,"first-published-at":1774202986315,"authors":[{"slug":"gulf-news-report","social":{},"name":"Gulf News Report","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2123543,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"cd3e85b7-8d50-446d-8df1-f87561780abb":{"author-name":"Ashfaq Ahmed","headline":"Dubai\u2019s timely stimulus sends strong signal of confidence","story-content-id":"cd3e85b7-8d50-446d-8df1-f87561780abb","slug":"opinion/op-eds/dubais-timely-stimulus-sends-strong-signal-of-confidence-1.500493064","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Timely support reinforces confidence in Dubai\u2019s economy","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"op-eds","name":"Op-Eds","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds","id":85268,"parent-id":85213,"display-name":"Op-Eds","collection":{"slug":"op-eds-opinion","name":"Op-Eds (Opinion)","id":194692},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"government","name":"Government","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/government","id":85260,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Government","collection":{"slug":"government-uae","name":"Government (UAE)","id":194684},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":7824,"file-size":2647054,"file-name":"Dubaiskyline2026","height":5216},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-12/bmiyc5gy/Dubaiskyline2026","url":"https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds/dubais-timely-stimulus-sends-strong-signal-of-confidence-1.500493064","content-updated-at":1775045581682,"author-id":2346845,"first-published-at":1775045581419,"authors":[{"slug":"ashfaq-ahmed","social":{},"name":"Ashfaq Ahmed","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-09-10/rplr2qa4/Ashfaq_9_v2.jpg","bio":"Ashfaq has been storming the UAE media scene for over 27 years. His insights, analysis and deep understanding of regional dynamics have helped make sense of the unfolding news.\u00A0\u2028\n\nHe\u2019s the go-to guy for deep dives into the South Asian diaspora, blending heart, and hardcore reporting into his pieces. Whether he's unpacking Pakistani community affairs, chasing down leads on international political whirlwinds, or investigative reports on the scourge of terrorism and regional drama \u2014 Ashfaq doesn\u2019t miss a beat.\u00A0\u00A0\u2028\n\nHe's earned kudos for his relentless hustle and sharp storytelling. Dependable, dynamic, and unstoppable, Ashfaq does not just report the news, he shapes it.\n\nHe has been in the business since 1991.\n","id":2346845,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-09-10/rplr2qa4/Ashfaq_9_v2.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"54e2f515-1896-4dbb-935b-eaa0c294741f":{"author-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","headline":"UAE companies offer rent relief, cash allowances to support small businesses amid war","story-content-id":"54e2f515-1896-4dbb-935b-eaa0c294741f","slug":"business/uae-companies-offer-rent-relief-cash-allowances-to-support-small-businesses-amid-war-1.500497757","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE firms support SMEs with rent cuts, incentives","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai firms are offering rent cuts, cash allowances, free exposure for small businesses\u2013 How to apply","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"business","name":"Business","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business","id":85215,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"Business","collection":{"slug":"business","name":"Business LANDING PAGE","id":194639},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"united-in-strength","name":"United in Strength","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/united-in-strength","id":102244,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"United in Strength","collection":{"slug":"united-in-strength-uae","name":"United in Strength (UAE)","id":225707},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2023/05/03/STOCK-SME---ecommerce---online---small-business-_187e1e7b384_large.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/uae-companies-offer-rent-relief-cash-allowances-to-support-small-businesses-amid-war-1.500497757","content-updated-at":1775481117060,"author-id":2172381,"first-published-at":1775470166979,"authors":[{"slug":"dhanusha-gokulan","social":{},"name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/yq2gc7a1/Dhanusha_Author_picture.jpeg","bio":"Dhanusha is a Chief Reporter at Gulf News in Dubai, with her finger firmly on the pulse of UAE, regional, and global aviation. She dives deep into how airlines and airports operate, expand, and embrace the latest tech. \n\nKnown for her sharp eye for detail, Dhanusha makes complex topics like new aircraft, evolving travel trends, and aviation regulations easy to grasp. Lately, she's especially fascinated by the world of eVTOLs and flying cars. \n\nWith nearly two decades in journalism, Dhanusha's covered a wide range, from health and education to the pandemic, local transport, and technology. When she's not tracking what's happening in the skies, she enjoys exploring social media trends, tech innovations, and anything that sparks reader curiosity. Outside of work, you'll find her immersed in electronic dance music, pop culture, movies, and video games. ","id":2172381,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/yq2gc7a1/Dhanusha_Author_picture.jpeg","twitter-handle":null}]},"14d1d1b3-b971-45da-a7ba-24c251c2316f":{"author-name":"Tricia Gajitos","headline":"How UAE businesses maintain normal operations despite regional conflict","story-content-id":"14d1d1b3-b971-45da-a7ba-24c251c2316f","slug":"uae/people/how-uae-businesses-maintain-normal-operations-despite-regional-conflict-1.500473280","alternative":{"social":{"default":{"headline":"How UAE businesses thrive amid regional tensions","hero-image":null}},"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE businesses maintain operations despite conflict","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"people","name":"people","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/people","id":85442,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"People","collection":{"slug":"people-uae","name":"people (UAE)","id":194866},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":574708,"file-name":"COMBO-0912.jpg"},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-13/oxveemqj/COMBO-0912.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/people/how-uae-businesses-maintain-normal-operations-despite-regional-conflict-1.500473280","content-updated-at":1773400193268,"author-id":2415442,"first-published-at":1773400192973,"authors":[{"slug":"tricia-gajitos","social":{},"name":"Tricia Gajitos","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-02-09/011ed9n1/Pat.jpg","bio":"Tricia is a reporter and anchor whose work focuses on people, policy, and the Filipino community at home and abroad. Her reporting spans national affairs, overseas Filipinos, and major developments across the Middle East. She holds a degree in Broadcasting and has contributed to leading media organisations. With experience across television, print, and digital platforms, Tricia continues to develop a clear, credible voice in a rapidly evolving global media landscape.","id":2415442,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-02-09/011ed9n1/Pat.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"0a953150-cc36-44c8-86cf-5494366e8fa2":{"author-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","headline":"UAE restaurants, cafes promise stable prices as residents help offset tourist slowdown","story-content-id":"0a953150-cc36-44c8-86cf-5494366e8fa2","slug":"business/retail/uae-restaurants-cafes-promise-stable-prices-as-residents-help-offset-tourist-slowdown-1.500465673","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE restaurants, cafes see support from local diners","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE residents step up for restaurants as tourist visits slow \u2014 prices stay steady","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"retail","name":"Retail","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail","id":85277,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Retail","collection":{"slug":"retail-business","name":"Business Component (Retail)","id":194701},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"united-in-strength","name":"United in Strength","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/united-in-strength","id":102244,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"United in Strength","collection":{"slug":"united-in-strength-uae","name":"United in Strength (UAE)","id":225707},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1600,"height":1066,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":269912,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-06-at-3.18.24-PM-2.jpeg"},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-06/k02tghp4/WhatsApp-Image-2026-03-06-at-3.18.24-PM-2.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail/uae-restaurants-cafes-promise-stable-prices-as-residents-help-offset-tourist-slowdown-1.500465673","content-updated-at":1773063495736,"author-id":2172381,"first-published-at":1772804128046,"authors":[{"slug":"dhanusha-gokulan","social":{},"name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/yq2gc7a1/Dhanusha_Author_picture.jpeg","bio":"Dhanusha is a Chief Reporter at Gulf News in Dubai, with her finger firmly on the pulse of UAE, regional, and global aviation. She dives deep into how airlines and airports operate, expand, and embrace the latest tech. \n\nKnown for her sharp eye for detail, Dhanusha makes complex topics like new aircraft, evolving travel trends, and aviation regulations easy to grasp. Lately, she's especially fascinated by the world of eVTOLs and flying cars. \n\nWith nearly two decades in journalism, Dhanusha's covered a wide range, from health and education to the pandemic, local transport, and technology. When she's not tracking what's happening in the skies, she enjoys exploring social media trends, tech innovations, and anything that sparks reader curiosity. Outside of work, you'll find her immersed in electronic dance music, pop culture, movies, and video games. ","id":2172381,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/yq2gc7a1/Dhanusha_Author_picture.jpeg","twitter-handle":null}]},"7fc30d21-8c2d-44cc-9fb5-2257df784ae0":{"author-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","headline":"Business as usual: Britons praise UAE leadership and stability during tensions","story-content-id":"7fc30d21-8c2d-44cc-9fb5-2257df784ae0","slug":"business/business-as-usual-britons-praise-uae-leadership-and-stability-during-tensions-1.500472208","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Britons explain why they trust the UAE leadership","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"British entrepreneurs highlight UAE stability during regional tensions","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"business","name":"Business","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business","id":85215,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"Business","collection":{"slug":"business","name":"Business LANDING PAGE","id":194639},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"united-in-strength","name":"United in Strength","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/united-in-strength","id":102244,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"United in Strength","collection":{"slug":"united-in-strength-uae","name":"United in Strength (UAE)","id":225707},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1200,"file-size":695161,"file-name":"COMBO-BRITS.jpg","height":900},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-12/p9qp4no9/COMBO-BRITS.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/business-as-usual-britons-praise-uae-leadership-and-stability-during-tensions-1.500472208","content-updated-at":1773655364216,"author-id":2170744,"first-published-at":1773615600000,"authors":[{"slug":"nivetha-dayanand","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/nivethadayanand?lang=en"},"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/nivethadayanand/"},"instagram":{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/newswithnivetha"}},"name":"Nivetha Dayanand","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","bio":"Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, where she spends her days unpacking money, markets, aviation, and the big shifts shaping life in the Gulf. Before returning to Gulf News, she launched Finance Middle East, complete with a podcast and video series.\n\nHer reporting has taken her from breaking spot news to long-form features and high-profile interviews. Nivetha has interviewed Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu, IMF\u2019s Jihad Azour, and a long list of CEOs, regulators, and founders who are reshaping the region\u2019s economy.\n\nAn Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha has shared classrooms and newsrooms with journalists from more than 40 countries, which probably explains her weakness for data, context, and a good follow-up question.\n\nWhen she is away from her keyboard (AFK), you are most likely to find her at the gym with an Eminem playlist, bingeing One Piece, or exploring games on her PS5. \n","id":2170744,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776145473262,"public-identifier":"1.500506079","subheadline":"Local customers are cushioning the blow as tourism dips, says hospitality chief","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai nightlife has a new lifeline \u2014 and it\u2019s local","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Fewer tourists, fuller local crowds: How Dubai hospitality is riding out the crisis","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"economy","name":"economy","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/economy","id":85448,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Economy","collection":{"slug":"economy-business","name":"economy (Business)","id":194872},"data":null}],"read-time":6,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776143321469,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":2581,"height":1936,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":990728,"file-name":"McGettigansBegelaART01419.11.15.jpg","focus-point":null},"comments":null,"word-count":1496,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776145473262,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"last-correction-published-at":1776146929091,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"Vision Hospitality ","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/vu260eez/McGettigansBegelaART01419.11.15.jpg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/777ccc38-c904-45e0-bf1a-bfc71ef3dd97","type":"text","family-id":"6948b030-09ab-4204-8f51-c977b48b638e","title":"","id":"777ccc38-c904-45e0-bf1a-bfc71ef3dd97","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Dubai: Even as flight disruptions and jet fuel shortages unsettle travel across the region, Dubai\u2019s community-driven hospitality venues are proving unexpectedly resilient \u2014 a sign, says McGettigan\u2019s owner Dennis McGettigan, that the emirate\u2019s strong resident customer base is helping steady the food and beverage sector through another spell of uncertainty.
\u201CThere is no question that footfall has softened since February 28, and you can feel a shift in consumer sentiment,\u201D McGettigan, founder and CEO of Vision Hospitality, told Gulf News. \u201CPeople are a bit more cautious and less spontaneous with their spending.\u201D
Vision Hospitality\u2019s other brands include McG\u2019s by McGettigan\u2019s, Brasserie by McGettigan\u2019s, Bla Bla by McGettigan\u2019s and more.
Yet the slowdown has not been uniform. While international visitor traffic has sharply declined at some venues, long-established neighbourhood outlets such as McGettigan\u2019s JLT have remained comparatively stable, underscoring how heavily Dubai\u2019s hospitality market has pivoted toward resident loyalty when tourism is disrupted.
In this interview with Gulf News, McGettigan explains why community-led venues in Dubai are proving resilient, how legacy brands like McGettigan\u2019s are weathering the turbulence, and why the UAE hospitality market is better prepared today than during Covid.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/8d4dd133-fbb9-40cc-8d38-eb3f0428c068","type":"text","family-id":"340813bd-d068-4111-b893-c85a5fd1100d","title":"","id":"8d4dd133-fbb9-40cc-8d38-eb3f0428c068","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"565f82df-ad65-459d-9f59-b7e04256402b","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775040259117,"author-name":"Manjusha Radhakrishnan","headline":"Coca-Cola Arena shopping fests replace concerts in Dubai: 'We will keep the lights on' ","story-content-id":"565f82df-ad65-459d-9f59-b7e04256402b","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/united-in-strength/coca-cola-arena-shopping-fests-replace-concerts-in-dubai-we-will-keep-the-lights-on-1.500492954","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775033503067,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Coca-Cola Arena boss: From concerts to shopping sales","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"\u201CWe will keep the lights on\u201D: Coca-Cola Arena shifts from concerts to shopping fests in Dubai","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":102244,"name":"United in Strength","slug":"united-in-strength","data":null},{"id":85285,"name":"Music","slug":"music","data":null},{"id":85277,"name":"Retail","slug":"retail","data":null},{"id":85212,"name":"UAE","slug":"uae","data":null},{"id":85451,"name":"Things-To-Do-Events-Concerts","slug":"events-concerts","data":null},{"id":85215,"name":"Business","slug":"business","data":null},{"id":85221,"name":"Entertainment","slug":"entertainment","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/kk0gzJRVD0gQHObPmJd6JGsITz--Un7jHrO3WYNXUYcNniUsIcAr8DIW6MjopY71","published-at":1775033503067,"status":"published","id":"565f82df-ad65-459d-9f59-b7e04256402b","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/united-in-strength/coca-cola-arena-shopping-fests-replace-concerts-in-dubai-we-will-keep-the-lights-on-1.500492954","author-id":2165036,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2165036,"name":"Manjusha Radhakrishnan","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"kk0gzJRVD0gQHObPmJd6JGsITz--Un7jHrO3WYNXUYcNniUsIcAr8DIW6MjopY71","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Coca-Cola Arena shopping fests replace concerts in Dubai: 'We will keep the lights on' "},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/9c6fdf15-d860-429c-882b-f3d2a1f91686","type":"text","family-id":"40f2de8a-28df-4753-930c-b3d99edd4999","title":"","id":"9c6fdf15-d860-429c-882b-f3d2a1f91686","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Q: What has been the immediate impact on footfall and consumer sentiment across your venues since February 28?
A: There is no question that footfall has softened since February 28, and you can feel a shift in consumer sentiment. People are a bit more cautious and less spontaneous with their spending. That said, we are seeing strong resilience in community-driven locations such as JLT, which have a consistent resident base.
We are also responding quickly by introducing more value-led offers across certain venues, whether that is competitive pricing, expanded breakfast options, or accessible entry points to food and beverages. At the same time, we relaunched Bla Bla right in the middle of all this, and the turnout and energy on the night showed that people still want to go out and enjoy themselves.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/e8f406e6-8550-44e4-ac58-5bcfdf6bd5a0","type":"text","family-id":"a7fe1dec-56d3-485a-9625-29da5d636619","title":"","id":"e8f406e6-8550-44e4-ac58-5bcfdf6bd5a0","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Q: With airspace disruptions and flight uncertainties, how exposed is your business to international visitor traffic versus residents?
A: We do not track it in a strict split across the portfolio, but at Bla Bla for example, we have historically seen more than 60 per cent of transactions coming from international cards. In the past week, we have seen that drop at times to around 14 per cent, which gives you a sense of how travel patterns are shifting. This is where having a strong resident base is important, and we are actively focusing on it across the business.
"},{"description":"","image-metadata":{"width":6598,"height":4399,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":27301153,"file-name":"AN05223.jpg"},"page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/cf71337e-05ec-4c22-bd33-a87294902553","type":"image","family-id":"32d31bfd-a442-4d81-b02c-e961b56e6ab3","image-attribution":"Vision Hospitality ","title":"Covid was a completely different level of disruption because everything stopped. This is more about uncertainty and confidence,\" says Dennis McGettigan. ","id":"cf71337e-05ec-4c22-bd33-a87294902553","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/6junl2rx/AN05223.jpg","metadata":{},"subtype":null},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/90eb15b9-bde8-4761-9c41-45a5fb87fbfd","type":"text","family-id":"6d6a7959-3237-43ab-8948-cfa6fd6b2d80","title":"","id":"90eb15b9-bde8-4761-9c41-45a5fb87fbfd","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Q: Are certain locations or formats within your portfolio more resilient than others right now? Perhaps the legacy outlets?
A: Yes, the more community-driven venues are definitely more resilient. Locations that serve a strong residential catchment, like JLT, tend to hold up better because they are part of people\u2019s regular routines. Legacy outlets like McGettigan\u2019s also benefit from that loyalty and familiarity. People know what they are getting, whether it is the atmosphere, the sport, or the food, and consistency becomes very important during uncertain periods.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/ba7007c0-3bd2-475d-9418-baf11a386ef3","type":"text","family-id":"72820b66-7c7a-4d2a-872e-f0de818d991c","title":"","id":"ba7007c0-3bd2-475d-9418-baf11a386ef3","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Q: On the supply chain, how exposed are you to imported ingredients, and are you shifting towards more local sourcing now?
A: Like most operators, we work with a mix of local and international suppliers, depending on what is required. The key for us is flexibility and ensuring we work with reliable partners. Where needed, we are also being more reactive with our menus, trimming certain items based on ingredient pricing while keeping the overall offer strong. The focus is on maintaining consistency in the guest experience and quality while carefully managing costs, rather than making any major structural changes.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/d5befd07-0cb3-42e1-bd55-ea47e020cadb","type":"text","family-id":"27317933-315d-477f-b668-a13d3113226c","title":"","id":"d5befd07-0cb3-42e1-bd55-ea47e020cadb","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"7fc30d21-8c2d-44cc-9fb5-2257df784ae0","linked-story":{"updated-at":1773655361568,"author-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","headline":"Business as usual: Britons praise UAE leadership and stability during tensions","story-content-id":"7fc30d21-8c2d-44cc-9fb5-2257df784ae0","is-published":true,"slug":"business/business-as-usual-britons-praise-uae-leadership-and-stability-during-tensions-1.500472208","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1773615600000,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Britons explain why they trust the UAE leadership","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"British entrepreneurs highlight UAE stability during regional tensions","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85215,"name":"Business","slug":"business","data":null},{"id":102244,"name":"United in Strength","slug":"united-in-strength","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/DPfd2DGG40Ek1pTh8EtVF3w2D7ev1iwUyxGI-maRKzvFZEvln6ooFeDH99R4AQfq","published-at":1773615600000,"status":"published","id":"7fc30d21-8c2d-44cc-9fb5-2257df784ae0","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/business-as-usual-britons-praise-uae-leadership-and-stability-during-tensions-1.500472208","author-id":2170744,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2170744,"name":"Nivetha Dayanand","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"DPfd2DGG40Ek1pTh8EtVF3w2D7ev1iwUyxGI-maRKzvFZEvln6ooFeDH99R4AQfq","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Business as usual: Britons praise UAE leadership and stability during tensions"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/f6ba8727-6e03-404d-a785-269f7275951b","type":"text","family-id":"d3f96bc5-ced9-4767-af2b-ad2baf7c3f21","title":"","id":"f6ba8727-6e03-404d-a785-269f7275951b","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Q: How are you managing costs?
There is always some movement in pricing during periods like this, but so far it has been manageable. Our approach is to stay disciplined, keep a close eye on costs, and make sure we are offering value to the customer without compromising on quality. That balance is key, especially when consumer confidence is slightly lower.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/b3d2bf8b-f58c-43f6-9260-275ebaf78260","type":"text","family-id":"ed494ed5-9335-4305-a05a-728af6f53ede","title":"","id":"b3d2bf8b-f58c-43f6-9260-275ebaf78260","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Q: Do you think the UAE F&B industry is better equipped to handle this challenging situation now, post Covid?
A: Yes, absolutely. Covid forced the industry to become more disciplined and more agile. Operators are more aware of their numbers, more careful with costs, and quicker to react. There is also a level of confidence now that we did not have before, because we have been through something much more disruptive and come out the other side.
"},{"description":"","image-metadata":{"width":6240,"height":4160,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":17148870,"file-name":"A7R02673.jpg"},"page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/6a4a662f-fd18-4d55-aa0d-0ecbc0d5ef68","type":"image","family-id":"9cb734ae-fcf0-4b3b-acd0-c7ae245a9133","image-attribution":"Vision Hospitality ","title":"\u201CThere is also a level of confidence now that we did not have before, because we have been through something much more disruptive,\" says McGettigan. ","id":"6a4a662f-fd18-4d55-aa0d-0ecbc0d5ef68","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/kayjvx53/A7R02673.jpg","metadata":{},"subtype":null},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/cd100292-c041-41e5-9497-c92b978fb329","type":"text","family-id":"541b2bad-435d-4eae-b13e-dfd55493e7f9","title":"","id":"cd100292-c041-41e5-9497-c92b978fb329","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Q: What are the first financial levers you pull in a crisis like this, cost cutting, renegotiating rents, pausing expansion?
A: The first priority is always to protect the core business. That means managing costs carefully, reviewing efficiencies, and making sure everything we are doing makes commercial sense. It is not about cutting for the sake of it, it is about being smart and measured. We are in regular conversations with landlords around flexibility. Some have been very supportive, which allows us to lean into those locations, increase customer offers, and strengthen the overall proposition. In other cases, that support has not come through yet, but we are hopeful that will evolve so the pressure is shared more evenly across the industry.
Alongside that, we continue to focus on delivering strong value to customers where the support allows it, while managing supplier terms, staffing efficiency, and the timing of capital spend. If there are expansion plans, we reassess the pace, but we do not necessarily stop if the opportunity still makes sense.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/b2eb858a-87f2-4e09-a055-0307dee391e6","type":"text","family-id":"e17d9f17-ffaa-42da-8514-40aa0ad2f463","title":"","id":"b2eb858a-87f2-4e09-a055-0307dee391e6","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Q: How does the current crisis compare to the shock of Covid in terms of business impact? And what lessons from Covid are you applying now?
A: Covid was a completely different level of disruption because everything stopped. This is more about uncertainty and confidence. The market is still active, but people are a bit more cautious. The main lesson from Covid is to stay calm, stay focused on the numbers, and communicate clearly. Overreacting rarely helps. The businesses that stay measured usually perform better over time.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/8b4b4fe0-581d-4f88-921d-aecf09c65963","type":"text","family-id":"65928ac0-8977-42ec-a64d-4bd73f9964c4","title":"","id":"8b4b4fe0-581d-4f88-921d-aecf09c65963","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"f8f9e661-f62a-4cfb-8cbb-edec221c72de","linked-story":{"updated-at":1774246218965,"author-name":"Gulf News Report","headline":"Business council leaders highlight Dubai\u2019s resilience and investor confidence amid global developments","story-content-id":"f8f9e661-f62a-4cfb-8cbb-edec221c72de","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/business-council-leaders-highlight-dubais-resilience-and-investor-confidence-amid-global-developments-1.500482918","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1774202986315,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Business council leaders highlight Dubai\u2019s resilience","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Business council leaders highlight Dubai\u2019s resilience","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85212,"name":"UAE","slug":"uae","data":null},{"id":102244,"name":"United in Strength","slug":"united-in-strength","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/2g9cwkOH6Jl_5ScCGpOgBTdr9RNb_LYBRd7yC6FWH0D9O2c7byq5GZh7NcxUpmHW","published-at":1774202986315,"status":"published","id":"f8f9e661-f62a-4cfb-8cbb-edec221c72de","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/business-council-leaders-highlight-dubais-resilience-and-investor-confidence-amid-global-developments-1.500482918","author-id":2123543,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2123543,"name":"Gulf News Report","email":"gnreport@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"2g9cwkOH6Jl_5ScCGpOgBTdr9RNb_LYBRd7yC6FWH0D9O2c7byq5GZh7NcxUpmHW","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Business council leaders highlight Dubai\u2019s resilience and investor confidence amid global developments"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/1c212516-a985-475c-bd46-76770f8aeb6a","type":"text","family-id":"29dcb696-d001-4584-b78c-6a29e119b241","title":"","id":"1c212516-a985-475c-bd46-76770f8aeb6a","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Q: On the Bla Bla acquisition, the venue is fast becoming a major hotspot for Dubai visitors and residents. Does the war affect the plans you may have had for the venue?
A: We had agreed the deal before the situation escalated, and once we commit to something, we follow through. Naturally, you stay mindful of market conditions, but the long term plan for the venue has not changed. The relaunch itself was a strong signal of that. Despite everything going on, we saw a great turnout and very positive feedback, which gives us confidence in what the venue can become again.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/57fe39d0-45a3-480d-af82-f0b3d04b6cc4","type":"text","family-id":"5e7d2171-f763-45ed-bb03-60d483c3d919","title":"","id":"57fe39d0-45a3-480d-af82-f0b3d04b6cc4","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Q: What prompted the acquisition? And now that it has been rebranded as Bla Bla by McGettigan\u2019s, what are the plans you have for the rebranded venue?
A: It was the scale of the opportunity. It is a big venue with a lot of potential, and it aligns with what we do well across hospitality, entertainment, and nightlife. The focus now is on reintroducing it properly, strengthening the experience, and building consistent footfall. That means better programming, stronger entertainment, and making sure the overall experience connects with both residents and visitors again.
"},{"description":"","image-metadata":{"width":6516,"height":4349,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":3410271,"file-name":"McGSportsjeff-300825-1002.jpg"},"page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/d1dc7c68-fcef-4785-815c-fedcd8bf219b","type":"image","family-id":"e5807a8f-c3c3-45fd-ae2d-989880d0a2c1","image-attribution":"Vision Hospitality ","title":"\"We are not stepping back from growth. If anything, we are just being more selective and more strategic about it,\" McGettigan said.","id":"d1dc7c68-fcef-4785-815c-fedcd8bf219b","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/5y5gc1hc/McGSportsjeff-300825-1002.jpg","metadata":{},"subtype":null},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/4e184530-0031-471d-8e1b-4d5b08317243","type":"text","family-id":"3d998838-3ad9-43b6-8eca-19ea5808725e","title":"","id":"4e184530-0031-471d-8e1b-4d5b08317243","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Q: Are you pausing any additional expansion plans you had for this year, or do downturns actually create opportunities for growth and new locations?
A: We look at each opportunity on its own. If it makes sense and the numbers stack up, we will still move forward. In many cases, periods like this actually create opportunities because the market becomes more realistic. So we are not stepping back from growth. If anything, we are just being more selective and more strategic about it.
Q: How are employees responding?
A: \u201CThe most important thing is communication,\u201D McGettigan said. \u201CWe make sure we are present, honest, and keep everyone informed.\u201D Successful launches such as Bla Bla\u2019s reopening have helped keep morale high across teams.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/b446ace4-ee2d-4e15-aaa2-300efa923737","type":"text","family-id":"11957287-84b9-42ef-9bfb-37db87887191","title":"","id":"b446ace4-ee2d-4e15-aaa2-300efa923737","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"cd3e85b7-8d50-446d-8df1-f87561780abb","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775045579332,"author-name":"Ashfaq Ahmed","headline":"Dubai\u2019s timely stimulus sends strong signal of confidence","story-content-id":"cd3e85b7-8d50-446d-8df1-f87561780abb","is-published":true,"slug":"opinion/op-eds/dubais-timely-stimulus-sends-strong-signal-of-confidence-1.500493064","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775045581419,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Timely support reinforces confidence in Dubai\u2019s economy","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85268,"name":"Op-Eds","slug":"op-eds","data":null},{"id":85260,"name":"Government","slug":"government","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/3Ql0YepGylEOXMGKhH1yli6FSlqRudiJ9_yPNMkh4lnSp2cj7mPBqmx-70dHEAfK","published-at":1775045581419,"status":"published","id":"cd3e85b7-8d50-446d-8df1-f87561780abb","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds/dubais-timely-stimulus-sends-strong-signal-of-confidence-1.500493064","author-id":2346845,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2346845,"name":"Ashfaq Ahmed","email":"aahmedme@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"3Ql0YepGylEOXMGKhH1yli6FSlqRudiJ9_yPNMkh4lnSp2cj7mPBqmx-70dHEAfK","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Dubai\u2019s timely stimulus sends strong signal of confidence"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/06918611-5827-4536-a755-21225457b235","type":"text","family-id":"8ec23450-6fde-4c00-bf1e-9a1d4c81f336","title":"","id":"06918611-5827-4536-a755-21225457b235","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Q: What advice would you give hospitality entrepreneurs?
\u201CStay close to your numbers, stay practical, and do not panic,\u201D he said. For newer operators, especially, he says resilience is the defining trait. \u201CIf the fundamentals are right and you are willing to adapt, you can still come through it.\u201D
Q: What will separate F&B operators who survive this rough patch from those who don\u2019t?
\u201CIt comes down to discipline and clarity,\u201D McGettigan said. \u201CThe operators who know their numbers, understand their customer, and can adapt quickly will be the ones who come through stronger. At the end of the day, it becomes survival of the fittest.\u201D
"}],"card-updated-at":1776145465407,"content-version-id":"4b2414a4-1bfa-4ece-9cb9-4ec04b0c081b","card-added-at":1776143321475,"status":"draft","id":"eb0197fe-f2dc-424a-b04e-e86492830bfc","content-id":"eb0197fe-f2dc-424a-b04e-e86492830bfc","version":23,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Dubai residents are powering hospitality growth as tourist traffic dips, says McGettigan's chief ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/6junl2rx/AN05223.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Vision Hospitality ","caption":null,"alt-text":"","metadata":{"width":6598,"height":4399,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":27301153,"file-name":"AN05223.jpg"}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/cd701199-0927-40b1-a3e9-f629327df45f","type":"text","family-id":"6cda2d2d-fabb-4f7f-8067-0562cad0ad04","title":"","id":"cd701199-0927-40b1-a3e9-f629327df45f","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"54e2f515-1896-4dbb-935b-eaa0c294741f","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775481115029,"author-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","headline":"UAE companies offer rent relief, cash allowances to support small businesses amid war","story-content-id":"54e2f515-1896-4dbb-935b-eaa0c294741f","is-published":true,"slug":"business/uae-companies-offer-rent-relief-cash-allowances-to-support-small-businesses-amid-war-1.500497757","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775470166979,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE firms support SMEs with rent cuts, incentives","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai firms are offering rent cuts, cash allowances, free exposure for small businesses\u2013 How to apply","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85215,"name":"Business","slug":"business","data":null},{"id":102244,"name":"United in Strength","slug":"united-in-strength","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/lC2UNq7cmDBXfYyGV99dvbWbSlWrOBf2UWE3sXWA-vVacgwfrUYtOKjE2yDEB4HY","published-at":1775470166979,"status":"published","id":"54e2f515-1896-4dbb-935b-eaa0c294741f","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/uae-companies-offer-rent-relief-cash-allowances-to-support-small-businesses-amid-war-1.500497757","author-id":2172381,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2172381,"name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"lC2UNq7cmDBXfYyGV99dvbWbSlWrOBf2UWE3sXWA-vVacgwfrUYtOKjE2yDEB4HY","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"UAE companies offer rent relief, cash allowances to support small businesses amid war"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/13de618d-677d-4d8c-ac3b-f61fdb488bf9","type":"text","family-id":"c5443e43-b0dc-498a-bcc3-c9adf19688a9","title":"","id":"13de618d-677d-4d8c-ac3b-f61fdb488bf9","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"14d1d1b3-b971-45da-a7ba-24c251c2316f","linked-story":{"updated-at":1773400190977,"author-name":"Tricia Gajitos","headline":"How UAE businesses maintain normal operations despite regional conflict","story-content-id":"14d1d1b3-b971-45da-a7ba-24c251c2316f","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/people/how-uae-businesses-maintain-normal-operations-despite-regional-conflict-1.500473280","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1773400192973,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"social":{"default":{"headline":"How UAE businesses thrive amid regional tensions","hero-image":null}},"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE businesses maintain operations despite conflict","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85442,"name":"people","slug":"people","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/sBoai6wcsNhA36msft2FCRFLBqSf1AOk6XHhGw2ha8rmeS5bvuyoBX2RowEMGLTB","published-at":1773400192973,"status":"published","id":"14d1d1b3-b971-45da-a7ba-24c251c2316f","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/people/how-uae-businesses-maintain-normal-operations-despite-regional-conflict-1.500473280","author-id":2415442,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2415442,"name":"Tricia Gajitos","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"sBoai6wcsNhA36msft2FCRFLBqSf1AOk6XHhGw2ha8rmeS5bvuyoBX2RowEMGLTB","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"How UAE businesses maintain normal operations despite regional conflict"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/dfaa8dfc-c026-4d64-8a06-46a85464b738","type":"text","family-id":"73148d59-0c16-45b7-994e-01f621e53dcc","title":"","id":"dfaa8dfc-c026-4d64-8a06-46a85464b738","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"eeb5a884-c3d7-4a5e-839c-bb36e693fcfb","linked-story":{"updated-at":1745501190679,"author-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan (Chief Reporter)","headline":"Dubai \u2018well-positioned\u2019 to ride global economic uncertainty wave, says tourism chief","story-content-id":"eeb5a884-c3d7-4a5e-839c-bb36e693fcfb","is-published":true,"slug":"business/tourism/dubai-well-positioned-to-ride-global-economic-uncertainty-wave-says-tourism-chief-1.500104342","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1745490180864,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai tourism resilient against economic downturns: DET","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85263,"name":"Tourism","slug":"tourism","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/NKHUfdcBDb75ulEOLZEesx78EvAD56GA-9bD1OqipjNuMmmuW5w7SAdv5zVhpMaI","published-at":1745490180864,"status":"published","id":"eeb5a884-c3d7-4a5e-839c-bb36e693fcfb","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/tourism/dubai-well-positioned-to-ride-global-economic-uncertainty-wave-says-tourism-chief-1.500104342","author-id":2172381,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2172381,"name":"Dhanusha Gokulan (Chief Reporter)","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"NKHUfdcBDb75ulEOLZEesx78EvAD56GA-9bD1OqipjNuMmmuW5w7SAdv5zVhpMaI","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Dubai \u2018well-positioned\u2019 to ride global economic uncertainty wave, says tourism chief"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4/element/909d544d-6668-439e-9a6b-4292c30bc232","type":"text","family-id":"bce47420-2532-4bfc-9b6e-6270496d2c09","title":"","id":"909d544d-6668-439e-9a6b-4292c30bc232","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"0a953150-cc36-44c8-86cf-5494366e8fa2","linked-story":{"updated-at":1773063493300,"author-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","headline":"UAE restaurants, cafes promise stable prices as residents help offset tourist slowdown","story-content-id":"0a953150-cc36-44c8-86cf-5494366e8fa2","is-published":true,"slug":"business/retail/uae-restaurants-cafes-promise-stable-prices-as-residents-help-offset-tourist-slowdown-1.500465673","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1772804128046,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE restaurants, cafes see support from local diners","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE residents step up for restaurants as tourist visits slow \u2014 prices stay steady","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85277,"name":"Retail","slug":"retail","data":null},{"id":102244,"name":"United in Strength","slug":"united-in-strength","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/m57NYm1HUbumlfqrEGcphYyTVC1-ERxanylx0KKvFl65h2THOCGXLVuHEzSa3RS-","published-at":1772804128046,"status":"published","id":"0a953150-cc36-44c8-86cf-5494366e8fa2","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail/uae-restaurants-cafes-promise-stable-prices-as-residents-help-offset-tourist-slowdown-1.500465673","author-id":2172381,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2172381,"name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"m57NYm1HUbumlfqrEGcphYyTVC1-ERxanylx0KKvFl65h2THOCGXLVuHEzSa3RS-","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"UAE restaurants, cafes promise stable prices as residents help offset tourist slowdown"}],"card-updated-at":1776145465407,"content-version-id":"e05ea014-3c89-4d2d-b2d8-8bf5efbd59c0","card-added-at":1776145202500,"status":"draft","id":"8aa26e42-6adb-44cc-a2fc-926421dfdead","content-id":"8aa26e42-6adb-44cc-a2fc-926421dfdead","version":4,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":true,"title":"Dubai nightlife remains resilient despite war, says McGettigan\u2019s CEO","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/vu260eez/McGettigansBegelaART01419.11.15.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Vision Hospitality ","alt-text":null,"caption":"\"We are not stepping back from growth. If anything, we are just being more selective and more strategic about it,\" says McGettigan's CEO.","metadata":{"width":2581,"height":1936,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":990728,"file-name":"McGettigansBegelaART01419.11.15.jpg","focus-point":null}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_In_This_Package"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/economy/dubai-residents-are-powering-hospitality-growth-as-tourist-traffic-dips-says-mcgettigans-chief-1.500506079","story-version-id":"41c18bfd-20c5-4e78-818a-16b702240ff8","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776146929971,"author-id":2172381,"owner-id":2172381,"linked-story-ids":["54e2f515-1896-4dbb-935b-eaa0c294741f","cd3e85b7-8d50-446d-8df1-f87561780abb","565f82df-ad65-459d-9f59-b7e04256402b","f8f9e661-f62a-4cfb-8cbb-edec221c72de","7fc30d21-8c2d-44cc-9fb5-2257df784ae0","14d1d1b3-b971-45da-a7ba-24c251c2316f","0a953150-cc36-44c8-86cf-5494366e8fa2","eeb5a884-c3d7-4a5e-839c-bb36e693fcfb"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776145473262,"hero-image-caption":"\"We are not stepping back from growth. If anything, we are just being more selective and more strategic about it,\" says McGettigan's CEO.","version":24,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776146923723,"authors":[{"slug":"dhanusha-gokulan","social":{},"name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/yq2gc7a1/Dhanusha_Author_picture.jpeg","bio":"Dhanusha is a Chief Reporter at Gulf News in Dubai, with her finger firmly on the pulse of UAE, regional, and global aviation. She dives deep into how airlines and airports operate, expand, and embrace the latest tech. \n\nKnown for her sharp eye for detail, Dhanusha makes complex topics like new aircraft, evolving travel trends, and aviation regulations easy to grasp. Lately, she's especially fascinated by the world of eVTOLs and flying cars. \n\nWith nearly two decades in journalism, Dhanusha's covered a wide range, from health and education to the pandemic, local transport, and technology. When she's not tracking what's happening in the skies, she enjoys exploring social media trends, tech innovations, and anything that sparks reader curiosity. Outside of work, you'll find her immersed in electronic dance music, pop culture, movies, and video games. ","id":2172381,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/yq2gc7a1/Dhanusha_Author_picture.jpeg","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"],"label":["EXCLUSIVE"]},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan"},"id":"a508ab7b-7aae-4a46-ba93-a2bfd7fedac4"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776142742146,"seo":{"claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2180995,"author-name":"AFP","tags":[],"headline":"Iran slams US blockade as 'grave violation of sovereignty'","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"7f3a8f60-9c3f-4aad-a169-f8a985b94e73","slug":"world/mena/iran-slams-us-blockade-as-grave-violation-of-sovereignty-1.500505941","linked-stories":{"8b36103f-9f93-4228-b17d-6812281b8fd2":{"author-name":"Jay Hilotin","headline":"Trump cautions Iran against imposing Hormuz 'toll fees' on commercial ships","story-content-id":"8b36103f-9f93-4228-b17d-6812281b8fd2","slug":"business/energy/trump-cautions-iran-against-imposing-hormuz-toll-fees-on-commercial-ships-1.500502022","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Trump cautions Iran against imposing Hormuz 'toll fees'","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"energy","name":"Energy","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/energy","id":85216,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Energy","collection":{"slug":"energy-business","name":"Energy (Business)","id":194640},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/png","width":2778,"file-size":2192099,"file-name":"Screenshot-2026-03-12-at-6.45.58-AM.png","height":1634},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-12/lww7s3ne/Screenshot-2026-03-12-at-6.45.58-AM.png","url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/energy/trump-cautions-iran-against-imposing-hormuz-toll-fees-on-commercial-ships-1.500502022","content-updated-at":1775783677640,"author-id":2183048,"first-published-at":1775772659437,"authors":[{"slug":"jay-hilotin-2","social":{},"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2183048,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"c07f7224-e351-46f9-b036-9a75d9b7d727":{"author-name":"AFP","headline":"Trump warns US will sink any Iran boats that challenge blockade","story-content-id":"c07f7224-e351-46f9-b036-9a75d9b7d727","slug":"world/americas/trump-warns-us-will-sink-any-iran-boats-that-challenge-blockade-1.500505100","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Trump: US will sink Iran boats challenging blockade","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Trump warns US will sink any Iran boats that challenge blockade","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"americas","name":"Americas","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas","id":85243,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Americas","collection":{"slug":"americas-world","name":"Americas (World)","id":194667},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","focus-point":null,"width":738,"file-size":70756,"height":555},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-19/1oi6pahn/newsml_afp_com_20260217T173200Z_doc_97wl4gm.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/trump-warns-us-will-sink-any-iran-boats-that-challenge-blockade-1.500505100","content-updated-at":1776159266340,"author-id":2118725,"first-published-at":1776136106540,"authors":[{"slug":"afp","social":{},"name":"AFP","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2118725,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"1ba90c86-d758-4dd1-8e56-b1081d2b04b2":{"author-name":"Stephen N R","headline":"Iran warns ships in Hormuz: Seek permission or face destruction","story-content-id":"1ba90c86-d758-4dd1-8e56-b1081d2b04b2","slug":"world/mena/iran-warns-ships-in-hormuz-seek-permission-or-face-destruction-1.500500448","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Iran warns ships: Seek permission or face destruction","hero-image":{"member-id":2121897,"hero-image-extracted-data":null,"index":80,"uploaded-at":1774912711750,"hero-image-metadata":{"file-size":259415,"width":1600,"original-url":"https://d3lzcn6mbbadaf.cloudfront.net/media/details/ANI-20260330231044.jpg","height":1200},"source":"Wire - ANI","hero-image-attribution":"ANI","hero-image-alt-text":"","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-30/otd0ltnh/ANI_20260330231044.jpg","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":" Hormuz ","extracted-data":null,"hero-image-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-03-30/otd0ltnh/ANI_20260330231044.jpg","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"americas","name":"Americas","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas","id":85243,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Americas","collection":{"slug":"americas-world","name":"Americas (World)","id":194667},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":800,"height":533},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2024-11-27/q92jrqci/usa_1691413716693_189d01d1f13_original_ratio.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/iran-warns-ships-in-hormuz-seek-permission-or-face-destruction-1.500500448","content-updated-at":1775666076867,"author-id":2171005,"first-published-at":1775658902236,"authors":[{"slug":"stephen-n-r","social":{},"name":"Stephen N R","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/lxugegpt/Stephen_N_R__pic.jpg","bio":"A Senior Associate Editor with more than 30 years in the media, Stephen N.R. curates, edits and publishes impactful stories for Gulf News \u2014 both in print and online \u2014 focusing on Middle East politics, student issues and explainers on global topics. \n\nStephen has spent most of his career in journalism, working behind the scenes \u2014 shaping headlines, editing copy and putting together newspaper pages with precision. \n\nFor the past many years, he has brought that same dedication to the Gulf News digital team, where he curates stories, crafts explainers and helps keep both the web and print editions sharp and engaging. ","id":2171005,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/lxugegpt/Stephen_N_R__pic.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776142744296,"public-identifier":"1.500505941","subheadline":"Tehran warns US naval move breaches international law, risks wider Gulf escalation","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Iran slams US blockade a violation of sovereignty","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null}],"read-time":2,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776131310433,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Syndication","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563},"comments":null,"word-count":336,"story-features":null,"entities":{},"published-at":1776142744296,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"summary":"Iran slams US blockade as 'grave violation of sovereignty'","push-notification-title":null,"external-id":"afp-gn--newsml.afp.com.20260414T014736Z.doc-a7p83zw","canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"AFP","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":"Tehran","id":"7f3a8f60-9c3f-4aad-a169-f8a985b94e73","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2024/11/29/Tehran_19375c9bffd_large.jpg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7f3a8f60-9c3f-4aad-a169-f8a985b94e73/element/20199490-3ef6-4f17-b253-e5abdde89f6d","type":"text","family-id":"222a3e3b-e8fb-4a96-a477-170a044ae9aa","title":"","id":"20199490-3ef6-4f17-b253-e5abdde89f6d","metadata":null,"subtype":null,"text":"Iran slammed a US blockade around its ports on Monday as a "grave violation" of its sovereignty, as Washington and Tehran's belligerent rhetoric rattled a fragile truce.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7f3a8f60-9c3f-4aad-a169-f8a985b94e73/element/bbdffa11-0e25-435c-a68a-f26eefd3ef77","type":"text","family-id":"e9e71fd8-2f6f-4a5c-b9a0-2505fe88f4d3","title":"","id":"bbdffa11-0e25-435c-a68a-f26eefd3ef77","metadata":null,"subtype":null,"text":""The imposition of a maritime blockade constitutes a grave violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran," Iran's ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani wrote to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, in a letter seen by AFP.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7f3a8f60-9c3f-4aad-a169-f8a985b94e73/element/e7635bcf-ea7c-4bd1-8e48-6f768fe72136","type":"text","family-id":"879712af-ba90-45f7-a5a9-0bd3d24afe72","title":"","id":"e7635bcf-ea7c-4bd1-8e48-6f768fe72136","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"c07f7224-e351-46f9-b036-9a75d9b7d727","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776138672438,"author-name":"AFP","headline":"Trump warns US will sink any Iran boats that challenge blockade","story-content-id":"c07f7224-e351-46f9-b036-9a75d9b7d727","is-published":true,"slug":"world/americas/trump-warns-us-will-sink-any-iran-boats-that-challenge-blockade-1.500505100","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776136106540,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Trump: US will sink Iran boats challenging blockade","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Trump warns US will sink any Iran boats that challenge blockade","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85243,"name":"Americas","slug":"americas","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/7mWuWhM1o3RSLYQoFwNQa_FfU92Qa-x94mTesMEpg_Mjy6NaZ30WF53w8X6WT4Ug","published-at":1776136106540,"status":"published","id":"c07f7224-e351-46f9-b036-9a75d9b7d727","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/trump-warns-us-will-sink-any-iran-boats-that-challenge-blockade-1.500505100","author-id":2118725,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"syndicated","authors":[{"author-collection-id":null,"email":"afp@gulfnews.com","slug":"afp","last-name":null,"social":{},"name":"AFP","avatar-url":null,"roles":[{"id":25321,"name":"Contributor"},{"id":25323,"name":"Admin"}],"bridgekeeper-id":8673409,"settings":{},"first-name":null,"communication-email":null,"bio":null,"can-login":true,"id":2118725,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null,"metadata":{"designation":""}}],"metadata":{"imported-card-is-read-only":false,"story-attributes":{"syndicatedfrom":["Wire - AFP"],"syndicated-categories":null},"imported-card-id":"2ff98990-d4c3-46b9-902c-8205ab6ed72c"},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"7mWuWhM1o3RSLYQoFwNQa_FfU92Qa-x94mTesMEpg_Mjy6NaZ30WF53w8X6WT4Ug","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Trump warns US will sink any Iran boats that challenge blockade"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7f3a8f60-9c3f-4aad-a169-f8a985b94e73/element/e960b48a-7240-4c60-8fbe-2f1b87e7547e","type":"text","family-id":"9666a390-3a26-4d19-b8d0-5383d439ee1b","title":"","id":"e960b48a-7240-4c60-8fbe-2f1b87e7547e","metadata":null,"subtype":null,"text":"The "unlawful" blockade also "constitutes a serious violation of the fundamental principles of the international law of the sea," Iravani added.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7f3a8f60-9c3f-4aad-a169-f8a985b94e73/element/19c6697c-6480-4fe7-b67c-df42566b2405","type":"text","family-id":"2fb3e1f5-9bfa-4e79-a8b4-3855ebceee70","title":"","id":"19c6697c-6480-4fe7-b67c-df42566b2405","metadata":null,"subtype":null,"text":"US President Donald Trump\u00A0ordered a blockade\u00A0of ships entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas in the Gulf Sunday, following the failure of peace talks over the weekend, warning that any Iranian attack boats that challenged the blockade would be destroyed.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7f3a8f60-9c3f-4aad-a169-f8a985b94e73/element/f09701ab-22f9-4c32-a50c-d14ca5956321","type":"text","family-id":"030d4eb9-62db-4dec-91b9-4cded03ecb57","title":"","id":"f09701ab-22f9-4c32-a50c-d14ca5956321","metadata":null,"subtype":null,"text":"The blockade came into force at 1400 GMT Monday, despite the United States and Iran agreeing to a two-week ceasefire days earlier, with mediator Pakistan and Gulf state Qatar continuing calls for it to be respected as diplomatic efforts continue.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7f3a8f60-9c3f-4aad-a169-f8a985b94e73/element/a16cb944-a9d0-4b0c-9ec3-8a2f1499043d","type":"text","family-id":"5858092e-cec8-4c9d-8189-fcc790c6ce07","title":"","id":"a16cb944-a9d0-4b0c-9ec3-8a2f1499043d","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"1ba90c86-d758-4dd1-8e56-b1081d2b04b2","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775666072598,"author-name":"Stephen N R","headline":"Iran warns ships in Hormuz: Seek permission or face destruction","story-content-id":"1ba90c86-d758-4dd1-8e56-b1081d2b04b2","is-published":true,"slug":"world/mena/iran-warns-ships-in-hormuz-seek-permission-or-face-destruction-1.500500448","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775658902236,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Iran warns ships: Seek permission or face destruction","hero-image":{"member-id":2121897,"hero-image-extracted-data":null,"index":80,"uploaded-at":1774912711750,"hero-image-metadata":{"file-size":259415,"width":1600,"original-url":"https://d3lzcn6mbbadaf.cloudfront.net/media/details/ANI-20260330231044.jpg","height":1200},"source":"Wire - ANI","hero-image-attribution":"ANI","hero-image-alt-text":"","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-30/otd0ltnh/ANI_20260330231044.jpg","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":" Hormuz ","extracted-data":null,"hero-image-url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-03-30/otd0ltnh/ANI_20260330231044.jpg","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null},{"id":85243,"name":"Americas","slug":"americas","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/9X8i0MX83JqiBqYy6rNK4Jo-ALRwipMrQEs9NNcLPZZDw-i3F-kDOSr3Xcd7IXuv","published-at":1775658902236,"status":"published","id":"1ba90c86-d758-4dd1-8e56-b1081d2b04b2","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/iran-warns-ships-in-hormuz-seek-permission-or-face-destruction-1.500500448","author-id":2171005,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2171005,"name":"Stephen N R","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"9X8i0MX83JqiBqYy6rNK4Jo-ALRwipMrQEs9NNcLPZZDw-i3F-kDOSr3Xcd7IXuv","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Iran warns ships in Hormuz: Seek permission or face destruction"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7f3a8f60-9c3f-4aad-a169-f8a985b94e73/element/b5f7a7d1-0019-4000-a037-751af7c156fc","type":"text","family-id":"d23c57b0-57c5-4c00-aff9-20697d803540","title":"","id":"b5f7a7d1-0019-4000-a037-751af7c156fc","metadata":null,"subtype":null,"text":"Guterres on Monday called on "all parties" to respect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran\u00A0and subsequently the United States blocked passage through the critical waterway.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7f3a8f60-9c3f-4aad-a169-f8a985b94e73/element/33daaa43-3aaf-4870-88e4-1e7fb647e726","type":"text","family-id":"95e9bd2a-1826-4f0f-a4dd-4be769788dbc","title":"","id":"33daaa43-3aaf-4870-88e4-1e7fb647e726","metadata":null,"subtype":null,"text":"The strait, through which a fifth of global oil and gas flows, has become a key flashpoint as the US and\u00A0Iran attempt to gain leverage over each other during ceasefire negotiations.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7f3a8f60-9c3f-4aad-a169-f8a985b94e73/element/52122dc5-e14e-4fe1-b3d2-6e47fc56117c","type":"text","family-id":"7ce3896f-69db-47c2-9677-cb1905add78d","title":"","id":"52122dc5-e14e-4fe1-b3d2-6e47fc56117c","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"8b36103f-9f93-4228-b17d-6812281b8fd2","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775783671931,"author-name":"Jay Hilotin","headline":"Trump cautions Iran against imposing Hormuz 'toll fees' on commercial ships","story-content-id":"8b36103f-9f93-4228-b17d-6812281b8fd2","is-published":true,"slug":"business/energy/trump-cautions-iran-against-imposing-hormuz-toll-fees-on-commercial-ships-1.500502022","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775772659437,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Trump cautions Iran against imposing Hormuz 'toll fees'","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85216,"name":"Energy","slug":"energy","data":null},{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/yxPyKBzbeUooxX8ll05zb1_Ubaa9baWloM4tbVt3WNRXG7Y97c8hatUQZG-6MLC_","published-at":1775772659437,"status":"published","id":"8b36103f-9f93-4228-b17d-6812281b8fd2","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/energy/trump-cautions-iran-against-imposing-hormuz-toll-fees-on-commercial-ships-1.500502022","author-id":2183048,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2183048,"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"yxPyKBzbeUooxX8ll05zb1_Ubaa9baWloM4tbVt3WNRXG7Y97c8hatUQZG-6MLC_","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Trump cautions Iran against imposing Hormuz 'toll fees' on commercial ships"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7f3a8f60-9c3f-4aad-a169-f8a985b94e73/element/e79209cb-fbe1-4fad-899d-3baf374968c9","type":"text","family-id":"ce30937d-8152-4a43-a19b-82a7d2288a9c","title":"","id":"e79209cb-fbe1-4fad-899d-3baf374968c9","metadata":null,"subtype":null,"text":"Iravani said the "unlawful" blockade "poses a grave threat to international peace and security and obviously exacerbates the risk of escalation in an already highly volatile region."
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7f3a8f60-9c3f-4aad-a169-f8a985b94e73/element/f7675e90-f1af-4591-a358-779d488d8a84","type":"text","family-id":"99c046f9-ab32-490f-84be-87d2e033a3a2","title":"","id":"f7675e90-f1af-4591-a358-779d488d8a84","metadata":null,"subtype":null,"text":"In a second letter, the UN envoy called on Middle Eastern countries hosting US military bases to "cease their internationally wrongful acts."
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7f3a8f60-9c3f-4aad-a169-f8a985b94e73/element/f167566c-94f1-47ba-995b-1029b94baa98","type":"text","family-id":"7d69abc0-b8cb-4428-9779-0904ca7053c0","title":"","id":"f167566c-94f1-47ba-995b-1029b94baa98","metadata":null,"subtype":null,"text":"Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan should pay "compensation for all material and moral damage sustained," he said.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776142739282,"content-version-id":"f54d913e-088c-43c9-a60d-f0159f47fc5f","card-added-at":1776131310442,"status":"draft","id":"5efad165-5671-4a7c-b33a-29cd6a115b53","content-id":"5efad165-5671-4a7c-b33a-29cd6a115b53","version":6,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Iran slams US blockade as 'grave violation of sovereignty'","message":"Iran slams US blockade as 'grave violation of sovereignty'","image":{"key":"gulfnews/import/2024/11/29/Tehran_19375c9bffd_large.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AFP","alt-text":"Tehran","caption":"People walk past an anti-Israel billboard that reads in Farsi, \"Iran on the frontline\", covering the facade of a building in central Tehran. ","metadata":{"width":750,"height":563}}},"attributes":{}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/iran-slams-us-blockade-as-grave-violation-of-sovereignty-1.500505941","story-version-id":"ee9fd5db-d5b6-473a-bf47-d7c55f89b1d3","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776142744563,"author-id":2118725,"owner-id":2180995,"linked-story-ids":["c07f7224-e351-46f9-b036-9a75d9b7d727","8b36103f-9f93-4228-b17d-6812281b8fd2","1ba90c86-d758-4dd1-8e56-b1081d2b04b2"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776142744296,"hero-image-caption":"People walk past an anti-Israel billboard that reads in Farsi, \"Iran on the frontline\", covering the facade of a building in central Tehran. ","version":6,"story-template":"syndicated","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776142739269,"authors":[{"slug":"afp","social":{},"name":"AFP","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2118725,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"imported-card-is-read-only":false,"story-attributes":{"syndicatedfrom":["Wire - AFP"],"syndicated-categories":null},"imported-card-id":"5efad165-5671-4a7c-b33a-29cd6a115b53","card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Syndication"},"id":"7f3a8f60-9c3f-4aad-a169-f8a985b94e73"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776119927876,"seo":{"meta-title":"Praful Hinge\u2019s Historic IPL Debut: First Bowler to Take Three Wickets in Opening Over and the CA Sister Who Backed His Dream","meta-description":"Praful Hinge\u2019s record-breaking IPL debut, powered by his CA sister\u2019s sacrifices, reveals a remarkable journey from Nagpur struggles to historic new-ball spell.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2346787,"author-name":"Shamseer Mohammed","tags":[{"id":11390821,"name":"cricket","meta-description":"Catch the latest cricket news, live scores, player updates, tournament highlights, and expert coverage all in one place.","meta-title":"Cricket News \u2013 Matches, Players, Stats & Updates","slug":"cricket","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"The CA sister behind the star: How Praful Hinge overcame the odds to create IPL history on debut","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"6a5483ec-0d67-4d5f-96ab-3777a4468090","slug":"sport/cricket/ipl/the-ca-sister-behind-the-star-how-praful-hinge-overcame-the-odds-to-create-ipl-history-on-debut-1.500505881","last-published-at":1776131940000,"public-identifier":"1.500505881","subheadline":"The first bowler in IPL history to take three wickets in the opening over of a match","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"How Praful Hinge defied the odds to create IPL history","hero-image":{"hero-image-extracted-data":{"artist":""},"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1258,"height":766,"mime-type":"image/png","file-size":1515267,"file-name":"Praful-Hinge"},"hero-image-attribution":"AFP-NOAH SEELAM (Modified with AI)","hero-image-alt-text":"","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/5seeyajs/Praful-Hinge","hero-image-caption":"The first bowler in IPL history to take three wickets in the opening over of a match.","extracted-data":{"artist":""},"hero-image-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-13/5seeyajs/Praful-Hinge","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"ipl","name":"IPL","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/ipl","id":85278,"parent-id":85223,"display-name":"IPL","collection":{"slug":"ipl-cricket-sport","name":"IPL (Cricket, Sport)","id":194702},"data":null}],"read-time":3,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776116030104,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Shamseer Mohammed","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1258,"height":766,"mime-type":"image/png","file-size":1515267,"file-name":"Praful-Hinge"},"comments":null,"word-count":728,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776131940000,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"AFP-NOAH SEELAM (Modified with AI)","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"6a5483ec-0d67-4d5f-96ab-3777a4468090","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/01hp4z5s/Praful-Hinge","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/6a5483ec-0d67-4d5f-96ab-3777a4468090/element/cf169477-5d67-4186-b9e6-679103ac685a","type":"text","family-id":"2b4f1acf-b2bd-4436-933e-cebfe3a58c43","title":"","id":"cf169477-5d67-4186-b9e6-679103ac685a","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Sunrisers Hyderabad may have secured a convincing win over Rajasthan Royals, but the night belonged to two debutant fast bowlers, Sakib Hussain and Praful Hinge. But what Hinge did with the ball will be remembered for a long time.
The 24-year-old came on to bowl his very first over in the IPL against the Rajasthan Royals. The first ball went for a single to Yashasvi Jaiswal. What followed was pure drama. He got the wonderkid Vaibhav Sooryavanshi out for a golden duck on the next ball. A dot ball followed. Then came Dhruv Jurel\u2019s wicket, as the bails were sent flying. Another dot. And then, Lhuan-dre Pretorius was sent back on the final ball of the over. Wow.
Just like that, history was made. Praful Hinge announced himself in style, becoming the first bowler in IPL history to take three wickets in the opening over of a match.
Hinge\u2019s journey was never straightforward. Born in Nagpur, his father initially prioritized academics and was not keen on cricket. Many can relate to this story.
It was only after seeing his potential at a summer camp that he finally allowed him to pursue the sport.
At 13, Hinge was already going the extra mile, quite literally. He cycled long distances every day from the outskirts to Nagpur for practice, often reaching school late. It was tiring, but he stayed consistent, fueled by a singular dream.
Do you know Hinge did not start as a bowler; he saw himself as a batter early on. But his father insisted that he focus on pace bowling. It was not an easy switch, and he struggled initially, but that decision ended up shaping his entire career.
There were technical challenges, too. He had issues with control and even a suspect bowling action in his early days. It took years of hard work to correct it and develop the smooth action he now has. Training at the MRF Pace Foundation under Glenn McGrath and later attending a high-performance camp in Brisbane helped him take the next step, even as his family managed financial pressure.
Behind every step forward was strong support at home. His sister, a Chartered Accountant, played a big role in his journey. Despite her own demanding professional schedule, she would drive him to practice sessions at odd hours, making sure he never missed an opportunity to improve.
In their small home, there was always an understanding between the siblings. Praful needed the lights off early to rest before his 4 in the morning practice sessions, while his sister had to stay up late preparing for her CA exams. So she would shield her lamp, making sure he could sleep, a small but powerful gesture that showed neither of them was willing to give up on their dreams.
Like many young cricketers, the pandemic could have slowed him down. Instead, Hinge used that phase to work on his fitness. When opportunities came at the U23 level in the Col. C.K. Nayudu Trophy, he grabbed them, picking up 36 wickets and forcing selectors to notice him.
Despite strong performances in domestic cricket for Vidarbha, including being a vital part of the squad that reached the Ranji Trophy final, opportunities in the shortest format were limited. In fact, he had played just one senior T20 match before making his IPL debut.
SRH picked him up for his base price of 30 lakh, a moment that meant everything to his family. For his father, it was emotional, seeing years of belief finally pay off on the grandest stage of all.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/6a5483ec-0d67-4d5f-96ab-3777a4468090/element/a655a857-8b74-4ac9-9f50-424a66cdcf66","type":"text","family-id":"e40de64e-857f-4afe-ba10-9d3f7c28bd1f","title":"","id":"a655a857-8b74-4ac9-9f50-424a66cdcf66","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Ravichandran Ashwin on Praful Hinge before IPL : \"Nobody is talking about Praful he has done so well for Vidarbha and his ability to inswing with the new ball makes him more dangerous and I think SRH would use him well\"
"},{"description":"","embed-js":"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","page-url":"/story/6a5483ec-0d67-4d5f-96ab-3777a4468090/element/9562eb2b-53a6-42c9-ba9f-9b91541687b0","type":"jsembed","family-id":"5ae6988e-a7af-4e8b-b655-8217e20c8077","title":"","id":"9562eb2b-53a6-42c9-ba9f-9b91541687b0","metadata":{"tweet-url":"https://twitter.com/Safehands_Sanju/status/2043734136825975256","provider":"twitter","tweet-id":"2043734136825975256"},"subtype":"tweet"},{"description":"","embed-js":"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","page-url":"/story/6a5483ec-0d67-4d5f-96ab-3777a4468090/element/51ba7b51-4ade-4f75-98c5-8f31a31b15ab","type":"jsembed","family-id":"ff27567c-6c3b-4409-944f-f97bc3be733d","title":"","id":"51ba7b51-4ade-4f75-98c5-8f31a31b15ab","metadata":{"tweet-url":"https://twitter.com/CricCrazyJohns/status/2043725413047029856","provider":"twitter","tweet-id":"2043725413047029856"},"subtype":"tweet"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/6a5483ec-0d67-4d5f-96ab-3777a4468090/element/3136bc7f-bf45-4df6-8f41-85bd32876c46","type":"text","family-id":"5cda8fbc-ad6c-466b-ab0c-55750a0973f6","title":"","id":"3136bc7f-bf45-4df6-8f41-85bd32876c46","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"And when the chance finally came, Hinge did not just grab it; he owned it. Finishing with figures of 4/34 alongside fellow debutant Sakib Hussain (4/24), he helped dismantle the Royals' lineup.
\"I had manifested this. I think I had written it somewhere last year that the first match I play, I will take four or five wickets,\" he said after being named Player of the Match. Reflecting on his journey, he added, \"I want to dedicate this award to my family.\"
"}],"card-updated-at":1776119927891,"content-version-id":"8d7d44b1-85e2-44ac-a4a0-45fcc6d9332e","card-added-at":1776116030114,"status":"draft","id":"e3045bde-be42-42fb-93ba-86ada43cba97","content-id":"e3045bde-be42-42fb-93ba-86ada43cba97","version":20,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"The CA sister behind the star: How Praful Hinge overcame the odds to create IPL history on debut","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/01hp4z5s/Praful-Hinge","url":null,"attribution":"AFP-NOAH SEELAM (Modified with AI)","alt-text":null,"caption":"The first bowler in IPL history to take three wickets in the opening over of a match.","metadata":{"width":1258,"height":766,"mime-type":"image/png","file-size":1515267,"file-name":"Praful-Hinge"}}},"attributes":{}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/ipl/the-ca-sister-behind-the-star-how-praful-hinge-overcame-the-odds-to-create-ipl-history-on-debut-1.500505881","story-version-id":"5ae79057-c18f-48ff-ad74-420b168a20b9","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776131941206,"author-id":2172008,"owner-id":2346787,"linked-story-ids":[],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776131940000,"hero-image-caption":"The first bowler in IPL history to take three wickets in the opening over of a match.","version":20,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776119927876,"authors":[{"slug":"shamseer-mohammed-staff-writer","social":{},"name":"Shamseer Mohammed","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-06-16/o29u39o1/ShamseerMohammed.jpg","bio":"From code to kick-off: Gulf News\u2019 Mohammed Shamsheer spends his weekdays in DevOps and weekends watching football \u2014 a proud Chelsea supporter through and through.","id":2172008,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-06-16/o29u39o1/ShamseerMohammed.jpg","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":1776131940000,"assignee-name":"Shamseer Mohammed"},"id":"6a5483ec-0d67-4d5f-96ab-3777a4468090"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1775988164046,"seo":{"meta-keywords":null,"meta-title":"Inside US\u2013Iran Nuclear Talks: Why Gaps Persist and How the Strait of Hormuz Raises Global Stakes","meta-description":"US\u2013Iran talks expose deep rifts over nuclear limits and the Strait of Hormuz, raising risks for global oil, regional security and the next phase of diplomacy.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2180995,"author-name":"Stephen N R","tags":[{"id":11509505,"name":"Iran","meta-description":"Follow the latest news from Iran across politics, economy, and its role in international affairs.","meta-title":"Iran News \u2013 Politics, Economy & Global Relations","slug":"iran","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11951909,"name":"americas","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"americas","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":14773106,"name":"US-Israel-Iran war","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"us-israel-iran-war","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"Inside US\u2013Iran talks: Why gaps persist and what comes next","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65","slug":"world/americas/inside-us-iran-talks-why-gaps-persist-and-what-comes-next-1.500504255","linked-stories":{"c3335e64-b4ef-4f8b-95bd-4eaa5ba2d498":{"author-name":"Stephen N R","headline":"Hormuz chokehold hardens US-Iran standoff as Iran rejects US plan","story-content-id":"c3335e64-b4ef-4f8b-95bd-4eaa5ba2d498","slug":"world/mena/hormuz-chokehold-hardens-us-iran-standoff-as-iran-rejects-us-plan-1.500487051","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Hormuz chokehold hardens US-Iran standoff","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"americas","name":"Americas","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas","id":85243,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Americas","collection":{"slug":"americas-world","name":"Americas (World)","id":194667},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"gulf","name":"Gulf","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf","id":85236,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Gulf","collection":{"slug":"gulf-world","name":"Gulf (World)","id":194660},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":800,"height":533},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2024-11-27/q92jrqci/usa_1691413716693_189d01d1f13_original_ratio.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/hormuz-chokehold-hardens-us-iran-standoff-as-iran-rejects-us-plan-1.500487051","content-updated-at":1774522650261,"author-id":2171005,"first-published-at":1774522519254,"authors":[{"slug":"stephen-n-r","social":{},"name":"Stephen N R","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/lxugegpt/Stephen_N_R__pic.jpg","bio":"A Senior Associate Editor with more than 30 years in the media, Stephen N.R. curates, edits and publishes impactful stories for Gulf News \u2014 both in print and online \u2014 focusing on Middle East politics, student issues and explainers on global topics. \n\nStephen has spent most of his career in journalism, working behind the scenes \u2014 shaping headlines, editing copy and putting together newspaper pages with precision. \n\nFor the past many years, he has brought that same dedication to the Gulf News digital team, where he curates stories, crafts explainers and helps keep both the web and print editions sharp and engaging. ","id":2171005,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/lxugegpt/Stephen_N_R__pic.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"79d4ab64-4b30-4dbc-adb8-ce15903778b3":{"author-name":"Alex Abraham","headline":"Iran\u2019s 10-point peace plan: What\u2019s on the table and why it matters","story-content-id":"79d4ab64-4b30-4dbc-adb8-ce15903778b3","slug":"world/mena/irans-10-point-peace-plan-whats-on-the-table-and-why-it-matters-1.500498882","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Iran\u2019s 10-point peace plan: Deal or deadlock?","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"americas","name":"Americas","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas","id":85243,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Americas","collection":{"slug":"americas-world","name":"Americas (World)","id":194667},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":205658,"original-url":"https://d2lnbwhcsmj8tp.cloudfront.net/thumbnails/202604043734322.jpg","width":450,"height":301},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-04/xjs09db7/202604043734322.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/irans-10-point-peace-plan-whats-on-the-table-and-why-it-matters-1.500498882","content-updated-at":1775558612362,"author-id":2165599,"first-published-at":1775558612118,"authors":[{"slug":"alex-abraham","social":{},"name":"Alex Abraham","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/pgbfjnif/Alex_Abraham_office_pic.jpg","bio":"Alex has been on the frontline of global headlines for nearly 30 years. A Senior Associate Editor, he\u2019s part newsroom veteran and part globe-trotting correspondent. \n\nHis credentials? He was part of the select group of journalists who covered Pope Francis\u2019 historic visit to the UAE - flying with the pontiff himself. \n\nWith 27 years on the ground in the Middle East, Alex is one of the most trusted voices in the region when it comes to decoding politics and power plays. He breaks down global affairs into slick, 60-second news - his morning reels are practically a daily ritual for audiences across the UAE. \n\nSharp. Grounded. Fast. Insightful. That\u2019s Alex at his best, bringing a steady editorial hand to every story he tells. ","id":2165599,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/pgbfjnif/Alex_Abraham_office_pic.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1775987509960,"public-identifier":"1.500504255","subheadline":"With positions entrenched, next phase hinges on whether Iran engages with US\u2019s offer","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"US\u2013Iran talks: Why gaps persist and what comes next\n","hero-image":{"member-id":2207517,"hero-image-extracted-data":null,"index":16,"uploaded-at":1775961271707,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":222652,"original-url":"https://d3lzcn6mbbadaf.cloudfront.net/media/details/ANI-20260412023244.jpg","width":1600,"height":1200},"source":"Wire - ANI","hero-image-attribution":"","hero-image-alt-text":"","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/6y0cuqgo/ANI_20260412023244.jpg","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":"Iranian delegation in Pakistan (Photo/Reuters)","extracted-data":null,"hero-image-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-12/6y0cuqgo/ANI_20260412023244.jpg","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"americas","name":"Americas","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas","id":85243,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Americas","collection":{"slug":"americas-world","name":"Americas (World)","id":194667},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null}],"read-time":3,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1775986562612,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Syndication","custom-slug":"inside-us-iran-talks-why-gaps-persist-and-what-comes-next","push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":205169,"width":1200,"height":801},"comments":null,"word-count":693,"story-features":null,"entities":{},"published-at":1775987509960,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"last-correction-published-at":1775988166888,"summary":"Inside US\u2013Iran talks: Why gaps persist, what comes nex","push-notification-title":null,"external-id":"1.110987574","canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"AFP ","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/7pmilh88/newsml_afp_com_20260412T031929Z_doc_a7hg2rh.jpeg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65/element/77f244b6-a332-4faf-bb20-333ae3571571","type":"text","family-id":"952d68b7-bab0-44c3-9907-81525292b1ca","title":"","id":"77f244b6-a332-4faf-bb20-333ae3571571","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Dubai: After 21 hours of negotiations stretching into the early hours, US\u2013Iran talks did not so much fail as expose the scale of the challenge ahead \u2014 laying bare deep divisions over nuclear limits, regional power and control of the Strait of Hormuz.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65/element/469a9d35-3537-43de-8ee0-085245b2f744","type":"text","family-id":"58fbd9b2-210c-42ad-935c-1c9210d619cd","title":"","id":"469a9d35-3537-43de-8ee0-085245b2f744","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The outcome was not unexpected. Both sides entered the talks with maximalist positions and limited room to compromise, making a breakthrough in a single session unlikely. What unfolded instead was a high-stakes test of intent \u2014 one that showed just how far apart Washington and Tehran remain.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65/element/3f811975-9b30-44fb-95c3-861d18ef6939","type":"text","family-id":"f1bdf852-a531-41c9-9c22-7cbfaafff827","title":"","id":"3f811975-9b30-44fb-95c3-861d18ef6939","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"At the core are three fault lines: Iran\u2019s refusal to abandon uranium enrichment, US insistence on a binding guarantee against nuclear weaponisation, and competing claims over the future of the Strait of Hormuz \u2014 a chokepoint that typically carries about a fifth of global oil supplies.
"},{"description":"","embed-js":"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","page-url":"/story/c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65/element/3d678997-e54c-4879-9384-61814ae13341","type":"jsembed","family-id":"e019a7f6-489f-4967-9576-b0ccaecf0394","title":"","id":"3d678997-e54c-4879-9384-61814ae13341","metadata":{"tweet-url":"https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/2043145677404790834","provider":"twitter","tweet-id":"2043145677404790834"},"subtype":"tweet"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65/element/a2f0cdf1-95c1-4958-92d1-439234def54c","type":"text","family-id":"3bae4626-803d-4946-88f1-e5c7d0010858","title":"","id":"a2f0cdf1-95c1-4958-92d1-439234def54c","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"For Washington, the objective is clear \u2014 a verifiable commitment that Iran will not develop nuclear weapons or retain the capability to do so. Vice President JD Vance said the US had put forward its \u201Cfinal and best offer,\u201D effectively shifting the next move to Tehran.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65/element/a440a05a-9285-48d5-853a-ff7f54043949","type":"text","family-id":"099edb91-e9be-46ab-be2b-a50a7b8a205b","title":"","id":"a440a05a-9285-48d5-853a-ff7f54043949","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"79d4ab64-4b30-4dbc-adb8-ce15903778b3","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775558597300,"author-name":"Alex Abraham","headline":"Iran\u2019s 10-point peace plan: What\u2019s on the table and why it matters","story-content-id":"79d4ab64-4b30-4dbc-adb8-ce15903778b3","is-published":true,"slug":"world/mena/irans-10-point-peace-plan-whats-on-the-table-and-why-it-matters-1.500498882","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775558612118,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Iran\u2019s 10-point peace plan: Deal or deadlock?","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null},{"id":85243,"name":"Americas","slug":"americas","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/HEL4bkGjiAZ6Eeh3orXJkpgJdUpMF6wWQWvHSMK7yzaTvpbBMETeX-e_b9xfsqvn","published-at":1775558612118,"status":"published","id":"79d4ab64-4b30-4dbc-adb8-ce15903778b3","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/irans-10-point-peace-plan-whats-on-the-table-and-why-it-matters-1.500498882","author-id":2165599,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2165599,"name":"Alex Abraham","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"HEL4bkGjiAZ6Eeh3orXJkpgJdUpMF6wWQWvHSMK7yzaTvpbBMETeX-e_b9xfsqvn","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Iran\u2019s 10-point peace plan: What\u2019s on the table and why it matters"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65/element/63de3871-064e-4bc9-a5e1-fcc5a87e9643","type":"text","family-id":"070984ef-6b5a-4bd6-8401-bd20dd45ff5b","title":"","id":"63de3871-064e-4bc9-a5e1-fcc5a87e9643","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The proposal centres on a binding commitment from Iran to forgo nuclear weapons and the capability to develop them \u2014 a demand Tehran has consistently resisted.
Nuclear red line: The US wants a binding commitment that Iran will never develop nuclear weapons; Tehran refuses to give up enrichment.
Strait of Hormuz control: Iran sees control of the strait as leverage; the US wants it fully reopened for global shipping.
Deep mistrust: Decades of failed deals and conflict continue to shape both sides\u2019 positions.
Clashing negotiation styles: Washington pushed for a quick outcome; Tehran prefers a slower, phased approach.
Maximalist positions: Both sides entered talks with hard demands, leaving little room for compromise in a single round.
