President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan, stand for a photograph before a meeting at Al Shati Palace. All photos: Presidential Court
Sheikh Mohamed receives Mr at Al Shati Palace
A painting of the late Heydar Aliyev, former President of Azerbaijan, and the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, founding President of the United Arab Emirates , based on a photograph from 1994. The painting was given as a gift to Sheikh Mohamed from Mr Aliyev
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, UAE Vice President and Deputy Prime Minister, meets with Mr Aliyev, upon arriving at the Presidential Airport
Mikayil Jabbarov, Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan, and Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Trade, exchange documents after signing of the UAE - Azerbaijan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement at Al Shati Palace
Sheikh Mansour, Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and UAE National Security Adviser and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, UAE Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs at Al Shati Palace
The leaders discussed efforts to bolster bilateral ties in key sectors such as the economy, investment, food security, renewable energy and environment at Qasr Al Shati, as part of Mr Aliyev's working visit to the Emirates.
They were present as a comprehensive economic partnership was signed under a strategic relationship in place between the countries.
Sheikh Mohamed described the agreement as "a significant milestone in UAE-Azerbaijan relations", state news agency Wam reported.
Th partnership was signed by Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, and Mikayil Jabbarov, Minister of Economy of Azerbaijan.
It aims to boost private sector collaboration, strengthen supply chains and support entrepreneurs and businesses to expand their operations.
The Cepa seeks to build on years of close co-operation between the countries, with non-oil trade increasing 43 per cent year-on-year to reach $2.4 billion in 2024.
The UAE is the leading Arab investor in Azerbaijan, with contributions exceeding $1 billion.
The Emirates has 27 Cepa agreements in place as part of a drive to diversify its economy and open up opportunities for UAE businesses around the globe.
Key talks
Sheikh Mohamed and Mr Aliyev also exchanged views on a range of regional and international issues, underlining the importance of joint efforts to promote peace, stability and security.
Mr Aliyev thanked Sheikh Mohamed for his commitment to furthering bilateral relations and spoke of the significance of joint projects in accelerating progress in Azerbaijan.
The UAE and Azerbaijan have also worked closely to safeguard the environment. The two countries were the hosts of Cop28 and Cop29, respectively, the two most recent UN climate conferences.
The meeting was attended by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court; Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and National Security Adviser; Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs; Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed, Deputy Chairman of the Presidential Court for Special Affairs; Ali Al Shamsi, Secretary-General of Supreme Council for National Security; Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade; Ahmed Al Sayegh, Minister of State; Dr Ahmed Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the President’s Office for Strategic Affairs and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Office; Lana Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister for Political Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mohammed Al Blooshi, UAE ambassador to Azerbaijan; and several senior officials.
Also in attendance were members of the delegation accompanying President Aliyev.
The visiting leader was earlier welcomed on arrival in Abu Dhabi by Sheikh Mansour and a number of senior officials.
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Steve Smith (capt), David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc.
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.
GROUP RESULTS
Group A
Results
Ireland beat UAE by 226 runs
West Indies beat Netherlands by 54 runs
Group B
Results
Zimbabwe tied with Scotland
Nepal beat Hong Kong by five wickets
Sole survivors
Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Yemen's Bahais and the charges they often face
The Baha'i faith was made known in Yemen in the 19th century, first introduced by an Iranian man named Ali Muhammad Al Shirazi, considered the Herald of the Baha'i faith in 1844.
The Baha'i faith has had a growing number of followers in recent years despite persecution in Yemen and Iran.
Today, some 2,000 Baha'is reside in Yemen, according to Insaf.
"The 24 defendants represented by the House of Justice, which has intelligence outfits from the uS and the UK working to carry out an espionage scheme in Yemen under the guise of religion.. aimed to impant and found the Bahai sect on Yemeni soil by bringing foreign Bahais from abroad and homing them in Yemen," the charge sheet said.
Baha'Ullah, the founder of the Bahai faith, was exiled by the Ottoman Empire in 1868 from Iran to what is now Israel. Now, the Bahai faith's highest governing body, known as the Universal House of Justice, is based in the Israeli city of Haifa, which the Bahais turn towards during prayer.
The Houthis cite this as collective "evidence" of Bahai "links" to Israel - which the Houthis consider their enemy.
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
The fourth season of du Football Champions was launched at Gitex on Wednesday alongside the Middle East’s first sports-tech scouting platform.“du Talents”, which enables aspiring footballers to upload their profiles and highlights reels and communicate directly with coaches, is designed to extend the reach of the programme, which has already attracted more than 21,500 players in its first three years.
