How Lord Cameron Rolled Out the Red Carpet for the UAE

THE TELEGRAPH: Plus, we look at how the Gulf state’s network of influence is spreading throughout the UK

Three years after becoming prime minister, Lord Cameron set up a secretive Whitehall unit codenamed Project Falcon.

Its job was to court the oil-rich sheikhs of the United Arab Emirates with the aim of persuading them to invest billions in the UK.

The unit’s work was so politically sensitive that the Government did not even admit to its existence for two years, and only then after a Freedom of Information battle.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was to the UAE that the former premier went for part of his portfolio of jobs after he quit No 10 in 2016, earning an estimated £470,000 for making four speeches in the autocratic state, as well as taking a part-time teaching role at a university in Abu Dhabi.

Nor is he alone in establishing connections with the Gulf state: almost 100 current and former MPs and peers – including eight ministers – have declared financial links to the UAE in the past decade. » | Investigations Team and Gordon Raynor, Associate Editor | Tuesday, January 23, 2024

Cameron is a weak man. A weasel, perhaps? Despite being already fabulously wealthy, it appears that he can’t get enough to line his own pockets. The country’s future be damned.

This country is being Islamized under our very noses, and by our own government to boot!

Is this what the Conservatives understand by "taking back control"? Is this what they understand by regaining our sovereignty? Theey bitched, moaned and whined when we pooled our sovereignty with Brussels, but are absolutely willing and ready to give our sovereignty away to the Islamic world, to the fabulously wealthy Muslim Arabs? – © Mark Alexander

Abu Dhabi-backed Telegraph Takeover Plan ‘Unacceptable’, Says Ex-MI6 Chief

THE GUARDIAN: Sir Richard Dearlove says the deal would be a ‘profound security concern’ and urges ministers to stop it

The former head of MI6 has labelled the planned Abu Dhabi-backed takeover of the Telegraph newspaper as “completely unacceptable” and a “profound security concern”.

Sir Richard Dearlove said an authoritarian state acquiring an influential newspaper poses a risk to the UK and its democracy, and urged ministers to intervene and block the deal.

Speaking to the Sunday Telegraph, Dearlove told the government to “put a peg in the ground and say no way” to the sale of the newspaper to the fund backed by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the vice-president of the United Arab Emirates.

“It’s completely inappropriate for an autocratic state – even at arm’s length – to be the owner of The Telegraph and The Spectator,” he said.

“It’s just really I think completely unacceptable as a matter of principle, even if they’re saying they will guarantee complete editorial freedom.” » | Robyn Vinter | Sunday, December 10, 2023

Abu Dhabi’s Takeover of The Telegraph Puts Press Freedom at Risk

THE TELEGRAPH: State ownership of newspapers brings with it a unique and deeply troubling set of questions

In March 2022, I flew to Dubai on an Emirates plane packed with sunseekers, most of whom were more interested in cocktails on the beach than politics.

My trip, paid for by the Dubai tourist board, was intended as an investigation into the Jewish community in the emirate. The Abraham Accords had recently been signed, heralding new “normalised” relations with Israel. » | Zoe Strimpel | Saturday, December 9, 2023

If you want to Islamise a nation without shedding blood, take over the nation's newspapers and media. Victory will be swift and assured. – © Mark Alexander

Dubai und Abu Dhabi unter Huthi-Beschuss

Die Hochhaus-Silhouette von Dubai. | Bild: AP
VERMESSUNG DER SCHMERZGRENZE
FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Die Huthi-Rebellen wollen die Emirate mit Raketenangriffen zwingen, ihr Jemen-Engagement zu verringern. Sie könnten das Gegenteil erreichen.

Die Luftabwehr der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate hat einiges zu tun, seit das Land sein Engagement im Jemen-Konflikt wieder verstärkt hat. In der Nacht zum Montag wurde wieder eine Rakete abgefangen. Es war der dritte Angriff dieser Art innerhalb von zwei Wochen, den die Huthi-Rebellen gegen die Emirate führten. Und sie machen auch kein Geheimnis daraus, Urheber des Drohnen- und Raketenterrors zu sein. Ein Militärsprecher der von Iran geförderten Bewegung tönte unlängst über Twitter, auch das Gelände der Expo in Dubai, das im Oktober eröffnet wurde, könne Ziel eines Angriffs werden. » | Von Christoph Ehrhardt, Beirut | Dienstag, 1. Februar 2022

L’exil forcé et doré de l’ancien roi espagnol Juan Carlos

L’ancien roi d’Espagne Juan Carlos assistant aux actes commémoratifs marquant le 40ème anniversaire de la Constitution espagnole à Madrid, le 6 décembre 2018. OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP
LE FIGARO : RÉCIT - L’ex monarque, qui a fui d’éventuelles poursuites judiciaires il y a un an, aurait, dans sa retraite d’Abou Dhabi, le mal du pays.