But Iran sees those demands as excessive. Officials have defended enrichment as a sovereign right and tied any concessions to sanctions relief, wartime compensation and broader regional guarantees, including limits on Israeli military action.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65/element/7582f736-65c0-400a-8fb5-5584a49b2f5a","type":"text","family-id":"a98e58c3-debe-436a-8114-51ccc0e92312","title":"","id":"7582f736-65c0-400a-8fb5-5584a49b2f5a","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The result is a familiar diplomatic impasse: each side views compromise as a strategic loss.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65/element/6a4226e6-f791-472d-adfa-71a4a8a5f1c3","type":"text","family-id":"89a40ffe-4651-41fe-ba7a-f6727eb513e2","title":"","id":"6a4226e6-f791-472d-adfa-71a4a8a5f1c3","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"c3335e64-b4ef-4f8b-95bd-4eaa5ba2d498","linked-story":{"updated-at":1774522647835,"author-name":"Stephen N R","headline":"Hormuz chokehold hardens US-Iran standoff as Iran rejects US plan","story-content-id":"c3335e64-b4ef-4f8b-95bd-4eaa5ba2d498","is-published":true,"slug":"world/mena/hormuz-chokehold-hardens-us-iran-standoff-as-iran-rejects-us-plan-1.500487051","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1774522519254,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Hormuz chokehold hardens US-Iran standoff","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null},{"id":85243,"name":"Americas","slug":"americas","data":null},{"id":85236,"name":"Gulf","slug":"gulf","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/ii67AO2tFjnnKJ5Coy3S1yIM3VNv8qXBIL1wDoEYAYo0r_lJWp_MwjLjCIF4EIXo","published-at":1774522519254,"status":"published","id":"c3335e64-b4ef-4f8b-95bd-4eaa5ba2d498","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/hormuz-chokehold-hardens-us-iran-standoff-as-iran-rejects-us-plan-1.500487051","author-id":2171005,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"syndicated","authors":[{"author-collection-id":null,"email":"nstephen@gulfnews.com","slug":"stephen-n-r","last-name":null,"social":{},"name":"Stephen N R","avatar-url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/lxugegpt/Stephen_N_R__pic.jpg","roles":[{"id":25321,"name":"Contributor"},{"id":28409,"name":"Sub-Editor"},{"id":29903,"name":"AI Usage"}],"bridgekeeper-id":8726676,"settings":{},"first-name":null,"communication-email":null,"bio":"A Senior Associate Editor with more than 30 years in the media, Stephen N.R. curates, edits and publishes impactful stories for Gulf News \u2014 both in print and online \u2014 focusing on Middle East politics, student issues and explainers on global topics. \n\nStephen has spent most of his career in journalism, working behind the scenes \u2014 shaping headlines, editing copy and putting together newspaper pages with precision. \n\nFor the past many years, he has brought that same dedication to the Gulf News digital team, where he curates stories, crafts explainers and helps keep both the web and print editions sharp and engaging. ","can-login":true,"id":2171005,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/lxugegpt/Stephen_N_R__pic.jpg","twitter-handle":null,"metadata":{"designation":"Senior Associate Editor "}}],"metadata":{"imported-card-is-read-only":null,"story-attributes":{"syndicatedfrom":["Wire - Print"],"syndicated-categories":["Mena"]},"imported-card-id":"9c50a6e6-f9c4-431e-8ed7-073d8949e8dd"},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"ii67AO2tFjnnKJ5Coy3S1yIM3VNv8qXBIL1wDoEYAYo0r_lJWp_MwjLjCIF4EIXo","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Hormuz chokehold hardens US-Iran standoff as Iran rejects US plan"},{"description":"","embed-js":"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","page-url":"/story/c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65/element/845218cd-00ce-40ec-902d-65a7bb6272ea","type":"jsembed","family-id":"2b4f6243-f217-4d5d-99fd-663f939d7cfd","title":"","id":"845218cd-00ce-40ec-902d-65a7bb6272ea","metadata":{"tweet-url":"https://twitter.com/GovtofPakistan/status/2042942130553786770","provider":"twitter","tweet-id":"2042942130553786770"},"subtype":"tweet"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65/element/4489e97b-1247-4ce2-9f41-01c8b7f6a483","type":"text","family-id":"76b41cad-de6a-4f27-b3b5-3679c9b87df1","title":"","id":"4489e97b-1247-4ce2-9f41-01c8b7f6a483","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Complicating matters further is the Strait of Hormuz. Iran\u2019s grip over the narrow waterway has emerged as its most powerful leverage, disrupting global energy flows and fuelling volatility in markets. The United States, meanwhile, has signalled it is prepared to secure shipping routes if needed, raising the risk of confrontation even as diplomacy continues.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65/element/1ce50013-a9c7-4ba5-8556-604704b7cf8b","type":"text","family-id":"f90ba499-dc2b-49e7-b212-abc749b211aa","title":"","id":"1ce50013-a9c7-4ba5-8556-604704b7cf8b","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"That tension reflects a deeper reality. The conflict has already triggered one of the most significant energy disruptions in recent decades, and any prolonged standoff over Hormuz risks amplifying the global impact.
Prolonged negotiations likely: Talks may shift into a longer, phased process rather than a quick deal.
Risk of renewed conflict: Failure to bridge gaps could see a return to military escalation.
Hormuz remains pressure point: Control of the strait will continue to shape both economic and military calculations.
Political pressure on Washington: Rising energy costs and war fatigue could influence US decision-making.
Decision now with Tehran: Iran\u2019s response to the US \u201Cfinal offer\u201D will determine the next phase.
The most likely path is prolonged, phased negotiations rather than a quick deal. Even Iranian officials have signalled openness to further dialogue, despite the lack of immediate progress.
Pakistan\u2019s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Islamabad would continue efforts to facilitate dialogue, urging all sides to uphold the ceasefire, while Iran signalled it remains open to further talks despite no clear timeline.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65/element/ea0e1db2-ad78-4fa9-8f48-35f40da33b17","type":"text","family-id":"77e7e703-95b7-444d-bf8c-602401a9a5cc","title":"","id":"ea0e1db2-ad78-4fa9-8f48-35f40da33b17","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"But the risks remain acute. A breakdown in talks could see the fragile ceasefire unravel, opening the door to renewed strikes and a wider confrontation across the region.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65/element/900fb730-d7d4-4c56-9fa8-0527642395a9","type":"text","family-id":"0aaf5c59-78fb-4399-94d4-a3227b3157e6","title":"","id":"900fb730-d7d4-4c56-9fa8-0527642395a9","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"For the Trump administration, the choice is stark: persist with slow, uncertain diplomacy or escalate pressure in ways that could deepen the conflict.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65/element/c7b99396-3932-413b-93a7-91d3c8dea912","type":"text","family-id":"d54ce0cb-eff0-4ec2-9802-7047fd47bd2c","title":"","id":"c7b99396-3932-413b-93a7-91d3c8dea912","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"As The New York Times noted, the outcome was not unexpected \u2014 but it leaves Washington weighing a longer diplomatic path against the risk of renewed conflict and deeper energy disruption.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65/element/f12a87af-1de5-488c-88fc-a4b7dbab8dca","type":"text","family-id":"321bfd91-5315-48d3-9454-a1127358ecbb","title":"","id":"f12a87af-1de5-488c-88fc-a4b7dbab8dca","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"For now, the next move lies with Tehran.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65/element/839c6deb-848a-4d41-9214-06e04e3adbf0","type":"text","family-id":"1c40e213-504d-4579-8528-be65cc528243","title":"","id":"839c6deb-848a-4d41-9214-06e04e3adbf0","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"And the longer the gaps persist, the narrower the path to de-escalation becomes.
"}],"card-updated-at":1775987653591,"content-version-id":"ffe707d3-fa9c-4f72-8ad5-ea9b4be58878","card-added-at":1775986562786,"status":"draft","id":"149dd309-a55a-4e43-a58c-4ab1a5e48d01","content-id":"149dd309-a55a-4e43-a58c-4ab1a5e48d01","version":19,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Inside US\u2013Iran talks: Why gaps persist and what comes next","message":"Inside US\u2013Iran talks: Why gaps persist, what comes nex","image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/7pmilh88/newsml_afp_com_20260412T031929Z_doc_a7hg2rh.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"AFP ","alt-text":null,"caption":"US Vice President JD Vance (fourth left) walks with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar (third left), Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshall Asim Munir (centre left), Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi (centre right), and Charge d'Affaires of the US Embassy in Islamabad Natalie A. Baker (3rd R) before boarding Air Force Two after attending talks on Iran in Islamabad on April 12, 2026.","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":205169,"width":1200,"height":801}}},"attributes":{}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/inside-us-iran-talks-why-gaps-persist-and-what-comes-next-1.500504255","story-version-id":"bed34bd1-ed7a-498a-b55b-f8d8def5135f","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1775988167705,"author-id":2171005,"owner-id":2180995,"linked-story-ids":["79d4ab64-4b30-4dbc-adb8-ce15903778b3","c3335e64-b4ef-4f8b-95bd-4eaa5ba2d498"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1775987509960,"hero-image-caption":"US Vice President JD Vance (fourth left) walks with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar (third left), Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshall Asim Munir (centre left), Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi (centre right), and Charge d'Affaires of the US Embassy in Islamabad Natalie A. Baker (3rd R) before boarding Air Force Two after attending talks on Iran in Islamabad on April 12, 2026.","version":22,"story-template":"syndicated","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1775988160712,"authors":[{"slug":"stephen-n-r","social":{},"name":"Stephen N R","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/lxugegpt/Stephen_N_R__pic.jpg","bio":"A Senior Associate Editor with more than 30 years in the media, Stephen N.R. curates, edits and publishes impactful stories for Gulf News \u2014 both in print and online \u2014 focusing on Middle East politics, student issues and explainers on global topics. \n\nStephen has spent most of his career in journalism, working behind the scenes \u2014 shaping headlines, editing copy and putting together newspaper pages with precision. \n\nFor the past many years, he has brought that same dedication to the Gulf News digital team, where he curates stories, crafts explainers and helps keep both the web and print editions sharp and engaging. ","id":2171005,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/lxugegpt/Stephen_N_R__pic.jpg","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"imported-card-is-read-only":null,"story-attributes":{"syndicatedfrom":["Wire - Print"],"syndicated-categories":["Americas"]},"imported-card-id":"149dd309-a55a-4e43-a58c-4ab1a5e48d01","card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Syndication"},"id":"c713a66b-d02e-481b-9ebd-5459867a6a65"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776048267258,"seo":{"meta-title":"Dubai RTA App and Website Down: Parking Payments among Key Services Disrupted","meta-description":"RTA says temporary technical issue is affecting its services across different channels and its team is working to resolve the glitch as soon as possible","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2207522,"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","tags":[{"id":11150259,"name":"UAE","meta-description":"Follow the latest updates from the UAE including government news, national developments, economic trends, and lifestyle highlights.","meta-title":"UAE News \u2013 National Events, Economy & Government Updates","slug":"uae","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11442872,"name":"RTA","meta-description":"Stay informed with the latest from Dubai\u2019s RTA including transport projects, metro updates, and traffic regulations.","meta-title":"RTA Dubai News \u2013 Roads, Transport & Traffic Updates","slug":"rta","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11457997,"name":"Dubai","meta-description":"Get the latest updates and stories from Dubai including news, events, city developments, lifestyle and entertainment highlights.","meta-title":"Dubai News \u2013 City Updates, Events & Lifestyle Highlights","slug":"dubai","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"Dubai RTA\u2019s app and website down: Parking payments among services reportedly hit","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"f9247648-9871-4a21-9300-bee56ab1dd2d","slug":"uae/transport/dubai-rtas-app-and-website-down-parking-payments-salik-recharge-among-services-reportedly-hit-1.500504187-1.500504187","linked-stories":{"1a9b8049-d65d-4d67-9144-2b8d36ef2497":{"author-name":"Karishma H. Nandkeolyar","headline":"Parking code scam in Dubai: RTA, Parkin issue statement","story-content-id":"1a9b8049-d65d-4d67-9144-2b8d36ef2497","slug":"uae/rta-and-parkin-qr-code-scam-1.500378925","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Parking code scam in Dubai: RTA, Parkin issue statement","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Parking code scam in Dubai: RTA, Parkin issue statement","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"uae","name":"UAE","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae","id":85212,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"UAE","collection":{"slug":"uae","name":"UAE LANDING PAGE","id":194636},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":3999,"height":2666,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":1034156,"file-name":"QR-code","focus-point":[1900,1086]},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-12-13/qiyzno96/QR-code","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/rta-and-parkin-qr-code-scam-1.500378925","content-updated-at":1765689232040,"author-id":2165038,"first-published-at":1765643500250,"authors":[{"slug":"karishma-h-nandkeolyar","social":{},"name":"Karishma H. Nandkeolyar","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-10-13/j2u1m1tw/Karishma_Nandkeolyar_2__1_.jpg","bio":"Karishma Nandkeolyar is a lifestyle and entertainment journalist with a lifelong love for storytelling \u2014 she wrote her first \u201Cbook\u201D at age six and has been chasing the next sentence ever since. Known for her sharp wit, thoughtful takes, and ability to find the humor in just about anything, she covers everything from celebrity culture and internet trends to everyday lifestyle moments that make you go, \u201CSame.\u201D\n\nHer work blends insight with a conversational tone that feels like catching up with your cleverest friend \u2014 if your friend also had a deadline and a latte in hand. Off-duty, Karishma is a proud dog mom who fully believes her pup has a personality worth documenting, and yes, she does narrate those inner monologues out loud.\n\nWhether she\u2019s writing features, curating content, or crafting the perfect headline, Karishma brings curiosity, creativity, and just the right amount of sarcasm to the mix.","id":2165038,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-10-13/j2u1m1tw/Karishma_Nandkeolyar_2__1_.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"30baf476-bbfe-4a58-9792-8683d2bf3913":{"author-name":"Karishma H. Nandkeolyar","headline":"Dubai RTA urges you to follow official accounts, beware of scams","story-content-id":"30baf476-bbfe-4a58-9792-8683d2bf3913","slug":"uae/dubai-rta-urges-you-to-follow-official-accounts-beware-of-scams-1.500420126","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai RTA urges you to follow official account ","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai RTA urges you to follow official accounts, beware of scams","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"uae","name":"UAE","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae","id":85212,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"UAE","collection":{"slug":"uae","name":"UAE LANDING PAGE","id":194636},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":4272,"height":2848,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":1398353,"file-name":"Online-scam","focus-point":[2416,1543]},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-01-25/ihkpmb6z/Online-scam","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/dubai-rta-urges-you-to-follow-official-accounts-beware-of-scams-1.500420126","content-updated-at":1769344127543,"author-id":2165038,"first-published-at":1769344127275,"authors":[{"slug":"karishma-h-nandkeolyar","social":{},"name":"Karishma H. Nandkeolyar","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-10-13/j2u1m1tw/Karishma_Nandkeolyar_2__1_.jpg","bio":"Karishma Nandkeolyar is a lifestyle and entertainment journalist with a lifelong love for storytelling \u2014 she wrote her first \u201Cbook\u201D at age six and has been chasing the next sentence ever since. Known for her sharp wit, thoughtful takes, and ability to find the humor in just about anything, she covers everything from celebrity culture and internet trends to everyday lifestyle moments that make you go, \u201CSame.\u201D\n\nHer work blends insight with a conversational tone that feels like catching up with your cleverest friend \u2014 if your friend also had a deadline and a latte in hand. Off-duty, Karishma is a proud dog mom who fully believes her pup has a personality worth documenting, and yes, she does narrate those inner monologues out loud.\n\nWhether she\u2019s writing features, curating content, or crafting the perfect headline, Karishma brings curiosity, creativity, and just the right amount of sarcasm to the mix.","id":2165038,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-10-13/j2u1m1tw/Karishma_Nandkeolyar_2__1_.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"741942e2-0f38-41d3-a2a1-66ca2de38dd9":{"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","headline":"Dubai vehicle testing: RTA announces mandatory online booking, avoid Dh100 fee","story-content-id":"741942e2-0f38-41d3-a2a1-66ca2de38dd9","slug":"uae/dubai-rta-makes-online-booking-mandatory-for-vehicle-inspection-at-testing-centres-1.500142108","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai: Book online for vehicle inspection or pay Dh100","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"uae","name":"UAE","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae","id":85212,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"UAE","collection":{"slug":"uae","name":"UAE LANDING PAGE","id":194636},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"transport","name":"Transport","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/transport","id":85256,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Transport","collection":{"slug":"transport-uae","name":"Transport (UAE)","id":194680},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":3129,"height":3931,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":977499,"file-name":"Expanding-Vehicle-Inspection-Appointment-Booking-Service-Across-All-Testing-Centres-in-Dubai-2.jpg"},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-27/0eottfmh/Expanding-Vehicle-Inspection-Appointment-Booking-Service-Across-All-Testing-Centres-in-Dubai-2.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/dubai-rta-makes-online-booking-mandatory-for-vehicle-inspection-at-testing-centres-1.500142108","content-updated-at":1748366086408,"author-id":2207522,"first-published-at":1748354654388,"authors":[{"slug":"sajila-saseendran","social":{},"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Sajila is a powerhouse in UAE journalism, with over two decades of impactful reporting that has informed, empowered, and transformed lives. She is widely recognised as one of the most trusted voices on local affairs, particularly within the Indian expat community.\n\nFrom exposing scams and reuniting families to shifting policies and freeing jailed workers, Sajila\u2019s stories often make front pages and a real-world difference. Once the only female crime reporter in Bangalore, India, she brought her razor-sharp news instincts to the UAE, covering everything from civic matters, health, education, and environment to stories that matter to both expats and Emiratis alike.\n\nShe has covered the launch of iconic projects in Dubai and milestone national moments\u2014from COP28, Expo 2020 Dubai, Presidential and Prime Ministerial visits, multiple visa amnesties and landmark space missions to plane crashes, tragic fires, accidents and COVID-19 crises. She broke the news of Indian actress Sridevi\u2019s accidental drowning and did a literally out-of-the-world interview with UAE astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, who went on to become a minister, live from the International Space Station.\u00A0\n\nHer storytelling blends deep editorial insight with compelling human interest, backed by an extensive network across officials and communities alike. Recognised with numerous journalism awards, Sajila doesn\u2019t just report stories; she helps write the history of the UAE.","id":2207522,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1775984075871,"public-identifier":"1.500504187","subheadline":"RTA says temporary technical issues affecting services across different channels","alternative":{"social":{"default":{"headline":"RTA app, website down due to glitch; services hit","hero-image":null}},"home":{"default":{"headline":"RTA app, website down due to glitch; services hit","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"transport","name":"Transport","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/transport","id":85256,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Transport","collection":{"slug":"transport-uae","name":"Transport (UAE)","id":194680},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"uae","name":"UAE","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae","id":85212,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"UAE","collection":{"slug":"uae","name":"UAE LANDING PAGE","id":194636},"data":null}],"read-time":3,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1775981325876,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Sajila Saseendran","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":640,"height":480,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":32559,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-12-at-1.19.48-PM.jpeg"},"comments":null,"word-count":513,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1775984075871,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"last-correction-published-at":1776048269072,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"Gulf News Archives","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"f9247648-9871-4a21-9300-bee56ab1dd2d","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/kwo412eo/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-12-at-1.19.48-PM.jpeg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f9247648-9871-4a21-9300-bee56ab1dd2d/element/e8cd726e-76f2-4b8d-8013-46d91c783190","type":"text","family-id":"bd7857ad-d959-4216-a79f-87676aa666dd","title":"","id":"e8cd726e-76f2-4b8d-8013-46d91c783190","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Dubai: Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) on Sunday said temporary technical issue are affecting its services across different channels.
In a response to users, who complained of service disruptions including parking payments, RTA said on social media: \"There is a temporary technical issue affecting RTA services across different channels. Our team is currently working to resolve the issue as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.\"
To those who reported parking payment issues, RTA said: \"Kindly note that in addition to paying for parking through SMS, you may pay parking fees through the solar machines located in the parking areas. Thanks for understanding.\"
The authority has not confirmed when services will be fully restored. Gulf News has reached out to RTA for further comments.
"},{"description":"","embed-js":"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","page-url":"/story/f9247648-9871-4a21-9300-bee56ab1dd2d/element/f81e42b8-81f4-4b48-9569-f60cf0396e6f","type":"jsembed","family-id":"a61d3bfb-1b30-4b7a-8c14-7085b223fd87","title":"","id":"f81e42b8-81f4-4b48-9569-f60cf0396e6f","metadata":{"tweet-url":"https://twitter.com/rta_dubai/status/2043180805850317001","provider":"twitter","tweet-id":"2043180805850317001"},"subtype":"tweet"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f9247648-9871-4a21-9300-bee56ab1dd2d/element/c2daceb3-964a-4a74-9119-e2d2cee3b4c3","type":"text","family-id":"71b19db4-5f10-4da3-a348-1dd7c83d2c7d","title":"","id":"c2daceb3-964a-4a74-9119-e2d2cee3b4c3","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Parking payments, Salik recharge, vehicle registration, and theory test bookings through RTA channels are among the services reported to be hit.
Meanwhile, Salik confirmed to Gulf News that Salik services on RTA's website and app are only affected.
\"However, services via our Salik channels are active,\" it added.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f9247648-9871-4a21-9300-bee56ab1dd2d/element/def07977-6876-4748-975f-c0ba0a9ad718","type":"text","family-id":"d9693fd0-e345-4093-9ee0-0742b848456b","title":"","id":"def07977-6876-4748-975f-c0ba0a9ad718","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f9247648-9871-4a21-9300-bee56ab1dd2d/element/2c24d7c2-801d-4ade-962a-f6dcf517ee61","type":"text","family-id":"49cff28c-97f6-4009-b33b-02b3d8f26bf8","title":"","id":"2c24d7c2-801d-4ade-962a-f6dcf517ee61","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
RTA customers took to social media to flag login failures, missing vehicle data and the inability to book appointments.
X user @zuhebahmed24 wrote: \"RTA app is not working, facing issues like app not working login error, and because of this it was very difficult to pay the parking as i am using only app for parking activities, plz resolve this AEAP (sic).\"
Another user, @TheAvishek9, said he had been locked out for two consecutive days. \"I'm not able to login to my RTA App. It's been 2 days now. Is there an ongoing issue with the servers? Have tried reinstalling \u2014 not no luck (sic),\" he posted.
"},{"description":"","image-metadata":{"width":808,"height":1600,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":93539,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-12-at-12.55.58-PM.jpeg"},"page-url":"/story/f9247648-9871-4a21-9300-bee56ab1dd2d/element/d32144f6-7c8d-4c29-a3a9-99563c259cdd","type":"image","family-id":"8ed088c2-b728-4f3a-94b6-99370caa1490","image-attribution":"Supplied","title":"A notification about the service interruption on RTA's app","id":"d32144f6-7c8d-4c29-a3a9-99563c259cdd","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/bizzt9hc/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-12-at-12.55.58-PM.jpeg","metadata":{},"subtype":null},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f9247648-9871-4a21-9300-bee56ab1dd2d/element/dfbba707-f7da-4202-8659-b19d9912343e","type":"text","family-id":"df40223a-10a9-4a6f-88f5-4823a8ae8408","title":"","id":"dfbba707-f7da-4202-8659-b19d9912343e","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"@vijeesh91 wrote: \"My vehicle fitness validity expires tomorrow, I\u2019ve been trying to renew the vehicle online as-well as offline at Tasjeel, unfortunately nothing works as of now. Kindly advice if there will be any exceptions to renew without retest to compensate the issue with the app?\"
Meanwhile, X user @AmirJabir reported being unable to book a vehicle inspection appointment, adding that vehicle data had disappeared from the app entirely.
"},{"description":"","embed-js":"PGJsb2NrcXVvdGUgY2xhc3M9InR3aXR0ZXItdHdlZXQiPjxwIGxhbmc9ImVuIiBkaXI9Imx0ciI+VGhhbmsgeW91IGZvciBjb250YWN0aW5nIHVzLiBLaW5kbHkgbm90ZSB0aGF0IGluIGFkZGl0aW9uIHRvIHBheWluZyBmb3IgcGFya2luZyB0aHJvdWdoIFNNUywgeW91IG1heSBwYXkgcGFya2luZyBmZWVzIHRocm91Z2ggdGhlIHNvbGFyIG1hY2hpbmVzIGxvY2F0ZWQgaW4gdGhlIHBhcmtpbmcgYXJlYXMuIFRoYW5rcyBmb3IgdW5kZXJzdGFuZGluZy48L3A+Jm1kYXNoOyBSVEEgKEBydGFfZHViYWkpIDxhIGhyZWY9Imh0dHBzOi8vdHdpdHRlci5jb20vcnRhX2R1YmFpL3N0YXR1cy8yMDQzMDE2NTgyNzI1ODAwNDM1P3JlZl9zcmM9dHdzcmMlNUV0ZnciPkFwcmlsIDExLCAyMDI2PC9hPjwvYmxvY2txdW90ZT4KPHNjcmlwdCBhc3luYyBzcmM9Imh0dHBzOi8vcGxhdGZvcm0udHdpdHRlci5jb20vd2lkZ2V0cy5qcyIgY2hhcnNldD0idXRmLTgiPjwvc2NyaXB0PgoK","page-url":"/story/f9247648-9871-4a21-9300-bee56ab1dd2d/element/49f883ac-9b8e-4012-a36c-3530b67618be","type":"jsembed","family-id":"57228e60-db09-4e4d-897d-737a2633f140","title":"","id":"49f883ac-9b8e-4012-a36c-3530b67618be","metadata":{"tweet-url":"https://twitter.com/rta_dubai/status/2043016582725800435","provider":"twitter","tweet-id":"2043016582725800435"},"subtype":"tweet"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f9247648-9871-4a21-9300-bee56ab1dd2d/element/2c04ebcf-a5a0-47a6-879e-7be08a56f82a","type":"text","family-id":"8c0b99a3-4d87-4cba-a6d6-7da5c4667727","title":"","id":"2c04ebcf-a5a0-47a6-879e-7be08a56f82a","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Mohammed, a Gulf News reader, who has been trying to renew his vehicle registration since Saturday morning, said he had already completed his insurance renewal but was now unable to complete the registration process, leaving it in its grace period.
He said he visited multiple vehicle registration centres on Saturday, finding smart kiosks displaying error messages and the RTA app unresponsive. \"A staff member at a vehicle testing centre told me the server is down and is expected to be fixed only by Monday.\"
"},{"description":"","image-metadata":{"width":900,"height":1600,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":145067,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-12-at-1.21.47-PM.jpeg"},"page-url":"/story/f9247648-9871-4a21-9300-bee56ab1dd2d/element/d462523e-97cb-489d-beb6-6ef227195128","type":"image","family-id":"0b3c8bb3-6bf7-4db6-ab19-1f8ff82e29bc","image-attribution":"Supplied","title":"A notification about the service interruption on a smart kiosk","id":"d462523e-97cb-489d-beb6-6ef227195128","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/pjubsgh5/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-12-at-1.21.47-PM.jpeg","metadata":{},"subtype":null},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f9247648-9871-4a21-9300-bee56ab1dd2d/element/bd99fc72-ce34-489e-8cd7-1937223d667e","type":"text","family-id":"3abed00f-8e0c-4fac-b7f9-45a55c763e41","title":"","id":"bd99fc72-ce34-489e-8cd7-1937223d667e","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Mohammed said he was advised to make an appointment and return then. \"My friends have also complained that they are unable to recharge their Salik accounts via RTA channels,\" he added.
"}],"card-updated-at":1775995649942,"content-version-id":"0ea5950b-12d6-4c06-b5a3-cd89b0c5de29","card-added-at":1775981325882,"status":"draft","id":"90cb39e7-3473-4f41-ae1e-4ea1d56c8d14","content-id":"90cb39e7-3473-4f41-ae1e-4ea1d56c8d14","version":50,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Dubai RTA\u2019s app and website down: Parking payments among services reportedly hit","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/bizzt9hc/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-12-at-12.55.58-PM.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"Supplied","caption":null,"alt-text":"","metadata":{"width":808,"height":1600,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":93539,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-12-at-12.55.58-PM.jpeg"}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f9247648-9871-4a21-9300-bee56ab1dd2d/element/42d78321-9815-40b9-a88a-a0bbf2b1e142","type":"text","family-id":"ff638247-b03f-4074-bb9e-caf104e9a7ac","title":"","id":"42d78321-9815-40b9-a88a-a0bbf2b1e142","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"30baf476-bbfe-4a58-9792-8683d2bf3913","linked-story":{"updated-at":1769344123882,"author-name":"Karishma H. Nandkeolyar","headline":"Dubai RTA urges you to follow official accounts, beware of scams","story-content-id":"30baf476-bbfe-4a58-9792-8683d2bf3913","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/dubai-rta-urges-you-to-follow-official-accounts-beware-of-scams-1.500420126","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1769344127275,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai RTA urges you to follow official account ","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai RTA urges you to follow official accounts, beware of scams","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85212,"name":"UAE","slug":"uae","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/5CTxpxWdOQ9i2tahewt6XAG6SyX-Cst1XJVXK6MyqTkFL4raDPhn5K0uF-lBO1cS","published-at":1769344127275,"status":"published","id":"30baf476-bbfe-4a58-9792-8683d2bf3913","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/dubai-rta-urges-you-to-follow-official-accounts-beware-of-scams-1.500420126","author-id":2165038,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2165038,"name":"Karishma H. Nandkeolyar","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"5CTxpxWdOQ9i2tahewt6XAG6SyX-Cst1XJVXK6MyqTkFL4raDPhn5K0uF-lBO1cS","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Dubai RTA urges you to follow official accounts, beware of scams"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f9247648-9871-4a21-9300-bee56ab1dd2d/element/7b060cfb-35a0-4ec0-adee-e1b478d66c34","type":"text","family-id":"77b1d64e-0030-40f6-bdec-23c61da48f40","title":"","id":"7b060cfb-35a0-4ec0-adee-e1b478d66c34","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"1a9b8049-d65d-4d67-9144-2b8d36ef2497","linked-story":{"updated-at":1765689229168,"author-name":"Karishma H. Nandkeolyar","headline":"Parking code scam in Dubai: RTA, Parkin issue statement","story-content-id":"1a9b8049-d65d-4d67-9144-2b8d36ef2497","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/rta-and-parkin-qr-code-scam-1.500378925","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1765643500250,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Parking code scam in Dubai: RTA, Parkin issue statement","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Parking code scam in Dubai: RTA, Parkin issue statement","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85212,"name":"UAE","slug":"uae","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/x7togYWk17kYeUsldqaneKH6Fzjl_sNfQLOLM9K9rJJAtYSSoZAQhZzJgIUGwuyv","published-at":1765643500250,"status":"published","id":"1a9b8049-d65d-4d67-9144-2b8d36ef2497","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/rta-and-parkin-qr-code-scam-1.500378925","author-id":2165038,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2165038,"name":"Karishma H. Nandkeolyar","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"x7togYWk17kYeUsldqaneKH6Fzjl_sNfQLOLM9K9rJJAtYSSoZAQhZzJgIUGwuyv","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Parking code scam in Dubai: RTA, Parkin issue statement"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f9247648-9871-4a21-9300-bee56ab1dd2d/element/b66beeb0-60aa-47c7-bbbe-5aca56ec83ab","type":"text","family-id":"1fb2d3c6-692b-4e0a-bf0d-ce651bcc3551","title":"","id":"b66beeb0-60aa-47c7-bbbe-5aca56ec83ab","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"741942e2-0f38-41d3-a2a1-66ca2de38dd9","linked-story":{"updated-at":1748366082295,"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","headline":"Dubai vehicle testing: RTA announces mandatory online booking, avoid Dh100 fee","story-content-id":"741942e2-0f38-41d3-a2a1-66ca2de38dd9","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/dubai-rta-makes-online-booking-mandatory-for-vehicle-inspection-at-testing-centres-1.500142108","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1748354654388,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai: Book online for vehicle inspection or pay Dh100","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85212,"name":"UAE","slug":"uae","data":null},{"id":85256,"name":"Transport","slug":"transport","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/SIdgEkq_sU4rTa7d7hLjWTTbLGD7WnjQf5ZICTHOqYB99KBmYXhb4ICa973ARA0_","published-at":1748354654388,"status":"published","id":"741942e2-0f38-41d3-a2a1-66ca2de38dd9","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/dubai-rta-makes-online-booking-mandatory-for-vehicle-inspection-at-testing-centres-1.500142108","author-id":2207522,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2207522,"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"label":["UPDATE"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"SIdgEkq_sU4rTa7d7hLjWTTbLGD7WnjQf5ZICTHOqYB99KBmYXhb4ICa973ARA0_","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Dubai vehicle testing: RTA announces mandatory online booking, avoid Dh100 fee"}],"card-updated-at":1775994389344,"content-version-id":"b06d10d4-7fd3-4511-846f-8aa62398bfb7","card-added-at":1775994324783,"status":"draft","id":"3eb7ff06-b7e3-4f4a-af06-5be8bba4fb2a","content-id":"3eb7ff06-b7e3-4f4a-af06-5be8bba4fb2a","version":4,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Dubai RTA\u2019s app and website down: Parking payments among services reportedly hit","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/kwo412eo/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-12-at-1.19.48-PM.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"Gulf News Archives","alt-text":null,"caption":"Photo used for illustrative purposes","metadata":{"width":640,"height":480,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":32559,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-12-at-1.19.48-PM.jpeg"}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_Read"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/transport/dubai-rtas-app-and-website-down-parking-payments-salik-recharge-among-services-reportedly-hit-1.500504187-1.500504187","story-version-id":"8a4738c8-5c21-4b9a-bb4a-2ac1f66a7db7","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776048269350,"author-id":2207522,"owner-id":2207522,"linked-story-ids":["30baf476-bbfe-4a58-9792-8683d2bf3913","1a9b8049-d65d-4d67-9144-2b8d36ef2497","741942e2-0f38-41d3-a2a1-66ca2de38dd9"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1775984075871,"hero-image-caption":"Photo used for illustrative purposes","version":52,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776048265313,"authors":[{"slug":"sajila-saseendran","social":{},"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Sajila is a powerhouse in UAE journalism, with over two decades of impactful reporting that has informed, empowered, and transformed lives. She is widely recognised as one of the most trusted voices on local affairs, particularly within the Indian expat community.\n\nFrom exposing scams and reuniting families to shifting policies and freeing jailed workers, Sajila\u2019s stories often make front pages and a real-world difference. Once the only female crime reporter in Bangalore, India, she brought her razor-sharp news instincts to the UAE, covering everything from civic matters, health, education, and environment to stories that matter to both expats and Emiratis alike.\n\nShe has covered the launch of iconic projects in Dubai and milestone national moments\u2014from COP28, Expo 2020 Dubai, Presidential and Prime Ministerial visits, multiple visa amnesties and landmark space missions to plane crashes, tragic fires, accidents and COVID-19 crises. She broke the news of Indian actress Sridevi\u2019s accidental drowning and did a literally out-of-the-world interview with UAE astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, who went on to become a minister, live from the International Space Station.\u00A0\n\nHer storytelling blends deep editorial insight with compelling human interest, backed by an extensive network across officials and communities alike. Recognised with numerous journalism awards, Sajila doesn\u2019t just report stories; she helps write the history of the UAE.","id":2207522,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Sajila Saseendran"},"id":"f9247648-9871-4a21-9300-bee56ab1dd2d"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776143345638,"seo":{"meta-title":"Dubai Gold Prices Rebound After Two-Day Drop as Geopolitical Tensions Ease and Global Markets Recover","meta-description":"Dubai gold prices rebound after a two-day drop as easing US-Iran tensions lift global bullion. Track latest 24K and 22K rates and what they mean for buyers.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2170744,"author-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","tags":[{"id":11448469,"name":"UAE Gold","meta-description":"Follow daily UAE gold price updates, market trends, jewelry tips, and investment insights from gold souks and retailers.","meta-title":"UAE Gold News \u2013 Rates, Trends & Buying Tips","slug":"uae-gold","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11455504,"name":"Dubai gold","meta-description":"Discover Dubai gold price trends, jewelry store updates, and investment insights from the city\u2019s iconic gold market.","meta-title":"Dubai Gold News \u2013 Prices, Shops & Market Trends","slug":"dubai-gold","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"Dubai gold rises after two-day drop amid easing war tensions","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"bf8aa9e1-376a-45ad-89b7-54eca840360e","slug":"business/retail/dubai-gold-rises-after-two-day-drop-amid-easing-war-tensions-1.500506071","linked-stories":{"cbdc231c-8ded-4430-b660-2d2b1ca7399e":{"author-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","headline":"Dubai gold slips after two-day surge, traders watch Iran talks","story-content-id":"cbdc231c-8ded-4430-b660-2d2b1ca7399e","slug":"business/retail/dubai-gold-slips-after-two-day-surge-traders-watch-iran-talks-1.500501020","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Gold drops from April peak, buyers eye entry window","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai gold edges lower as global cues keep market on edge","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"retail","name":"Retail","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail","id":85277,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Retail","collection":{"slug":"retail-business","name":"Business Component (Retail)","id":194701},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"saving-investment","name":"YourMoney-Saving-Investment","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/your-money/saving-investment","id":85353,"parent-id":85283,"display-name":"Saving and Investment","collection":{"slug":"saving-investment-your-money","name":"YourMoney-Saving-Investment (Your Money)","id":194777},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":6048,"file-size":15554511,"file-name":"DubaiGold","height":4024},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-02/7aoiq9mm/DubaiGold","url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail/dubai-gold-slips-after-two-day-surge-traders-watch-iran-talks-1.500501020","content-updated-at":1775713937835,"author-id":2170744,"first-published-at":1775713936986,"authors":[{"slug":"nivetha-dayanand","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/nivethadayanand?lang=en"},"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/nivethadayanand/"},"instagram":{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/newswithnivetha"}},"name":"Nivetha Dayanand","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","bio":"Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, where she spends her days unpacking money, markets, aviation, and the big shifts shaping life in the Gulf. Before returning to Gulf News, she launched Finance Middle East, complete with a podcast and video series.\n\nHer reporting has taken her from breaking spot news to long-form features and high-profile interviews. Nivetha has interviewed Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu, IMF\u2019s Jihad Azour, and a long list of CEOs, regulators, and founders who are reshaping the region\u2019s economy.\n\nAn Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha has shared classrooms and newsrooms with journalists from more than 40 countries, which probably explains her weakness for data, context, and a good follow-up question.\n\nWhen she is away from her keyboard (AFK), you are most likely to find her at the gym with an Eminem playlist, bingeing One Piece, or exploring games on her PS5. \n","id":2170744,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","twitter-handle":null}]},"062de47d-1004-4c05-abe0-2d88c5e2d017":{"author-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","headline":"Dubai gold prices rebound after sharp swings, buyers track next move","story-content-id":"062de47d-1004-4c05-abe0-2d88c5e2d017","slug":"business/retail/dubai-gold-prices-rebound-after-sharp-swings-buyers-track-next-move-1.500477075","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai gold prices tick up after recent dip","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai gold prices edge higher after recent dip","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"retail","name":"Retail","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail","id":85277,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Retail","collection":{"slug":"retail-business","name":"Business Component (Retail)","id":194701},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"saving-investment","name":"YourMoney-Saving-Investment","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/your-money/saving-investment","id":85353,"parent-id":85283,"display-name":"Saving and Investment","collection":{"slug":"saving-investment-your-money","name":"YourMoney-Saving-Investment (Your Money)","id":194777},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":800,"height":600},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2024-11-30/rb026hex/gold_dubai_2019jan_resources1_16a3106d4a3_original_ratio.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail/dubai-gold-prices-rebound-after-sharp-swings-buyers-track-next-move-1.500477075","content-updated-at":1773728500158,"author-id":2170744,"first-published-at":1773728499372,"authors":[{"slug":"nivetha-dayanand","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/nivethadayanand?lang=en"},"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/nivethadayanand/"},"instagram":{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/newswithnivetha"}},"name":"Nivetha Dayanand","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","bio":"Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, where she spends her days unpacking money, markets, aviation, and the big shifts shaping life in the Gulf. Before returning to Gulf News, she launched Finance Middle East, complete with a podcast and video series.\n\nHer reporting has taken her from breaking spot news to long-form features and high-profile interviews. Nivetha has interviewed Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu, IMF\u2019s Jihad Azour, and a long list of CEOs, regulators, and founders who are reshaping the region\u2019s economy.\n\nAn Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha has shared classrooms and newsrooms with journalists from more than 40 countries, which probably explains her weakness for data, context, and a good follow-up question.\n\nWhen she is away from her keyboard (AFK), you are most likely to find her at the gym with an Eminem playlist, bingeing One Piece, or exploring games on her PS5. \n","id":2170744,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","twitter-handle":null}]},"30c48c93-e67e-43f2-ae5e-92cde2a90bfe":{"author-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","headline":"Dubai gold slips as global markets turn cautious on Hormuz tensions","story-content-id":"30c48c93-e67e-43f2-ae5e-92cde2a90bfe","slug":"business/retail/dubai-gold-slips-as-global-markets-turn-cautious-on-hormuz-tensions-1.500504935","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Gold dips as Hormuz tensions keep markets on edge","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai gold dips again. Should you buy now?","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"retail","name":"Retail","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail","id":85277,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Retail","collection":{"slug":"retail-business","name":"Business Component (Retail)","id":194701},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"saving-investment","name":"YourMoney-Saving-Investment","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/your-money/saving-investment","id":85353,"parent-id":85283,"display-name":"Saving and Investment","collection":{"slug":"saving-investment-your-money","name":"YourMoney-Saving-Investment (Your Money)","id":194777},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":6240,"file-size":17719113,"file-name":"DubaiGold","height":4160},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-02/wfisf1xb/DubaiGold","url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail/dubai-gold-slips-as-global-markets-turn-cautious-on-hormuz-tensions-1.500504935","content-updated-at":1776058753825,"author-id":2170744,"first-published-at":1776058752966,"authors":[{"slug":"nivetha-dayanand","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/nivethadayanand?lang=en"},"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/nivethadayanand/"},"instagram":{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/newswithnivetha"}},"name":"Nivetha Dayanand","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","bio":"Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, where she spends her days unpacking money, markets, aviation, and the big shifts shaping life in the Gulf. Before returning to Gulf News, she launched Finance Middle East, complete with a podcast and video series.\n\nHer reporting has taken her from breaking spot news to long-form features and high-profile interviews. Nivetha has interviewed Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu, IMF\u2019s Jihad Azour, and a long list of CEOs, regulators, and founders who are reshaping the region\u2019s economy.\n\nAn Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha has shared classrooms and newsrooms with journalists from more than 40 countries, which probably explains her weakness for data, context, and a good follow-up question.\n\nWhen she is away from her keyboard (AFK), you are most likely to find her at the gym with an Eminem playlist, bingeing One Piece, or exploring games on her PS5. \n","id":2170744,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776143347313,"public-identifier":"1.500506071","subheadline":"Prices swing through April as global tensions ease but risks still linger","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai gold prices climb after dip on easing tensions","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Gold rebounds in Dubai as war concerns ease and prices stabilise","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"retail","name":"Retail","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail","id":85277,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Retail","collection":{"slug":"retail-business","name":"Business Component (Retail)","id":194701},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"saving-investment","name":"YourMoney-Saving-Investment","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/your-money/saving-investment","id":85353,"parent-id":85283,"display-name":"Saving and Investment","collection":{"slug":"saving-investment-your-money","name":"YourMoney-Saving-Investment (Your Money)","id":194777},"data":null}],"read-time":2,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776142890582,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":180748,"width":1200,"height":800},"comments":null,"word-count":492,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776143347313,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"AFP-FADEL SENNA","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"bf8aa9e1-376a-45ad-89b7-54eca840360e","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/11ax28j3/newsml_afp_com_20260413T190059Z_doc_a7np2tr.jpeg","contributors":null,"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bf8aa9e1-376a-45ad-89b7-54eca840360e/element/7770312b-f461-484f-b775-59dbf9532198","type":"text","family-id":"ac5ce76b-7b30-4f61-9ae0-d111a0684b39","title":"","id":"7770312b-f461-484f-b775-59dbf9532198","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Dubai: Gold prices in Dubai moved higher on Monday morning, reversing part of the recent slide and reflecting a shift in global sentiment after signs of easing geopolitical tension. (Check latest UAE gold prices here, alongside prices in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and India.)
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bf8aa9e1-376a-45ad-89b7-54eca840360e/element/f0e6661c-4957-4e71-98e5-a5a3be993d40","type":"text","family-id":"185d4742-ea8c-469c-9635-03296b812e0c","title":"","id":"f0e6661c-4957-4e71-98e5-a5a3be993d40","metadata":{"content":"Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bf8aa9e1-376a-45ad-89b7-54eca840360e/element/f165a1d0-380b-4909-975e-1b7708be04c9","type":"text","family-id":"6f48bb48-0367-4709-a2f8-5be3a05ec0ba","title":"","id":"f165a1d0-380b-4909-975e-1b7708be04c9","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
At 8:42 am, 24K gold was priced at Dh573.50 per gram, up from Dh569.75 on Sunday. The 22K variant rose to Dh531 from Dh527.75, bringing prices back closer to levels seen earlier in the month.
The move follows a broader rebound in international markets, where bullion gained after two sessions of losses. The shift came as diplomatic signals between the US and Iran raised hopes of a negotiated outcome, easing some of the inflation concerns that had been driving recent volatility.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bf8aa9e1-376a-45ad-89b7-54eca840360e/element/15f116d7-2592-4a57-b732-0d3f7d38f139","type":"text","family-id":"8202c7de-794a-4c2b-8a43-f98cdadcadbc","title":"","id":"15f116d7-2592-4a57-b732-0d3f7d38f139","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for\u00A0FREE: Download the\u00A0Gulf News\u00A0app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply\u00A0click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bf8aa9e1-376a-45ad-89b7-54eca840360e/element/7f10337c-3649-46f3-ba9f-9829e9c6d9a3","type":"text","family-id":"c678a994-03b7-4d7e-b6ec-fd23def84dca","title":"","id":"7f10337c-3649-46f3-ba9f-9829e9c6d9a3","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
Price action through April shows a market that has struggled to find direction. Gold opened the month near Dh573 per gram before sliding steadily to around Dh561 by April 6, marking one of the sharper early-month declines.
Momentum then reversed quickly. Prices climbed to a peak of around Dh577 by April 9, supported by heightened geopolitical tension and strong safe-haven demand. That rally proved short-lived, with gold pulling back again toward the Dh569 range over the weekend before Monday\u2019s recovery.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776143344786,"content-version-id":"582cd36f-4cf8-45b7-ad70-c3eb7c1f5996","card-added-at":1776142890589,"status":"draft","id":"06f8f498-7fb7-460c-bce1-90d90de74a8c","content-id":"06f8f498-7fb7-460c-bce1-90d90de74a8c","version":14,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Dubai gold rises after two-day drop amid easing war tensions","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/11ax28j3/newsml_afp_com_20260413T190059Z_doc_a7np2tr.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"AFP-FADEL SENNA","alt-text":null,"caption":"An Emirati gold dealer holds bars of gold in a shop in the Dubai Gold Souk on April 13, 2025.","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":180748,"width":1200,"height":800}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bf8aa9e1-376a-45ad-89b7-54eca840360e/element/bf432d26-578a-4476-b85d-4f958cf45f22","type":"text","family-id":"a714b984-7185-41c5-86eb-5e0172652780","title":"","id":"bf432d26-578a-4476-b85d-4f958cf45f22","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"30c48c93-e67e-43f2-ae5e-92cde2a90bfe","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776058749709,"author-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","headline":"Dubai gold slips as global markets turn cautious on Hormuz tensions","story-content-id":"30c48c93-e67e-43f2-ae5e-92cde2a90bfe","is-published":true,"slug":"business/retail/dubai-gold-slips-as-global-markets-turn-cautious-on-hormuz-tensions-1.500504935","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776058752966,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Gold dips as Hormuz tensions keep markets on edge","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai gold dips again. Should you buy now?","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85277,"name":"Retail","slug":"retail","data":null},{"id":85353,"name":"YourMoney-Saving-Investment","slug":"saving-investment","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/IgAutcHSDOLC0hVlOnDl58NJGdXBI1KltaYAd-nAvvJTWVzxlV7036eB-sR0G_Fb","published-at":1776058752966,"status":"published","id":"30c48c93-e67e-43f2-ae5e-92cde2a90bfe","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail/dubai-gold-slips-as-global-markets-turn-cautious-on-hormuz-tensions-1.500504935","author-id":2170744,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2170744,"name":"Nivetha Dayanand","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"IgAutcHSDOLC0hVlOnDl58NJGdXBI1KltaYAd-nAvvJTWVzxlV7036eB-sR0G_Fb","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Dubai gold slips as global markets turn cautious on Hormuz tensions"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bf8aa9e1-376a-45ad-89b7-54eca840360e/element/2a154354-e40c-46e2-bec6-5d2214568afe","type":"text","family-id":"74c46942-b2f4-4de4-96d1-3d97249f0f2d","title":"","id":"2a154354-e40c-46e2-bec6-5d2214568afe","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"cbdc231c-8ded-4430-b660-2d2b1ca7399e","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775713934202,"author-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","headline":"Dubai gold slips after two-day surge, traders watch Iran talks","story-content-id":"cbdc231c-8ded-4430-b660-2d2b1ca7399e","is-published":true,"slug":"business/retail/dubai-gold-slips-after-two-day-surge-traders-watch-iran-talks-1.500501020","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775713936986,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Gold drops from April peak, buyers eye entry window","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai gold edges lower as global cues keep market on edge","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85277,"name":"Retail","slug":"retail","data":null},{"id":85353,"name":"YourMoney-Saving-Investment","slug":"saving-investment","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/fHNOvpFZ-mf6Ao4f_OKpKOLk5MBmNgGXumCvHoEEp3dg_lPPc0RaUstWH8KQfOsg","published-at":1775713936986,"status":"published","id":"cbdc231c-8ded-4430-b660-2d2b1ca7399e","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail/dubai-gold-slips-after-two-day-surge-traders-watch-iran-talks-1.500501020","author-id":2170744,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2170744,"name":"Nivetha Dayanand","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"fHNOvpFZ-mf6Ao4f_OKpKOLk5MBmNgGXumCvHoEEp3dg_lPPc0RaUstWH8KQfOsg","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Dubai gold slips after two-day surge, traders watch Iran talks"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bf8aa9e1-376a-45ad-89b7-54eca840360e/element/28a55f23-f21f-4e9a-ba28-c848310dec92","type":"text","family-id":"cde0dc64-cadf-412e-ae30-55c69deb7735","title":"","id":"28a55f23-f21f-4e9a-ba28-c848310dec92","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"062de47d-1004-4c05-abe0-2d88c5e2d017","linked-story":{"updated-at":1773728497175,"author-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","headline":"Dubai gold prices rebound after sharp swings, buyers track next move","story-content-id":"062de47d-1004-4c05-abe0-2d88c5e2d017","is-published":true,"slug":"business/retail/dubai-gold-prices-rebound-after-sharp-swings-buyers-track-next-move-1.500477075","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1773728499372,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai gold prices tick up after recent dip","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai gold prices edge higher after recent dip","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85277,"name":"Retail","slug":"retail","data":null},{"id":85353,"name":"YourMoney-Saving-Investment","slug":"saving-investment","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/p-xiN0sWrgivhCR8xXUI-u69jshn5A5Zw2dIdSuaq6QWX1c2b3n9cCUl_lVU3loo","published-at":1773728499372,"status":"published","id":"062de47d-1004-4c05-abe0-2d88c5e2d017","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail/dubai-gold-prices-rebound-after-sharp-swings-buyers-track-next-move-1.500477075","author-id":2170744,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2170744,"name":"Nivetha Dayanand","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"p-xiN0sWrgivhCR8xXUI-u69jshn5A5Zw2dIdSuaq6QWX1c2b3n9cCUl_lVU3loo","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Dubai gold prices rebound after sharp swings, buyers track next move"}],"card-updated-at":1776143344786,"content-version-id":"416ac623-0f86-4754-a010-5d62ca8a2253","card-added-at":1776143011804,"status":"draft","id":"babd88fe-6f58-4f81-9641-df8b23306892","content-id":"babd88fe-6f58-4f81-9641-df8b23306892","version":11,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Dubai gold rises after two-day drop amid easing war tensions","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/11ax28j3/newsml_afp_com_20260413T190059Z_doc_a7np2tr.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"AFP-FADEL SENNA","alt-text":null,"caption":"An Emirati gold dealer holds bars of gold in a shop in the Dubai Gold Souk on April 13, 2025.","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":180748,"width":1200,"height":800}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_Read"]}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bf8aa9e1-376a-45ad-89b7-54eca840360e/element/e9971756-1987-46b4-89e4-e68396bfe742","type":"text","family-id":"e26e7ec7-4978-4749-a17e-9f4669827ed1","title":"","id":"e9971756-1987-46b4-89e4-e68396bfe742","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Internationally, bullion rose close to $4,770 an ounce, recovering ground lost over the previous two sessions. The move came even as the US tightened its stance in the Strait of Hormuz, while at the same time signalling openness to negotiations.
President Donald Trump said Iranian officials had approached his administration with the intent \u201Cto work a deal.\u201D Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian also indicated that Tehran remained open to continuing talks within international legal frameworks.
Oil prices dropped below $100 a barrel, easing pressure on inflation expectations. Equity markets moved higher and the dollar weakened slightly, creating a supportive backdrop for gold, which is priced in the US currency.
Lower energy prices have reduced some of the inflation-driven demand that had supported bullion earlier in the conflict. That shift has also influenced expectations around interest rates, with markets still factoring in a limited chance of rate cuts by the US Federal Reserve this year.
Despite the latest uptick, gold remains under pressure compared to peak levels seen during the early stages of the conflict. Prices are still roughly 10% lower than where they stood at the height of market stress, when investors rushed into safe-haven assets.
Recent trading suggests that buyers are stepping in during dips, but conviction remains limited. The market continues to balance easing inflation fears against the risk of renewed disruption, particularly with the Strait of Hormuz still under strain.
- With inputs from Bloomberg.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776143344786,"content-version-id":"b4070584-d0dc-43a7-9dcc-02edf4a6dca6","card-added-at":1776143011804,"status":"draft","id":"545977e2-4126-46c4-a892-69084d75a6da","content-id":"545977e2-4126-46c4-a892-69084d75a6da","version":11,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Dubai gold rises after two-day drop amid easing war tensions","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/11ax28j3/newsml_afp_com_20260413T190059Z_doc_a7np2tr.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"AFP-FADEL SENNA","alt-text":null,"caption":"An Emirati gold dealer holds bars of gold in a shop in the Dubai Gold Souk on April 13, 2025.","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":180748,"width":1200,"height":800}}},"attributes":{}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail/dubai-gold-rises-after-two-day-drop-amid-easing-war-tensions-1.500506071","story-version-id":"c3d757d4-3601-457f-bb24-4c714776ebbd","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776143347531,"author-id":2170744,"owner-id":2170744,"linked-story-ids":["30c48c93-e67e-43f2-ae5e-92cde2a90bfe","cbdc231c-8ded-4430-b660-2d2b1ca7399e","062de47d-1004-4c05-abe0-2d88c5e2d017"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776143347313,"hero-image-caption":"An Emirati gold dealer holds bars of gold in a shop in the Dubai Gold Souk on April 13, 2025.","version":14,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776143344771,"authors":[{"slug":"nivetha-dayanand","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/nivethadayanand?lang=en"},"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/nivethadayanand/"},"instagram":{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/newswithnivetha"}},"name":"Nivetha Dayanand","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","bio":"Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, where she spends her days unpacking money, markets, aviation, and the big shifts shaping life in the Gulf. Before returning to Gulf News, she launched Finance Middle East, complete with a podcast and video series.\n\nHer reporting has taken her from breaking spot news to long-form features and high-profile interviews. Nivetha has interviewed Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu, IMF\u2019s Jihad Azour, and a long list of CEOs, regulators, and founders who are reshaping the region\u2019s economy.\n\nAn Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha has shared classrooms and newsrooms with journalists from more than 40 countries, which probably explains her weakness for data, context, and a good follow-up question.\n\nWhen she is away from her keyboard (AFK), you are most likely to find her at the gym with an Eminem playlist, bingeing One Piece, or exploring games on her PS5. \n","id":2170744,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Nivetha Dayanand"},"id":"bf8aa9e1-376a-45ad-89b7-54eca840360e"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776090154934,"seo":{"claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2183048,"author-name":"Jay Hilotin","tags":[],"headline":"From 6pm: US begins naval blockade of Iran \u2014 What it means","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"bea9c6b6-6d70-49e3-b8ad-1c901d2bc3e0","slug":"world/mena/us-begins-naval-blockade-of-iran-after-tehrans-threats-to-commercial-ships-in-hormuz-what-it-means-1.500504830","linked-stories":{"21528cbc-b957-4ba4-b586-c2d05b115b5b":{"author-name":"AFP","headline":"US to begin blockade of Iranian ports Monday: military","story-content-id":"21528cbc-b957-4ba4-b586-c2d05b115b5b","slug":"world/mena/us-to-begin-blockade-of-iranian-ports-monday-military-1.500504282","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"US to begin 'blockade' of Iranian ports on Monday","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"file-size":532279,"width":1200,"height":915},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-04/reqjhq1a/newsml_afp_com_20260304T193939Z_doc_99y642d.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/us-to-begin-blockade-of-iranian-ports-monday-military-1.500504282","content-updated-at":1776058105187,"author-id":2118725,"first-published-at":1776033305595,"authors":[{"slug":"afp","social":{},"name":"AFP","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2118725,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"9be522ea-107b-42ca-933c-5b3127032d23":{"author-name":"Jay Hilotin","headline":"Iran says was 'inches away' from deal with US in Islamabad","story-content-id":"9be522ea-107b-42ca-933c-5b3127032d23","slug":"world/mena/iran-says-was-inches-away-from-deal-with-us-in-islamabad-2-1.500504734","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Iran says 'inches away' from deal with US","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"americas","name":"Americas","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas","id":85243,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Americas","collection":{"slug":"americas-world","name":"Americas (World)","id":194667},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1024,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/cea6325d844a4201b8eb2a9f271a57a0.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7Ecea6325d844a4201b8eb2a9f271a57a0%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7E63e77693f9064bc387c9b853dd3bb8ea%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7ET4gih9O87ZeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","height":683},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-07-13/vnwacf2b/preview.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/iran-says-was-inches-away-from-deal-with-us-in-islamabad-2-1.500504734","content-updated-at":1776034317344,"author-id":2183048,"first-published-at":1776031884610,"authors":[{"slug":"jay-hilotin-2","social":{},"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2183048,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"4081bb8d-ca2d-4d1a-96e4-309fc0dbd316":{"author-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","headline":"22 ships hit, 800 stranded in Hormuz, Al Jaber warns of supply shock","story-content-id":"4081bb8d-ca2d-4d1a-96e4-309fc0dbd316","slug":"business/22-ships-hit-800-stranded-in-hormuz-al-jaber-warns-of-supply-shock-1.500504450","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"22 attacks, 800 ships stranded in Hormuz: Al Jaber","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"800 ships stranded in Hormuz, Al Jaber flags supply risk","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"business","name":"Business","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business","id":85215,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"Business","collection":{"slug":"business","name":"Business LANDING PAGE","id":194639},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2022/07/25/al-jaber.JPG_18235b9f17a_large.JPG","url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/22-ships-hit-800-stranded-in-hormuz-al-jaber-warns-of-supply-shock-1.500504450","content-updated-at":1776001575209,"author-id":2170744,"first-published-at":1776001181440,"authors":[{"slug":"nivetha-dayanand","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/nivethadayanand?lang=en"},"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/nivethadayanand/"},"instagram":{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/newswithnivetha"}},"name":"Nivetha Dayanand","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","bio":"Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, where she spends her days unpacking money, markets, aviation, and the big shifts shaping life in the Gulf. Before returning to Gulf News, she launched Finance Middle East, complete with a podcast and video series.\n\nHer reporting has taken her from breaking spot news to long-form features and high-profile interviews. Nivetha has interviewed Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu, IMF\u2019s Jihad Azour, and a long list of CEOs, regulators, and founders who are reshaping the region\u2019s economy.\n\nAn Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha has shared classrooms and newsrooms with journalists from more than 40 countries, which probably explains her weakness for data, context, and a good follow-up question.\n\nWhen she is away from her keyboard (AFK), you are most likely to find her at the gym with an Eminem playlist, bingeing One Piece, or exploring games on her PS5. \n","id":2170744,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776049846802,"public-identifier":"1.500504830","subheadline":"Targeting Iranian ports, Washington tests limits of maritime pressure tactics\n","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"US naval blockade of Iran from 6pm: What it means","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null}],"read-time":4,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776047598788,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Jay Hilotin","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"original-url":"https://d3lzcn6mbbadaf.cloudfront.net/media/details/ANI-20260131154545.jpg","width":1600,"height":1200},"comments":null,"word-count":926,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776049846802,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"last-correction-published-at":1776090156777,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"Reuters","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"bea9c6b6-6d70-49e3-b8ad-1c901d2bc3e0","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-01-31/ni8rkirx/ANI_20260131154545.jpg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bea9c6b6-6d70-49e3-b8ad-1c901d2bc3e0/element/abfb39d5-ac8b-4638-98aa-438d5237f266","type":"text","family-id":"255aeb86-bb3a-4288-a629-0869b559e8cb","title":"","id":"abfb39d5-ac8b-4638-98aa-438d5237f266","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"For centuries, naval blockades have shaped wars, trade, and geopolitics.
They\u2019re a powerful form of economic warfare \u2014 choking off commerce without a land invasion, but still sending shockwaves through food supplies, fuel markets, and national security.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bea9c6b6-6d70-49e3-b8ad-1c901d2bc3e0/element/7d6e10e9-734a-4c5a-ae36-0bad18ff47df","type":"text","family-id":"08cd7b7b-7498-4ff9-8d64-e8960598058b","title":"","id":"7d6e10e9-734a-4c5a-ae36-0bad18ff47df","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"4081bb8d-ca2d-4d1a-96e4-309fc0dbd316","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776001572767,"author-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","headline":"22 ships hit, 800 stranded in Hormuz, Al Jaber warns of supply shock","story-content-id":"4081bb8d-ca2d-4d1a-96e4-309fc0dbd316","is-published":true,"slug":"business/22-ships-hit-800-stranded-in-hormuz-al-jaber-warns-of-supply-shock-1.500504450","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776001181440,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"22 attacks, 800 ships stranded in Hormuz: Al Jaber","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"800 ships stranded in Hormuz, Al Jaber flags supply risk","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85215,"name":"Business","slug":"business","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/v3v2o0RVSwQmIYfS0XyjHf9aIy-zD_lEAH8Jft6fGl-doyVn_RZAPPnCkSc-qAAw","published-at":1776001181440,"status":"published","id":"4081bb8d-ca2d-4d1a-96e4-309fc0dbd316","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/22-ships-hit-800-stranded-in-hormuz-al-jaber-warns-of-supply-shock-1.500504450","author-id":2170744,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2170744,"name":"Nivetha Dayanand","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"v3v2o0RVSwQmIYfS0XyjHf9aIy-zD_lEAH8Jft6fGl-doyVn_RZAPPnCkSc-qAAw","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"22 ships hit, 800 stranded in Hormuz, Al Jaber warns of supply shock"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bea9c6b6-6d70-49e3-b8ad-1c901d2bc3e0/element/e659b080-6cc1-4e00-913c-407e993f9c70","type":"text","family-id":"c6903561-e55a-4440-b3ba-a835cf0557ba","title":"","id":"e659b080-6cc1-4e00-913c-407e993f9c70","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Weeks of Tehran's threat to commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz amid the US-Israel war with Iran saw at least 22 ships hit, and 800 commercial vessels and oil tankers stranded, leading to a global supply shock.
Now, the US military has announced: a naval blockade is up against shipping from and going to Iran, starting 6pm Gulf Standard Time/GST (1400 GMT, 10AM ET) on Monday, April 13, 2026.
Analysts call it an \"escalation\" after initial talks hosted by Islamabad failed to hammer out a deal.
Already, a new wave of oil price spikes kicked off on Monday (April 13) in early Asian trade, with WTI nearly 9% up and Brent almost 8% higher as of 12noon Tokyo time.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bea9c6b6-6d70-49e3-b8ad-1c901d2bc3e0/element/b9339690-4d53-442c-9a2c-ec7a784d1e8c","type":"text","family-id":"ed2b2049-3c07-4d22-85c2-0e0fe59a8e2b","title":"","id":"b9339690-4d53-442c-9a2c-ec7a784d1e8c","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"In a Truth Social media post, President Donald Trump called Iran's move over Hormuz as \"world extortion\", while issuing a stern warning: vessels suspected of having paid an \"illegal\" toll to Iran to cross the Hormuz Strait will be interdicted by the US Navy.
"},{"description":"","embed-js":"PGJsb2NrcXVvdGUgY2xhc3M9InR3aXR0ZXItdHdlZXQiPjxwIGxhbmc9Inp4eCIgZGlyPSJsdHIiPjxhIGhyZWY9Imh0dHBzOi8vdC5jby9lMTlqSmhzdEtpIj5waWMudHdpdHRlci5jb20vZTE5akpoc3RLaTwvYT48L3A+Jm1kYXNoOyBKRCBWYW5jZSAoQEpEVmFuY2UpIDxhIGhyZWY9Imh0dHBzOi8vdHdpdHRlci5jb20vSkRWYW5jZS9zdGF0dXMvMjA0MzMzOTYwMzY3NTg0OTEwND9yZWZfc3JjPXR3c3JjJTVFdGZ3Ij5BcHJpbCAxMiwgMjAyNjwvYT48L2Jsb2NrcXVvdGU+CjxzY3JpcHQgYXN5bmMgc3JjPSJodHRwczovL3BsYXRmb3JtLnR3aXR0ZXIuY29tL3dpZGdldHMuanMiIGNoYXJzZXQ9InV0Zi04Ij48L3NjcmlwdD4KCg==","page-url":"/story/bea9c6b6-6d70-49e3-b8ad-1c901d2bc3e0/element/2dbbbada-9f68-46d7-8747-acbf3b493615","type":"jsembed","family-id":"de994d2d-7ca3-43e7-858f-d97584535727","title":"","id":"2dbbbada-9f68-46d7-8747-acbf3b493615","metadata":{"tweet-url":"https://twitter.com/JDVance/status/2043339603675849104","provider":"twitter","tweet-id":"2043339603675849104"},"subtype":"tweet"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bea9c6b6-6d70-49e3-b8ad-1c901d2bc3e0/element/7b6e6cdf-d3cf-42b6-b776-8a74f39b5786","type":"text","family-id":"151f5b85-ebb4-41dc-b394-0114938fec76","title":"","id":"7b6e6cdf-d3cf-42b6-b776-8a74f39b5786","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Trump admitted overnight on Sunday (April 12) that oil and gasoline prices could remain elevated through November\u2019s midterm elections, in a rare acknowledgment of possible political fallout from his decision to strike Iran on Feb. 28.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bea9c6b6-6d70-49e3-b8ad-1c901d2bc3e0/element/aa76223b-6f37-4c91-9b0f-634c048ff26e","type":"text","family-id":"ef8be2c7-6a86-4669-bb7e-e3acbe253926","title":"","id":"aa76223b-6f37-4c91-9b0f-634c048ff26e","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"21528cbc-b957-4ba4-b586-c2d05b115b5b","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776046912004,"author-name":"AFP","headline":"US to begin blockade of Iranian ports Monday: military","story-content-id":"21528cbc-b957-4ba4-b586-c2d05b115b5b","is-published":true,"slug":"world/mena/us-to-begin-blockade-of-iranian-ports-monday-military-1.500504282","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776033305595,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"US to begin 'blockade' of Iranian ports on Monday","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/cGWMySLvungfg0FYvTKxv3WY1MP6YpEv63kh_fmt5k409uCL7-fBjByTiLR7hWkR","published-at":1776033305595,"status":"published","id":"21528cbc-b957-4ba4-b586-c2d05b115b5b","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/us-to-begin-blockade-of-iranian-ports-monday-military-1.500504282","author-id":2118725,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"syndicated","authors":[{"author-collection-id":null,"email":"afp@gulfnews.com","slug":"afp","last-name":null,"social":{},"name":"AFP","avatar-url":null,"roles":[{"id":25321,"name":"Contributor"},{"id":25323,"name":"Admin"}],"bridgekeeper-id":8673409,"settings":{},"first-name":null,"communication-email":null,"bio":null,"can-login":true,"id":2118725,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null,"metadata":{"designation":""}}],"metadata":{"imported-card-is-read-only":false,"story-attributes":{"syndicatedfrom":["Wire - AFP"],"syndicated-categories":null},"imported-card-id":"bb0a1de8-7cb3-4bb9-afc2-727875dbde95"},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"cGWMySLvungfg0FYvTKxv3WY1MP6YpEv63kh_fmt5k409uCL7-fBjByTiLR7hWkR","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"US to begin blockade of Iranian ports Monday: military"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bea9c6b6-6d70-49e3-b8ad-1c901d2bc3e0/element/b785eb2c-e45f-4aff-a9a4-228a82599e1b","type":"text","family-id":"80ddfe8a-1ec6-4221-a1c9-475a8739c1f0","title":"","id":"b785eb2c-e45f-4aff-a9a4-228a82599e1b","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Certain US lawmakers have questioned Trump's strategy, arguing that it may fail to deter adversaries while increasing the risk of broader conflict and further pressure on global oil supplies.
Asked whether energy costs would ease by the fall, Trump said: \u201CIt could be, or the same, or maybe a little bit higher, but it should be around the same,\u201D he said, suggesting prices may stay persistently high in the months ahead.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bea9c6b6-6d70-49e3-b8ad-1c901d2bc3e0/element/2409ebd8-9f79-4802-bb8e-f67bc72acbcc","type":"text","family-id":"bbe5abbe-3f97-4bfe-9989-360549589ae6","title":"","id":"2409ebd8-9f79-4802-bb8e-f67bc72acbcc","metadata":{"content":"WHAT IS A NAVAL BLOCKADE? A naval blockade is a military measure that stops ships from entering or leaving enemy ports or waters to cut off trade, supplies or military access. It\u2019s considered a form of economic and strategic pressure short of full ground war \u2014 but it can dramatically disrupt commerce and the flow of goods."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"WHAT IS A NAVAL BLOCKADE? A naval blockade is a military measure that stops ships from entering or leaving enemy ports or waters to cut off trade, supplies or military access. It\u2019s considered a form of economic and strategic pressure short of full ground war \u2014 but it can dramatically disrupt commerce and the flow of goods."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bea9c6b6-6d70-49e3-b8ad-1c901d2bc3e0/element/aa87bff7-cf33-4b58-905f-52e6e127d890","type":"text","family-id":"27f47a6a-561b-4551-b459-409316598c8c","title":"","id":"aa87bff7-cf33-4b58-905f-52e6e127d890","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
His comments come as energy markets remain volatile following the breakdown of negotiations with Tehran and renewed US military action, which has heightened concerns over regional stability and supply risks.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bea9c6b6-6d70-49e3-b8ad-1c901d2bc3e0/element/f0ebada4-72ed-4d25-a495-3b1e7702c8d0","type":"text","family-id":"87a09129-1584-4f51-a92f-ed108ead6d02","title":"","id":"f0ebada4-72ed-4d25-a495-3b1e7702c8d0","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The blockade marks a shift away from diplomacy toward a more coercive approach, warning it could deepen tensions in the Middle East.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bea9c6b6-6d70-49e3-b8ad-1c901d2bc3e0/element/405d73c9-075b-4500-8278-446a729d83bf","type":"text","family-id":"88d2710b-81fd-4367-a59b-66fd622a52fe","title":"","id":"405d73c9-075b-4500-8278-446a729d83bf","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"9be522ea-107b-42ca-933c-5b3127032d23","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776034314329,"author-name":"Jay Hilotin","headline":"Iran says was 'inches away' from deal with US in Islamabad","story-content-id":"9be522ea-107b-42ca-933c-5b3127032d23","is-published":true,"slug":"world/mena/iran-says-was-inches-away-from-deal-with-us-in-islamabad-2-1.500504734","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776031884610,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Iran says 'inches away' from deal with US","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null},{"id":85243,"name":"Americas","slug":"americas","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/YtWzxSGgTmyIAnCzq9FTr_uoPISATObfRokIk4RS7qQfd3WtkD9p1HReBub9ZXKK","published-at":1776031884610,"status":"published","id":"9be522ea-107b-42ca-933c-5b3127032d23","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/iran-says-was-inches-away-from-deal-with-us-in-islamabad-2-1.500504734","author-id":2183048,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2183048,"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"YtWzxSGgTmyIAnCzq9FTr_uoPISATObfRokIk4RS7qQfd3WtkD9p1HReBub9ZXKK","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Iran says was 'inches away' from deal with US in Islamabad"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bea9c6b6-6d70-49e3-b8ad-1c901d2bc3e0/element/78ee4edc-8815-4615-8d5f-1f0c803a1d07","type":"text","family-id":"dac86759-f458-4492-aa11-0400d86152eb","title":"","id":"78ee4edc-8815-4615-8d5f-1f0c803a1d07","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Trump himself has said he \"doesn't care\" whether or not Iran goes back to the negotiating table.
Trump's remarks and the volatility of the current situation, underscore growing political sensitivity around fuel prices in an election year, when energy costs often play a decisive role in voter sentiment.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bea9c6b6-6d70-49e3-b8ad-1c901d2bc3e0/element/7bbea769-ca4c-45dc-8282-3ee38bb1ab94","type":"text","family-id":"2b182dd4-d3fd-4b19-bbd9-c07de00f4b1f","title":"","id":"7bbea769-ca4c-45dc-8282-3ee38bb1ab94","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Trump and US Central Command said the blockade is a response to the failure of peace talks with Iran in Islamabad and Tehran\u2019s control over shipping through the Strait of Hormuz \u2014 a chokepoint that handles about 20% of the world\u2019s oil and gas shipments.
"},{"description":"","image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"width":1024,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EGlzK9HS-TteS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","height":682},"page-url":"/story/bea9c6b6-6d70-49e3-b8ad-1c901d2bc3e0/element/82e1fd78-c66a-46bc-b43a-32045f678847","type":"image","family-id":"5a2ff91b-a196-476a-96d7-b89a0b03f627","image-attribution":"AP","title":"Oil tankers and cargo ships line up in the Strait of Hormuz. File photo taken on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. ","id":"82e1fd78-c66a-46bc-b43a-32045f678847","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/1tgfm8cr/preview.jpg","metadata":{},"subtype":null},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bea9c6b6-6d70-49e3-b8ad-1c901d2bc3e0/element/b9be302c-5e7b-470a-b260-e894d2cb8661","type":"text","family-id":"b2843295-9c0d-487b-82d7-25216059f7b4","title":"","id":"b9be302c-5e7b-470a-b260-e894d2cb8661","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"In the first high-level face-to-face meeting between Iran and the US in 47 years, negotiations collapsed.
The US has immediately announced it would begin blocking maritime traffic entering and exiting Iranian ports starting April 13 (10 am ET, 1400 GMT, 6PM GST), aiming to pressure Tehran and counter its effective restriction of the vital route.
CentCom clarified that commerce between non-Iranian ports would still be allowed through the strait.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bea9c6b6-6d70-49e3-b8ad-1c901d2bc3e0/element/683bba35-4c61-42fb-8542-d015ecd411b4","type":"text","family-id":"beb0ebe3-4e53-4218-bec8-70ed4315257f","title":"","id":"683bba35-4c61-42fb-8542-d015ecd411b4","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
A blockade at the Strait of Hormuz \u2014 even if targeted at Iranian ports \u2014 can disrupt energy markets and global trade, heightening the stakes for diplomatic and military dynamics in the Middle East.
Iran had been imposing indirect control \u2014 including tolls and warnings of naval minefields \u2014 that slowed global shipping and kept oil markets volatile.
Trump has warned that global oil prices will remain elevated till the November mid-term elections in the US, Reuters reported.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776064148367,"content-version-id":"ee2a3d16-8620-4ec9-a8bf-38aa9f66848e","card-added-at":1776047598795,"status":"draft","id":"ea2c641c-77f6-42db-ad57-c4b71dafc39c","content-id":"ea2c641c-77f6-42db-ad57-c4b71dafc39c","version":42,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"From 6pm: US begins naval blockade of Iran \u2014 What it means","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/1tgfm8cr/preview.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","caption":null,"alt-text":"","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"width":1024,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EGlzK9HS-TteS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","height":682}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/bea9c6b6-6d70-49e3-b8ad-1c901d2bc3e0/element/314500db-85f8-47dd-abc9-15081108e4bd","type":"text","family-id":"141a2e97-c5d0-42b0-b65c-ee9badb8b76b","title":"","id":"314500db-85f8-47dd-abc9-15081108e4bd","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Naval blockades shaped wars, trade, and geopolitics. They are powerful tools of economic warfare \u2014 often stopping trade without immediate land invasion, but with ripple effects on food, fuel and security.
Athens used its navy to blockade Spartan allies and control sea trade in the Aegean, showing early use of sea power to choke supplies.
The Royal Navy blockaded French ports for years, crippling Napoleon\u2019s trade and contributing to his defeat.
