Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, held meetings with senior government officials and business leaders during an official visit to Austria on Wednesday.
The UAE's eagerness to build on bilateral relations established in the 2021 trade agreement between the nations was at the forefront of Dr Al Jaber's discussions, state news agency Wam reported.
Accompanied by Hamad Al Kaabi, UAE Ambassador to Austria, Dr Al Jaber met Christian Stocker, Chancellor of Austria. Dr Al Jaber conveyed the best wishes of the UAE leadership to Mr Stocker for the continued progress and prosperity of Austria.
Dr Al Jaber also discussed new avenues of collaboration in key areas such as industry, technology and energy with Austria’s Foreign Minister, Beate Meinl-Reisinger.
Discussions with Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer, Austrian Minister of Economy and Energy, included ways to increase collaboration in energy, renewables, petrochemicals, advanced industry and technology, infrastructure and data centres.
Dr Al Jaber also met Alexander Pröll, secretary general of the People's Party and State Secretary for Public Services and Digital Transformation. They talked about using technology across government sectors to enhance efficiency and drive innovation.
During the visit, Masdar and Austrian energy company OMV signed a letter of intent to work together on the production of green hydrogen, sustainable synthetic fuels and chemicals in Austria, the UAE and Europe.
The value of non-oil bilateral trade between the UAE and Austria reached approximately Dh6.7 billion (US$1.8 billion) in 2024, a 28 per cent increase on 2023, according to Wam.
This growth was driven by a 248 per cent surge in exports, particularly of pearls, precious metals and machinery. Imports rose by 21 per cent, and re-exports grew by 15 per cent.
In the first quarter of 2025, bilateral trade between the countries increased by 54.5 per cent year-on-year. Exports more than tripled, while imports rose by close to 42 per cent. Pearls, precious metals, and machinery continued to lead export growth, Wam reported.
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Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali
Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
