The ascension of Sheikh Mohammed, 61, had been expected after the death Friday of his half-brother and the UAE's president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at the age of 73.

The ascension of Sheikh Mohammed, 61, had been expected after the death Friday of his half-brother and the UAE's president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at the age of 73.

Rulers in the United Arab Emirates have announced that they unanimously appointed Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the president of this hereditarily ruled nation on the Arabian Peninsula.

FILE - Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates, speaks to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace ...

FILE - Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates, speaks to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace ...

FILE - Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates, speaks to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace ...

FILE - Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Crown Prince of the United Arab Emirates, speaks to Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during a welcoming ceremony at the presidential palace ...

The ascension of Sheikh Mohammed, 61, had been expected after the death Friday of his half-brother and the UAE’s president, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, at the age of 73.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Rulers in the United Arab Emirates on Saturday unanimously appointed Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the autocratic nation’s president ...