The Union\u2019s \u201CAnaconda Plan\u201D sealed Confederate ports, starving the South of weapons, goods and export income.
Britain blockaded Germany, causing severe shortages that weakened the German war effort and civilian morale.
Allied naval power restricted Axis shipping lanes; U-boats and counter-blockades made sea control central to the war.
The US avoided the word blockade (an act of war) and imposed a \u201Cquarantine\u201D to stop Soviet missiles reaching Cuba.
Both sides attacked oil tankers in the Gulf, effectively blockading energy flows without formal declarations.
A UN-backed naval blockade cut Iraq off from maritime trade after its invasion of Kuwait.
Naval restrictions and inspections around Yemen disrupted commercial and aid shipping.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776049842972,"content-version-id":"1e637cb7-8b45-4ae6-9f5b-594a74d98dad","card-added-at":1776048589796,"status":"draft","id":"6d2e219b-36e0-47d3-8572-f3ec0d85474c","content-id":"6d2e219b-36e0-47d3-8572-f3ec0d85474c","version":17,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"From 6pm: US begins naval blockade of Iran \u2014 What it means","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-01-31/ni8rkirx/ANI_20260131154545.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Reuters","alt-text":null,"caption":"An aerial view of the Iranian shores and the Port of Bandar Abbas.","metadata":{"original-url":"https://d3lzcn6mbbadaf.cloudfront.net/media/details/ANI-20260131154545.jpg","width":1600,"height":1200}}},"attributes":{}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/us-begins-naval-blockade-of-iran-after-tehrans-threats-to-commercial-ships-in-hormuz-what-it-means-1.500504830","story-version-id":"f8e0fb60-11da-4594-9989-011ea427917a","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776090157061,"author-id":2183048,"owner-id":2183048,"linked-story-ids":["21528cbc-b957-4ba4-b586-c2d05b115b5b","9be522ea-107b-42ca-933c-5b3127032d23","4081bb8d-ca2d-4d1a-96e4-309fc0dbd316"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776049846802,"hero-image-caption":"An aerial view of the Iranian shores and the Port of Bandar Abbas.","version":47,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776090152538,"authors":[{"slug":"jay-hilotin-2","social":{},"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2183048,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"label":["EXPLAINER"]},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Jay Hilotin"},"id":"bea9c6b6-6d70-49e3-b8ad-1c901d2bc3e0"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776147278726,"seo":{"meta-title":"8 UAE Students Conquer Everest Base Camp After Months of Gruelling Training and Trek in Nepal","meta-description":"Eight Abu Dhabi students conquer Everest Base Camp after months of intense training, turning a school expedition into a life-changing Himalayan challenge.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2170744,"author-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","tags":[{"id":11462752,"name":"UAE schools","meta-description":"Stay updated on UAE school news including academic calendars, admission updates, curriculum changes, and school rankings.","meta-title":"UAE Schools News \u2013 Curriculum, Admissions & Rankings","slug":"uae-schools","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"Video: Meet the 8 UAE students who made it to Everest Base Camp","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"c76890fb-ed99-4d08-9d57-2a7c31a0dbdb","slug":"uae/video-meet-the-8-uae-students-who-made-it-to-everest-base-camp-1.500505635","linked-stories":{"1bf7f515-522a-44e6-9b10-e8fce771cdbb":{"author-name":"Devadasan K P","headline":"Beyond Everest: Climbers chase Nepal\u2019s hidden peaks ","story-content-id":"1bf7f515-522a-44e6-9b10-e8fce771cdbb","slug":"world/asia/beyond-everest-climbers-chase-nepals-hidden-peaks-1.500316806","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Watch: The next Everest? Nepal\u2019s hidden mountains call","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Watch: Beyond Everest \u2014 Nepal\u2019s hidden peaks spark a new climbing rush","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"asia","name":"Asia","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/asia","id":85230,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Asia","collection":{"slug":"asia-world","name":"Asia (World)","id":194654},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"news","name":"news-video","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/videos/news","id":85336,"parent-id":85315,"display-name":"News","collection":{"slug":"news-videos","name":"news-video (Videos)","id":194760},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1200,"height":800},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-10-21/yg83btm1/newsml_afp_com_20251021T020013Z_doc_79f64g3.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/beyond-everest-climbers-chase-nepals-hidden-peaks-1.500316806","content-updated-at":1761124069118,"author-id":2169471,"first-published-at":1761124068269,"authors":[{"slug":"devadasan-k-p","social":{},"name":"Devadasan K P","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/wssththa/DEVADASAN_PIC.jpg","bio":"Devadasan K P is the Chief Visual Editor at Gulf News, bringing more than 26 years of experience in photojournalism to the role. He leads the Visual desk with precision, speed, and a strong editorial instinct. \n\nWhether he\u2019s selecting images of royalty, chasing the biggest celebrity moments in Dubai, or covering live events himself, Devadasan is always a few steps ahead of the action. \n\nOver the years, he has covered a wide range of major assignments \u2014 including the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka, the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, feature reportage from Afghanistan, the IMF World Bank meetings, and wildlife series from Kenya. \n\nHis work has been widely recognised with industry accolades, including the Minolta Photojournalist of the Year award in 2005, the Best Picture Award at the Dubai Shopping Festival in 2008, and a Silver Award from the Society for News Design in 2011. \n\nHe handles the newsroom pressure with a calm attitude, a quick response time, and his signature brand of good-natured Malayali humour. There's no fuss \u2014 just someone who gets the job done very well, every single time.","id":2169471,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/wssththa/DEVADASAN_PIC.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"2e532fc2-daca-401d-be91-f0e51b695c5f":{"author-name":"Ashwani Kumar","headline":"Dubai boy, 7, conquers Everest Base Camp and Annapurna Circuit in a year","story-content-id":"2e532fc2-daca-401d-be91-f0e51b695c5f","slug":"uae/dubai-boy-7-conquers-everest-base-camp-and-annapurna-circuit-in-a-year-1.500334804","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai boy conquers Everest Base Camp, Annapurna Circuit","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"uae","name":"UAE","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae","id":85212,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"UAE","collection":{"slug":"uae","name":"UAE LANDING PAGE","id":194636},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"people","name":"people","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/people","id":85442,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"People","collection":{"slug":"people-uae","name":"people (UAE)","id":194866},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":2688,"height":2016,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":1601112,"file-name":"Mt1.jpg"},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-11-05/lw91p1g3/Mt1.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/dubai-boy-7-conquers-everest-base-camp-and-annapurna-circuit-in-a-year-1.500334804","content-updated-at":1762345689988,"author-id":2208758,"first-published-at":1762345688992,"authors":[{"slug":"ashwani-kumar","social":{"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/akaashwani/"}},"name":"Ashwani Kumar","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/f112s1xb/Ashwani_Kumar.png","bio":"Ashwani Kumar is a journalist and storyteller with almost two decades of experience, including more than 10 years across the UAE and Oman. As Chief Reporter, he covers multiple beats, crafting engaging stories that resonate with readers across platforms. \n \nA rolling stone with a reporter\u2019s curiosity, instinct and relentless drive, Ashwani has chased headlines at major events across the country \u2013 from ADIPEC, Formula One and Big Ticket in Abu Dhabi, to GITEX Global, AI Week and the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in Dubai, and the Sharjah International Book Fair to Hatta Festival. Name the event, and he\u2019s likely been on the ground, reporting with backpack, laptop, and pen on paper. \n \nHis defining chapter? The Covid-19 pandemic, where he cut through the noise and misinformation with on-the-ground reporting, earning trust when it mattered most. \n\nAlong the way, he\u2019s sat down with a range of global figures: from heads of state like Sheikh Hasina, to Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi, cricketing legend Brian Lara, Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor, and author-politician Shashi Tharoor, to name just a few. \n\nAshwani thrives on tight deadlines, tough calls, and turning chaos into clean copy. A natural team player and multitasker, he brings clarity and calm to every assignment, and is always on the lookout for news. \n","id":2208758,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/f112s1xb/Ashwani_Kumar.png","twitter-handle":null}]},"327ae074-e887-4f7e-92fc-48ca2c9c435e":{"author-name":"GN Focus Report","headline":"Private International School Abu Dhabi: Shaping students for AI, sustainability, entrepreneurship","story-content-id":"327ae074-e887-4f7e-92fc-48ca2c9c435e","slug":"gn-focus/private-international-school-abu-dhabi-shaping-students-for-ai-sustainability-entrepreneurship-1.500341481","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"How PIES Abu Dhabi is preparing students for the future","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"gn-focus","name":"GN Focus","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/gn-focus","id":85405,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"GN Focus","collection":{"slug":"gn-focus","name":"GN Focus","id":194829},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":832763,"file-name":"Dr-Nandakumar.jpg"},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-11-11/yn89nj9m/Dr-Nandakumar.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/gn-focus/private-international-school-abu-dhabi-shaping-students-for-ai-sustainability-entrepreneurship-1.500341481","content-updated-at":1762844688278,"author-id":2142359,"first-published-at":1762844687956,"authors":[{"slug":"gn-focus-report","social":{},"name":"GN Focus Report","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2142359,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776137400000,"public-identifier":"1.500505635","subheadline":"Three months of training turned a school trip into a test of grit and belief","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Watch: How 8 UAE students pulled off this Everest trek","hero-image":{"hero-image-extracted-data":null,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1199,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":202780,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-18.00.08-1.jpg"},"hero-image-attribution":"","hero-image-alt-text":"","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/x8ayfcem/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-18.00.08-1.jpg","hero-image-caption":"","hero-image-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-14/x8ayfcem/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-18.00.08-1.jpg","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"8 UAE students complete Everest Base Camp trek after months of training","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"uae","name":"UAE","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae","id":85212,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"UAE","collection":{"slug":"uae","name":"UAE LANDING PAGE","id":194636},"data":null}],"read-time":4,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776092605059,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","custom-slug":"Video: Meet the 8 UAE students who made it to Everest Base Camp","push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":0,"height":0},"comments":null,"word-count":863,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776137400000,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"last-correction-published-at":1776147281661,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":null,"bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"c76890fb-ed99-4d08-9d57-2a7c31a0dbdb","hero-image-s3-key":null,"contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c76890fb-ed99-4d08-9d57-2a7c31a0dbdb/element/3a6c327b-3089-4692-a225-52b49f1bca67","type":"youtube-video","family-id":"f620f802-0188-4898-8ca2-bc0658b0087e","title":"","id":"3a6c327b-3089-4692-a225-52b49f1bca67","url":"https://youtu.be/4RXTRiA-Dm8","embed-url":"https://www.youtube.com/embed/4RXTRiA-Dm8","metadata":{},"subtype":null},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c76890fb-ed99-4d08-9d57-2a7c31a0dbdb/element/56d7df13-5281-465f-99d4-d4c3f2bf2dce","type":"text","family-id":"275398a8-2d44-4c99-bcc4-23ed2df26f0b","title":"","id":"56d7df13-5281-465f-99d4-d4c3f2bf2dce","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Dubai: Eight students from Abu Dhabi have completed the trek to Everest Base Camp after months of preparation for one of the toughest journeys in the world.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c76890fb-ed99-4d08-9d57-2a7c31a0dbdb/element/59aa46fe-a5bb-4713-8f5d-9f1cd913f377","type":"text","family-id":"bf756792-89dc-4602-a14d-9ff4b5248075","title":"","id":"59aa46fe-a5bb-4713-8f5d-9f1cd913f377","metadata":{"content":"Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c76890fb-ed99-4d08-9d57-2a7c31a0dbdb/element/7764472d-94a8-4cc8-8a49-8ff5fa9bd67e","type":"text","family-id":"dc742b32-3b6b-4249-a1da-dcdefddf1206","title":"","id":"7764472d-94a8-4cc8-8a49-8ff5fa9bd67e","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
The students, from Private International English School, also known as Bhavans Abu Dhabi, travelled to Nepal on March 22 following nearly three months of training. The expedition was part of the school\u2019s international programme, but turned into something far more demanding than a typical school trip.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c76890fb-ed99-4d08-9d57-2a7c31a0dbdb/element/d2017954-6965-40b1-abe6-ed6bfcfcfdaa","type":"text","family-id":"7fd9c58c-e165-40ac-8118-4b8eb62a6ccd","title":"","id":"d2017954-6965-40b1-abe6-ed6bfcfcfdaa","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for\u00A0FREE: Download the\u00A0Gulf News\u00A0app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply\u00A0click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c76890fb-ed99-4d08-9d57-2a7c31a0dbdb/element/e6fb4b3a-6c72-4069-b3ba-f23d7c3869e3","type":"text","family-id":"385eb438-05c8-45ae-abae-3d514a6d46bb","title":"","id":"e6fb4b3a-6c72-4069-b3ba-f23d7c3869e3","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
Everest Base Camp is not an easy target. It requires preparation, stamina and the ability to keep going even when conditions get difficult.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776139991097,"content-version-id":"d40c3e2c-0251-4cd5-983d-be7b9522cda2","card-added-at":1776092605066,"status":"draft","id":"eeae4d5c-90a3-4b54-86c1-f071ca7728e2","content-id":"eeae4d5c-90a3-4b54-86c1-f071ca7728e2","version":38,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Video: Meet the 8 UAE students who made it to Everest Base Camp","message":null,"image":null},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c76890fb-ed99-4d08-9d57-2a7c31a0dbdb/element/ab0dacbc-8467-436d-923c-98126b4b943c","type":"text","family-id":"6d880941-ecab-455d-93ac-2c849e153293","title":"","id":"ab0dacbc-8467-436d-923c-98126b4b943c","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"327ae074-e887-4f7e-92fc-48ca2c9c435e","linked-story":{"updated-at":1762844686182,"author-name":"GN Focus Report","headline":"Private International School Abu Dhabi: Shaping students for AI, sustainability, entrepreneurship","story-content-id":"327ae074-e887-4f7e-92fc-48ca2c9c435e","is-published":true,"slug":"gn-focus/private-international-school-abu-dhabi-shaping-students-for-ai-sustainability-entrepreneurship-1.500341481","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1762844687956,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"How PIES Abu Dhabi is preparing students for the future","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85405,"name":"GN Focus","slug":"gn-focus","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/TIjFjFbETu-9JJEG0Z_JjTMHadSroY3xAKhZwqUGMknpp56PdgPx51nz2DHXhcim","published-at":1762844687956,"status":"published","id":"327ae074-e887-4f7e-92fc-48ca2c9c435e","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/gn-focus/private-international-school-abu-dhabi-shaping-students-for-ai-sustainability-entrepreneurship-1.500341481","author-id":2142359,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2142359,"name":"GN Focus Report","email":"gnfocusreport_mr@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"label":["GN FOCUS"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"TIjFjFbETu-9JJEG0Z_JjTMHadSroY3xAKhZwqUGMknpp56PdgPx51nz2DHXhcim","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Private International School Abu Dhabi: Shaping students for AI, sustainability, entrepreneurship"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c76890fb-ed99-4d08-9d57-2a7c31a0dbdb/element/75efd511-c931-4077-a599-ddf87e3de8a5","type":"text","family-id":"baddd86d-851a-4858-9ab1-77d11c968999","title":"","id":"75efd511-c931-4077-a599-ddf87e3de8a5","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"2e532fc2-daca-401d-be91-f0e51b695c5f","linked-story":{"updated-at":1762345686309,"author-name":"Ashwani Kumar","headline":"Dubai boy, 7, conquers Everest Base Camp and Annapurna Circuit in a year","story-content-id":"2e532fc2-daca-401d-be91-f0e51b695c5f","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/dubai-boy-7-conquers-everest-base-camp-and-annapurna-circuit-in-a-year-1.500334804","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1762345688992,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai boy conquers Everest Base Camp, Annapurna Circuit","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85212,"name":"UAE","slug":"uae","data":null},{"id":85442,"name":"people","slug":"people","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/1_1lz_exE44jK8MCteg4i-Ego_FzTHxC-YbK75YbjMc5j121txg4VcG3sPogOKgY","published-at":1762345688992,"status":"published","id":"2e532fc2-daca-401d-be91-f0e51b695c5f","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/dubai-boy-7-conquers-everest-base-camp-and-annapurna-circuit-in-a-year-1.500334804","author-id":2208758,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2208758,"name":"Ashwani Kumar","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"1_1lz_exE44jK8MCteg4i-Ego_FzTHxC-YbK75YbjMc5j121txg4VcG3sPogOKgY","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Dubai boy, 7, conquers Everest Base Camp and Annapurna Circuit in a year"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c76890fb-ed99-4d08-9d57-2a7c31a0dbdb/element/7bd91e32-b883-44b4-9d6e-26475bb3250d","type":"text","family-id":"cb75200b-5336-4907-aaea-df201ac871c8","title":"","id":"7bd91e32-b883-44b4-9d6e-26475bb3250d","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"1bf7f515-522a-44e6-9b10-e8fce771cdbb","linked-story":{"updated-at":1761124065652,"author-name":"Devadasan K P","headline":"Beyond Everest: Climbers chase Nepal\u2019s hidden peaks ","story-content-id":"1bf7f515-522a-44e6-9b10-e8fce771cdbb","is-published":true,"slug":"world/asia/beyond-everest-climbers-chase-nepals-hidden-peaks-1.500316806","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1761124068269,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Watch: The next Everest? Nepal\u2019s hidden mountains call","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Watch: Beyond Everest \u2014 Nepal\u2019s hidden peaks spark a new climbing rush","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85230,"name":"Asia","slug":"asia","data":null},{"id":85336,"name":"news-video","slug":"news","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/9BuDkjaJvIkoKqc-R4RHbRU1MW9zPMiPzFJUBZs1AEY4waIFs5OZQKC65PYOqYYn","published-at":1761124068269,"status":"published","id":"1bf7f515-522a-44e6-9b10-e8fce771cdbb","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/beyond-everest-climbers-chase-nepals-hidden-peaks-1.500316806","author-id":2169471,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2169471,"name":"Devadasan K P","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"9BuDkjaJvIkoKqc-R4RHbRU1MW9zPMiPzFJUBZs1AEY4waIFs5OZQKC65PYOqYYn","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Beyond Everest: Climbers chase Nepal\u2019s hidden peaks "}],"card-updated-at":1776095920889,"content-version-id":"1e34ba16-d317-48bb-a77d-596a98e24a9d","card-added-at":1776093293353,"status":"draft","id":"37c548ef-fb4b-4609-9125-461bd53a0da6","content-id":"37c548ef-fb4b-4609-9125-461bd53a0da6","version":30,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Video: Meet the 8 UAE students who made it to Everest Base Camp","message":null,"image":null},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_Read"]}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c76890fb-ed99-4d08-9d57-2a7c31a0dbdb/element/107f1816-abbf-48be-b268-a77928249c2f","type":"text","family-id":"6734f0bf-65c6-4742-b1c4-a55ca694d5b0","title":"","id":"107f1816-abbf-48be-b268-a77928249c2f","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The idea for the trek was introduced by the school\u2019s Vice Chairman, Suraj Ramachandran, with Jojo Martin CM, Head of Department of Social Science, leading the coordination.
Martin had organised several international trips before, but said this one stood apart.
\u201CI was very happy to take that one because it is very challenging and it is very different from what I have done so far,\u201D he said.
Around 30 students initially signed up. That number dropped after detailed briefings with parents and students about the difficulty of the trek.
The school brought in expedition guide Binoy, who insisted on meeting families and training the students in person before the trip.
\u201CEight parents understood its challenging part and the experience. It is an experiential learning. So naturally, eight parents have made the commitment,\u201D Martin said.
"},{"description":"","image-metadata":{"width":1182,"height":887,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":140391,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-18.00.08-2.jpg"},"page-url":"/story/c76890fb-ed99-4d08-9d57-2a7c31a0dbdb/element/52d8a31c-c988-4c25-8193-f86419c7fba8","type":"image","family-id":"06164868-f595-4721-9a3b-b77a702f381d","image-attribution":"","title":"","id":"52d8a31c-c988-4c25-8193-f86419c7fba8","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/b9aj7vxh/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-18.00.08-2.jpg","metadata":{},"subtype":null}],"card-updated-at":1776095920889,"content-version-id":"71e817ba-1419-42c7-a64f-98022d468bce","card-added-at":1776093293353,"status":"draft","id":"2b5f602e-6901-4a82-a5a8-b3da3f07d6dd","content-id":"2b5f602e-6901-4a82-a5a8-b3da3f07d6dd","version":30,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Video: Meet the 8 UAE students who made it to Everest Base Camp","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/b9aj7vxh/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-18.00.08-2.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"","caption":null,"alt-text":"","metadata":{"width":1182,"height":887,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":140391,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-18.00.08-2.jpg"}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c76890fb-ed99-4d08-9d57-2a7c31a0dbdb/element/4e7c6ddf-fea0-459b-b226-aca5c4a6974b","type":"text","family-id":"1b786ebc-f631-4ba9-8686-dc76a602617b","title":"","id":"4e7c6ddf-fea0-459b-b226-aca5c4a6974b","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Preparation started at the end of November, with students undergoing daily training sessions focused on endurance and strength.
\u201CIt was like a very intense training for three complete months,\u201D said Ganga Shaji, a teacher involved in the programme.
The training built up gradually. Students began with shorter runs before moving up to longer distances, along with strength exercises and conditioning.
One student said the change was noticeable within days.
\u201CI was the kind of a person who never ran in my life. The first day, I could not run at all. But after few days, I was continuously running without any stop, and I was amazed.\u201D
Even with preparation, the group knew the real challenge would only begin once they reached the mountains.
\u201CNo matter how much you train, it\u2019s all about how your body gets adapted to that atmosphere,\u201D Shaji said. \u201CIt\u2019s about how well prepared you are mentally.\u201D
"},{"description":"","image-metadata":{"width":1199,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":118100,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-18.00.10.jpg"},"page-url":"/story/c76890fb-ed99-4d08-9d57-2a7c31a0dbdb/element/1ede8991-d22d-4a29-9fd2-26abd295f967","type":"image","family-id":"899a01ab-aefb-4884-8ceb-e5810c98daa3","image-attribution":"","title":"","id":"1ede8991-d22d-4a29-9fd2-26abd295f967","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/xlhece7i/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-18.00.10.jpg","metadata":{},"subtype":null}],"card-updated-at":1776095920889,"content-version-id":"c3cd375a-57a3-4f6c-b66d-9d0dd0f04aca","card-added-at":1776093446883,"status":"draft","id":"fba06682-de70-4fc5-89ef-8717d8f01f25","content-id":"fba06682-de70-4fc5-89ef-8717d8f01f25","version":25,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Video: Meet the 8 UAE students who made it to Everest Base Camp","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/xlhece7i/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-18.00.10.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"","caption":null,"alt-text":"","metadata":{"width":1199,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":118100,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-18.00.10.jpg"}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c76890fb-ed99-4d08-9d57-2a7c31a0dbdb/element/cec4cd9f-f3d6-4dd3-a430-c5e3bd206d53","type":"text","family-id":"9b6b4bc5-68c4-4221-9b29-6d6cecdd9787","title":"","id":"cec4cd9f-f3d6-4dd3-a430-c5e3bd206d53","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The journey started with a flight from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu, followed by a connection to Lukla. Weather disruptions forced a change in plans.
Flights were delayed, and the group travelled by road to Ramechhap instead, turning the detour into an unexpected highlight.
\u201CA memory I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll ever forget was the road trip we had from Kathmandu to Ramecha,\u201D said 15-year-old Anam Haroub. \u201CIt was something that none of us expected. It was the best thing I\u2019ve ever experienced.\u201D
From there, the group flew to Lukla and began the trek.
The climb to Everest Base Camp was steady but demanding. Students covered between eight and 10 kilometres a day on the way up, with longer distances on the return.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776095920889,"content-version-id":"269b2780-8b08-4610-b145-79b4c30fd1ff","card-added-at":1776093446883,"status":"draft","id":"e803f3ca-d50d-4e65-9bc2-f5a0cdbc1114","content-id":"e803f3ca-d50d-4e65-9bc2-f5a0cdbc1114","version":25,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Video: Meet the 8 UAE students who made it to Everest Base Camp","message":null,"image":null},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","image-metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":187857,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-18.00.08.jpg"},"page-url":"/story/c76890fb-ed99-4d08-9d57-2a7c31a0dbdb/element/aeb44e23-0956-4eea-b931-3827be052248","type":"image","family-id":"c57295ed-2b75-44a9-9307-aad4e960382b","image-attribution":"","title":"","id":"aeb44e23-0956-4eea-b931-3827be052248","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/cb6xkqul/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-18.00.08.jpg","metadata":{},"subtype":null}],"card-updated-at":1776095920889,"content-version-id":"3d0914ca-27a7-45d7-94a0-c33758c070df","card-added-at":1776093508653,"status":"draft","id":"63508d93-55bd-49d9-959c-8dcf435136a6","content-id":"63508d93-55bd-49d9-959c-8dcf435136a6","version":24,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Video: Meet the 8 UAE students who made it to Everest Base Camp","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/cb6xkqul/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-18.00.08.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"","caption":null,"alt-text":"","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":187857,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-18.00.08.jpg"}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c76890fb-ed99-4d08-9d57-2a7c31a0dbdb/element/02a0fb9f-eaf3-4e32-9d8b-c0b66d64e557","type":"text","family-id":"0c76e5db-579f-4e63-a56c-03871994f744","title":"","id":"02a0fb9f-eaf3-4e32-9d8b-c0b66d64e557","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"\u201CI don\u2019t have a single day that I could say this was challenging,\u201D Shaji said. \u201CEvery day was more challenging for us.\u201D
Altitude, reduced oxygen levels and steep terrain made each stage tougher than the last.
Hitha Vippagunta, 14, said the experience required more than physical preparation.
\u201CDefinitely needed a lot of mental strength more than physical too,\u201D she said.
Some students fell ill during the trek, and the descent proved equally difficult, with longer distances and added strain on the body.
Akshaj Katke, 14, said the experience was tougher than expected.
\u201CI thought it would be very easy, but in fact, it was very challenging. It was very tough.\u201D
The moment the group reached Everest Base Camp stood out for everyone involved.
\u201CThe day we reached EBC, I saw these kids crying,\u201D Shaji said. \u201CThey ran to me hugging. That was very precious to see them so emotional at this young age.\u201D
Students described the experience in their own words.
\u201CThe word would be peak,\u201D Anam said.
Shyam Prabhash, 15, said the final stretch was the hardest but the most rewarding. \u201CAfter that you get to reach the BC and then it\u2019s very nice to see everything around you.\u201D
Others described the journey as \u201Cmarvellous\u201D, \u201Cexciting\u201D and \u201Cworth it\u201D.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776147277017,"content-version-id":"0e9d0863-d10c-447b-b225-c2fad655f84c","card-added-at":1776093508653,"status":"draft","id":"04ce8043-edea-4965-b7d5-8792741ffbf1","content-id":"04ce8043-edea-4965-b7d5-8792741ffbf1","version":25,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Video: Meet the 8 UAE students who made it to Everest Base Camp","message":null,"image":null},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","image-metadata":{"width":900,"height":676,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":111924,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-18.00.09.jpg"},"page-url":"/story/c76890fb-ed99-4d08-9d57-2a7c31a0dbdb/element/5d92db41-746c-4f9c-9333-e61bd2e1352c","type":"image","family-id":"d8c8961a-875e-4704-a0c6-3ff92750c9ef","image-attribution":"","title":"","id":"5d92db41-746c-4f9c-9333-e61bd2e1352c","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/tbb1o8n5/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-18.00.09.jpg","metadata":{},"subtype":null}],"card-updated-at":1776095920889,"content-version-id":"685ef1f0-42bb-4512-8f1f-e916b4080e01","card-added-at":1776093951472,"status":"draft","id":"e84d112d-805e-4f2a-8182-8915d9175584","content-id":"e84d112d-805e-4f2a-8182-8915d9175584","version":19,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Video: Meet the 8 UAE students who made it to Everest Base Camp","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/tbb1o8n5/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-18.00.09.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"","caption":null,"alt-text":"","metadata":{"width":900,"height":676,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":111924,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-18.00.09.jpg"}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c76890fb-ed99-4d08-9d57-2a7c31a0dbdb/element/f34d337e-d16d-40df-a441-cd7702b0ad99","type":"text","family-id":"ca45588a-3db0-416b-a859-a8f70a42de49","title":"","id":"f34d337e-d16d-40df-a441-cd7702b0ad99","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The experience also built strong bonds among the group.
\u201CThe bond I have with them now, I don\u2019t think it\u2019s like anything else,\u201D Anam said.
The school is now planning to make the Everest Base Camp trek a regular programme.
Martin credited parents and teachers for supporting the initiative from the start.
\u201CThey didn\u2019t ask me any question. They were very prompt, very supportive, very understanding,\u201D he said.
He also pointed to the effort behind the scenes, including early morning training sessions that ran for months.
The journey may have ended at Everest Base Camp, but for the students, the experience is likely to stay with them far longer.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776095920889,"content-version-id":"9d6817b8-f57d-44da-bc28-57dec50066d5","card-added-at":1776093951472,"status":"draft","id":"ed631045-0774-4638-9597-e3ae4e74cf05","content-id":"ed631045-0774-4638-9597-e3ae4e74cf05","version":19,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Video: Meet the 8 UAE students who made it to Everest Base Camp","message":null,"image":null},"attributes":{}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/video-meet-the-8-uae-students-who-made-it-to-everest-base-camp-1.500505635","story-version-id":"82354020-2ae1-47b0-8e10-cee32c47c97b","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776147281956,"author-id":2170744,"owner-id":2170744,"linked-story-ids":["327ae074-e887-4f7e-92fc-48ca2c9c435e","2e532fc2-daca-401d-be91-f0e51b695c5f","1bf7f515-522a-44e6-9b10-e8fce771cdbb"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776137400000,"hero-image-caption":null,"version":39,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776147276999,"authors":[{"slug":"nivetha-dayanand","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/nivethadayanand?lang=en"},"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/nivethadayanand/"},"instagram":{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/newswithnivetha"}},"name":"Nivetha Dayanand","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","bio":"Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, where she spends her days unpacking money, markets, aviation, and the big shifts shaping life in the Gulf. Before returning to Gulf News, she launched Finance Middle East, complete with a podcast and video series.\n\nHer reporting has taken her from breaking spot news to long-form features and high-profile interviews. Nivetha has interviewed Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu, IMF\u2019s Jihad Azour, and a long list of CEOs, regulators, and founders who are reshaping the region\u2019s economy.\n\nAn Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha has shared classrooms and newsrooms with journalists from more than 40 countries, which probably explains her weakness for data, context, and a good follow-up question.\n\nWhen she is away from her keyboard (AFK), you are most likely to find her at the gym with an Eminem playlist, bingeing One Piece, or exploring games on her PS5. \n","id":2170744,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"],"label":["EXCLUSIVE"]},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Nivetha Dayanand"},"id":"c76890fb-ed99-4d08-9d57-2a7c31a0dbdb"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776132080698,"seo":{"meta-title":"UAE Weather Alert: Rain, Dust Storms, Strong Winds and Rough Seas Forecast This Week","meta-description":"UAE weather forecast: light rain, dust and rough seas as winds strengthen across the country, with temperatures set to drop before conditions stabilise","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2143341,"author-name":"Khitam Al Amir","tags":[{"id":11441545,"name":"UAE weather","meta-description":"Get up-to-date weather forecasts and alerts across the UAE. Plan your day with accurate, real-time climate updates.","meta-title":"UAE Weather Forecast \u2013 Daily Updates, Alerts & Climate News","slug":"uae-weather","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11441547,"name":"Weather forecast","meta-description":"Get up-to-date weather forecasts and alerts across the UAE including temperature, winds, and seasonal changes.","meta-title":"UAE Weather Forecast \u2013 Daily Updates & Alerts","slug":"weather-forecast","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"UAE braces for rain, mist and rough seas as winds pick up","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"53f062c4-fb67-4965-a7f3-a78a01b7c0ab","slug":"uae/uae-braces-for-rain-mist-and-rough-seas-as-winds-pick-up-1.500505866","linked-stories":{"668ed93b-3a5e-4b32-947d-e350614bf2ab":{"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"Fair weather today, light rain and strong winds forecast across UAE next week ","story-content-id":"668ed93b-3a5e-4b32-947d-e350614bf2ab","slug":"uae/weather/fair-weather-today-light-rain-and-strong-winds-forecast-across-uae-next-week-1.500495035","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE to see clouds, dust and rain in coming days ","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE to see clouds, dust and rain in coming days ","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"weather","name":"Weather","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather","id":85296,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Weather","collection":{"slug":"weather","name":"Weather (UAE)","id":194720},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1600,"file-size":175049,"file-name":"Cloudy-6.jpeg","height":1200},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-01-17/flbxmutt/Cloudy-6.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather/fair-weather-today-light-rain-and-strong-winds-forecast-across-uae-next-week-1.500495035","content-updated-at":1775194289561,"author-id":2287057,"first-published-at":1775194288744,"authors":[{"slug":"huda-ata","social":{},"name":"Huda Ata","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE.","id":2287057,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"1f53ea7a-d46c-42d0-bd1c-435a8354ff52":{"author-name":"Khitam Al Amir","headline":"UAE braces for unsettled weather through Sunday with dust, rough seas and chance of light rain","story-content-id":"1f53ea7a-d46c-42d0-bd1c-435a8354ff52","slug":"uae/weather/uae-braces-for-unsettled-weather-through-sunday-with-dust-rough-seas-and-chance-of-light-rain-1.500492692","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE weather: Low-pressure system to bring more rain","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"weather","name":"Weather","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather","id":85296,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Weather","collection":{"slug":"weather","name":"Weather (UAE)","id":194720},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1600,"file-size":195168,"file-name":"raininabudhabi4.jpeg","height":1200},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-31/niymgdvi/raininabudhabi4.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather/uae-braces-for-unsettled-weather-through-sunday-with-dust-rough-seas-and-chance-of-light-rain-1.500492692","content-updated-at":1775009915986,"author-id":2143341,"first-published-at":1775009701632,"authors":[{"slug":"khitam-al-amir","social":{},"name":"Khitam Al Amir","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/ryqa6kyy/KITAM_12.JPG","bio":"With over 30 years of journalistic experience spanning from Jordan to the UAE, Khitam has spent the past 22 years reporting on national and regional news from Dubai, with a strong focus on the UAE, GCC and broader Arab affairs. \n\nAs Chief News Editor, she brings extensive expertise in delivering breaking and engaging news to readers. Beginning her tenure as a translator, she advanced through roles as Senior Translator and Chief Translator before transitioning to editorial positions, culminating in her current leadership role. Her responsibilities encompass monitoring breaking news across the UAE and the broader Arab region, ensuring timely and accurate dissemination to the public.\u200B \n\nBorn into a family of journalists, Khitam's passion for news was ignited early in life. A defining moment in her youth occurred in September 1985 when she had the opportunity to converse with the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during her visit to a Palestinian refugee camp north of Amman. During this encounter, Khitam shared her family's experiences of displacement from their home in Palestine and their subsequent refuge in Jordan. This poignant interaction not only deepened her understanding of geopolitical issues but also solidified her commitment to pursuing a career in journalism, aiming to shed light on the stories of those affected by regional conflicts. \n\nKhitam\u2019s commitment to accurate and timely reporting drives her to seek out news that interests readers, making her a trusted source for news on the UAE and the broader Gulf region. ","id":2143341,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/ryqa6kyy/KITAM_12.JPG","twitter-handle":null}]},"e803a56c-9118-47bb-87f8-559cb48a70b8":{"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"UAE braces for unsettled weather: Rainy days ahead with cloudy skies and gusty winds","story-content-id":"e803a56c-9118-47bb-87f8-559cb48a70b8","slug":"uae/uae-braces-for-unsettled-weather-rainy-days-ahead-with-cloudy-skies-and-gusty-winds-1.500491472","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Rainy days ahead: UAE braces for unsettled weather","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"uae","name":"UAE","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae","id":85212,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"UAE","collection":{"slug":"uae","name":"UAE LANDING PAGE","id":194636},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1200,"file-size":234612,"file-name":"Karim-Nashat.jpeg","height":900},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-30/tc4bxsyb/Karim-Nashat.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/uae-braces-for-unsettled-weather-rainy-days-ahead-with-cloudy-skies-and-gusty-winds-1.500491472","content-updated-at":1774926140717,"author-id":2287057,"first-published-at":1774926106017,"authors":[{"slug":"huda-ata","social":{},"name":"Huda Ata","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE.","id":2287057,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"ea641ba6-9067-4df2-855e-48a89d427af5":{"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"UAE weather alert: Strong winds, dust, and light rain ahead","story-content-id":"ea641ba6-9067-4df2-855e-48a89d427af5","slug":"uae/weather/uae-weather-alert-strong-winds-dust-and-light-rain-ahead-1.500497396","alternative":{"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE weather forecast: Strong winds, dust and chance of rain this week","hero-image":null}},"home":{"default":{"headline":"Weather alert: Strong winds, dust, and light rain ahead","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"weather","name":"Weather","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather","id":85296,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Weather","collection":{"slug":"weather","name":"Weather (UAE)","id":194720},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":640,"height":360,"mime-type":"image/avif","file-size":42020,"file-name":"gulfnews2026-03-02tzwzmidy1.avif"},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-06/c4t4atl4/gulfnews2026-03-02tzwzmidy1.avif","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather/uae-weather-alert-strong-winds-dust-and-light-rain-ahead-1.500497396","content-updated-at":1775444061443,"author-id":2287057,"first-published-at":1775443893171,"authors":[{"slug":"huda-ata","social":{},"name":"Huda Ata","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE.","id":2287057,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776132082396,"public-identifier":"1.500505866","subheadline":"Rain, mist and strong winds ahead","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Rain, mist, winds expected in UAE","hero-image":{"member-id":2170753,"hero-image-extracted-data":null,"index":0,"uploaded-at":1775896954130,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1600,"file-size":157298,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-11-at-12.17.47-PM-2.jpeg","height":1200},"source":null,"hero-image-attribution":"Afra Al Nofeli/ Gulf News","hero-image-alt-text":"","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-11/ncbawcb8/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-11-at-12.17.47-PM-2.jpeg","hyperlink":"","creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":"UAE rain alert: Motorists told to slow down, keep distance and avoid distractions in unstable weather","extracted-data":null,"hero-image-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-11/ncbawcb8/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-11-at-12.17.47-PM-2.jpeg","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE braces for rain, mist, humidity and blowing dust before temperatures dip midweek\n","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"uae","name":"UAE","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae","id":85212,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"UAE","collection":{"slug":"uae","name":"UAE LANDING PAGE","id":194636},"data":null}],"read-time":2,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776114213058,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Khitam Al Amir","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":832,"file-size":54242,"file-name":"police.JPG","height":625},"comments":null,"word-count":289,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776132082396,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"Abu Dhabi Police","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"53f062c4-fb67-4965-a7f3-a78a01b7c0ab","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-21/x7uvc3r8/police.JPG","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/53f062c4-fb67-4965-a7f3-a78a01b7c0ab/element/7afbf498-19ed-4af3-88fc-a04ad04c6809","type":"text","family-id":"0a995b53-ce05-4ac0-83f7-c4dc81029914","title":"","id":"7afbf498-19ed-4af3-88fc-a04ad04c6809","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The UAE will see fair to partly cloudy skies with a chance of light rainfall today, according to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM).
Light to moderate north-westerly to south-westerly winds are expected, freshening at times and causing blowing dust and sand, with speeds of 10\u201325 km/h, reaching up to 40 km/h. The sea will be rough in the Arabian Gulf and moderate to rough in the Oman Sea.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/53f062c4-fb67-4965-a7f3-a78a01b7c0ab/element/61279e3b-5ea3-44ae-973f-27f2d2360f6f","type":"text","family-id":"1ab3c8cf-063c-4b40-9196-49a24c7916d8","title":"","id":"61279e3b-5ea3-44ae-973f-27f2d2360f6f","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/53f062c4-fb67-4965-a7f3-a78a01b7c0ab/element/ed8e5e69-9af9-4f22-8452-708b57d11ba9","type":"text","family-id":"a99606ee-4006-4848-80e1-ecb464b55f8f","title":"","id":"ed8e5e69-9af9-4f22-8452-708b57d11ba9","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
On Wednesday, it will be fair to partly cloudy and cloudy at times, especially westward, with a decrease in temperatures. Winds will be light to moderate south-westerly to north-westerly, becoming fresh to strong at times, especially over the sea, causing blowing dust and sand and reducing horizontal visibility, with speeds of 15\u201330 km/h, reaching up to 45 km/h.
The sea will be rough to very rough at times in the Arabian Gulf and moderate to rough in the Oman Sea. Temperatures will edge higher, reaching up to 33\u00B0C inland and around 31\u00B0C along the coast.
Conditions are set to remain unsettled, with a continued chance of light rain and stronger winds raising dust and sand. A noticeable drop in temperatures is forecast for Wednesday, accompanied by fresh to strong winds and reduced visibility.
From Thursday, the weather will stabilise, with fair to partly cloudy skies and humid conditions at night, before temperatures gradually rise again by Friday.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776115356422,"content-version-id":"fc570b0c-0194-437c-a552-8e34be54fa19","card-added-at":1776114213064,"status":"draft","id":"1672353c-291f-48ee-be95-364b3e8e70e0","content-id":"1672353c-291f-48ee-be95-364b3e8e70e0","version":24,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"UAE braces for rain, mist and rough seas as winds pick up","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-03-21/x7uvc3r8/police.JPG","url":null,"attribution":"Abu Dhabi Police","alt-text":null,"caption":"UAE braces for rain, mist and strong winds","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":832,"file-size":54242,"file-name":"police.JPG","height":625}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/53f062c4-fb67-4965-a7f3-a78a01b7c0ab/element/bc2684a0-deef-4f88-8d59-44219779f180","type":"text","family-id":"64099aa4-cdb6-4061-b4b4-73db02efc3c1","title":"","id":"bc2684a0-deef-4f88-8d59-44219779f180","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"668ed93b-3a5e-4b32-947d-e350614bf2ab","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775194286851,"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"Fair weather today, light rain and strong winds forecast across UAE next week ","story-content-id":"668ed93b-3a5e-4b32-947d-e350614bf2ab","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/weather/fair-weather-today-light-rain-and-strong-winds-forecast-across-uae-next-week-1.500495035","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775194288744,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE to see clouds, dust and rain in coming days ","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE to see clouds, dust and rain in coming days ","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85296,"name":"Weather","slug":"weather","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/Ao2cBBAp9nleGZp1YEjpTl4qwklJQPGoY9POBBsh9WFBvxw1peBbXZlO6BJLLdI6","published-at":1775194288744,"status":"published","id":"668ed93b-3a5e-4b32-947d-e350614bf2ab","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather/fair-weather-today-light-rain-and-strong-winds-forecast-across-uae-next-week-1.500495035","author-id":2287057,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2287057,"name":"Huda Ata","email":"huda.ata@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"Ao2cBBAp9nleGZp1YEjpTl4qwklJQPGoY9POBBsh9WFBvxw1peBbXZlO6BJLLdI6","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Fair weather today, light rain and strong winds forecast across UAE next week "},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/53f062c4-fb67-4965-a7f3-a78a01b7c0ab/element/bd819658-949d-4639-b505-e12bbf263f6e","type":"text","family-id":"a64759ee-25e2-4ad0-a801-4599da05e35b","title":"","id":"bd819658-949d-4639-b505-e12bbf263f6e","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"ea641ba6-9067-4df2-855e-48a89d427af5","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775444059366,"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"UAE weather alert: Strong winds, dust, and light rain ahead","story-content-id":"ea641ba6-9067-4df2-855e-48a89d427af5","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/weather/uae-weather-alert-strong-winds-dust-and-light-rain-ahead-1.500497396","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775443893171,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE weather forecast: Strong winds, dust and chance of rain this week","hero-image":null}},"home":{"default":{"headline":"Weather alert: Strong winds, dust, and light rain ahead","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85296,"name":"Weather","slug":"weather","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/8O75vJ0t-zknx4RQObV4nmgVNDK2rlbkoDNjQpqrYVTd5T6r5eISS380X6ep9IBF","published-at":1775443893171,"status":"published","id":"ea641ba6-9067-4df2-855e-48a89d427af5","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather/uae-weather-alert-strong-winds-dust-and-light-rain-ahead-1.500497396","author-id":2287057,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2287057,"name":"Huda Ata","email":"huda.ata@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"8O75vJ0t-zknx4RQObV4nmgVNDK2rlbkoDNjQpqrYVTd5T6r5eISS380X6ep9IBF","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"UAE weather alert: Strong winds, dust, and light rain ahead"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/53f062c4-fb67-4965-a7f3-a78a01b7c0ab/element/7b016209-236b-46f7-925c-2b5dc9b6403b","type":"text","family-id":"2fdde081-3542-41b0-88f6-407a8566dd7e","title":"","id":"7b016209-236b-46f7-925c-2b5dc9b6403b","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"e803a56c-9118-47bb-87f8-559cb48a70b8","linked-story":{"updated-at":1774926138957,"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"UAE braces for unsettled weather: Rainy days ahead with cloudy skies and gusty winds","story-content-id":"e803a56c-9118-47bb-87f8-559cb48a70b8","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/uae-braces-for-unsettled-weather-rainy-days-ahead-with-cloudy-skies-and-gusty-winds-1.500491472","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1774926106017,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Rainy days ahead: UAE braces for unsettled weather","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85212,"name":"UAE","slug":"uae","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/PmzttYEfUA75CQyP9MAO56QCK3fO81HLoNezIC13LQL0Ok8-lZ0-Vi_tN60IjyN1","published-at":1774926106017,"status":"published","id":"e803a56c-9118-47bb-87f8-559cb48a70b8","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/uae-braces-for-unsettled-weather-rainy-days-ahead-with-cloudy-skies-and-gusty-winds-1.500491472","author-id":2287057,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2287057,"name":"Huda Ata","email":"huda.ata@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"PmzttYEfUA75CQyP9MAO56QCK3fO81HLoNezIC13LQL0Ok8-lZ0-Vi_tN60IjyN1","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"UAE braces for unsettled weather: Rainy days ahead with cloudy skies and gusty winds"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/53f062c4-fb67-4965-a7f3-a78a01b7c0ab/element/7ecb69b7-c88d-46c0-ac90-7416fd631501","type":"text","family-id":"0e35a9fd-b8c3-4562-aefc-76a9299b16b9","title":"","id":"7ecb69b7-c88d-46c0-ac90-7416fd631501","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"1f53ea7a-d46c-42d0-bd1c-435a8354ff52","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775009912562,"author-name":"Khitam Al Amir","headline":"UAE braces for unsettled weather through Sunday with dust, rough seas and chance of light rain","story-content-id":"1f53ea7a-d46c-42d0-bd1c-435a8354ff52","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/weather/uae-braces-for-unsettled-weather-through-sunday-with-dust-rough-seas-and-chance-of-light-rain-1.500492692","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775009701632,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE weather: Low-pressure system to bring more rain","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85296,"name":"Weather","slug":"weather","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/gE6hd8ObEotxyYl06DouHyMXoa-zVmHyZ9d8p13Hy1vvWNadoI8MsjeKX71PQ-zr","published-at":1775009701632,"status":"published","id":"1f53ea7a-d46c-42d0-bd1c-435a8354ff52","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/weather/uae-braces-for-unsettled-weather-through-sunday-with-dust-rough-seas-and-chance-of-light-rain-1.500492692","author-id":2143341,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2143341,"name":"Khitam Al Amir","email":"kalamir@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"gE6hd8ObEotxyYl06DouHyMXoa-zVmHyZ9d8p13Hy1vvWNadoI8MsjeKX71PQ-zr","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"UAE braces for unsettled weather through Sunday with dust, rough seas and chance of light rain"}],"card-updated-at":1776115356422,"content-version-id":"27bbe8c1-5fc6-46cd-b0b4-21a35cdf4b77","card-added-at":1776114407674,"status":"draft","id":"73c2b614-7ff3-45bd-be54-7d65a3046edb","content-id":"73c2b614-7ff3-45bd-be54-7d65a3046edb","version":19,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"UAE braces for rain, mist and rough seas as winds pick up","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-03-21/x7uvc3r8/police.JPG","url":null,"attribution":"Abu Dhabi Police","alt-text":null,"caption":"UAE braces for rain, mist and strong winds","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":832,"file-size":54242,"file-name":"police.JPG","height":625}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_In_This_Package"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/uae-braces-for-rain-mist-and-rough-seas-as-winds-pick-up-1.500505866","story-version-id":"904c0804-6d21-41ac-a463-9e5869110e94","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776132083105,"author-id":2143341,"owner-id":2143341,"linked-story-ids":["ea641ba6-9067-4df2-855e-48a89d427af5","668ed93b-3a5e-4b32-947d-e350614bf2ab","1f53ea7a-d46c-42d0-bd1c-435a8354ff52","e803a56c-9118-47bb-87f8-559cb48a70b8"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776132082396,"hero-image-caption":"UAE braces for rain, mist and strong winds","version":26,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776132080283,"authors":[{"slug":"khitam-al-amir","social":{},"name":"Khitam Al Amir","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/ryqa6kyy/KITAM_12.JPG","bio":"With over 30 years of journalistic experience spanning from Jordan to the UAE, Khitam has spent the past 22 years reporting on national and regional news from Dubai, with a strong focus on the UAE, GCC and broader Arab affairs. \n\nAs Chief News Editor, she brings extensive expertise in delivering breaking and engaging news to readers. Beginning her tenure as a translator, she advanced through roles as Senior Translator and Chief Translator before transitioning to editorial positions, culminating in her current leadership role. Her responsibilities encompass monitoring breaking news across the UAE and the broader Arab region, ensuring timely and accurate dissemination to the public.\u200B \n\nBorn into a family of journalists, Khitam's passion for news was ignited early in life. A defining moment in her youth occurred in September 1985 when she had the opportunity to converse with the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during her visit to a Palestinian refugee camp north of Amman. During this encounter, Khitam shared her family's experiences of displacement from their home in Palestine and their subsequent refuge in Jordan. This poignant interaction not only deepened her understanding of geopolitical issues but also solidified her commitment to pursuing a career in journalism, aiming to shed light on the stories of those affected by regional conflicts. \n\nKhitam\u2019s commitment to accurate and timely reporting drives her to seek out news that interests readers, making her a trusted source for news on the UAE and the broader Gulf region. ","id":2143341,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/ryqa6kyy/KITAM_12.JPG","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Khitam Al Amir"},"id":"53f062c4-fb67-4965-a7f3-a78a01b7c0ab"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776083082647,"seo":{"meta-title":"UAE and China Sign 24 Major Deals to Boost Trade, Investment and Innovation Ties","meta-description":"UAE and China sign 24 deals in Beijing to boost trade, investment and innovation, as non-oil trade tops $100 billion and economic ties reach new highs.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2170744,"author-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","tags":[{"id":11150259,"name":"UAE","meta-description":"Follow the latest updates from the UAE including government news, national developments, economic trends, and lifestyle highlights.","meta-title":"UAE News \u2013 National Events, Economy & Government Updates","slug":"uae","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11466100,"name":"China","meta-description":"Get the latest updates on China\u2019s political landscape, economic developments, and international affairs.","meta-title":"China News \u2013 Politics, Economy & Global Relations","slug":"china","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"UAE and China sign 24 deals to push trade past $100 billion","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"e55feb91-032e-4879-8cd5-f864944fd5cd","slug":"business/markets/uae-and-china-sign-24-deals-to-push-trade-past-100-billion-1.500505401","linked-stories":{"65591a13-0368-4ba2-b2e8-f8ed608497cf":{"author-name":"migrator","headline":"\u2018Role model for the world\u2019: Four-decade-long UAE-China diplomatic relationship celebrated at Dubai Forum","story-content-id":"65591a13-0368-4ba2-b2e8-f8ed608497cf","slug":"uae/role-model-for-the-world-four-decade-long-uae-china-diplomatic-relationship-celebrated-at-dubai-forum-1.104459515","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"hero-image":{"hero-image-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/import/2024/10/23/Ronnie_Chan_-second--_among_other_industry_leaders_after_the_panel_discussion-1729682313665_192b91991df_medium.jpg","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2024/10/23/Ronnie_Chan_-second--_among_other_industry_leaders_after_the_panel_discussion-1729682313665_192b91991df_medium.jpg"},"headline":"UAE-China relationship is a \u2018role model\u2019 for the world"}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"uae","name":"UAE","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae","id":85212,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"UAE","collection":{"slug":"uae","name":"UAE LANDING PAGE","id":194636},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":null,"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2024/10/23/Ronnie_Chan_-second--_among_other_industry_leaders_after_the_panel_discussion-1729682313665_192b91991df_large.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/role-model-for-the-world-four-decade-long-uae-china-diplomatic-relationship-celebrated-at-dubai-forum-1.104459515","content-updated-at":1734714571031,"author-id":2118564,"first-published-at":1729682320000,"authors":[{"slug":"ashwani-kumar","social":{"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/akaashwani/"}},"name":"Ashwani Kumar","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/f112s1xb/Ashwani_Kumar.png","bio":"Ashwani Kumar is a journalist and storyteller with almost two decades of experience, including more than 10 years across the UAE and Oman. As Chief Reporter, he covers multiple beats, crafting engaging stories that resonate with readers across platforms. \n \nA rolling stone with a reporter\u2019s curiosity, instinct and relentless drive, Ashwani has chased headlines at major events across the country \u2013 from ADIPEC, Formula One and Big Ticket in Abu Dhabi, to GITEX Global, AI Week and the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in Dubai, and the Sharjah International Book Fair to Hatta Festival. Name the event, and he\u2019s likely been on the ground, reporting with backpack, laptop, and pen on paper. \n \nHis defining chapter? The Covid-19 pandemic, where he cut through the noise and misinformation with on-the-ground reporting, earning trust when it mattered most. \n\nAlong the way, he\u2019s sat down with a range of global figures: from heads of state like Sheikh Hasina, to Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi, cricketing legend Brian Lara, Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor, and author-politician Shashi Tharoor, to name just a few. \n\nAshwani thrives on tight deadlines, tough calls, and turning chaos into clean copy. A natural team player and multitasker, he brings clarity and calm to every assignment, and is always on the lookout for news. \n","id":2208758,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/f112s1xb/Ashwani_Kumar.png","twitter-handle":null}]},"88f19ed8-e1e9-49e9-a834-4e10623351c7":{"author-name":"WAM","headline":"Abu Dhabi signs groundbreaking agreements with China to strengthen economic, business partnerships","story-content-id":"88f19ed8-e1e9-49e9-a834-4e10623351c7","slug":"business/markets/bibx7cp-abu-dhabi-signs-groundbreaking-agreements-with-1.500043828","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Abu Dhabi signs groundbreaking agreements with China","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"markets","name":"Markets","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/markets","id":85252,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Markets","collection":{"slug":"markets-business","name":"Markets (Business)","id":194676},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"original-url":"https://assets.wam.ae/resource/qcm01hhf1k91gjlpo.jpg","width":4093,"height":2725,"focus-point":[2166,1429]},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-02-22/hs5c4pcw/qcm01hhf1k91gjlpo.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/markets/bibx7cp-abu-dhabi-signs-groundbreaking-agreements-with-1.500043828","content-updated-at":1740247585580,"author-id":2118648,"first-published-at":1740247585472,"authors":[{"slug":"wam","social":{},"name":"WAM","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2118648,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"b19d2c76-5b92-4d61-86a7-7b43194ab4bf":{"author-name":"migrator","headline":"Sheikh Ahmed: We look forward to strengthening our economic ties with China","story-content-id":"b19d2c76-5b92-4d61-86a7-7b43194ab4bf","slug":"business/economy/sheikh-ahmed-we-look-forward-to-strengthening-our-economic-ties-with-china-1.1726166036171","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"hero-image":{"hero-image-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/import/2024/09/12/Ahmed-bin-Mohammed-bin-Rashid-Al-Maktoum_191e780cba6_medium.jpg","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2024/09/12/Ahmed-bin-Mohammed-bin-Rashid-Al-Maktoum_191e780cba6_medium.jpg"},"headline":"Sheikh Ahmed: We look forward to building up China ties"}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"economy","name":"economy","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/economy","id":85448,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Economy","collection":{"slug":"economy-business","name":"economy (Business)","id":194872},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"government","name":"Government","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/government","id":85260,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Government","collection":{"slug":"government-uae","name":"Government (UAE)","id":194684},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":null,"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2024/09/12/Ahmed-bin-Mohammed-bin-Rashid-Al-Maktoum_191e780cba6_large.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/economy/sheikh-ahmed-we-look-forward-to-strengthening-our-economic-ties-with-china-1.1726166036171","content-updated-at":1731996487283,"author-id":2118564,"first-published-at":1726165658663,"authors":[{"slug":"khitam-al-amir","social":{},"name":"Khitam Al Amir","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/ryqa6kyy/KITAM_12.JPG","bio":"With over 30 years of journalistic experience spanning from Jordan to the UAE, Khitam has spent the past 22 years reporting on national and regional news from Dubai, with a strong focus on the UAE, GCC and broader Arab affairs. \n\nAs Chief News Editor, she brings extensive expertise in delivering breaking and engaging news to readers. Beginning her tenure as a translator, she advanced through roles as Senior Translator and Chief Translator before transitioning to editorial positions, culminating in her current leadership role. Her responsibilities encompass monitoring breaking news across the UAE and the broader Arab region, ensuring timely and accurate dissemination to the public.\u200B \n\nBorn into a family of journalists, Khitam's passion for news was ignited early in life. A defining moment in her youth occurred in September 1985 when she had the opportunity to converse with the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during her visit to a Palestinian refugee camp north of Amman. During this encounter, Khitam shared her family's experiences of displacement from their home in Palestine and their subsequent refuge in Jordan. This poignant interaction not only deepened her understanding of geopolitical issues but also solidified her commitment to pursuing a career in journalism, aiming to shed light on the stories of those affected by regional conflicts. \n\nKhitam\u2019s commitment to accurate and timely reporting drives her to seek out news that interests readers, making her a trusted source for news on the UAE and the broader Gulf region. ","id":2143341,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/ryqa6kyy/KITAM_12.JPG","twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776083084515,"public-identifier":"1.500505401","subheadline":"New agreements aim to boost trade, investment and sector cooperation","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE and China expand trade links with 24 new deals","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE-China ties deepen with 24 agreements signed in Beijing","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"markets","name":"Markets","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/markets","id":85252,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Markets","collection":{"slug":"markets-business","name":"Markets (Business)","id":194676},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"china","name":"China","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/china","id":85433,"parent-id":85230,"display-name":"China","collection":{"slug":"china-asia-world","name":"China (Asia, World)","id":194857},"data":null}],"read-time":2,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776082686917,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":103248,"file-name":"63v02ub91ka1jghpn-1.jpg"},"comments":null,"word-count":515,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776083084515,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"WAM","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"e55feb91-032e-4879-8cd5-f864944fd5cd","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/k2frfowu/63v02ub91ka1jghpn-1.jpg","contributors":null,"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e55feb91-032e-4879-8cd5-f864944fd5cd/element/4764ec01-022f-4105-8e64-4c4dd2583d53","type":"text","family-id":"9f90c292-cf31-479f-b7c6-3d09603c597d","title":"","id":"4764ec01-022f-4105-8e64-4c4dd2583d53","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Dubai: The UAE and China have signed 24 agreements to expand trade, investment and sector collaboration, marking a further step in strengthening economic ties between the two countries.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e55feb91-032e-4879-8cd5-f864944fd5cd/element/25e35eb0-da0c-4138-bc6d-9d800d419727","type":"text","family-id":"d50c42fb-2ce9-4258-b580-f87bae511758","title":"","id":"25e35eb0-da0c-4138-bc6d-9d800d419727","metadata":{"content":"Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e55feb91-032e-4879-8cd5-f864944fd5cd/element/4bf82ca2-4f8b-4adb-84d5-dc8c3a5a387e","type":"text","family-id":"b6ff439c-297e-4e0a-8b81-71104d0847b8","title":"","id":"4bf82ca2-4f8b-4adb-84d5-dc8c3a5a387e","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
The agreements were announced during the UAE-China Business Promotion Conference held in Beijing, alongside the official visit of Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, who is leading a senior delegation.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e55feb91-032e-4879-8cd5-f864944fd5cd/element/a7e42a55-513e-4d59-9ccc-e59e71149c09","type":"text","family-id":"5602a293-4f34-485b-ac3b-0a6a11397113","title":"","id":"a7e42a55-513e-4d59-9ccc-e59e71149c09","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for\u00A0FREE: Download the\u00A0Gulf News\u00A0app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply\u00A0click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e55feb91-032e-4879-8cd5-f864944fd5cd/element/3580e296-27d0-4198-b6dc-5973e252132c","type":"text","family-id":"833dadaa-53ab-461c-9dca-2b5f1bc83ca5","title":"","id":"3580e296-27d0-4198-b6dc-5973e252132c","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
The partnership between the UAE and China has grown steadily over the past decade, supported by rising trade volumes and expanding sector links.
Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Foreign Trade, said the relationship has entered a new phase of growth.
\u201CThe UAE and China share a longstanding economic partnership, built on decades of cooperation and a shared vision for prosperity. Non-oil trade between our nations surpassed the $100 billion mark for the first time in 2025, achieving a record annual growth of 24.5% to reach $111.5 billion.\u201D
He added that both sides are focused on building on that momentum.
\u201CWe will continue to work closely across key sectors to promote sustainable economic outcomes that serve the interests of both nations.\u201D
"}],"card-updated-at":1776083080886,"content-version-id":"28629e28-13c5-4898-8179-973d8a976b79","card-added-at":1776082686925,"status":"draft","id":"562549d3-e859-4e82-8752-ec14d6824450","content-id":"562549d3-e859-4e82-8752-ec14d6824450","version":11,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"UAE and China sign 24 deals to push trade past $100 billion","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/k2frfowu/63v02ub91ka1jghpn-1.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"WAM","alt-text":null,"caption":"Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in Beijing","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":103248,"file-name":"63v02ub91ka1jghpn-1.jpg"}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e55feb91-032e-4879-8cd5-f864944fd5cd/element/96885fc2-21c3-49b5-adc9-076809a114bc","type":"text","family-id":"f5be0e5e-d569-4236-9d29-7af4e2dead35","title":"","id":"96885fc2-21c3-49b5-adc9-076809a114bc","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"88f19ed8-e1e9-49e9-a834-4e10623351c7","linked-story":{"updated-at":1740247583037,"author-name":"WAM","headline":"Abu Dhabi signs groundbreaking agreements with China to strengthen economic, business partnerships","story-content-id":"88f19ed8-e1e9-49e9-a834-4e10623351c7","is-published":true,"slug":"business/markets/bibx7cp-abu-dhabi-signs-groundbreaking-agreements-with-1.500043828","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1740247585472,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Abu Dhabi signs groundbreaking agreements with China","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85252,"name":"Markets","slug":"markets","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/Q5bu8Y1sBLAg7p4o-qHtoSJ57uB9HYgNPuy1Np9u47AE2kKSF7-A1F_s2atvqSPi","published-at":1740247585472,"status":"published","id":"88f19ed8-e1e9-49e9-a834-4e10623351c7","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/markets/bibx7cp-abu-dhabi-signs-groundbreaking-agreements-with-1.500043828","author-id":2118648,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"syndicated","authors":[{"id":2118648,"name":"WAM","email":"wam@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"imported-card-is-read-only":null,"story-attributes":{"syndicatedfrom":["Wire - WAM EN"],"syndicated-categories":null},"original-url":"https://www.wam.ae/article/bibx7cp-abu-dhabi-signs-groundbreaking-agreements-with","imported-card-id":"b5c5631e-2a11-4297-8139-45760cf80541"},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"Q5bu8Y1sBLAg7p4o-qHtoSJ57uB9HYgNPuy1Np9u47AE2kKSF7-A1F_s2atvqSPi","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Abu Dhabi signs groundbreaking agreements with China to strengthen economic, business partnerships"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e55feb91-032e-4879-8cd5-f864944fd5cd/element/14116e91-2cd9-4e91-9139-0a7ebab779c8","type":"text","family-id":"7cf06ae6-bf29-49d8-a197-ce9cbbb6385e","title":"","id":"14116e91-2cd9-4e91-9139-0a7ebab779c8","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"65591a13-0368-4ba2-b2e8-f8ed608497cf","linked-story":{"updated-at":1734714568644,"author-name":"migrator","headline":"\u2018Role model for the world\u2019: Four-decade-long UAE-China diplomatic relationship celebrated at Dubai Forum","story-content-id":"65591a13-0368-4ba2-b2e8-f8ed608497cf","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/role-model-for-the-world-four-decade-long-uae-china-diplomatic-relationship-celebrated-at-dubai-forum-1.104459515","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1729682320000,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"hero-image":{"hero-image-url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/import/2024/10/23/Ronnie_Chan_-second--_among_other_industry_leaders_after_the_panel_discussion-1729682313665_192b91991df_medium.jpg","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2024/10/23/Ronnie_Chan_-second--_among_other_industry_leaders_after_the_panel_discussion-1729682313665_192b91991df_medium.jpg"},"headline":"UAE-China relationship is a \u2018role model\u2019 for the world"}}},"sections":[{"id":85212,"name":"UAE","slug":"uae","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/M0l06k3QTw7ctcOq_cpn7XbYgVllzwR5PcnNpftZb81MNv3QJBr_WOQw4uBxHXqC","published-at":1729682320000,"status":"published","id":"65591a13-0368-4ba2-b2e8-f8ed608497cf","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/role-model-for-the-world-four-decade-long-uae-china-diplomatic-relationship-celebrated-at-dubai-forum-1.104459515","author-id":2118564,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"updated-at":1744082449862,"email":"akumar@gulfnews.com","slug":"ashwani-kumar","last-name":null,"social":{},"publisher-id":6314,"name":"Ashwani Kumar","avatar-url":null,"bridgekeeper-id":9336388,"settings":{},"source":null,"first-name":null,"communication-email":null,"bio":null,"id":2208758,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null,"created-at":1738071602160}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"M0l06k3QTw7ctcOq_cpn7XbYgVllzwR5PcnNpftZb81MNv3QJBr_WOQw4uBxHXqC","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"\u2018Role model for the world\u2019: Four-decade-long UAE-China diplomatic relationship celebrated at Dubai Forum"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e55feb91-032e-4879-8cd5-f864944fd5cd/element/be9ac281-8f7e-4b6a-9ea7-fbe06370c247","type":"text","family-id":"ae95ff8e-1a63-4e42-bf47-f530883dcd8f","title":"","id":"be9ac281-8f7e-4b6a-9ea7-fbe06370c247","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"b19d2c76-5b92-4d61-86a7-7b43194ab4bf","linked-story":{"updated-at":1731996487071,"author-name":"migrator","headline":"Sheikh Ahmed: We look forward to strengthening our economic ties with China","story-content-id":"b19d2c76-5b92-4d61-86a7-7b43194ab4bf","is-published":true,"slug":"business/economy/sheikh-ahmed-we-look-forward-to-strengthening-our-economic-ties-with-china-1.1726166036171","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1726166213077,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"hero-image":{"hero-image-url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/import/2024/09/12/Ahmed-bin-Mohammed-bin-Rashid-Al-Maktoum_191e780cba6_medium.jpg","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2024/09/12/Ahmed-bin-Mohammed-bin-Rashid-Al-Maktoum_191e780cba6_medium.jpg"},"headline":"Sheikh Ahmed: We look forward to building up China ties"}}},"sections":[{"id":85448,"name":"economy","slug":"economy","data":null},{"id":85260,"name":"Government","slug":"government","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/4Ubh4Svnd9sg8f3vm37mOSgKajeJbYc_P3nEqbTPW0c1afK8awDlnRY3C-bhG7UG","published-at":1726166213077,"status":"published","id":"b19d2c76-5b92-4d61-86a7-7b43194ab4bf","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/economy/sheikh-ahmed-we-look-forward-to-strengthening-our-economic-ties-with-china-1.1726166036171","author-id":2118564,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2143341,"name":"Khitam Al Amir","slug":"khitam-al-amir","avatar-url":null,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null,"bio":null}],"metadata":{"imported-card-id":"07230d82-6b75-48a2-9e08-40823a1fcee5"},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"4Ubh4Svnd9sg8f3vm37mOSgKajeJbYc_P3nEqbTPW0c1afK8awDlnRY3C-bhG7UG","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Sheikh Ahmed: We look forward to strengthening our economic ties with China"}],"card-updated-at":1776083080886,"content-version-id":"87edf0e9-c0d3-479e-9252-9049ddefc64c","card-added-at":1776082741456,"status":"draft","id":"a494754e-d3c7-473a-9501-6a9a515ca798","content-id":"a494754e-d3c7-473a-9501-6a9a515ca798","version":9,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"UAE and China sign 24 deals to push trade past $100 billion","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/k2frfowu/63v02ub91ka1jghpn-1.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"WAM","alt-text":null,"caption":"Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in Beijing","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":103248,"file-name":"63v02ub91ka1jghpn-1.jpg"}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_Read"]}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/e55feb91-032e-4879-8cd5-f864944fd5cd/element/be17c992-780b-40ed-86c9-1ade7d99dc27","type":"text","family-id":"adf7527b-0c33-434f-845d-4d7a8c0d8203","title":"","id":"be17c992-780b-40ed-86c9-1ade7d99dc27","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"China remains the UAE\u2019s largest trading partner, accounting for around 11% of the country\u2019s total non-oil trade. It is also the top source of imports and a key destination for exports.
At the same time, the UAE plays a central role in China\u2019s engagement with the wider region. It is China\u2019s largest trading partner in the Middle East and Africa and accounts for a significant share of its trade with the Arab world.
This positioning reinforces the UAE\u2019s role as a gateway for trade flows between Asia, the Middle East and beyond.
The conference brought together ministers, senior officials and business leaders from both countries to explore new areas of cooperation, with a focus on investment, innovation and long-term economic development.
The theme of the event, \u201CFrom Vision to Value\u201D, reflects a broader shift towards translating strategic partnerships into tangible outcomes across sectors.
The agreements signed during the event are expected to support collaboration across a range of industries, strengthening commercial links and creating new opportunities for businesses operating across both markets.
The latest signings build on a relationship that has expanded across trade, logistics, energy and technology, supported by government-level engagement and private sector participation.
The involvement of both the UAE Ministry of Foreign Trade and China\u2019s Ministry of Commerce highlights the strategic importance attached to the partnership, with institutions on both sides working to facilitate deeper integration.
The UAE Embassy in Beijing and the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products also played a role in organising the event, reflecting the breadth of engagement across public and private sectors.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776083080886,"content-version-id":"ffe54595-f2d5-4004-9dab-87465b04426f","card-added-at":1776082775728,"status":"draft","id":"fe5a2de9-a51c-42f7-88be-82e63beb5558","content-id":"fe5a2de9-a51c-42f7-88be-82e63beb5558","version":8,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"UAE and China sign 24 deals to push trade past $100 billion","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/k2frfowu/63v02ub91ka1jghpn-1.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"WAM","alt-text":null,"caption":"Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in Beijing","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":103248,"file-name":"63v02ub91ka1jghpn-1.jpg"}}},"attributes":{}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/markets/uae-and-china-sign-24-deals-to-push-trade-past-100-billion-1.500505401","story-version-id":"dabbacde-c961-4f2b-a230-94a094a301d6","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776083085307,"author-id":2170744,"owner-id":2170744,"linked-story-ids":["88f19ed8-e1e9-49e9-a834-4e10623351c7","65591a13-0368-4ba2-b2e8-f8ed608497cf","b19d2c76-5b92-4d61-86a7-7b43194ab4bf"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776083084515,"hero-image-caption":"Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, in Beijing","version":11,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776083080872,"authors":[{"slug":"nivetha-dayanand","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/nivethadayanand?lang=en"},"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/nivethadayanand/"},"instagram":{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/newswithnivetha"}},"name":"Nivetha Dayanand","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","bio":"Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, where she spends her days unpacking money, markets, aviation, and the big shifts shaping life in the Gulf. Before returning to Gulf News, she launched Finance Middle East, complete with a podcast and video series.\n\nHer reporting has taken her from breaking spot news to long-form features and high-profile interviews. Nivetha has interviewed Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu, IMF\u2019s Jihad Azour, and a long list of CEOs, regulators, and founders who are reshaping the region\u2019s economy.\n\nAn Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha has shared classrooms and newsrooms with journalists from more than 40 countries, which probably explains her weakness for data, context, and a good follow-up question.\n\nWhen she is away from her keyboard (AFK), you are most likely to find her at the gym with an Eminem playlist, bingeing One Piece, or exploring games on her PS5. \n","id":2170744,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Nivetha Dayanand"},"id":"e55feb91-032e-4879-8cd5-f864944fd5cd"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776048200855,"seo":{"meta-title":"BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi to Reopen on April 14, 2026: Registration, Timings Announced","meta-description":"Find reopening details, visiting hours and registration requirements for devotees and visitors.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2207522,"author-name":"Sajila Saseendran","tags":[{"id":11150259,"name":"UAE","meta-description":"Follow the latest updates from the UAE including government news, national developments, economic trends, and lifestyle highlights.","meta-title":"UAE News \u2013 National Events, Economy & Government Updates","slug":"uae","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11442957,"name":"Indian expats","meta-description":"Get news for Indian expats in the UAE including legal updates, visa tips, events, and community stories.","meta-title":"Indian Expat News \u2013 Life, Laws & Community in the UAE","slug":"indian-expats","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11505293,"name":"Abu Dhabi","meta-description":"Stay updated with the latest news and stories from Abu Dhabi, including events, lifestyle, infrastructure and business developments.","meta-title":"Abu Dhabi News \u2013 Updates, Events & Developments","slug":"abu-dhabi","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi announces reopening date","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"03a15a63-4339-4e9b-8828-947610c64e2f","slug":"uae/united-in-strength/baps-hindu-mandir-in-abu-dhabi-announces-reopening-date-1.500504327","linked-stories":{"d1c8a6e5-3e0e-4c77-9505-4593e3e6a779":{"author-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","headline":"Dubai places of worship update visiting hours and reopen services","story-content-id":"d1c8a6e5-3e0e-4c77-9505-4593e3e6a779","slug":"uae/dubai-places-of-worship-update-visiting-hours-and-reopen-services-1.500503362","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai places of worship update hours, reopen services","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai places of worship update visiting hours as Gurudwara, temple and church reopen","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"uae","name":"UAE","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae","id":85212,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"UAE","collection":{"slug":"uae","name":"UAE LANDING PAGE","id":194636},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2020/07/04/NAT-200704-GURUDWARA-15-1593856270228_173193c9f9e_large.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/dubai-places-of-worship-update-visiting-hours-and-reopen-services-1.500503362","content-updated-at":1775888255514,"author-id":2170753,"first-published-at":1775888122841,"authors":[{"slug":"lekshmy-pavithran","social":{},"name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/0iyy2fe8/lk__2_.jpg","bio":"Lekshmy is a rockstar in the digital newsroom! With nearly two decades of experience, she revels in breaking news, riding viral trends, and spotting those hidden stories everyone else misses. \n\nAs the Assistant Online Editor, she steers the homepage, blending editorial brilliance with a no-nonsense approach. Whether it\u2019s UAE headlines, global affairs, business stories, or the latest buzz in entertainment and sports, Lekshmy is always on top of the game, delivering real-time coverage with precision. \n\nHer work ethic? Clarity, impact, and a dash of flair. All that is evident in her in-depth stories, special reports and explainers. Add in her social media savvy, and it\u2019s no wonder she consistently cranks out content that gets eyeballs and keeps them coming back for more.","id":2170753,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/0iyy2fe8/lk__2_.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"70dac3fe-67c8-453e-9750-d1a8f303684c":{"author-name":"Nathaniel Lacsina","headline":"Dubai\u2019s Shri Krishna Temple to reopen for Darshan","story-content-id":"70dac3fe-67c8-453e-9750-d1a8f303684c","slug":"uae/dubais-shri-krishna-temple-to-reopen-for-darshan-1.500503106","alternative":{"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai\u2019s Shri Krishna Temple to reopen for Darshan","hero-image":null}},"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai\u2019s Shri Krishna Temple to reopen for Darshan","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"uae","name":"UAE","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae","id":85212,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"UAE","collection":{"slug":"uae","name":"UAE LANDING PAGE","id":194636},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":2560,"file-size":1751398,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-03-at-1.04.24-PM.jpeg","height":1920},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-03/y10e8z1b/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-03-at-1.04.24-PM.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/dubais-shri-krishna-temple-to-reopen-for-darshan-1.500503106","content-updated-at":1775850440718,"author-id":2165829,"first-published-at":1775850439902,"authors":[{"slug":"nathaniel-lacsina","social":{},"name":"Nathaniel Lacsina","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Nathaniel Lacsina is a Senior Web Editor at Gulf News, helping shape the homepage while covering tech, business, viral human-interest stories, crime and offbeat news. With over 10 years\u2019 experience in digital publishing, he brings calm, accurate and dependable reporting across fast-moving beats.","id":2165829,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"1cd13eea-520f-4a06-b309-1828f9655457":{"author-name":"Ashwani Kumar","headline":"4m visitors to Abu Dhabi Hindu temple; Sheikh Nahyan calls it a bridge between India-UAE","story-content-id":"1cd13eea-520f-4a06-b309-1828f9655457","slug":"uae/people/4m-visitors-to-abu-dhabi-hindu-temple-sheikh-nahyan-calls-it-a-bridge-between-india-uae-1.500444892","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"BAPS temple \u2018bridge\u2019 between India-UAE: Sheikh Nahyan","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"people","name":"people","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/people","id":85442,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"People","collection":{"slug":"people-uae","name":"people (UAE)","id":194866},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":4096,"height":3072,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":4663684,"file-name":"44-2026-02-14Mandir-talks-at-23155.JPG"},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-02-16/3jtxyh9w/44-2026-02-14Mandir-talks-at-23155.JPG","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/people/4m-visitors-to-abu-dhabi-hindu-temple-sheikh-nahyan-calls-it-a-bridge-between-india-uae-1.500444892","content-updated-at":1771239742472,"author-id":2208758,"first-published-at":1771239464565,"authors":[{"slug":"ashwani-kumar","social":{"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/akaashwani/"}},"name":"Ashwani Kumar","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/f112s1xb/Ashwani_Kumar.png","bio":"Ashwani Kumar is a journalist and storyteller with almost two decades of experience, including more than 10 years across the UAE and Oman. As Chief Reporter, he covers multiple beats, crafting engaging stories that resonate with readers across platforms. \n \nA rolling stone with a reporter\u2019s curiosity, instinct and relentless drive, Ashwani has chased headlines at major events across the country \u2013 from ADIPEC, Formula One and Big Ticket in Abu Dhabi, to GITEX Global, AI Week and the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in Dubai, and the Sharjah International Book Fair to Hatta Festival. Name the event, and he\u2019s likely been on the ground, reporting with backpack, laptop, and pen on paper. \n \nHis defining chapter? The Covid-19 pandemic, where he cut through the noise and misinformation with on-the-ground reporting, earning trust when it mattered most. \n\nAlong the way, he\u2019s sat down with a range of global figures: from heads of state like Sheikh Hasina, to Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi, cricketing legend Brian Lara, Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor, and author-politician Shashi Tharoor, to name just a few. \n\nAshwani thrives on tight deadlines, tough calls, and turning chaos into clean copy. A natural team player and multitasker, he brings clarity and calm to every assignment, and is always on the lookout for news. \n","id":2208758,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/f112s1xb/Ashwani_Kumar.png","twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1775992932477,"public-identifier":"1.500504327","subheadline":"Opening hours, registration details announced post temporary closure since March 2","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi announces reopening date","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Watch: BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi announces reopening date","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"united-in-strength","name":"United in Strength","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/united-in-strength","id":102244,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"United in Strength","collection":{"slug":"united-in-strength-uae","name":"United in Strength (UAE)","id":225707},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"uae","name":"UAE","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae","id":85212,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"UAE","collection":{"slug":"uae","name":"UAE LANDING PAGE","id":194636},"data":null}],"read-time":2,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1775991924843,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Sajila Saseendran","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563},"comments":null,"word-count":359,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1775992932477,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"last-correction-published-at":1776048203315,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"Gulf News Archives","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":"AD TEMPLE 1-1706711746645","id":"03a15a63-4339-4e9b-8828-947610c64e2f","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2024/01/31/AD-TEMPLE-1-1706711746645_18d5ff2889a_large.jpg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/03a15a63-4339-4e9b-8828-947610c64e2f/element/17c7f203-bf4c-4417-adaa-d19ffabdb749","type":"text","family-id":"6b505ea6-1377-43a8-b0b4-5f9973f9c1e6","title":"","id":"17c7f203-bf4c-4417-adaa-d19ffabdb749","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Abu Dhabi: The BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi on Sunday announced it will reopen to the public after a temporary closure that lasted several weeks.