«Le roi émérite lira probablement cet article.» Tel est le drôle d’avertissement par lequel le journal El País entamait, début août, le récit de la vie quotidienne aux Émirats arabes unis de Juan Carlos, roi d’Espagne depuis la mort de Franco en 1975, jusqu’à son abdication en faveur de son fils Felipe VI en 2014. L’ex-chef d’État n’est pas réputé être un lecteur particulièrement avide. Mais, à la retraite et exilé sur l’île de Zaya Nurai, le roi s’ennuie.

Voilà un an que Juan Carlos a justifié son départ d’Espagne par une lettre pleine de non-dits et sous-entendus adressée, non pas à son peuple, mais à son fils. Le 3 août 2020, le Palais dévoilait que son ancien locataire avait communiqué «sa décision, méditée, de séjourner, en ce moment, hors d’Espagne» dans le but de «faciliter l’exercice des fonctions (de Felipe VI, NDLR) dans le calme et la sérénité». Lesdites fonctions, devait-on fatalement en conclure, avaient été sérieusement altérées par ce que Juan Carlos appelait pudiquement «certains événements passés de ma vie privée». Il s’agissait moins des affaires de jupons, sur lesquelles les sujets peu puritains de sa majesté ont fermé les yeux pendant 39 ans de règne, que des accusations d’enrichissement personnel et de fraude fiscale autour de présumées commissions occultes. Un an après, nous apprend la presse espagnole, Juan Carlos aimerait bien rentrer… mais le moment ne semble jamais le bon! » | Par Mathieu de Taillac | Publié : lundi 23 août 2021 ; mis à jour : mardi 24 août 2021

Juan Carlos choque l’Espagne en s’installant à Abu Dhabi »

Espagne : le roi appelle au respect des «principes moraux» en plein scandale autour de Juan Carlos »

Espagne : le crépuscule de Juan Carlos en cinq dates »

Juan Carlos, la chute d’un roi rattrapé par le scandale »

Saudi Prince Cracks Down At Home and Abroad; Trump in Asia

BBC Documentary - Abu Dhabi, UAE

BBC Presenter-Reporter Amandeep Bhangu | Current Affairs Documentary | Broadcast internationally | The UAE is often thought of in terms of oil wealth and conspicuous consumption. But the new name of the game is economic and cultural diversification. So is it really changing? Amandeep Bhangu examines by interviewing Emiratis and expats who work in the capital, Abu Dhabi.

UAE Direct »

Concern for South African Doctor Held in Abu Dhabi over Mystery Conviction

THE GUARDIAN: Cyril Karabus, 77, detained for two months over 10-year-old case he did not know about, while files remain missing

A South African doctor who dedicated himself to saving the lives of black children from cancer throughout the apartheid era has been refused bail by a court in Abu Dhabi, where years ago he was accused and convicted without his knowledge of killing a young leukaemia patient.

Cyril Karabus pioneered treatment for cancer and blood disorders at the Red Cross hospital in Cape Town, where he worked for 35 years, and trained numerous doctors at Cape Town University, some of whom now work at Great Ormond Street and the Whittington hospitals in London[.]

Now 77, he has been returned to the jail where he has been confined for the last two months. "He is an old, frail and very sickly man," said his lawyer, Michael Bagraims. "He has no travel documents or any means of escaping or jumping bail. There doesn't seem to be any heart in what is taking place.

"My reports from people who were in the court were that the man appears to be broken. He was hunched. He was shackled. He is almost 78 and he has a pacemaker and a stent because of problems with his heart. He appears to have his spirit broken as well. Yet the man has not done anything wrong." » | Sarah Boseley, health editor | Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Guggenheim Workers' Controversy in Abu Dhabi
The iconic Guggenheim Museum is under fire over its first Middle East installation in Abu Dhabi. More than 130 artists are boycotting the new branch to demand better treatment for the foreign workers who are building it.
 Al Jazeera's Dan Nolan reports from Abu Dhabi

UAE Hotel Boasts 'Most Expensive Christmas Tree Ever'
The tree is the latest in a series of publicity seeking efforts by the hotel. Photograph: BBC
BBC: A glitzy hotel in Abu Dhabi has put on show a jewel-encrusted Christmas tree which it says is worth over $11m (£7m).

