When Dr. Dan Shaham arrived in the UAE one year ago, little did he realize he would be a part of a history-making peace deal. The diplomat of 27 years has been in Abu Dhabi as the Head of Mission to IRENA, at the headquarters of the International Renewable Energy Agency, as the only official Israeli diplomat in the Emirates, until now.

The Abraham Accords, bringing normalization between Israel, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, are a victory for defeating extremism in the Middle East, a counter-terror adviser to the UAE government has told The Jerusalem Post. A new approach was long overdue, and the time had come to finally acknowledge the central place of Jews and Christians in the region’s history, Dr. Ali al-Nuaimi said.

Despite death threats, a barrage of hate, Nazi rhetoric and antisemitic backlash, Emirati Norah al-Awadhi has no regrets about posing in an image with her Israeli friend. It has become an icon of the historic Abraham Accords.

More than a place of worship, it is the final memory of a once-thriving community, which at its peak during the 1950s was around 15,000 strong.

The United Arab Emirates’ Ministry of Education has revoked the licenses of six universities and put another six on probation after it said the institutions failed to meet quality and accreditation standards. Several of the institutions affected by the clampdown are international branch campuses. Local observers see the regulatory move as a useful international signal that the U.A.E. takes education quality control seriously. (See a related article, “A Regional Survey: How Arab Countries

As companies get back to some form of normality and many employees return to the office, at least part time, the region’s popular business lunch is back on the menu. Crucial to the business day, lunches are where deals are sealed, new contacts made, cultures shared and relationships developed.

From lip fillers and liposuction to Botox and rhinoplasty, interest in cosmetic surgery is rising. A recent report published by PMC, a digital archive of medical texts held by the National Library of Medicine in the US, revealed a spike in searches for reconstructive surgical procedures since June and in early July. These reached and then surpassed the number of searches recorded at the start of the year, before the coronavirus pandemic took hold.

Bahrain’s dwindling community of less than 50 Jews has been offered a new lease on life in the wake of the signing of this month’s historic Abraham Accords, with many in Israel anxious to reconnect to their homeland.

And the changes are affecting business life in Dubai too. Alex Peterfreund, a Belgian diamond and jewellery specialist, can now ship goods to Tel Aviv for the first time, a key market, as well as call family in Israel, which until August was banned. He believes the Orthadox Jewish tradition, to which he is aligned, will grow "considerably". So much so, his community is preparing to open its own synagogue on the man-made Palm Jumeirah island, and bring its own rabbi. He calls it “a development

Ben Hayum envisages that the areas of primary interest for the U.A.E. will be food technology and agriculture, medical technology, water and energy. “On all these we have quite a lot to contribute,” he says, but the Emirates also have an interest in developing infrastructure for research and development, “so what I’m suggesting is co-R&D,” he says.

Weeks since news of the normalization of ties between the UAE and Israel was announced, businesses on both sides have been frantically planning and exploring investment opportunities between the two newly connected nations.

“It’s the beginning of a new era not only for Jews in the UAE but for Jews around the world.” DUBAI – At just 27 years old, Rabbi Levi Duchman has big shoes to fill. The Brooklyn-born Chabad rabbi in the United Arab Emirates has been helping to quietly build a Jewish community, which this month was able to emerge from its humble shadows. In a quiet suburb of Dubai, local Jews have congregated in the small villa that serves as their synagogue on Shabbat and festivals. That remained a closely guarded secret until this month’s historic normalization of relations between Israel and the UAE.

DUBAI—Many of the United Arab Emirates have made it part of their global brand to showcase arts and cultural institutions, from comedy clubs to highbrow museums. As in other parts of the world, the novel coronavirus pandemic shut many of these institutions down. Now each emirate is going its own way in trying to reopen and reinvigorate these institutions. Dubai has invested millions in its cultural offerings, from the grand Dubai Opera, to the multi-purpose Coca-Cola Arena, which opened last ye

DUBAI—In the wake of a drop in the price of oil and the economic pain inflicted by Covid-19 lockdowns, funding for research in Arab countries is due for a hit in the coming year. On the positive side, scientists and science administrators think that slimmer funding may encourage more collaboration. They also see some universities establishing innovation funds around Covid-19 and hope that the pandemic will help the general public to see the value of scientific and medical research in the region

With COVID-19 halting our travel plans and putting our lives on pause, we have been able to appreciate the freedom we once had and to dream of destinations we are yet to visit. For many of us, this episode will change the way we travel for the foreseeable future; we’ll look to escape to remote or hidden destinations and seek experiences that allow for safe social distancing. Getaways to natural hideaways with fresh air and space will now be a compelling alternative to breaks in busy cities for many. With this in mind, Business Traveller has compiled a list of 10 luxurious resorts in the Middle East and North Africa where you can truly escape the crowds.

Discussing race with children is not always easy. Deciding how to approach a sensitive issue can be intimidating, and some parents may avoid it until a child raises the topic, but with research showing that children notice ethnicity from as young as three months old, it is not to be shied away from. Older children using social and mainstream media can be exposed to negative messaging and images, which left untamed, can fuel prejudices or fears of their own, while younger children often experien

DUBAI—International branch campuses in Dubai, which has one of the world’s largest collections of such university outposts, face an uncertain future in the wake of Covid-19. With high rents and reduced enrollment rates, the universities are being forced to offer students financial incentives, while also showing flexibility on entry standards for secondary-school graduates who had their examinations canceled this year. A large share of the 17 university branch campuses’ student base comes from

137 Pillars Suites Bangkok, a member of the Small Luxury Hotels (SLH) group, follows in the footsteps of the flagship 137 Pillars House Chiang Mai in northern Thailand. Just two years old, the boutique all-suite concept features 34 luxury suites and 179 residences.

Wellbeing entrepreneur Natasha Rudatsenko is the founder of Dubai yoga studio Dryp and Health Nag, a functional health service and holistic health education platform. Ms Rudatsenko, 37, from Estonia, was inspired to focus her career on wellness after being diagnosed with chronic illnesses including hypothyroidism, polycystic ovary syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome. Educated in London, she moved to the UAE in 2010 and now lives in Dubai Marina. How did your upbringing shape your attitude tow

The world is in the midst of one of, if not the biggest, shifts of the century. Many things may never look like they did before Coronavirus but will one of those things be our schooling? From university applications to learning online, some of the effects will be temporary, while others may last long after the pandemic. Schools Compared receives feedback on the initial impact and lessons being learned. For many parents, simply keeping healthy both physically and mentally, while managing the f