In a social media post, the Mandir management shared \u201Ca heartfelt message from Swami Brahmaviharidas, head of the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi, ahead of the reopening on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.\u201D
The management also confirmed opening hours and the need for registration prior to the visit.
The Mandir will be open Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 8pm. Visitors are required to register before arriving, it said.
"},{"description":"","embed-js":"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","page-url":"/story/03a15a63-4339-4e9b-8828-947610c64e2f/element/380afe87-2132-4bda-9a3d-2d31e9cbc096","type":"jsembed","family-id":"ca4fca60-e154-4005-bb61-2c6b66af4371","title":"","id":"380afe87-2132-4bda-9a3d-2d31e9cbc096","metadata":{"tweet-url":"https://twitter.com/AbuDhabiMandir/status/2043195294381158780","provider":"twitter","tweet-id":"2043195294381158780"},"subtype":"tweet"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/03a15a63-4339-4e9b-8828-947610c64e2f/element/295eb799-198a-467e-bafe-1dcd27fe1655","type":"text","family-id":"5e9d8961-c770-4ca9-8d41-688b506857d8","title":"","id":"295eb799-198a-467e-bafe-1dcd27fe1655","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"In his message, Swami Brahmaviharidas said: \"With God's grace and prayers from millions, the BAPS Hindu Mandir through its saints and volunteers has served society selflessly and spiritually with courage, compassion, and prayers.\u201D
\"The Mandir is our home in a nation where everyone feels at home. Safe and peaceful. Please come with all your faith, all your hopes and all your prayers for your families, your friends, our future and the able, stable and commendable leadership of the UAE and all the wise leaders of the world who believe in love, peace and harmony. Let us be one, for one nation, one world, one humanity,\u201D he added.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/03a15a63-4339-4e9b-8828-947610c64e2f/element/c0aceacf-9d4d-4385-afb9-e5433e5427ec","type":"text","family-id":"a043ab59-8d2e-498f-a8d7-2cc77be10dc3","title":"","id":"c0aceacf-9d4d-4385-afb9-e5433e5427ec","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/03a15a63-4339-4e9b-8828-947610c64e2f/element/7ab59508-3aba-4454-b20a-3044aa872a35","type":"text","family-id":"c2e23d3b-69ce-4168-b08a-6c378c1f4bd8","title":"","id":"7ab59508-3aba-4454-b20a-3044aa872a35","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
The Mandir first announced a temporary closure on March 2, which was subsequently extended until further notice on March 9. During that period, the Swamis continued to offer special prayers within the sacred sanctums of the Mandir, with the management saying the prayers were offered \"for peace, protection, and the well-being of all.\"
The reopening announcement follows similar announcements from multiple places of worship in Dubai that had also closed due to the regional tensions.
It marks a significant moment for the UAE's Hindu community and millions of visitors from across faiths who have made the Mandir one of Abu Dhabi's most visited landmarks since it opened in 2024.
"}],"card-updated-at":1775994592131,"content-version-id":"fe2b8dde-e4ba-4cab-8dd7-e6b6f5d3008a","card-added-at":1775991924850,"status":"draft","id":"af345d7d-b808-4702-ba59-ccf8a20c5bfc","content-id":"af345d7d-b808-4702-ba59-ccf8a20c5bfc","version":19,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi announces reopening date","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/import/2024/01/31/AD-TEMPLE-1-1706711746645_18d5ff2889a_large.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Gulf News Archives","alt-text":"AD TEMPLE 1-1706711746645","caption":"Photo used for illustrative purposes","metadata":{"width":750,"height":563}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/03a15a63-4339-4e9b-8828-947610c64e2f/element/832ac50a-4488-4fbd-82a1-b1f1b8a33a5c","type":"text","family-id":"29062728-ecaa-4208-ad7b-cb06c42982c7","title":"","id":"832ac50a-4488-4fbd-82a1-b1f1b8a33a5c","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"d1c8a6e5-3e0e-4c77-9505-4593e3e6a779","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775888252714,"author-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","headline":"Dubai places of worship update visiting hours and reopen services","story-content-id":"d1c8a6e5-3e0e-4c77-9505-4593e3e6a779","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/dubai-places-of-worship-update-visiting-hours-and-reopen-services-1.500503362","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775888122841,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai places of worship update hours, reopen services","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai places of worship update visiting hours as Gurudwara, temple and church reopen","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85212,"name":"UAE","slug":"uae","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/fB9S6ADGbgHRUpLwaqo6FGceW-kDxgWQYoBjAJSMXYQ84_DhtsznydETybKGp43Z","published-at":1775888122841,"status":"published","id":"d1c8a6e5-3e0e-4c77-9505-4593e3e6a779","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/dubai-places-of-worship-update-visiting-hours-and-reopen-services-1.500503362","author-id":2170753,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2170753,"name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"fB9S6ADGbgHRUpLwaqo6FGceW-kDxgWQYoBjAJSMXYQ84_DhtsznydETybKGp43Z","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Dubai places of worship update visiting hours and reopen services"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/03a15a63-4339-4e9b-8828-947610c64e2f/element/060f6bf3-a0bf-4761-858e-ace62efe581b","type":"text","family-id":"3f461224-c41b-4436-9c3b-3277177c50e1","title":"","id":"060f6bf3-a0bf-4761-858e-ace62efe581b","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"70dac3fe-67c8-453e-9750-d1a8f303684c","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775850433340,"author-name":"Nathaniel Lacsina","headline":"Dubai\u2019s Shri Krishna Temple to reopen for Darshan","story-content-id":"70dac3fe-67c8-453e-9750-d1a8f303684c","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/dubais-shri-krishna-temple-to-reopen-for-darshan-1.500503106","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775850439902,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai\u2019s Shri Krishna Temple to reopen for Darshan","hero-image":null}},"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai\u2019s Shri Krishna Temple to reopen for Darshan","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85212,"name":"UAE","slug":"uae","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/ApQTP3iby7z6_sXjjioKV4bcxDLwmoAIHv9vWgZMucVGjGnVIrjc0iwUFjKJoJzo","published-at":1775850439902,"status":"published","id":"70dac3fe-67c8-453e-9750-d1a8f303684c","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/dubais-shri-krishna-temple-to-reopen-for-darshan-1.500503106","author-id":2165829,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2165829,"name":"Nathaniel Lacsina","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"ApQTP3iby7z6_sXjjioKV4bcxDLwmoAIHv9vWgZMucVGjGnVIrjc0iwUFjKJoJzo","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Dubai\u2019s Shri Krishna Temple to reopen for Darshan"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/03a15a63-4339-4e9b-8828-947610c64e2f/element/f369108d-2969-4416-84f1-a74e88b214f5","type":"text","family-id":"db453dd2-b9c6-43e5-9e15-08cda6622925","title":"","id":"f369108d-2969-4416-84f1-a74e88b214f5","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"1cd13eea-520f-4a06-b309-1828f9655457","linked-story":{"updated-at":1771239739514,"author-name":"Ashwani Kumar","headline":"4m visitors to Abu Dhabi Hindu temple; Sheikh Nahyan calls it a bridge between India-UAE","story-content-id":"1cd13eea-520f-4a06-b309-1828f9655457","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/people/4m-visitors-to-abu-dhabi-hindu-temple-sheikh-nahyan-calls-it-a-bridge-between-india-uae-1.500444892","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1771239464565,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"BAPS temple \u2018bridge\u2019 between India-UAE: Sheikh Nahyan","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85442,"name":"people","slug":"people","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/YuGCAfaS6N9F2JjoTzUeXuAaM1UoyA4puIylLGW_CMuWk4Y3DgQkPrQMVyFDNdY9","published-at":1771239464565,"status":"published","id":"1cd13eea-520f-4a06-b309-1828f9655457","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/people/4m-visitors-to-abu-dhabi-hindu-temple-sheikh-nahyan-calls-it-a-bridge-between-india-uae-1.500444892","author-id":2208758,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2208758,"name":"Ashwani Kumar","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"YuGCAfaS6N9F2JjoTzUeXuAaM1UoyA4puIylLGW_CMuWk4Y3DgQkPrQMVyFDNdY9","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"4m visitors to Abu Dhabi Hindu temple; Sheikh Nahyan calls it a bridge between India-UAE"}],"card-updated-at":1775993864955,"content-version-id":"cbb6ddc3-f048-4225-9c00-6a0069f2d3b4","card-added-at":1775993808676,"status":"draft","id":"3b1b2402-9655-47b3-aede-1646bdbb1468","content-id":"3b1b2402-9655-47b3-aede-1646bdbb1468","version":3,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi announces reopening date","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/import/2024/01/31/AD-TEMPLE-1-1706711746645_18d5ff2889a_large.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Gulf News Archives","alt-text":"AD TEMPLE 1-1706711746645","caption":"Photo used for illustrative purposes","metadata":{"width":750,"height":563}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_Read"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/united-in-strength/baps-hindu-mandir-in-abu-dhabi-announces-reopening-date-1.500504327","story-version-id":"669a2e57-df37-45d4-8654-4e301c9dfdf5","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776048203555,"author-id":2207522,"owner-id":2207522,"linked-story-ids":["d1c8a6e5-3e0e-4c77-9505-4593e3e6a779","70dac3fe-67c8-453e-9750-d1a8f303684c","1cd13eea-520f-4a06-b309-1828f9655457"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1775992932477,"hero-image-caption":"Photo used for illustrative purposes","version":20,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776048198628,"authors":[{"slug":"sajila-saseendran","social":{},"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Sajila is a powerhouse in UAE journalism, with over two decades of impactful reporting that has informed, empowered, and transformed lives. She is widely recognised as one of the most trusted voices on local affairs, particularly within the Indian expat community.\n\nFrom exposing scams and reuniting families to shifting policies and freeing jailed workers, Sajila\u2019s stories often make front pages and a real-world difference. Once the only female crime reporter in Bangalore, India, she brought her razor-sharp news instincts to the UAE, covering everything from civic matters, health, education, and environment to stories that matter to both expats and Emiratis alike.\n\nShe has covered the launch of iconic projects in Dubai and milestone national moments\u2014from COP28, Expo 2020 Dubai, Presidential and Prime Ministerial visits, multiple visa amnesties and landmark space missions to plane crashes, tragic fires, accidents and COVID-19 crises. She broke the news of Indian actress Sridevi\u2019s accidental drowning and did a literally out-of-the-world interview with UAE astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, who went on to become a minister, live from the International Space Station.\u00A0\n\nHer storytelling blends deep editorial insight with compelling human interest, backed by an extensive network across officials and communities alike. Recognised with numerous journalism awards, Sajila doesn\u2019t just report stories; she helps write the history of the UAE.","id":2207522,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Sajila Saseendran"},"id":"03a15a63-4339-4e9b-8828-947610c64e2f"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776136225114,"seo":{"meta-title":"Ras Al Khaimah court cancels one-year jail, orders Dh10,000 fine and Psychiatric evaluation in person of determination case","meta-description":"Ras Al Khaimah court cancels jail term for Gulf national with disabilities, orders Dh10,000 fine and psychiatric evaluation after finding gaps in evidence.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2208736,"author-name":"Aghaddir Ali","tags":[{"id":11392671,"name":"crime","meta-description":"Stay informed on major crime stories, investigations, and law enforcement updates from the region and beyond.","meta-title":"Crime News \u2013 Reports, Cases & Legal Outcomes","slug":"crime","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11465920,"name":"Ras Al Khaimah","meta-description":"Discover the latest news from Ras Al Khaimah including tourism, real estate, cultural events, and infrastructure projects.","meta-title":"Ras Al Khaimah News \u2013 Tourism, Events & City Development","slug":"ras-al-khaimah","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":12345729,"name":"cybercrime","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"cybercrime","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"RAK court cancels jail term for \u2018person of determination\u2019, imposes Dh10,000 fine","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"473056ef-0595-4f7a-8b60-22f7c7ddef34","slug":"uae/crime/rak-court-cancels-jail-term-for-person-of-determination-imposes-dh10000-fine-1.500505884","linked-stories":{"31c90260-b287-4542-aee0-3c7569064838":{"author-name":"Aghaddir Ali","headline":"Al Ain Court clears man of life-endangerment allegation lodged by ex-wife","story-content-id":"31c90260-b287-4542-aee0-3c7569064838","slug":"uae/crime/al-ain-court-clears-man-of-life-endangerment-allegation-lodged-by-ex-wife-1.500392232","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Court clears man of life-endangerment claim by ex-wife","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"crime","name":"Crime","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime","id":85257,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Court and Crime","collection":{"slug":"crime-uae","name":"Crime (UAE)","id":194681},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"focus-point":[567,265],"width":800,"height":600},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2024-11-17/mo0lzzfe/Stock_court_justice_judge_1783bb92c82_original_ratio.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime/al-ain-court-clears-man-of-life-endangerment-allegation-lodged-by-ex-wife-1.500392232","content-updated-at":1766905039351,"author-id":2208736,"first-published-at":1766905039114,"authors":[{"slug":"aghaddir-ali","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/aghaddir"},"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/aghaddir-ali-b99a9535"}},"name":"Aghaddir Ali","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/4q9b74vq/White_background.jpg","bio":"Aghaddir is a senior news reporter at Gulf News with more than a decade of experience covering the UAE\u2019s most pressing developments. Known for her sharp eye for detail and deep expertise in the country\u2019s legal and security systems, Aghaddir delivers journalism that clarifies complex issues and informs public discourse. \n\nWhile based in Sharjah, she also covers Dubai and the northern emirates. She leads daily reporting with a strong focus on breaking news, law enforcement, courts, crime, and legislation. Her work also spans education, public safety, environmental issues, and compelling community and adventure features. \n\nAghaddir\u2019s investigative stories engage readers in meaningful conversations about the nation\u2019s evolving challenges and opportunities. Her interests include public policy, judicial affairs, social issues, healthcare, and governance, and her body of work reflects a commitment to accurate, impactful, and socially relevant journalism. She has established herself as a reliable and trusted voice in the region's media. ","id":2208736,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/4q9b74vq/White_background.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"8c43ef88-3c0d-4955-9997-ef9082787c87":{"author-name":"Aghaddir Ali","headline":"Dubai court orders Dh20,000 payout for WhatsApp insults","story-content-id":"8c43ef88-3c0d-4955-9997-ef9082787c87","slug":"uae/crime/dubai-court-orders-dh20000-payout-for-whatsapp-insults-1.500462705","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai court orders Dh20,000 payout for WhatsApp insults","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"crime","name":"Crime","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime","id":85257,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Court and Crime","collection":{"slug":"crime-uae","name":"Crime (UAE)","id":194681},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":356,"original-url":"https://iansportalimages.s3.amazonaws.com/thumbnails/202504033367943.jpg","height":267},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-10-21/7vblig4c/202504033367943.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime/dubai-court-orders-dh20000-payout-for-whatsapp-insults-1.500462705","content-updated-at":1772597804958,"author-id":2208736,"first-published-at":1772597804274,"authors":[{"slug":"aghaddir-ali","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/aghaddir"},"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/aghaddir-ali-b99a9535"}},"name":"Aghaddir Ali","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/4q9b74vq/White_background.jpg","bio":"Aghaddir is a senior news reporter at Gulf News with more than a decade of experience covering the UAE\u2019s most pressing developments. Known for her sharp eye for detail and deep expertise in the country\u2019s legal and security systems, Aghaddir delivers journalism that clarifies complex issues and informs public discourse. \n\nWhile based in Sharjah, she also covers Dubai and the northern emirates. She leads daily reporting with a strong focus on breaking news, law enforcement, courts, crime, and legislation. Her work also spans education, public safety, environmental issues, and compelling community and adventure features. \n\nAghaddir\u2019s investigative stories engage readers in meaningful conversations about the nation\u2019s evolving challenges and opportunities. Her interests include public policy, judicial affairs, social issues, healthcare, and governance, and her body of work reflects a commitment to accurate, impactful, and socially relevant journalism. She has established herself as a reliable and trusted voice in the region's media. ","id":2208736,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/4q9b74vq/White_background.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"b56e737b-6c84-4796-a3f5-9f790fde0a6b":{"author-name":"Aghaddir Ali","headline":"Dubai woman acquitted in cybercrime case over alleged explicit content","story-content-id":"b56e737b-6c84-4796-a3f5-9f790fde0a6b","slug":"uae/crime/dubai-woman-acquitted-in-cybercrime-case-over-alleged-explicit-content-1.500493886","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai court clears woman of porn possession claims","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai court clears woman of porn possession claims","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"crime","name":"Crime","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime","id":85257,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Court and Crime","collection":{"slug":"crime-uae","name":"Crime (UAE)","id":194681},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2021/02/21/Stock-Dubai-courts_177c47f567a_large.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime/dubai-woman-acquitted-in-cybercrime-case-over-alleged-explicit-content-1.500493886","content-updated-at":1775104820619,"author-id":2208736,"first-published-at":1775104819326,"authors":[{"slug":"aghaddir-ali","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/aghaddir"},"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/aghaddir-ali-b99a9535"}},"name":"Aghaddir Ali","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/4q9b74vq/White_background.jpg","bio":"Aghaddir is a senior news reporter at Gulf News with more than a decade of experience covering the UAE\u2019s most pressing developments. Known for her sharp eye for detail and deep expertise in the country\u2019s legal and security systems, Aghaddir delivers journalism that clarifies complex issues and informs public discourse. \n\nWhile based in Sharjah, she also covers Dubai and the northern emirates. She leads daily reporting with a strong focus on breaking news, law enforcement, courts, crime, and legislation. Her work also spans education, public safety, environmental issues, and compelling community and adventure features. \n\nAghaddir\u2019s investigative stories engage readers in meaningful conversations about the nation\u2019s evolving challenges and opportunities. Her interests include public policy, judicial affairs, social issues, healthcare, and governance, and her body of work reflects a commitment to accurate, impactful, and socially relevant journalism. She has established herself as a reliable and trusted voice in the region's media. ","id":2208736,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/4q9b74vq/White_background.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"a4965f14-b97a-4d16-9410-2be84d2e220c":{"author-name":"Aghaddir Ali","headline":"Dubai court acquits man accused of calling his brother\u2019s wife 'scorpion' on WhatsApp","story-content-id":"a4965f14-b97a-4d16-9410-2be84d2e220c","slug":"uae/crime/dubai-court-acquits-man-accused-of-calling-his-brothers-wife-scorpion-on-whatsapp-1.500388051","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE: Man acquitted for calling sister-in-law 'scorpion'","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"WhatsApp insult lands man in Dubai court: Acquitted after calling sister-in-law a \u201Cscorpion\u201D","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"crime","name":"Crime","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime","id":85257,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Court and Crime","collection":{"slug":"crime-uae","name":"Crime (UAE)","id":194681},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":6240,"file-size":20578904,"file-name":"iPhone-WhatsApp","height":4160},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-09-01/g6ht5h0s/iPhone-WhatsApp","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime/dubai-court-acquits-man-accused-of-calling-his-brothers-wife-scorpion-on-whatsapp-1.500388051","content-updated-at":1766462830848,"author-id":2208736,"first-published-at":1766462830074,"authors":[{"slug":"aghaddir-ali","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/aghaddir"},"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/aghaddir-ali-b99a9535"}},"name":"Aghaddir Ali","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/4q9b74vq/White_background.jpg","bio":"Aghaddir is a senior news reporter at Gulf News with more than a decade of experience covering the UAE\u2019s most pressing developments. Known for her sharp eye for detail and deep expertise in the country\u2019s legal and security systems, Aghaddir delivers journalism that clarifies complex issues and informs public discourse. \n\nWhile based in Sharjah, she also covers Dubai and the northern emirates. She leads daily reporting with a strong focus on breaking news, law enforcement, courts, crime, and legislation. Her work also spans education, public safety, environmental issues, and compelling community and adventure features. \n\nAghaddir\u2019s investigative stories engage readers in meaningful conversations about the nation\u2019s evolving challenges and opportunities. Her interests include public policy, judicial affairs, social issues, healthcare, and governance, and her body of work reflects a commitment to accurate, impactful, and socially relevant journalism. She has established herself as a reliable and trusted voice in the region's media. ","id":2208736,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/4q9b74vq/White_background.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"0b594b3f-fa6c-4e1e-a445-6b3c79faaee4":{"author-name":"Aghaddir Ali","headline":"UAE: Ajman Court fines influencer Dh30000 for Snapchat defamation","story-content-id":"0b594b3f-fa6c-4e1e-a445-6b3c79faaee4","slug":"uae/crime/ajman-court-fines-influencer-dh30000-for-snapchat-defamation-1.500434955","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Snapchat defamation costs influencer Dh30,000 in UAE","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"crime","name":"Crime","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime","id":85257,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Court and Crime","collection":{"slug":"crime-uae","name":"Crime (UAE)","id":194681},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":640,"height":480,"mime-type":"image/avif","file-size":9970,"file-name":"gulfnewsimport201827116a084963e0.2169960308946790216a084963e0large.avif"},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-02-07/2e3lgrft/gulfnewsimport201827116a084963e0.2169960308946790216a084963e0large.avif","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime/ajman-court-fines-influencer-dh30000-for-snapchat-defamation-1.500434955","content-updated-at":1770448688154,"author-id":2208736,"first-published-at":1770443115481,"authors":[{"slug":"aghaddir-ali","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/aghaddir"},"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/aghaddir-ali-b99a9535"}},"name":"Aghaddir Ali","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/4q9b74vq/White_background.jpg","bio":"Aghaddir is a senior news reporter at Gulf News with more than a decade of experience covering the UAE\u2019s most pressing developments. Known for her sharp eye for detail and deep expertise in the country\u2019s legal and security systems, Aghaddir delivers journalism that clarifies complex issues and informs public discourse. \n\nWhile based in Sharjah, she also covers Dubai and the northern emirates. She leads daily reporting with a strong focus on breaking news, law enforcement, courts, crime, and legislation. Her work also spans education, public safety, environmental issues, and compelling community and adventure features. \n\nAghaddir\u2019s investigative stories engage readers in meaningful conversations about the nation\u2019s evolving challenges and opportunities. Her interests include public policy, judicial affairs, social issues, healthcare, and governance, and her body of work reflects a commitment to accurate, impactful, and socially relevant journalism. She has established herself as a reliable and trusted voice in the region's media. ","id":2208736,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/4q9b74vq/White_background.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"909a6d99-c514-4d40-a76a-f56b50e1a836":{"author-name":"Aghaddir Ali","headline":"Dubai court clears man accused of unlawful entry into rented villa","story-content-id":"909a6d99-c514-4d40-a76a-f56b50e1a836","slug":"uae/crime/dubai-court-clears-man-accused-of-unlawful-entry-into-rented-villa-1.500387575","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai Court acquits man in villa unlawful entry dispute","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"crime","name":"Crime","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime","id":85257,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Court and Crime","collection":{"slug":"crime-uae","name":"Crime (UAE)","id":194681},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":640,"height":480,"mime-type":"image/avif","file-size":13413,"file-name":"gulfnews2025-10-217vblig4c202504033367943.avif"},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-12-22/psuyqone/gulfnews2025-10-217vblig4c202504033367943.avif","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime/dubai-court-clears-man-accused-of-unlawful-entry-into-rented-villa-1.500387575","content-updated-at":1766408740119,"author-id":2208736,"first-published-at":1766408739862,"authors":[{"slug":"aghaddir-ali","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/aghaddir"},"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/aghaddir-ali-b99a9535"}},"name":"Aghaddir Ali","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/4q9b74vq/White_background.jpg","bio":"Aghaddir is a senior news reporter at Gulf News with more than a decade of experience covering the UAE\u2019s most pressing developments. Known for her sharp eye for detail and deep expertise in the country\u2019s legal and security systems, Aghaddir delivers journalism that clarifies complex issues and informs public discourse. \n\nWhile based in Sharjah, she also covers Dubai and the northern emirates. She leads daily reporting with a strong focus on breaking news, law enforcement, courts, crime, and legislation. Her work also spans education, public safety, environmental issues, and compelling community and adventure features. \n\nAghaddir\u2019s investigative stories engage readers in meaningful conversations about the nation\u2019s evolving challenges and opportunities. Her interests include public policy, judicial affairs, social issues, healthcare, and governance, and her body of work reflects a commitment to accurate, impactful, and socially relevant journalism. She has established herself as a reliable and trusted voice in the region's media. ","id":2208736,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/4q9b74vq/White_background.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776132647520,"public-identifier":"1.500505884","subheadline":"Medical condition, no CCTV, and weak evidence reduce sentence; defence seeks acquittal","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Jail term for \u2018POD\u2019 canceled, Dh10,000 fine imposed","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Jail term for \u2018POD\u2019 canceled, Dh10,000 fine imposed","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"crime","name":"Crime","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime","id":85257,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Court and Crime","collection":{"slug":"crime-uae","name":"Crime (UAE)","id":194681},"data":null}],"read-time":3,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776117452857,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Aghaddir Ali","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563},"comments":null,"word-count":626,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776132647520,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"last-correction-published-at":1776136227192,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"Ras Al Khaimah court ","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":"RC-1675316179638","id":"473056ef-0595-4f7a-8b60-22f7c7ddef34","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2023/02/02/RC-1675316179638_18610a032d1_large.jpg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/473056ef-0595-4f7a-8b60-22f7c7ddef34/element/2e409243-5448-4e6f-b694-df08767fc9ca","type":"text","family-id":"3996460e-4cc4-4d1d-9d50-9cb3b5a63bd2","title":"","id":"2e409243-5448-4e6f-b694-df08767fc9ca","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Ras Al Khaimah: The Ras Al Khaimah Court of First Instance has overturned a one-year jail sentence issued in absentia against a 49-year-old Gulf national, replacing it with a Dh10,000 fine after accepting his opposition and citing medical evidence and gaps in the prosecution\u2019s case.
In its ruling dated March 2, 2026, the court cancelled the custodial sentence issued on February 9, while upholding the fine and court fees. The court also ordered that the defendant be referred for psychiatric evaluation on May 4,2026.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776132773806,"content-version-id":"dee87ce7-b118-47b5-a30d-857cc61d205a","card-added-at":1776117452865,"status":"draft","id":"7bb9ec9b-56d6-4c3a-b4f0-34a467f0fd52","content-id":"7bb9ec9b-56d6-4c3a-b4f0-34a467f0fd52","version":34,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"RAK court cancels jail term for \u2018person of determination\u2019, imposes Dh10,000 fine","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/import/2023/02/02/RC-1675316179638_18610a032d1_large.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Ras Al Khaimah court ","alt-text":"RC-1675316179638","caption":"RAK court cancels jail term for \u2018person of determination\u2019, imposes Dh10,000 fine.","metadata":{"width":750,"height":563}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/473056ef-0595-4f7a-8b60-22f7c7ddef34/element/2c39bb0a-e54c-4343-865f-90f3c5e32439","type":"text","family-id":"8c3d88f2-7a68-4216-bd70-eea1e38c064f","title":"","id":"2c39bb0a-e54c-4343-865f-90f3c5e32439","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for\u00A0FREE: Download the\u00A0Gulf News\u00A0app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply\u00A0click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/473056ef-0595-4f7a-8b60-22f7c7ddef34/element/f5d58375-8ef3-440a-90ba-67ebc254a79c","type":"text","family-id":"e9cc406a-ca59-4c53-a0f7-ae1e1a211753","title":"","id":"f5d58375-8ef3-440a-90ba-67ebc254a79c","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
The case dates back to August 11, 2025, when the Public Prosecution charged the defendant with assault, property damage and public intoxication.
According to the complainant, an Indian grocery worker in Al Nakheel, the incident occurred at around 6.30am when the defendant allegedly arrived in a white Lexus in a \u201Chighly intoxicated\u201D state, shouting and causing a disturbance.
The complainant told investigators he was assaulted, while his Samsung mobile phone was smashed and a delivery motorcycle deliberately damaged. Repair costs were estimated at Dh2,400, supported by invoices submitted to authorities. A medical report later recorded minor injuries, described as abrasions below the knee.
The prosecution\u2019s case relied on the complainant\u2019s testimony, medical reports, repair invoices and police findings based on \u201Csecret sources\u201D indicating the defendant was intoxicated.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/473056ef-0595-4f7a-8b60-22f7c7ddef34/element/970eb6bb-9fb4-4a6e-9866-359cd5672204","type":"text","family-id":"381a19a8-599e-4c89-b05f-61509a20b5af","title":"","id":"970eb6bb-9fb4-4a6e-9866-359cd5672204","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"909a6d99-c514-4d40-a76a-f56b50e1a836","linked-story":{"updated-at":1766408738193,"author-name":"Aghaddir Ali","headline":"Dubai court clears man accused of unlawful entry into rented villa","story-content-id":"909a6d99-c514-4d40-a76a-f56b50e1a836","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/crime/dubai-court-clears-man-accused-of-unlawful-entry-into-rented-villa-1.500387575","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1766408739862,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai Court acquits man in villa unlawful entry dispute","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85257,"name":"Crime","slug":"crime","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/EWzhdKLlMo5E_2AO-uGrjryYKUkbsE6DH4YU2JHX6sBj3dZLuMt5gMEunwL-LKRD","published-at":1766408739862,"status":"published","id":"909a6d99-c514-4d40-a76a-f56b50e1a836","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime/dubai-court-clears-man-accused-of-unlawful-entry-into-rented-villa-1.500387575","author-id":2208736,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2208736,"name":"Aghaddir Ali","email":"agali@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"EWzhdKLlMo5E_2AO-uGrjryYKUkbsE6DH4YU2JHX6sBj3dZLuMt5gMEunwL-LKRD","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Dubai court clears man accused of unlawful entry into rented villa"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/473056ef-0595-4f7a-8b60-22f7c7ddef34/element/a30754e8-ae44-40f3-a21e-da5a383444b3","type":"text","family-id":"4f9d0379-aaa0-4845-850a-15be58bac9b5","title":"","id":"a30754e8-ae44-40f3-a21e-da5a383444b3","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"However, the court noted key evidentiary gaps. Despite the incident allegedly taking place in a public area surrounded by shops and equipped with surveillance cameras, no CCTV footage was available. The case file also lacked independent eyewitness testimony.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776136223017,"content-version-id":"0c89995c-3f36-484c-ad04-ad8a35948684","card-added-at":1776117747922,"status":"draft","id":"5b334667-5fa0-40b7-9e69-7418ae47601a","content-id":"5b334667-5fa0-40b7-9e69-7418ae47601a","version":32,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"RAK court cancels jail term for \u2018person of determination\u2019, imposes Dh10,000 fine","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/import/2023/02/02/RC-1675316179638_18610a032d1_large.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Ras Al Khaimah court ","alt-text":"RC-1675316179638","caption":"RAK court cancels jail term for \u2018person of determination\u2019, imposes Dh10,000 fine.","metadata":{"width":750,"height":563}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/473056ef-0595-4f7a-8b60-22f7c7ddef34/element/8c0abbfd-a7c3-4243-8815-afa433f392cc","type":"text","family-id":"7a798cbf-24ea-4eaf-b8d9-806be3d60897","title":"","id":"8c0abbfd-a7c3-4243-8815-afa433f392cc","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The defence, led by lawyer Hanan Salem Al Shimili, played a central role in contesting the conviction and filing the opposition that led to the retrial.
Al Shimili argued that the allegations were \u201Cphysically and mentally impossible,\u201D presenting official documentation confirming that her client is a registered \u201Cperson of determination.\u201D
Medical reports submitted to the court detailed multiple conditions, including schizoaffective and bipolar disorders, tuberculosis, diabetes, neurological impairments affecting mobility and vision issues.
The defence further claimed the charges were fabricated for material gain, alleging that the complainant \u2014 a frequent customer at the shop \u2014 was aware of the defendant\u2019s mental condition and sought to exploit it to obtain financial benefits and compel him to pay for motorcycle repair costs.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/473056ef-0595-4f7a-8b60-22f7c7ddef34/element/afa73d6d-6452-4dd7-9bc0-f2bcc3586672","type":"text","family-id":"ff714cd8-b54d-455c-89d8-27d996d7a13c","title":"","id":"afa73d6d-6452-4dd7-9bc0-f2bcc3586672","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"a4965f14-b97a-4d16-9410-2be84d2e220c","linked-story":{"updated-at":1766462827554,"author-name":"Aghaddir Ali","headline":"Dubai court acquits man accused of calling his brother\u2019s wife 'scorpion' on WhatsApp","story-content-id":"a4965f14-b97a-4d16-9410-2be84d2e220c","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/crime/dubai-court-acquits-man-accused-of-calling-his-brothers-wife-scorpion-on-whatsapp-1.500388051","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1766462830074,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE: Man acquitted for calling sister-in-law 'scorpion'","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"WhatsApp insult lands man in Dubai court: Acquitted after calling sister-in-law a \u201Cscorpion\u201D","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85257,"name":"Crime","slug":"crime","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/g-wkgsLgxGdIn6Pxx-ntMOUlhQP9MBJqwrq2b-d1TtKa06DGwXjhBpyc6r7ooZdR","published-at":1766462830074,"status":"published","id":"a4965f14-b97a-4d16-9410-2be84d2e220c","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime/dubai-court-acquits-man-accused-of-calling-his-brothers-wife-scorpion-on-whatsapp-1.500388051","author-id":2208736,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2208736,"name":"Aghaddir Ali","email":"agali@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"g-wkgsLgxGdIn6Pxx-ntMOUlhQP9MBJqwrq2b-d1TtKa06DGwXjhBpyc6r7ooZdR","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Dubai court acquits man accused of calling his brother\u2019s wife 'scorpion' on WhatsApp"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/473056ef-0595-4f7a-8b60-22f7c7ddef34/element/0c4e5358-1ff2-4d6c-afb8-44791d0fa335","type":"text","family-id":"8ecd52b4-3804-4e7b-95b8-2df8627e64d2","title":"","id":"0c4e5358-1ff2-4d6c-afb8-44791d0fa335","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Al Shimili also highlighted that, despite the incident allegedly occurring in a busy commercial area, not a single witness was produced to support the complainant\u2019s version of events.
The defence additionally challenged the public intoxication charge, noting that no blood or urine tests were conducted and that claims of drunkenness were based solely on unverified statements rather than scientific evidence.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776132644474,"content-version-id":"55a81a07-be6e-4b50-87cd-9b14c22c6928","card-added-at":1776117747922,"status":"draft","id":"1291860d-e90e-4f0e-9ac7-2e6b334565ef","content-id":"1291860d-e90e-4f0e-9ac7-2e6b334565ef","version":31,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"RAK court cancels jail term for \u2018person of determination\u2019, imposes Dh10,000 fine","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/import/2023/02/02/RC-1675316179638_18610a032d1_large.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Ras Al Khaimah court ","alt-text":"RC-1675316179638","caption":"RAK court cancels jail term for \u2018person of determination\u2019, imposes Dh10,000 fine.","metadata":{"width":750,"height":563}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/473056ef-0595-4f7a-8b60-22f7c7ddef34/element/0a3ad5ad-7552-4944-a0a1-3eb67f4a9322","type":"text","family-id":"b34a85c3-3696-44f1-93e5-e8ec3a5c8821","title":"","id":"0a3ad5ad-7552-4944-a0a1-3eb67f4a9322","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Al Shimili further invoked Article 62 of Federal Decree-Law No. 31 of 2021 on Crimes and Penalties, which addresses criminal irresponsibility.
The defence argued that a person cannot be held criminally liable if, at the time of the incident, they lacked perception or free will due to mental illness or other scientifically proven conditions.
It maintained that, even if the court accepted that the incident occurred, the defendant\u2019s documented psychiatric disorders constituted a legal basis for exemption from criminal liability, warranting full acquittal.
The court ruled that a Dh10,000 fine, along with payment of court fees, was a sufficient penalty, replacing the earlier one-year prison term.
Lawyer Hanan Salem Al Shimili has appealed the verdict, seeking a full acquittal for her client.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776119201203,"content-version-id":"3854c93e-dad6-4f41-b4c0-f5db19e4a0ff","card-added-at":1776117747922,"status":"draft","id":"54e889c9-92db-464c-abb8-b391c4323ece","content-id":"54e889c9-92db-464c-abb8-b391c4323ece","version":29,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"RAK court cancels jail term for \u2018person of determination\u2019, imposes Dh10,000 fine","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/import/2023/02/02/RC-1675316179638_18610a032d1_large.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Ras Al Khaimah court ","alt-text":"RC-1675316179638","caption":"RAK court cancels jail term for \u2018person of determination\u2019, imposes Dh10,000 fine.","metadata":{"width":750,"height":563}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/473056ef-0595-4f7a-8b60-22f7c7ddef34/element/33ab5e87-3d4f-4a6e-adfc-3c2b05351537","type":"text","family-id":"04858cf7-0780-4ef5-9923-22c6e6a7be10","title":"","id":"33ab5e87-3d4f-4a6e-adfc-3c2b05351537","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"b56e737b-6c84-4796-a3f5-9f790fde0a6b","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775104816028,"author-name":"Aghaddir Ali","headline":"Dubai woman acquitted in cybercrime case over alleged explicit content","story-content-id":"b56e737b-6c84-4796-a3f5-9f790fde0a6b","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/crime/dubai-woman-acquitted-in-cybercrime-case-over-alleged-explicit-content-1.500493886","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775104819326,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai court clears woman of porn possession claims","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai court clears woman of porn possession claims","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85257,"name":"Crime","slug":"crime","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/70fWCY_JOg_b1gfN-j8g9_J_0mEvbnPcl_bQqmXkdPtSNLQECOncwLk6AKroQx9X","published-at":1775104819326,"status":"published","id":"b56e737b-6c84-4796-a3f5-9f790fde0a6b","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime/dubai-woman-acquitted-in-cybercrime-case-over-alleged-explicit-content-1.500493886","author-id":2208736,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2208736,"name":"Aghaddir Ali","email":"agali@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"70fWCY_JOg_b1gfN-j8g9_J_0mEvbnPcl_bQqmXkdPtSNLQECOncwLk6AKroQx9X","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Dubai woman acquitted in cybercrime case over alleged explicit content"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/473056ef-0595-4f7a-8b60-22f7c7ddef34/element/af709bf8-497e-4c5a-8419-0aaef391448c","type":"text","family-id":"42a0cea5-8b88-4538-b495-c86874eac224","title":"","id":"af709bf8-497e-4c5a-8419-0aaef391448c","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"8c43ef88-3c0d-4955-9997-ef9082787c87","linked-story":{"updated-at":1772597802313,"author-name":"Aghaddir Ali","headline":"Dubai court orders Dh20,000 payout for WhatsApp insults","story-content-id":"8c43ef88-3c0d-4955-9997-ef9082787c87","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/crime/dubai-court-orders-dh20000-payout-for-whatsapp-insults-1.500462705","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1772597804274,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai court orders Dh20,000 payout for WhatsApp insults","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85257,"name":"Crime","slug":"crime","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/yCjNrWOrUDiMyJf0VIJVtbnuFaDNJzICbi0GEjbhkzIG3rLF0P8TKuTEDwZmdPFe","published-at":1772597804274,"status":"published","id":"8c43ef88-3c0d-4955-9997-ef9082787c87","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime/dubai-court-orders-dh20000-payout-for-whatsapp-insults-1.500462705","author-id":2208736,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2208736,"name":"Aghaddir Ali","email":"agali@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"yCjNrWOrUDiMyJf0VIJVtbnuFaDNJzICbi0GEjbhkzIG3rLF0P8TKuTEDwZmdPFe","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Dubai court orders Dh20,000 payout for WhatsApp insults"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/473056ef-0595-4f7a-8b60-22f7c7ddef34/element/264762ae-2938-4b9b-a91f-056ddd1cbc7e","type":"text","family-id":"696e9c26-34ea-4a75-bab2-abc9269d3e46","title":"","id":"264762ae-2938-4b9b-a91f-056ddd1cbc7e","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"0b594b3f-fa6c-4e1e-a445-6b3c79faaee4","linked-story":{"updated-at":1770448686155,"author-name":"Aghaddir Ali","headline":"UAE: Ajman Court fines influencer Dh30000 for Snapchat defamation","story-content-id":"0b594b3f-fa6c-4e1e-a445-6b3c79faaee4","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/crime/ajman-court-fines-influencer-dh30000-for-snapchat-defamation-1.500434955","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1770443115481,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Snapchat defamation costs influencer Dh30,000 in UAE","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85257,"name":"Crime","slug":"crime","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/hL9HtL4wm3SI8Z2EoBfhQ5mIPoy7MimqCoiqQZN4sS0mFVMDIcyDzS-UaC04mHEE","published-at":1770443115481,"status":"published","id":"0b594b3f-fa6c-4e1e-a445-6b3c79faaee4","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime/ajman-court-fines-influencer-dh30000-for-snapchat-defamation-1.500434955","author-id":2208736,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2208736,"name":"Aghaddir Ali","email":"agali@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"hL9HtL4wm3SI8Z2EoBfhQ5mIPoy7MimqCoiqQZN4sS0mFVMDIcyDzS-UaC04mHEE","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"UAE: Ajman Court fines influencer Dh30000 for Snapchat defamation"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/473056ef-0595-4f7a-8b60-22f7c7ddef34/element/c66a07f0-989b-4a15-a0c7-45a30aa2c98b","type":"text","family-id":"2248fe82-8b07-4e0d-8707-8f5022cd1dd9","title":"","id":"c66a07f0-989b-4a15-a0c7-45a30aa2c98b","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"31c90260-b287-4542-aee0-3c7569064838","linked-story":{"updated-at":1766905038692,"author-name":"Aghaddir Ali","headline":"Al Ain Court clears man of life-endangerment allegation lodged by ex-wife","story-content-id":"31c90260-b287-4542-aee0-3c7569064838","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/crime/al-ain-court-clears-man-of-life-endangerment-allegation-lodged-by-ex-wife-1.500392232","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1766905039114,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Court clears man of life-endangerment claim by ex-wife","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85257,"name":"Crime","slug":"crime","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/mlLeEiQ1zGFgQ5gF-VaAIe2Uw4dBpRA81aABYtSQjH_RjNJRKMYgO-T44cBAMRLO","published-at":1766905039114,"status":"published","id":"31c90260-b287-4542-aee0-3c7569064838","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime/al-ain-court-clears-man-of-life-endangerment-allegation-lodged-by-ex-wife-1.500392232","author-id":2208736,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2208736,"name":"Aghaddir Ali","email":"agali@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"mlLeEiQ1zGFgQ5gF-VaAIe2Uw4dBpRA81aABYtSQjH_RjNJRKMYgO-T44cBAMRLO","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Al Ain Court clears man of life-endangerment allegation lodged by ex-wife"}],"card-updated-at":1776119201203,"content-version-id":"4a497291-f00b-451c-9b2c-b90cccc1fb05","card-added-at":1776118000406,"status":"draft","id":"156bca16-93c3-4dbb-b1e1-6a4783b552a8","content-id":"156bca16-93c3-4dbb-b1e1-6a4783b552a8","version":21,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"RAK court cancels jail term for \u2018person of determination\u2019, imposes Dh10,000 fine","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/import/2023/02/02/RC-1675316179638_18610a032d1_large.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Ras Al Khaimah court ","alt-text":"RC-1675316179638","caption":"RAK court cancels jail term for \u2018person of determination\u2019, imposes Dh10,000 fine.","metadata":{"width":750,"height":563}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_In_This_Package"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/crime/rak-court-cancels-jail-term-for-person-of-determination-imposes-dh10000-fine-1.500505884","story-version-id":"cbf9ff69-f39b-441b-9903-858608155702","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776136227441,"author-id":2208736,"owner-id":2208736,"linked-story-ids":["b56e737b-6c84-4796-a3f5-9f790fde0a6b","8c43ef88-3c0d-4955-9997-ef9082787c87","0b594b3f-fa6c-4e1e-a445-6b3c79faaee4","31c90260-b287-4542-aee0-3c7569064838","a4965f14-b97a-4d16-9410-2be84d2e220c","909a6d99-c514-4d40-a76a-f56b50e1a836"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776132647520,"hero-image-caption":"RAK court cancels jail term for \u2018person of determination\u2019, imposes Dh10,000 fine.","version":38,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776136223001,"authors":[{"slug":"aghaddir-ali","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/aghaddir"},"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/aghaddir-ali-b99a9535"}},"name":"Aghaddir Ali","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/4q9b74vq/White_background.jpg","bio":"Aghaddir is a senior news reporter at Gulf News with more than a decade of experience covering the UAE\u2019s most pressing developments. Known for her sharp eye for detail and deep expertise in the country\u2019s legal and security systems, Aghaddir delivers journalism that clarifies complex issues and informs public discourse. \n\nWhile based in Sharjah, she also covers Dubai and the northern emirates. She leads daily reporting with a strong focus on breaking news, law enforcement, courts, crime, and legislation. Her work also spans education, public safety, environmental issues, and compelling community and adventure features. \n\nAghaddir\u2019s investigative stories engage readers in meaningful conversations about the nation\u2019s evolving challenges and opportunities. Her interests include public policy, judicial affairs, social issues, healthcare, and governance, and her body of work reflects a commitment to accurate, impactful, and socially relevant journalism. She has established herself as a reliable and trusted voice in the region's media. ","id":2208736,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/4q9b74vq/White_background.jpg","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Aghaddir Ali"},"id":"473056ef-0595-4f7a-8b60-22f7c7ddef34"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776133512964,"seo":{"meta-title":"UAE bans junk food, sugary drinks in schools under new health guide","meta-description":"UAE bans junk food and sugary drinks in schools under a new national guide to promote healthy eating, boost student focus and cut obesity nationwide.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2165829,"author-name":"Abdulla Rasheed","tags":[],"headline":"UAE bans junk food, sugary drinks in schools under new health guide","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"15d760a0-d72d-4fa0-aedf-a3695ec5215b","slug":"uae/education/uae-bans-junk-food-sugary-drinks-in-schools-under-new-health-guide-1.500505952","linked-stories":{"3a76d910-93ca-4ffe-bef6-2fd2a4a5b0da":{"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"UAE sets strict new rules on generative AI in schools, banning use for under-13s","story-content-id":"3a76d910-93ca-4ffe-bef6-2fd2a4a5b0da","slug":"uae/education/uae-sets-strict-new-rules-on-generative-ai-in-schools-banning-use-for-under-13s-1.500443163","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE sets strict new rules on generative AI in schools","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education","id":85261,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-uae","name":"Education (UAE)","id":194685},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2024/12/11/STOCK-AI_193b4cb5e0f_large.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/uae-sets-strict-new-rules-on-generative-ai-in-schools-banning-use-for-under-13s-1.500443163","content-updated-at":1771053957028,"author-id":2287057,"first-published-at":1771053956227,"authors":[{"slug":"huda-ata","social":{},"name":"Huda Ata","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE.","id":2287057,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"e3fb31d7-5b1d-42ba-aec5-0122cc0f68d0":{"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"UAE enforces stricter school attendance rules to curb pre-holiday absences","story-content-id":"e3fb31d7-5b1d-42ba-aec5-0122cc0f68d0","slug":"uae/education/uae-enforces-stricter-school-attendance-rules-to-curb-pre-holiday-absences-1.500442836","alternative":{"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE enforces stricter school attendance rules to curb pre-holiday absences","hero-image":null}},"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE enforces stricter school attendance rules","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education","id":85261,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-uae","name":"Education (UAE)","id":194685},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":800,"height":600},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2024-11-18/o127nxkr/opn_edits_18017a22809_original_ratio.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/uae-enforces-stricter-school-attendance-rules-to-curb-pre-holiday-absences-1.500442836","content-updated-at":1771009736322,"author-id":2287057,"first-published-at":1771009678256,"authors":[{"slug":"huda-ata","social":{},"name":"Huda Ata","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE.","id":2287057,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"105735a8-f906-441e-985c-5b7d162ec36a":{"author-name":"Zainab Husain","headline":"Abu Dhabi school food rules 2026: What\u2019s on the banned list?","story-content-id":"105735a8-f906-441e-985c-5b7d162ec36a","slug":"living-in-uae/education/abu-dhabi-school-food-rules-2026-whats-on-the-banned-list-1.500447578","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Abu Dhabi\u2019s rules for school lunches: What\u2019s banned?","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Is your child\u2019s lunchbox following the rules? The foods now banned in Abu Dhabi schools","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Living-Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/living-in-uae/education","id":85354,"parent-id":85340,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-living-in-uae","name":"Living-Education (Living-UAE)","id":194778},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"health","name":"Living-Health","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/living-in-uae/health","id":85369,"parent-id":85340,"display-name":"Health","collection":{"slug":"health-living-in-uae","name":"Living-Health (Living-UAE)","id":194793},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":6000,"file-size":12036906,"file-name":"Healthy-food-kids","height":4000},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-02-18/13tudvk0/Healthy-food-kids","url":"https://gulfnews.com/living-in-uae/education/abu-dhabi-school-food-rules-2026-whats-on-the-banned-list-1.500447578","content-updated-at":1771417546328,"author-id":2171326,"first-published-at":1771417545540,"authors":[{"slug":"zainab-husain","social":{},"name":"Zainab Husain","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Zainab was born and raised in the UAE and proudly calls herself a Dubai kid. She oversees the Living in UAE section, where she writes stories that matter to people across the country, covering laws, rules, and everyday changes that impact residents, and breaking them down to make life easier for those living here. \n\nShe also dabbles in other beats, diving into human interest pieces that highlight the diverse stories of people in the UAE, and occasionally writing about mental health with a focus on real voices and lived experiences. ","id":2171326,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"0b247e8a-7d52-41fa-994e-178e292334a8":{"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"KHDA sets new health and safety standards for Dubai's early childhood centres","story-content-id":"0b247e8a-7d52-41fa-994e-178e292334a8","slug":"uae/khda-sets-new-health-and-safety-standards-for-dubais-early-childhood-centres-1.500397753","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"KHDA approves new rules for early childhood centres","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"KHDA approves new standards for health, safety and quality of life at early childhood centres","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"uae","name":"UAE","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae","id":85212,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"UAE","collection":{"slug":"uae","name":"UAE LANDING PAGE","id":194636},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563,"focus-point":[419,216]},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2024/01/03/STOCK-EDUCATION---SCHOOL---CLASSROOM_18ccfa5a160_large.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/khda-sets-new-health-and-safety-standards-for-dubais-early-childhood-centres-1.500397753","content-updated-at":1767464363906,"author-id":2287057,"first-published-at":1767464363157,"authors":[{"slug":"huda-ata","social":{},"name":"Huda Ata","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE.","id":2287057,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"d80b17af-57d7-4eac-b0f3-fc50ccfc5639":{"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"UAE schools tighten mobile phone ban, warn of month-long confiscation","story-content-id":"d80b17af-57d7-4eac-b0f3-fc50ccfc5639","slug":"uae/education/uae-schools-tighten-mobile-phone-ban-warn-of-month-long-confiscation-1.500435844","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE schools tighten phone ban, warn of strict penalties","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education","id":85261,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-uae","name":"Education (UAE)","id":194685},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2024/02/28/OPN-KIDS-MOBILE-SCHOOL_18df020bcb6_large.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/uae-schools-tighten-mobile-phone-ban-warn-of-month-long-confiscation-1.500435844","content-updated-at":1770534116452,"author-id":2287057,"first-published-at":1770534115612,"authors":[{"slug":"huda-ata","social":{},"name":"Huda Ata","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE.","id":2287057,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776133514312,"public-identifier":"1.500505952","subheadline":"Framework sets rules for canteens, suppliers and banned food items","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"New food rule: Chips, sugary drinks in banned schools","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE bans junk food, sugary drinks in schools under new health guide","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education","id":85261,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-uae","name":"Education (UAE)","id":194685},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"health","name":"Health","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/health","id":85226,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Health","collection":{"slug":"health-uae","name":"Health (UAE)","id":194650},"data":null}],"read-time":3,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776132871388,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Nathaniel Lacsina","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":800,"height":450,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":142352,"file-name":"IMG4591.jpeg"},"comments":null,"word-count":768,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776133514312,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"Supplied","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"15d760a0-d72d-4fa0-aedf-a3695ec5215b","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/ud8n2fgr/IMG4591.jpeg","contributors":null,"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/15d760a0-d72d-4fa0-aedf-a3695ec5215b/element/9307f7d9-96b6-488d-9575-8d53a7fc012b","type":"text","family-id":"51715f1f-1225-4598-a8af-1447f1ab4fb3","title":"","id":"9307f7d9-96b6-488d-9575-8d53a7fc012b","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The UAE\u2019s health authorities have issued the National Guide for Food and Beverages in the School Environment, designed to support school administrations, food suppliers, and service providers in making informed choices that ensure students have access to a diverse range of healthy and nutritious food and beverages throughout the school day.
The guide aims to help students develop healthy eating habits while ensuring they receive the energy and nutrients needed to sustain them academically. It emphasizes the importance of offering age-appropriate, nutritious food options that support both physical and cognitive development. By promoting balanced meals, the guide seeks to enhance concentration and memory, improve academic achievement, reduce obesity and malnutrition, and instill sustainable healthy eating behaviors.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/15d760a0-d72d-4fa0-aedf-a3695ec5215b/element/630bf525-ed6c-4a82-a9e0-d41d1b71bc6c","type":"text","family-id":"b0d6a3f2-5ca7-4fbe-a3a1-df3c216a83ad","title":"","id":"630bf525-ed6c-4a82-a9e0-d41d1b71bc6c","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for\u00A0FREE: Download the\u00A0Gulf News\u00A0app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply\u00A0click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/15d760a0-d72d-4fa0-aedf-a3695ec5215b/element/cf1d53f2-05f2-4657-94e7-9fa4d8e6b84b","type":"text","family-id":"00ced5f0-68bd-444d-b053-57e67639f760","title":"","id":"cf1d53f2-05f2-4657-94e7-9fa4d8e6b84b","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
Additionally, the guide provides practical, evidence-based information on key nutrition concepts and recommendations to encourage healthy eating habits among students. It outlines clear standards and requirements for the sourcing, production, and storage of food and beverages to ensure both their nutritional value and safety.
The guide establishes a structured approach to managing food and beverages sold, provided, or promoted within school premises. It also ensures alignment and coordination among relevant authorities without conflicting with existing national and local food safety regulations, which remain under the jurisdiction of competent entities.
It standardizes criteria across all schools and educational institutions in the UAE and sets mechanisms for monitoring implementation, enhancing students\u2019 health and nutrition outcomes. The guide also clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of both local and federal authorities across implementation, oversight, and evaluation stages.
The document confirms that its guiding principles apply to public, private, independent, and vocational schools, as well as centers for People of Determination across the UAE, in addition to food suppliers and any entities managing or handling school canteen services.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/15d760a0-d72d-4fa0-aedf-a3695ec5215b/element/99b3cdb9-cee3-4eb0-8bcf-721676c3ad8a","type":"text","family-id":"62a32383-e52b-44eb-a73c-15abe5f09665","title":"","id":"99b3cdb9-cee3-4eb0-8bcf-721676c3ad8a","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"105735a8-f906-441e-985c-5b7d162ec36a","linked-story":{"updated-at":1771417543468,"author-name":"Zainab Husain","headline":"Abu Dhabi school food rules 2026: What\u2019s on the banned list?","story-content-id":"105735a8-f906-441e-985c-5b7d162ec36a","is-published":true,"slug":"living-in-uae/education/abu-dhabi-school-food-rules-2026-whats-on-the-banned-list-1.500447578","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1771417545540,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Abu Dhabi\u2019s rules for school lunches: What\u2019s banned?","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Is your child\u2019s lunchbox following the rules? The foods now banned in Abu Dhabi schools","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85354,"name":"Living-Education","slug":"education","data":null},{"id":85369,"name":"Living-Health","slug":"health","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/ZPrRhZr--aBjtEzCoDgsaBL3bYrKlAyvVWiMlAJGj6v6cGg4bL_w7ANfX4Br98Jd","published-at":1771417545540,"status":"published","id":"105735a8-f906-441e-985c-5b7d162ec36a","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/living-in-uae/education/abu-dhabi-school-food-rules-2026-whats-on-the-banned-list-1.500447578","author-id":2171326,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2171326,"name":"Zainab Husain","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"ZPrRhZr--aBjtEzCoDgsaBL3bYrKlAyvVWiMlAJGj6v6cGg4bL_w7ANfX4Br98Jd","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Abu Dhabi school food rules 2026: What\u2019s on the banned list?"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/15d760a0-d72d-4fa0-aedf-a3695ec5215b/element/82a7fd4a-a839-4a2c-9037-bf83af215355","type":"text","family-id":"007e0173-f44a-4560-8144-46797e6b2213","title":"","id":"82a7fd4a-a839-4a2c-9037-bf83af215355","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Local authorities are entrusted with four key responsibilities:
Supervising schools\u2019 compliance with health and nutrition standards
Designating entities responsible for monitoring and inspection within each emirate
Establishing appropriate procedures and penalties to ensure compliance
Following up on corrective actions in cases of violations
They are also responsible for collecting and analyzing data related to implementation and submitting periodic reports to the Ministry of Health and Prevention. These reports must include compliance levels, inspection outcomes, corrective actions taken, recorded violations, and proposed initiatives to further enhance implementation.
The guide classifies school canteens into three categories:
Canteens selling and distributing pre-packaged food items
Cafeterias preparing sandwiches
Full-service kitchens (school restaurants)
Schools are tasked with 13 key responsibilities, including full compliance with all food service standards and requirements. School canteens must meet strict specifications related to food safety, hygiene, and quality. Staff responsible for canteens must also receive proper training in nutrition and hygiene standards.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/15d760a0-d72d-4fa0-aedf-a3695ec5215b/element/93ef55eb-ba2e-44ba-8614-1b405969201b","type":"text","family-id":"ef128324-46ad-47b4-87f9-9328cc7bd629","title":"","id":"93ef55eb-ba2e-44ba-8614-1b405969201b","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"d80b17af-57d7-4eac-b0f3-fc50ccfc5639","linked-story":{"updated-at":1770534112413,"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"UAE schools tighten mobile phone ban, warn of month-long confiscation","story-content-id":"d80b17af-57d7-4eac-b0f3-fc50ccfc5639","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/education/uae-schools-tighten-mobile-phone-ban-warn-of-month-long-confiscation-1.500435844","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1770534115612,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE schools tighten phone ban, warn of strict penalties","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85261,"name":"Education","slug":"education","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/YidUPY4X6fyFcF_ouJEQ8muJ2vkDn-n54sZZYdpBkaw_xdjkJ9m7sS79lqjUi_mG","published-at":1770534115612,"status":"published","id":"d80b17af-57d7-4eac-b0f3-fc50ccfc5639","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/uae-schools-tighten-mobile-phone-ban-warn-of-month-long-confiscation-1.500435844","author-id":2287057,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2287057,"name":"Huda Ata","email":"huda.ata@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"YidUPY4X6fyFcF_ouJEQ8muJ2vkDn-n54sZZYdpBkaw_xdjkJ9m7sS79lqjUi_mG","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"UAE schools tighten mobile phone ban, warn of month-long confiscation"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/15d760a0-d72d-4fa0-aedf-a3695ec5215b/element/909b84f9-5059-4f0f-81b9-4ba7b8bef60e","type":"text","family-id":"4dc364b7-16b5-4b77-8c5e-43262c221fec","title":"","id":"909b84f9-5059-4f0f-81b9-4ba7b8bef60e","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Food suppliers must hold valid permits issued by local municipalities and comply with all stipulated standards. School administrations are required to regularly verify that products meet nutritional guidelines.
Parents are granted access to canteen menus, and all food-related complaints must be documented along with the actions taken. Schools must also regularly review roles and responsibilities outlined in the national guide.
The guide outlines strict obligations for food suppliers, including:
Obtaining and maintaining valid permits
Continuous and strict compliance with nutritional standards
Conducting nutritional assessments for all food items based on ingredients and portion sizes
Providing relevant information to schools and regulatory authorities when required
Nutritional data must be updated whenever there are changes in products, ingredients, proportions, or portion sizes. Suppliers must also comply with contractual obligations and coordinate with schools to address individual dietary needs and differences among students. Additionally, all food handlers must meet health fitness requirements set by relevant authorities.
The guide strictly bans a range of unhealthy and allergen-related items within school environments, including:
All sugary drinks such as soft drinks, energy drinks, and flavored beverages
Tea and coffee
Hard and soft candies, gum, and lollipops
Chocolate and chocolate-coated biscuits
Fried foods, potato chips, French fries, cakes, and donuts
Nuts and any products containing traces of nuts, including nut pastes and nut-based biscuits
Processed meats such as mortadella and sausages
This landmark guide marks a significant step toward fostering a healthier school environment across the UAE, reinforcing the nation\u2019s commitment to student well-being and long-term public health.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776133512535,"content-version-id":"c6a7895e-61e2-4e53-83b2-329582e1aec6","card-added-at":1776132871610,"status":"draft","id":"b36a2e36-75f8-47c0-b603-9f5447ff383a","content-id":"b36a2e36-75f8-47c0-b603-9f5447ff383a","version":10,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"UAE bans junk food, sugary drinks in schools under new health guide","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/ud8n2fgr/IMG4591.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"Supplied","alt-text":null,"caption":null,"metadata":{"width":800,"height":450,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":142352,"file-name":"IMG4591.jpeg"}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/15d760a0-d72d-4fa0-aedf-a3695ec5215b/element/249732d3-98e2-490e-a026-bb12ac1d0dab","type":"text","family-id":"592a3fb8-4084-456b-a92a-1cd41033d894","title":"","id":"249732d3-98e2-490e-a026-bb12ac1d0dab","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"105735a8-f906-441e-985c-5b7d162ec36a","linked-story":{"updated-at":1771417543468,"author-name":"Zainab Husain","headline":"Abu Dhabi school food rules 2026: What\u2019s on the banned list?","story-content-id":"105735a8-f906-441e-985c-5b7d162ec36a","is-published":true,"slug":"living-in-uae/education/abu-dhabi-school-food-rules-2026-whats-on-the-banned-list-1.500447578","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1771417545540,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Abu Dhabi\u2019s rules for school lunches: What\u2019s banned?","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Is your child\u2019s lunchbox following the rules? The foods now banned in Abu Dhabi schools","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85354,"name":"Living-Education","slug":"education","data":null},{"id":85369,"name":"Living-Health","slug":"health","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/ZPrRhZr--aBjtEzCoDgsaBL3bYrKlAyvVWiMlAJGj6v6cGg4bL_w7ANfX4Br98Jd","published-at":1771417545540,"status":"published","id":"105735a8-f906-441e-985c-5b7d162ec36a","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/living-in-uae/education/abu-dhabi-school-food-rules-2026-whats-on-the-banned-list-1.500447578","author-id":2171326,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2171326,"name":"Zainab Husain","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"ZPrRhZr--aBjtEzCoDgsaBL3bYrKlAyvVWiMlAJGj6v6cGg4bL_w7ANfX4Br98Jd","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Abu Dhabi school food rules 2026: What\u2019s on the banned list?"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/15d760a0-d72d-4fa0-aedf-a3695ec5215b/element/6b1ffc23-d155-4bae-889a-ec3be115e252","type":"text","family-id":"e4afce2a-d7fc-4f81-be6f-71942c8fc43e","title":"","id":"6b1ffc23-d155-4bae-889a-ec3be115e252","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"3a76d910-93ca-4ffe-bef6-2fd2a4a5b0da","linked-story":{"updated-at":1771053954690,"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"UAE sets strict new rules on generative AI in schools, banning use for under-13s","story-content-id":"3a76d910-93ca-4ffe-bef6-2fd2a4a5b0da","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/education/uae-sets-strict-new-rules-on-generative-ai-in-schools-banning-use-for-under-13s-1.500443163","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1771053956227,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE sets strict new rules on generative AI in schools","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85261,"name":"Education","slug":"education","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/-DZF4kK16GRTxLFAabDHOlmSwrGN_6uyMqW408MT2mZiegNxMQUhiK8Y3E8AmdAc","published-at":1771053956227,"status":"published","id":"3a76d910-93ca-4ffe-bef6-2fd2a4a5b0da","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/uae-sets-strict-new-rules-on-generative-ai-in-schools-banning-use-for-under-13s-1.500443163","author-id":2287057,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2287057,"name":"Huda Ata","email":"huda.ata@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"-DZF4kK16GRTxLFAabDHOlmSwrGN_6uyMqW408MT2mZiegNxMQUhiK8Y3E8AmdAc","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"UAE sets strict new rules on generative AI in schools, banning use for under-13s"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/15d760a0-d72d-4fa0-aedf-a3695ec5215b/element/02244d1d-e99e-47c4-8151-ee877c3f9a9a","type":"text","family-id":"f1ece315-1d2e-42a0-85de-d660758955b7","title":"","id":"02244d1d-e99e-47c4-8151-ee877c3f9a9a","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"e3fb31d7-5b1d-42ba-aec5-0122cc0f68d0","linked-story":{"updated-at":1771009734089,"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"UAE enforces stricter school attendance rules to curb pre-holiday absences","story-content-id":"e3fb31d7-5b1d-42ba-aec5-0122cc0f68d0","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/education/uae-enforces-stricter-school-attendance-rules-to-curb-pre-holiday-absences-1.500442836","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1771009678256,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE enforces stricter school attendance rules to curb pre-holiday absences","hero-image":null}},"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE enforces stricter school attendance rules","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85261,"name":"Education","slug":"education","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/YUrI0liGq_EzgmgUedfJ9h7buT2f6pUpWNG2lV4ZyXCmSq7Atb-aDRVPlrYZTtPG","published-at":1771009678256,"status":"published","id":"e3fb31d7-5b1d-42ba-aec5-0122cc0f68d0","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/uae-enforces-stricter-school-attendance-rules-to-curb-pre-holiday-absences-1.500442836","author-id":2287057,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2287057,"name":"Huda Ata","email":"huda.ata@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"YUrI0liGq_EzgmgUedfJ9h7buT2f6pUpWNG2lV4ZyXCmSq7Atb-aDRVPlrYZTtPG","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"UAE enforces stricter school attendance rules to curb pre-holiday absences"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/15d760a0-d72d-4fa0-aedf-a3695ec5215b/element/ba58bd41-5a8e-48e2-bded-85f1428a9e0b","type":"text","family-id":"c5725424-c461-445d-ad97-6c9ee3fcbdbe","title":"","id":"ba58bd41-5a8e-48e2-bded-85f1428a9e0b","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"0b247e8a-7d52-41fa-994e-178e292334a8","linked-story":{"updated-at":1767464361295,"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"KHDA sets new health and safety standards for Dubai's early childhood centres","story-content-id":"0b247e8a-7d52-41fa-994e-178e292334a8","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/khda-sets-new-health-and-safety-standards-for-dubais-early-childhood-centres-1.500397753","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1767464363157,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"KHDA approves new rules for early childhood centres","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"KHDA approves new standards for health, safety and quality of life at early childhood centres","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85212,"name":"UAE","slug":"uae","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/AxE4h-KD6dqSjnJX2tCih_YP4CYqii5i_4FluScKNBTe1kR5zFFFmHQhvdEW-Djx","published-at":1767464363157,"status":"published","id":"0b247e8a-7d52-41fa-994e-178e292334a8","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/khda-sets-new-health-and-safety-standards-for-dubais-early-childhood-centres-1.500397753","author-id":2287057,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2287057,"name":"Huda Ata","email":"huda.ata@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"AxE4h-KD6dqSjnJX2tCih_YP4CYqii5i_4FluScKNBTe1kR5zFFFmHQhvdEW-Djx","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"KHDA sets new health and safety standards for Dubai's early childhood centres"}],"card-updated-at":1776133512535,"content-version-id":"626f0fda-10a2-4acc-ba26-bab5b84641e4","card-added-at":1776133491892,"status":"draft","id":"90969d9b-b8fe-4d6a-87a6-008add80df13","content-id":"90969d9b-b8fe-4d6a-87a6-008add80df13","version":2,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"UAE bans junk food, sugary drinks in schools under new health guide","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/ud8n2fgr/IMG4591.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"Supplied","alt-text":null,"caption":null,"metadata":{"width":800,"height":450,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":142352,"file-name":"IMG4591.jpeg"}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_In_This_Package"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/uae-bans-junk-food-sugary-drinks-in-schools-under-new-health-guide-1.500505952","story-version-id":"8bf35dff-7cf5-45a8-af4e-b1fee73e9c6e","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776133515011,"author-id":2165256,"owner-id":2165829,"linked-story-ids":["105735a8-f906-441e-985c-5b7d162ec36a","3a76d910-93ca-4ffe-bef6-2fd2a4a5b0da","e3fb31d7-5b1d-42ba-aec5-0122cc0f68d0","d80b17af-57d7-4eac-b0f3-fc50ccfc5639","0b247e8a-7d52-41fa-994e-178e292334a8"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776133514312,"hero-image-caption":null,"version":10,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776133512518,"authors":[{"slug":"abdulla-rasheed","social":{},"name":"Abdulla Rasheed","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/4gnhsgzf/IMG_20250514_WA0118.jpg","bio":"Abdullah Rashid Al Hammadi \u202Fis an accomplished Emirati journalist with over 45 years of experience in both Arabic and English media. He currently serves as the Abu Dhabi Bureau Chief fo Gulf News. \n\nAl Hammadi began his career in 1980 with Al Ittihad\u202Fnewspaper, where he rose through the ranks to hold key editorial positions, including Head of International News, Director of the Research Center, and Acting Managing Editor. \n\nA founding member of the UAE Journalists Association and a former board member, he is also affiliated with the General Federation of Arab Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists. Al Hammadi studied Information Systems Technology at the University of Virginia and completed journalism training with Reuters in Cairo and London. \n\nDuring his time in Washington, D.C., he reported for Alittihad \u202Fand became a member of the National Press Club. From 2000 to 2008, he wrote the widely read Dababees column, known for its critical take on social issues. \n\nThroughout his career, Al Hammadi has conducted high-profile interviews with prominent leaders including UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and key Arab figures such as the late Yasser Arafat and former presidents of Yemen and Egypt. \n\nHe has reported on major historical events such as the Iran-Iraq war, the liberation of Kuwait, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the establishment of the Palestinian Authority. His work continues to shape and influence journalism in the UAE and the wider Arab world. ","id":2165256,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/4gnhsgzf/IMG_20250514_WA0118.jpg","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Nathaniel Lacsina"},"id":"15d760a0-d72d-4fa0-aedf-a3695ec5215b"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1775558766149,"seo":{"meta-title":"Eid Al Adha 2026 in UAE: Dates, Arafah Day, Public Holidays and Long Weekend Explained","meta-description":"Eid Al Adha 2026 in UAE: expected dates, Arafah Day, confirmed public holidays and how residents can turn the break into a longer getaway.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2171326,"author-name":"Zainab Husain","tags":[{"id":11449505,"name":"Hajj","meta-description":"Get official updates on Hajj dates, travel guidelines, religious practices, and Saudi announcements for pilgrims.","meta-title":"Hajj News \u2013 Dates, Guidelines & Pilgrimage Updates","slug":"hajj","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11459225,"name":"UAE Public holidays","meta-description":"Stay informed on UAE\u2019s public holidays, long weekends, and government announcements for planning ahead.","meta-title":"UAE Public Holidays \u2013 Official Dates & Announcements","slug":"uae-public-holidays","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11532749,"name":"Eid Al Adha","meta-description":"Stay informed on Eid Al Adha dates, UAE holiday announcements, celebration updates, and traditions.","meta-title":"Eid Al Adha News \u2013 Celebrations, Dates & Public Announcements","slug":"eid-al-adha","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"Eid Al Adha 2026: Dates, public holidays and what to know","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"8b1128c4-5bcf-4579-98f1-03c60f30418f","slug":"living-in-uae/ask-us/eid-al-adha-2026-dates-public-holidays-and-what-to-know-1.500498776","linked-stories":{"1404f465-09e6-4cf9-ac07-87fe8015625d":{"author-name":"Khitam Al Amir","headline":"UAE public holidays: When Eid Al Adha begins in UAE, here are the expected dates","story-content-id":"1404f465-09e6-4cf9-ac07-87fe8015625d","slug":"uae/government/uae-set-for-6-day-eid-al-adha-break-as-holiday-dates-near-1.500487001","alternative":{"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE set for 6-day Eid Al Adha break as holiday dates near","hero-image":null}},"home":{"default":{"headline":"Eid Al Adha 2026: UAE likely to get 6-day holiday break","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"government","name":"Government","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/government","id":85260,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Government","collection":{"slug":"government-uae","name":"Government (UAE)","id":194684},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":800,"height":600},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2024-11-18/wz4weh2d/190514_eid_al_fitr_16ab5040354_original_ratio.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/government/uae-set-for-6-day-eid-al-adha-break-as-holiday-dates-near-1.500487001","content-updated-at":1774521882390,"author-id":2143341,"first-published-at":1774521563466,"authors":[{"slug":"khitam-al-amir","social":{},"name":"Khitam Al Amir","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/ryqa6kyy/KITAM_12.JPG","bio":"With over 30 years of journalistic experience spanning from Jordan to the UAE, Khitam has spent the past 22 years reporting on national and regional news from Dubai, with a strong focus on the UAE, GCC and broader Arab affairs. \n\nAs Chief News Editor, she brings extensive expertise in delivering breaking and engaging news to readers. Beginning her tenure as a translator, she advanced through roles as Senior Translator and Chief Translator before transitioning to editorial positions, culminating in her current leadership role. Her responsibilities encompass monitoring breaking news across the UAE and the broader Arab region, ensuring timely and accurate dissemination to the public.\u200B \n\nBorn into a family of journalists, Khitam's passion for news was ignited early in life. A defining moment in her youth occurred in September 1985 when she had the opportunity to converse with the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during her visit to a Palestinian refugee camp north of Amman. During this encounter, Khitam shared her family's experiences of displacement from their home in Palestine and their subsequent refuge in Jordan. This poignant interaction not only deepened her understanding of geopolitical issues but also solidified her commitment to pursuing a career in journalism, aiming to shed light on the stories of those affected by regional conflicts. \n\nKhitam\u2019s commitment to accurate and timely reporting drives her to seek out news that interests readers, making her a trusted source for news on the UAE and the broader Gulf region. ","id":2143341,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/ryqa6kyy/KITAM_12.JPG","twitter-handle":null}]},"bd467c47-4d23-4279-ae21-8ed976cd4423":{"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"Saudi Arabia opens Hajj 2026 registration for Muslim-Minority countries via Nusuk platform","story-content-id":"bd467c47-4d23-4279-ae21-8ed976cd4423","slug":"world/gulf/saudi/saudi-arabia-opens-hajj-2026-registration-for-muslim-minority-countries-via-nusuk-platform-1.500333495","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Saudi Arabia opens Hajj registration via Nusuk platform","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"saudi","name":"Saudi","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi","id":85238,"parent-id":85236,"display-name":"Saudi","collection":{"slug":"saudi-gulf-world","name":"Saudi (Gulf, World)","id":194662},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":800,"height":600},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2024-11-18/iz7pccvs/islam_3782623_1920_Umrah__16ae4364469_original_ratio.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/saudi-arabia-opens-hajj-2026-registration-for-muslim-minority-countries-via-nusuk-platform-1.500333495","content-updated-at":1762266407350,"author-id":2287057,"first-published-at":1762265461053,"authors":[{"slug":"huda-ata","social":{},"name":"Huda Ata","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE.","id":2287057,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"b54681ed-8f11-4e9f-ab65-1979dc3dda9d":{"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"Saudi Arabia opens Hajj package bookings for domestic pilgrims","story-content-id":"b54681ed-8f11-4e9f-ab65-1979dc3dda9d","slug":"world/gulf/saudi/saudi-arabia-opens-hajj-package-bookings-for-domestic-pilgrims-1.500463863","alternative":{"social":{"default":{"headline":"Saudi Arabia opens Hajj package bookings for domestic pilgrims","hero-image":null}},"home":{"default":{"headline":"Saudi Arabia opens Hajj bookings for domestic pilgrims","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"saudi","name":"Saudi","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi","id":85238,"parent-id":85236,"display-name":"Saudi","collection":{"slug":"saudi-gulf-world","name":"Saudi (Gulf, World)","id":194662},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"original-url":"https://d3lzcn6mbbadaf.cloudfront.net/media/details/ANI-20251111054358.jpg","width":1600,"height":1200},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-11-11/9iai88q6/ANI_20251111054358.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/saudi-arabia-opens-hajj-package-bookings-for-domestic-pilgrims-1.500463863","content-updated-at":1772685971520,"author-id":2287057,"first-published-at":1772685971228,"authors":[{"slug":"huda-ata","social":{},"name":"Huda Ata","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE.","id":2287057,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"80433c16-cbe8-4820-9d6b-8b70e9715d50":{"author-name":"Zainab Husain","headline":"Hajj 2026 vaccinations and health checklist for pilgrims travelling to Mecca","story-content-id":"80433c16-cbe8-4820-9d6b-8b70e9715d50","slug":"living-in-uae/health/hajj-2026-vaccinations-and-health-checklist-for-pilgrims-travelling-to-mecca-1.500498026","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Hajj 2026: Vaccines you need before you travel","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"health","name":"Living-Health","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/living-in-uae/health","id":85369,"parent-id":85340,"display-name":"Health","collection":{"slug":"health-living-in-uae","name":"Living-Health (Living-UAE)","id":194793},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2024/11/29/Umrah-saudi-mosque_193785a7db6_large.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/living-in-uae/health/hajj-2026-vaccinations-and-health-checklist-for-pilgrims-travelling-to-mecca-1.500498026","content-updated-at":1775482732296,"author-id":2171326,"first-published-at":1775482732062,"authors":[{"slug":"zainab-husain","social":{},"name":"Zainab Husain","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Zainab was born and raised in the UAE and proudly calls herself a Dubai kid. She oversees the Living in UAE section, where she writes stories that matter to people across the country, covering laws, rules, and everyday changes that impact residents, and breaking them down to make life easier for those living here. \n\nShe also dabbles in other beats, diving into human interest pieces that highlight the diverse stories of people in the UAE, and occasionally writing about mental health with a focus on real voices and lived experiences. ","id":2171326,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1775553422439,"public-identifier":"1.500498776","subheadline":"Plan your leave: How one day off can turn Eid Al Adha into a nine-day holiday","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Could Eid Al Adha be the longest public holiday in UAE?","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"ask-us","name":"Living-Ask-Us","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/living-in-uae/ask-us","id":85356,"parent-id":85340,"display-name":"Ask Us","collection":{"slug":"ask-us-living-in-uae","name":"Living-Ask-Us (Living-UAE)","id":194780},"data":null}],"read-time":3,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1775552774725,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Zainab Husain","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":6000,"height":4000},"comments":null,"word-count":567,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1775553422439,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"last-correction-published-at":1775558767537,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"Virendra Saklani/Gulf News","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"8b1128c4-5bcf-4579-98f1-03c60f30418f","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-06-06/2rrzssjy/STAFFNAT_250606_Eid_Fireworks_Sharjah_VSAKLANI_101749244255399.jpg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/8b1128c4-5bcf-4579-98f1-03c60f30418f/element/1548b98c-5e2a-418a-8721-260314192964","type":"text","family-id":"c57fe393-1d2b-4372-8ecc-b76034793bb7","title":"","id":"1548b98c-5e2a-418a-8721-260314192964","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Dubai: Next month, UAE residents can look forward to one of the year's most appealing long-weekend opportunities. Arafah Day and Eid Al Adha are religiously significant for Muslims around the world, and also give people a long public holiday in the UAE.
