Dubai

FILE - People gather around the official countdown clock showing remaining time until the kick-off of the World Cup 2022, in Doha, Qatar, Thursday, Nov. 25, 2021. Qatar will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup but soccer isn't the only sport played in the Gulf Arab country. From traditional pursuits to worldwide competitions, Qatar increasingly has marketed itself as a host for sports of all sorts. (AP Photo/Darko Bandic, File)

EXPLAINER: Sports in Qatar as country hosts 2022 World Cup

By Jon Gambrell Nov. 05, 2022 05:46 AM EDT

Andy Murray of Britain return the ball to Italy's Jannik Sinner during a match of the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

Golf: Olympics finally return with 3 medals at stake for men

By The Associated Press Jul. 27, 2021 11:38 AM EDT
INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE TOKYO OLYMPICS Site: Kawagoe, Japan. Course: Kasumigaseki CC....

A crow perches on a light pole near the statue of the Olympics rings in Tokyo on Thursday, July 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

3 Samoan weightlifters to miss Olympics over virus concerns

By Steve Mcmorran Jul. 01, 2021 08:19 PM EDT

Abu Dhabi says no vaccines for tourists, changes app posting

Jun. 24, 2021 11:21 AM EDT
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The capital of the United Arab Emirates announced on Thursday that it will not allow tourists flying into the emirate to...

FILE - In this Feb. 8, 2021 file photo, a man receives his Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine from a medical staffer at Guru Nanak Darbar temple in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi, the capital of the UAE, has apparently started offering free coronavirus vaccines to tourists flying into the emirate, a move that could entice travelers and help revive the country's struggling tourism industry. While no official announcement was made on the matter, the health authority's phone application showed updated criteria for vaccine access on Tuesday, June 22, 2021, saying visitors to the capital could now get the COVID-19 shot by presenting their passports. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)

UAE's capital apparently offering COVID vaccines to tourists

By Isabel Debre Jun. 22, 2021 10:11 AM EDT

FILE - In this Jan. 29, 2021 file photo, people embark on a dinner dhow cruise after sunset with a view of the city skyline and a sign promoting Dubai, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Dubai's sovereign wealth fund announced Tuesday, June 22, 2021, a net loss of $5.1 billion over the past year, highlighting the toll that the coronavirus pandemic has wrought on the company's vast assets and the uncertainty around the emirate's post-pandemic recovery. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)

Dubai investment arm posts $5.1 billion loss amid pandemic

By Isabel Debre Jun. 22, 2021 06:08 AM EDT

Supporters of Iranian president-elect Ebrahim Raisi celebrate after he won the presidential election in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, June 19, 2021. Initial results released Saturday propelled Raisi, a protege of the country's supreme leader, into Tehran’s highest civilian position. The vote appeared to see the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Hard-line judiciary head wins Iran presidency in low turnout

By Jon Gambrell Jun. 19, 2021 02:21 AM EDT

A voter casts her ballot for the presidential election at a polling station in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 18, 2021. Iranians voted Friday in a presidential election that a hard-line protege of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei seemed likely to win, leading to low turnout fueled by apathy and calls for a boycott. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

In Iran's subdued election, many voters appear to stay home

By Isabel Debre Jun. 18, 2021 02:30 PM EDT

Voters register to cast their vote during the presidential election at a polling station in Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 18, 2021. Iran began voting Friday in a presidential election tipped in the favor of a hard-line protege of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, fueling public apathy and sparking calls for a boycott in the Islamic Republic. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

Apathy greets Iran presidential vote dominated by hard-liner

By Jon Gambrell Jun. 17, 2021 11:58 PM EDT

Supporters of presidential candidate Ebrahim Raisi hold signs during a rally in Tehran, Iran, Wednesday, June 16, 2021. Iran's clerical vetting committee has allowed just seven candidates for the Friday, June 18, ballot, nixing prominent reformists and key allies of President Hassan Rouhani. The presumed front-runner has become Ebrahim Raisi, the country's hard-line judiciary chief who is closely aligned with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

EXPLAINER: Iran vote to determine next president, direction

By Jon Gambrell Jun. 17, 2021 02:59 AM EDT

Iran election race narrows but fears persist of low turnout

By Isabel Debre Jun. 16, 2021 09:25 AM EDT

In Oman, fungal infection detected in some COVID-19 patients

By Isabel Debre Jun. 15, 2021 07:57 AM EDT
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Oman announced Tuesday that its doctors have detected a potentially fatal fungal infection afflicting some coronavirus...

FILE - In this April 20, 2017, file photo, Emirates planes are parked at the Dubai International Airport in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The Middle East's largest airline, Emirates, announced on Tuesday a net loss of $5.5 billion over the past year as revenue fell by more than 66% due to global travel restrictions sparked by the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)

Emirates Air posts $5.5B loss as virus disrupts travel

By Aya Batrawy Jun. 15, 2021 02:19 AM EDT

Mideast's biggest airline, Emirates, announces $5.5 billion net loss due to coronavirus restrictions on global travel

Jun. 15, 2021 02:16 AM EDT
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Mideast's biggest airline, Emirates, announces $5.5 billion net loss due to coronavirus restrictions on global travel. ...

With surge in virus, Oman faces shortage of hospital beds

By Isabel Debre Jun. 14, 2021 06:41 AM EDT
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Coronavirus infections are surging in the Gulf Arab state of Oman, where health officials warned Monday that hospitals now...

FILE - In this July 31, 2020, file photo, pilgrims walk around the Kabba at the Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia said Saturday, July 12, 2021, that this year's hajj pilgrimage will be limited to no more than 60,000 people, all of them from within the kingdom, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. (Saudi Ministry of Media via AP, File)

Saudi Arabia says hajj to be limited to 60,000 in kingdom

By Jon Gambrell Jun. 12, 2021 06:25 AM EDT

In this image made from video provided by the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy, demonstrators march to protest the death of a prisoner in Diah, Bahrain, Wednesday, June 9, 2021. Hundreds on Wednesday held a rare protest in Bahrain over the death of a vaccinated prisoner from the coronavirus held by the island kingdom. The banner in Arabic reads: "The liberated and honorable martyr has prevailed, the martyr prisoner Husain Barakat." (Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy via AP)

Hundreds hold rare protest in Bahrain after prisoner's death

By Jon Gambrell Jun. 10, 2021 05:29 AM EDT

FILE— In this Dec. 11, 2006, file photo, top cleric Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour, center, speaks during a conference on the Holocaust with Rabbi Moishe Arye Friedman, left, from Austria, and Rabbi Ahron Cohen, right, from England, in Tehran, Iran. Mohtashamipour, a Shiite cleric who as Iran's ambassador to Syria helped found the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and lost his right hand to a book bombing reportedly carried out by Israel, died Monday, June 7, 2021, of the coronavirus. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

Iran cleric who founded Hezbollah, survived book bomb, dies

By Jon Gambrell Jun. 07, 2021 05:21 AM EDT