The UAE’s State Security Department has dismantled a terrorist organisation operating in the country and arrested its members over plans to carry out sabotage attacks and undermine national unity, according to state news agency Emirates News Agency (WAM).

In a statement issued on Monday, authorities said investigations revealed the group was preparing “systematic terrorist and sabotage operations” within UAE territory, while maintaining links with external entities.

The network was found to have held clandestine meetings both inside and outside the country, as part of coordinated efforts to expand its reach and target sensitive locations.

Officials said the group attempted to recruit Emirati youth by spreading misleading ideas and promoting loyalty to foreign parties. It also sought to incite against the UAE’s foreign policy and internal measures by portraying the country negatively.

Authorities added that members collected funds through unofficial channels before transferring them to suspicious entities abroad.

Investigations further indicated ideological links to Iran’s “Wilayat al-Faqih” doctrine, a political-religious system that underpins governance in the Islamic Republic.

Those arrested face charges including establishing and managing a secret organisation, pledging allegiance to external parties, and undermining national unity and social stability.

The State Security Department said it remains committed to confronting threats to public safety and called on citizens and residents to report suspicious activity through official channels.

The announcement was followed by a wave of regional support for the UAE amid news of the foiling of the plot.

Countries including Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan and Kuwait, alongside organisations such as the Muslim Council of Elders, issued statements condemning the attempt and praising UAE security authorities for their swift action.

The development comes against a backdrop of heightened regional tensions. The UAE has shot down over 2,000 of missiles and drones since late February amid ongoing hostilities involving Iran.

Last month, authorities also announced the dismantling of another network linked to Hezbollah and Iran, which was accused of using commercial fronts to launder money and finance activities threatening national security.

Hiring across the UAE and wider Gulf is not slowing down; it is becoming more deliberate.

Amid ongoing geopolitical uncertainty, companies are recalibrating their workforce strategies, shifting away from rapid expansion toward more targeted, risk-aware hiring. The result is a labour market that remains active, but increasingly defined by precision rather than pace.

“What we are seeing is not a contraction in hiring, but a recalibration,” says James Randall, Middle East sales director at HireRight. “Organisations across the UAE and wider Gulf remain growth-oriented, but they are approaching hiring with greater discipline and precision.”

Despite external pressures, underlying labour market sentiment remains strong. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2026 report, 76 per cent of employees in the UAE believe it is a good time to find a job—well above the regional average.

For employers, this confidence is translating into a more focused approach to recruitment.

“Businesses are prioritising roles tied to operational continuity, revenue generation, and regulatory compliance,” Randall explains. “Rather than scaling headcount aggressively, organisations are focusing on workforce quality, resilience, and long-term value.”

Government measures aimed at supporting labour market stability have also reinforced employer confidence, ensuring that hiring continues even as companies navigate a more complex risk environment.

Selective hiring replaces broad freezes

While reports of hiring freezes have emerged in some sectors, Randall emphasises that these are typically targeted rather than systemic.

“In most cases, organisations are not pausing hiring altogether; but they are becoming more selective and more rigorous in how decisions are made,” he says.

The shift is most visible in how companies assess talent. With the cost of a poor hiring decision rising, employers are placing greater emphasis on verified credentials and consistent screening processes.

“We are seeing organisations move away from fragmented or ad hoc hiring checks towards more structured, source-driven screening frameworks,” Randall notes, adding that this is particularly critical in the Gulf’s highly international workforce.

Hiring timelines are also extending slightly—not due to hesitation, but because of deeper due diligence. “Hiring is no longer just about filling roles quickly, but about making defensible, high-confidence decisions,” he adds.

The current environment is also exposing a clear divergence between cyclical and structural sectors.

Industries tied to discretionary spending—such as tourism, hospitality, and parts of retail—are more sensitive to short-term disruptions. Similarly, sectors with complex supply chains are adjusting hiring as they manage operational risk.

In contrast, long-term growth sectors continue to show resilience.

“Technology, construction, energy, financial services, and the public sector continue to show steady hiring demand,” Randall says. These industries are underpinned by national development strategies, infrastructure investment, and ongoing economic diversification.

The distinction, he explains, is fundamental. “The divergence is primarily driven by the distinction between cyclical and structural demand.”

With over 60 per cent of Middle East CEOs continuing to invest in digital transformation and workforce growth, according to PwC, demand for future-facing skills remains firmly intact.

Cross-border hiring adds complexity

As workforce mobility increases, particularly among expatriate talent, companies are also facing new challenges around verification and compliance.

“The international nature of the Gulf workforce remains a key strength, but it also introduces greater complexity,” Randall says.

Employers are now required to validate candidate information across multiple jurisdictions, each with its own regulatory frameworks and data standards. This has elevated background screening from an administrative step to a strategic priority.

“Background screening is no longer a back-end process; rather it is a critical enabler of hiring confidence,” he explains.

The ability to verify talent accurately, across borders and at speed, is becoming essential—not just for compliance, but for maintaining business continuity in a highly mobile workforce.

In this evolving landscape, hiring is increasingly intersecting with risk, regulation, and corporate governance.