"}],"card-updated-at":1775553417449,"content-version-id":"c6b2bb6f-d50d-4cac-a1ab-2349cd404866","card-added-at":1775552774733,"status":"draft","id":"0375ec33-8478-4896-990a-090aec4a07f8","content-id":"0375ec33-8478-4896-990a-090aec4a07f8","version":12,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Eid Al Adha 2026: Dates, public holidays and what to know","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2025-06-06/2rrzssjy/STAFFNAT_250606_Eid_Fireworks_Sharjah_VSAKLANI_101749244255399.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Virendra Saklani/Gulf News","alt-text":null,"caption":"Eid Al Adha 2025 fireworks at Aljada in Sharjah. ","metadata":{"width":6000,"height":4000}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/8b1128c4-5bcf-4579-98f1-03c60f30418f/element/3ece6062-4ee9-4100-8116-549105c53a72","type":"text","family-id":"d5864091-c782-4362-bb0d-c7edf6c6ac16","title":"","id":"3ece6062-4ee9-4100-8116-549105c53a72","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Eid Al Adha, one of the most significant occasions in the Islamic calendar, is expected to begin on Wednesday, 27 May, 2026, according to astronomical calculations.
The Day of Arafah, which falls on the day before, Tuesday, May 26, marks the most important day of the Hajj pilgrimage. These dates have been indicated by Ibrahim Al Jarwan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Emirates Astronomical Society and a member of the Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences.
As with all Islamic holidays, final dates remain subject to the official moon sighting.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/8b1128c4-5bcf-4579-98f1-03c60f30418f/element/fade7314-6c6a-48a5-8283-bf871efc541f","type":"text","family-id":"ea810a3c-40e6-4ef6-b470-3d0672021329","title":"","id":"fade7314-6c6a-48a5-8283-bf871efc541f","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.\r"},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here.\r"}],"card-updated-at":1775553417449,"content-version-id":"5c1ff881-1a20-4989-a5d9-b559b74221cb","card-added-at":1775552774733,"status":"draft","id":"a67c4c7d-eb15-4d65-8880-f2a0e7e9675a","content-id":"a67c4c7d-eb15-4d65-8880-f2a0e7e9675a","version":12,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Eid Al Adha 2026: Dates, public holidays and what to know","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2025-06-06/2rrzssjy/STAFFNAT_250606_Eid_Fireworks_Sharjah_VSAKLANI_101749244255399.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Virendra Saklani/Gulf News","alt-text":null,"caption":"Eid Al Adha 2025 fireworks at Aljada in Sharjah. ","metadata":{"width":6000,"height":4000}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/8b1128c4-5bcf-4579-98f1-03c60f30418f/element/f537d1cd-f532-449e-8d87-fcdade1e5f54","type":"text","family-id":"37298af6-14fd-4f60-9a30-7e402402e681","title":"","id":"f537d1cd-f532-449e-8d87-fcdade1e5f54","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
In the UAE, Arafah Day is recognised as a one-day public holiday, giving residents an opportunity to mark the occasion through prayer, reflection, and community gatherings. It also signals the start of the Eid Al Adha break.
The UAE Cabinet has officially approved three days of public holiday for Eid Al Adha, from Wednesday, May 27 to Friday, May 29. Combined with the weekend (Saturday and Sunday), residents can expect a six-day break in total.
"}],"card-updated-at":1775553417449,"content-version-id":"8f1a9180-0d12-41bf-8d67-75c3e65ae5f0","card-added-at":1775552774733,"status":"draft","id":"1a532a98-67d7-4d9f-a92c-09429d2413f5","content-id":"1a532a98-67d7-4d9f-a92c-09429d2413f5","version":12,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Eid Al Adha 2026: Dates, public holidays and what to know","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2025-06-06/2rrzssjy/STAFFNAT_250606_Eid_Fireworks_Sharjah_VSAKLANI_101749244255399.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Virendra Saklani/Gulf News","alt-text":null,"caption":"Eid Al Adha 2025 fireworks at Aljada in Sharjah. ","metadata":{"width":6000,"height":4000}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/8b1128c4-5bcf-4579-98f1-03c60f30418f/element/26ed384a-f57f-42b5-aa06-b463fb1025f2","type":"text","family-id":"4b0be71f-713e-4184-98ba-636c1964b182","title":"","id":"26ed384a-f57f-42b5-aa06-b463fb1025f2","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The public holidays fall at the end of the working week, making it straightforward to extend the break significantly with minimal leave. Arafah Day falls on Tuesday, May 26, followed immediately by the three-day Eid break from Wednesday to Friday.
By taking Monday, May 25 as annual leave, just one day, residents could secure a nine-day break, combining the preceding weekend (May 23\u201324), the single leave day, and the full run of public holidays through to Sunday, May 31.
"}],"card-updated-at":1775558764143,"content-version-id":"eeb97856-63be-4805-a2d6-bbb6d6a5186a","card-added-at":1775552774733,"status":"draft","id":"e66d0366-fe92-417e-82a2-499d52bf4eac","content-id":"e66d0366-fe92-417e-82a2-499d52bf4eac","version":13,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Eid Al Adha 2026: Dates, public holidays and what to know","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2025-06-06/2rrzssjy/STAFFNAT_250606_Eid_Fireworks_Sharjah_VSAKLANI_101749244255399.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Virendra Saklani/Gulf News","alt-text":null,"caption":"Eid Al Adha 2025 fireworks at Aljada in Sharjah. ","metadata":{"width":6000,"height":4000}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/8b1128c4-5bcf-4579-98f1-03c60f30418f/element/717a66a6-c9d8-4651-88cb-4599a8749690","type":"text","family-id":"dd8b1508-70b7-47d8-97d1-90012546003a","title":"","id":"717a66a6-c9d8-4651-88cb-4599a8749690","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The Hajj pilgrimage takes place annually during Dhul Hijjah, the final month of the Islamic calendar. In 2026, Hajj is expected to begin around 25 May, corresponding to the 8th of Dhul Hijjah, with the main rituals anticipated to conclude around May 29\u201330, subject to moon sighting confirmation.
Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam and an obligation upon every Muslim who is physically and financially able to undertake the journey at least once in their lifetime. It is widely regarded as a transformative experience, representing humility before Allah and unity among Muslims across all nationalities, backgrounds, and walks of life.
"}],"card-updated-at":1775553417449,"content-version-id":"25b2827f-d2e8-4147-b815-70eb35d41a87","card-added-at":1775552774733,"status":"draft","id":"fdb60b29-8df9-4ecf-a965-552422bf2d42","content-id":"fdb60b29-8df9-4ecf-a965-552422bf2d42","version":12,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Eid Al Adha 2026: Dates, public holidays and what to know","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2025-06-06/2rrzssjy/STAFFNAT_250606_Eid_Fireworks_Sharjah_VSAKLANI_101749244255399.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Virendra Saklani/Gulf News","alt-text":null,"caption":"Eid Al Adha 2025 fireworks at Aljada in Sharjah. ","metadata":{"width":6000,"height":4000}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/8b1128c4-5bcf-4579-98f1-03c60f30418f/element/2a0f2789-7f85-40d8-8935-9766617184b3","type":"text","family-id":"6a5b1e86-017a-4eb5-b21a-60ad92ecb1f3","title":"","id":"2a0f2789-7f85-40d8-8935-9766617184b3","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The Day of Arafah falls on the ninth of Dhul Hijjah, the day preceding Eid Al Adha. It marks the second day of the Hajj pilgrimage, during which pilgrims gather at Mount Arafat and the surrounding plain in Mecca, the site where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) delivered one of his final sermons.
For Muslims not participating in the pilgrimage, the Day of Arafah holds considerable spiritual significance. Whilst fasting on this day is not obligatory, it is strongly encouraged as an act of worship and reflection for those not performing Hajj.
"}],"card-updated-at":1775553417449,"content-version-id":"84b7a001-8ab3-480a-8a29-13aa4fca2d83","card-added-at":1775552774733,"status":"draft","id":"a2c8a1ef-8335-4b3c-bba5-8ba052c81f0f","content-id":"a2c8a1ef-8335-4b3c-bba5-8ba052c81f0f","version":12,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Eid Al Adha 2026: Dates, public holidays and what to know","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2025-06-06/2rrzssjy/STAFFNAT_250606_Eid_Fireworks_Sharjah_VSAKLANI_101749244255399.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Virendra Saklani/Gulf News","alt-text":null,"caption":"Eid Al Adha 2025 fireworks at Aljada in Sharjah. ","metadata":{"width":6000,"height":4000}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/8b1128c4-5bcf-4579-98f1-03c60f30418f/element/2b0660b5-b18f-494c-98d5-7dcb6c891629","type":"text","family-id":"ec6cbeac-3234-4675-9a9c-99237b234c20","title":"","id":"2b0660b5-b18f-494c-98d5-7dcb6c891629","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"1404f465-09e6-4cf9-ac07-87fe8015625d","linked-story":{"updated-at":1774521878200,"author-name":"Khitam Al Amir","headline":"UAE public holidays: When Eid Al Adha begins in UAE, here are the expected dates","story-content-id":"1404f465-09e6-4cf9-ac07-87fe8015625d","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/government/uae-set-for-6-day-eid-al-adha-break-as-holiday-dates-near-1.500487001","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1774521563466,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE set for 6-day Eid Al Adha break as holiday dates near","hero-image":null}},"home":{"default":{"headline":"Eid Al Adha 2026: UAE likely to get 6-day holiday break","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85260,"name":"Government","slug":"government","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/U-CEjH7B0Fn_vVM7pOx3yzoGn47mkMjU1QUPdS6rnf7w8zbiMcERkGU7v_6lR8SJ","published-at":1774521563466,"status":"published","id":"1404f465-09e6-4cf9-ac07-87fe8015625d","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/government/uae-set-for-6-day-eid-al-adha-break-as-holiday-dates-near-1.500487001","author-id":2143341,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2143341,"name":"Khitam Al Amir","email":"kalamir@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"U-CEjH7B0Fn_vVM7pOx3yzoGn47mkMjU1QUPdS6rnf7w8zbiMcERkGU7v_6lR8SJ","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"UAE public holidays: When Eid Al Adha begins in UAE, here are the expected dates"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/8b1128c4-5bcf-4579-98f1-03c60f30418f/element/949c542d-e428-4678-aca0-ae1c0fb927b3","type":"text","family-id":"ed4132e0-7ba7-4357-a9f8-dfe5ae33f1c6","title":"","id":"949c542d-e428-4678-aca0-ae1c0fb927b3","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"80433c16-cbe8-4820-9d6b-8b70e9715d50","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775482730428,"author-name":"Zainab Husain","headline":"Hajj 2026 vaccinations and health checklist for pilgrims travelling to Mecca","story-content-id":"80433c16-cbe8-4820-9d6b-8b70e9715d50","is-published":true,"slug":"living-in-uae/health/hajj-2026-vaccinations-and-health-checklist-for-pilgrims-travelling-to-mecca-1.500498026","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775482732062,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Hajj 2026: Vaccines you need before you travel","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85369,"name":"Living-Health","slug":"health","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/cb332kFOCdhciX1jKRQ4Bj1VLjtKGaeCOzoFXHbMw-hwmhBxLIof9EPRMbJ9wVYT","published-at":1775482732062,"status":"published","id":"80433c16-cbe8-4820-9d6b-8b70e9715d50","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/living-in-uae/health/hajj-2026-vaccinations-and-health-checklist-for-pilgrims-travelling-to-mecca-1.500498026","author-id":2171326,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2171326,"name":"Zainab Husain","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"cb332kFOCdhciX1jKRQ4Bj1VLjtKGaeCOzoFXHbMw-hwmhBxLIof9EPRMbJ9wVYT","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Hajj 2026 vaccinations and health checklist for pilgrims travelling to Mecca"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/8b1128c4-5bcf-4579-98f1-03c60f30418f/element/20dea855-6ed2-4345-bc4c-456e9ced8679","type":"text","family-id":"ab6be240-ca9c-49c3-b689-cc174330ab14","title":"","id":"20dea855-6ed2-4345-bc4c-456e9ced8679","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"b54681ed-8f11-4e9f-ab65-1979dc3dda9d","linked-story":{"updated-at":1772685969250,"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"Saudi Arabia opens Hajj package bookings for domestic pilgrims","story-content-id":"b54681ed-8f11-4e9f-ab65-1979dc3dda9d","is-published":true,"slug":"world/gulf/saudi/saudi-arabia-opens-hajj-package-bookings-for-domestic-pilgrims-1.500463863","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1772685971228,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"social":{"default":{"headline":"Saudi Arabia opens Hajj package bookings for domestic pilgrims","hero-image":null}},"home":{"default":{"headline":"Saudi Arabia opens Hajj bookings for domestic pilgrims","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85238,"name":"Saudi","slug":"saudi","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/oCo8aIyhGvechzRqzz46PADTzyj4pCSTJcL9KlUSle9l12g1cAiOcA5K_YuBxcLJ","published-at":1772685971228,"status":"published","id":"b54681ed-8f11-4e9f-ab65-1979dc3dda9d","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/saudi-arabia-opens-hajj-package-bookings-for-domestic-pilgrims-1.500463863","author-id":2287057,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2287057,"name":"Huda Ata","email":"huda.ata@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"oCo8aIyhGvechzRqzz46PADTzyj4pCSTJcL9KlUSle9l12g1cAiOcA5K_YuBxcLJ","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Saudi Arabia opens Hajj package bookings for domestic pilgrims"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/8b1128c4-5bcf-4579-98f1-03c60f30418f/element/12a6e9fe-f5c8-49de-b6a9-fcd662925958","type":"text","family-id":"b67ee8db-c76f-42c3-b658-f842d1cbbbb3","title":"","id":"12a6e9fe-f5c8-49de-b6a9-fcd662925958","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"bd467c47-4d23-4279-ae21-8ed976cd4423","linked-story":{"updated-at":1762266405652,"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"Saudi Arabia opens Hajj 2026 registration for Muslim-Minority countries via Nusuk platform","story-content-id":"bd467c47-4d23-4279-ae21-8ed976cd4423","is-published":true,"slug":"world/gulf/saudi/saudi-arabia-opens-hajj-2026-registration-for-muslim-minority-countries-via-nusuk-platform-1.500333495","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1762265461053,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Saudi Arabia opens Hajj registration via Nusuk platform","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85238,"name":"Saudi","slug":"saudi","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/p5DzMnlSp2rN9BJkEDgiA_RYZOiXndu7EWUTe8t1kiv57fFUCq3KemhSnEBGlAkY","published-at":1762265461053,"status":"published","id":"bd467c47-4d23-4279-ae21-8ed976cd4423","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saudi/saudi-arabia-opens-hajj-2026-registration-for-muslim-minority-countries-via-nusuk-platform-1.500333495","author-id":2287057,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2287057,"name":"Huda Ata","email":"huda.ata@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"p5DzMnlSp2rN9BJkEDgiA_RYZOiXndu7EWUTe8t1kiv57fFUCq3KemhSnEBGlAkY","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Saudi Arabia opens Hajj 2026 registration for Muslim-Minority countries via Nusuk platform"}],"card-updated-at":1775553417449,"content-version-id":"968780c1-7e55-4598-8828-351b9a51035c","card-added-at":1775553385653,"status":"draft","id":"296e4850-3553-4605-be04-7e25a5c5afe4","content-id":"296e4850-3553-4605-be04-7e25a5c5afe4","version":3,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Eid Al Adha 2026: Dates, public holidays and what to know","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2025-06-06/2rrzssjy/STAFFNAT_250606_Eid_Fireworks_Sharjah_VSAKLANI_101749244255399.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Virendra Saklani/Gulf News","alt-text":null,"caption":"Eid Al Adha 2025 fireworks at Aljada in Sharjah. ","metadata":{"width":6000,"height":4000}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_In_This_Package"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/living-in-uae/ask-us/eid-al-adha-2026-dates-public-holidays-and-what-to-know-1.500498776","story-version-id":"93d94951-5b93-4740-ab54-eecd0b7dfec3","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1775558767784,"author-id":2171326,"owner-id":2171326,"linked-story-ids":["80433c16-cbe8-4820-9d6b-8b70e9715d50","1404f465-09e6-4cf9-ac07-87fe8015625d","b54681ed-8f11-4e9f-ab65-1979dc3dda9d","bd467c47-4d23-4279-ae21-8ed976cd4423"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1775553422439,"hero-image-caption":"Eid Al Adha 2025 fireworks at Aljada in Sharjah. ","version":13,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1775558764129,"authors":[{"slug":"zainab-husain","social":{},"name":"Zainab Husain","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Zainab was born and raised in the UAE and proudly calls herself a Dubai kid. She oversees the Living in UAE section, where she writes stories that matter to people across the country, covering laws, rules, and everyday changes that impact residents, and breaking them down to make life easier for those living here. \n\nShe also dabbles in other beats, diving into human interest pieces that highlight the diverse stories of people in the UAE, and occasionally writing about mental health with a focus on real voices and lived experiences. ","id":2171326,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Zainab Husain"},"id":"8b1128c4-5bcf-4579-98f1-03c60f30418f"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776155064899,"seo":{"meta-title":"UAE Adjusts Remote Learning Assessment Rules: No Impact on Students\u2019 Final Results","meta-description":"Ministry of Education revises UAE distance learning assessments, confirming final grades remain unaffected while maintaining academic standards.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2170753,"author-name":"Khitam Al Amir","tags":[{"id":11462751,"name":"Education","meta-description":"Stay informed on education updates including school policies, academic results, university news, and learning trends.","meta-title":"Education News \u2013 Policies, Exams & Academic Trends","slug":"education","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11462752,"name":"UAE schools","meta-description":"Stay updated on UAE school news including academic calendars, admission updates, curriculum changes, and school rankings.","meta-title":"UAE Schools News \u2013 Curriculum, Admissions & Rankings","slug":"uae-schools","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"UAE adjusts remote learning assessment rules with no impact on final results","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"c34478d9-bcf9-4a84-b43d-9e6bbfacae60","slug":"uae/education/uae-adjusts-remote-learning-assessment-rules-with-no-impact-on-final-results-1.500506261","linked-stories":{"7f15b45a-8fba-4e99-801b-2215b4a41551":{"author-name":"WAM","headline":"Distance learning to continue in UAE: What parents and students need to know","story-content-id":"7f15b45a-8fba-4e99-801b-2215b4a41551","slug":"uae/education-council-announces-continuation-of-distance-learning-in-schools-higher-education-institutions-flexible-remote-work-for-federal-government-caregivers-1.500476813","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Remote learning continues in UAE: What you need to know","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"uae","name":"UAE","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae","id":85212,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"UAE","collection":{"slug":"uae","name":"UAE LANDING PAGE","id":194636},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2020/07/29/NAT-E-LEARN11-1596022914012_1739a60fbe7_large.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education-council-announces-continuation-of-distance-learning-in-schools-higher-education-institutions-flexible-remote-work-for-federal-government-caregivers-1.500476813","content-updated-at":1773717224390,"author-id":2118648,"first-published-at":1773698993122,"authors":[{"slug":"wam","social":{},"name":"WAM","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2118648,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"8908222f-5ffe-4358-8114-d6f0dcf0da13":{"author-name":"Khitam Al Amir","headline":"UAE students start new term with two-week online learning","story-content-id":"8908222f-5ffe-4358-8114-d6f0dcf0da13","slug":"uae/education/uae-students-start-new-term-with-two-week-online-learning-1.500482938","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Third academic term kicks off online across UAE schools","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Third academic term kicks off online across UAE schools","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education","id":85261,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-uae","name":"Education (UAE)","id":194685},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2020/06/06/UAE-schools-reviewing-a-range-of-options-to-reintegrate-students-in-September_172898d2323_large.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/uae-students-start-new-term-with-two-week-online-learning-1.500482938","content-updated-at":1774202922747,"author-id":2143341,"first-published-at":1774202921985,"authors":[{"slug":"khitam-al-amir","social":{},"name":"Khitam Al Amir","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/ryqa6kyy/KITAM_12.JPG","bio":"With over 30 years of journalistic experience spanning from Jordan to the UAE, Khitam has spent the past 22 years reporting on national and regional news from Dubai, with a strong focus on the UAE, GCC and broader Arab affairs. \n\nAs Chief News Editor, she brings extensive expertise in delivering breaking and engaging news to readers. Beginning her tenure as a translator, she advanced through roles as Senior Translator and Chief Translator before transitioning to editorial positions, culminating in her current leadership role. Her responsibilities encompass monitoring breaking news across the UAE and the broader Arab region, ensuring timely and accurate dissemination to the public.\u200B \n\nBorn into a family of journalists, Khitam's passion for news was ignited early in life. A defining moment in her youth occurred in September 1985 when she had the opportunity to converse with the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during her visit to a Palestinian refugee camp north of Amman. During this encounter, Khitam shared her family's experiences of displacement from their home in Palestine and their subsequent refuge in Jordan. This poignant interaction not only deepened her understanding of geopolitical issues but also solidified her commitment to pursuing a career in journalism, aiming to shed light on the stories of those affected by regional conflicts. \n\nKhitam\u2019s commitment to accurate and timely reporting drives her to seek out news that interests readers, making her a trusted source for news on the UAE and the broader Gulf region. ","id":2143341,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/ryqa6kyy/KITAM_12.JPG","twitter-handle":null}]},"bb7a5512-9734-4489-bb6f-82dacd50533c":{"author-name":"Zainab Husain","headline":"UAE distance learning 2026: Latest updates on schools, universities and exams","story-content-id":"bb7a5512-9734-4489-bb6f-82dacd50533c","slug":"living-in-uae/education/uae-distance-learning-2026-latest-updates-on-schools-universities-and-exams-1.500493429","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE distance learning 2026: What's changed for schools?","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Living-Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/living-in-uae/education","id":85354,"parent-id":85340,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-living-in-uae","name":"Living-Education (Living-UAE)","id":194778},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":6777,"file-size":19028139,"file-name":"Remote-learning","height":4518},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-01/euatdj44/Remote-learning","url":"https://gulfnews.com/living-in-uae/education/uae-distance-learning-2026-latest-updates-on-schools-universities-and-exams-1.500493429","content-updated-at":1775095204019,"author-id":2171326,"first-published-at":1775095200000,"authors":[{"slug":"zainab-husain","social":{},"name":"Zainab Husain","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Zainab was born and raised in the UAE and proudly calls herself a Dubai kid. She oversees the Living in UAE section, where she writes stories that matter to people across the country, covering laws, rules, and everyday changes that impact residents, and breaking them down to make life easier for those living here. \n\nShe also dabbles in other beats, diving into human interest pieces that highlight the diverse stories of people in the UAE, and occasionally writing about mental health with a focus on real voices and lived experiences. ","id":2171326,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"5d440259-f308-448b-aa72-b0699a9ab079":{"author-name":"Aghaddir Ali","headline":"UAE denies rumours of distance learning extension until May 1","story-content-id":"5d440259-f308-448b-aa72-b0699a9ab079","slug":"uae/education/uae-denies-rumours-of-distance-learning-extension-until-may-1-1.500505188","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE denies rumours of distance learning extension","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education","id":85261,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-uae","name":"Education (UAE)","id":194685},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2020/03/25/200325-Libya_1710eb9458e_large.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/uae-denies-rumours-of-distance-learning-extension-until-may-1-1.500505188","content-updated-at":1776132648184,"author-id":2208736,"first-published-at":1776073049416,"authors":[{"slug":"aghaddir-ali","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/aghaddir"},"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/aghaddir-ali-b99a9535"}},"name":"Aghaddir Ali","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/4q9b74vq/White_background.jpg","bio":"Aghaddir is a senior news reporter at Gulf News with more than a decade of experience covering the UAE\u2019s most pressing developments. Known for her sharp eye for detail and deep expertise in the country\u2019s legal and security systems, Aghaddir delivers journalism that clarifies complex issues and informs public discourse. \n\nWhile based in Sharjah, she also covers Dubai and the northern emirates. She leads daily reporting with a strong focus on breaking news, law enforcement, courts, crime, and legislation. Her work also spans education, public safety, environmental issues, and compelling community and adventure features. \n\nAghaddir\u2019s investigative stories engage readers in meaningful conversations about the nation\u2019s evolving challenges and opportunities. Her interests include public policy, judicial affairs, social issues, healthcare, and governance, and her body of work reflects a commitment to accurate, impactful, and socially relevant journalism. She has established herself as a reliable and trusted voice in the region's media. ","id":2208736,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/4q9b74vq/White_background.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776153684610,"public-identifier":"1.500506261","subheadline":"Ministry revises evaluation system for selected subjects during distance learning","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE updates remote learning assessment","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE updates remote learning assessment","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"education","name":"Education","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education","id":85261,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Education","collection":{"slug":"education-uae","name":"Education (UAE)","id":194685},"data":null}],"read-time":1,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776153550617,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1200,"file-size":106914,"file-name":"formative-assessment.jpg","height":900},"comments":null,"word-count":223,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776153684610,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"last-correction-published-at":1776155066664,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":null,"bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"c34478d9-bcf9-4a84-b43d-9e6bbfacae60","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-01-29/0victg6o/formative-assessment.jpg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c34478d9-bcf9-4a84-b43d-9e6bbfacae60/element/b15fa25b-095a-4484-895d-ffac3d720689","type":"text","family-id":"509a20d4-aebb-4264-aabd-50a387768449","title":"","id":"b15fa25b-095a-4484-895d-ffac3d720689","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Dubai: The Ministry of Education has announced changes to the assessment method for certain subjects delivered through distance learning, confirming that the adjustments will not affect students\u2019 final results.
According to the ministry, the revised mechanism applies to subjects classified under the 'B group' within the remote learning framework. The update aims to ensure fair evaluation while maintaining academic standards during the distance learning period.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c34478d9-bcf9-4a84-b43d-9e6bbfacae60/element/5722a9e1-53c5-49f2-b449-7838f1dd2a67","type":"text","family-id":"6b5426f5-211c-4bc9-a57e-5c0d7e147589","title":"","id":"5722a9e1-53c5-49f2-b449-7838f1dd2a67","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c34478d9-bcf9-4a84-b43d-9e6bbfacae60/element/fc93ec02-85c5-43c5-ab11-284beeadc1b7","type":"text","family-id":"94694cbe-ff4f-41a0-bc8e-4baf40a61110","title":"","id":"fc93ec02-85c5-43c5-ab11-284beeadc1b7","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
The changes divide subjects into two categories. The first includes subjects that will not be assessed during the third academic term due to the suspension of in-person teaching. Instead, final grades for these subjects will be calculated based on students\u2019 performance in the first and second terms.
The second category covers subjects that will continue to be assessed without changes. Students will be evaluated through ongoing activities, projects and assignments conducted flexibly by teachers and recorded through approved learning management systems.
The ministry said the move aligns with efforts to support students and ensure continuity in education without disadvantaging learners during remote study periods.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776153682414,"content-version-id":"32ce2e2b-1573-40dc-b96d-e25f4b442945","card-added-at":1776153550624,"status":"draft","id":"e793b0fd-86c1-49c1-bfa6-1cf03655c008","content-id":"e793b0fd-86c1-49c1-bfa6-1cf03655c008","version":8,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"UAE adjusts remote learning assessment rules with no impact on final results","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2025-01-29/0victg6o/formative-assessment.jpg","url":null,"attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"Revised grading for B group subjects keeps students\u2019 overall scores unchanged","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1200,"file-size":106914,"file-name":"formative-assessment.jpg","height":900}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c34478d9-bcf9-4a84-b43d-9e6bbfacae60/element/ae298779-d5c2-4ca0-99a8-bf77b706c137","type":"text","family-id":"3bca9afb-bb30-4e10-b590-dee9bd9c9629","title":"","id":"ae298779-d5c2-4ca0-99a8-bf77b706c137","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"bb7a5512-9734-4489-bb6f-82dacd50533c","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775052558648,"author-name":"Zainab Husain","headline":"UAE distance learning 2026: Latest updates on schools, universities and exams","story-content-id":"bb7a5512-9734-4489-bb6f-82dacd50533c","is-published":true,"slug":"living-in-uae/education/uae-distance-learning-2026-latest-updates-on-schools-universities-and-exams-1.500493429","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775095200000,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE distance learning 2026: What's changed for schools?","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85354,"name":"Living-Education","slug":"education","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/hqvyXVoFVmrxAF9KJ4p5uroo3BgVBRxaZHSZ5fQP9G9dRZ4m3Nre54VDC6I6weNk","published-at":1775095200000,"status":"published","id":"bb7a5512-9734-4489-bb6f-82dacd50533c","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/living-in-uae/education/uae-distance-learning-2026-latest-updates-on-schools-universities-and-exams-1.500493429","author-id":2171326,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2171326,"name":"Zainab Husain","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"hqvyXVoFVmrxAF9KJ4p5uroo3BgVBRxaZHSZ5fQP9G9dRZ4m3Nre54VDC6I6weNk","publish-at":1775095200000}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"UAE distance learning 2026: Latest updates on schools, universities and exams"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c34478d9-bcf9-4a84-b43d-9e6bbfacae60/element/a4aade78-b1e2-4030-8521-9ce238f5c21a","type":"text","family-id":"7cf3f9c4-bc40-4c88-b928-e5191aa6e44d","title":"","id":"a4aade78-b1e2-4030-8521-9ce238f5c21a","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"7f15b45a-8fba-4e99-801b-2215b4a41551","linked-story":{"updated-at":1773717222650,"author-name":"WAM","headline":"Distance learning to continue in UAE: What parents and students need to know","story-content-id":"7f15b45a-8fba-4e99-801b-2215b4a41551","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/education-council-announces-continuation-of-distance-learning-in-schools-higher-education-institutions-flexible-remote-work-for-federal-government-caregivers-1.500476813","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1773698993122,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Remote learning continues in UAE: What you need to know","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85212,"name":"UAE","slug":"uae","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/Nf1med2TxBCow9OpsuRQzxtVs_nlb4IBGpSXijAnWzKw1V-34Km3AlqacxZ9Yn6N","published-at":1773698993122,"status":"published","id":"7f15b45a-8fba-4e99-801b-2215b4a41551","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education-council-announces-continuation-of-distance-learning-in-schools-higher-education-institutions-flexible-remote-work-for-federal-government-caregivers-1.500476813","author-id":2118648,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"syndicated","authors":[{"id":2118648,"name":"WAM","email":"wam@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"imported-card-is-read-only":null,"story-attributes":{"syndicatedfrom":["Wire - WAM EN"],"syndicated-categories":null},"original-url":"https://www.wam.ae/article/174hyl8-education-council-announces-continuation-distance","imported-card-id":"80ab5dd1-5cf7-4da4-b5a7-f504c1fd52e5"},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"Nf1med2TxBCow9OpsuRQzxtVs_nlb4IBGpSXijAnWzKw1V-34Km3AlqacxZ9Yn6N","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Distance learning to continue in UAE: What parents and students need to know"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c34478d9-bcf9-4a84-b43d-9e6bbfacae60/element/2d6fd191-bbf9-421b-8ec3-0c9a6ea4a407","type":"text","family-id":"8e67c131-deb2-4f5b-b745-01ded97c0337","title":"","id":"2d6fd191-bbf9-421b-8ec3-0c9a6ea4a407","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"8908222f-5ffe-4358-8114-d6f0dcf0da13","linked-story":{"updated-at":1774202920277,"author-name":"Khitam Al Amir","headline":"UAE students start new term with two-week online learning","story-content-id":"8908222f-5ffe-4358-8114-d6f0dcf0da13","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/education/uae-students-start-new-term-with-two-week-online-learning-1.500482938","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1774202921985,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Third academic term kicks off online across UAE schools","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Third academic term kicks off online across UAE schools","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85261,"name":"Education","slug":"education","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/LIFVf0rtC7WBl10-iBYKMOPTePTgdNe-fNCelPZF2Ei3UtUclTC7zac3bJI1wr8J","published-at":1774202921985,"status":"published","id":"8908222f-5ffe-4358-8114-d6f0dcf0da13","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/uae-students-start-new-term-with-two-week-online-learning-1.500482938","author-id":2143341,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2143341,"name":"Khitam Al Amir","email":"kalamir@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"LIFVf0rtC7WBl10-iBYKMOPTePTgdNe-fNCelPZF2Ei3UtUclTC7zac3bJI1wr8J","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"UAE students start new term with two-week online learning"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/c34478d9-bcf9-4a84-b43d-9e6bbfacae60/element/da362a61-8b24-4ab9-b390-15e553d2240d","type":"text","family-id":"da0104a9-4898-4f8a-9703-66bb9ec7f771","title":"","id":"da362a61-8b24-4ab9-b390-15e553d2240d","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"5d440259-f308-448b-aa72-b0699a9ab079","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776132646233,"author-name":"Aghaddir Ali","headline":"UAE denies rumours of distance learning extension until May 1","story-content-id":"5d440259-f308-448b-aa72-b0699a9ab079","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/education/uae-denies-rumours-of-distance-learning-extension-until-may-1-1.500505188","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776073049416,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"UAE denies rumours of distance learning extension","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85261,"name":"Education","slug":"education","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/oWmo6gD7lub4eLtUYDu4YQRl2d3ZuPqfXjvtwWqwJ5kaAuZtIIyYlVsIpQpMD-tP","published-at":1776073049416,"status":"published","id":"5d440259-f308-448b-aa72-b0699a9ab079","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/uae-denies-rumours-of-distance-learning-extension-until-may-1-1.500505188","author-id":2208736,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2208736,"name":"Aghaddir Ali","email":"agali@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"oWmo6gD7lub4eLtUYDu4YQRl2d3ZuPqfXjvtwWqwJ5kaAuZtIIyYlVsIpQpMD-tP","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"UAE denies rumours of distance learning extension until May 1"}],"card-updated-at":1776153682414,"content-version-id":"232e5da5-06f3-4075-a20e-f2d7dc6323f8","card-added-at":1776153550624,"status":"draft","id":"188352ff-9393-4e01-bdbf-947508ec5cce","content-id":"188352ff-9393-4e01-bdbf-947508ec5cce","version":8,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"UAE adjusts remote learning assessment rules with no impact on final results","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2025-01-29/0victg6o/formative-assessment.jpg","url":null,"attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"Revised grading for B group subjects keeps students\u2019 overall scores unchanged","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1200,"file-size":106914,"file-name":"formative-assessment.jpg","height":900}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_In_This_Package"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/education/uae-adjusts-remote-learning-assessment-rules-with-no-impact-on-final-results-1.500506261","story-version-id":"c05a9bc7-c073-4920-97d0-096c4d05f449","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776155066906,"author-id":2143341,"owner-id":2170753,"linked-story-ids":["5d440259-f308-448b-aa72-b0699a9ab079","bb7a5512-9734-4489-bb6f-82dacd50533c","8908222f-5ffe-4358-8114-d6f0dcf0da13","7f15b45a-8fba-4e99-801b-2215b4a41551"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776153684610,"hero-image-caption":"Revised grading for B group subjects keeps students\u2019 overall scores unchanged","version":9,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776155063000,"authors":[{"slug":"khitam-al-amir","social":{},"name":"Khitam Al Amir","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/ryqa6kyy/KITAM_12.JPG","bio":"With over 30 years of journalistic experience spanning from Jordan to the UAE, Khitam has spent the past 22 years reporting on national and regional news from Dubai, with a strong focus on the UAE, GCC and broader Arab affairs. \n\nAs Chief News Editor, she brings extensive expertise in delivering breaking and engaging news to readers. Beginning her tenure as a translator, she advanced through roles as Senior Translator and Chief Translator before transitioning to editorial positions, culminating in her current leadership role. Her responsibilities encompass monitoring breaking news across the UAE and the broader Arab region, ensuring timely and accurate dissemination to the public.\u200B \n\nBorn into a family of journalists, Khitam's passion for news was ignited early in life. A defining moment in her youth occurred in September 1985 when she had the opportunity to converse with the late British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher during her visit to a Palestinian refugee camp north of Amman. During this encounter, Khitam shared her family's experiences of displacement from their home in Palestine and their subsequent refuge in Jordan. This poignant interaction not only deepened her understanding of geopolitical issues but also solidified her commitment to pursuing a career in journalism, aiming to shed light on the stories of those affected by regional conflicts. \n\nKhitam\u2019s commitment to accurate and timely reporting drives her to seek out news that interests readers, making her a trusted source for news on the UAE and the broader Gulf region. ","id":2143341,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/ryqa6kyy/KITAM_12.JPG","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran"},"id":"c34478d9-bcf9-4a84-b43d-9e6bbfacae60"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776158864496,"seo":{"meta-title":"New Dubai Creekside District: Al Ghurair Unveils 1-Million-Sq-Ft Mixed-Use Masterplan in Al Jaddaf","meta-description":"Al Ghurair unveils a one-million-sq-ft mixed-use Creekside district in Al Jaddaf, bringing homes, offices and transit-linked living to Dubai Creek Harbour.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2172381,"author-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","tags":[{"id":11448475,"name":"Dubai property","meta-description":"Explore Dubai\u2019s latest property developments, price trends, and investment opportunities in the real estate market.","meta-title":"Dubai Property News \u2013 Prices, Projects & Real Estate Trends","slug":"dubai-property","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"New Dubai masterplan unveiled: Al Jaddaf gets huge Creekside district","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"7e5a9f3f-bb63-4808-b8f7-bfbae4bbbf50","slug":"business/property/new-dubai-masterplan-unveiled-al-jaddaf-gets-huge-creekside-district-1.500506119","last-published-at":1776146713102,"public-identifier":"1.500506119","subheadline":"Al Ghurair\u2019s biggest project yet will rise beside Etihad Rail and Creek Metro in Dubai","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai launches huge Creekside masterplan in Al Jaddaf","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai's Al Ghurair announces major 1 million sq ft Al Jaddaf mixed-use community near Etihad Rail hub","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"property","name":"Property","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/property","id":85217,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Property","collection":{"slug":"property-business","name":"Business Component (Business)","id":194641},"data":null}],"read-time":3,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776146042697,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1600,"file-size":151814,"file-name":"06b967f6-ebcc-44ff-93b7-aa72cf1ac326.jpg","height":934},"comments":null,"word-count":516,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776146713102,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"last-correction-published-at":1776158866334,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"Virendra Saklani/Gulf News","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"7e5a9f3f-bb63-4808-b8f7-bfbae4bbbf50","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-25/9ebl339j/06b967f6-ebcc-44ff-93b7-aa72cf1ac326.jpg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7e5a9f3f-bb63-4808-b8f7-bfbae4bbbf50/element/4323c0b5-bbf6-4f53-bd13-850b8c97bc27","type":"text","family-id":"d6edaf78-c84b-47c7-a2be-d130606616b4","title":"","id":"4323c0b5-bbf6-4f53-bd13-850b8c97bc27","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Dubai: Dubai is set to add a major new urban district to its skyline, with Al Ghurair Development unveiling plans for a one-million-square-foot mixed-use masterplan community in Al Jaddaf.
The new development, located across Dubai Creek Harbour, will combine homes, offices, hospitality, retail and cultural spaces in a walkable neighbourhood beside two major future transport links \u2014 the planned Etihad Rail high-speed station and Creek Metro.
The developers called the project \u201Ca large-scale transit-connected, mixed-use masterplan community in Al Jaddaf, Dubai, and have hired the architecture firm behind Malaysia's Petronas Towers.
The project aims to add new housing, business, and leisure capacity to a part of Dubai that is expected to become one of the emirate\u2019s best-connected districts in the coming years.
Al Ghurair Development said this will be its largest and most ambitious project to date, marking its move beyond individual buildings to full district-scale urban planning.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7e5a9f3f-bb63-4808-b8f7-bfbae4bbbf50/element/51c9191a-d0b9-480c-9250-696d9d527987","type":"text","family-id":"46fafb9d-b975-40a6-ac2a-5be572936fad","title":"","id":"51c9191a-d0b9-480c-9250-696d9d527987","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7e5a9f3f-bb63-4808-b8f7-bfbae4bbbf50/element/d280bd81-9f85-4299-ba52-9e2e1511ca09","type":"text","family-id":"45822931-49e2-4c54-bc63-a4dc0c1dba16","title":"","id":"d280bd81-9f85-4299-ba52-9e2e1511ca09","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
\u201CThis is a rare opportunity in Dubai,\u201D said Sultan Al Ghurair, CEO of Al Ghurair Development.
\u201CAl Jaddaf sits at the intersection of Dubai Creek and some of the most important transport infrastructure planned for the city. Our vision is to create a complete neighbourhood that puts walkability, public life and mixed-use living first.\u201D
He said the company wants to build a district that reflects how Dubai is changing \u2014 from car-led expansion to more connected, pedestrian-friendly communities linked to mass transit.
The project is being designed around the idea of a \u201Cfive-minute city\u201D, where residents can reach daily essentials, parks, transport and public spaces within a short walk. Al Ghurair said, \u201CThat combination of waterfront and connectivity is rare, and it demands a development that thinks at the scale of a neighbourhood.\u201D
"},{"description":"","image-metadata":{"width":9728,"height":6562,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":48504561,"file-name":"2Azabudai-Hills.tos-by-Jason-ORear.jpg"},"page-url":"/story/7e5a9f3f-bb63-4808-b8f7-bfbae4bbbf50/element/a1d32a35-b8dd-4e6f-a22d-d7947b0b433c","type":"image","family-id":"eb25e442-d453-42e5-82c3-bc0da4ad82bf","image-attribution":"Supplied ","title":"The Azabudai Hills project in Japan, designed by Pelli Clarke & Partners. ","id":"a1d32a35-b8dd-4e6f-a22d-d7947b0b433c","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/e5wibwck/2Azabudai-Hills.tos-by-Jason-ORear.jpg","metadata":{},"subtype":null},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7e5a9f3f-bb63-4808-b8f7-bfbae4bbbf50/element/650e7709-1a63-4736-ae1a-54d1914d87a3","type":"text","family-id":"0ceb07f8-7aba-4461-8df6-c4e384c4c57d","title":"","id":"650e7709-1a63-4736-ae1a-54d1914d87a3","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"To shape the masterplan, Al Ghurair has appointed global architecture firm Pelli Clarke & Partners, whose international portfolio includes landmark developments such as the Petronas Towers, Porta Nuova, and Azabudai Hills.
The Al Jaddaf project will be the firm\u2019s first Dubai masterplan.
Gregg Jones, partner at Pelli Clarke & Partners, said the site offers unusual long-term value because of its waterfront setting and transport links.
\u201CThe location gives this project a very strong foundation,\u201D he said. \u201COur role is to create an urban framework built around generous public spaces, pedestrian movement and a lively mix of uses that keep the district active throughout the day.\u201D
The masterplan will include landscaped parks, open public areas and interconnected streets designed to create a cohesive neighbourhood rather than isolated towers.
The announcement comes as Dubai continues to reshape growth around transport corridors, especially areas linked to Metro expansion and the future Etihad Rail network, which is expected to redefine commuting patterns across the UAE.
Further details, including design concepts and launch timelines, are expected to be announced later.
The Al Jaddaf project is a major step for Al Ghurair Development as it moves from building single residential projects to creating full-scale urban districts.
It adds to the company\u2019s growing portfolio, which includes The Weave in Jumeirah Village Circle, now under construction, Wedyan on Dubai Canal, and upcoming residential projects in Dubai South and Wadi Al Safa 3.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776158858057,"content-version-id":"b9f71d40-2952-45a2-a6ef-7f060408325a","card-added-at":1776146042704,"status":"draft","id":"c45325f8-7092-4ef6-abbb-80f6afa881fc","content-id":"c45325f8-7092-4ef6-abbb-80f6afa881fc","version":13,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"New Dubai masterplan unveiled: Al Jaddaf gets huge Creekside district","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/e5wibwck/2Azabudai-Hills.tos-by-Jason-ORear.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Supplied ","caption":null,"alt-text":"","metadata":{"width":9728,"height":6562,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":48504561,"file-name":"2Azabudai-Hills.tos-by-Jason-ORear.jpg"}}},"attributes":{}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/property/new-dubai-masterplan-unveiled-al-jaddaf-gets-huge-creekside-district-1.500506119","story-version-id":"75f4759a-c8d1-43b8-966d-1723e916eaec","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776158866599,"author-id":2172381,"owner-id":2172381,"linked-story-ids":[],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776146713102,"hero-image-caption":"A view of the Dubai skyline from Al Jaddaf. ","version":13,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776158858043,"authors":[{"slug":"dhanusha-gokulan","social":{},"name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/yq2gc7a1/Dhanusha_Author_picture.jpeg","bio":"Dhanusha is a Chief Reporter at Gulf News in Dubai, with her finger firmly on the pulse of UAE, regional, and global aviation. She dives deep into how airlines and airports operate, expand, and embrace the latest tech. \n\nKnown for her sharp eye for detail, Dhanusha makes complex topics like new aircraft, evolving travel trends, and aviation regulations easy to grasp. Lately, she's especially fascinated by the world of eVTOLs and flying cars. \n\nWith nearly two decades in journalism, Dhanusha's covered a wide range, from health and education to the pandemic, local transport, and technology. When she's not tracking what's happening in the skies, she enjoys exploring social media trends, tech innovations, and anything that sparks reader curiosity. Outside of work, you'll find her immersed in electronic dance music, pop culture, movies, and video games. ","id":2172381,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/yq2gc7a1/Dhanusha_Author_picture.jpeg","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan"},"id":"7e5a9f3f-bb63-4808-b8f7-bfbae4bbbf50"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776114939152,"seo":{"meta-title":"From Bihar Streets to IPL Stardom: The Inspiring Journey of Sunrisers Hyderabad Pacer Sakib Hussain","meta-description":"From Gopalganj streets to IPL stardom: how 21-year-old pacer Sakib Hussain went from dreaming of the Indian Army to a dream debut for Sunrisers Hyderabad.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2346787,"author-name":"Shamseer Mohammed","tags":[{"id":11390821,"name":"cricket","meta-description":"Catch the latest cricket news, live scores, player updates, tournament highlights, and expert coverage all in one place.","meta-title":"Cricket News \u2013 Matches, Players, Stats & Updates","slug":"cricket","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"Meet Sakib Hussain: Bihar boy who dreamed of Indian Army, now an IPL hero","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"743fe14b-e5b9-4b64-bc03-a85c3310789e","slug":"sport/cricket/ipl/meet-sakib-hussain-bihar-boy-who-dreamed-of-indian-army-now-an-ipl-hero-1.500505853","linked-stories":{"8e56d173-ca5f-452c-9f99-0b9ff925d3a6":{"author-name":"Shamseer Mohammed","headline":"Who is Sameer Rizvi? The Dhoni-inspired talent with a Raina connection","story-content-id":"8e56d173-ca5f-452c-9f99-0b9ff925d3a6","slug":"sport/cricket/who-is-sameer-rizvi-the-dhoni-inspired-talent-with-a-raina-connection-1.500493708","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Who is Sameer Rizvi? He idolises Dhoni","hero-image":{"member-id":2346787,"hero-image-extracted-data":null,"index":4,"uploaded-at":1747848451672,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":2500,"height":1666},"source":"Wire - AFP","hero-image-attribution":"AFP-PUNIT PARANJPE","hero-image-alt-text":"","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-21/lcposmbl/newsml_afp_com_20250521T172437Z_doc_47m28r3.jpeg","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":2182979,"hero-image-caption":"Delhi Capitals' Sameer Rizvi ","extracted-data":null,"hero-image-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-21/lcposmbl/newsml_afp_com_20250521T172437Z_doc_47m28r3.jpeg","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"cricket","name":"Cricket","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket","id":85223,"parent-id":85219,"display-name":"Cricket","collection":{"slug":"cricket-sport","name":"Cricket (Sport)","id":194647},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"ipl","name":"IPL","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/ipl","id":85278,"parent-id":85223,"display-name":"IPL","collection":{"slug":"ipl-cricket-sport","name":"IPL (Cricket, Sport)","id":194702},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":2500,"height":1666},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-21/lcposmbl/newsml_afp_com_20250521T172437Z_doc_47m28r3.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/who-is-sameer-rizvi-the-dhoni-inspired-talent-with-a-raina-connection-1.500493708","content-updated-at":1775076351603,"author-id":2172008,"first-published-at":1775076304584,"authors":[{"slug":"shamseer-mohammed-staff-writer","social":{},"name":"Shamseer Mohammed","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-06-16/o29u39o1/ShamseerMohammed.jpg","bio":"From code to kick-off: Gulf News\u2019 Mohammed Shamsheer spends his weekdays in DevOps and weekends watching football \u2014 a proud Chelsea supporter through and through.","id":2172008,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-06-16/o29u39o1/ShamseerMohammed.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"c1cb2d50-79af-4248-a85b-3e7b209a0ed7":{"author-name":"Shamseer Mohammed","headline":"Brother\u2019s sacrifice to bowling 154 km/h: Ashok Sharma\u2019s inspiring IPL journey ","story-content-id":"c1cb2d50-79af-4248-a85b-3e7b209a0ed7","slug":"sport/cricket/brothers-sacrifice-to-bowling-154-kmh-ashok-sharmas-inspiring-ipl-journey-1.500497189","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Ashok Sharma: Brother\u2019s sacrifice to bowling 154 km/h","hero-image":{"member-id":2346787,"hero-image-extracted-data":{"artist":""},"index":0,"uploaded-at":1775404310094,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","focus-point":null,"width":1299,"file-size":326594,"file-name":"Ashok-Sharma","height":753},"source":null,"hero-image-attribution":"AI generated","hero-image-alt-text":"","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-05/l84rs9k8/Ashok-Sharma","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":"Ashok Sharma bowled the fastest ball of IPL 2026","extracted-data":{"artist":""},"hero-image-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-05/l84rs9k8/Ashok-Sharma","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"cricket","name":"Cricket","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket","id":85223,"parent-id":85219,"display-name":"Cricket","collection":{"slug":"cricket-sport","name":"Cricket (Sport)","id":194647},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"ipl","name":"IPL","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/ipl","id":85278,"parent-id":85223,"display-name":"IPL","collection":{"slug":"ipl-cricket-sport","name":"IPL (Cricket, Sport)","id":194702},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1299,"height":753,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":326594,"file-name":"Ashok-Sharma","focus-point":null},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-05/l84rs9k8/Ashok-Sharma","url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/brothers-sacrifice-to-bowling-154-kmh-ashok-sharmas-inspiring-ipl-journey-1.500497189","content-updated-at":1775405421746,"author-id":2172008,"first-published-at":1775405421462,"authors":[{"slug":"shamseer-mohammed-staff-writer","social":{},"name":"Shamseer Mohammed","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-06-16/o29u39o1/ShamseerMohammed.jpg","bio":"From code to kick-off: Gulf News\u2019 Mohammed Shamsheer spends his weekdays in DevOps and weekends watching football \u2014 a proud Chelsea supporter through and through.","id":2172008,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-06-16/o29u39o1/ShamseerMohammed.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776128400000,"public-identifier":"1.500505853","subheadline":"His mother reportedly sold her jewellery to buy him his first pair of cricket shoes","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Sakib Hussain: Bihar boy who dreamed of Indian Army","hero-image":{"member-id":2346787,"hero-image-extracted-data":{"artist":""},"index":0,"uploaded-at":1776113452255,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/png","width":1264,"file-size":1901441,"file-name":"Sakib-Hussain","height":842},"source":null,"hero-image-attribution":"AFP-NOAH SEELAM (AI Modified)","hero-image-alt-text":"","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/0g8o0q2m/Sakib-Hussain","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":"Sunrisers Hyderabad's Indian cricket player Sakib Hussain celebrates after taking the wicket of Rajasthan Royals' South African cricket player Donovan Ferreira","extracted-data":{"artist":""},"hero-image-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-13/0g8o0q2m/Sakib-Hussain","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"ipl","name":"IPL","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/ipl","id":85278,"parent-id":85223,"display-name":"IPL","collection":{"slug":"ipl-cricket-sport","name":"IPL (Cricket, Sport)","id":194702},"data":null}],"read-time":3,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776112973117,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Shamseer Mohammed","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1264,"height":842,"mime-type":"image/png","file-size":1901441,"file-name":"Sakib-Hussain"},"comments":null,"word-count":564,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776128400000,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"AFP-NOAH SEELAM (AI Modified)","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"743fe14b-e5b9-4b64-bc03-a85c3310789e","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/0g8o0q2m/Sakib-Hussain","contributors":null,"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/743fe14b-e5b9-4b64-bc03-a85c3310789e/element/8cccf47e-d92b-4cd9-b4c4-fa15986c02ce","type":"text","family-id":"8ff62bf3-25ae-4b97-b2ae-d92b6379e30f","title":"","id":"8cccf47e-d92b-4cd9-b4c4-fa15986c02ce","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Sunrisers Hyderabad beat Rajasthan Royals by 57 runs, but like so often in the IPL, the real story went beyond the scoreboard. This league has a way of bringing out journeys that feel straight out of a movie. 21-year-old Sakib Hussain\u2019s rise is exactly that. The fast bowler's debut has been really memorable. 4/24 in 4 overs.
Sakib grew up in Gopalganj, Bihar, in a modest household where his father, Ali Ahmed Hussain worked as a famer and a daily wage labourer. At one point, he saw the Army as the most stable way to support his family. He wanted to join Indian army.
Cricket was never the plan initially. It was something Sakib picked up on the streets, playing tennis ball matches with friends, without any proper coaching or equipment.
What he did have, though, was pace. And belief.
Life at home was not easy. The family went through a tough phase when his father had to give up farming due to serious knee problems, which added to their financial struggles. Sakib started playing local tennis ball tournaments not just out of love for the game, but to earn whatever he could. Match by match, he would bring in small amounts, helping ease the burden at home.
Even during those difficult times, his parents stood firmly behind him. One moment says it all. His mother reportedly sold her jewellery to buy him his first proper pair of cricket shoes, a sacrifice that helped him take his first real step towards professional cricket.
Realising he needed better exposure, Sakib moved to Patna. The early days were tough. Long travel, limited access to nets, and constant uncertainty. But he kept showing up.
His first big break came in the Bihar Cricket League in 2021, where his pace immediately caught attention. Soon after, he was selected for a BCCI High Performance Camp, a major step forward for someone who had started with almost nothing.
He entered the domestic scene in the 2022-23 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. The debut itself was quiet, the kind that passes without much attention. But in the very next game, he made sure people noticed. A four wicket haul against Gujarat changed things overnight.
Clocking speeds above 140 regularly, Sakib was now firmly on the radar. IPL scouts began tracking him, and Kolkata Knight Riders picked him up in 2024. He did not get many chances and spent most of his time on the bench, but that phase helped him understand the level required at the top.
"},{"description":"","embed-js":"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","page-url":"/story/743fe14b-e5b9-4b64-bc03-a85c3310789e/element/fbf9de4b-5a97-4b5f-94a6-1ae9bb109bef","type":"jsembed","family-id":"0189d400-4a8a-4438-b9f1-0fec2c636c09","title":"","id":"fbf9de4b-5a97-4b5f-94a6-1ae9bb109bef","metadata":{"tweet-url":"https://twitter.com/IrfanPathan/status/2043742083991908724","provider":"twitter","tweet-id":"2043742083991908724"},"subtype":"tweet"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/743fe14b-e5b9-4b64-bc03-a85c3310789e/element/7b4bdc6c-26a9-4b34-9003-ab0d61c44cf4","type":"text","family-id":"071a24a6-2ec4-4975-89ee-9fb78e3d72e6","title":"","id":"7b4bdc6c-26a9-4b34-9003-ab0d61c44cf4","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Then came a setback. He was released.
For many, that could have been the end of the road. For Sakib, it became fuel. He worked on his game, improved, and waited for another chance. Sunrisers Hyderabad saw that growth and backed him for the 2026 season.
On debut, he grabbed it with both hands. A four-wicket haul, one of the best by an Indian in a first IPL outing, and suddenly everyone knew his name.
From playing on the streets of Gopalganj to delivering on the biggest T20 stage, Sakib Hussain\u2019s story is what the IPL is all about. Not just stars and big hits, but raw, real journeys built on struggle, patience and a refusal to give up. We have brought many such stories to you already and there are many more to come.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776114937769,"content-version-id":"6f70ed41-64ee-448f-a53d-c7e905d8aaf8","card-added-at":1776112973124,"status":"draft","id":"8a13509a-6fa9-4f8b-bf1c-42bb142c3c40","content-id":"8a13509a-6fa9-4f8b-bf1c-42bb142c3c40","version":22,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Meet Sakib Hussain: Bihar boy who dreamed of Indian Army, now an IPL hero","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/0g8o0q2m/Sakib-Hussain","url":null,"attribution":"AFP-NOAH SEELAM (AI Modified)","alt-text":null,"caption":"Sunrisers Hyderabad's Indian cricket player Sakib Hussain celebrates after taking the wicket of Rajasthan Royals' South African cricket player Donovan Ferreira","metadata":{"width":1264,"height":842,"mime-type":"image/png","file-size":1901441,"file-name":"Sakib-Hussain"}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/743fe14b-e5b9-4b64-bc03-a85c3310789e/element/8ddce1f9-49bd-4fd7-8dd4-1972e845f302","type":"text","family-id":"d080e31a-ea15-4b1b-90ef-6eef36a37359","title":"","id":"8ddce1f9-49bd-4fd7-8dd4-1972e845f302","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"c1cb2d50-79af-4248-a85b-3e7b209a0ed7","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775405418347,"author-name":"Shamseer Mohammed","headline":"Brother\u2019s sacrifice to bowling 154 km/h: Ashok Sharma\u2019s inspiring IPL journey ","story-content-id":"c1cb2d50-79af-4248-a85b-3e7b209a0ed7","is-published":true,"slug":"sport/cricket/brothers-sacrifice-to-bowling-154-kmh-ashok-sharmas-inspiring-ipl-journey-1.500497189","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775405421462,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Ashok Sharma: Brother\u2019s sacrifice to bowling 154 km/h","hero-image":{"member-id":2346787,"hero-image-extracted-data":{"artist":""},"index":0,"uploaded-at":1775404310094,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","focus-point":null,"width":1299,"file-size":326594,"file-name":"Ashok-Sharma","height":753},"source":null,"hero-image-attribution":"AI generated","hero-image-alt-text":"","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-05/l84rs9k8/Ashok-Sharma","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":"Ashok Sharma bowled the fastest ball of IPL 2026","extracted-data":{"artist":""},"hero-image-url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-05/l84rs9k8/Ashok-Sharma","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"id":85223,"name":"Cricket","slug":"cricket","data":null},{"id":85278,"name":"IPL","slug":"ipl","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/b0dZ9E-NaT3DUwAWFi13JNmnuSzu7Cn_ilK_gw5DxteBxzYxGsJIw65Ik5m_3yeg","published-at":1775405421462,"status":"published","id":"c1cb2d50-79af-4248-a85b-3e7b209a0ed7","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/brothers-sacrifice-to-bowling-154-kmh-ashok-sharmas-inspiring-ipl-journey-1.500497189","author-id":2172008,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2172008,"name":"Shamseer Mohammed","email":"shamseermohammedstaffwriter_mr@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"b0dZ9E-NaT3DUwAWFi13JNmnuSzu7Cn_ilK_gw5DxteBxzYxGsJIw65Ik5m_3yeg","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Brother\u2019s sacrifice to bowling 154 km/h: Ashok Sharma\u2019s inspiring IPL journey "},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/743fe14b-e5b9-4b64-bc03-a85c3310789e/element/a50d646c-c8c0-4cc2-91be-727992cee53c","type":"text","family-id":"5aa38c73-6ad5-4bf7-a625-d3e48861bc29","title":"","id":"a50d646c-c8c0-4cc2-91be-727992cee53c","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"8e56d173-ca5f-452c-9f99-0b9ff925d3a6","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775076347268,"author-name":"Shamseer Mohammed","headline":"Who is Sameer Rizvi? The Dhoni-inspired talent with a Raina connection","story-content-id":"8e56d173-ca5f-452c-9f99-0b9ff925d3a6","is-published":true,"slug":"sport/cricket/who-is-sameer-rizvi-the-dhoni-inspired-talent-with-a-raina-connection-1.500493708","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775076304584,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Who is Sameer Rizvi? He idolises Dhoni","hero-image":{"member-id":2346787,"hero-image-extracted-data":null,"index":4,"uploaded-at":1747848451672,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":2500,"height":1666},"source":"Wire - AFP","hero-image-attribution":"AFP-PUNIT PARANJPE","hero-image-alt-text":"","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-21/lcposmbl/newsml_afp_com_20250521T172437Z_doc_47m28r3.jpeg","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":2182979,"hero-image-caption":"Delhi Capitals' Sameer Rizvi ","extracted-data":null,"hero-image-url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-21/lcposmbl/newsml_afp_com_20250521T172437Z_doc_47m28r3.jpeg","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"id":85223,"name":"Cricket","slug":"cricket","data":null},{"id":85278,"name":"IPL","slug":"ipl","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/IMJ4HVqNKKJMqHjMB5azW60lwdMhT3meBHgW5rymNVYV-0dnHvzbLJ_bgoYiD6HS","published-at":1775076304584,"status":"published","id":"8e56d173-ca5f-452c-9f99-0b9ff925d3a6","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/who-is-sameer-rizvi-the-dhoni-inspired-talent-with-a-raina-connection-1.500493708","author-id":2172008,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2172008,"name":"Shamseer Mohammed","email":"shamseermohammedstaffwriter_mr@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"IMJ4HVqNKKJMqHjMB5azW60lwdMhT3meBHgW5rymNVYV-0dnHvzbLJ_bgoYiD6HS","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Who is Sameer Rizvi? The Dhoni-inspired talent with a Raina connection"}],"card-updated-at":1776114937769,"content-version-id":"e2770d18-1710-4ec9-a409-2b332d115200","card-added-at":1776114877167,"status":"draft","id":"d1348fe8-21f8-477c-b68d-1175ea7f8532","content-id":"d1348fe8-21f8-477c-b68d-1175ea7f8532","version":3,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Meet Sakib Hussain: Bihar boy who dreamed of Indian Army, now an IPL hero","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/0g8o0q2m/Sakib-Hussain","url":null,"attribution":"AFP-NOAH SEELAM (AI Modified)","alt-text":null,"caption":"Sunrisers Hyderabad's Indian cricket player Sakib Hussain celebrates after taking the wicket of Rajasthan Royals' South African cricket player Donovan Ferreira","metadata":{"width":1264,"height":842,"mime-type":"image/png","file-size":1901441,"file-name":"Sakib-Hussain"}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_In_This_Package"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/ipl/meet-sakib-hussain-bihar-boy-who-dreamed-of-indian-army-now-an-ipl-hero-1.500505853","story-version-id":"f09eca8b-9ffa-48e9-871d-3e199ce65f94","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776128400698,"author-id":2172008,"owner-id":2346787,"linked-story-ids":["c1cb2d50-79af-4248-a85b-3e7b209a0ed7","8e56d173-ca5f-452c-9f99-0b9ff925d3a6"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776128400000,"hero-image-caption":"Sunrisers Hyderabad's Indian cricket player Sakib Hussain celebrates after taking the wicket of Rajasthan Royals' South African cricket player Donovan Ferreira","version":22,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776114937757,"authors":[{"slug":"shamseer-mohammed-staff-writer","social":{},"name":"Shamseer Mohammed","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-06-16/o29u39o1/ShamseerMohammed.jpg","bio":"From code to kick-off: Gulf News\u2019 Mohammed Shamsheer spends his weekdays in DevOps and weekends watching football \u2014 a proud Chelsea supporter through and through.","id":2172008,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-06-16/o29u39o1/ShamseerMohammed.jpg","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":1776128400000,"assignee-name":"Shamseer Mohammed"},"id":"743fe14b-e5b9-4b64-bc03-a85c3310789e"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776161790979,"seo":{"meta-title":"Strait vs Canal: Why Iran Can\u2019t Legally Charge Tolls in the Strait of Hormuz","meta-description":"Iran\u2019s bid to charge ships in the Strait of Hormuz tests global maritime law, energy security and the legal divide between natural straits and man-made canals.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2165599,"author-name":"Alex Abraham","tags":[{"id":11509505,"name":"Iran","meta-description":"Follow the latest news from Iran across politics, economy, and its role in international affairs.","meta-title":"Iran News \u2013 Politics, Economy & Global Relations","slug":"iran","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":14773106,"name":"US-Israel-Iran war","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"us-israel-iran-war","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"Strait or canal: Who can charge ships - and who can\u2019t?","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78","slug":"world/mena/strait-or-canal-who-can-charge-ships-and-who-cant-1.500505563","linked-stories":{"70393434-8816-4923-a04b-d582bebdd5f8":{"author-name":"Jay Hilotin","headline":"Hormuz Strait 'toll': Oil prices drift back to $100/barrel mark \u2014 what it will take to get things going again","story-content-id":"70393434-8816-4923-a04b-d582bebdd5f8","slug":"business/energy/hormuz-strait-toll-oil-prices-drift-back-to-100barrel-mark-what-it-will-take-to-get-things-going-again-1.500502195","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Hormuz Strait toll: Oil drifts back to $100/barrel mark","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"energy","name":"Energy","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/energy","id":85216,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Energy","collection":{"slug":"energy-business","name":"Energy (Business)","id":194640},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"world","name":"World","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world","id":85218,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"World","collection":{"slug":"world","name":"World LANDING PAGE","id":194642},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":189414,"original-url":"https://d2lnbwhcsmj8tp.cloudfront.net/thumbnails/20260312306.jpg","width":449,"height":270},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-09/76dp80qd/20260312306.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/energy/hormuz-strait-toll-oil-prices-drift-back-to-100barrel-mark-what-it-will-take-to-get-things-going-again-1.500502195","content-updated-at":1775798287087,"author-id":2183048,"first-published-at":1775798087126,"authors":[{"slug":"jay-hilotin-2","social":{},"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2183048,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"cd3ea950-ebea-49d0-998b-583ed39a124c":{"author-name":"Stephen N R","headline":"Trump\u2019s Hormuz gamble: Showdown for control of the key strait","story-content-id":"cd3ea950-ebea-49d0-998b-583ed39a124c","slug":"world/americas/trump-s-hormuz-gamble-showdown-for-control-of-the-key-strait-1.500505183","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Trump\u2019s Hormuz gamble: Showdown for control of strait","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"americas","name":"Americas","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas","id":85243,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Americas","collection":{"slug":"americas-world","name":"Americas (World)","id":194667},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":242422,"width":1200,"height":787},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-05/1zsnt72u/newsml_afp_com_20260405T113856Z_doc_a6te3ep.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/trump-s-hormuz-gamble-showdown-for-control-of-the-key-strait-1.500505183","content-updated-at":1776073682158,"author-id":2171005,"first-published-at":1776073680807,"authors":[{"slug":"stephen-n-r","social":{},"name":"Stephen N R","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/lxugegpt/Stephen_N_R__pic.jpg","bio":"A Senior Associate Editor with more than 30 years in the media, Stephen N.R. curates, edits and publishes impactful stories for Gulf News \u2014 both in print and online \u2014 focusing on Middle East politics, student issues and explainers on global topics. \n\nStephen has spent most of his career in journalism, working behind the scenes \u2014 shaping headlines, editing copy and putting together newspaper pages with precision. \n\nFor the past many years, he has brought that same dedication to the Gulf News digital team, where he curates stories, crafts explainers and helps keep both the web and print editions sharp and engaging. ","id":2171005,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/lxugegpt/Stephen_N_R__pic.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"f8b40c34-0a6f-425b-a467-ad81d239c6ce":{"author-name":"Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Special to Gulf News","headline":"Strait of Hormuz: Between noise and the clarity of international law","story-content-id":"f8b40c34-0a6f-425b-a467-ad81d239c6ce","slug":"opinion/op-eds/strait-of-hormuz-between-noise-and-the-clarity-of-international-law-1.500505374","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Beyond the headlines: Who controls Hormuz?","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"op-eds","name":"Op-Eds","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds","id":85268,"parent-id":85213,"display-name":"Op-Eds","collection":{"slug":"op-eds-opinion","name":"Op-Eds (Opinion)","id":194692},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":246457,"width":1200,"height":800},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/lcc8liey/newsml_afp_com_20260413T074821Z_doc_a7kv8cq.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds/strait-of-hormuz-between-noise-and-the-clarity-of-international-law-1.500505374","content-updated-at":1776082336478,"author-id":2168918,"first-published-at":1776082335658,"authors":[{"slug":"dr-abdullah-belhaif-al-nuaimi-special-to-gulf-news","social":{},"name":"Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Special to Gulf News","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2168918,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776089995052,"public-identifier":"1.500505563","subheadline":"Iran\u2019s Hormuz tensions raise questions over shipping rights","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Strait or canal: Who can charge ships \u2014 and who can\u2019t?","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null}],"read-time":4,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776089493144,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Alex Abraham","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":7536,"height":5024},"comments":null,"word-count":862,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776089995052,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"last-correction-published-at":1776161793211,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"AFP","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-06-23/z4x4q753/newsml_afp_com_20250623T160050Z_doc_63g96ja.jpeg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78/element/863945bc-95c9-493a-a320-b855254cf0d6","type":"text","family-id":"07f7db96-78a6-47ea-aedf-d1a8403c892d","title":"","id":"863945bc-95c9-493a-a320-b855254cf0d6","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"A dispute over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz is fast becoming a global economic concern.
Iran\u2019s threat to charge vessels for passing through the narrow waterway \u2014 combined with ongoing disruptions to traffic \u2014 has unsettled energy markets and raised fresh questions about the rules governing international trade routes. The strait carries about one-fifth of global oil supplies.
At stake is a long-standing legal distinction between natural straits and man-made canals, and whether countries can impose charges on ships simply for transit.
A strait is a naturally formed narrow waterway that connects two larger bodies of water and is used for international navigation.
The Strait of Hormuz links the Arabian Gulf to the Indian Ocean and is one of the world\u2019s most important energy corridors.
Under international law - particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) - ships have the right of transit passage through such waterways. This means vessels must be allowed to pass continuously and without obstruction.
"},{"description":"","image-metadata":{"width":1118,"height":1171,"mime-type":"image/png","file-size":100541,"file-name":"Strait-of-Hormuz.png"},"page-url":"/story/39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78/element/299473fa-5edd-40e0-a03b-0c623ad1f97f","type":"image","family-id":"b1c94578-175a-4956-8f12-74f8529613d4","image-attribution":"Gulf News","title":"","id":"299473fa-5edd-40e0-a03b-0c623ad1f97f","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/cd5xmb6y/Strait-of-Hormuz.png","metadata":{},"subtype":null},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78/element/5b14b70f-4b1e-44df-8e1c-639be0965e87","type":"text","family-id":"5b1fabbc-2501-4f7d-aac7-75954bc468da","title":"","id":"5b14b70f-4b1e-44df-8e1c-639be0965e87","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Countries bordering these straits can regulate traffic for safety or environmental reasons, but they cannot suspend passage or impose fees simply for allowing transit. This principle exists to ensure that global trade routes remain open and are not controlled by any single state.