Items of jewellery studded with scores of precious stones are draped on the tree's branches, along with more traditional baubles and lights.

While the tree alone is worth a mere $10,000, the jewellery adds more than $11m to the value, said the hotel's general manager Hans Olbertz.

He admitted the idea for the tree was hatched by the hotel's marketing team.

The hotel has a tree every year, Mr Olbertz said.

But this year, "we said we have to do something different", AFP news agency quoted him as saying.

The vast majority of the population of the oil-rich UAE are Muslim.

But Mr Olbertz said he did not think the tree would offend local sensibilities.

"It's a very liberal country," he said, according to AFP. >>> | Thursday, December 16, 2010

David Miliband Paid £25,000 for Speech at Luxury Middle East Resort
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: David Miliband was paid £25,000 to give a speech on relations between the West and the Muslim world, at a conference held in a “luxurious oasis” resort in the Middle East.

The Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort. Image: The Daily Telegraph
The defeated Labour leadership candidate also had his travel and five-star accommodation covered during the three-day trip, partly by the government of the United Arab Emirates, Parliamentary records show.

It suggests that he is following in the footsteps of his mentor, Tony Blair, by turning to the lucrative foreign lecture circuit after leaving frontline politics.

According to the latest Register of Members’ Financial Interests, Mr Miliband was also paid £2,500 to write a newspaper article defending his “dancing naked women” painting, which his wife had bought him for £800 as a birthday present.

…

The conference - where “opinion-makers and business leaders” discussed “critical challenges for peace and security in the Middle East” - was held at the five-star Qasr Al Sarab resort in Abu Dhabi.

Its website describes it as a “luxurious oasis” in the “legendary Liwa Desert” where guests can “unwind in the unsurpassed comfort of private, palatial-style villas”.

In his speech, Mr Miliband spoke of the responsibility of Muslim countries to “honour international commitments to human rights, independent courts and press freedoms”, and the need for the European Union to admit Turkey as a member.

Read it all and comment >>> Martin Beckford | Friday, December 10, 2010

Architects Take On Museums in Doha and Abu Dhabi
Blueprints for the Mideast
Watch NYT video here

Britain and the UAE: Partnership for Our Times
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The partnership between Britain and the UAE has progressed enormously since the Queen's last visit there in 1979, writes Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

The Queen arrives in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, yesterday. Photo: The Daily Telegraph
Today, in the presence of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the British Foreign Secretary William Hague and I will sign the 2010 Abu Dhabi Declaration, reaffirming the 1971 Treaty of Friendship between the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

This is much more than ceremonial. It is representative of a vibrant strategic partnership that has the potential not only to deliver real benefits to our two countries but to strengthen our ability to provide joint leadership on matters of global significance.

The strength and vitality of our relationship with the UK has been an important driver in the UAE’s development ever since Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan al Nahyan, the founder and former President of the UAE, signed the original Treaty of Friendship in December 1971.

Today, there are more than 100,000 Britons living and working in the UAE. In four short decades our country has been transformed and the British have played an important role, helping to build our society and economy and in many cases making the UAE their long-term home.

At the same time, the UAE has been making an increasing contribution to life in Britain: tens of thousands of Emiratis visit the UK each year; we have collaborations with leading British institutions in education, health and culture, among many other areas; and we have diverse investments in the UK. >>> Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Foreign Minister | Thursday, November 25, 2010

Fatwa Decrees Vuvuzela Haram Above 100 Decibels
A fan sounds the vuvuzela in Kimberley, South Africa. In the UAE, the instruments have sold steadily since the tournament began. Photograph: The National
THE NATIONAL: It’s a bit of a blow. The General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments’ fatwa number 11625 has decreed that, above 100 decibel levels, the vuvuzela, clarion call of the World Cup, is haram. Will this spell the end for the loved – and loathed – trumpet?

ABU DHABI // Three weeks ago, most people had never heard of the vuvuzela. Now, many wish they never had.



For players and fans alike, the plastic trumpet, whose drone has been likened to a swarm of bees, has become the unmistakable background sound to South Africa’s World Cup.