“A resilient hiring strategy today is defined by balance, combining accuracy, speed, and compliance without compromising any of them,” Randall says.

This includes structured recruitment frameworks, consistent identity verification processes, and a growing shift toward continuous screening, particularly in regulated or high-risk roles.

“In a highly mobile workforce, risk is not static,” he notes. “Organisations increasingly recognise the need for ongoing visibility rather than relying solely on point-in-time checks.”

Trust becomes the new currency

Ultimately, the most significant shift may be less about hiring volumes and more about the role of trust in workforce strategy.

“As hiring becomes more global, digital, and fast-moving, organisations face increased exposure to risks around identity fraud, misrepresentation, and compliance gaps,” Randall says.

At the same time, regulatory expectations are rising, pushing companies to adopt more transparent and auditable hiring practices.

In this context, hiring is no longer just a human resources function—it is a core business capability tied to risk management and long-term resilience.

“The organisations best positioned to succeed will be those that recognise hiring as a strategic capability,” Randall adds. “Building a workforce that can be trusted, across borders, at scale… is becoming essential.”

Read: Salary cuts amid regional tensions? What UAE employees need to know

Apple on Monday named longtime hardware boss John Ternus as its next CEO, turning to another insider to steer the iPhone maker after Tim Cook as it navigates a world radically altered by artificial intelligence, a technology it has lagged on.

Cook, a supply-chain genius who boosted Apple’s market value by $3.6tn in his 15 years at the helm, will stay on as executive chairman when Ternus takes over on September 1, Apple said in a statement.

Ternus, who joined Apple in 2001, has played a central role in reviving products such as the Mac, which has gained market share against PCs. Though he has kept a low public profile, he has been deeply involved in shaping Apple’s biggest products such as iPads and AirPods.

The transition comes at a crucial time for Apple. After years on top of the most-valuable company scoreboard, Apple has lost its crown to AI chipmaker Nvidia, as investors have fretted over its lack of innovation in the technology that is changing how people work, create and get information.

Integrating AI into the iPhone – the most successful consumer product in history – may be Ternus’ hardest challenge.

In January, Apple struck a deal with longtime rival in smartphones, Alphabet’s Google, to use Google’s Gemini in an effort to improve its Siri virtual assistant.

Despite introducing a form of AI to the public imagination in 2011 with Siri, Apple has not yet scored a hardware or software product hit centered on new AI technologies, while emerging rivals such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT have attracted hundreds of millions of users.

In particular, Siri has not yet become an “agent” – the term that AI firms use for systems that carry out complex tasks like a human assistant.

“I expect his biggest challenge and efforts will be focused on getting a better AI story and offering together that relies more on Apple’s own capabilities and less on third parties,” said Bob O’Donnell, head of tech consulting firm TECHnalysis Research.

Apple gave Ternus airtime recently

At 50, Ternus is the same age Cook was when he took over CEO duties from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

Apple, which rarely allows its executives to speak publicly, has sought to elevate Ternus’ profile in recent years, having him speak with the press about Apple’s products.

He showed off the iPhone Air in September, the biggest revamp of the firm’s top-selling product in nearly a decade.

Ternus will also have to fend off rivals such as Meta Platforms, whose augmented-reality glasses have become a surprise hit with just a fraction of the capabilities – and price tag – of Apple’s $3,499-plus Vision Pro headset. Nvidia, too, has announced its own personal computer and is working on chips that can power laptops.

“The promotion of Mr. Ternus indicates the company will focus on new hardware devices such as folding phones, glasses, VR devices and AI pins,” said Gil Luria, managing director of D.A. Davidson & Co.

Cook oversaw historic growth

Apple shares declined about 0.5 per cent after regular trading hours when the news was announced, after being up about 1 per cent during regular trading. The stock has soared 20-fold since Cook took over as CEO in August 2011.

Cook, 65, was recruited by Jobs from Compaq at a time when that firm was riding high on the 1990s PC boom and Jobs was working to rescue Apple from the brink of insolvency.

He made his early reputation at Apple by building out its sprawling supply chain with contract manufacturers in China, a model that became the envy of Corporate America because it kept expensive factory operations and product inventories largely off Apple’s books while maximizing profits.

Apple’s decades of investments in China helped fuel that nation’s rise as the world’s workshop, a phenomenon that even Cook has found hard to shift away from.

Despite opening assembly operations in India and Vietnam, Apple still sources many key parts and subsystems from China, and Cook has not yet been able to present a “Made in USA” iPhone to US President Donald Trump, despite hundreds of billions of dollars of investment in Apple’s U.S. supply chain partners.

Cook, who presented a custom golden plaque to Trump last year, will continue to engage with policymakers, the company said.

Over his tenure, Cook became a celebrity CEO in his own right. He was the first Fortune 500 CEO to come out as gay in 2014 and took public stances on issues such as workplace diversity and corporate sustainability.

Separately, Apple said that Johny Srouji, who has overseen Apple’s custom chip and sensor designs, has been named chief hardware officer. Srouji will continue to oversee that group, along with the hardware engineering group that Ternus once led, which will now be overseen by Tom Merieb.

