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UAE establishes $817 million fund for space sector

UAE to develop and launch an advanced radar satellite constellation called "Sirb". (UAE Space Agency)
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Updated 17 July 2022
Arab News
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UAE establishes $817 million fund for space sector

Updated 17 July 2022
Arab News

DUBAI: UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed announced an $817 million fund to support space sector in a post on Twitter early Sunday.

The president announced a new $817m national investment and development fund for the space sector, The National Space Fund. 

“The establishment of a dedicated fund to support the UAE’s burgeoning space programme and the launch of a new initiative to develop radar satellites are expected to expand our growing capabilities in this vital sector while accelerating innovation in environmental sustainability,” the president tweeted. 

The Fund’s first project to be launched to space will be a constellation of advanced remote sensing satellites using radar technologies to provide unparalleled imaging capabilities.

The constellation is to be named Sirb after the Arabic term for a flock of birds. 

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the UAE vice president, prime minister, and ruler of Dubai, said on Twitter the fund aims to supporting the establishment of national companies in the space sector and boost national strategic and research projects.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid said the “Sirb” project aims to develop the country's competitiveness in the space sector.

The planned satellites will be able to create highly detailed and complex radar ‘images’ of land use, ice cover, surface changes and characterisation, with a wide range of scientific, civil and commercial applications, state-run WAM reported. 

The statement on WAM said the project will contribute to UAE’s efforts to develop solutions to climate change, environmental sustainability and improved disaster management. 

The platform will contribute to monitoring the changes that occur on the planet due to climate changes and help find innovative solutions for environmental sustainability, it added.   

Topics: UAE space

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Israel police to deploy around Al-Aqsa for Ramadan, Palestinians report curbs

Updated 17 February 2026
AFP
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Israel police to deploy around Al-Aqsa for Ramadan, Palestinians report curbs

  • The Al-Aqsa compound is a central symbol of Palestinian identity and also a frequent flashpoint
Updated 17 February 2026
AFP

JERUSALEM: Israeli police said Monday that they would deploy in force around the Al-Aqsa Mosque during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins this week, as Palestinian officials accused Israel of imposing restrictions at the compound.
Over the course of the month of fasting and prayer, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians traditionally attend prayers at Al-Aqsa — Islam’s third-holiest site, located in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in 1967 and later annexed.
Arad Braverman, a senior Jerusalem police officer, said forces would be deployed “day and night” across the compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, and in the surrounding area.
He said thousands of police would also be on duty for Friday prayers, which draw the largest crowds of Muslim worshippers.
Braverman said police had recommended issuing 10,000 permits for Palestinians from the occupied West Bank, who require special permission to enter Jerusalem.
He did not say whether age limits would apply, adding that the final number of people would be decided by the government.
The Palestinian Jerusalem Governorate said in a separate statement it had been informed that permits would again be restricted to men over 55 and women over 50, mirroring last year’s criteria.
It said Israeli authorities had blocked the Islamic Waqf — the Jordanian?run body administering the site — from carrying out routine preparations, including installing shade structures and setting up temporary medical clinics.
A Waqf source confirmed the restrictions and said 33 of its employees had been barred from entering the compound in the week before Ramadan.
The Al-Aqsa compound is a central symbol of Palestinian identity and also a frequent flashpoint.
Under long?standing arrangements, Jews may visit the compound — which they revere as the site of their second temple, destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD — but they are not permitted to pray there.
Israel says it is committed to maintaining this status quo, though Palestinians fear it is being eroded.
Braverman reiterated Monday that no changes were planned.
In recent years, a growing number of Jewish ultranationalists have challenged the prayer ban, including far?right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, who prayed at the site while serving as national security minister in 2024 and 2025.
 

 

Topics: War on Gaza Palestine Gaza Ramadan

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