A canal, unlike a strait, is an artificial waterway built and maintained by a country.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78/element/4fd07805-da4e-4263-a07f-23ea54b1472a","type":"text","family-id":"869b6c1b-3ae7-4e8d-81ef-36cdac3c4791","title":"","id":"4fd07805-da4e-4263-a07f-23ea54b1472a","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"f8b40c34-0a6f-425b-a467-ad81d239c6ce","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776082333658,"author-name":"Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Special to Gulf News","headline":"Strait of Hormuz: Between noise and the clarity of international law","story-content-id":"f8b40c34-0a6f-425b-a467-ad81d239c6ce","is-published":true,"slug":"opinion/op-eds/strait-of-hormuz-between-noise-and-the-clarity-of-international-law-1.500505374","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776082335658,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Beyond the headlines: Who controls Hormuz?","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85268,"name":"Op-Eds","slug":"op-eds","data":null},{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/aYST44PRgp_tsjgI72ht1LjzUYfDkL8xocLUm_K5WE-vgV-66Pzuo-cuIkFgxuHe","published-at":1776082335658,"status":"published","id":"f8b40c34-0a6f-425b-a467-ad81d239c6ce","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds/strait-of-hormuz-between-noise-and-the-clarity-of-international-law-1.500505374","author-id":2168918,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2168918,"name":"Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Special to Gulf News","email":"drabdullahbelhaifalnuaimispecialtogulfnews_mr@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"aYST44PRgp_tsjgI72ht1LjzUYfDkL8xocLUm_K5WE-vgV-66Pzuo-cuIkFgxuHe","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Strait of Hormuz: Between noise and the clarity of international law"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78/element/9932a2ce-6f26-440a-ab40-c29345562e69","type":"text","family-id":"6f1831ef-355a-4200-b3e5-053a379c7b35","title":"","id":"9932a2ce-6f26-440a-ab40-c29345562e69","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Because canals require continuous investment, dredging and operational management, states are allowed to charge tolls for their use. These fees function much like infrastructure charges and are widely accepted in global shipping.
The Suez Canal, completed in 1869, is a key example. It generates billions in annual revenue for Egypt and is a major artery linking Europe and Asia.
Similarly, the Panama Canal charges vessels based on size, cargo and traffic demand. These toll systems fund maintenance, safety services and expansion projects that keep the canals operational.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78/element/64190e6b-2f8d-4690-8c91-dd2eb49cd2e0","type":"text","family-id":"11d97c1e-aa83-4e4e-9d65-a61ae1f42292","title":"","id":"64190e6b-2f8d-4690-8c91-dd2eb49cd2e0","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Strait (e.g. Hormuz)
Natural waterway
Connects major seas
Governed by international law (UNCLOS)
Transit passage must remain free
No general tolls allowed
Canal (e.g. Suez, Panama)
Man-made waterway
Built and maintained by a country
Operates like infrastructure
Tolls legally charged
Fees fund maintenance and operations
Special cases
Turkish straits allow limited service charges
Most global straits remain toll-free
Under widely accepted interpretations of international maritime law, it cannot.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78/element/39122da1-21b3-4e11-9083-f615c3206b3b","type":"text","family-id":"7f8747e7-923e-4018-a6ff-eaf1d6e7cbcb","title":"","id":"39122da1-21b3-4e11-9083-f615c3206b3b","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"70393434-8816-4923-a04b-d582bebdd5f8","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775798284857,"author-name":"Jay Hilotin","headline":"Hormuz Strait 'toll': Oil prices drift back to $100/barrel mark \u2014 what it will take to get things going again","story-content-id":"70393434-8816-4923-a04b-d582bebdd5f8","is-published":true,"slug":"business/energy/hormuz-strait-toll-oil-prices-drift-back-to-100barrel-mark-what-it-will-take-to-get-things-going-again-1.500502195","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775798087126,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Hormuz Strait toll: Oil drifts back to $100/barrel mark","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85216,"name":"Energy","slug":"energy","data":null},{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null},{"id":85218,"name":"World","slug":"world","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/6vsVslomT6PUvKgeVn_YvhuEFqTEZIMbwV5znFj7kPGq88O69CGQjhmBKeMG_ifg","published-at":1775798087126,"status":"published","id":"70393434-8816-4923-a04b-d582bebdd5f8","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/energy/hormuz-strait-toll-oil-prices-drift-back-to-100barrel-mark-what-it-will-take-to-get-things-going-again-1.500502195","author-id":2183048,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2183048,"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"6vsVslomT6PUvKgeVn_YvhuEFqTEZIMbwV5znFj7kPGq88O69CGQjhmBKeMG_ifg","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Hormuz Strait 'toll': Oil prices drift back to $100/barrel mark \u2014 what it will take to get things going again"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78/element/ad6c313c-638f-4d5d-bb0a-a14720bd3cd1","type":"text","family-id":"b6dabb67-7079-496a-aa3f-e042556d7851","title":"","id":"ad6c313c-638f-4d5d-bb0a-a14720bd3cd1","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Straits used for international navigation fall under a legal regime that guarantees free transit. While coastal states may charge for specific services such as pilotage or towing, they cannot impose a general transit fee.
The legal debate is unfolding alongside real-world disruption.
Iran has restricted vessel movement through the strait during the conflict, allowing limited passage to selected ships while threatening broader control over Gulf shipping routes.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78/element/4dcf084f-6a78-4ba9-9317-4d7581629c51","type":"text","family-id":"b11b5250-8c51-41ac-bb2f-1856a7a1eac1","title":"","id":"4dcf084f-6a78-4ba9-9317-4d7581629c51","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"cd3ea950-ebea-49d0-998b-583ed39a124c","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776073677948,"author-name":"Stephen N R","headline":"Trump\u2019s Hormuz gamble: Showdown for control of the key strait","story-content-id":"cd3ea950-ebea-49d0-998b-583ed39a124c","is-published":true,"slug":"world/americas/trump-s-hormuz-gamble-showdown-for-control-of-the-key-strait-1.500505183","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776073680807,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Trump\u2019s Hormuz gamble: Showdown for control of strait","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85243,"name":"Americas","slug":"americas","data":null},{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/63tMvd-hlGVmy_6HEQUedoPR5sjJBHCAjljWIZ_MSeHjV3e3dyNPI4uOcIlVWFMu","published-at":1776073680807,"status":"published","id":"cd3ea950-ebea-49d0-998b-583ed39a124c","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/trump-s-hormuz-gamble-showdown-for-control-of-the-key-strait-1.500505183","author-id":2171005,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"syndicated","authors":[{"author-collection-id":null,"email":"nstephen@gulfnews.com","slug":"stephen-n-r","last-name":null,"social":{},"name":"Stephen N R","avatar-url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/lxugegpt/Stephen_N_R__pic.jpg","roles":[{"id":25321,"name":"Contributor"},{"id":28409,"name":"Sub-Editor"},{"id":29903,"name":"AI Usage"}],"bridgekeeper-id":8726676,"settings":{},"first-name":null,"communication-email":null,"bio":"A Senior Associate Editor with more than 30 years in the media, Stephen N.R. curates, edits and publishes impactful stories for Gulf News \u2014 both in print and online \u2014 focusing on Middle East politics, student issues and explainers on global topics. \n\nStephen has spent most of his career in journalism, working behind the scenes \u2014 shaping headlines, editing copy and putting together newspaper pages with precision. \n\nFor the past many years, he has brought that same dedication to the Gulf News digital team, where he curates stories, crafts explainers and helps keep both the web and print editions sharp and engaging. ","can-login":true,"id":2171005,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/lxugegpt/Stephen_N_R__pic.jpg","twitter-handle":null,"metadata":{"designation":"Senior Associate Editor "}}],"metadata":{"imported-card-is-read-only":null,"story-attributes":{"syndicatedfrom":["Wire - Print"],"syndicated-categories":["Americas"],"authorbox":["Show"]},"imported-card-id":"59af073e-cca5-442e-8027-b416d7c3af27"},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"63tMvd-hlGVmy_6HEQUedoPR5sjJBHCAjljWIZ_MSeHjV3e3dyNPI4uOcIlVWFMu","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Trump\u2019s Hormuz gamble: Showdown for control of the key strait"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78/element/4c2f6a35-fede-4445-828f-ba064cfc2f41","type":"text","family-id":"ec0d03ee-68b6-4218-b558-71a51574979d","title":"","id":"4c2f6a35-fede-4445-828f-ba064cfc2f41","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The United States has responded with plans to blockade Iranian ports, escalating tensions and increasing uncertainty for global shipping.
Traffic through the strait has already fallen sharply, and oil prices have surged, underlining the global impact of even partial disruptions.
The global system follows a clear pattern shaped by law and geography.
Artificial canals such as the Suez and Panama canals charge tolls as part of their operating model. These are engineered routes, and fees are used to fund construction, maintenance and navigation services.
Natural straits, however, are treated as shared global corridors. Major routes such as the Strait of Hormuz, the Strait of Malacca and the Singapore Strait do not charge transit fees for simple passage.
There are exceptions in how waterways are governed. The Turkish straits \u2014 including the Bosphorus and Dardanelles \u2014 operate under the Montreux Convention, which guarantees free passage for merchant vessels while allowing limited, standardised service charges.
The difference between canals and straits is central to the functioning of global trade.
If countries were allowed to charge tolls in natural straits, it could set a precedent for others to follow. Strategic chokepoints could become tools of economic and political pressure, increasing shipping costs and disrupting supply chains.
Experts warn that such a shift could weaken the rules-based system that has governed maritime trade for decades and introduce uncertainty into global logistics networks.
The Strait of Hormuz is one of the world\u2019s most critical chokepoints.
Around 20% of global oil supply passes through it, meaning any disruption has immediate consequences for energy markets, transport costs and inflation worldwide.
Recent tensions have already pushed oil prices sharply higher, demonstrating how quickly uncertainty in the strait can ripple across the global economy.
Governments across the region and beyond have pushed back against the idea of tolls or restricted access.
Gulf states have stressed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to all and cannot be controlled unilaterally. The United States has also insisted that free navigation must be part of any long-term settlement.
At the same time, major powers remain cautious about military escalation, given the risks of further disruption in a narrow and heavily trafficked waterway.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776089945641,"content-version-id":"a9771c80-309c-41c7-a516-1807f4b74fb3","card-added-at":1776089493152,"status":"draft","id":"ae0ac328-b302-4a45-b648-d3902cbae544","content-id":"ae0ac328-b302-4a45-b648-d3902cbae544","version":13,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Strait or canal: Who can charge ships - and who can\u2019t?","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/cd5xmb6y/Strait-of-Hormuz.png","url":null,"attribution":"Gulf News","caption":null,"alt-text":"","metadata":{"width":1118,"height":1171,"mime-type":"image/png","file-size":100541,"file-name":"Strait-of-Hormuz.png"}}},"attributes":{}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/strait-or-canal-who-can-charge-ships-and-who-cant-1.500505563","story-version-id":"1392b7b2-e616-4ba5-a63c-d019a37df3c6","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776161793481,"author-id":2165599,"owner-id":2165599,"linked-story-ids":["f8b40c34-0a6f-425b-a467-ad81d239c6ce","cd3ea950-ebea-49d0-998b-583ed39a124c","70393434-8816-4923-a04b-d582bebdd5f8"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776089995052,"hero-image-caption":"Tankers are seen at the Khor Fakkan Container Terminal, the only natural deep-sea port in the region and one of the major container ports in the Sharjah Emirate, along the Strait of Hormuz.","version":14,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776161788651,"authors":[{"slug":"alex-abraham","social":{},"name":"Alex Abraham","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/pgbfjnif/Alex_Abraham_office_pic.jpg","bio":"Alex has been on the frontline of global headlines for nearly 30 years. A Senior Associate Editor, he\u2019s part newsroom veteran and part globe-trotting correspondent. \n\nHis credentials? He was part of the select group of journalists who covered Pope Francis\u2019 historic visit to the UAE - flying with the pontiff himself. \n\nWith 27 years on the ground in the Middle East, Alex is one of the most trusted voices in the region when it comes to decoding politics and power plays. He breaks down global affairs into slick, 60-second news - his morning reels are practically a daily ritual for audiences across the UAE. \n\nSharp. Grounded. Fast. Insightful. That\u2019s Alex at his best, bringing a steady editorial hand to every story he tells. ","id":2165599,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/pgbfjnif/Alex_Abraham_office_pic.jpg","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Alex Abraham"},"id":"39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776082333658,"seo":{"meta-title":"Strait of Hormuz and International Law: Who Controls Transit Passage Through the Vital Oil Waterway?","meta-description":"Exploring tensions in the Strait of Hormuz and how international law cuts through political noise to define rights, responsibilities and freedom of navigation","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2165599,"author-name":"Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Special to Gulf News","tags":[{"id":11509505,"name":"Iran","meta-description":"Follow the latest news from Iran across politics, economy, and its role in international affairs.","meta-title":"Iran News \u2013 Politics, Economy & Global Relations","slug":"iran","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":14773106,"name":"US-Israel-Iran war","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"us-israel-iran-war","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"Strait of Hormuz: Between noise and the clarity of international law","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"f8b40c34-0a6f-425b-a467-ad81d239c6ce","slug":"opinion/op-eds/strait-of-hormuz-between-noise-and-the-clarity-of-international-law-1.500505374","linked-stories":{"54f3156b-15ca-472a-88f4-c50ecb948125":{"author-name":"Jay Hilotin","headline":"New Hormuz toll fee? A 'beautiful thing\u2019, says Trump \u2014 could change global rules","story-content-id":"54f3156b-15ca-472a-88f4-c50ecb948125","slug":"world/mena/new-hormuz-toll-fee-a-beautiful-thing-says-trump-could-change-global-rules-1.500501006","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"New Hormuz toll fee? \u2018A beautiful thing\u2019, says Trump","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"americas","name":"Americas","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas","id":85243,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Americas","collection":{"slug":"americas-world","name":"Americas (World)","id":194667},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"file-size":190994,"original-url":"https://d2lnbwhcsmj8tp.cloudfront.net/thumbnails/202603233717560.jpg","width":449,"height":260},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-23/7z4qkzuo/202603233717560.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/new-hormuz-toll-fee-a-beautiful-thing-says-trump-could-change-global-rules-1.500501006","content-updated-at":1775718138273,"author-id":2183048,"first-published-at":1775718137984,"authors":[{"slug":"jay-hilotin-2","social":{},"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2183048,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"70393434-8816-4923-a04b-d582bebdd5f8":{"author-name":"Jay Hilotin","headline":"Hormuz Strait 'toll': Oil prices drift back to $100/barrel mark \u2014 what it will take to get things going again","story-content-id":"70393434-8816-4923-a04b-d582bebdd5f8","slug":"business/energy/hormuz-strait-toll-oil-prices-drift-back-to-100barrel-mark-what-it-will-take-to-get-things-going-again-1.500502195","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Hormuz Strait toll: Oil drifts back to $100/barrel mark","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"energy","name":"Energy","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/energy","id":85216,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Energy","collection":{"slug":"energy-business","name":"Energy (Business)","id":194640},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"world","name":"World","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world","id":85218,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"World","collection":{"slug":"world","name":"World LANDING PAGE","id":194642},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":189414,"original-url":"https://d2lnbwhcsmj8tp.cloudfront.net/thumbnails/20260312306.jpg","width":449,"height":270},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-09/76dp80qd/20260312306.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/energy/hormuz-strait-toll-oil-prices-drift-back-to-100barrel-mark-what-it-will-take-to-get-things-going-again-1.500502195","content-updated-at":1775798287087,"author-id":2183048,"first-published-at":1775798087126,"authors":[{"slug":"jay-hilotin-2","social":{},"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2183048,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"fa0246a4-3811-4ae4-b60e-2e31a73297ad":{"author-name":"Alex Abraham","headline":"Inside Iran\u2019s Hormuz strategy: Who can pass - and who can\u2019t","story-content-id":"fa0246a4-3811-4ae4-b60e-2e31a73297ad","slug":"world/mena/inside-irans-hormuz-strategy-who-can-pass-and-who-cant-1.500495192","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Iran\u2019s Hormuz strategy: Who can pass \u2014 and who can\u2019t","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":205194,"file-name":"IranEnergyTriage72330-3c469-Read-Only.jpg"},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-03/70kly9xq/IranEnergyTriage72330-3c469-Read-Only.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/inside-irans-hormuz-strategy-who-can-pass-and-who-cant-1.500495192","content-updated-at":1775218390721,"author-id":2165599,"first-published-at":1775204890064,"authors":[{"slug":"alex-abraham","social":{},"name":"Alex Abraham","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/pgbfjnif/Alex_Abraham_office_pic.jpg","bio":"Alex has been on the frontline of global headlines for nearly 30 years. A Senior Associate Editor, he\u2019s part newsroom veteran and part globe-trotting correspondent. \n\nHis credentials? He was part of the select group of journalists who covered Pope Francis\u2019 historic visit to the UAE - flying with the pontiff himself. \n\nWith 27 years on the ground in the Middle East, Alex is one of the most trusted voices in the region when it comes to decoding politics and power plays. He breaks down global affairs into slick, 60-second news - his morning reels are practically a daily ritual for audiences across the UAE. \n\nSharp. Grounded. Fast. Insightful. That\u2019s Alex at his best, bringing a steady editorial hand to every story he tells. ","id":2165599,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/pgbfjnif/Alex_Abraham_office_pic.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776082335658,"public-identifier":"1.500505374","subheadline":"How law, history and trade define one of the world\u2019s most strategic waterways","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Beyond the headlines: Who controls Hormuz?","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"op-eds","name":"Op-Eds","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds","id":85268,"parent-id":85213,"display-name":"Op-Eds","collection":{"slug":"op-eds-opinion","name":"Op-Eds (Opinion)","id":194692},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null}],"read-time":4,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776081841265,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Alex Abraham","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":246457,"width":1200,"height":800},"comments":null,"word-count":1009,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776082335658,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"AFP ","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"f8b40c34-0a6f-425b-a467-ad81d239c6ce","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/lcc8liey/newsml_afp_com_20260413T074821Z_doc_a7kv8cq.jpeg","contributors":null,"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f8b40c34-0a6f-425b-a467-ad81d239c6ce/element/01f74a26-7ae7-41c2-ab83-6b1576b91c26","type":"text","family-id":"64be52c6-e866-40f2-ba60-ad575645a9ea","title":"","id":"01f74a26-7ae7-41c2-ab83-6b1576b91c26","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The Strait of Hormuz has once again returned to the centre of regional and international attention, not only because of the renewed media debate surrounding its legal status, but also due to the broader geopolitical tensions shaping discussions around it. A key point of dispute remains the strait itself, particularly in light of the latest developments in Islamabad, where the United States and Iran failed to reach an agreement after extended negotiations. Both sides acknowledged that major disagreements persist, and while talks may continue, no resolution or ceasefire arrangement emerged.
Against this backdrop, the strait has been overwhelmed by a wave of commentary, with interpretations ranging from accurate to highly speculative. Media outlets have circulated comparisons between Hormuz and other straits that differ fundamentally in their legal character \u2014 especially those governed by the Montreux Convention, such as the Bosporus and the Dardanelles. As these comparisons gained traction, it became necessary to clarify the essential distinctions and to outline what applies to each strait and what does not. This includes the fact that the 12\u2011nautical\u2011mile coastal limit does not apply to the Strait of Hormuz in the way some assume, as the navigational channels lie entirely within the territorial seas of the coastal states, yet remain subject to the regime of transit passage, which supersedes this limitation.
From this perspective, I found it important to offer an analytical reading grounded in my experience as a former UAE official responsible for the maritime transport portfolio, and informed by the clear principles articulated by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) regarding freedom of navigation and transit rights in international straits.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f8b40c34-0a6f-425b-a467-ad81d239c6ce/element/a321835b-deb2-4b64-85a9-ecfca4a89fc4","type":"text","family-id":"594f578f-10c1-452b-ba17-7e79a8a97f14","title":"","id":"a321835b-deb2-4b64-85a9-ecfca4a89fc4","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"fa0246a4-3811-4ae4-b60e-2e31a73297ad","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775218384076,"author-name":"Alex Abraham","headline":"Inside Iran\u2019s Hormuz strategy: Who can pass - and who can\u2019t","story-content-id":"fa0246a4-3811-4ae4-b60e-2e31a73297ad","is-published":true,"slug":"world/mena/inside-irans-hormuz-strategy-who-can-pass-and-who-cant-1.500495192","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775204890064,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Iran\u2019s Hormuz strategy: Who can pass \u2014 and who can\u2019t","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/XXN5C9SEPpC9-DFQJBcYwStml-VzC7vfRPVJwALgvcglYGCt2lf7E_PWILNZnu42","published-at":1775204890064,"status":"published","id":"fa0246a4-3811-4ae4-b60e-2e31a73297ad","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/inside-irans-hormuz-strategy-who-can-pass-and-who-cant-1.500495192","author-id":2165599,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2165599,"name":"Alex Abraham","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"XXN5C9SEPpC9-DFQJBcYwStml-VzC7vfRPVJwALgvcglYGCt2lf7E_PWILNZnu42","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Inside Iran\u2019s Hormuz strategy: Who can pass - and who can\u2019t"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f8b40c34-0a6f-425b-a467-ad81d239c6ce/element/2b4d05b0-b576-43ef-8a4f-985b39e1d42d","type":"text","family-id":"682ba397-c940-4acb-9058-5abc5f23825f","title":"","id":"2b4d05b0-b576-43ef-8a4f-985b39e1d42d","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The IMO, in its statement issued on March 16, affirmed that any infringement of transit passage in the Strait of Hormuz constitutes a breach of international maritime law. The organisation stressed that the strait is governed by the regime of transit passage, which cannot be suspended or restricted through unilateral measures. It also called for full respect of international navigation rules, the protection of merchant vessels and seafarers, and the avoidance of actions that could endanger maritime safety or disrupt global trade. This position comes at a time when the world\u2019s reliance on strategic waterways is increasing, along with the risks posed by inaccurate interpretations that may shape public understanding of these vital corridors.
The Strait of Hormuz is the principal maritime gateway from the Arabian Gulf to the Indian Ocean, carrying nearly one\u2011fifth of the world\u2019s oil trade \u2014 making it indispensable to the global economy. Its narrowest width ranges between 33 and 39 kilometers, while the designated traffic lanes are no more than six kilometers wide. Although these lanes lie within the territorial seas of Iran and Oman, international law grants vessels the right of transit passage \u2014 an uninterrupted right that cannot be suspended even in times of tension. This makes Hormuz an international strait by virtue of use and necessity, not by virtue of being outside coastal sovereignty. For this reason, the responsibility for ensuring safe navigation is inherently international, and safeguarding the flow of traffic is a global obligation.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f8b40c34-0a6f-425b-a467-ad81d239c6ce/element/a5d27a4d-0d8b-40c6-8da6-88cf87d42584","type":"text","family-id":"66ba8778-ca79-42a8-ac59-1b101b75d741","title":"","id":"a5d27a4d-0d8b-40c6-8da6-88cf87d42584","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"54f3156b-15ca-472a-88f4-c50ecb948125","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775718135050,"author-name":"Jay Hilotin","headline":"New Hormuz toll fee? A 'beautiful thing\u2019, says Trump \u2014 could change global rules","story-content-id":"54f3156b-15ca-472a-88f4-c50ecb948125","is-published":true,"slug":"world/mena/new-hormuz-toll-fee-a-beautiful-thing-says-trump-could-change-global-rules-1.500501006","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775718137984,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"New Hormuz toll fee? \u2018A beautiful thing\u2019, says Trump","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null},{"id":85243,"name":"Americas","slug":"americas","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/9wtQdv0T5-9vxyRZpmNvk04gwEPPMdobd1rDiUR6AXrWaXSLtjI_R1AjmIoEo2Nn","published-at":1775718137984,"status":"published","id":"54f3156b-15ca-472a-88f4-c50ecb948125","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/new-hormuz-toll-fee-a-beautiful-thing-says-trump-could-change-global-rules-1.500501006","author-id":2183048,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2183048,"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"9wtQdv0T5-9vxyRZpmNvk04gwEPPMdobd1rDiUR6AXrWaXSLtjI_R1AjmIoEo2Nn","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"New Hormuz toll fee? A 'beautiful thing\u2019, says Trump \u2014 could change global rules"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f8b40c34-0a6f-425b-a467-ad81d239c6ce/element/9a432a0c-def9-43cb-b216-bbbce2cdd754","type":"text","family-id":"d4aa6afb-a83e-4189-a4f1-d4f16400897f","title":"","id":"9a432a0c-def9-43cb-b216-bbbce2cdd754","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Historically, Arab and Islamic geographers referred to the strait by several names reflecting its commercial role and its connection to major Gulf ports. Among these names were Bab Al Salam, Bab Al Basra, Bab Al Bahr, Bahr Makran, and Bahr Fars. These terms appear in the works of Ibn Khordadbeh, Ibn Hawqal, Al Ya\u2018qubi, Al Idrisi, and Yaqut Al Hamawi, who described the maritime routes linking India with Mesopotamia. The modern name \u201CHormuz\u201D is associated with the Kingdom of Hormuz, which flourished between the 10th and 16th centuries. The Portuguese adopted the local name when they occupied the island in 1515, helping to spread it globally through European cartography \u2014 though they were not the first to use it.
In contrast, the Bosporus represents a strait fully controlled by a coastal state under a specific international convention. It links the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and is entirely under Turkish sovereignty. The Montreux Convention of 1936 governs the passage of merchant ships, imposes clear restrictions on warships, and grants Turkey extensive powers during wartime or when facing imminent threat. The same applies to the Dardanelles, making both straits legally distinct from Hormuz, which is not governed by any special convention but rather by the general provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f8b40c34-0a6f-425b-a467-ad81d239c6ce/element/7db98969-7821-410a-8018-29a6ed592db4","type":"text","family-id":"a738189a-d7d6-4652-a1b6-821d184b7ae5","title":"","id":"7db98969-7821-410a-8018-29a6ed592db4","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"70393434-8816-4923-a04b-d582bebdd5f8","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775798284857,"author-name":"Jay Hilotin","headline":"Hormuz Strait 'toll': Oil prices drift back to $100/barrel mark \u2014 what it will take to get things going again","story-content-id":"70393434-8816-4923-a04b-d582bebdd5f8","is-published":true,"slug":"business/energy/hormuz-strait-toll-oil-prices-drift-back-to-100barrel-mark-what-it-will-take-to-get-things-going-again-1.500502195","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775798087126,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Hormuz Strait toll: Oil drifts back to $100/barrel mark","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85216,"name":"Energy","slug":"energy","data":null},{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null},{"id":85218,"name":"World","slug":"world","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/6vsVslomT6PUvKgeVn_YvhuEFqTEZIMbwV5znFj7kPGq88O69CGQjhmBKeMG_ifg","published-at":1775798087126,"status":"published","id":"70393434-8816-4923-a04b-d582bebdd5f8","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/energy/hormuz-strait-toll-oil-prices-drift-back-to-100barrel-mark-what-it-will-take-to-get-things-going-again-1.500502195","author-id":2183048,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2183048,"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"6vsVslomT6PUvKgeVn_YvhuEFqTEZIMbwV5znFj7kPGq88O69CGQjhmBKeMG_ifg","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Hormuz Strait 'toll': Oil prices drift back to $100/barrel mark \u2014 what it will take to get things going again"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f8b40c34-0a6f-425b-a467-ad81d239c6ce/element/c2332ac9-10bb-4984-b29f-630397738b90","type":"text","family-id":"678297c4-dbd5-4492-9e42-2f19882c701e","title":"","id":"c2332ac9-10bb-4984-b29f-630397738b90","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The Strait of Malacca \u2014 shared by Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore \u2014 is one of the busiest maritime corridors in the world and a central artery of Asian trade. Despite its importance, it is not subject to transit passage but to joint management by the littoral states, with security challenges such as piracy shaping its operational environment. Bab Al Mandeb, linking the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean, is another strategic chokepoint for trade between Europe and Asia. Its sensitivity stems more from regional stability than from legal complexity, as it is governed by general principles of international navigation without a dedicated treaty.
A comparison of these straits reveals that Hormuz occupies a unique position: a narrow waterway of immense global economic significance, with traffic lanes inside territorial seas yet governed by a legal regime that guarantees freedom of navigation. The Bosporus, the Dardanelles, Malacca, and Bab Al Mandeb each possess their own legal and political characteristics that shape how they are managed and how they function within the international maritime system. These straits, despite their differences, remain pivotal indicators of geopolitical balance and global economic stability \u2014 making it essential to return to law and history to understand their present and future, away from the noise of shifting media interpretations.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776082310203,"content-version-id":"bd22cdc2-2547-45c5-b99e-23fe11476355","card-added-at":1776081964928,"status":"draft","id":"5e4d8155-14ce-4ec6-9c42-09c1a9f95ea7","content-id":"5e4d8155-14ce-4ec6-9c42-09c1a9f95ea7","version":7,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Strait of Hormuz: Between noise and the clarity of international law","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/lcc8liey/newsml_afp_com_20260413T074821Z_doc_a7kv8cq.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"AFP ","alt-text":null,"caption":"A boat sails in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz off Khasab in Oman\u2019s northern Musandam peninsula on June 25, 2025.","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":246457,"width":1200,"height":800}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f8b40c34-0a6f-425b-a467-ad81d239c6ce/element/7062f5bf-96d9-483d-bf5d-5fe4374a3c9f","type":"text","family-id":"72a67764-79ff-437f-89b4-bf04bcd7b7b2","title":"","id":"7062f5bf-96d9-483d-bf5d-5fe4374a3c9f","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi is former UAE Minister of Climate Change and Professor of Sustainability at the American University of Sharjah
"}],"card-updated-at":1776082310203,"content-version-id":"10323e8d-5563-4a50-a5d8-a0c88ba6e0d8","card-added-at":1776082048693,"status":"draft","id":"9e9a91ee-ea7d-4c96-a933-741361be746c","content-id":"9e9a91ee-ea7d-4c96-a933-741361be746c","version":6,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Strait of Hormuz: Between noise and the clarity of international law","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/lcc8liey/newsml_afp_com_20260413T074821Z_doc_a7kv8cq.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"AFP ","alt-text":null,"caption":"A boat sails in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz off Khasab in Oman\u2019s northern Musandam peninsula on June 25, 2025.","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":246457,"width":1200,"height":800}}},"attributes":{}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds/strait-of-hormuz-between-noise-and-the-clarity-of-international-law-1.500505374","story-version-id":"1c219b55-dc76-4bfc-9dea-f59b19c5132e","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776082336478,"author-id":2168918,"owner-id":2165599,"linked-story-ids":["70393434-8816-4923-a04b-d582bebdd5f8","54f3156b-15ca-472a-88f4-c50ecb948125","fa0246a4-3811-4ae4-b60e-2e31a73297ad"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776082335658,"hero-image-caption":"A boat sails in the waters of the Strait of Hormuz off Khasab in Oman\u2019s northern Musandam peninsula on June 25, 2025.","version":10,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776082310188,"authors":[{"slug":"dr-abdullah-belhaif-al-nuaimi-special-to-gulf-news","social":{},"name":"Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Special to Gulf News","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2168918,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Alex Abraham"},"id":"f8b40c34-0a6f-425b-a467-ad81d239c6ce"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776153706336,"seo":{"meta-title":"Pakistan Pushes New US\u2013Iran Talks as Vance, Trump Signal Progress on Ceasefire and Nuclear Deal","meta-description":"Pakistan proposes new US\u2013Iran talks as Vance and Trump signal cautious progress, with Islamabad pushing to extend a fragile ceasefire and avert nuclear escalation.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2170753,"author-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","tags":[{"id":11390904,"name":"Pakistan","meta-description":"Explore breaking news and major developments from Pakistan across politics, society, and international relations.","meta-title":"Pakistan News \u2013 Politics, Society & Global Affairs","slug":"pakistan","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11447774,"name":"iran nuclear programme","meta-description":"Stay updated on Iran\u2019s nuclear programme including international negotiations, sanctions, and global diplomatic responses.","meta-title":"Iran Nuclear Programme \u2013 Talks, Sanctions & Global Reactions","slug":"iran-nuclear-programme","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":14773106,"name":"US-Israel-Iran war","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"us-israel-iran-war","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"Pakistan proposes new US\u2013Iran talks as Vance, Trump signal progress","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"f0721877-d23f-4aa4-ba0a-6bbb440bbffb","slug":"world/asia/pakistan/pakistan-proposes-new-usiran-talks-as-vance-trump-signal-progress-1.500506229","linked-stories":{"2354cc74-9b26-4084-9621-d284a384c14d":{"author-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","headline":"US-Iran ceasefire: JD Vance says 21-hour talks end without deal - key takeaways","story-content-id":"2354cc74-9b26-4084-9621-d284a384c14d","slug":"world/americas/us-iran-ceasefire-jd-vance-says-21-hour-talks-end-without-deal-key-takeaways-1.500504012","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Key takeaways: Vance on 21-hour Iran negotiations","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"americas","name":"Americas","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas","id":85243,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Americas","collection":{"slug":"americas-world","name":"Americas (World)","id":194667},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":226524,"width":1200,"height":800},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/ckw5w5ql/newsml_afp_com_20260412T021004Z_doc_a7hd84x.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/us-iran-ceasefire-jd-vance-says-21-hour-talks-end-without-deal-key-takeaways-1.500504012","content-updated-at":1775964273567,"author-id":2170753,"first-published-at":1775964272829,"authors":[{"slug":"lekshmy-pavithran","social":{},"name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/0iyy2fe8/lk__2_.jpg","bio":"Lekshmy is a rockstar in the digital newsroom! With nearly two decades of experience, she revels in breaking news, riding viral trends, and spotting those hidden stories everyone else misses. \n\nAs the Assistant Online Editor, she steers the homepage, blending editorial brilliance with a no-nonsense approach. Whether it\u2019s UAE headlines, global affairs, business stories, or the latest buzz in entertainment and sports, Lekshmy is always on top of the game, delivering real-time coverage with precision. \n\nHer work ethic? Clarity, impact, and a dash of flair. All that is evident in her in-depth stories, special reports and explainers. Add in her social media savvy, and it\u2019s no wonder she consistently cranks out content that gets eyeballs and keeps them coming back for more.","id":2170753,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/0iyy2fe8/lk__2_.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"b019d6d0-bb5c-4db7-b1c7-a198f1bd643c":{"author-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","headline":"No deal after 21 hours of talks: Why US-Iran marathon negotiations collapsed in Pakistan","story-content-id":"b019d6d0-bb5c-4db7-b1c7-a198f1bd643c","slug":"world/asia/pakistan/no-deal-after-21-hours-of-talks-why-us-iran-marathon-negotiations-collapsed-in-pakistan-1.500504124","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"No deal after 21 hours: Why US-Iran talks collapsed","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"pakistan","name":"Pakistan","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan","id":85232,"parent-id":85230,"display-name":"Pakistan","collection":{"slug":"pakistan-asia-world","name":"Pakistan (Asia, World)","id":194656},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":295680,"width":1200,"height":803},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-11/l48sa6io/newsml_afp_com_20260411T210304Z_doc_a7h88ez.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/no-deal-after-21-hours-of-talks-why-us-iran-marathon-negotiations-collapsed-in-pakistan-1.500504124","content-updated-at":1775977633913,"author-id":2170753,"first-published-at":1775977129512,"authors":[{"slug":"lekshmy-pavithran","social":{},"name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/0iyy2fe8/lk__2_.jpg","bio":"Lekshmy is a rockstar in the digital newsroom! With nearly two decades of experience, she revels in breaking news, riding viral trends, and spotting those hidden stories everyone else misses. \n\nAs the Assistant Online Editor, she steers the homepage, blending editorial brilliance with a no-nonsense approach. Whether it\u2019s UAE headlines, global affairs, business stories, or the latest buzz in entertainment and sports, Lekshmy is always on top of the game, delivering real-time coverage with precision. \n\nHer work ethic? Clarity, impact, and a dash of flair. All that is evident in her in-depth stories, special reports and explainers. Add in her social media savvy, and it\u2019s no wonder she consistently cranks out content that gets eyeballs and keeps them coming back for more.","id":2170753,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/0iyy2fe8/lk__2_.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6":{"author-name":"Nathaniel Lacsina","headline":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","story-content-id":"52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6","slug":"world/mena/us-iran-ceasefire-trump-warns-iran-as-us-blockade-on-ports-takes-effect-new-peace-talks-loom-1.500505960","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"2 days to US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump thinks so","hero-image":{"member-id":2183048,"hero-image-extracted-data":{},"index":21,"uploaded-at":1759607565679,"hero-image-metadata":{"focus-point":[324,252],"width":750,"height":563},"source":null,"hero-image-attribution":"AFP","hero-image-alt-text":"Donald Trump","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2024/11/07/Donald-Trump_1930495bbba_large.jpg","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":"US President Donald Trump.","extracted-data":{},"hero-image-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/import/2024/11/07/Donald-Trump_1930495bbba_large.jpg","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"US-Iran ceasefire live: Four Iran-linked ships transit Strait of Hormuz","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"americas","name":"Americas","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas","id":85243,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Americas","collection":{"slug":"americas-world","name":"Americas (World)","id":194667},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":137228,"file-name":"Donald-Trump","focus-point":[596,401]},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/890qtcnl/Donald-Trump","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/us-iran-ceasefire-trump-warns-iran-as-us-blockade-on-ports-takes-effect-new-peace-talks-loom-1.500505960","content-updated-at":1776197182363,"author-id":2165829,"first-published-at":1776134838327,"authors":[{"slug":"nathaniel-lacsina","social":{},"name":"Nathaniel Lacsina","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Nathaniel Lacsina is a Senior Web Editor at Gulf News, helping shape the homepage while covering tech, business, viral human-interest stories, crime and offbeat news. With over 10 years\u2019 experience in digital publishing, he brings calm, accurate and dependable reporting across fast-moving beats.","id":2165829,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null},{"slug":"jay-hilotin-2","social":{},"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2183048,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null},{"slug":"huda-ata","social":{},"name":"Huda Ata","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE.","id":2287057,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null},{"slug":"lekshmy-pavithran","social":{},"name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/0iyy2fe8/lk__2_.jpg","bio":"Lekshmy is a rockstar in the digital newsroom! With nearly two decades of experience, she revels in breaking news, riding viral trends, and spotting those hidden stories everyone else misses. \n\nAs the Assistant Online Editor, she steers the homepage, blending editorial brilliance with a no-nonsense approach. Whether it\u2019s UAE headlines, global affairs, business stories, or the latest buzz in entertainment and sports, Lekshmy is always on top of the game, delivering real-time coverage with precision. \n\nHer work ethic? Clarity, impact, and a dash of flair. All that is evident in her in-depth stories, special reports and explainers. Add in her social media savvy, and it\u2019s no wonder she consistently cranks out content that gets eyeballs and keeps them coming back for more.","id":2170753,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/0iyy2fe8/lk__2_.jpg","twitter-handle":null},{"slug":"christian-borbon","social":{},"name":"Christian Borbon","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-12/pkgif7br/philipgn.jpg","bio":"Christian is a detail-oriented digital professional who works behind the scenes to ensure every piece of content is delivered seamlessly across platforms. With a sharp eye for detail and a strong sense of diligence, he helps keep the digital side of the newsroom running smoothly. Known for being dependable and easy to work with, he\u2019s always ready to jump in, solve problems, and support the team. ","id":2165444,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-12/pkgif7br/philipgn.jpg","twitter-handle":null},{"slug":"karishma-h-nandkeolyar","social":{},"name":"Karishma H. Nandkeolyar","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-10-13/j2u1m1tw/Karishma_Nandkeolyar_2__1_.jpg","bio":"Karishma Nandkeolyar is a lifestyle and entertainment journalist with a lifelong love for storytelling \u2014 she wrote her first \u201Cbook\u201D at age six and has been chasing the next sentence ever since. Known for her sharp wit, thoughtful takes, and ability to find the humor in just about anything, she covers everything from celebrity culture and internet trends to everyday lifestyle moments that make you go, \u201CSame.\u201D\n\nHer work blends insight with a conversational tone that feels like catching up with your cleverest friend \u2014 if your friend also had a deadline and a latte in hand. Off-duty, Karishma is a proud dog mom who fully believes her pup has a personality worth documenting, and yes, she does narrate those inner monologues out loud.\n\nWhether she\u2019s writing features, curating content, or crafting the perfect headline, Karishma brings curiosity, creativity, and just the right amount of sarcasm to the mix.","id":2165038,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-10-13/j2u1m1tw/Karishma_Nandkeolyar_2__1_.jpg","twitter-handle":null},{"slug":"sajila-saseendran","social":{},"name":"Sajila Saseendran","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Sajila is a powerhouse in UAE journalism, with over two decades of impactful reporting that has informed, empowered, and transformed lives. She is widely recognised as one of the most trusted voices on local affairs, particularly within the Indian expat community.\n\nFrom exposing scams and reuniting families to shifting policies and freeing jailed workers, Sajila\u2019s stories often make front pages and a real-world difference. Once the only female crime reporter in Bangalore, India, she brought her razor-sharp news instincts to the UAE, covering everything from civic matters, health, education, and environment to stories that matter to both expats and Emiratis alike.\n\nShe has covered the launch of iconic projects in Dubai and milestone national moments\u2014from COP28, Expo 2020 Dubai, Presidential and Prime Ministerial visits, multiple visa amnesties and landmark space missions to plane crashes, tragic fires, accidents and COVID-19 crises. She broke the news of Indian actress Sridevi\u2019s accidental drowning and did a literally out-of-the-world interview with UAE astronaut Dr Sultan Al Neyadi, who went on to become a minister, live from the International Space Station.\u00A0\n\nHer storytelling blends deep editorial insight with compelling human interest, backed by an extensive network across officials and communities alike. Recognised with numerous journalism awards, Sajila doesn\u2019t just report stories; she helps write the history of the UAE.","id":2207522,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"4a464719-684e-4b2c-bb08-04b237a33ff4":{"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"US, Iran discuss 'another round' of direct talks before current ceasefire expires","story-content-id":"4a464719-684e-4b2c-bb08-04b237a33ff4","slug":"world/mena/us-iran-discuss-another-round-of-direct-talks-before-current-ceasefire-expires-1.500505901","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"US, Iran discuss 'another round' of direct talks","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":180055,"width":992,"height":797,"focus-point":null},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/6kol8ddv/newsml_afp_com_20260411T210210Z_doc_a7h88fg.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/us-iran-discuss-another-round-of-direct-talks-before-current-ceasefire-expires-1.500505901","content-updated-at":1776124811208,"author-id":2287057,"first-published-at":1776122071541,"authors":[{"slug":"huda-ata","social":{},"name":"Huda Ata","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE.","id":2287057,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null},{"slug":"jay-hilotin-2","social":{},"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2183048,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"9be522ea-107b-42ca-933c-5b3127032d23":{"author-name":"Jay Hilotin","headline":"Iran says was 'inches away' from deal with US in Islamabad","story-content-id":"9be522ea-107b-42ca-933c-5b3127032d23","slug":"world/mena/iran-says-was-inches-away-from-deal-with-us-in-islamabad-2-1.500504734","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Iran says 'inches away' from deal with US","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"americas","name":"Americas","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas","id":85243,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Americas","collection":{"slug":"americas-world","name":"Americas (World)","id":194667},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1024,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/cea6325d844a4201b8eb2a9f271a57a0.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7Ecea6325d844a4201b8eb2a9f271a57a0%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7E63e77693f9064bc387c9b853dd3bb8ea%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7ET4gih9O87ZeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","height":683},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-07-13/vnwacf2b/preview.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/iran-says-was-inches-away-from-deal-with-us-in-islamabad-2-1.500504734","content-updated-at":1776034317344,"author-id":2183048,"first-published-at":1776031884610,"authors":[{"slug":"jay-hilotin-2","social":{},"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2183048,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776152744522,"public-identifier":"1.500506229","subheadline":"Islamabad pushes for second round as both sides leave door open to diplomacy","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Pakistan working to set second round of US, Iran talks","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"pakistan","name":"Pakistan","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan","id":85232,"parent-id":85230,"display-name":"Pakistan","collection":{"slug":"pakistan-asia-world","name":"Pakistan (Asia, World)","id":194656},"data":null}],"read-time":3,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776152035199,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":313577,"file-name":"PakistanUSIranVance6326-45593-Read-Only.jpg"},"comments":null,"word-count":561,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776152744522,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"last-correction-published-at":1776153708236,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"AP","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"f0721877-d23f-4aa4-ba0a-6bbb440bbffb","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/grewzu7g/PakistanUSIranVance6326-45593-Read-Only.jpg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f0721877-d23f-4aa4-ba0a-6bbb440bbffb/element/629a2e01-dd15-4c82-9962-9cef868f943f","type":"text","family-id":"7120d4ca-df72-4d89-a56a-bb19ae289f7e","title":"","id":"629a2e01-dd15-4c82-9962-9cef868f943f","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Pakistani officials said on Tuesday that Islamabad has proposed a second round of talks between the United States and Iran, even as senior US leaders signalled cautious optimism following the latest negotiations.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to brief the media, said the proposal was shared with both Washington and Tehran after the first round of discussions concluded.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f0721877-d23f-4aa4-ba0a-6bbb440bbffb/element/5773b395-4fcb-4684-bf14-61fd357c830b","type":"text","family-id":"5ddb2e97-4d74-4fe3-a95e-6bfffa636c7b","title":"","id":"5773b395-4fcb-4684-bf14-61fd357c830b","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f0721877-d23f-4aa4-ba0a-6bbb440bbffb/element/b9130dc9-158f-46b8-9eb6-ae02c1727c85","type":"text","family-id":"04a51eeb-0d84-4dc2-aebd-0f6047109fdd","title":"","id":"b9130dc9-158f-46b8-9eb6-ae02c1727c85","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
\"Efforts are underway to bring both parties back to the table, of course we want them back in Islamabad, but the venue is not final yet,\" said the source.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f0721877-d23f-4aa4-ba0a-6bbb440bbffb/element/7a464f80-876b-4f17-abf4-ac9f17198a5f","type":"text","family-id":"6257624e-0b8e-49ae-ad32-3304a5292752","title":"","id":"7a464f80-876b-4f17-abf4-ac9f17198a5f","metadata":{"content":"The meeting could take place soon though dates have yet to be confirmed. We are also working to get the ceasefire extended beyond the current deadline to allow for additional time.","attribution":"Pakistani official"},"subtype":"blockquote","text":"The meeting could take place soon though dates have yet to be confirmed. We are also working to get the ceasefire extended beyond the current deadline to allow for additional time.Pakistani official
Earlier, US Vice President JD Vance said negotiations had \u201Cmade some progress\u201D, while Donald Trump indicated that the Iranian side had shown willingness to pursue a deal.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f0721877-d23f-4aa4-ba0a-6bbb440bbffb/element/61a6df20-af1c-4cff-bc6c-d1b1316c9e63","type":"text","family-id":"a4483408-16bb-4604-84bf-0658c298651c","title":"","id":"61a6df20-af1c-4cff-bc6c-d1b1316c9e63","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776152309961,"author-name":"Nathaniel Lacsina","headline":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so","story-content-id":"52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6","is-published":true,"slug":"world/mena/us-iran-ceasefire-trump-warns-iran-as-us-blockade-on-ports-takes-effect-new-peace-talks-loom-1.500505960","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776152310073,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"2 days to US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump thinks so","hero-image":{"member-id":2183048,"hero-image-extracted-data":{},"index":21,"uploaded-at":1759607565679,"hero-image-metadata":{"focus-point":[324,252],"width":750,"height":563},"source":null,"hero-image-attribution":"AFP","hero-image-alt-text":"Donald Trump","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2024/11/07/Donald-Trump_1930495bbba_large.jpg","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":"US President Donald Trump.","extracted-data":{},"hero-image-url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/import/2024/11/07/Donald-Trump_1930495bbba_large.jpg","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"US-Iran ceasefire live: Four Iran-linked ships transit Strait of Hormuz","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null},{"id":85243,"name":"Americas","slug":"americas","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/aurogDdA0XCpYhhsV69_4Yw7D2ZnlV9Z_o-8NI3KCn9W9YnvhjSaF_QT-i6cIdKe","published-at":1776152310073,"status":"published","id":"52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/us-iran-ceasefire-trump-warns-iran-as-us-blockade-on-ports-takes-effect-new-peace-talks-loom-1.500505960","author-id":2165829,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"live-blog","authors":[{"id":2165829,"name":"Nathaniel Lacsina","email":"nlacsina@gulfnews.com"},{"id":2183048,"name":"Jay Hilotin","email":"jhilotin_fl@gulfnews.com"},{"id":2287057,"name":"Huda Ata","email":"huda.ata@gulfnews.com"},{"id":2170753,"name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","email":"lpavithran@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"live-blog-introduction":"A US blockade on Iranian ports has come into effect, with President Donald Trump warning Iranian vessels near the restricted zone could be \u201Celiminated,\u201D while saying a diplomatic deal is still possible. Iran has accused the US of piracy as protests erupted in Tehran near the Strait of Hormuz. Meanwhile, US and Iranian officials are reportedly discussing another round of face-to-face talks, with Pakistan offering to host fresh negotiations aimed at extending a ceasefire after earlier talks ended without agreement. Follow our live coverage for the latest developments in the region.","story-attributes":{"label":["LIVE"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"aurogDdA0XCpYhhsV69_4Yw7D2ZnlV9Z_o-8NI3KCn9W9YnvhjSaF_QT-i6cIdKe","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"US-Iran ceasefire: Two days to new US-Iran talks in Pakistan? Trump seems to think so"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f0721877-d23f-4aa4-ba0a-6bbb440bbffb/element/82f8375b-9802-4d81-b98a-27adcd5939ba","type":"text","family-id":"62e1e1fe-65da-4cef-91a7-b6b40edbb972","title":"","id":"82f8375b-9802-4d81-b98a-27adcd5939ba","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Meanwhile, Pakistan signalled its readiness to continue acting as a diplomatic bridge between the two sides.
\u201CPakistan has been and will continue to play its role to facilitate engagements and dialogue between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America in the days to come,\u201D said Ishaq Dar after the talks concluded.
The negotiations marked the highest-level direct engagement between Washington and Tehran since the Iranian Revolution, though differences over Iran\u2019s nuclear programme prevented a breakthrough.
Speaking after the talks in Islamabad, Vance stressed that Washington\u2019s core demand remains clear: Iran must commit not to pursue nuclear weapons.
\u201CThe simple fact is that we need to see an affirmative commitment that they will not seek a nuclear weapon, and they will not seek the tools that would enable them to quickly achieve a nuclear weapon,\u201D he said.
Vance added that Washington had presented what he described as its \u201Cfinal and best offer\u201D, while leaving a narrow opening for further negotiations.
\u201CWe leave here with a very simple proposal, a method of understanding that is our final and best offer. We\u2019ll see if the Iranians accept it,\u201D he said.
Pakistani and Iranian sources said the Iranian delegation also held separate meetings with senior Pakistani officials before departing for Tehran, although details of those discussions have not been made public.
Officials in Islamabad described the talks as \u201Can important opening step in a continuing diplomatic process\u201D, noting that disputes of such complexity cannot be resolved in a single meeting.
Despite diplomatic efforts, tensions in the region remain elevated. A fragile two-week truce agreed last week to allow time for negotiations remains in place. Meanwhile, a US naval blockade around Iranian ports near the Strait of Hormuz has continued, after Tehran effectively closed the strategic waterway earlier.
The standoff at the strait has not rattled markets so far, with Asian equities rising while oil prices continued to slide.
With inputs from AFP, AP
"}],"card-updated-at":1776152854066,"content-version-id":"6da1601b-9086-4eb8-b7d1-15386aeb05a1","card-added-at":1776152035206,"status":"draft","id":"90cf3a4e-793d-46b4-9493-9c68f25d6cb6","content-id":"90cf3a4e-793d-46b4-9493-9c68f25d6cb6","version":11,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Pakistan proposes new US\u2013Iran talks as Vance, Trump signal progress","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/grewzu7g/PakistanUSIranVance6326-45593-Read-Only.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":"U.S. Vice President JD Vance, left, shakes hands with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saturday, April 11, 2026, while meeting in Islamabad for talks about Iran. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":313577,"file-name":"PakistanUSIranVance6326-45593-Read-Only.jpg"}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f0721877-d23f-4aa4-ba0a-6bbb440bbffb/element/c6b4176f-c4a6-4b9f-817d-e227f666bcc0","type":"text","family-id":"b0c1ffef-d5ae-4440-8778-6f722d25f579","title":"","id":"c6b4176f-c4a6-4b9f-817d-e227f666bcc0","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"4a464719-684e-4b2c-bb08-04b237a33ff4","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776124805175,"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"US, Iran discuss 'another round' of direct talks before current ceasefire expires","story-content-id":"4a464719-684e-4b2c-bb08-04b237a33ff4","is-published":true,"slug":"world/mena/us-iran-discuss-another-round-of-direct-talks-before-current-ceasefire-expires-1.500505901","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776122071541,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"US, Iran discuss 'another round' of direct talks","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/5ByTGk4dG7_fmsW0ofh1up-grMxxfuhYzOA8VUOB1KuqufR-c6VVh0hD3m6i90Yb","published-at":1776122071541,"status":"published","id":"4a464719-684e-4b2c-bb08-04b237a33ff4","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/us-iran-discuss-another-round-of-direct-talks-before-current-ceasefire-expires-1.500505901","author-id":2287057,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2287057,"name":"Huda Ata","email":"huda.ata@gulfnews.com"},{"id":2183048,"name":"Jay Hilotin","email":"jhilotin_fl@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"label":["UPDATE"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"5ByTGk4dG7_fmsW0ofh1up-grMxxfuhYzOA8VUOB1KuqufR-c6VVh0hD3m6i90Yb","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"US, Iran discuss 'another round' of direct talks before current ceasefire expires"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f0721877-d23f-4aa4-ba0a-6bbb440bbffb/element/41447c18-dc00-4e3c-b4c3-bed8856fcd16","type":"text","family-id":"ce3edf22-cf97-4000-9d5b-13b6e9144468","title":"","id":"41447c18-dc00-4e3c-b4c3-bed8856fcd16","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"b019d6d0-bb5c-4db7-b1c7-a198f1bd643c","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775977631699,"author-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","headline":"No deal after 21 hours of talks: Why US-Iran marathon negotiations collapsed in Pakistan","story-content-id":"b019d6d0-bb5c-4db7-b1c7-a198f1bd643c","is-published":true,"slug":"world/asia/pakistan/no-deal-after-21-hours-of-talks-why-us-iran-marathon-negotiations-collapsed-in-pakistan-1.500504124","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775977129512,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"No deal after 21 hours: Why US-Iran talks collapsed","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85232,"name":"Pakistan","slug":"pakistan","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/AVzokEmHhS6_tUXjhkDFmT1-QuFuqF9wACYi3WptTJkXqNOdzAnxpA7D3--0g6WH","published-at":1775977129512,"status":"published","id":"b019d6d0-bb5c-4db7-b1c7-a198f1bd643c","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/no-deal-after-21-hours-of-talks-why-us-iran-marathon-negotiations-collapsed-in-pakistan-1.500504124","author-id":2170753,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2170753,"name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"AVzokEmHhS6_tUXjhkDFmT1-QuFuqF9wACYi3WptTJkXqNOdzAnxpA7D3--0g6WH","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"No deal after 21 hours of talks: Why US-Iran marathon negotiations collapsed in Pakistan"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f0721877-d23f-4aa4-ba0a-6bbb440bbffb/element/a219d400-62c0-496d-baec-5124498e09c6","type":"text","family-id":"b6e32e6e-01f8-4d05-8064-c5891b185601","title":"","id":"a219d400-62c0-496d-baec-5124498e09c6","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"9be522ea-107b-42ca-933c-5b3127032d23","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776034314329,"author-name":"Jay Hilotin","headline":"Iran says was 'inches away' from deal with US in Islamabad","story-content-id":"9be522ea-107b-42ca-933c-5b3127032d23","is-published":true,"slug":"world/mena/iran-says-was-inches-away-from-deal-with-us-in-islamabad-2-1.500504734","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776031884610,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Iran says 'inches away' from deal with US","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null},{"id":85243,"name":"Americas","slug":"americas","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/YtWzxSGgTmyIAnCzq9FTr_uoPISATObfRokIk4RS7qQfd3WtkD9p1HReBub9ZXKK","published-at":1776031884610,"status":"published","id":"9be522ea-107b-42ca-933c-5b3127032d23","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/iran-says-was-inches-away-from-deal-with-us-in-islamabad-2-1.500504734","author-id":2183048,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2183048,"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"YtWzxSGgTmyIAnCzq9FTr_uoPISATObfRokIk4RS7qQfd3WtkD9p1HReBub9ZXKK","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Iran says was 'inches away' from deal with US in Islamabad"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/f0721877-d23f-4aa4-ba0a-6bbb440bbffb/element/5a9b1a87-1e18-4bd8-a04e-fe084c17bd5d","type":"text","family-id":"5995d67e-0249-40f9-8ba2-86602ed7e4fb","title":"","id":"5a9b1a87-1e18-4bd8-a04e-fe084c17bd5d","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"2354cc74-9b26-4084-9621-d284a384c14d","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775964270762,"author-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","headline":"US-Iran ceasefire: JD Vance says 21-hour talks end without deal - key takeaways","story-content-id":"2354cc74-9b26-4084-9621-d284a384c14d","is-published":true,"slug":"world/americas/us-iran-ceasefire-jd-vance-says-21-hour-talks-end-without-deal-key-takeaways-1.500504012","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775964272829,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Key takeaways: Vance on 21-hour Iran negotiations","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85243,"name":"Americas","slug":"americas","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/dEcb_wZAkGGoK9Kcb9PHtdhdU3yCNStWsqdV0YaIXS9odiGmyfv-O0HNnk8asJRt","published-at":1775964272829,"status":"published","id":"2354cc74-9b26-4084-9621-d284a384c14d","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/us-iran-ceasefire-jd-vance-says-21-hour-talks-end-without-deal-key-takeaways-1.500504012","author-id":2170753,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2170753,"name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"dEcb_wZAkGGoK9Kcb9PHtdhdU3yCNStWsqdV0YaIXS9odiGmyfv-O0HNnk8asJRt","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"US-Iran ceasefire: JD Vance says 21-hour talks end without deal - key takeaways"}],"card-updated-at":1776152744115,"content-version-id":"85316c53-639c-487b-b1eb-203abc3a5d62","card-added-at":1776152721768,"status":"draft","id":"9e06ea57-02f3-4d0e-a13b-5e2aa56f6894","content-id":"9e06ea57-02f3-4d0e-a13b-5e2aa56f6894","version":3,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Pakistan proposes new US\u2013Iran talks as Vance, Trump signal progress","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-14/grewzu7g/PakistanUSIranVance6326-45593-Read-Only.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AP","alt-text":null,"caption":"U.S. Vice President JD Vance, left, shakes hands with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saturday, April 11, 2026, while meeting in Islamabad for talks about Iran. ","metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":313577,"file-name":"PakistanUSIranVance6326-45593-Read-Only.jpg"}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_In_This_Package"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan/pakistan-proposes-new-usiran-talks-as-vance-trump-signal-progress-1.500506229","story-version-id":"eb23091a-d52f-41fb-ad12-6d5f14fd315d","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776153708459,"author-id":2170753,"owner-id":2170753,"linked-story-ids":["52226d04-c368-4114-8dc9-28b03305aba6","4a464719-684e-4b2c-bb08-04b237a33ff4","9be522ea-107b-42ca-933c-5b3127032d23","b019d6d0-bb5c-4db7-b1c7-a198f1bd643c","2354cc74-9b26-4084-9621-d284a384c14d"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776152744522,"hero-image-caption":"U.S. Vice President JD Vance, left, shakes hands with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Saturday, April 11, 2026, while meeting in Islamabad for talks about Iran. ","version":12,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776153704091,"authors":[{"slug":"lekshmy-pavithran","social":{},"name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/0iyy2fe8/lk__2_.jpg","bio":"Lekshmy is a rockstar in the digital newsroom! With nearly two decades of experience, she revels in breaking news, riding viral trends, and spotting those hidden stories everyone else misses. \n\nAs the Assistant Online Editor, she steers the homepage, blending editorial brilliance with a no-nonsense approach. Whether it\u2019s UAE headlines, global affairs, business stories, or the latest buzz in entertainment and sports, Lekshmy is always on top of the game, delivering real-time coverage with precision. \n\nHer work ethic? Clarity, impact, and a dash of flair. All that is evident in her in-depth stories, special reports and explainers. Add in her social media savvy, and it\u2019s no wonder she consistently cranks out content that gets eyeballs and keeps them coming back for more.","id":2170753,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/0iyy2fe8/lk__2_.jpg","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran"},"id":"f0721877-d23f-4aa4-ba0a-6bbb440bbffb"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776069053853,"seo":{"meta-keywords":["Anant Ambani birthday"],"meta-title":"SRK, Ranveer Dance at Anant Ambani\u2019s 31st Birthday Bash","meta-description":"Shah Rukh Khan and Ranveer Singh went viral dancing at Anant Ambani\u2019s 31st birthday in Jamnagar, alongside Bollywood\u2019s biggest stars.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2357168,"author-name":"Areeba Hashmi","tags":[{"id":11390159,"name":"bollywood","meta-description":"Catch up on Bollywood\u2019s biggest stories including film releases, celebrity news, and entertainment industry highlights.","meta-title":"Bollywood News \u2013 Movies, Stars & Entertainment Buzz","slug":"bollywood","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11454674,"name":"shah rukh khan","meta-description":"Follow Shah Rukh Khan\u2019s latest Bollywood films, media features, events, and updates from the King of Bollywood.","meta-title":"Shah Rukh Khan News \u2013 Movies, Appearances & SRK Buzz","slug":"shah-rukh-khan","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"Shah Rukh Khan and Ranveer Singh dance to celebrate Anant Ambani's 31st birthday ","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"ab2e6e7d-bd3e-4c22-ae5a-17389a028a23","slug":"entertainment/shah-rukh-khan-and-ranveer-singh-dance-to-celebrate-anant-ambanis-31st-birthday-1.500504103","linked-stories":{"efe9aeea-0408-4717-9ae6-68c8f9687ad5":{"author-name":"Shamseer Mohammed","headline":"SRK and Suhana light up Eden Gardens: Rain washes out KKR vs PBKS clash","story-content-id":"efe9aeea-0408-4717-9ae6-68c8f9687ad5","slug":"sport/cricket/ipl/srk-and-suhana-light-up-eden-gardens-rain-washes-out-kkr-vs-pbks-clash-1.500498345","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"SRK and Suhana light up Eden Gardens","hero-image":{"member-id":2172008,"hero-image-extracted-data":{"artist":""},"index":0,"uploaded-at":1775513275471,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/png","width":722,"file-size":407037,"file-name":"Shah-Rukh-Khan-and-Suhana","height":461},"source":null,"hero-image-attribution":"X","hero-image-alt-text":"Shah Rukh Khan and Suhana Khan light up Eden Gardens","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-06/kkcrb3c0/Shah-Rukh-Khan-and-Suhana","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":"Shah Rukh Khan and Suhana Khan light up Eden Gardens","extracted-data":{"artist":""},"hero-image-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-06/kkcrb3c0/Shah-Rukh-Khan-and-Suhana","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"ipl","name":"IPL","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/ipl","id":85278,"parent-id":85223,"display-name":"IPL","collection":{"slug":"ipl-cricket-sport","name":"IPL (Cricket, Sport)","id":194702},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"entertainment","name":"Entertainment","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment","id":85221,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"Entertainment","collection":{"slug":"entertainment","name":"ENTERTAINMENT","id":194645},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":722,"height":461,"mime-type":"image/png","file-size":407037,"file-name":"Shah-Rukh-Khan-and-Suhana"},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-06/kkcrb3c0/Shah-Rukh-Khan-and-Suhana","url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/ipl/srk-and-suhana-light-up-eden-gardens-rain-washes-out-kkr-vs-pbks-clash-1.500498345","content-updated-at":1775514307002,"author-id":2172008,"first-published-at":1775513731708,"authors":[{"slug":"shamseer-mohammed-staff-writer","social":{},"name":"Shamseer Mohammed","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-06-16/o29u39o1/ShamseerMohammed.jpg","bio":"From code to kick-off: Gulf News\u2019 Mohammed Shamsheer spends his weekdays in DevOps and weekends watching football \u2014 a proud Chelsea supporter through and through.","id":2172008,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-06-16/o29u39o1/ShamseerMohammed.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"33c2259c-adc5-4844-ba35-ea44e42e52a7":{"author-name":"Areeba Hashmi","headline":"'I am Shah Rukh Khan today, because of Salim Khan': SRK on screenwriter's support in early days ","story-content-id":"33c2259c-adc5-4844-ba35-ea44e42e52a7","slug":"entertainment/i-am-shah-rukh-khan-today-because-of-salim-khan-srk-on-screenwriters-support-in-early-days-1.500448529","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"When SRK credited Salim Khan for his success","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"\u2018I am Shah Rukh Khan because of Salim Khan\u2019: SRK's emotional tribute to the veteran screenwriter","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"entertainment","name":"Entertainment","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment","id":85221,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"Entertainment","collection":{"slug":"entertainment","name":"ENTERTAINMENT","id":194645},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"bollywood","name":"BollyWood","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/bollywood","id":85280,"parent-id":85221,"display-name":"BollyWood","collection":{"slug":"bollywood-entertainment","name":"BollyWood (Entertainment)","id":194704},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":630,"height":473,"mime-type":"image/avif","file-size":62774,"file-name":"bid404135srk-salimkhan.jpg.avif","focus-point":null},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-02-19/ehr3wruv/bid404135srk-salimkhan.jpg.avif","url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/i-am-shah-rukh-khan-today-because-of-salim-khan-srk-on-screenwriters-support-in-early-days-1.500448529","content-updated-at":1771492994973,"author-id":2357168,"first-published-at":1771492994724,"authors":[{"slug":"areeba-hashmi","social":{},"name":"Areeba Hashmi","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-10-20/8mw0y7z5/Pic.jpg","bio":"I\u2019m a passionate journalist and creative writer graduate specialising in arts, culture, and storytelling. My work aims to engage readers with stories that inspire, inform, and celebrate the richness of human experience. From arts and entertainment to technology, lifestyle, and human interest features, I aim to bring a fresh perspective and thoughtful voice to every story I tell.","id":2357168,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-10-20/8mw0y7z5/Pic.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1775974138338,"public-identifier":"1.500504103","subheadline":"SRK, Ranveer and Bollywood stars light up Anant Ambani\u2019s Jamnagar celebration","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"SRK and Ranveer dance at Anant Ambani birthday","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Shah Rukh Khan with Gauri and Ranveer Singh dance at Anant Ambani\u2019s 31st birthday","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"entertainment","name":"Entertainment","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment","id":85221,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"Entertainment","collection":{"slug":"entertainment","name":"ENTERTAINMENT","id":194645},"data":null}],"read-time":2,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1775973227299,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Areeba Hashmi","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1280,"height":960,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":55081,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-12-at-10.05.09-AM.jpeg"},"comments":null,"word-count":397,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1775974138338,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"last-correction-published-at":1776069055776,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":null,"bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"ab2e6e7d-bd3e-4c22-ae5a-17389a028a23","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/oovf8nme/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-12-at-10.05.09-AM.jpeg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/ab2e6e7d-bd3e-4c22-ae5a-17389a028a23/element/e8e21a87-5108-425c-b64a-fff9000727b5","type":"text","family-id":"38542d39-5430-4bde-845f-34a435d29f01","title":"","id":"e8e21a87-5108-425c-b64a-fff9000727b5","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Dubai: Anant Ambani's 31st birthday celebration in Jamnagar, Gujarat has given the internet exactly what it needed this week. A star-studded bash hosted by the Ambani family on 10 April brought together some of Bollywood's biggest names for an evening that included a soulful bhajan night, garba performances and dance moments that have since gone thoroughly viral.
Singer Kailash Kher performed at the celebration and shared a video on Instagram from the evening, captioning it simply with \"Har Har Mahadev.\" The clip showed the crowd fully immersed in the music, but it was two faces in particular that caught everyone's attention.
Ranveer Singh was completely unleashed, dancing with the kind of full-body, zero-inhibition energy that only he seems capable of producing in public. Shah Rukh Khan was also on his feet, dancing alongside wife Gauri Khan, who wore a simple grey suit for the evening while SRK kept it classic in black. Nita Ambani was also seen vibing to the music, visibly lost in the moment.
"},{"description":"","embed-js":"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","page-url":"/story/ab2e6e7d-bd3e-4c22-ae5a-17389a028a23/element/060b55e4-07fe-48de-9638-b866c5abc57a","type":"jsembed","family-id":"8e20acca-3045-4591-b847-6993d269d4ae","title":"","id":"060b55e4-07fe-48de-9638-b866c5abc57a","metadata":{"tweet-url":"https://twitter.com/JeetN25/status/2042938539944616065","provider":"twitter","tweet-id":"2042938539944616065"},"subtype":"tweet"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/ab2e6e7d-bd3e-4c22-ae5a-17389a028a23/element/68f156df-1e01-4b9f-aad4-94ff35a0c0ad","type":"text","family-id":"512479c2-7fb1-4112-8227-654060a43f5b","title":"","id":"68f156df-1e01-4b9f-aad4-94ff35a0c0ad","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The bhajan evening was just one part of a larger celebration. Ranveer Singh and Janhvi Kapoor were also spotted performing garba together, and both were seen cutting the birthday cake alongside Anant. The warmth and energy of the evening came through clearly in every clip that made its way onto social media.