Some – including no less a figure than Archbishop Desmond Tutu – have defended the instrument, but many have grumbled that its blare drowns out the crowd’s terrace chants, robbing matches of atmosphere. Players, meanwhile, say they cannot hear each other on the field. >>> Eugene Harnan | Friday, July 09, 2010

Abu Dhabi, Setting of Sex and the City Sequel, Considers Film Ban
THE TELEGRAPH: The sequel to Sex and the City is facing embarrassment as Abu Dhabi, the Gulf city in which it is set, is considering banning the movie.

Less than two weeks before the release of Sex and the City 2, it is unclear whether the film will be shown in the oil-rich city, the scripted setting where Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha, go on holiday.

Emirates' officials had already turned down a request to film on location, forcing the cast crew to head to Morocco to recreate the Abu Dhabi setting. In 2008, the original film was not shown in the United Arab Emirates, where censors routinely remove scenes such as kissing, nudity and expletives.

Shooting Stars, the UAE representatives for distributor Warner Bros, said Emirates officials have still not made a decision about bringing the film to cinemas in the Gulf state after its May 27 release date. >>> | Sunday, May 16, 2010

Fund Chief’s Funeral


THE TELEGRAPH: Gulf Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed al-Nahyan Found Dead in Morocco >>> Louise Armitstead, Chief City Correspondent | Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Gulf Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed al-Nahyan Found Dead in Morocco
THE TELEGRAPH: The boss of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA), the world's biggest sovereign wealth fund, has been found dead in Morocco.

Gulf sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed al-Nahyan was ranked 27th on the Forbes list of the most powerful people in the world. Photograph: The Telegraph
Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who directed ADIA's recent acquisition of 15pc of Gatwick Airport, was found four days after his glider aircraft went missing. He was 40.

ADIA, which is thought to have assets worth $627bn (£420bn), declined to comment.

The Sheikh had no deputy director. However, sources close to the fund said that a succession plan is being worked on.

Ranked 27th on the Forbes list of the most powerful people in the world, Sheikh Ahmed was also a half-brother of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Abu Dhabi's ruler and the president of the United Arab Emirates.

Sheikh Ahmed took control of ADIA in 1997 where he was described as "very hands on" in investment decisions. The sovereign wealth fund's most high-profile investment was a stake of about 4pc in Citigroup. >>> Louise Armitstead, Chief City Correspondent | Tuesday, March 30, 2010

TIMES ONLINE: Sovereign wealth fund boss found dead in Morocco: A team of French and Moroccan divers have found the body of an Emirati sheikh who headed the world's largest sovereign wealth fund, four days after the ultralight glider he was travelling in crashed into a lake near Rabat. >>> Philippe Naughton | Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Facebook Row as Middle East Officials Ban User 'Who Insulted Islam'
THE TELEGRAPH: A row has erupted in the Middle East after officials banned a Facebook user in Abu Dhabi for breaking the law after they “insulted” Islam by claiming to be Allah.

All internet providers in the United Arab Emirates have been ordered to block the unnamed user behind the site, after he alleged his claims were supported by verses of the Koran.

His actions sparked a wave a protest, with many calling on users to boycott the social networking site unless the site was removed.

After dozens of complaints about the Arabic-language site, titled “God and Prophets”, the country’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced this week it would ban the user from holding an internet account.

But that decision was met with more protest from what some viewed as censorship of the internet.

The user claimed they were an atheist and believed in no God but him/herself, reports in the Middle East claimed.

They said that Muslim prophets would be able to connect with users through the site, which contained Koranic verses and also appeared to mock Islam, as well as answering their questions.

The site soon had more than 600,000 followers, with many critical of the site.

Mohammad Al Ganem, the authority’s General Manager, defended the authority’s decision to ban the site, saying it “insulted” Islam.

“TRA received numerous calls and complaints from internet users expressing their anger against unidentified people who created a site on Facebook that is offending to God, prophets, messengers, the Holy Koran and even to all God's books," he told Gulf News.

"The creator of this site which he named ‘God and Prophets' Site', attributes divinity to himself and spreads distorted writing pretending they are verses from the Koran.

“He also declared writing a new book falsifying himself as a god.”
He added: “He spreads talk that is insulting to the prophets and to their holy stature.

“This is considered to be a felony according to the federal law." >>> Andrew Hough | Friday, March 19, 2010

Sarkozy Plays a Round of Gulf
The United Arab Emirates' President, Sheikh Kalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, accompanies THE French President Nicolas Sarkozy after their meeting in Abu Dhabi. Photo courtesy of The Independent
THE INDEPENDENT: France took an ambitious step into the cauldron of Gulf politics yesterday, opening a military base, or "peace camp", in Abu Dhabi.

