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UAE Finance Minister and Dubai Deputy Ruler Sheikh Hamdan Dies

Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid attends the Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition (WETEX) and the Dubai Solar Show 2020 virtually on October 26, 2020. (Dubai Media Office)
Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid attends the Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition (WETEX) and the Dubai Solar Show 2020 virtually on October 26, 2020. (Dubai Media Office)
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UAE Finance Minister and Dubai Deputy Ruler Sheikh Hamdan Dies

Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid attends the Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition (WETEX) and the Dubai Solar Show 2020 virtually on October 26, 2020. (Dubai Media Office)
Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid attends the Water, Energy, Technology and Environment Exhibition (WETEX) and the Dubai Solar Show 2020 virtually on October 26, 2020. (Dubai Media Office)

Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai’s deputy ruler and the United Arab Emirates’ long-serving finance minister, has died, Dubai’s ruler said on Wednesday.

Sheikh Hamdan, 75, was the brother of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum. He had been unwell for some months and had surgery abroad in October.

Dubai’s ruler bid farewell to “my brother, my support, my lifelong friend”.

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nayhan, tweeted: “Today we lost one of the UAE’s faithful men after a life rich with giving and true patriotic work.”

Funeral prayers will be restricted to family members due to the (COVID-19) pandemic, the Dubai Media Office said.

Dubai announced 10 days of mourning with flags to be flown at half-mast and a closure of government institutions in the emirate for three days as of Thursday.

Sheikh Hamdan had been the UAE’s finance minister since 1971. The UAE also has a minister of state for financial affairs, Obaid Humaid Al Tayer, who has held the post since 2008.

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Gulf

Saudi Leadership Extends Condolences to Thailand over Victims of Crane Collapse on Train

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)
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Saudi Leadership Extends Condolences to Thailand over Victims of Crane Collapse on Train

Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)
Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. (SPA)

The Saudi leadership extended condolences on Sunday to King of Thailand over the victims of a crane accident that fell onto a train in northeastern Thailand killing tens and injuring several.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques sent a cable to King of Thailand, Maha Vajiralongkorn, offering his deepest condolences and sincere sympathy to the families of the deceased, and the Thai people, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.

Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Saudi Arabia, sent a similar cable to the Thai king.

He extended his deepest condolences to the king, the families of the deceased, and the Thai people.

Gulf

Saudi Arabia Welcomes Agreement between Syrian Govt, SDF

People celebrate as Syrian government troops take control of the town from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Raqqa, northeastern Syria, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP)
People celebrate as Syrian government troops take control of the town from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Raqqa, northeastern Syria, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP)
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Saudi Arabia Welcomes Agreement between Syrian Govt, SDF

People celebrate as Syrian government troops take control of the town from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Raqqa, northeastern Syria, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP)
People celebrate as Syrian government troops take control of the town from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Raqqa, northeastern Syria, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2026. (AP)

Saudi Arabia welcomed on Monday the ceasefire agreement between the Syrian government and Syrian Democratic Forces that was reached on Sunday.

A Saudi Foreign Ministry statement hoped the deal would help bolster security and stability and build state institutions to meet the Syrian people's aspirations for development and prosperity.

The statement reiterated the Kingdom's full support for the Syrian government's efforts to boost civil peace and preserve Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The Syrian government Sunday announced a ceasefire with the SDF, taking almost full control of the country and dismantling the Kurdish-led forces that controlled the northeast for over a decade.

The agreement includes dismantling the SDF and having its forces join Syria’s military and security forces, while senior military and civilian officials would be given high-ranking positions in state institutions.

The SDF would have to give up the Raqqa and Deir Ezzor provinces to the Syrian military and government, as well as its border crossings and oil and gas fields.

Gulf

Saudi Arabia Ranks Second Globally in Humanitarian Aid for 2025

Saudi Arabia ranked second globally and first in the Arab world among donor countries for humanitarian aid in 2025. (SP)A
Saudi Arabia ranked second globally and first in the Arab world among donor countries for humanitarian aid in 2025. (SP)A
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Saudi Arabia Ranks Second Globally in Humanitarian Aid for 2025

Saudi Arabia ranked second globally and first in the Arab world among donor countries for humanitarian aid in 2025. (SP)A
Saudi Arabia ranked second globally and first in the Arab world among donor countries for humanitarian aid in 2025. (SP)A

Saudi Arabia ranked second globally and first in the Arab world among donor countries for humanitarian aid in 2025, leading in contributions to Yemen with 49.3% of total aid and ranking second for aid to Syria, according to the United Nations Financial Tracking Service.

A recently released 2024 report on development assistance showed that the Kingdom ranks second among 16 non-member donor countries and tenth globally in aid volume among all 48 donor countries, including both members and non-members.

Advisor at the Royal Court and Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSrelief) Dr. Abdullah Al Rabeeah stressed that the Kingdom's leadership in humanitarian efforts reflects its commitment to generosity and prioritizing human dignity.

These figures are documented in real time on the Saudi Aid Platform, the region's largest aid platform. This approach, supported by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister, has been crucial in achieving these international rankings and making a tangible global impact.

Al Rabeeah said Saudi Arabia remains a constant source of generosity and a beacon of goodwill, committed under its leadership to providing assistance to those in need worldwide.