Salman Khan, who flew to Jamnagar for the occasion, shared a photo on Instagram of himself embracing Anant with a caption that has been widely shared. Translated from Hindi, it read: \"Listen to this, if your memory is weak then write it down: this man will lift the whole country too. Long live my younger brother Anant, an Ambani of both heart and mind. Pure soul.\"
Shah Rukh Khan kept his Instagram Story wish warm and characteristically genuine. \"Here's wishing Anant Ambani a very happy birthday. May you continue to do all the good you do and uphold all that is positive and right. Keep up the good work and keep bringing smiles to people through your work. God bless you with the best of health and happiness always.\"
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/ab2e6e7d-bd3e-4c22-ae5a-17389a028a23/element/fbeb2fda-95ed-4b63-bcb3-699ee319f81d","type":"text","family-id":"515568e2-e810-4cd5-8834-e54c3577ffa0","title":"","id":"fbeb2fda-95ed-4b63-bcb3-699ee319f81d","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for\u00A0FREE: Download the\u00A0Gulf News\u00A0app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply\u00A0click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."}],"card-updated-at":1776069050752,"content-version-id":"f148dec6-d6f8-4947-95d5-1d17f37385f5","card-added-at":1775973227306,"status":"draft","id":"1f3bb111-d912-46b5-85aa-33da15cd6dd0","content-id":"1f3bb111-d912-46b5-85aa-33da15cd6dd0","version":13,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Shah Rukh Khan and Ranveer Singh dance to celebrate Anant Ambani's 31st birthday ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/oovf8nme/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-12-at-10.05.09-AM.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"SRK and Ranveer Singh at Anant Ambani's birthday","metadata":{"width":1280,"height":960,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":55081,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-12-at-10.05.09-AM.jpeg"}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/ab2e6e7d-bd3e-4c22-ae5a-17389a028a23/element/16e07e23-f62e-4b9f-88b9-45bf6d79fed2","type":"text","family-id":"d1f5689f-031a-4c27-9783-cd54bf945578","title":"","id":"16e07e23-f62e-4b9f-88b9-45bf6d79fed2","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"efe9aeea-0408-4717-9ae6-68c8f9687ad5","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775514304398,"author-name":"Shamseer Mohammed","headline":"SRK and Suhana light up Eden Gardens: Rain washes out KKR vs PBKS clash","story-content-id":"efe9aeea-0408-4717-9ae6-68c8f9687ad5","is-published":true,"slug":"sport/cricket/ipl/srk-and-suhana-light-up-eden-gardens-rain-washes-out-kkr-vs-pbks-clash-1.500498345","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775513731708,"highlighted-text":"","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"SRK and Suhana light up Eden Gardens","hero-image":{"member-id":2172008,"hero-image-extracted-data":{"artist":""},"index":0,"uploaded-at":1775513275471,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/png","width":722,"file-size":407037,"file-name":"Shah-Rukh-Khan-and-Suhana","height":461},"source":null,"hero-image-attribution":"X","hero-image-alt-text":"Shah Rukh Khan and Suhana Khan light up Eden Gardens","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-06/kkcrb3c0/Shah-Rukh-Khan-and-Suhana","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":"Shah Rukh Khan and Suhana Khan light up Eden Gardens","extracted-data":{"artist":""},"hero-image-url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-06/kkcrb3c0/Shah-Rukh-Khan-and-Suhana","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/Y4CBSUYG2XDcITjgxOUhq0OadtMRqK0Wz9eWyLnAFK34SJzWpkvYxKD_9i7vaBYN","status":"published","id":"efe9aeea-0408-4717-9ae6-68c8f9687ad5","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/ipl/srk-and-suhana-light-up-eden-gardens-rain-washes-out-kkr-vs-pbks-clash-1.500498345","author-id":2172008,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2172008,"name":"Shamseer Mohammed","email":"shamseermohammedstaffwriter_mr@gulfnews.com","highlighted-name":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"Y4CBSUYG2XDcITjgxOUhq0OadtMRqK0Wz9eWyLnAFK34SJzWpkvYxKD_9i7vaBYN","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"SRK and Suhana light up Eden Gardens: Rain washes out KKR vs PBKS clash"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/ab2e6e7d-bd3e-4c22-ae5a-17389a028a23/element/3bb83f27-4e1e-4004-bb56-93bc422a332d","type":"text","family-id":"b47194b1-7cd9-410f-98de-1b3b07c683e8","title":"","id":"3bb83f27-4e1e-4004-bb56-93bc422a332d","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"33c2259c-adc5-4844-ba35-ea44e42e52a7","linked-story":{"updated-at":1771492986814,"author-name":"Areeba Hashmi","headline":"'I am Shah Rukh Khan today, because of Salim Khan': SRK on screenwriter's support in early days ","story-content-id":"33c2259c-adc5-4844-ba35-ea44e42e52a7","is-published":true,"slug":"entertainment/i-am-shah-rukh-khan-today-because-of-salim-khan-srk-on-screenwriters-support-in-early-days-1.500448529","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1771492994724,"highlighted-text":"","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"When SRK credited Salim Khan for his success","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"\u2018I am Shah Rukh Khan because of Salim Khan\u2019: SRK's emotional tribute to the veteran screenwriter","hero-image":null}}},"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/4H_o5599d266z5gRZzyUBslb_RcV8gbJMMdd9me85XJnNFr8qIaV4G79ne6V3Gm8","status":"published","id":"33c2259c-adc5-4844-ba35-ea44e42e52a7","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/i-am-shah-rukh-khan-today-because-of-salim-khan-srk-on-screenwriters-support-in-early-days-1.500448529","author-id":2357168,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2357168,"name":"Areeba Hashmi","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"},"highlighted-name":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"4H_o5599d266z5gRZzyUBslb_RcV8gbJMMdd9me85XJnNFr8qIaV4G79ne6V3Gm8","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"'I am Shah Rukh Khan today, because of Salim Khan': SRK on screenwriter's support in early days "}],"card-updated-at":1775974134481,"content-version-id":"afc9db82-4a33-4aa9-9e07-33f71befb71a","card-added-at":1775973446046,"status":"draft","id":"a25ec1ff-23cc-4f72-8d23-a7c700b9139e","content-id":"a25ec1ff-23cc-4f72-8d23-a7c700b9139e","version":7,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Shah Rukh Khan and Ranveer Singh dance to celebrate Anant Ambani's 31st birthday ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/oovf8nme/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-12-at-10.05.09-AM.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":null,"alt-text":null,"caption":"SRK and Ranveer Singh at Anant Ambani's birthday","metadata":{"width":1280,"height":960,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":55081,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-12-at-10.05.09-AM.jpeg"}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_In_This_Package"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/shah-rukh-khan-and-ranveer-singh-dance-to-celebrate-anant-ambanis-31st-birthday-1.500504103","story-version-id":"a184684a-6374-4f85-831d-5c8180adeed2","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776069056609,"author-id":2357168,"owner-id":2357168,"linked-story-ids":["efe9aeea-0408-4717-9ae6-68c8f9687ad5","33c2259c-adc5-4844-ba35-ea44e42e52a7"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1775974138338,"hero-image-caption":"SRK and Ranveer Singh at Anant Ambani's birthday","version":13,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776069050735,"authors":[{"slug":"areeba-hashmi","social":{},"name":"Areeba Hashmi","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-10-20/8mw0y7z5/Pic.jpg","bio":"I\u2019m a passionate journalist and creative writer graduate specialising in arts, culture, and storytelling. My work aims to engage readers with stories that inspire, inform, and celebrate the richness of human experience. From arts and entertainment to technology, lifestyle, and human interest features, I aim to bring a fresh perspective and thoughtful voice to every story I tell.","id":2357168,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-10-20/8mw0y7z5/Pic.jpg","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Areeba Hashmi"},"id":"ab2e6e7d-bd3e-4c22-ae5a-17389a028a23"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776070811322,"seo":{"meta-title":"Dhurandhar Crosses Rs 30 billion, Makes Indian Cinema History","meta-description":"Dhurandhar duology becomes the first Indian film series to cross Rs 30 billion worldwide, setting a new benchmark for Bollywood.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2357168,"author-name":"Areeba Hashmi","tags":[{"id":11390159,"name":"bollywood","meta-description":"Catch up on Bollywood\u2019s biggest stories including film releases, celebrity news, and entertainment industry highlights.","meta-title":"Bollywood News \u2013 Movies, Stars & Entertainment Buzz","slug":"bollywood","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"Dhurandhar becomes first Indian film series to cross Rs 30 billion in history ","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"0fa9adb3-1a0e-4a93-8a5f-e023848c2a76","slug":"entertainment/dhurandhar-becomes-first-indian-film-series-to-cross-rs-30-billion-in-history-in-worldwide-box-office-collection-1.500505039","linked-stories":{"46a31670-9045-4796-b1e9-16365c614da4":{"author-name":"Manjusha Radhakrishnan","headline":"\u2018Dhurandhar: The Revenge\u2019 to stream on this OTT platform after IPL 2026: All you need to know about the release","story-content-id":"46a31670-9045-4796-b1e9-16365c614da4","slug":"entertainment/dhurandhar-the-revenge-to-stream-on-this-ott-platform-after-ipl-2026-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-release-1.500501565","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dhurandhar 2 to stream on this OTT platform after IPL ","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"\u2018Dhurandhar: The Revenge\u2019 to stream on this OTT platform after IPL 2026","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"entertainment","name":"Entertainment","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment","id":85221,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"Entertainment","collection":{"slug":"entertainment","name":"ENTERTAINMENT","id":194645},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"bollywood","name":"BollyWood","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/bollywood","id":85280,"parent-id":85221,"display-name":"BollyWood","collection":{"slug":"bollywood-entertainment","name":"BollyWood (Entertainment)","id":194704},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"india","name":"India","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/india","id":85231,"parent-id":85230,"display-name":"India","collection":{"slug":"india-asia-world","name":"India (Asia, World)","id":194655},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"pakistan","name":"Pakistan","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/asia/pakistan","id":85232,"parent-id":85230,"display-name":"Pakistan","collection":{"slug":"pakistan-asia-world","name":"Pakistan (Asia, World)","id":194656},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"file-size":158499,"original-url":"https://d2lnbwhcsmj8tp.cloudfront.net/thumbnails/202603073698750.jpg","width":449,"height":254},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-07/1zmlbeob/202603073698750.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/dhurandhar-the-revenge-to-stream-on-this-ott-platform-after-ipl-2026-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-release-1.500501565","content-updated-at":1775741165683,"author-id":2165036,"first-published-at":1775741165272,"authors":[{"slug":"manjusha-radhakrishnan","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/manjushark"},"facebook":{"url":"https://www.facebook.com/manjusha.radhakrishnan.5"},"instagram":{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/manjusha_gn"}},"name":"Manjusha Radhakrishnan","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-04-24/iq3y8zu1/Untitled__1___2_.png","bio":"Manjusha Radhakrishnan has been slaying entertainment news and celebrity interviews in Dubai for 18 years\u2014and she\u2019s just getting started. As Entertainment Editor, she covers Bollywood movie reviews, Hollywood scoops, Pakistani dramas, and world cinema. \n\nRed carpets? She\u2019s walked them all\u2014Europe, North America, Macau\u2014covering IIFA (Bollywood Oscars) and Zee Cine Awards like a pro. She\u2019s been on CNN with Becky Anderson dropping Bollywood truth bombs like Salman Khan Black Buck hunting conviction and hosted panels with directors like Bollywood\u2019s Kabir Khan and Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh. She has also covered film festivals around the globe. \n\nOh, and did we mention she landed the cover of Xpedition Magazine as one of the UAE\u2019s 50 most influential icons? \n\nShe was also the resident Bollywood guru on Dubai TV\u2019s Insider Arabia and Saudi TV, where she dishes out the latest scoop and celebrity news. Her interview roster reads like a dream guest list\u2014Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Shah Rukh Khan, Robbie Williams, Sean Penn, Deepika Padukone, Alia Bhatt, Joaquin Phoenix, and Morgan Freeman. \n\nFrom breaking celeb news to making stars spill secrets, Manjusha doesn\u2019t just cover entertainment\u2014she owns it while looking like a star herself. ","id":2165036,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-04-24/iq3y8zu1/Untitled__1___2_.png","twitter-handle":null}]},"39d1f6a0-d09b-4772-8215-f4cc6faf1c8d":{"author-name":"Lakshana N Palat","headline":"'Prepared for National Awards': Dhurandhar 2 director Aditya Dhar celebrates Rs 16.4 billion success","story-content-id":"39d1f6a0-d09b-4772-8215-f4cc6faf1c8d","slug":"entertainment/prepared-for-national-awards-dhurandhar-2-director-aditya-dhar-celebrates-rs-164-billion-success-1.500499744","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dhurandhar 2 director is ready for National Award","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"entertainment","name":"Entertainment","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment","id":85221,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"Entertainment","collection":{"slug":"entertainment","name":"ENTERTAINMENT","id":194645},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/avif","width":480,"file-size":43094,"file-name":"dhurandhar2.avif","height":271},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-19/mx8hy4yf/dhurandhar2.avif","url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/prepared-for-national-awards-dhurandhar-2-director-aditya-dhar-celebrates-rs-164-billion-success-1.500499744","content-updated-at":1775623496856,"author-id":2171247,"first-published-at":1775623496634,"authors":[{"slug":"lakshana-n-palat","social":{},"name":"Lakshana N Palat","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Lakshana is an entertainment and lifestyle journalist with over a decade of experience. She covers a wide range of stories\u2014from community and health to mental health and inspiring people features. \n\nA passionate K-pop enthusiast, she also enjoys exploring the cultural impact of music and fandoms through her writing.","id":2171247,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"21e0ab8e-5cfd-4fbb-b902-c256783c1628":{"author-name":"Lakshana N Palat","headline":"Dhurandhar 2 crosses Rs 16.4 billion, enters the global top 10 highest-grossing films of 2026","story-content-id":"21e0ab8e-5cfd-4fbb-b902-c256783c1628","slug":"entertainment/dhurandhar-2-crosses-rs-164-billion-enters-the-global-top-10-highest-grossing-films-of-2026-1.500500970","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dhurandhar 2 crosses Rs 16.4 bn worldwide","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"entertainment","name":"Entertainment","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment","id":85221,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"Entertainment","collection":{"slug":"entertainment","name":"ENTERTAINMENT","id":194645},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/avif","width":480,"file-size":43094,"file-name":"dhurandhar2.avif","height":271},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-19/mx8hy4yf/dhurandhar2.avif","url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/dhurandhar-2-crosses-rs-164-billion-enters-the-global-top-10-highest-grossing-films-of-2026-1.500500970","content-updated-at":1775712476121,"author-id":2171247,"first-published-at":1775709665891,"authors":[{"slug":"lakshana-n-palat","social":{},"name":"Lakshana N Palat","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Lakshana is an entertainment and lifestyle journalist with over a decade of experience. She covers a wide range of stories\u2014from community and health to mental health and inspiring people features. \n\nA passionate K-pop enthusiast, she also enjoys exploring the cultural impact of music and fandoms through her writing.","id":2171247,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776065796323,"public-identifier":"1.500505039","subheadline":"Ranveer Singh\u2019s franchise becomes the first Indian series to cross the landmark","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dhurandhar duology crosses Rs 30 billion worldwide","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dhurandhar becomes first Indian film series to cross Rs 30 billion globally in box office collection","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"entertainment","name":"Entertainment","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment","id":85221,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"Entertainment","collection":{"slug":"entertainment","name":"ENTERTAINMENT","id":194645},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"bollywood","name":"BollyWood","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/bollywood","id":85280,"parent-id":85221,"display-name":"BollyWood","collection":{"slug":"bollywood-entertainment","name":"BollyWood (Entertainment)","id":194704},"data":null}],"read-time":3,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776065253781,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Areeba Hashmi","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1280,"file-size":82957,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-03-at-4.16.04-PM.jpeg","height":960},"comments":null,"word-count":552,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776065796323,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"last-correction-published-at":1776070813174,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"Instagram","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"0fa9adb3-1a0e-4a93-8a5f-e023848c2a76","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-03/iimohga8/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-03-at-4.16.04-PM.jpeg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/0fa9adb3-1a0e-4a93-8a5f-e023848c2a76/element/1d4acccf-3311-4e21-ba20-21705f3cc85b","type":"text","family-id":"028cdd2d-89c5-439a-b620-24146b30511d","title":"","id":"1d4acccf-3311-4e21-ba20-21705f3cc85b","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
Dubai: Indian cinema has a new milestone to celebrate. The Dhurandhar duology, directed by Aditya Dhar and led by Ranveer Singh, has become the first Indian film series ever to cross Rs 30 billion at the worldwide box office, a landmark that no franchise in the history of Indian cinema had achieved before.
According to trade tracking platform Sacnilk, the combined global gross of both films now stands well above the Rs 30 billion mark, placing the franchise in a category entirely its own.
When Dhurandhar released on 5 December 2025, trade analysts had measured expectations. The buzz was decent but the doubts were real. What happened next silenced every sceptic.
Audiences embraced the spy action thriller immediately and kept coming back, driving an extraordinary theatrical run that did not slow down for weeks. The film ultimately collected over Rs 840 crore net at the Hindi box office, crossing Rs 10 billion gross domestically, and finished its worldwide run with over Rs 1.3 billion globally. That made it the fourth highest-grossing Indian film of all time and the third biggest without China in the mix.
"},{"description":"","image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/webp","width":690,"file-size":51878,"file-name":"dhurandhar-2-advance-booking-crushes-stree-2-in-premiere-juggernaut-loading-103854393-16x90.jpg.webp","height":388},"page-url":"/story/0fa9adb3-1a0e-4a93-8a5f-e023848c2a76/element/8b0d6e62-fef5-4588-832a-f27e7d35e24a","type":"image","family-id":"3988baf4-28d0-4c93-9ce1-04f3c82527d5","image-attribution":"","title":"Ranveer Singh in Dhurandhar ","id":"8b0d6e62-fef5-4588-832a-f27e7d35e24a","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-10/9eyjodx0/dhurandhar-2-advance-booking-crushes-stree-2-in-premiere-juggernaut-loading-103854393-16x90.jpg.webp","metadata":{},"subtype":null},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/0fa9adb3-1a0e-4a93-8a5f-e023848c2a76/element/631348d4-501a-447e-ac37-e195adf89b86","type":"text","family-id":"438c3264-6bf6-44b1-9424-8844e92ad315","title":"","id":"631348d4-501a-447e-ac37-e195adf89b86","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Released just four months after its predecessor, Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge arrived with the wind firmly at its back and proceeded to outperform every expectation. The film has amassed well over Rs 1.7 billion globally and is still running in several international markets.
Its domestic performance alone rewrote the record books. Dhurandhar 2 became the first film in Indian cinema history to cross Rs 10 billion net in a single language at the Indian box office.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/0fa9adb3-1a0e-4a93-8a5f-e023848c2a76/element/be59a8d0-d588-4256-8d5e-1004d2dcb677","type":"text","family-id":"edd6a714-f6ca-4c4c-b0d0-5dc8d3e2b83c","title":"","id":"be59a8d0-d588-4256-8d5e-1004d2dcb677","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"46a31670-9045-4796-b1e9-16365c614da4","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775741162371,"author-name":"Manjusha Radhakrishnan","headline":"\u2018Dhurandhar: The Revenge\u2019 to stream on this OTT platform after IPL 2026: All you need to know about the release","story-content-id":"46a31670-9045-4796-b1e9-16365c614da4","is-published":true,"slug":"entertainment/dhurandhar-the-revenge-to-stream-on-this-ott-platform-after-ipl-2026-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-release-1.500501565","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775741165272,"highlighted-text":"","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dhurandhar 2 to stream on this OTT platform after IPL ","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"\u2018Dhurandhar: The Revenge\u2019 to stream on this OTT platform after IPL 2026","hero-image":null}}},"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/xp0zee62WjeMLMKLUiteMyVHwsTBmEN-NCyx6rFwQO34e8SE4TdDUaV5FOC6pkV9","status":"published","id":"46a31670-9045-4796-b1e9-16365c614da4","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/dhurandhar-the-revenge-to-stream-on-this-ott-platform-after-ipl-2026-all-you-need-to-know-about-the-release-1.500501565","author-id":2165036,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2165036,"name":"Manjusha Radhakrishnan","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"},"highlighted-name":null}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"xp0zee62WjeMLMKLUiteMyVHwsTBmEN-NCyx6rFwQO34e8SE4TdDUaV5FOC6pkV9","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"\u2018Dhurandhar: The Revenge\u2019 to stream on this OTT platform after IPL 2026: All you need to know about the release"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/0fa9adb3-1a0e-4a93-8a5f-e023848c2a76/element/533c3817-50d0-4309-8665-b22ae88975bf","type":"text","family-id":"758bb04d-5740-4e4c-915d-417a07b52699","title":"","id":"533c3817-50d0-4309-8665-b22ae88975bf","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The Rs 30 billion figure is remarkable not just for its size but for what it represents. Indian cinema has produced individual blockbusters before, films that crossed Rs 10 billion on the strength of a single release. But sustaining that level of performance across two films, released just months apart, with both individually crossing the four-figure mark, is something no Indian franchise had managed until now.
Here is a quick breakdown of what the duology has achieved:
First Indian film series to cross Rs 30 billion worldwide
Only Indian franchise to have two individual films each cross Rs 10 billion
Dhurandhar 2 is the first Indian film to cross Rs 10 billion net in a single language domestically
Dhurandhar finished as the fourth highest-grossing Indian film of all time globally
Both films sustained long theatrical runs driven by repeat viewership and word of mouth
Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/0fa9adb3-1a0e-4a93-8a5f-e023848c2a76/element/227305db-9e8d-4583-89c1-1436339e8250","type":"text","family-id":"44226be2-00a4-4d58-a0e9-f2740e09b3ac","title":"","id":"227305db-9e8d-4583-89c1-1436339e8250","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
What Aditya Dhar and the Dhurandhar franchise have demonstrated is that Indian audiences are ready for multipart storytelling on a grand scale, and that those stories, when done well, can compete with the biggest film series in the world. The franchise's success in international markets alongside its dominance at home signals a shift in how Indian franchises are perceived globally.
For Bollywood, which has long celebrated individual blockbusters rather than sustained franchises, this is a genuinely new chapter.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776069079510,"content-version-id":"f3415f7a-a25a-43ae-af6d-64ab44e8a261","card-added-at":1776065253788,"status":"draft","id":"5cc722d6-8d45-44c0-9697-7b5971bdad0e","content-id":"5cc722d6-8d45-44c0-9697-7b5971bdad0e","version":7,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Dhurandhar becomes first Indian film series to cross Rs 30 billion in history ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-03-10/9eyjodx0/dhurandhar-2-advance-booking-crushes-stree-2-in-premiere-juggernaut-loading-103854393-16x90.jpg.webp","url":null,"attribution":"","caption":null,"alt-text":"","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/webp","width":690,"file-size":51878,"file-name":"dhurandhar-2-advance-booking-crushes-stree-2-in-premiere-juggernaut-loading-103854393-16x90.jpg.webp","height":388}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/0fa9adb3-1a0e-4a93-8a5f-e023848c2a76/element/1ae9777c-dc69-4aea-8f70-4a3365f4228e","type":"text","family-id":"22899cd9-47a7-43c6-baf2-c9bb7522ac8d","title":"","id":"1ae9777c-dc69-4aea-8f70-4a3365f4228e","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"21e0ab8e-5cfd-4fbb-b902-c256783c1628","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775712473327,"author-name":"Lakshana N Palat","headline":"Dhurandhar 2 crosses Rs 16.4 billion, enters the global top 10 highest-grossing films of 2026","story-content-id":"21e0ab8e-5cfd-4fbb-b902-c256783c1628","is-published":true,"slug":"entertainment/dhurandhar-2-crosses-rs-164-billion-enters-the-global-top-10-highest-grossing-films-of-2026-1.500500970","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775709665891,"highlighted-text":"","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dhurandhar 2 crosses Rs 16.4 bn worldwide","hero-image":null}}},"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/kP8u7_y15LK-0My6cTRu0OZMu-KhOYd3SZVAEFBUGYghgE3PhdbTVAlF8sj1OqIW","status":"published","id":"21e0ab8e-5cfd-4fbb-b902-c256783c1628","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/dhurandhar-2-crosses-rs-164-billion-enters-the-global-top-10-highest-grossing-films-of-2026-1.500500970","author-id":2171247,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2171247,"name":"Lakshana N Palat","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"},"highlighted-name":null}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"kP8u7_y15LK-0My6cTRu0OZMu-KhOYd3SZVAEFBUGYghgE3PhdbTVAlF8sj1OqIW","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Dhurandhar 2 crosses Rs 16.4 billion, enters the global top 10 highest-grossing films of 2026"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/0fa9adb3-1a0e-4a93-8a5f-e023848c2a76/element/c1368e90-8166-41f3-a267-8c7007b24123","type":"text","family-id":"c14920f4-632a-4f8b-a80b-7ace10eb29bd","title":"","id":"c1368e90-8166-41f3-a267-8c7007b24123","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"39d1f6a0-d09b-4772-8215-f4cc6faf1c8d","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775623494795,"author-name":"Lakshana N Palat","headline":"'Prepared for National Awards': Dhurandhar 2 director Aditya Dhar celebrates Rs 16.4 billion success","story-content-id":"39d1f6a0-d09b-4772-8215-f4cc6faf1c8d","is-published":true,"slug":"entertainment/prepared-for-national-awards-dhurandhar-2-director-aditya-dhar-celebrates-rs-164-billion-success-1.500499744","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775623496634,"highlighted-text":"","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dhurandhar 2 director is ready for National Award","hero-image":null}}},"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/efvnJjYnF5xige5umSIL2G-quohbp7g4ayLTCtr8C9rskU-8s4VzupH2CwJkdNDI","status":"published","id":"39d1f6a0-d09b-4772-8215-f4cc6faf1c8d","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/prepared-for-national-awards-dhurandhar-2-director-aditya-dhar-celebrates-rs-164-billion-success-1.500499744","author-id":2171247,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2171247,"name":"Lakshana N Palat","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"},"highlighted-name":null}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"efvnJjYnF5xige5umSIL2G-quohbp7g4ayLTCtr8C9rskU-8s4VzupH2CwJkdNDI","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"'Prepared for National Awards': Dhurandhar 2 director Aditya Dhar celebrates Rs 16.4 billion success"}],"card-updated-at":1776065791886,"content-version-id":"10290ed3-6fac-4174-8671-f0bf77f56aa5","card-added-at":1776065683993,"status":"draft","id":"96fc2e4c-66e6-4fd9-83bb-b638f46f4ba5","content-id":"96fc2e4c-66e6-4fd9-83bb-b638f46f4ba5","version":4,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Dhurandhar becomes first Indian film series to cross Rs 30 billion in history ","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-03/iimohga8/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-03-at-4.16.04-PM.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"Instagram","alt-text":null,"caption":"Directed by Aditya Dhar and led by Ranveer Singh, has become the first Indian film series ever to cross Rs 30 billion at the worldwide box","metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1280,"file-size":82957,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-03-at-4.16.04-PM.jpeg","height":960}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_In_This_Package"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/dhurandhar-becomes-first-indian-film-series-to-cross-rs-30-billion-in-history-in-worldwide-box-office-collection-1.500505039","story-version-id":"7830bd02-b9f5-496e-986e-6c4f1f8a1d0a","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776070813474,"author-id":2357168,"owner-id":2357168,"linked-story-ids":["46a31670-9045-4796-b1e9-16365c614da4","21e0ab8e-5cfd-4fbb-b902-c256783c1628","39d1f6a0-d09b-4772-8215-f4cc6faf1c8d"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776065796323,"hero-image-caption":"Directed by Aditya Dhar and led by Ranveer Singh, has become the first Indian film series ever to cross Rs 30 billion at the worldwide box","version":8,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776070809558,"authors":[{"slug":"areeba-hashmi","social":{},"name":"Areeba Hashmi","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-10-20/8mw0y7z5/Pic.jpg","bio":"I\u2019m a passionate journalist and creative writer graduate specialising in arts, culture, and storytelling. My work aims to engage readers with stories that inspire, inform, and celebrate the richness of human experience. From arts and entertainment to technology, lifestyle, and human interest features, I aim to bring a fresh perspective and thoughtful voice to every story I tell.","id":2357168,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-10-20/8mw0y7z5/Pic.jpg","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Areeba Hashmi"},"id":"0fa9adb3-1a0e-4a93-8a5f-e023848c2a76"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776030135621,"seo":{"meta-title":"Rilee Rossouw Says IPL Feels Like a Movie, PSL More Compact and Fierce: South African Batter\u2019s Bold Comparison Sparks Debate","meta-description":"Rilee Rossouw sparks debate by calling IPL more like a Bollywood movie and PSL more compact and fierce.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2346787,"author-name":"Shamseer Mohammed","tags":[{"id":11390821,"name":"cricket","meta-description":"Catch the latest cricket news, live scores, player updates, tournament highlights, and expert coverage all in one place.","meta-title":"Cricket News \u2013 Matches, Players, Stats & Updates","slug":"cricket","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"Rilee Rossouw\u2019s bold claim: IPL more like a movie than cricket, PSL more fierce","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"074de18c-7dca-4efa-86f7-8b731f77c1ea","slug":"sport/cricket/ipl/rilee-rossouws-bold-claim-ipl-more-like-a-movie-than-cricket-psl-more-fierce-1.500504715","linked-stories":{"9db5d95b-7c09-4710-8670-6e1ac045c684":{"author-name":"Shamseer Mohammed","headline":"Another record for Babar Azam; records just keep chasing him","story-content-id":"9db5d95b-7c09-4710-8670-6e1ac045c684","slug":"sport/cricket/another-record-for-babar-azam-records-just-keep-chasing-him-1.500503788","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Another record for Babar Azam","hero-image":{"member-id":2346787,"hero-image-extracted-data":{"artist":""},"index":0,"uploaded-at":1775922529305,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/png","width":1195,"file-size":2054777,"file-name":"Babar-Azam","height":896},"source":null,"hero-image-attribution":"X - AI-generated","hero-image-alt-text":"","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-11/s6sogk99/Babar-Azam","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":"Babar Azam is a history maker. ","extracted-data":{"artist":""},"hero-image-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-11/s6sogk99/Babar-Azam","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"cricket","name":"Cricket","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket","id":85223,"parent-id":85219,"display-name":"Cricket","collection":{"slug":"cricket-sport","name":"Cricket (Sport)","id":194647},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1195,"height":896,"mime-type":"image/png","file-size":2054777,"file-name":"Babar-Azam"},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-11/s6sogk99/Babar-Azam","url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/another-record-for-babar-azam-records-just-keep-chasing-him-1.500503788","content-updated-at":1775923994693,"author-id":2172008,"first-published-at":1775923065918,"authors":[{"slug":"shamseer-mohammed-staff-writer","social":{},"name":"Shamseer Mohammed","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-06-16/o29u39o1/ShamseerMohammed.jpg","bio":"From code to kick-off: Gulf News\u2019 Mohammed Shamsheer spends his weekdays in DevOps and weekends watching football \u2014 a proud Chelsea supporter through and through.","id":2172008,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-06-16/o29u39o1/ShamseerMohammed.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"c71c8efd-7c71-4dda-a95c-d06979e6b10e":{"author-name":"Robert Ilsley","headline":"PSL to overtake IPL as \u201Cworld\u2019s number one league\"","story-content-id":"c71c8efd-7c71-4dda-a95c-d06979e6b10e","slug":"sport/psl-to-overtake-ipl-as-worlds-number-one-league-1.500497623","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"PSL to overtake IPL as \u201Cworld\u2019s number one league\"","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"PSL to overtake IPL as \u201Cworld\u2019s number one league\"","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"sport","name":"Sport","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport","id":85219,"parent-id":null,"display-name":"Sport","collection":{"slug":"sport","name":"SPORT LANDING PAGE","id":194643},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"cricket","name":"Cricket","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket","id":85223,"parent-id":85219,"display-name":"Cricket","collection":{"slug":"cricket-sport","name":"Cricket (Sport)","id":194647},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"ipl","name":"IPL","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/ipl","id":85278,"parent-id":85223,"display-name":"IPL","collection":{"slug":"ipl-cricket-sport","name":"IPL (Cricket, Sport)","id":194702},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1067,"height":800,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":144750,"focus-point":null},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-06/5mab0idx/newsml_afp_com_20250928T191452Z_doc_772w8z9.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/psl-to-overtake-ipl-as-worlds-number-one-league-1.500497623","content-updated-at":1775461463941,"author-id":2400855,"first-published-at":1775461463653,"authors":[{"slug":"robert-ilsley","social":{},"name":"Robert Ilsley","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-01-28/t6z5dwbd/11.jpg","bio":"Rob is an experienced sports journalist with a focus on digital publishing. He holds both an undergraduate and master\u2019s degree in sports journalism and has hands-on experience in presenting and commentary. Rob has previously worked in the communications teams at Premier League clubs Everton and Brentford FC. While football is his main passion, he enjoys all sports and loves sharing his enthusiasm with anyone he meets.","id":2400855,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-01-28/t6z5dwbd/11.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"66bd2c6b-f316-43ec-9103-be57db4830bc":{"author-name":"Shamseer Mohammed","headline":"Zampa explains why he chose PSL over IPL","story-content-id":"66bd2c6b-f316-43ec-9103-be57db4830bc","slug":"sport/cricket/zampa-explains-why-he-chose-psl-over-ipl-1.500493247","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Zampa explains why he chose PSL over IPL","hero-image":{"member-id":2346787,"hero-image-extracted-data":null,"index":11,"uploaded-at":1770965802478,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1200,"height":800},"source":"Wire - AFP","hero-image-attribution":"AFP-ISHARA S. KODIKARA","hero-image-alt-text":"","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-02-13/47vmyuxg/newsml_afp_com_20260213T065459Z_doc_97ca2wk.jpeg","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":2182979,"hero-image-caption":"Australia's Adam Zampa bowls during the 2026 ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup group stage match between Australia and Zimbabwe at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on February 13, 2026.","extracted-data":null,"hero-image-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-02-13/47vmyuxg/newsml_afp_com_20260213T065459Z_doc_97ca2wk.jpeg","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"cricket","name":"Cricket","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket","id":85223,"parent-id":85219,"display-name":"Cricket","collection":{"slug":"cricket-sport","name":"Cricket (Sport)","id":194647},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"ipl","name":"IPL","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/ipl","id":85278,"parent-id":85223,"display-name":"IPL","collection":{"slug":"ipl-cricket-sport","name":"IPL (Cricket, Sport)","id":194702},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1200,"height":800},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-02-13/47vmyuxg/newsml_afp_com_20260213T065459Z_doc_97ca2wk.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/zampa-explains-why-he-chose-psl-over-ipl-1.500493247","content-updated-at":1775044085729,"author-id":2172008,"first-published-at":1775043664889,"authors":[{"slug":"shamseer-mohammed-staff-writer","social":{},"name":"Shamseer Mohammed","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-06-16/o29u39o1/ShamseerMohammed.jpg","bio":"From code to kick-off: Gulf News\u2019 Mohammed Shamsheer spends his weekdays in DevOps and weekends watching football \u2014 a proud Chelsea supporter through and through.","id":2172008,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-06-16/o29u39o1/ShamseerMohammed.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"edc84aa6-5142-47f6-b4cf-ebe8e6062b60":{"author-name":"Shamseer Mohammed","headline":"Sanju Samson hits century, breaks Dhoni\u2019s record and celebrates in Rajini style","story-content-id":"edc84aa6-5142-47f6-b4cf-ebe8e6062b60","slug":"sport/cricket/ipl/sanju-samson-hits-century-breaks-dhonis-record-and-celebrates-in-rajini-style-1.500503935","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Sanju Samson hits century and breaks Dhoni\u2019s record","hero-image":{"member-id":2346787,"hero-image-extracted-data":{"artist":""},"index":0,"uploaded-at":1775941711335,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/png","width":1376,"file-size":2327346,"file-name":"Sanju-Samson-and-Rajini","height":768},"source":null,"hero-image-attribution":"AFP-R. SATISH BABU (Modified using AI)","hero-image-alt-text":"","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-11/3yrpq1pt/Sanju-Samson-and-Rajini","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":"Chennai Super Kings' Indian cricket player Sanju Samson celebrates after scoring a century (100 runs) during the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 match between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium","extracted-data":{"artist":""},"hero-image-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-11/3yrpq1pt/Sanju-Samson-and-Rajini","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"ipl","name":"IPL","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/ipl","id":85278,"parent-id":85223,"display-name":"IPL","collection":{"slug":"ipl-cricket-sport","name":"IPL (Cricket, Sport)","id":194702},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1376,"height":768,"mime-type":"image/png","file-size":2327346,"file-name":"Sanju-Samson-and-Rajini"},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-11/3yrpq1pt/Sanju-Samson-and-Rajini","url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/ipl/sanju-samson-hits-century-breaks-dhonis-record-and-celebrates-in-rajini-style-1.500503935","content-updated-at":1775955602471,"author-id":2172008,"first-published-at":1775955600000,"authors":[{"slug":"shamseer-mohammed-staff-writer","social":{},"name":"Shamseer Mohammed","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-06-16/o29u39o1/ShamseerMohammed.jpg","bio":"From code to kick-off: Gulf News\u2019 Mohammed Shamsheer spends his weekdays in DevOps and weekends watching football \u2014 a proud Chelsea supporter through and through.","id":2172008,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-06-16/o29u39o1/ShamseerMohammed.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776043800000,"public-identifier":"1.500504715","subheadline":"Rossouw says IPL feels like Bollywood spectacle, but the PSL brings fiercer cricket","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Rilee Rossouw\u2019s IPL vs PSL comparison grabs attention","hero-image":{"member-id":2346787,"hero-image-extracted-data":{"artist":""},"index":0,"uploaded-at":1776029955292,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/png","width":1326,"file-size":2158651,"file-name":"Rilee-Rossouw","height":800},"source":null,"hero-image-attribution":"X (Modified with AI)","hero-image-alt-text":"Rilee Rossouw\u2019s IPL vs PSL comparison grabs attention","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/x162nvjt/Rilee-Rossouw","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":"Rilee Rossouw\u2019s IPL vs PSL comparison grabs attention","extracted-data":{"artist":""},"hero-image-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-12/x162nvjt/Rilee-Rossouw","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"ipl","name":"IPL","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/ipl","id":85278,"parent-id":85223,"display-name":"IPL","collection":{"slug":"ipl-cricket-sport","name":"IPL (Cricket, Sport)","id":194702},"data":null}],"read-time":3,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776029213777,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Shamseer Mohammed","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1326,"height":800,"mime-type":"image/png","file-size":2158651,"file-name":"Rilee-Rossouw"},"comments":null,"word-count":558,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776043800000,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"X (Modified with AI)","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":"Rilee Rossouw\u2019s IPL vs PSL comparison grabs attention","id":"074de18c-7dca-4efa-86f7-8b731f77c1ea","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/x162nvjt/Rilee-Rossouw","contributors":null,"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/074de18c-7dca-4efa-86f7-8b731f77c1ea/element/88f38d3c-f42e-4c66-af40-00c6e1e8371c","type":"text","family-id":"eb554486-a6eb-4892-8189-09cc5e1a2abb","title":"","id":"88f38d3c-f42e-4c66-af40-00c6e1e8371c","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"36-year-old South African batter Rilee Rossouw has found himself in the spotlight after making a bold comparison between the Indian Premier League and the Pakistan Super League, two of the biggest T20 competitions in world cricket. Currently playing for Quetta Gladiators in the ongoing PSL season, Rossouw spoke candidly about how he views the two leagues.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/074de18c-7dca-4efa-86f7-8b731f77c1ea/element/fbac7e89-e5a6-491c-aa2d-70d95a6ac24a","type":"text","family-id":"f8c7aff6-9127-4f0d-87d1-8d50eecdb142","title":"","id":"fbac7e89-e5a6-491c-aa2d-70d95a6ac24a","metadata":{"content":"\u201CBoth leagues have their pros and cons. IPL is a long tournament and PSL is much more compact where the competition is a lot more fierce. IPL obviously has the whole Bollywood behind, so it's a lot more movie than the actual cricket. Both of them have their pros and cons,\u201D","attribution":"Rilee Rossouw"},"subtype":"quote","text":"\u201CBoth leagues have their pros and cons. IPL is a long tournament and PSL is much more compact where the competition is a lot more fierce. IPL obviously has the whole Bollywood behind, so it's a lot more movie than the actual cricket. Both of them have their pros and cons,\u201DRilee Rossouw
It is a remark that has sparked discussion, especially because Rossouw\u2019s own journey in the two leagues has been very different.
Rossouw\u2019s IPL career has never really taken off despite the hype that surrounded him early on. He was first picked by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011 but had to wait until 2014 to make his debut. Even then, opportunities were limited. He featured in just five matches across the 2014 and 2015 seasons before quietly fading out of the league for several years.
When he returned in 2023 with Delhi Capitals, there was renewed interest. He was bought for \u20B94.6 crore and later moved to Punjab Kings in 2024 for \u20B98 crore. There were moments where he showed his quality, including a solid half century against RCB, but consistency remained an issue.
His best IPL season came in 2024, where he scored 211 runs in eight innings. Overall, he has 473 runs from 22 matches at a strike rate above 150, with a highest score of 82 not out. Despite those numbers, he was released ahead of the 2025 mega auction and went unsold.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/074de18c-7dca-4efa-86f7-8b731f77c1ea/element/538176e6-e14d-4c12-ab6b-550a943897b9","type":"text","family-id":"ba2e5f75-af23-4e49-b9b0-e2099127c964","title":"","id":"538176e6-e14d-4c12-ab6b-550a943897b9","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"66bd2c6b-f316-43ec-9103-be57db4830bc","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775044082604,"author-name":"Shamseer Mohammed","headline":"Zampa explains why he chose PSL over IPL","story-content-id":"66bd2c6b-f316-43ec-9103-be57db4830bc","is-published":true,"slug":"sport/cricket/zampa-explains-why-he-chose-psl-over-ipl-1.500493247","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775043664889,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Zampa explains why he chose PSL over IPL","hero-image":{"member-id":2346787,"hero-image-extracted-data":null,"index":11,"uploaded-at":1770965802478,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1200,"height":800},"source":"Wire - AFP","hero-image-attribution":"AFP-ISHARA S. KODIKARA","hero-image-alt-text":"","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-02-13/47vmyuxg/newsml_afp_com_20260213T065459Z_doc_97ca2wk.jpeg","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":2182979,"hero-image-caption":"Australia's Adam Zampa bowls during the 2026 ICC Men's T20 Cricket World Cup group stage match between Australia and Zimbabwe at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on February 13, 2026.","extracted-data":null,"hero-image-url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-02-13/47vmyuxg/newsml_afp_com_20260213T065459Z_doc_97ca2wk.jpeg","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"id":85223,"name":"Cricket","slug":"cricket","data":null},{"id":85278,"name":"IPL","slug":"ipl","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/N-2IWeVBx5UY0pinxpW0HIiV0iqbswx8bPHyD5iX3J0Bp7p4ZCmzdYCrgke5RbaS","published-at":1775043664889,"status":"published","id":"66bd2c6b-f316-43ec-9103-be57db4830bc","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/zampa-explains-why-he-chose-psl-over-ipl-1.500493247","author-id":2172008,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2172008,"name":"Shamseer Mohammed","email":"shamseermohammedstaffwriter_mr@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"N-2IWeVBx5UY0pinxpW0HIiV0iqbswx8bPHyD5iX3J0Bp7p4ZCmzdYCrgke5RbaS","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Zampa explains why he chose PSL over IPL"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/074de18c-7dca-4efa-86f7-8b731f77c1ea/element/f16771ff-c7e7-4001-b24b-af889380aa95","type":"text","family-id":"a752bf09-35af-4182-9efa-f8f2174f2335","title":"","id":"f16771ff-c7e7-4001-b24b-af889380aa95","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"c71c8efd-7c71-4dda-a95c-d06979e6b10e","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775461462054,"author-name":"Robert Ilsley","headline":"PSL to overtake IPL as \u201Cworld\u2019s number one league\"","story-content-id":"c71c8efd-7c71-4dda-a95c-d06979e6b10e","is-published":true,"slug":"sport/psl-to-overtake-ipl-as-worlds-number-one-league-1.500497623","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775461463653,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"PSL to overtake IPL as \u201Cworld\u2019s number one league\"","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"PSL to overtake IPL as \u201Cworld\u2019s number one league\"","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85219,"name":"Sport","slug":"sport","data":null},{"id":85223,"name":"Cricket","slug":"cricket","data":null},{"id":85278,"name":"IPL","slug":"ipl","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/GbnDCaOwiyjosyez4zyhZPT887BTlyhT1dgdNxOxtscDe2K09ZsrYwDy68MqePXK","published-at":1775461463653,"status":"published","id":"c71c8efd-7c71-4dda-a95c-d06979e6b10e","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/psl-to-overtake-ipl-as-worlds-number-one-league-1.500497623","author-id":2400855,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2400855,"name":"Robert Ilsley","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"GbnDCaOwiyjosyez4zyhZPT887BTlyhT1dgdNxOxtscDe2K09ZsrYwDy68MqePXK","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"PSL to overtake IPL as \u201Cworld\u2019s number one league\""},{"description":"","embed-js":"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","page-url":"/story/074de18c-7dca-4efa-86f7-8b731f77c1ea/element/d063ee31-eb9b-4b4b-b9ea-8081750e9610","type":"jsembed","family-id":"83b143da-1811-45e5-9f07-c1cb82a2592a","title":"","id":"d063ee31-eb9b-4b4b-b9ea-8081750e9610","metadata":{"tweet-url":"https://twitter.com/TsMeSalman1_/status/2042801668106977390","provider":"twitter","tweet-id":"2042801668106977390"},"subtype":"tweet"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/074de18c-7dca-4efa-86f7-8b731f77c1ea/element/3d0d4124-3390-4960-a3d0-0a6c0fda95cd","type":"text","family-id":"3a4df1ec-dea4-4431-8ffd-812fee80776b","title":"","id":"3d0d4124-3390-4960-a3d0-0a6c0fda95cd","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The story in the PSL, however, has been completely different.
Rossouw has been a proven performer in the league over the years. He began with Quetta Gladiators in 2017 and was part of their title winning side in 2019. His move to Multan Sultans took his game to another level. Between 2020 and 2023, he became one of the most feared batters in the competition, playing a key role in their 2021 title win.
One of his standout moments came in 2023 when he smashed a 41 ball century against Peshawar Zalmi, which was the fastest in PSL history at the time. However, that record lasted just 24 hours before his teammate Usman Khan went one better with a 36 ball hundred. Even so, Rossouw still holds the second and third fastest centuries in the league\u2019s history, highlighting his dominance as a T20 batter.
Now back with Quetta, Rossouw remains an important figure. In the current season, he has scored 79 runs in four matches, including a fluent 53 against Rawalpindi on April 10.
His comments, in many ways, reflect his own career. While the IPL has given him exposure, the PSL has given him consistency and success. For Rossouw, the difference is not just about structure or scale, but where he has truly felt at home as a cricketer. Anyway, his comments have sparked a new debate among the netizens.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776030133867,"content-version-id":"d1f1dd20-0303-4f10-8296-7ebf587a0664","card-added-at":1776029213784,"status":"draft","id":"d83893bf-d35f-4e78-8b87-7380659080c8","content-id":"d83893bf-d35f-4e78-8b87-7380659080c8","version":16,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Rilee Rossouw\u2019s bold claim: IPL more like a movie than cricket, PSL more fierce","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/x162nvjt/Rilee-Rossouw","url":null,"attribution":"X (Modified with AI)","alt-text":"Rilee Rossouw\u2019s IPL vs PSL comparison grabs attention","caption":"Rilee Rossouw\u2019s IPL vs PSL comparison grabs attention","metadata":{"width":1326,"height":800,"mime-type":"image/png","file-size":2158651,"file-name":"Rilee-Rossouw"}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/074de18c-7dca-4efa-86f7-8b731f77c1ea/element/a77d2028-2423-4187-ac5a-e6d5209624a2","type":"text","family-id":"8070917c-201e-431a-806e-cda65e722546","title":"","id":"a77d2028-2423-4187-ac5a-e6d5209624a2","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"9db5d95b-7c09-4710-8670-6e1ac045c684","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775923992489,"author-name":"Shamseer Mohammed","headline":"Another record for Babar Azam; records just keep chasing him","story-content-id":"9db5d95b-7c09-4710-8670-6e1ac045c684","is-published":true,"slug":"sport/cricket/another-record-for-babar-azam-records-just-keep-chasing-him-1.500503788","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775923065918,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Another record for Babar Azam","hero-image":{"member-id":2346787,"hero-image-extracted-data":{"artist":""},"index":0,"uploaded-at":1775922529305,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/png","width":1195,"file-size":2054777,"file-name":"Babar-Azam","height":896},"source":null,"hero-image-attribution":"X - AI-generated","hero-image-alt-text":"","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-11/s6sogk99/Babar-Azam","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":"Babar Azam is a history maker. ","extracted-data":{"artist":""},"hero-image-url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-11/s6sogk99/Babar-Azam","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"id":85223,"name":"Cricket","slug":"cricket","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/yRcOuhH_HU8L8KQRw1tqNhaf-uwNsXyne-OYVh4bOrQsKxRtVu_Skgl1sl3ReDK9","published-at":1775923065918,"status":"published","id":"9db5d95b-7c09-4710-8670-6e1ac045c684","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/another-record-for-babar-azam-records-just-keep-chasing-him-1.500503788","author-id":2172008,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2172008,"name":"Shamseer Mohammed","email":"shamseermohammedstaffwriter_mr@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"yRcOuhH_HU8L8KQRw1tqNhaf-uwNsXyne-OYVh4bOrQsKxRtVu_Skgl1sl3ReDK9","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Another record for Babar Azam; records just keep chasing him"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/074de18c-7dca-4efa-86f7-8b731f77c1ea/element/9caf7267-a4a2-4dfc-bf30-6f9dfb788fe1","type":"text","family-id":"fc9be226-d58a-4e05-9fce-942049460e80","title":"","id":"9caf7267-a4a2-4dfc-bf30-6f9dfb788fe1","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"edc84aa6-5142-47f6-b4cf-ebe8e6062b60","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775942080975,"author-name":"Shamseer Mohammed","headline":"Sanju Samson hits century, breaks Dhoni\u2019s record and celebrates in Rajini style","story-content-id":"edc84aa6-5142-47f6-b4cf-ebe8e6062b60","is-published":true,"slug":"sport/cricket/ipl/sanju-samson-hits-century-breaks-dhonis-record-and-celebrates-in-rajini-style-1.500503935","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775955600000,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Sanju Samson hits century and breaks Dhoni\u2019s record","hero-image":{"member-id":2346787,"hero-image-extracted-data":{"artist":""},"index":0,"uploaded-at":1775941711335,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/png","width":1376,"file-size":2327346,"file-name":"Sanju-Samson-and-Rajini","height":768},"source":null,"hero-image-attribution":"AFP-R. SATISH BABU (Modified using AI)","hero-image-alt-text":"","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-11/3yrpq1pt/Sanju-Samson-and-Rajini","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":"Chennai Super Kings' Indian cricket player Sanju Samson celebrates after scoring a century (100 runs) during the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 match between Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals at the MA Chidambaram Stadium","extracted-data":{"artist":""},"hero-image-url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-04-11/3yrpq1pt/Sanju-Samson-and-Rajini","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"id":85278,"name":"IPL","slug":"ipl","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/JeNGtG_Dlk29YPx3KUikyF-UK0EFaI7L5_ke-PWmqKPKvxw5xWTvdkYfjZtn1U2Z","published-at":1775955600000,"status":"published","id":"edc84aa6-5142-47f6-b4cf-ebe8e6062b60","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/ipl/sanju-samson-hits-century-breaks-dhonis-record-and-celebrates-in-rajini-style-1.500503935","author-id":2172008,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2172008,"name":"Shamseer Mohammed","email":"shamseermohammedstaffwriter_mr@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"JeNGtG_Dlk29YPx3KUikyF-UK0EFaI7L5_ke-PWmqKPKvxw5xWTvdkYfjZtn1U2Z","publish-at":1775955600000}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Sanju Samson hits century, breaks Dhoni\u2019s record and celebrates in Rajini style"}],"card-updated-at":1776030133867,"content-version-id":"fda83959-e024-404b-aa51-b991f299a125","card-added-at":1776029955630,"status":"draft","id":"12efea54-360d-47f4-9637-1c929dafcde4","content-id":"12efea54-360d-47f4-9637-1c929dafcde4","version":8,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Rilee Rossouw\u2019s bold claim: IPL more like a movie than cricket, PSL more fierce","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/x162nvjt/Rilee-Rossouw","url":null,"attribution":"X (Modified with AI)","alt-text":"Rilee Rossouw\u2019s IPL vs PSL comparison grabs attention","caption":"Rilee Rossouw\u2019s IPL vs PSL comparison grabs attention","metadata":{"width":1326,"height":800,"mime-type":"image/png","file-size":2158651,"file-name":"Rilee-Rossouw"}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_In_This_Package"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/sport/cricket/ipl/rilee-rossouws-bold-claim-ipl-more-like-a-movie-than-cricket-psl-more-fierce-1.500504715","story-version-id":"6dab1e41-a9c3-485f-a252-815354e84d0c","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776043806203,"author-id":2172008,"owner-id":2346787,"linked-story-ids":["edc84aa6-5142-47f6-b4cf-ebe8e6062b60","9db5d95b-7c09-4710-8670-6e1ac045c684","c71c8efd-7c71-4dda-a95c-d06979e6b10e","66bd2c6b-f316-43ec-9103-be57db4830bc"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776043800000,"hero-image-caption":"Rilee Rossouw\u2019s IPL vs PSL comparison grabs attention","version":16,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776030133851,"authors":[{"slug":"shamseer-mohammed-staff-writer","social":{},"name":"Shamseer Mohammed","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-06-16/o29u39o1/ShamseerMohammed.jpg","bio":"From code to kick-off: Gulf News\u2019 Mohammed Shamsheer spends his weekdays in DevOps and weekends watching football \u2014 a proud Chelsea supporter through and through.","id":2172008,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-06-16/o29u39o1/ShamseerMohammed.jpg","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":1776043800000,"assignee-name":"Shamseer Mohammed"},"id":"074de18c-7dca-4efa-86f7-8b731f77c1ea"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776119481133,"seo":{"claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2180995,"author-name":"AFP","tags":[{"id":14773106,"name":"US-Israel-Iran war","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"us-israel-iran-war","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"Trump vows US will sink any Iran boats that challenge blockade","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"7f751f03-7925-483e-8a6d-e14dfc7089c2","slug":"world/mena/trump-vows-us-will-sink-any-iran-boats-that-challenge-blockade-2-1.500505588","linked-stories":{"39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78":{"author-name":"Alex Abraham","headline":"Strait or canal: Who can charge ships - and who can\u2019t?","story-content-id":"39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78","slug":"world/mena/strait-or-canal-who-can-charge-ships-and-who-cant-1.500505563","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Strait or canal: Who can charge ships \u2014 and who can\u2019t?","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":7536,"height":5024},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-06-23/z4x4q753/newsml_afp_com_20250623T160050Z_doc_63g96ja.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/strait-or-canal-who-can-charge-ships-and-who-cant-1.500505563","content-updated-at":1776161793481,"author-id":2165599,"first-published-at":1776089995052,"authors":[{"slug":"alex-abraham","social":{},"name":"Alex Abraham","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/pgbfjnif/Alex_Abraham_office_pic.jpg","bio":"Alex has been on the frontline of global headlines for nearly 30 years. A Senior Associate Editor, he\u2019s part newsroom veteran and part globe-trotting correspondent. \n\nHis credentials? He was part of the select group of journalists who covered Pope Francis\u2019 historic visit to the UAE - flying with the pontiff himself. \n\nWith 27 years on the ground in the Middle East, Alex is one of the most trusted voices in the region when it comes to decoding politics and power plays. He breaks down global affairs into slick, 60-second news - his morning reels are practically a daily ritual for audiences across the UAE. \n\nSharp. Grounded. Fast. Insightful. That\u2019s Alex at his best, bringing a steady editorial hand to every story he tells. ","id":2165599,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/pgbfjnif/Alex_Abraham_office_pic.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"cd3ea950-ebea-49d0-998b-583ed39a124c":{"author-name":"Stephen N R","headline":"Trump\u2019s Hormuz gamble: Showdown for control of the key strait","story-content-id":"cd3ea950-ebea-49d0-998b-583ed39a124c","slug":"world/americas/trump-s-hormuz-gamble-showdown-for-control-of-the-key-strait-1.500505183","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Trump\u2019s Hormuz gamble: Showdown for control of strait","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"americas","name":"Americas","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas","id":85243,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Americas","collection":{"slug":"americas-world","name":"Americas (World)","id":194667},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":242422,"width":1200,"height":787},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-05/1zsnt72u/newsml_afp_com_20260405T113856Z_doc_a6te3ep.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/trump-s-hormuz-gamble-showdown-for-control-of-the-key-strait-1.500505183","content-updated-at":1776073682158,"author-id":2171005,"first-published-at":1776073680807,"authors":[{"slug":"stephen-n-r","social":{},"name":"Stephen N R","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/lxugegpt/Stephen_N_R__pic.jpg","bio":"A Senior Associate Editor with more than 30 years in the media, Stephen N.R. curates, edits and publishes impactful stories for Gulf News \u2014 both in print and online \u2014 focusing on Middle East politics, student issues and explainers on global topics. \n\nStephen has spent most of his career in journalism, working behind the scenes \u2014 shaping headlines, editing copy and putting together newspaper pages with precision. \n\nFor the past many years, he has brought that same dedication to the Gulf News digital team, where he curates stories, crafts explainers and helps keep both the web and print editions sharp and engaging. ","id":2171005,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/lxugegpt/Stephen_N_R__pic.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"f8b40c34-0a6f-425b-a467-ad81d239c6ce":{"author-name":"Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Special to Gulf News","headline":"Strait of Hormuz: Between noise and the clarity of international law","story-content-id":"f8b40c34-0a6f-425b-a467-ad81d239c6ce","slug":"opinion/op-eds/strait-of-hormuz-between-noise-and-the-clarity-of-international-law-1.500505374","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Beyond the headlines: Who controls Hormuz?","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"op-eds","name":"Op-Eds","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds","id":85268,"parent-id":85213,"display-name":"Op-Eds","collection":{"slug":"op-eds-opinion","name":"Op-Eds (Opinion)","id":194692},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":246457,"width":1200,"height":800},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/lcc8liey/newsml_afp_com_20260413T074821Z_doc_a7kv8cq.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds/strait-of-hormuz-between-noise-and-the-clarity-of-international-law-1.500505374","content-updated-at":1776082336478,"author-id":2168918,"first-published-at":1776082335658,"authors":[{"slug":"dr-abdullah-belhaif-al-nuaimi-special-to-gulf-news","social":{},"name":"Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Special to Gulf News","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2168918,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70":{"author-name":"Jay Hilotin","headline":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","story-content-id":"e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70","slug":"world/mena/us-iran-ceasefire-us-moves-to-blockade-iranian-ports-as-strait-of-hormuz-traffic-halts-oil-prices-surge-1.500504821","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"'Grave violation': Iran assails US naval blockade","hero-image":{"member-id":2118564,"hero-image-extracted-data":{},"index":21,"uploaded-at":1759607565679,"hero-image-metadata":{"focus-point":[324,252],"width":750,"height":563},"source":null,"hero-image-attribution":"AFP","hero-image-alt-text":"Donald Trump","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2024/11/07/Donald-Trump_1930495bbba_large.jpg","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":"US President Donald Trump.","extracted-data":{},"hero-image-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/import/2024/11/07/Donald-Trump_1930495bbba_large.jpg","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":214940,"original-url":"https://mapi.associatedpress.com/v2/items/947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80.0/preview/preview.jpg?nfe=true&s=1024&wm=false&app=MPK&tag=iid%7E947d281493ce41ad875bfe1b26c3cc80%21rsn%7E0%21cid%7Ed00ba2d5ff444808a2dacad97be7c586%21orgId%7E45995%21qt%7EhrDu106TKXeS%21orgNm%7EAl+Nisr+Publishing+LLC+%28fka+GULF+NEWS%29%21role%7EPreview%21mt%7Ephoto%21fmt%7EJPEG+Baseline","width":1024,"height":682,"focus-point":[485,346]},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-12/cwrrngb6/preview.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/us-iran-ceasefire-us-moves-to-blockade-iranian-ports-as-strait-of-hormuz-traffic-halts-oil-prices-surge-1.500504821","content-updated-at":1776135290852,"author-id":2183048,"first-published-at":1776047088998,"authors":[{"slug":"jay-hilotin-2","social":{},"name":"Jay Hilotin","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2183048,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null},{"slug":"lekshmy-pavithran","social":{},"name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/0iyy2fe8/lk__2_.jpg","bio":"Lekshmy is a rockstar in the digital newsroom! With nearly two decades of experience, she revels in breaking news, riding viral trends, and spotting those hidden stories everyone else misses. \n\nAs the Assistant Online Editor, she steers the homepage, blending editorial brilliance with a no-nonsense approach. Whether it\u2019s UAE headlines, global affairs, business stories, or the latest buzz in entertainment and sports, Lekshmy is always on top of the game, delivering real-time coverage with precision. \n\nHer work ethic? Clarity, impact, and a dash of flair. All that is evident in her in-depth stories, special reports and explainers. Add in her social media savvy, and it\u2019s no wonder she consistently cranks out content that gets eyeballs and keeps them coming back for more.","id":2170753,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/0iyy2fe8/lk__2_.jpg","twitter-handle":null},{"slug":"christian-borbon","social":{},"name":"Christian Borbon","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-12/pkgif7br/philipgn.jpg","bio":"Christian is a detail-oriented digital professional who works behind the scenes to ensure every piece of content is delivered seamlessly across platforms. With a sharp eye for detail and a strong sense of diligence, he helps keep the digital side of the newsroom running smoothly. Known for being dependable and easy to work with, he\u2019s always ready to jump in, solve problems, and support the team. ","id":2165444,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-12/pkgif7br/philipgn.jpg","twitter-handle":null},{"slug":"huda-ata","social":{},"name":"Huda Ata","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE.","id":2287057,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null},{"slug":"karishma-h-nandkeolyar","social":{},"name":"Karishma H. Nandkeolyar","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-10-13/j2u1m1tw/Karishma_Nandkeolyar_2__1_.jpg","bio":"Karishma Nandkeolyar is a lifestyle and entertainment journalist with a lifelong love for storytelling \u2014 she wrote her first \u201Cbook\u201D at age six and has been chasing the next sentence ever since. Known for her sharp wit, thoughtful takes, and ability to find the humor in just about anything, she covers everything from celebrity culture and internet trends to everyday lifestyle moments that make you go, \u201CSame.\u201D\n\nHer work blends insight with a conversational tone that feels like catching up with your cleverest friend \u2014 if your friend also had a deadline and a latte in hand. Off-duty, Karishma is a proud dog mom who fully believes her pup has a personality worth documenting, and yes, she does narrate those inner monologues out loud.\n\nWhether she\u2019s writing features, curating content, or crafting the perfect headline, Karishma brings curiosity, creativity, and just the right amount of sarcasm to the mix.","id":2165038,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-10-13/j2u1m1tw/Karishma_Nandkeolyar_2__1_.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776092000198,"public-identifier":"1.500505588","subheadline":"The US military says the blockade applies to all ships leaving or docking at Iran's ports","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Hormuz blockade: Trump says Iran ships will be hit","hero-image":{"member-id":2165599,"hero-image-extracted-data":null,"index":30,"uploaded-at":1773150744180,"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","focus-point":[594,425],"width":1200,"file-size":292771,"file-name":"Strait-of-Hormuz44-Read-Only.jpg","height":900},"source":null,"hero-image-attribution":"AFP","hero-image-alt-text":"","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-10/ihkjsyq9/Strait-of-Hormuz44-Read-Only.jpg","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":" ","extracted-data":null,"hero-image-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2026-03-10/ihkjsyq9/Strait-of-Hormuz44-Read-Only.jpg","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"americas","name":"Americas","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas","id":85243,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Americas","collection":{"slug":"americas-world","name":"Americas (World)","id":194667},"data":null}],"read-time":4,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776090626684,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Syndication","custom-slug":"Trump vows US will sink any Iran boats that challenge blockade","push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"focus-point":[395,236],"width":750,"height":563},"comments":null,"word-count":921,"story-features":null,"entities":{},"published-at":1776092000198,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"last-correction-published-at":1776119483096,"summary":"Trump warns any Iran 'attack ships' breaching US blockade will be 'eliminated'","push-notification-title":null,"external-id":"afp-gn--newsml.afp.com.20260413T142953Z.doc-a7mn6cq","canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"AFP","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":"Donald Trump","id":"7f751f03-7925-483e-8a6d-e14dfc7089c2","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2024/11/08/Donald-Trump_1930a43601b_large.jpg","contributors":[],"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7f751f03-7925-483e-8a6d-e14dfc7089c2/element/f70d54d6-5f3e-4b34-a047-3b6c7df34475","type":"text","family-id":"34f58f8c-5770-4a4f-9d5f-21f031dbbf8f","title":"","id":"f70d54d6-5f3e-4b34-a047-3b6c7df34475","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Washington, United States: US President Donald Trump warned Monday that any Iranian attack boats that approach the naval blockade he has ordered around the country's ports will be destroyed, despite international calls for a ceasefire to be respected and negotiations to resume.
The US military said the blockade would begin at 1400 GMT and apply to all ships leaving or seeking to dock at Iranian harbours, but as the deadline passed there was no announcement that the measure had come into effect, nor sign of any interceptions.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7f751f03-7925-483e-8a6d-e14dfc7089c2/element/433ada01-3682-4a2f-b384-09140c1987ab","type":"text","family-id":"194dbcb6-b32c-491c-b561-62403e044207","title":"","id":"433ada01-3682-4a2f-b384-09140c1987ab","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for\u00A0FREE: Download the\u00A0Gulf News\u00A0app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply\u00A0click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."},{"description":"","embed-js":"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","page-url":"/story/7f751f03-7925-483e-8a6d-e14dfc7089c2/element/21dfd592-b467-4764-b7ac-b0134411800d","type":"jsembed","family-id":"b35869c9-e50a-4c97-8a64-a87ef868b2ea","title":"","id":"21dfd592-b467-4764-b7ac-b0134411800d","metadata":{"tweet-url":"https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/2043701166521909753","provider":"twitter","tweet-id":"2043701166521909753"},"subtype":"tweet"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7f751f03-7925-483e-8a6d-e14dfc7089c2/element/6fb9f906-8261-47dc-aee4-40e25a3caf66","type":"text","family-id":"705a324b-977e-4770-9d66-45c704d7bade","title":"","id":"6fb9f906-8261-47dc-aee4-40e25a3caf66","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
In a social media post, Trump said the bulk of Iran's navy had already been destroyed during the war, but that if any of what he said were Tehran's few remaining \"fast attack ships\" approach the blockade \"they will be immediately ELIMINATED\".
Trump announced the blockade on Sunday after a delegation led by Vice President JD Vance returned from a meeting with Iranian officials in Pakistan without having secured a deal to end the war launched on February 28 with deadly US and Israeli strikes on Tehran.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7f751f03-7925-483e-8a6d-e14dfc7089c2/element/f323c9f6-1722-4a13-8451-dc885f5518bf","type":"text","family-id":"5def7204-442a-4006-b9f2-c2e9d988a80e","title":"","id":"f323c9f6-1722-4a13-8451-dc885f5518bf","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Last Wednesday, the US and Iran agreed a two-week truce to allow the negotiations to go ahead, and mediator Pakistan and Gulf state Qatar were still calling on Monday for it to be respected as diplomatic efforts continue.
\"The ceasefire is still holding and, as I speak, full efforts are underway to resolve the outstanding issues,\" Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan told a cabinet meeting.
The head of the International Maritime Organization, Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez, said no country could \"prohibit the right of innocent passage or the freedom of navigation through international straits that are used for international transit\".
Qatari Foreign Minister and Premier Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani urged both sides to guarantee freedom of navigation and refrain from using maritime routes \"as a tool for pressure\", encouraging Tehran and Washington to remain in touch with mediators.
Iran had already closed the strait to what it regards as enemy shipping, allowing only vessels serving countries it deems friendly - such as China - to cross.
Oil prices, which had tumbled with the truce, jumped around eight percent Monday amid fears the renewed standoff would block more tankers
The US leader's latest change of tack left some observers perplexed.
\"Presumably, Trump's intent is to try to starve Iran of export revenue and compel Iran's main oil customers, particularly China, to pressure Tehran to end its blockage of the strait,\" think tank The Soufan Center said in its daily note.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776096727798,"content-version-id":"ae2d7988-b489-4d12-ba7e-71f8946838cb","card-added-at":1776090626693,"status":"draft","id":"80d691c2-7b84-4e88-a4f9-cb84464ffd54","content-id":"80d691c2-7b84-4e88-a4f9-cb84464ffd54","version":21,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Trump vows US will sink any Iran boats that challenge blockade","message":"Trump warns any Iran 'attack ships' breaching US blockade will be 'eliminated'","image":{"key":"gulfnews/import/2024/11/08/Donald-Trump_1930a43601b_large.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AFP","alt-text":"Donald Trump","caption":"US President Donald Trump","metadata":{"focus-point":[395,236],"width":750,"height":563}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7f751f03-7925-483e-8a6d-e14dfc7089c2/element/aedf7a4a-3c21-47c2-8542-a3d70577f616","type":"text","family-id":"38c62c31-16c2-4226-bef3-3f933e36b819","title":"","id":"aedf7a4a-3c21-47c2-8542-a3d70577f616","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776091902151,"author-name":"Jay Hilotin","headline":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships ","story-content-id":"e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70","is-published":true,"slug":"world/mena/us-iran-ceasefire-us-moves-to-blockade-iranian-ports-as-strait-of-hormuz-traffic-halts-oil-prices-surge-1.500504821","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776091902492,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"'Grave violation': Iran assails US naval blockade","hero-image":{"member-id":2118564,"hero-image-extracted-data":{},"index":21,"uploaded-at":1759607565679,"hero-image-metadata":{"focus-point":[324,252],"width":750,"height":563},"source":null,"hero-image-attribution":"AFP","hero-image-alt-text":"Donald Trump","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2024/11/07/Donald-Trump_1930495bbba_large.jpg","hyperlink":null,"creator-id":null,"hero-image-caption":"US President Donald Trump.","extracted-data":{},"hero-image-url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/import/2024/11/07/Donald-Trump_1930495bbba_large.jpg","temporary-hero-image-key":null}}}},"sections":[{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/StYmZjTOsh_E3X_MCNbTsY_u_4OBKhmdDDRISB0B4Nt-zKyuCQlU4qn2uNBqXEVY","published-at":1776091902492,"status":"published","id":"e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/us-iran-ceasefire-us-moves-to-blockade-iranian-ports-as-strait-of-hormuz-traffic-halts-oil-prices-surge-1.500504821","author-id":2183048,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"live-blog","authors":[{"id":2183048,"name":"Jay Hilotin","email":"jhilotin_fl@gulfnews.com"},{"id":2170753,"name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","email":"lpavithran@gulfnews.com"},{"id":2165444,"name":"Christian Borbon","email":"cborbon@gulfnews.com"},{"id":2287057,"name":"Huda Ata","email":"huda.ata@gulfnews.com"},{"id":2165038,"name":"Karishma H. Nandkeolyar","email":"knandkeolyar@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"live-blog-introduction":"The US military says it will begin a blockade of Iranian ports at 10:00 ET (14:00 GMT) on Monday, raising tensions despite a temporary ceasefire. US President Donald Trump said the two-week ceasefire with Iran is \u201Cholding well\u201D after weekend negotiations in Islamabad failed to reach a breakthrough. Iran has warned it will retaliate against any military vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, while talks between Israel and Lebanon are expected later this week. Follow our live coverage for the latest developments in the region.","story-attributes":{"label":["LIVE"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"StYmZjTOsh_E3X_MCNbTsY_u_4OBKhmdDDRISB0B4Nt-zKyuCQlU4qn2uNBqXEVY","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"US-Iran ceasefire: US sets up blockage near Strait of Hormuz, Trump threatens nearby Iran ships "},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7f751f03-7925-483e-8a6d-e14dfc7089c2/element/3edc6e29-0fd4-48f9-a1ca-e45a35698907","type":"text","family-id":"20c326be-76a5-4909-899b-3668aed72e03","title":"","id":"3edc6e29-0fd4-48f9-a1ca-e45a35698907","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776089993219,"author-name":"Alex Abraham","headline":"Strait or canal: Who can charge ships - and who can\u2019t?","story-content-id":"39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78","is-published":true,"slug":"world/mena/strait-or-canal-who-can-charge-ships-and-who-cant-1.500505563","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776089995052,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Strait or canal: Who can charge ships \u2014 and who can\u2019t?","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/drg0RLiNRj-AFNybXPy8XXHuJyD1qUFbL-OJIBfRKaKAzqTro8h-WMsjVVSj2URw","published-at":1776089995052,"status":"published","id":"39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/strait-or-canal-who-can-charge-ships-and-who-cant-1.500505563","author-id":2165599,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2165599,"name":"Alex Abraham","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"drg0RLiNRj-AFNybXPy8XXHuJyD1qUFbL-OJIBfRKaKAzqTro8h-WMsjVVSj2URw","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Strait or canal: Who can charge ships - and who can\u2019t?"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7f751f03-7925-483e-8a6d-e14dfc7089c2/element/88de8888-afb9-4e87-9a0c-5fe254e2d723","type":"text","family-id":"cf4b9d63-3ddb-476d-910f-6cadcff1bee7","title":"","id":"88de8888-afb9-4e87-9a0c-5fe254e2d723","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"cd3ea950-ebea-49d0-998b-583ed39a124c","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776073677948,"author-name":"Stephen N R","headline":"Trump\u2019s Hormuz gamble: Showdown for control of the key strait","story-content-id":"cd3ea950-ebea-49d0-998b-583ed39a124c","is-published":true,"slug":"world/americas/trump-s-hormuz-gamble-showdown-for-control-of-the-key-strait-1.500505183","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776073680807,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Trump\u2019s Hormuz gamble: Showdown for control of strait","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85243,"name":"Americas","slug":"americas","data":null},{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/63tMvd-hlGVmy_6HEQUedoPR5sjJBHCAjljWIZ_MSeHjV3e3dyNPI4uOcIlVWFMu","published-at":1776073680807,"status":"published","id":"cd3ea950-ebea-49d0-998b-583ed39a124c","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/trump-s-hormuz-gamble-showdown-for-control-of-the-key-strait-1.500505183","author-id":2171005,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"syndicated","authors":[{"author-collection-id":null,"email":"nstephen@gulfnews.com","slug":"stephen-n-r","last-name":null,"social":{},"name":"Stephen N R","avatar-url":"https://images.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/lxugegpt/Stephen_N_R__pic.jpg","roles":[{"id":25321,"name":"Contributor"},{"id":28409,"name":"Sub-Editor"},{"id":29903,"name":"AI Usage"}],"bridgekeeper-id":8726676,"settings":{},"first-name":null,"communication-email":null,"bio":"A Senior Associate Editor with more than 30 years in the media, Stephen N.R. curates, edits and publishes impactful stories for Gulf News \u2014 both in print and online \u2014 focusing on Middle East politics, student issues and explainers on global topics. \n\nStephen has spent most of his career in journalism, working behind the scenes \u2014 shaping headlines, editing copy and putting together newspaper pages with precision. \n\nFor the past many years, he has brought that same dedication to the Gulf News digital team, where he curates stories, crafts explainers and helps keep both the web and print editions sharp and engaging. ","can-login":true,"id":2171005,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/lxugegpt/Stephen_N_R__pic.jpg","twitter-handle":null,"metadata":{"designation":"Senior Associate Editor "}}],"metadata":{"imported-card-is-read-only":null,"story-attributes":{"syndicatedfrom":["Wire - Print"],"syndicated-categories":["Americas"],"authorbox":["Show"]},"imported-card-id":"59af073e-cca5-442e-8027-b416d7c3af27"},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"63tMvd-hlGVmy_6HEQUedoPR5sjJBHCAjljWIZ_MSeHjV3e3dyNPI4uOcIlVWFMu","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Trump\u2019s Hormuz gamble: Showdown for control of the key strait"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7f751f03-7925-483e-8a6d-e14dfc7089c2/element/42f20f26-713c-44d1-956b-cbe953ec05cc","type":"text","family-id":"c1b36a40-15d1-4efd-af25-46483f2290d9","title":"","id":"42f20f26-713c-44d1-956b-cbe953ec05cc","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"f8b40c34-0a6f-425b-a467-ad81d239c6ce","linked-story":{"updated-at":1776082333658,"author-name":"Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Special to Gulf News","headline":"Strait of Hormuz: Between noise and the clarity of international law","story-content-id":"f8b40c34-0a6f-425b-a467-ad81d239c6ce","is-published":true,"slug":"opinion/op-eds/strait-of-hormuz-between-noise-and-the-clarity-of-international-law-1.500505374","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1776082335658,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Beyond the headlines: Who controls Hormuz?","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85268,"name":"Op-Eds","slug":"op-eds","data":null},{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/aYST44PRgp_tsjgI72ht1LjzUYfDkL8xocLUm_K5WE-vgV-66Pzuo-cuIkFgxuHe","published-at":1776082335658,"status":"published","id":"f8b40c34-0a6f-425b-a467-ad81d239c6ce","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/opinion/op-eds/strait-of-hormuz-between-noise-and-the-clarity-of-international-law-1.500505374","author-id":2168918,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2168918,"name":"Dr Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Special to Gulf News","email":"drabdullahbelhaifalnuaimispecialtogulfnews_mr@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"aYST44PRgp_tsjgI72ht1LjzUYfDkL8xocLUm_K5WE-vgV-66Pzuo-cuIkFgxuHe","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Strait of Hormuz: Between noise and the clarity of international law"}],"card-updated-at":1776092189374,"content-version-id":"373538fc-4e6f-40f3-ad6d-bc9588cc2d04","card-added-at":1776092152872,"status":"draft","id":"40654b79-f5d7-4a45-b46e-ca2711c50037","content-id":"40654b79-f5d7-4a45-b46e-ca2711c50037","version":2,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Trump vows US will sink any Iran boats that challenge blockade","message":"Trump warns any Iran 'attack ships' breaching US blockade will be 'eliminated'","image":{"key":"gulfnews/import/2024/11/08/Donald-Trump_1930a43601b_large.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AFP","alt-text":"Donald Trump","caption":"US President Donald Trump","metadata":{"focus-point":[395,236],"width":750,"height":563}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_In_This_Package"]}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7f751f03-7925-483e-8a6d-e14dfc7089c2/element/acd9805d-b4c9-4ebe-992d-74e3158f47be","type":"text","family-id":"aea87201-7133-4851-ba8f-397b26ca419a","title":"","id":"acd9805d-b4c9-4ebe-992d-74e3158f47be","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"\"The blockade will be enforced impartially against vessels of all nations entering or departing Iranian ports and coastal areas, including all Iranian ports on the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman,\" US Central Command said, adding it would begin at 1400 GMT on Monday.
US forces would not impede vessels transiting the strait to and from non-Iranian ports, it added.
Nicole Grajewski, an assistant professor at Sciences Po's Center for International Research, said a US blockade was \"not a minor coercive signal\" but could rather be considered an effective resumption of the war.
Iran's military command issued a statement branding the blockade a criminal act of piracy, and warned that if the security of its harbours \"is threatened, no port in the Arabian Gulf and the Arabian Sea will be safe\".
China, Washington's great power rival and a big importer of Iranian oil, also criticised the plan.
\"The Strait of Hormuz is an important international trade route for goods and energy, and maintaining its security, stability, and unimpeded flow is in the common interest of the international community,\" foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said, urging Iran and the US not to reignite the war.
Among Washington's NATO allies, much criticised by Trump for their reluctance to follow him to war, Spain's Defence Minister Margarita Robles said the planned naval blockade \"makes no sense\".
\"It's one more episode in this whole downward spiral into which we've been dragged,\" she said.
And in a BBC radio interview, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Britain would not join the blockade, adding the UK \"is not getting dragged in\".
French President Emmanuel Macron said that France and Britain would host a conference with countries prepared to join a \"peaceful multinational mission\" to secure the strait, but it would be \"strictly defensive\" and only operational once circumstances permit.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776096609708,"content-version-id":"3d12a764-e54c-4bf8-b07f-5264dc6405f5","card-added-at":1776092152872,"status":"draft","id":"cf0222b1-e0c5-47e5-b3f2-a97a1ba3d0cd","content-id":"cf0222b1-e0c5-47e5-b3f2-a97a1ba3d0cd","version":7,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Trump vows US will sink any Iran boats that challenge blockade","message":"Trump warns any Iran 'attack ships' breaching US blockade will be 'eliminated'","image":{"key":"gulfnews/import/2024/11/08/Donald-Trump_1930a43601b_large.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AFP","alt-text":"Donald Trump","caption":"US President Donald Trump","metadata":{"focus-point":[395,236],"width":750,"height":563}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/7f751f03-7925-483e-8a6d-e14dfc7089c2/element/e0c9f3cc-a79f-4f77-943b-2ea89090f08e","type":"text","family-id":"79e0ecab-f3d2-427f-bdfe-691adf7e204e","title":"","id":"e0c9f3cc-a79f-4f77-943b-2ea89090f08e","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Iran's parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who led Tehran's delegation in Pakistan, has said Tehran will \"not bow to any threats\", while navy chief Shahram Irani has called Trump's blockade \"ridiculous\".
The strait was far from the only friction point impeding efforts to end the war.
The US delegation in Islamabad - led by Vance, special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner - was frustrated by Iran's refusal to give up what it insists is a civilian nuclear programme.
Russia has offered to hold Iran's enriched uranium safely as part of any deal.
\"The offer still stands, but has not been acted upon,\" Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Russia has personnel helping run Iran's Bushehr nuclear plant, but Alexei Likhachev, director general of Moscow's state atomic energy corporation Rosatom, said 108 of them have already been pulled out and only a \"final rotation\" of 20 remain.