The naval and air station - the first French military base to be built abroad in half a century - is intended to make France a serious player in the previously "Anglo-Saxon" game of Gulf security and the military containment of Iran.

The base, formally opened by President Nicolas Sarkozy, may also improve France's chances of selling military hardware to the United Arab Emirates, starting with 63 Rafale jet fighters. During his visit, President Sarkozy dug the first spade of sand for the foundations of an Abu Dhabi branch of the Louvre museum, part of a drive to promote French culture, and cultural exports, in the Middle East.

Although the military base has been declared to be part of France's contribution to the fight against Indian Ocean pirates, its real importance is diplomatic and strategic. "France is showing that it is ready to assume its responsibilities in guaranteeing the stability of a region vital to the entire world," M. Sarkozy told the Emirates news agency, Wam. >>> By John Lichfield in Paris | Tuesday, May 26, 2009

French President Sarkozy Opens UAE Base
BBC: President Nicolas Sarkozy has formally opened a French military base in the United Arab Emirates, France's first permanent base in the Gulf.

The flags of France and the UAE were raised at a ceremony at the so-called "Peace Camp" in the Abu Dhabi emirate.

France is a leading military supplier to the Gulf state, and signed a nuclear co-operation agreement last year.

Its new base will host up to 500 French troops and include a navy base, air base, and training camp.

Mr Sarkozy flew to Abu Dhabi on Monday with four ministers and a delegation of businessmen.

In a recent interview with Diplomatie magazine, he said that the military presence underscored France's desire "to participate fully in the stability of this region that is essential for the world's equilibrium".

Analysts say the move positions France - along with the US and UK, which already have bases in the Gulf - in the forefront for lucrative defence contracts and nuclear energy deals. >>> | Tuesday, May 26, 2009

LE FIGARO: Abu Dhabi, base avancée 
de la France en face de l'Iran

Des Rafale de l'armée de l'air française stationnés sur la base aérienne d'al-Dhafra, lundi à Abu Dhabi. Dans l'Émirat, Paris s'est aussi doté d'une base navale et d'une base terrestre spécialisée dans le combat urbain. Photo grâce au Figaro

L'inauguration, mardi par Nicolas Sarkozy, d'une installation militaire dans le Golfe illustre un changement de position stratégique.

Face à l'Iran, sur les rives du détroit d'Ormuz, au bord de l'immense océan Indien, la base navale de la nouvelle implantation militaire française aux Émirats arabes unis est sortie de terre en à peine un an. Sous une chaleur écrasante, 40 degrés à l'ombre, des ouvriers s'attellent aux travaux de finition. Les bâtiments, blanc cassé, sentent encore la peinture. Dans le port, majestueuse malgré ses 7 000 tonnes, la frégate antiaérienne Forbin, dernière-née de la marine nationale, se confond avec le gris des eaux. L'Aconit, une frégate furtive spécialisée dans la lutte contre les pirates, a aussi accosté. Seul le Dupuy de Lôme, un bâtiment de la DRM, la Direction des renseignements militaires, officiellement destiné à «l'expérimentation et à la mesure», a été soustrait à l'œil des journalistes. Il ne sera mis à quai que pour la visite inaugurale de Nicolas Sarkozy, ce matin.

C'est la première fois depuis cinquante ans, depuis les indépendances africaines exactement, que la France ouvre une base militaire permanente hors de son territoire national. C'est aussi la première fois que les Français s'implantent ainsi de manière permanente dans une région d'influence anglo-saxonne. Pour s'imposer dans cette ancienne colonie britannique, les militaires français ont mis le paquet. Une base aérienne destinée à accueillir les Mirage et les Rafale de l'armée de l'air française à al-Dhafra ; une base navale appuyée par 300 mètres de quai, dans le port de Mina Zayed, «pour soutenir les forces déployées dans l'océan Indien et compléter, en lui donnant plus d'autonomie, le dispositif de la marine nationale dans la région», selon les mots du colonel Hervé Cherel, qui commande l'implantation française aux Émirats ; enfin une base terrestre, installée dans le camp émirati de Zayed, en plein désert, spécialisée dans l'entraînement au combat urbain. À terme, environ 500 militaires français stationneront là en permanence. Une présence assez modeste, mais un symbole et des possibilités immenses. >>> Par Isabelle Lasserre | Lundi 25 Mai 2009