Peet’s Coffee is rolling out the return of its “License Plate Discount” campaign across select drive-thru locations in Dubai, introducing a limited-time activation aimed at boosting footfall and customer engagement during the pre–back-to-school period.

Running from April 19 to April 23, 2026, the campaign will be available at Peet’s Coffee Furjan West Pavilion, Peet’s Coffee Al Wasl Road, and Peet’s Coffee Motor City.

The promotion ties discounts directly to customers’ vehicle license plates, with the last two digits determining the percentage discount applied to orders. For example, a plate ending in 56 qualifies for a 56 per cent discount, while higher numbers such as 95 unlock up to 95 per cent off, capped at Dhs75.

In addition, vehicles displaying the UAE country code “971” are eligible for a flat Dhs75 discount, aligning the campaign with national identity and community engagement themes.

The activation comes as Dubai enters a seasonal transition period, with schools set to resume shortly. By combining a gamified mechanic with a time-bound offer, the campaign is designed to increase repeat visits and drive incremental sales across drive-thru formats.

The initiative also reflects a broader trend among food and beverage (F&B) brands in the UAE, where experiential and locally relevant campaigns are being used to differentiate offerings and enhance customer interaction.

The offer is valid daily from 5:00 am to 1:00 am across participating drive-thru outlets for the five-day campaign window. Discounts are applied per transaction and subject to the AED 75 cap.

The UAE is taking another step toward cleaner transportation, as EMX and EMPALA have signed a new agreement to deploy electric bikes across delivery operations, targeting the fast-growing last-mile logistics sector.

The initiative comes as part of broader efforts led by the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MoEI) to advance green mobility and reduce emissions in high-impact industries. The ministry played a key role in facilitating the partnership between EMX, the logistics arm of 7X, and EMPALA, a joint venture between MoEI and PACT Carbon.

Read more-RTA, Terra to install battery-swapping stations for electric delivery bikes

The agreement focuses on integrating electric bikes into delivery fleets, supporting the UAE’s long-term sustainability ambitions under the UAE Net Zero 2050 Strategy and the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, according to a WAM report.

Urban delivery services have seen rapid expansion in recent years, driven by the surge in e-commerce and logistics demand. This growth has also increased pressure on transportation systems to adopt cleaner and more efficient solutions.

Under the new agreement, EMPALA will supply a fleet of electric bikes specifically engineered for the UAE’s climate and operating conditions. These bikes are expected to improve efficiency while significantly reducing fuel consumption and carbon emissions linked to daily delivery activities.

EMX will integrate the electric bikes into its logistics network, aiming to enhance operational performance while shifting toward more sustainable transportation methods.

Officials highlight impact on emissions and efficiency

Eng Sharif Al Olama, undersecretary for Energy and Petroleum Affairs at MoEI, emphasised the importance of the initiative in addressing environmental challenges.

“This agreement is part of the ministry’s efforts to accelerate the transition to sustainable, low-emission transportation systems through practical initiatives that drive real transformation in sectors with a direct impact on the carbon footprint, particularly the delivery sector,” he said.

“Expanding the use of electric bikes represents a significant step toward reducing emissions and improving energy efficiency,” Al Olama added.

He further stressed the importance of collaboration between public and private sectors in achieving national goals.

“We believe that strategic partnerships with the private sector are a key pillar in achieving national strategic objectives. EMPALA represents a national model for enabling the transition to green mobility by providing integrated solutions, including electric vehicles, supporting infrastructure, and sustainable operating models,” he said.

Private sector sees logistics evolution

Industry leaders also pointed to the broader implications of the partnership for the future of logistics in the UAE.

Tariq Al Wahedi, group CEO of 7X, described the collaboration as a key milestone in building a more sustainable logistics ecosystem.

“This collaboration marks an important step in advancing more sustainable and efficient logistics solutions and highlights the importance of integrated national efforts to accelerate the adoption of low-emission operating models,” he said.

“Through EMX, 7X is supporting a more flexible and sustainable operating model that balances service efficiency with environmental responsibility,” Al Wahedi added. “This partnership reflects our belief that the future of logistics will be built on impactful partnerships, practical technologies, and the ability to translate national commitments into tangible outcomes.”

Innovation tailored for UAE conditions

EMPALA’s leadership highlighted the technological and economic benefits of the initiative, noting that the electric bikes were specifically designed to meet local requirements.

Dr Oleg Paltin, founder and CEO of EMPALA, said the company has invested heavily in developing solutions suited to the UAE market.

“We developed the company in partnership with the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure from the outset to meet the needs of this market and support the UAE’s ambitions in the energy sector,” he said.

“We have invested significantly in designing an electric bike tailored to the country’s operating requirements, delivering a solution that creates direct economic value for our partners, alongside its positive environmental impact.”

The partnership underscores the UAE’s commitment to accelerating the adoption of clean transportation solutions, particularly in sectors with rapidly growing demand. By targeting last-mile delivery, the initiative aims to deliver measurable environmental benefits while supporting the country’s transition to a low-emission economy.