The area around the Bushehr facility has been struck at least four times during the war.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776096609708,"content-version-id":"141b0ba8-63ea-450f-a52c-e4eab5822f93","card-added-at":1776096198048,"status":"draft","id":"eb15fe7c-2a6b-46c7-be35-18e2e259144b","content-id":"eb15fe7c-2a6b-46c7-be35-18e2e259144b","version":5,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Trump vows US will sink any Iran boats that challenge blockade","message":"Trump warns any Iran 'attack ships' breaching US blockade will be 'eliminated'","image":{"key":"gulfnews/import/2024/11/08/Donald-Trump_1930a43601b_large.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"AFP","alt-text":"Donald Trump","caption":"US President Donald Trump","metadata":{"focus-point":[395,236],"width":750,"height":563}}},"attributes":{}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena/trump-vows-us-will-sink-any-iran-boats-that-challenge-blockade-2-1.500505588","story-version-id":"17a35633-a232-4297-a061-1dd314e9394f","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776119483348,"author-id":2118725,"owner-id":2180995,"linked-story-ids":["e0c7e095-0dba-40d9-a211-11698766df70","39225049-9876-49ef-9105-e15dae07db78","f8b40c34-0a6f-425b-a467-ad81d239c6ce","cd3ea950-ebea-49d0-998b-583ed39a124c"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776092000198,"hero-image-caption":"US President Donald Trump","version":24,"story-template":"syndicated","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776119448999,"authors":[{"slug":"afp","social":{},"name":"AFP","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2118725,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"imported-card-is-read-only":false,"story-attributes":{"syndicatedfrom":["Wire - AFP"],"syndicated-categories":null},"imported-card-id":"80d691c2-7b84-4e88-a4f9-cb84464ffd54","card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Syndication"},"id":"7f751f03-7925-483e-8a6d-e14dfc7089c2"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776068103035,"seo":{"meta-title":"Abu Dhabi Parking Update: New Paid System in Musaffah Industrial Area Starts April 20 to Ease Congestion","meta-description":"New paid parking system in Musaffah, Abu Dhabi starts April 20. Find out charges, payment via TAMM and Darb apps, and how it will improve traffic flow.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2170753,"author-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","tags":[{"id":11442870,"name":"Public parking","meta-description":"Discover public parking updates across UAE including smart meters, zone rules, fines, and payment options.","meta-title":"Public Parking News \u2013 Rules, Fees & Smart Systems","slug":"public-parking","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11505293,"name":"Abu Dhabi","meta-description":"Stay updated with the latest news and stories from Abu Dhabi, including events, lifestyle, infrastructure and business developments.","meta-title":"Abu Dhabi News \u2013 Updates, Events & Developments","slug":"abu-dhabi","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"Abu Dhabi parking update: New paid system in Musaffah starts April 20","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"5d6b6c0d-caf0-4e85-910b-191c4d426e2a","slug":"uae/transport/abu-dhabi-parking-update-new-paid-system-in-musaffah-starts-april-20-1.500505074","linked-stories":{"1fc8052b-a39b-4894-98b7-0c226f53eee8":{"author-name":"Abdulla Rasheed","headline":"Parkin launches scheme to turn parking fees into shopping rewards in Dubai","story-content-id":"1fc8052b-a39b-4894-98b7-0c226f53eee8","slug":"business/retail/parkin-launches-scheme-to-turn-parking-fees-into-shopping-rewards-in-dubai-1.500502454","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Parkin turns parking into an incentive to shop local","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Shop local, save on parking with Parkin\u2019s new initiative in Dubai","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"retail","name":"Retail","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail","id":85277,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Retail","collection":{"slug":"retail-business","name":"Business Component (Retail)","id":194701},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"transport","name":"Transport","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/transport","id":85256,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Transport","collection":{"slug":"transport-uae","name":"Transport (UAE)","id":194680},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":50448,"file-name":"Parkin.jpg"},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-10/id13uhws/Parkin.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail/parkin-launches-scheme-to-turn-parking-fees-into-shopping-rewards-in-dubai-1.500502454","content-updated-at":1775812092430,"author-id":2165256,"first-published-at":1775812091669,"authors":[{"slug":"abdulla-rasheed","social":{},"name":"Abdulla Rasheed","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/4gnhsgzf/IMG_20250514_WA0118.jpg","bio":"Abdullah Rashid Al Hammadi \u202Fis an accomplished Emirati journalist with over 45 years of experience in both Arabic and English media. He currently serves as the Abu Dhabi Bureau Chief fo Gulf News. \n\nAl Hammadi began his career in 1980 with Al Ittihad\u202Fnewspaper, where he rose through the ranks to hold key editorial positions, including Head of International News, Director of the Research Center, and Acting Managing Editor. \n\nA founding member of the UAE Journalists Association and a former board member, he is also affiliated with the General Federation of Arab Journalists and the International Federation of Journalists. Al Hammadi studied Information Systems Technology at the University of Virginia and completed journalism training with Reuters in Cairo and London. \n\nDuring his time in Washington, D.C., he reported for Alittihad \u202Fand became a member of the National Press Club. From 2000 to 2008, he wrote the widely read Dababees column, known for its critical take on social issues. \n\nThroughout his career, Al Hammadi has conducted high-profile interviews with prominent leaders including UAE President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and key Arab figures such as the late Yasser Arafat and former presidents of Yemen and Egypt. \n\nHe has reported on major historical events such as the Iran-Iraq war, the liberation of Kuwait, the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the establishment of the Palestinian Authority. His work continues to shape and influence journalism in the UAE and the wider Arab world. ","id":2165256,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/4gnhsgzf/IMG_20250514_WA0118.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]},"e9e7146c-5999-4422-8059-52a4ade3daa4":{"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"Dubai introduces paid parking in Healthcare City from Dh4 per hour","story-content-id":"e9e7146c-5999-4422-8059-52a4ade3daa4","slug":"uae/transport/dubai-introduces-paid-parking-in-healthcare-city-from-dh4-per-hour-1.500502619","alternative":{"social":{"default":{"headline":"Paid parking starts in Dubai Healthcare City: what drivers must know","hero-image":null}},"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai Healthcare City parking fees announced","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"transport","name":"Transport","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/transport","id":85256,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Transport","collection":{"slug":"transport-uae","name":"Transport (UAE)","id":194680},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","focus-point":null,"width":688,"file-size":33809,"height":517},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-13/kxn41zk6/Stock_Parkin_18e07fbdf62_large.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/transport/dubai-introduces-paid-parking-in-healthcare-city-from-dh4-per-hour-1.500502619","content-updated-at":1775820549371,"author-id":2287057,"first-published-at":1775820548512,"authors":[{"slug":"huda-ata","social":{},"name":"Huda Ata","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":"Huda Ata is an independent writer based in the UAE.","id":2287057,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"eecf71db-4223-4962-8c86-0b89f31ef2dd":{"author-name":"Christian Borbon","headline":"Abu Dhabi parking update: Paid system in Mohamed bin Zayed City from April 6","story-content-id":"eecf71db-4223-4962-8c86-0b89f31ef2dd","slug":"uae/transport/abu-dhabi-parking-update-paid-system-in-mohamed-bin-zayed-city-from-april-6-1.500490734","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"New paid parking starts in Abu Dhabi from April 6","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"New Abu Dhabi parking system: Fees, permits and how to pay via apps","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"transport","name":"Transport","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/transport","id":85256,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Transport","collection":{"slug":"transport-uae","name":"Transport (UAE)","id":194680},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1200,"height":900,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":138146,"file-name":"5.jpg"},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-30/iok61lyl/5.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/transport/abu-dhabi-parking-update-paid-system-in-mohamed-bin-zayed-city-from-april-6-1.500490734","content-updated-at":1774866139957,"author-id":2165444,"first-published-at":1774865485614,"authors":[{"slug":"christian-borbon","social":{},"name":"Christian Borbon","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-12/pkgif7br/philipgn.jpg","bio":"Christian is a detail-oriented digital professional who works behind the scenes to ensure every piece of content is delivered seamlessly across platforms. With a sharp eye for detail and a strong sense of diligence, he helps keep the digital side of the newsroom running smoothly. Known for being dependable and easy to work with, he\u2019s always ready to jump in, solve problems, and support the team. ","id":2165444,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-12/pkgif7br/philipgn.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776068105624,"public-identifier":"1.500505074","subheadline":"Tariff set at Dh2 per hour as part of traffic management push","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Abu Dhabi rolls out new paid parking in Musaffah","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"transport","name":"Transport","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/transport","id":85256,"parent-id":85212,"display-name":"Transport","collection":{"slug":"transport-uae","name":"Transport (UAE)","id":194680},"data":null}],"read-time":2,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776067444804,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":800,"height":600},"comments":null,"word-count":221,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776068105624,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"Gulf News Archives","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":"20220710 abu dhabi parking ","id":"5d6b6c0d-caf0-4e85-910b-191c4d426e2a","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2024-11-20/mfc3yo26/20220710_abu_dhabi_parking__181e90bc19e_original_ratio.jpg","contributors":null,"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/5d6b6c0d-caf0-4e85-910b-191c4d426e2a/element/e6556ff9-653d-43a0-b952-e279b5abc280","type":"text","family-id":"dd9f2d4b-628f-4948-8cf9-378aae57b4f3","title":"","id":"e6556ff9-653d-43a0-b952-e279b5abc280","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Abu Dhabi\u2019s mobility authorities have announced the activation of a paid parking system in new sectors of Musaffah starting Monday, April 20, as part of efforts to improve traffic flow and regulate parking usage.
The initiative, announced by Q Mobility, aims to reduce haphazard parking, ease congestion and enhance vehicle movement in the busy industrial district.
Motorists will be able to pay parking fees through the TAMM and Darb apps, with standard parking set at Dh2 per hour.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/5d6b6c0d-caf0-4e85-910b-191c4d426e2a/element/1ef00874-afa1-47d8-80d4-b58dd9f753bf","type":"text","family-id":"5e1396cd-df6a-4fdb-89d1-30defa37e1b2","title":"","id":"1ef00874-afa1-47d8-80d4-b58dd9f753bf","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."},{"description":"","embed-js":"<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXD_f3AjWix/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:16px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXD_f3AjWix/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"> <div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div></div></div><div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"><svg width="50px" height="50px" viewBox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"><g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"><g><path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"></path></g></g></g></svg></div><div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;">View this post on Instagram</div></div><div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"><div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"></div></div><div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"></div></div><div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"></div> <div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"></div></div></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"></div> <div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"></div></div></a></div></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>","page-url":"/story/5d6b6c0d-caf0-4e85-910b-191c4d426e2a/element/a7ab9b52-e224-45e4-bd7a-b31380279c02","type":"jsembed","family-id":"409d0c77-2bd5-4c9a-a57e-f6ed96e12ca3","title":"","id":"a7ab9b52-e224-45e4-bd7a-b31380279c02","metadata":{"instagram-url":"https://www.instagram.com/reel/DXD_f3AjWix/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==","provider":"instagram","instagram-id":null},"subtype":"instagram"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/5d6b6c0d-caf0-4e85-910b-191c4d426e2a/element/58c71028-5f88-41a4-806f-6439dd42b230","type":"text","family-id":"197778b4-0e89-41d3-a70a-44d9fd5de118","title":"","id":"58c71028-5f88-41a4-806f-6439dd42b230","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
Officials said the regulated system is designed to improve access for shoppers, residents and workers while reducing long-term congestion in high-demand areas.
The latest expansion follows earlier implementation on January 12 in parts of the Musaffah industrial zone, where similar paid parking measures were introduced under the supervision of the Integrated Transport Centre.
The system is part of a wider strategy to improve public parking efficiency and support commercial activity by easing access to industrial and business facilities.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776068100263,"content-version-id":"96cb5be0-d20e-4666-a557-0de5f78e76cb","card-added-at":1776067444811,"status":"draft","id":"9a6b344a-c75b-4284-a5ce-1bc2f50dd847","content-id":"9a6b344a-c75b-4284-a5ce-1bc2f50dd847","version":9,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Abu Dhabi parking update: New paid system in Musaffah starts April 20","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2024-11-20/mfc3yo26/20220710_abu_dhabi_parking__181e90bc19e_original_ratio.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Gulf News Archives","alt-text":"20220710 abu dhabi parking ","caption":"Motorists to use TAMM, Darb apps as Musaffah parking becomes paid zone","metadata":{"width":800,"height":600}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/5d6b6c0d-caf0-4e85-910b-191c4d426e2a/element/0e6f7980-b03a-4a9f-a11c-c68b5837528c","type":"text","family-id":"74308a09-5946-4c4d-8cb3-90ca8e45e500","title":"","id":"0e6f7980-b03a-4a9f-a11c-c68b5837528c","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"eecf71db-4223-4962-8c86-0b89f31ef2dd","linked-story":{"updated-at":1774866137525,"author-name":"Christian Borbon","headline":"Abu Dhabi parking update: Paid system in Mohamed bin Zayed City from April 6","story-content-id":"eecf71db-4223-4962-8c86-0b89f31ef2dd","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/transport/abu-dhabi-parking-update-paid-system-in-mohamed-bin-zayed-city-from-april-6-1.500490734","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1774865485614,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"New paid parking starts in Abu Dhabi from April 6","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"New Abu Dhabi parking system: Fees, permits and how to pay via apps","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85256,"name":"Transport","slug":"transport","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/92--VF1YcPMkPhJvBcmJtzCnY0ig2GrHv3KEaSWlcL3o3Jy7q_Hpv94eIfYhCJlN","published-at":1774865485614,"status":"published","id":"eecf71db-4223-4962-8c86-0b89f31ef2dd","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/transport/abu-dhabi-parking-update-paid-system-in-mohamed-bin-zayed-city-from-april-6-1.500490734","author-id":2165444,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2165444,"name":"Christian Borbon","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"92--VF1YcPMkPhJvBcmJtzCnY0ig2GrHv3KEaSWlcL3o3Jy7q_Hpv94eIfYhCJlN","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Abu Dhabi parking update: Paid system in Mohamed bin Zayed City from April 6"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/5d6b6c0d-caf0-4e85-910b-191c4d426e2a/element/8b407eee-c61b-40bb-9dee-1963753b5fba","type":"text","family-id":"8ab49e15-17cb-4890-94d6-002a4aaa3b57","title":"","id":"8b407eee-c61b-40bb-9dee-1963753b5fba","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"e9e7146c-5999-4422-8059-52a4ade3daa4","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775820546513,"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"Dubai introduces paid parking in Healthcare City from Dh4 per hour","story-content-id":"e9e7146c-5999-4422-8059-52a4ade3daa4","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/transport/dubai-introduces-paid-parking-in-healthcare-city-from-dh4-per-hour-1.500502619","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775820548512,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"social":{"default":{"headline":"Paid parking starts in Dubai Healthcare City: what drivers must know","hero-image":null}},"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai Healthcare City parking fees announced","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85256,"name":"Transport","slug":"transport","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/8h9HLMXw4bJ6a4hwNtU_fnOiKvhPFvxLgFlrizWbzGsnmNTOUqWtD7ZD8Eo49LCw","published-at":1775820548512,"status":"published","id":"e9e7146c-5999-4422-8059-52a4ade3daa4","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/transport/dubai-introduces-paid-parking-in-healthcare-city-from-dh4-per-hour-1.500502619","author-id":2287057,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2287057,"name":"Huda Ata","email":"huda.ata@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"8h9HLMXw4bJ6a4hwNtU_fnOiKvhPFvxLgFlrizWbzGsnmNTOUqWtD7ZD8Eo49LCw","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Dubai introduces paid parking in Healthcare City from Dh4 per hour"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/5d6b6c0d-caf0-4e85-910b-191c4d426e2a/element/a2f4dad9-af7f-4411-aee3-138a548fe41b","type":"text","family-id":"c810c18a-a397-4f9b-8de3-661f26527088","title":"","id":"a2f4dad9-af7f-4411-aee3-138a548fe41b","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"e9e7146c-5999-4422-8059-52a4ade3daa4","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775820546513,"author-name":"Huda Ata","headline":"Dubai introduces paid parking in Healthcare City from Dh4 per hour","story-content-id":"e9e7146c-5999-4422-8059-52a4ade3daa4","is-published":true,"slug":"uae/transport/dubai-introduces-paid-parking-in-healthcare-city-from-dh4-per-hour-1.500502619","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775820548512,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"social":{"default":{"headline":"Paid parking starts in Dubai Healthcare City: what drivers must know","hero-image":null}},"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai Healthcare City parking fees announced","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85256,"name":"Transport","slug":"transport","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/8h9HLMXw4bJ6a4hwNtU_fnOiKvhPFvxLgFlrizWbzGsnmNTOUqWtD7ZD8Eo49LCw","published-at":1775820548512,"status":"published","id":"e9e7146c-5999-4422-8059-52a4ade3daa4","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/transport/dubai-introduces-paid-parking-in-healthcare-city-from-dh4-per-hour-1.500502619","author-id":2287057,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2287057,"name":"Huda Ata","email":"huda.ata@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"8h9HLMXw4bJ6a4hwNtU_fnOiKvhPFvxLgFlrizWbzGsnmNTOUqWtD7ZD8Eo49LCw","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Dubai introduces paid parking in Healthcare City from Dh4 per hour"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/5d6b6c0d-caf0-4e85-910b-191c4d426e2a/element/861bde8e-29ec-47ac-b6a6-8a9585b95d1f","type":"text","family-id":"1f7ed90b-04fb-4f74-87a3-39ec0cf5610e","title":"","id":"861bde8e-29ec-47ac-b6a6-8a9585b95d1f","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"1fc8052b-a39b-4894-98b7-0c226f53eee8","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775812089905,"author-name":"Abdulla Rasheed","headline":"Parkin launches scheme to turn parking fees into shopping rewards in Dubai","story-content-id":"1fc8052b-a39b-4894-98b7-0c226f53eee8","is-published":true,"slug":"business/retail/parkin-launches-scheme-to-turn-parking-fees-into-shopping-rewards-in-dubai-1.500502454","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775812091669,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Parkin turns parking into an incentive to shop local","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Shop local, save on parking with Parkin\u2019s new initiative in Dubai","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85277,"name":"Retail","slug":"retail","data":null},{"id":85256,"name":"Transport","slug":"transport","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/tLD9Kqc6q5cVmN7rf-Zt5iH1J4wh6zCkkwjFdNGSMdQs-EC2G3i9ctUvVWWGJoyi","published-at":1775812091669,"status":"published","id":"1fc8052b-a39b-4894-98b7-0c226f53eee8","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail/parkin-launches-scheme-to-turn-parking-fees-into-shopping-rewards-in-dubai-1.500502454","author-id":2165256,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2165256,"name":"Abdulla Rasheed","email":"aalhammadi@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"tLD9Kqc6q5cVmN7rf-Zt5iH1J4wh6zCkkwjFdNGSMdQs-EC2G3i9ctUvVWWGJoyi","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Parkin launches scheme to turn parking fees into shopping rewards in Dubai"}],"card-updated-at":1776068100263,"content-version-id":"bb2f718d-7f98-4d87-bcab-5359b5c3b20e","card-added-at":1776067754255,"status":"draft","id":"b9c92394-c49a-4e8b-8970-af12b169b386","content-id":"b9c92394-c49a-4e8b-8970-af12b169b386","version":8,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Abu Dhabi parking update: New paid system in Musaffah starts April 20","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2024-11-20/mfc3yo26/20220710_abu_dhabi_parking__181e90bc19e_original_ratio.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Gulf News Archives","alt-text":"20220710 abu dhabi parking ","caption":"Motorists to use TAMM, Darb apps as Musaffah parking becomes paid zone","metadata":{"width":800,"height":600}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_In_This_Package"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/uae/transport/abu-dhabi-parking-update-new-paid-system-in-musaffah-starts-april-20-1.500505074","story-version-id":"d77d0998-2220-46e6-ac8c-b139bac0fd3a","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776068106583,"author-id":2170753,"owner-id":2170753,"linked-story-ids":["e9e7146c-5999-4422-8059-52a4ade3daa4","1fc8052b-a39b-4894-98b7-0c226f53eee8","eecf71db-4223-4962-8c86-0b89f31ef2dd"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776068105624,"hero-image-caption":"Motorists to use TAMM, Darb apps as Musaffah parking becomes paid zone","version":9,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776068100249,"authors":[{"slug":"lekshmy-pavithran","social":{},"name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/0iyy2fe8/lk__2_.jpg","bio":"Lekshmy is a rockstar in the digital newsroom! With nearly two decades of experience, she revels in breaking news, riding viral trends, and spotting those hidden stories everyone else misses. \n\nAs the Assistant Online Editor, she steers the homepage, blending editorial brilliance with a no-nonsense approach. Whether it\u2019s UAE headlines, global affairs, business stories, or the latest buzz in entertainment and sports, Lekshmy is always on top of the game, delivering real-time coverage with precision. \n\nHer work ethic? Clarity, impact, and a dash of flair. All that is evident in her in-depth stories, special reports and explainers. Add in her social media savvy, and it\u2019s no wonder she consistently cranks out content that gets eyeballs and keeps them coming back for more.","id":2170753,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/0iyy2fe8/lk__2_.jpg","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran"},"id":"5d6b6c0d-caf0-4e85-910b-191c4d426e2a"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1775536073468,"seo":{"meta-title":"Inside Operation Epic Fury: The 800g Boeing CSEL Device That Helped Rescue a Downed US Airman in Iran","meta-description":"How a tiny Boeing CSEL survival device used encrypted GPS bursts to keep a downed US airman hidden from Iranian forces and alive until rescue.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2170753,"author-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","tags":[{"id":11441529,"name":"Donald Trump","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"donald-trump","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":14773106,"name":"US-Israel-Iran war","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"us-israel-iran-war","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"Silent signals, secret tool: The tiny 800g device behind the US airman rescue in Iran","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"b1c27789-47c4-4c5c-a8cf-affc5e12ece7","slug":"world/americas/silent-signals-secret-tool-the-tiny-800g-device-behind-the-us-airman-rescue-in-iran-1.500498483","linked-stories":{"74c2ac57-c594-4eb8-8fff-4b3455fc82cd":{"author-name":"AFP","headline":"Incredibly dangerous\u2019: How US commandos rescued a downed F\u201115 airman in Iran","story-content-id":"74c2ac57-c594-4eb8-8fff-4b3455fc82cd","slug":"world/americas/incredibly-dangerous-how-us-commandos-rescued-a-downed-f15-airman-in-iran-1.500498429","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Inside the \u2018incredibly dangerous\u2019 US rescue in Iran","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"americas","name":"Americas","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas","id":85243,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Americas","collection":{"slug":"americas-world","name":"Americas (World)","id":194667},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":317880,"width":1200,"height":800},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-06/7amwwwz7/newsml_afp_com_20260406T000000Z_PH_GTY_2270108407.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/incredibly-dangerous-how-us-commandos-rescued-a-downed-f15-airman-in-iran-1.500498429","content-updated-at":1775532993568,"author-id":2118725,"first-published-at":1775531302667,"authors":[{"slug":"afp","social":{},"name":"AFP","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2118725,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"10af4d29-619c-45c6-847c-d843703cde6d":{"author-name":"AFP","headline":"Who is the US airman rescued from Iran? Inside the mission that defied the odds","story-content-id":"10af4d29-619c-45c6-847c-d843703cde6d","slug":"world/americas/who-is-the-us-airman-rescued-from-iran-inside-the-mission-that-defied-the-odds-1.500497089","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Who is the rescued US airman? Inside daring mission","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"americas","name":"Americas","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas","id":85243,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Americas","collection":{"slug":"americas-world","name":"Americas (World)","id":194667},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1600,"height":1066,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":286138,"file-name":"WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-05-at-11.14.41-AM.jpeg"},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-05/smpf8yu6/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-05-at-11.14.41-AM.jpeg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/who-is-the-us-airman-rescued-from-iran-inside-the-mission-that-defied-the-odds-1.500497089","content-updated-at":1775396539510,"author-id":2118725,"first-published-at":1775396539209,"authors":[{"slug":"afp","social":{},"name":"AFP","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2118725,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"571cd847-a29b-4c6f-acbc-446f8d099bc9":{"author-name":"AFP","headline":"Hide, find water: US ex-pilot details how to survive being shot down","story-content-id":"571cd847-a29b-4c6f-acbc-446f8d099bc9","slug":"world/americas/hide-find-water-us-ex-pilot-details-how-to-survive-being-shot-down-1.500495844","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Hide, find water: US ex-pilot details how to survive","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"americas","name":"Americas","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas","id":85243,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Americas","collection":{"slug":"americas-world","name":"Americas (World)","id":194667},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"width":954,"height":772,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":112960,"file-name":"Houston-Cantwell.avif","focus-point":null},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-04/avsxg9ft/Houston-Cantwell.avif","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/hide-find-water-us-ex-pilot-details-how-to-survive-being-shot-down-1.500495844","content-updated-at":1775269470535,"author-id":2118725,"first-published-at":1775263683768,"authors":[{"slug":"afp","social":{},"name":"AFP","contributor-role":null,"avatar-url":null,"bio":null,"id":2118725,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null}]},"ed0aa945-60b9-4e9b-ab95-0b86d77aa3c7":{"author-name":"Stephen N R","headline":"Behind enemy lines: How the US rescued a downed airman deep inside Iran","story-content-id":"ed0aa945-60b9-4e9b-ab95-0b86d77aa3c7","slug":"world/americas/behind-enemy-lines-how-the-us-rescued-a-downed-airman-deep-inside-iran-1.500496772","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"How the US rescued a downed airman deep inside Iran","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"americas","name":"Americas","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas","id":85243,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Americas","collection":{"slug":"americas-world","name":"Americas (World)","id":194667},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"mena","name":"Mena","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/mena","id":85235,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Mena","collection":{"slug":"mena-world","name":"Mena (World)","id":194659},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1200,"file-size":314301,"file-name":"890547-01-02-Read-Only.jpg","height":900},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-03-25/kxsm4otc/890547-01-02-Read-Only.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/behind-enemy-lines-how-the-us-rescued-a-downed-airman-deep-inside-iran-1.500496772","content-updated-at":1775394835346,"author-id":2171005,"first-published-at":1775369784120,"authors":[{"slug":"stephen-n-r","social":{},"name":"Stephen N R","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/lxugegpt/Stephen_N_R__pic.jpg","bio":"A Senior Associate Editor with more than 30 years in the media, Stephen N.R. curates, edits and publishes impactful stories for Gulf News \u2014 both in print and online \u2014 focusing on Middle East politics, student issues and explainers on global topics. \n\nStephen has spent most of his career in journalism, working behind the scenes \u2014 shaping headlines, editing copy and putting together newspaper pages with precision. \n\nFor the past many years, he has brought that same dedication to the Gulf News digital team, where he curates stories, crafts explainers and helps keep both the web and print editions sharp and engaging. ","id":2171005,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/lxugegpt/Stephen_N_R__pic.jpg","twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1775536075583,"public-identifier":"1.500498483","subheadline":"Standard-issue CSEL helped locate F\u201115E crew for daring US rescue","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"How a tiny 800g device saved a downed US airman in Iran","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Headline: Silent signals, secret tool: How a tiny 800g device saved a downed F\u201115E airman in Iran","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"americas","name":"Americas","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas","id":85243,"parent-id":85218,"display-name":"Americas","collection":{"slug":"americas-world","name":"Americas (World)","id":194667},"data":null}],"read-time":2,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1775535108705,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":1238,"height":696,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":105682,"file-name":"HFJGQgZbkAEAkDs.jpg"},"comments":null,"word-count":453,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1775536075583,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"Defense Intelligence/X","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":null,"id":"b1c27789-47c4-4c5c-a8cf-affc5e12ece7","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-07/7bja0at3/HFJGQgZbkAEAkDs.jpg","contributors":null,"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/b1c27789-47c4-4c5c-a8cf-affc5e12ece7/element/2348e7fa-147f-4f28-8eeb-66b44d94783f","type":"text","family-id":"4b8d94a9-affe-4a9d-9719-023caf023a53","title":"","id":"2348e7fa-147f-4f28-8eeb-66b44d94783f","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The F-15E crew member rescued from Iran relied on a standard-issue Boeing Combat Survivor Evader Locator (CSEL) to signal his location to US forces, officials said.
\u201CThey have a very sophisticated beeper-type apparatus that is on them at all times,\u201D President Trump said Monday, praising the device for helping save the airman\u2019s life.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/b1c27789-47c4-4c5c-a8cf-affc5e12ece7/element/5681994c-ce50-445e-8984-c65218a37a1d","type":"text","family-id":"bedce407-74d1-4304-a19c-a2dfc23770c5","title":"","id":"5681994c-ce50-445e-8984-c65218a37a1d","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."},{"description":"","embed-js":"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","page-url":"/story/b1c27789-47c4-4c5c-a8cf-affc5e12ece7/element/1b92703a-fcb0-46a3-a042-b998f3dc7b1e","type":"jsembed","family-id":"13677151-1f59-41dd-a31d-9d53632ccc39","title":"","id":"1b92703a-fcb0-46a3-a042-b998f3dc7b1e","metadata":{"tweet-url":"https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/2041206456054055210","provider":"twitter","tweet-id":"2041206456054055210"},"subtype":"tweet"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/b1c27789-47c4-4c5c-a8cf-affc5e12ece7/element/d9975423-0dd5-4b60-81b5-8d7bf0eb32cf","type":"text","family-id":"c8e9f3ff-cc1f-4089-8f72-b296bd55488e","title":"","id":"d9975423-0dd5-4b60-81b5-8d7bf0eb32cf","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
The airman, a weapons systems officer, evaded capture for nearly 48 hours despite injuries, using the CSEL to transmit encrypted bursts with his GPS coordinates.
This allowed US rescuers to track him while remaining invisible to Iranian forces.
\u201CHe scaled cliff faces, treated his own wounds, and contacted American forces,\u201D Trump said. \u201CThe device worked amazingly and saved his life.\u201D
"},{"description":"","embed-js":"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","page-url":"/story/b1c27789-47c4-4c5c-a8cf-affc5e12ece7/element/a504ec8a-3f75-4191-ad2f-277d804ddeda","type":"jsembed","family-id":"d774a29b-7274-4b46-9e60-13a14ce75084","title":"","id":"a504ec8a-3f75-4191-ad2f-277d804ddeda","metadata":{"tweet-url":"https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2041212763016491276","provider":"twitter","tweet-id":"2041212763016491276"},"subtype":"tweet"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/b1c27789-47c4-4c5c-a8cf-affc5e12ece7/element/c35ee283-4566-4777-9f55-5ee9c854e3c3","type":"text","family-id":"cf3d91ea-5a48-447c-9071-779407d17dc7","title":"","id":"c35ee283-4566-4777-9f55-5ee9c854e3c3","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"According to Bloomberg, the CSEL\u2014manufactured by Boeing\u2014is a compact, rugged survival communicator weighing about 800\u202Fgrams. Built to survive extreme forces during emergency ejection, it begins transmitting immediately once activated.
The device sends short, encrypted, frequency-hopping signals, appearing as random background noise to enemy systems.
Pre-loaded messages: \u201CInjured but can move,\u201D \u201CEnemy nearby,\u201D \u201CCapture imminent.\u201D
Satellite links: Continuous, silent communication with rescue teams.
Capabilities: Receive encrypted instructions, guide to safe zones, function as a radio when rescuers are nearby.
With a 21-day battery life, it kept the airman connected for extended evasion. Voice exists but goes silent; data takes over. No triangulation. No detection. Just a digital tether to the rescue network.
This is what finding a \u201Cneedle in a mountain crevice\u201D looks like in 2026.
"},{"description":"","embed-js":"PGJsb2NrcXVvdGUgY2xhc3M9InR3aXR0ZXItdHdlZXQiPjxwIGxhbmc9ImVuIiBkaXI9Imx0ciI+8J+HuvCfh7jwn4eu8J+HtyBIT1cgRE9XTkVEIFUuUyBQSUxPVFMgSU4gSVJBTiBTVEFZRUQgSElEREVOIEFORCBDT05ORUNURUQ8YnI+PGJyPldoZW4gYSBVLlMuIEYtMTVFIGNyZXcgZWplY3RlZCBvdmVyIElyYW4sIHRoZXkgd2VyZSBub3QgaXNvbGF0ZWQsIHRoZXkgc2hpZnRlZCB0byBhIGRldmljZSBrbm93biBhcyBDU0VMLjxicj48YnI+RGV2ZWxvcGVkIGJ5IEJvZWluZywgdGhpcyBjb21wYWN0IGFuZCBkdXJhYmxlIHVuaXQgaXMgYXR0YWNoZWQgdG8gdGhlIHBpbG904oCZcyB2ZXN0LCBzdXJ2aXZlcyBlamVjdGlvbiwgYW5k4oCmIDxhIGhyZWY9Imh0dHBzOi8vdC5jby9xdUVPb0QwakMwIj5waWMudHdpdHRlci5jb20vcXVFT29EMGpDMDwvYT48L3A+Jm1kYXNoOyBEZWZlbnNlIEludGVsbGlnZW5jZSAoQERJMzEzXykgPGEgaHJlZj0iaHR0cHM6Ly90d2l0dGVyLmNvbS9ESTMxM18vc3RhdHVzLzIwNDA3NzIzNjA3MjMzODY3MzQ/cmVmX3NyYz10d3NyYyU1RXRmdyI+QXByaWwgNSwgMjAyNjwvYT48L2Jsb2NrcXVvdGU+CjxzY3JpcHQgYXN5bmMgc3JjPSJodHRwczovL3BsYXRmb3JtLnR3aXR0ZXIuY29tL3dpZGdldHMuanMiIGNoYXJzZXQ9InV0Zi04Ij48L3NjcmlwdD4KCg==","page-url":"/story/b1c27789-47c4-4c5c-a8cf-affc5e12ece7/element/fa1b0918-6b90-4274-888f-964d7d73d0e0","type":"jsembed","family-id":"47407db9-0a51-4ab6-9cc3-27aef32605ea","title":"","id":"fa1b0918-6b90-4274-888f-964d7d73d0e0","metadata":{"tweet-url":"https://twitter.com/DI313_/status/2040772360723386734","provider":"twitter","tweet-id":"2040772360723386734"},"subtype":"tweet"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/b1c27789-47c4-4c5c-a8cf-affc5e12ece7/element/803fc4db-a3bb-4a53-b356-5f3dbd963161","type":"text","family-id":"c313141f-0cae-42a0-9ef4-5c798f096171","title":"","id":"803fc4db-a3bb-4a53-b356-5f3dbd963161","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"US forces deployed 155 aircraft including bombers, fighters, tankers, and helicopters in Operation Epic Fury. The CIA ran a \u201Cdeception campaign\u201D to delay Iranian forces, who even used sniffer dogs to track the downed airman.
The mission underscores the operational and geopolitical risks of modern rescues: hundreds of personnel, dozens of aircraft, and a large conventional force were on alert to extract a single airman.
Past rescues, such as in Bosnia (1991) and Vietnam, relied on primitive, easily detectable signals, leaving airmen vulnerable.
The CSEL\u2019s encrypted, burst-based communication represents a step change, enabling a fast, covert extraction while minimizing exposure to enemy fire.
The success of the Iranian rescue validates the CSEL as a critical survival tool and highlights the evolving doctrine of silent, encrypted communication in high-risk environments.
While the technology is powerful, the mission also demonstrates the high stakes involved in deploying such resources under contested conditions.
"}],"card-updated-at":1775536073043,"content-version-id":"d3c31b3e-f8e5-4c28-97bd-4e96196428bb","card-added-at":1775535108712,"status":"draft","id":"9774d782-f4f8-44ae-a288-fe9a6c327c3b","content-id":"9774d782-f4f8-44ae-a288-fe9a6c327c3b","version":17,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Silent signals, secret tool: The tiny 800g device behind the US airman rescue in Iran","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-07/7bja0at3/HFJGQgZbkAEAkDs.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Defense Intelligence/X","alt-text":null,"caption":"Tiny Boeing-made locator became the lifeline for F\u201115E crewman behind enemy lines","metadata":{"width":1238,"height":696,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":105682,"file-name":"HFJGQgZbkAEAkDs.jpg"}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/b1c27789-47c4-4c5c-a8cf-affc5e12ece7/element/4f2a1a46-f7b6-48b5-88f7-d31a6dd72422","type":"text","family-id":"673a2fca-e53e-4e3b-9680-e2d5ac0d7c1c","title":"","id":"4f2a1a46-f7b6-48b5-88f7-d31a6dd72422","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"ed0aa945-60b9-4e9b-ab95-0b86d77aa3c7","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775394829511,"author-name":"Stephen N R","headline":"Behind enemy lines: How the US rescued a downed airman deep inside Iran","story-content-id":"ed0aa945-60b9-4e9b-ab95-0b86d77aa3c7","is-published":true,"slug":"world/americas/behind-enemy-lines-how-the-us-rescued-a-downed-airman-deep-inside-iran-1.500496772","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775394834523,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"How the US rescued a downed airman deep inside Iran","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85243,"name":"Americas","slug":"americas","data":null},{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/LJ4PxViJ8gHW1CprCDfF-Pq6xB67D0wRifgLCmez4o3qPQ1Atl6BCY6nibP4wEr0","published-at":1775394834523,"status":"published","id":"ed0aa945-60b9-4e9b-ab95-0b86d77aa3c7","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/behind-enemy-lines-how-the-us-rescued-a-downed-airman-deep-inside-iran-1.500496772","author-id":2171005,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2171005,"name":"Stephen N R","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"],"label":["UPDATE"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"LJ4PxViJ8gHW1CprCDfF-Pq6xB67D0wRifgLCmez4o3qPQ1Atl6BCY6nibP4wEr0","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Behind enemy lines: How the US rescued a downed airman deep inside Iran"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/b1c27789-47c4-4c5c-a8cf-affc5e12ece7/element/40fe994a-bbca-4961-96e4-69538b4715e7","type":"text","family-id":"42f31502-8927-428d-9c21-255e60687537","title":"","id":"40fe994a-bbca-4961-96e4-69538b4715e7","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"571cd847-a29b-4c6f-acbc-446f8d099bc9","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775263681940,"author-name":"AFP","headline":"Hide, find water: US ex-pilot details how to survive being shot down","story-content-id":"571cd847-a29b-4c6f-acbc-446f8d099bc9","is-published":true,"slug":"world/americas/hide-find-water-us-ex-pilot-details-how-to-survive-being-shot-down-1.500495844","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775263683768,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Hide, find water: US ex-pilot details how to survive","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85243,"name":"Americas","slug":"americas","data":null},{"id":85235,"name":"Mena","slug":"mena","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/Hg4AJZf6ybW0PVSnyzSnmfKiDQys36D2kAnhcPJf38IheAi2DjAmFbekK0XofMjP","published-at":1775263683768,"status":"published","id":"571cd847-a29b-4c6f-acbc-446f8d099bc9","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/hide-find-water-us-ex-pilot-details-how-to-survive-being-shot-down-1.500495844","author-id":2118725,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"syndicated","authors":[{"author-collection-id":null,"email":"afp@gulfnews.com","slug":"afp","last-name":null,"social":{},"name":"AFP","avatar-url":null,"roles":[{"id":25321,"name":"Contributor"},{"id":25323,"name":"Admin"}],"bridgekeeper-id":8673409,"settings":{},"first-name":null,"communication-email":null,"bio":null,"can-login":true,"id":2118725,"avatar-s3-key":null,"twitter-handle":null,"metadata":{"designation":""}}],"metadata":{"imported-card-is-read-only":false,"story-attributes":{"syndicatedfrom":["Wire - AFP"],"syndicated-categories":null},"imported-card-id":"c2f09601-ec36-4358-8412-348a34bfac38"},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"Hg4AJZf6ybW0PVSnyzSnmfKiDQys36D2kAnhcPJf38IheAi2DjAmFbekK0XofMjP","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Hide, find water: US ex-pilot details how to survive being shot down"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/b1c27789-47c4-4c5c-a8cf-affc5e12ece7/element/2852da1e-b348-47af-9741-53d8eeb68bb0","type":"text","family-id":"0929a90c-9cb6-4e89-b358-67b61b755e28","title":"","id":"2852da1e-b348-47af-9741-53d8eeb68bb0","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"74c2ac57-c594-4eb8-8fff-4b3455fc82cd","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775532991002,"author-name":"AFP","headline":"Incredibly dangerous\u2019: How US commandos rescued a downed F\u201115 airman in Iran","story-content-id":"74c2ac57-c594-4eb8-8fff-4b3455fc82cd","is-published":true,"slug":"world/americas/incredibly-dangerous-how-us-commandos-rescued-a-downed-f15-airman-in-iran-1.500498429","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775531302667,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Inside the \u2018incredibly dangerous\u2019 US rescue in Iran","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85243,"name":"Americas","slug":"americas","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/56q-5IBDAIU_KsAOoLCoPsuP7DLjSg9O7JDGiFm2M7RSdB5LrAzUP7vr5r_tFEZp","published-at":1775531302667,"status":"published","id":"74c2ac57-c594-4eb8-8fff-4b3455fc82cd","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/incredibly-dangerous-how-us-commandos-rescued-a-downed-f15-airman-in-iran-1.500498429","author-id":2118725,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2118725,"name":"AFP","email":"afp@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"56q-5IBDAIU_KsAOoLCoPsuP7DLjSg9O7JDGiFm2M7RSdB5LrAzUP7vr5r_tFEZp","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Incredibly dangerous\u2019: How US commandos rescued a downed F\u201115 airman in Iran"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/b1c27789-47c4-4c5c-a8cf-affc5e12ece7/element/13cf1f4f-fee6-40af-9516-13b1e37e0525","type":"text","family-id":"96bc6410-82f9-4b5d-ab60-3fb1911a2220","title":"","id":"13cf1f4f-fee6-40af-9516-13b1e37e0525","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"10af4d29-619c-45c6-847c-d843703cde6d","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775396533183,"author-name":"AFP","headline":"Who is the US airman rescued from Iran? Inside the mission that defied the odds","story-content-id":"10af4d29-619c-45c6-847c-d843703cde6d","is-published":true,"slug":"world/americas/who-is-the-us-airman-rescued-from-iran-inside-the-mission-that-defied-the-odds-1.500497089","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775396539209,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Who is the rescued US airman? Inside daring mission","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85243,"name":"Americas","slug":"americas","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/KUflOZZw8-7kdUhxqE9S3GV4y2JqXP5zn3ZirerA0joGneW0lGvRgkybkGaFhgBE","published-at":1775396539209,"status":"published","id":"10af4d29-619c-45c6-847c-d843703cde6d","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/who-is-the-us-airman-rescued-from-iran-inside-the-mission-that-defied-the-odds-1.500497089","author-id":2118725,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2118725,"name":"AFP","email":"afp@gulfnews.com"}],"metadata":{},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"KUflOZZw8-7kdUhxqE9S3GV4y2JqXP5zn3ZirerA0joGneW0lGvRgkybkGaFhgBE","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Who is the US airman rescued from Iran? Inside the mission that defied the odds"}],"card-updated-at":1775536073043,"content-version-id":"be164ba2-85bf-4de9-9071-dd2cfbf41b13","card-added-at":1775535756252,"status":"draft","id":"37b216c0-46b3-4e9d-85cd-38b4cf4f1a4a","content-id":"37b216c0-46b3-4e9d-85cd-38b4cf4f1a4a","version":9,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"Silent signals, secret tool: The tiny 800g device behind the US airman rescue in Iran","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-07/7bja0at3/HFJGQgZbkAEAkDs.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"Defense Intelligence/X","alt-text":null,"caption":"Tiny Boeing-made locator became the lifeline for F\u201115E crewman behind enemy lines","metadata":{"width":1238,"height":696,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":105682,"file-name":"HFJGQgZbkAEAkDs.jpg"}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_In_This_Package"]}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/world/americas/silent-signals-secret-tool-the-tiny-800g-device-behind-the-us-airman-rescue-in-iran-1.500498483","story-version-id":"3bc6b26b-04c6-4546-98ff-4219df379d61","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1775536075865,"author-id":2170753,"owner-id":2170753,"linked-story-ids":["74c2ac57-c594-4eb8-8fff-4b3455fc82cd","10af4d29-619c-45c6-847c-d843703cde6d","ed0aa945-60b9-4e9b-ab95-0b86d77aa3c7","571cd847-a29b-4c6f-acbc-446f8d099bc9"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1775536075583,"hero-image-caption":"Tiny Boeing-made locator became the lifeline for F\u201115E crewman behind enemy lines","version":17,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1775536073030,"authors":[{"slug":"lekshmy-pavithran","social":{},"name":"Lekshmy Pavithran","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-09/0iyy2fe8/lk__2_.jpg","bio":"Lekshmy is a rockstar in the digital newsroom! With nearly two decades of experience, she revels in breaking news, riding viral trends, and spotting those hidden stories everyone else misses. \n\nAs the Assistant Online Editor, she steers the homepage, blending editorial brilliance with a no-nonsense approach. Whether it\u2019s UAE headlines, global affairs, business stories, or the latest buzz in entertainment and sports, Lekshmy is always on top of the game, delivering real-time coverage with precision. \n\nHer work ethic? Clarity, impact, and a dash of flair. All that is evident in her in-depth stories, special reports and explainers. Add in her social media savvy, and it\u2019s no wonder she consistently cranks out content that gets eyeballs and keeps them coming back for more.","id":2170753,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-09/0iyy2fe8/lk__2_.jpg","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Lekshmy Pavithran"},"id":"b1c27789-47c4-4c5c-a8cf-affc5e12ece7"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776076768403,"seo":{"meta-title":"UAE Residents Can Now Get Etihad Credit Bureau Reports at Over 285 Al Ansari Exchange Branches Nationwide","meta-description":"UAE residents can now get Etihad Credit Bureau reports at over 285 Al Ansari Exchange branches, making credit scores and histories easier to access nationwide.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2172381,"author-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","tags":[{"id":11441517,"name":"UAE Central Bank","meta-description":"Stay informed on UAE Central Bank decisions, economic policies, banking reforms, and financial statements.","meta-title":"UAE Central Bank News \u2013 Policies, Economy & Monetary Updates","slug":"uae-central-bank","tag-type":"Tag"},{"id":11533059,"name":"UAE credit score","meta-description":"Learn about how credit scores work in the UAE, how to improve yours, and the impact it has on banking and financial decisions.","meta-title":"UAE Credit Score News \u2013 Reports, Banking Impact & Improvement Tips","slug":"uae-credit-score","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"UAE residents can now get their credit reports from Al Ansari Exchange","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"200f76ca-adc4-4622-9e68-96bec9c97b88","slug":"business/banking/uae-residents-can-now-get-their-credit-reports-from-al-ansari-exchange-1.500505242","last-published-at":1776076770010,"public-identifier":"1.500505242","subheadline":"Al Ansari Exchange expands ECB service for individuals across UAE branches","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Now, you can get credit reports at Al Ansari Exchange","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"UAE residents can now get their credit reports from Al Ansari Exchange","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"banking","name":"Banking","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/banking","id":85229,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Banking & Insurance","collection":{"slug":"banking-business","name":"Banking (Business)","id":194653},"data":null}],"read-time":2,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776076036051,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563},"comments":null,"word-count":430,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776076770010,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"Supplied","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":"Al-Ansari-Exchange-FOR-WEB","id":"200f76ca-adc4-4622-9e68-96bec9c97b88","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2022/08/17/Al-Ansari-Exchange-FOR-WEB_182aa892e84_large.jpg","contributors":null,"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/200f76ca-adc4-4622-9e68-96bec9c97b88/element/70894c92-b910-4387-b5e3-915ac0e71643","type":"text","family-id":"500ad198-9e56-4b3a-ab77-ff44e02ab07f","title":"","id":"70894c92-b910-4387-b5e3-915ac0e71643","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Dubai: UAE residents can now obtain their personal credit reports directly from more than 285 Al Ansari Exchange branches across the country, the exchange house announced on Monday after expanding its partnership with UAE's Etihad Credit Bureau.
The move, according to a company statement, gives individuals easier access to official credit records, allowing them to check their borrowing history, understand their financial standing and make better-informed decisions when applying for loans, credit cards or other financial products.
The service is being rolled out nationwide through Al Ansari Exchange\u2019s branch network, making credit information more accessible to residents who may not use digital banking channels or prefer face-to-face support.
This initiative builds on the corporate credit report service launched by Al Ansari Exchange in partnership with the bureau in September 2024.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/200f76ca-adc4-4622-9e68-96bec9c97b88/element/9ac8b7a5-f717-40d3-9b14-75782df759d3","type":"text","family-id":"c8c5957d-b792-44e2-b3dd-c37ab04d06fc","title":"","id":"9ac8b7a5-f717-40d3-9b14-75782df759d3","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/200f76ca-adc4-4622-9e68-96bec9c97b88/element/9ea87059-550c-4728-a514-51ad18310d58","type":"text","family-id":"bb4c8137-51fe-47dc-b6cd-e41746826c8c","title":"","id":"9ea87059-550c-4728-a514-51ad18310d58","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
A credit report is a detailed summary of a person\u2019s financial borrowing record, including loans, repayments and outstanding liabilities. In the UAE, these reports are increasingly important when applying for mortgages, personal finance, car loans and even some rental agreements.
Ali Al Najjar, CEO of Al Ansari Exchange, said the service aims to improve financial inclusion across the country.
\u201CExpanding our collaboration with Etihad Credit Bureau to introduce individual credit report services marks an important step in our commitment to advancing financial inclusion and empowering customers with access to financial information that helps them better understand their credit standing,\u201D he said.
"},{"description":"","image-metadata":{"width":2000,"height":2500,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":2129990,"file-name":"Ali-Al-Najjar-CEO-of-Al-Ansari-Exchange.jpg.jpeg"},"page-url":"/story/200f76ca-adc4-4622-9e68-96bec9c97b88/element/ed2117f6-4aed-4722-85e7-8e2fe37c1c74","type":"image","family-id":"265e97f9-1b4d-4450-9466-1c8fb53d3b4b","image-attribution":"SIDDHARTH SIVA","title":"\u201CBy leveraging our extensive branch network across the UAE, together with our advanced digital solutions, we continue to deliver innovative services that facilitate access to financial tools supporting well-informed financial decisions,\" says Al Najjar.","id":"ed2117f6-4aed-4722-85e7-8e2fe37c1c74","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/k33gqvha/Ali-Al-Najjar-CEO-of-Al-Ansari-Exchange.jpg.jpeg","metadata":{},"subtype":null},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/200f76ca-adc4-4622-9e68-96bec9c97b88/element/cbbf772a-b0c4-4eb4-a7de-aa3501ee1d10","type":"text","family-id":"1317a884-6f35-4eff-bb6f-e2c1c9286c1b","title":"","id":"cbbf772a-b0c4-4eb4-a7de-aa3501ee1d10","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"The initiative also supports wider UAE efforts to improve financial literacy and encourage responsible borrowing.
Hammad Khan, Director of Customer Experience at Etihad Credit Bureau, said expanding access to credit information helps create a more transparent financial system.
\u201CWe are pleased to expand our collaboration with Al Ansari Exchange to further enhance access to credit information across the UAE,\u201D he said.
\u201CAt Etihad Credit Bureau, our focus is on enabling greater transparency within the financial ecosystem and equipping individuals with reliable data to better understand and manage their credit profiles.\u201D
"},{"description":"","image-metadata":{"width":4384,"height":2920,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":1808775,"file-name":"Hammad-Khan-Director-Customer-Experience-at-Etihad-Credit-Bureau.jpg.jpeg"},"page-url":"/story/200f76ca-adc4-4622-9e68-96bec9c97b88/element/3382ef29-5b48-4850-876a-c5713f866e2b","type":"image","family-id":"6464dade-fdee-407a-99d9-b9fa3f11577b","image-attribution":"Supplied","title":"\"At Etihad Credit Bureau, our focus is on enabling greater transparency within the financial ecosystem and equipping individuals with reliable data to better understand and manage their credit profiles,\" says Khan.","id":"3382ef29-5b48-4850-876a-c5713f866e2b","alt-text":"","hyperlink":null,"image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/w6bycsfq/Hammad-Khan-Director-Customer-Experience-at-Etihad-Credit-Bureau.jpg.jpeg","metadata":{},"subtype":null},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/200f76ca-adc4-4622-9e68-96bec9c97b88/element/ee44df01-de7f-428b-ab47-6f440d2e75be","type":"text","family-id":"59af1926-3165-4608-a59c-1e968aa84416","title":"","id":"ee44df01-de7f-428b-ab47-6f440d2e75be","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"For many UAE residents, knowing their credit score has become increasingly important as lenders tighten approval criteria and place greater emphasis on repayment history.
Etihad Credit Bureau assigns credit scores ranging from 300 to 900, with higher scores indicating stronger creditworthiness. A good score can improve access to better loan rates and financial products, while a lower score may limit borrowing options.
The new service is expected to benefit a broad range of residents, especially those seeking greater clarity on their financial obligations before making major commitments such as home financing or business borrowing.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776076767293,"content-version-id":"3b576399-bf42-4eca-a582-b617696383b0","card-added-at":1776076036059,"status":"draft","id":"cfda3415-f828-4274-a2fb-50ac644e0f34","content-id":"cfda3415-f828-4274-a2fb-50ac644e0f34","version":12,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"UAE residents can now get their credit reports from Al Ansari Exchange","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/2026-04-13/k33gqvha/Ali-Al-Najjar-CEO-of-Al-Ansari-Exchange.jpg.jpeg","url":null,"attribution":"SIDDHARTH SIVA","caption":null,"alt-text":"","metadata":{"width":2000,"height":2500,"mime-type":"image/jpeg","file-size":2129990,"file-name":"Ali-Al-Najjar-CEO-of-Al-Ansari-Exchange.jpg.jpeg"}}},"attributes":{}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/banking/uae-residents-can-now-get-their-credit-reports-from-al-ansari-exchange-1.500505242","story-version-id":"c015963f-f6e5-496a-a285-67cfdbba5a91","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776076770330,"author-id":2172381,"owner-id":2172381,"linked-story-ids":[],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776076770010,"hero-image-caption":"The bureau provides comprehensive credit reports and credit scores for both individuals and companies in the UAE, with credit scores ranging from 300 to 900, where higher scores indicate stronger creditworthiness.","version":12,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776076767279,"authors":[{"slug":"dhanusha-gokulan","social":{},"name":"Dhanusha Gokulan","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-05-15/yq2gc7a1/Dhanusha_Author_picture.jpeg","bio":"Dhanusha is a Chief Reporter at Gulf News in Dubai, with her finger firmly on the pulse of UAE, regional, and global aviation. She dives deep into how airlines and airports operate, expand, and embrace the latest tech. \n\nKnown for her sharp eye for detail, Dhanusha makes complex topics like new aircraft, evolving travel trends, and aviation regulations easy to grasp. Lately, she's especially fascinated by the world of eVTOLs and flying cars. \n\nWith nearly two decades in journalism, Dhanusha's covered a wide range, from health and education to the pandemic, local transport, and technology. When she's not tracking what's happening in the skies, she enjoys exploring social media trends, tech innovations, and anything that sparks reader curiosity. Outside of work, you'll find her immersed in electronic dance music, pop culture, movies, and video games. ","id":2172381,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-05-15/yq2gc7a1/Dhanusha_Author_picture.jpeg","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Dhanusha Gokulan"},"id":"200f76ca-adc4-4622-9e68-96bec9c97b88"},{"type":"story","story":{"updated-at":1776055673579,"seo":{"meta-title":"Why Gold Prices Fell Sharply in March and What Could Change for Investors in April","meta-description":"Gold\u2019s sharp March drop was driven by deleveraging and liquidity stress, not fundamentals. Discover why April\u2019s outlook for bullion and Dubai prices looks different.","claim-reviews":{"story":null}},"assignee-id":2170744,"author-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","tags":[{"id":14773106,"name":"US-Israel-Iran war","meta-description":null,"meta-title":null,"slug":"us-israel-iran-war","tag-type":"Tag"}],"headline":"What triggered gold\u2019s March fall, and why April looks different","storyline-id":null,"votes":{},"story-content-id":"08f48882-6be2-4df2-a5ce-085ef36e5591","slug":"business/retail/what-triggered-golds-march-fall-and-why-april-looks-different-1.500504903","linked-stories":{"23104d64-178e-4043-87ff-0c5a49d3e91a":{"author-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","headline":"Dubai gold slides again, down Dh15 in a week amid war risks","story-content-id":"23104d64-178e-4043-87ff-0c5a49d3e91a","slug":"business/retail/dubai-gold-slides-again-down-dh15-in-a-week-amid-war-risks-1.500498497","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai gold down again. Is this the right time to buy?","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai gold drops Dh15 this month. Buyers eye next move","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"retail","name":"Retail","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail","id":85277,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Retail","collection":{"slug":"retail-business","name":"Business Component (Retail)","id":194701},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"saving-investment","name":"YourMoney-Saving-Investment","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/your-money/saving-investment","id":85353,"parent-id":85283,"display-name":"Saving and Investment","collection":{"slug":"saving-investment-your-money","name":"YourMoney-Saving-Investment (Your Money)","id":194777},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":4293,"file-size":3747196,"file-name":"DubaiGold","height":2862},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2026-04-02/rwpclpiv/DubaiGold","url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail/dubai-gold-slides-again-down-dh15-in-a-week-amid-war-risks-1.500498497","content-updated-at":1775536823544,"author-id":2170744,"first-published-at":1775536822718,"authors":[{"slug":"nivetha-dayanand","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/nivethadayanand?lang=en"},"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/nivethadayanand/"},"instagram":{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/newswithnivetha"}},"name":"Nivetha Dayanand","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","bio":"Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, where she spends her days unpacking money, markets, aviation, and the big shifts shaping life in the Gulf. Before returning to Gulf News, she launched Finance Middle East, complete with a podcast and video series.\n\nHer reporting has taken her from breaking spot news to long-form features and high-profile interviews. Nivetha has interviewed Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu, IMF\u2019s Jihad Azour, and a long list of CEOs, regulators, and founders who are reshaping the region\u2019s economy.\n\nAn Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha has shared classrooms and newsrooms with journalists from more than 40 countries, which probably explains her weakness for data, context, and a good follow-up question.\n\nWhen she is away from her keyboard (AFK), you are most likely to find her at the gym with an Eminem playlist, bingeing One Piece, or exploring games on her PS5. \n","id":2170744,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","twitter-handle":null}]},"dc602913-f44f-4baa-952e-d29998d8b928":{"author-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","headline":"Dubai gold finds footing near Dh550 after month-long decline","story-content-id":"dc602913-f44f-4baa-952e-d29998d8b928","slug":"business/retail/dubai-gold-finds-footing-near-dh550-after-month-long-decline-1.500491561","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai gold climbs again after March drop, nearing Dh550","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai gold climbs back toward Dh550 after volatile March correction","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"retail","name":"Retail","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail","id":85277,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Retail","collection":{"slug":"retail-business","name":"Business Component (Retail)","id":194701},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"saving-investment","name":"YourMoney-Saving-Investment","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/your-money/saving-investment","id":85353,"parent-id":85283,"display-name":"Saving and Investment","collection":{"slug":"saving-investment-your-money","name":"YourMoney-Saving-Investment (Your Money)","id":194777},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":1200,"file-size":142287,"file-name":"gold-alo1255.jpg","height":900},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-10-17/eq479ykv/gold-alo1255.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail/dubai-gold-finds-footing-near-dh550-after-month-long-decline-1.500491561","content-updated-at":1774933536665,"author-id":2170744,"first-published-at":1774933536374,"authors":[{"slug":"nivetha-dayanand","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/nivethadayanand?lang=en"},"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/nivethadayanand/"},"instagram":{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/newswithnivetha"}},"name":"Nivetha Dayanand","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","bio":"Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, where she spends her days unpacking money, markets, aviation, and the big shifts shaping life in the Gulf. Before returning to Gulf News, she launched Finance Middle East, complete with a podcast and video series.\n\nHer reporting has taken her from breaking spot news to long-form features and high-profile interviews. Nivetha has interviewed Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu, IMF\u2019s Jihad Azour, and a long list of CEOs, regulators, and founders who are reshaping the region\u2019s economy.\n\nAn Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha has shared classrooms and newsrooms with journalists from more than 40 countries, which probably explains her weakness for data, context, and a good follow-up question.\n\nWhen she is away from her keyboard (AFK), you are most likely to find her at the gym with an Eminem playlist, bingeing One Piece, or exploring games on her PS5. \n","id":2170744,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","twitter-handle":null}]},"e71572fe-9909-4cb8-9ccc-de9371914bf0":{"author-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","headline":"Dubai gold extends three-day gain after worst month since 2008","story-content-id":"e71572fe-9909-4cb8-9ccc-de9371914bf0","slug":"business/retail/dubai-gold-extends-three-day-gain-after-worst-month-since-2008-1.500492775","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Gold rebounds after biggest monthly drop since 2008","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai gold extends rebound after worst month since 2008","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"retail","name":"Retail","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail","id":85277,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Retail","collection":{"slug":"retail-business","name":"Business Component (Retail)","id":194701},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"saving-investment","name":"YourMoney-Saving-Investment","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/your-money/saving-investment","id":85353,"parent-id":85283,"display-name":"Saving and Investment","collection":{"slug":"saving-investment-your-money","name":"YourMoney-Saving-Investment (Your Money)","id":194777},"data":null}],"hero-image-metadata":{"mime-type":"image/jpeg","width":4219,"file-size":1083668,"file-name":"BEDEC3A2-54A2-4A11-957D-DA0D33AA2A41.jpg","height":3045},"hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-10-16/h71vvzf7/BEDEC3A2-54A2-4A11-957D-DA0D33AA2A41.jpg","url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail/dubai-gold-extends-three-day-gain-after-worst-month-since-2008-1.500492775","content-updated-at":1775019657294,"author-id":2170744,"first-published-at":1775019657051,"authors":[{"slug":"nivetha-dayanand","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/nivethadayanand?lang=en"},"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/nivethadayanand/"},"instagram":{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/newswithnivetha"}},"name":"Nivetha Dayanand","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","bio":"Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, where she spends her days unpacking money, markets, aviation, and the big shifts shaping life in the Gulf. Before returning to Gulf News, she launched Finance Middle East, complete with a podcast and video series.\n\nHer reporting has taken her from breaking spot news to long-form features and high-profile interviews. Nivetha has interviewed Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu, IMF\u2019s Jihad Azour, and a long list of CEOs, regulators, and founders who are reshaping the region\u2019s economy.\n\nAn Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha has shared classrooms and newsrooms with journalists from more than 40 countries, which probably explains her weakness for data, context, and a good follow-up question.\n\nWhen she is away from her keyboard (AFK), you are most likely to find her at the gym with an Eminem playlist, bingeing One Piece, or exploring games on her PS5. \n","id":2170744,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","twitter-handle":null}]}},"last-published-at":1776055675918,"public-identifier":"1.500504903","subheadline":"ETF outflows, leverage unwind and liquidity stress triggered sharp gold drop","alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Why gold fell even with war fears in March","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Gold dropped 12% in March, early April flows hint at a shift","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"retail","name":"Retail","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail","id":85277,"parent-id":85215,"display-name":"Retail","collection":{"slug":"retail-business","name":"Business Component (Retail)","id":194701},"data":null},{"domain-slug":null,"slug":"saving-investment","name":"YourMoney-Saving-Investment","section-url":"https://gulfnews.com/your-money/saving-investment","id":85353,"parent-id":85283,"display-name":"Saving and Investment","collection":{"slug":"saving-investment-your-money","name":"YourMoney-Saving-Investment (Your Money)","id":194777},"data":null}],"read-time":3,"access-level-value":null,"content-created-at":1776054960980,"is-embargoed":false,"owner-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","custom-slug":null,"push-notification":null,"publisher-id":6314,"hero-image-metadata":{"width":750,"height":563},"comments":null,"word-count":649,"story-features":{"push-notification":{"is-scheduled":false,"publish-at":null,"linked-with-story-fields-status":{"title":null,"message":null}}},"entities":{},"published-at":1776055675918,"embargoed-till":null,"breaking-news-linked-story-id":null,"storyline-title":null,"summary":null,"push-notification-title":null,"external-id":null,"canonical-url":null,"hero-image-hyperlink":null,"autotags":[],"linked-entities":[],"status":"published","hero-image-attribution":"REUTERS","bullet-type":"123","hero-image-alt-text":"jewellery shop","id":"08f48882-6be2-4df2-a5ce-085ef36e5591","hero-image-s3-key":"gulfnews/import/2019/08/05/jewellery-shop_16c62177cfc_large.jpg","contributors":null,"cards":[{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/08f48882-6be2-4df2-a5ce-085ef36e5591/element/25a24a88-1fe3-4f95-99f0-0aa82d2e925b","type":"text","family-id":"a9ca03ce-77b1-4426-8a21-89b1c5786279","title":"","id":"25a24a88-1fe3-4f95-99f0-0aa82d2e925b","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Dubai: Gold\u2019s sharp March decline has caught investors off guard, coming at a time when geopolitical tensions and inflation risks would typically support prices, yet the move was driven less by fundamentals and more by a rapid unwind of leveraged positions across markets. (Check latest UAE gold prices here, alongside prices in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and India.)
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/08f48882-6be2-4df2-a5ce-085ef36e5591/element/470dc08b-4d46-4f25-a6b0-87152fcf4046","type":"text","family-id":"2d994e4b-382c-41fa-b710-025ffa790c97","title":"","id":"470dc08b-4d46-4f25-a6b0-87152fcf4046","metadata":{"content":"Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Sign up for our daily business newsletter, Cheques & Balances."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/08f48882-6be2-4df2-a5ce-085ef36e5591/element/b977d7c5-f978-441a-bc17-7c0eaddf4774","type":"text","family-id":"334def54-ac34-4166-91cf-07f99f435c94","title":"","id":"b977d7c5-f978-441a-bc17-7c0eaddf4774","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
According to the World Gold Council\u2019s Gold Market Commentary, Anatomy of a fall, bullion dropped 12% during the month to $4,608 an ounce, marking its weakest performance since June 2013. The fall extended across all major currencies, even though gold remains higher on a year-to-date basis.
The scale and speed of the drop point to a market driven by liquidity needs, not a shift in gold\u2019s long-term appeal.
"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/08f48882-6be2-4df2-a5ce-085ef36e5591/element/a6df8393-c8c6-47e7-8cbd-86793c33ceb7","type":"text","family-id":"520df75f-1cb8-4475-aaf7-be38bef569fb","title":"","id":"a6df8393-c8c6-47e7-8cbd-86793c33ceb7","metadata":{"content":"Get updated faster and for\u00A0FREE: Download the\u00A0Gulf News\u00A0app\u00A0now\u00A0- simply\u00A0click here."},"subtype":"blurb","text":"Get updated faster and for FREE: Download the Gulf News app now - simply click here."},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/08f48882-6be2-4df2-a5ce-085ef36e5591/element/f34548cf-e7e3-4326-84ac-12c707ca616f","type":"text","family-id":"d55f297c-f64c-44b2-9a59-444337f3bffc","title":"","id":"f34548cf-e7e3-4326-84ac-12c707ca616f","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"
Gold\u2019s slide unfolded during the first three weeks of March, in what the World Gold Council describes as a counterintuitive but familiar pattern during periods of stress.
\u201CGold is not a contractual hedge. Prices rise only when incremental buyers exceed sellers,\u201D the report noted, capturing the mechanics behind the move.
That balance shifted sharply as investors moved to raise cash. Global gold ETFs recorded $12 billion in outflows, led by North America, while COMEX net long positions also declined, reflecting a broad reduction in exposure across both institutional and retail segments.
Retail exposure built up in previous months began to unwind, with non-reportable positions falling alongside managed money holdings. Commodity Trading Advisors, who had entered March with heavy long exposure, accelerated selling once technical levels were breached.
At the same time, pressure in other asset classes spilled into gold. Equity market weakness and elevated margin levels triggered cross-asset deleveraging, forcing multi-asset investors to reduce positions and meet liquidity requirements.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776055672292,"content-version-id":"f7ee0220-7dc6-43e9-9401-8a841ba7c555","card-added-at":1776054960986,"status":"draft","id":"f5177c65-2083-4ba3-bdbf-7f2e4ff2efb8","content-id":"f5177c65-2083-4ba3-bdbf-7f2e4ff2efb8","version":18,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"What triggered gold\u2019s March fall, and why April looks different","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/import/2019/08/05/jewellery-shop_16c62177cfc_large.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"REUTERS","alt-text":"jewellery shop","caption":"Gold sell-off in March now tested as April flows turn positive.","metadata":{"width":750,"height":563}}},"attributes":{}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/08f48882-6be2-4df2-a5ce-085ef36e5591/element/fd3eb67b-c98b-4576-99b1-d57a4c35a349","type":"text","family-id":"6e2e750b-2926-41f6-84a1-d49f8280e23a","title":"","id":"fd3eb67b-c98b-4576-99b1-d57a4c35a349","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"dc602913-f44f-4baa-952e-d29998d8b928","linked-story":{"updated-at":1774933534336,"author-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","headline":"Dubai gold finds footing near Dh550 after month-long decline","story-content-id":"dc602913-f44f-4baa-952e-d29998d8b928","is-published":true,"slug":"business/retail/dubai-gold-finds-footing-near-dh550-after-month-long-decline-1.500491561","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1774933536374,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai gold climbs again after March drop, nearing Dh550","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai gold climbs back toward Dh550 after volatile March correction","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85277,"name":"Retail","slug":"retail","data":null},{"id":85353,"name":"YourMoney-Saving-Investment","slug":"saving-investment","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/3euN5uxOteGi5sKJCyC4FIB0KeczFN42l-hsjQ2-xju3yXtesHeC-Lh7Ops67sUS","published-at":1774933536374,"status":"published","id":"dc602913-f44f-4baa-952e-d29998d8b928","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail/dubai-gold-finds-footing-near-dh550-after-month-long-decline-1.500491561","author-id":2170744,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2170744,"name":"Nivetha Dayanand","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"3euN5uxOteGi5sKJCyC4FIB0KeczFN42l-hsjQ2-xju3yXtesHeC-Lh7Ops67sUS","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Dubai gold finds footing near Dh550 after month-long decline"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/08f48882-6be2-4df2-a5ce-085ef36e5591/element/456cc412-f666-49c2-b2e6-b3c50b2393cb","type":"text","family-id":"21675cc2-8e22-4333-8116-d5cca2be868a","title":"","id":"456cc412-f666-49c2-b2e6-b3c50b2393cb","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"e71572fe-9909-4cb8-9ccc-de9371914bf0","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775019652559,"author-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","headline":"Dubai gold extends three-day gain after worst month since 2008","story-content-id":"e71572fe-9909-4cb8-9ccc-de9371914bf0","is-published":true,"slug":"business/retail/dubai-gold-extends-three-day-gain-after-worst-month-since-2008-1.500492775","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775019657051,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Gold rebounds after biggest monthly drop since 2008","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai gold extends rebound after worst month since 2008","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85277,"name":"Retail","slug":"retail","data":null},{"id":85353,"name":"YourMoney-Saving-Investment","slug":"saving-investment","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/UIlTOlVRxB_tHasFnl_QlyXQYc81SZCajVqI6nq6PdxDfEbtc8MZ-vNEWS9cjYD9","published-at":1775019657051,"status":"published","id":"e71572fe-9909-4cb8-9ccc-de9371914bf0","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail/dubai-gold-extends-three-day-gain-after-worst-month-since-2008-1.500492775","author-id":2170744,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2170744,"name":"Nivetha Dayanand","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"UIlTOlVRxB_tHasFnl_QlyXQYc81SZCajVqI6nq6PdxDfEbtc8MZ-vNEWS9cjYD9","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Dubai gold extends three-day gain after worst month since 2008"},{"description":"","page-url":"/story/08f48882-6be2-4df2-a5ce-085ef36e5591/element/4e0e54b3-2c0d-4fc0-abac-02bd77f864e1","type":"text","family-id":"27437cba-4e9a-41fe-be7e-c39708913ad2","title":"","id":"4e0e54b3-2c0d-4fc0-abac-02bd77f864e1","metadata":{"linked-story-id":"23104d64-178e-4043-87ff-0c5a49d3e91a","linked-story":{"updated-at":1775536812697,"author-name":"Nivetha Dayanand","headline":"Dubai gold slides again, down Dh15 in a week amid war risks","story-content-id":"23104d64-178e-4043-87ff-0c5a49d3e91a","is-published":true,"slug":"business/retail/dubai-gold-slides-again-down-dh15-in-a-week-amid-war-risks-1.500498497","highlighted-external-id":null,"last-published-at":1775536822718,"highlighted-text":null,"alternative":{"home":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai gold down again. Is this the right time to buy?","hero-image":null}},"social":{"default":{"headline":"Dubai gold drops Dh15 this month. Buyers eye next move","hero-image":null}}},"sections":[{"id":85277,"name":"Retail","slug":"retail","data":null},{"id":85353,"name":"YourMoney-Saving-Investment","slug":"saving-investment","data":null}],"highlighted-slug":null,"public-preview-url":"https://gulfnews.com/preview/story/5uvPDJwY8QYUIPh3IeP8tIbG3zJo2VMi_GxaF-nCKkoWESyQ5Yql-i-ljTos0jHt","published-at":1775536822718,"status":"published","id":"23104d64-178e-4043-87ff-0c5a49d3e91a","content-type":"story","frontend-url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail/dubai-gold-slides-again-down-dh15-in-a-week-amid-war-risks-1.500498497","author-id":2170744,"highlighted-headline":null,"story-template":"text","authors":[{"id":2170744,"name":"Nivetha Dayanand","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author","type":"system"}}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]}},"highlighted-public-identifier":null,"public-preview-key":"5uvPDJwY8QYUIPh3IeP8tIbG3zJo2VMi_GxaF-nCKkoWESyQ5Yql-i-ljTos0jHt","publish-at":null}},"subtype":"also-read","text":"Dubai gold slides again, down Dh15 in a week amid war risks"}],"card-updated-at":1776055672292,"content-version-id":"991e4982-053b-48fd-a557-0524a4e76a97","card-added-at":1776055065801,"status":"draft","id":"4d5b1af9-e6a3-425a-b5b6-d1ddd64276ee","content-id":"4d5b1af9-e6a3-425a-b5b6-d1ddd64276ee","version":15,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"What triggered gold\u2019s March fall, and why April looks different","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/import/2019/08/05/jewellery-shop_16c62177cfc_large.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"REUTERS","alt-text":"jewellery shop","caption":"Gold sell-off in March now tested as April flows turn positive.","metadata":{"width":750,"height":563}}},"attributes":{"cardtype":["Also_Read"]}}},{"story-elements":[{"description":"","page-url":"/story/08f48882-6be2-4df2-a5ce-085ef36e5591/element/9ead6c5b-2887-4feb-a0d1-e62c45217f60","type":"text","family-id":"c22843b4-2807-4ad7-8bed-8a4c79b80b45","title":"","id":"9ead6c5b-2887-4feb-a0d1-e62c45217f60","metadata":{},"subtype":null,"text":"Rising US bond yields compounded the sell-off, particularly at the short end of the curve where inflation concerns drove a sharp move higher in two-year yields and breakeven rates.
The dollar strengthened during the period, though the World Gold Council notes its impact was secondary. Momentum-driven selling, amplified by technical triggers and liquidity stress, played a larger role than macro fundamentals.
Speculation around central bank activity added another layer of pressure. T\u00FCrkiye\u2019s use of around 50 tonnes of gold as collateral through swaps stirred market chatter, even though the move reflected liquidity management rather than a strategic shift.
Regional disruptions, including travel constraints and softer tourist demand, had only a marginal effect on global pricing.
The report states that while jewellery demand and small bar purchases weakened in parts of the Middle East, the scale was insufficient to influence international markets. Trading volumes in Dubai rose during the period but remained too small to drive global price direction.
High-net-worth investor selling was also not a dominant factor, with flows appearing more aligned with relocation of holdings than outright liquidation.
Early April data suggests some easing of pressure. ETF flows have turned positive across regions, while the dollar has struggled to extend gains beyond recent highs.
Options markets indicate near-term caution, with elevated hedging demand, though positioning further along the curve reflects a more constructive outlook for gold.
There are also early indications of renewed buying interest from wealth managers and retail investors at stabilised price levels.
Short-term risks remain tied to liquidity conditions rather than traditional drivers such as inflation or geopolitical stress.
Sustained oil prices above $100 a barrel could trigger another round of cross-asset deleveraging, pushing yields higher and forcing further liquidation across portfolios, including gold.
The World Gold Council noted that while underlying fundamentals remain intact, near-term price action will depend heavily on how investors respond to liquidity pressures stemming from ongoing geopolitical developments.
"}],"card-updated-at":1776055672292,"content-version-id":"76996dd5-26bf-485c-b037-cecc66a61cf1","card-added-at":1776055065801,"status":"draft","id":"cced69e7-2d72-42a9-9bc6-d5937a9214ab","content-id":"cced69e7-2d72-42a9-9bc6-d5937a9214ab","version":15,"metadata":{"social-share":{"shareable":false,"title":"What triggered gold\u2019s March fall, and why April looks different","message":null,"image":{"key":"gulfnews/import/2019/08/05/jewellery-shop_16c62177cfc_large.jpg","url":null,"attribution":"REUTERS","alt-text":"jewellery shop","caption":"Gold sell-off in March now tested as April flows turn positive.","metadata":{"width":750,"height":563}}},"attributes":{}}}],"url":"https://gulfnews.com/business/retail/what-triggered-golds-march-fall-and-why-april-looks-different-1.500504903","story-version-id":"f7a66fbb-13c7-406a-a737-71bc45a8ab20","content-type":"story","content-updated-at":1776055676680,"author-id":2170744,"owner-id":2170744,"linked-story-ids":["23104d64-178e-4043-87ff-0c5a49d3e91a","e71572fe-9909-4cb8-9ccc-de9371914bf0","dc602913-f44f-4baa-952e-d29998d8b928"],"access":null,"asana-project-id":null,"first-published-at":1776055675918,"hero-image-caption":"Gold sell-off in March now tested as April flows turn positive.","version":18,"story-template":"text","sequence-no":null,"created-at":1776055672279,"authors":[{"slug":"nivetha-dayanand","social":{"twitter":{"url":"https://x.com/nivethadayanand?lang=en"},"linkedin":{"url":"https://www.linkedin.com/in/nivethadayanand/"},"instagram":{"url":"https://www.instagram.com/newswithnivetha"}},"name":"Nivetha Dayanand","contributor-role":{"id":9983,"name":"Author"},"avatar-url":"https://media.assettype.com/gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","bio":"Nivetha Dayanand is Assistant Business Editor at Gulf News, where she spends her days unpacking money, markets, aviation, and the big shifts shaping life in the Gulf. Before returning to Gulf News, she launched Finance Middle East, complete with a podcast and video series.\n\nHer reporting has taken her from breaking spot news to long-form features and high-profile interviews. Nivetha has interviewed Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed Al Saud, Indian ministers Hardeep Singh Puri and N. Chandrababu Naidu, IMF\u2019s Jihad Azour, and a long list of CEOs, regulators, and founders who are reshaping the region\u2019s economy.\n\nAn Erasmus Mundus journalism alum, Nivetha has shared classrooms and newsrooms with journalists from more than 40 countries, which probably explains her weakness for data, context, and a good follow-up question.\n\nWhen she is away from her keyboard (AFK), you are most likely to find her at the gym with an Eminem playlist, bingeing One Piece, or exploring games on her PS5. \n","id":2170744,"avatar-s3-key":"gulfnews/2025-12-19/s0ixsynz/IMG_9218.jpeg","twitter-handle":null}],"metadata":{"story-attributes":{"authorbox":["Show"]},"card-share":{"shareable":false}},"subscription-metadata":null,"publish-at":null,"assignee-name":"Nivetha Dayanand"},"id":"08f48882-6be2-4df2-a5ce-085ef36e5591"}],"created-at":1733231591092,"metadata":{"cover-image":null}}