Mohammed bin Zayed elected new UAE president

Mohammed bin Zayed was elected the new president of the United Arab Emirates by a federal high council on Saturday, state media in the country reported. Bin Zayed succeeds his half-brother Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who died on Friday at the age of 73.

Bin Zayed, 61, has been the de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for many years because his half-brother had serious health problems. Khalifa suffered a heart attack in 2014 and has barely appeared in public since then.

The UAE is made up of seven emirates. Among them is Dubai, an important center for regional and international trade.