United Arab Emirates
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UAE to Scrap Fuel Subsidies from August

Leading oil producer the United Arab Emirates will scrap subsidies on petrol and diesel from August to cut spending as low crude prices hit revenues, the energy ministry said Wednesday.

Pump prices for the two fuels will now be set on the basis of world prices and adjusted each month, the ministry said in a statement carried by the official WAM news agency.

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UAE Says Iran Deal May Turn 'New Page' for Gulf

The United Arab Emirates Tuesday welcomed the historic nuclear deal agreed by world powers and Iran, with an official saying it could turn a "new page" for the Gulf region.

"Iran could play a (significant) role in the region if it revises its policy and stops interfering in the internal affairs of countries like Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen," a UAE official said in the first reaction from the Gulf Arab monarchies to the Vienna accord.

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UAE Executes Woman Convicted of U.S. Teacher's Murder

The United Arab Emirates carried out a rare execution Monday, putting to death by firing squad an Emirati woman convicted of the jihadist-inspired murder of a U.S. school teacher, media reported.

Alaa Bader al-Hashemi, 30, was executed at dawn after President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan approved the death sentence against her, said the official WAM news agency, citing prosecutors.

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UAE Police Nab Nigerians for Hacking U.S. Accounts

United Arab Emirates police have busted a cell of three Nigerian hackers who targeted U.S. bank accounts, the interior ministry said Sunday.

The trio were arrested following a tip-off from police in California about "cyber-criminal activity based in the UAE," a statement said.

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Gulf Ministers Vow United Stand against IS Mosque Bombings

Interior ministers of the Gulf states Friday vowed to take a united stand against a string of deadly bombings targeting Shiite mosques claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.

Holding an emergency meeting in Kuwait, the scene of the latest suicide attack that killed 26 people last Friday, the ministers of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states stressed the attacks are a threat to the stability of the region.

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UAE Woman Sentenced to Death for Killing U.S. Teacher

A United Arab Emirates court sentenced an Emirati woman to death on Monday after convicting her of the jihadist-inspired murder of an American teacher, Abu Dhabi newspaper The National reported.

Alaa Bader al-Hashemi, 30, was found guilty of stabbing to death school teacher Ibolya Ryan, 47, in a shopping mall toilet, the paper said.

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Three Saudi Soldiers, One Emirati Killed on Yemen Border

Three Saudi soldiers and an Emirati have been killed on Saudi Arabia's border with Yemen, where Riyadh is a leading a bombing campaign against Iran-backed rebels, state media said Thursday.

Two Saudi troops were killed at sunset Wednesday when a rocket landed in the Jizan region, the Saudi-led coalition said in a statement carried by the SPA state news agency.

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Alleged UAE Killer of American 'Aware of Her Actions'

An Emirati woman on trial over two alleged jihad-inspired attacks against Americans, including killing a teacher, was aware of her actions the court said Monday, citing a medical report.

Alaa Bader al-Hashemi is on trial at the Federal Supreme Court on charges of stabbing to death mother-of-three Ibolya Ryan, 47, in a shopping mall washroom in the UAE capital.

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UAE Jails 5 Qataris over Insulting Leaders

An Emirati court has jailed five Qatari intelligence officers for insulting the leadership of the United Arab Emirates, local media said Tuesday.

The State Security court sentenced Ali al-Hammadi, who is the only defendant in custody, to 10 years in jail, and fined him one million dirhams ($272,000), Ittihad newspaper reported.

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UAE Releases Sisters Held over Tweets

Three sisters detained for the past three months in the United Arab Emirates after campaigning on Twitter on behalf of their jailed brother were released on Friday, Amnesty International said.

Asma Khalifa al-Suwaidi, Mariam Khalifa al-Suwaidi and Alyaziyah Khalifa al-Suwaidi "were reunited with their family today after spending three months in secret detention", the rights watchdog said.

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