Ibrahim Abdul Rahman Al Abed, adviser and former director general of the National Media Council, former adviser to the Ministry of Information and Culture and founder and long-time director general of the Emirates News Agency, Wam, died earlier today. He was 78.
I met Ibrahim in January 1969 when I first visited the Middle East. One highlight of that trip was the opportunity to receive a briefing at the Palestine Research Centre in Beirut, where he was the deputy director. It was the beginning of a close friendship that has lasted for over half a century.
He was never one to miss an opportunity to try to help those in need
A few years later, in 1975, Ibrahim moved to the UAE to work with the Ministry of Information and Culture, where he was charged with the establishment of the Emirates News Agency, Wam. I arrived the same year, initially to make documentary films on the overseas state visits of the late Founding President, Sheikh Zayed. Our friendship swiftly developed into a close working relationship that has spanned 45 years. During that relationship, I worked with him to establish and run the English service of Wam in 1977, while, during my years as managing editor of the daily Emirates News from 1985 to 1999, he was a guide and a never-failing source of advice and assistance. Following the closure of the newspaper, Ibrahim and I had worked closely over the last two decades, discussing politics, both local and foreign, the media, our families, our concerns, our hopes and our disappointments.
We shared tales from our past and our views on the present. Sometimes we bickered. I tended to think that Ibrahim was, on occasion, over-careful in expressing an opinion, while he thought that I needed to learn a little bit more caution in offering to get engaged in matters that were none of my concern. He laughed at my passion for heritage and the environment. I teased him about his lack of knowledge of the wilder, more remote parts of the Emirates. Those who observed us were often rather surprised at how we engaged with each other – he the senior official and I a more junior employee. With decades of friendship behind us, such reactions amused us both.
In his work at the Ministry of Information and Culture and then at the National Media Council, Ibrahim was dedicated and passionate about his loyalty to the Emirates. His network of media contacts around the world, built up over 45 years, enabled him to tell the UAE’s story in a way that few others could hope to emulate. Some of those contacts, from leading international newspapers and news agencies, have been in touch with me today to tell me how much they respected him and valued his honest advice and assistance.
That respect was widely shared throughout the Emirates, not just among media colleagues but elsewhere. That is evident from the messages of condolences that I have received today, both from people at the very top of Government and from those of a less elevated status. Ibrahim Al Abed earned that respect as a professional par excellence. He earned it too, in a quiet discreet way, through his generosity, with his time and in other ways. He was never one to miss an opportunity to try to help those in need.
Despite his achievements, Ibrahim never thought that he was anything particularly special. When, in 2018, he received the Abu Dhabi Award, his response was one of shy self-deprecation. Innately modest, very rarely irritated, even when there was due cause, he offered wise advice to all, regardless of their nationality, origins or status.
Ibrahim Al Abed, my friend, was, to use a term that has gone out of fashion, a real gentleman. I will miss our morning coffees, our affectionate arguments and our half a century of friendship enormously.
Peter Hellyer is a UAE cultural historian and columnist for The National
Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
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Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Power: 480hp at 7,250rpm
Torque: 566Nm at 4,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: L/100km
Price: Dh306,495
On sale: now
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
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Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
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