A UAE court will deliver its verdict next week in the trial of a suspected "Al-Qaida cell" accused of supporting Al-Nusra Front, the jihadist network's Syrian affiliate, state news agency WAM said Monday.

The nine men are charged with joining an "Al-Qaida organization and forming a cell" in the United Arab Emirates to promote its ideas, WAM said.

The UAE promised Monday to keep up its support for Egypt's new leadership after the election as president of ex-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is backed by several Gulf monarchies.

Sisi's inauguration on Sunday "supports stability in Egypt and the Arab world," UAE Vice President and Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum was quoted as saying at the weekly cabinet meeting by official news agency WAM.

As Syria's conflict drags on, refugees who fled to the UAE have recreated a slice of home in the Gulf state, from popular Syrian restaurants to Damascus's iconic Hamidiyeh market.

Amid the gentle bubbling of water pipes and the clack of backgammon pieces, visitors to the Hamidiyeh restaurant reminisce about Damascus in the luxurious Dubai Marina district.  

As Syria's conflict drags on, refugees who fled to the UAE have recreated a slice of home in the Gulf state, from popular Syrian restaurants to Damascus's iconic Hamidiyeh market.

Amid the gentle bubbling of water pipes and the clack of backgammon pieces, visitors to the Hamidiyeh restaurant reminisce about Damascus in the luxurious Dubai Marina district.

The United Arab Emirates on Saturday introduced military service, compulsory for men aged between 18 and 30, state news agency WAM announced.

A law on military service was brought in under the UAE constitution, which stipulates "the defence of the federation is a sacred duty for every citizen," WAM said.

Justice Minister Ahsraf Rifi said on Saturday that the security stability in Lebanon would only be fruitful if local and foreign efforts were exerted.

In comments published in An Nahar newspaper, Rifi revealed that during a recent visit to Kuwait officials inquired him on the situation in Lebanon in order to take a decision concerning a travel ban to the country.

As Egypt prepares to swear in its fourth leader since 2011, a huge slice of $1.5 billion in U.S. aid remains in deep-freeze amid fears the nation is sliding back into authoritarianism.

Former general Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will be crowned as the next president on Sunday after three years of political turmoil since the ousting of long-time iron-fisted leader Hosni Mubarak.

The MERS coronavirus has killed 10 people and infected 68 in the United Arab Emirates since March 2013, the health minister said in comments published by local media on Wednesday

Health Minister Abdul Rahman al-Owais gave the latest toll in comments to the national federal council, a partially-elected parliament, saying six UAE nationals and four foreigners have died from the disease, local newspapers said.

Iran must prove through actions that it is willing to make key policy changes to mend fences with Gulf Arabs, analysts said ahead of a landmark visit by Kuwait's emir.

The weekend visit of Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, whose country currently heads the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Arab summit, is an opportunity for Tehran to turn over a new leaf in Gulf ties, they said.

Saudi Arabia has arrested nine university professors for their alleged links to the banned Muslim Brotherhood movement, media reported on Monday.

Investigators found the professors, two Saudis and the rest from neighbouring countries, had been involved with "foreign organisations" based on "voice recordings and emails" linked to them, Okaz daily reported.