The UAE government's measures to further ease doing business will contribute to boosting foreign investment inflows into the country in top-priority projects, the UAE's Ministry of Economy said.
A raft of policies, from allowing 100 per cent foreign ownership of companies to more flexible visa schemes, will help to attract more capital and talent to the country, Abdullah bin Touq said on Wednesday in a keynote speech at the Sharjah Investment Forum.
"These policies will create a market that is able to attract all types of capital, whether financial, technological, or human resources," the minister said.
"I call on all regional and global investors and entrepreneurs to consider the country's attractive investment climate and leading investment-friendly policies and to benefit from the opportunities provided by our ambitious growth plans and vital economic sectors."
The UAE aims to attract $150 billion in foreign investments by 2031 to diversify its economy from oil. In 2021, the UAE attracted foreign direct investments worth $21 billion, growing 15 per cent from pre-pandemic levels and accounting for 40 per cent of total FDI in Arab countries.
The UAE’s non-oil foreign trade reached a record Dh2.23 trillion ($607.1 billion) last year, as the Arab world’s second-largest economy accelerated efforts to reduce its dependence on hydrocarbons and boost its economic partnerships globally. This was the first time the UAE’s non-oil foreign trade crossed the Dh2 trillion mark, with values for the January-December period increasing more than 17 per cent compared with the same period in 2021.
The economy minister delivered the speech at the opening of the two-day Sharjah Investment Forum under the theme "Redefining Economies: Making Significant Strides for a Better Future".
Under a strategic partnership between the UAE Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology (MoIAT) and the Emirates Development Bank, the ministry facilitated financing, totalling Dh699 million in 2022, for industrial companies to adopt advanced technology solutions through the bank, it said in a report on Wednesday.
Last year, the bank introduced new financing worth Dh3.14 billion for industrial companies in the UAE to boost local manufacturing.
In 2023, this financing is expected to increase to Dh3.5 billion for industrial companies in 11 priority sectors, in line with initial targets for funding, Omar Swaina Al Suwaidi, undersecretary of the MoIAT said on the sideline of the event.
The industrial sector is projected to have contributed more than Dh180 billion to the UAE's gross domestic product, according to the ministry report. This compares with about Dh151 billion in 2021.
Meanwhile, Mohammed Al Musharrakh, chief executive of Sharjah FDI Office (Invest in Sharjah), emphasised the need to support sustainable and green investment opportunities and prioritise sectors such as agriculture, health, and education to drive global economic growth.
“The emirate of Sharjah is a model of a sustainable future economy, with its waste-to-energy city and emphasis on sustainability in its economic sectors, including 35 per cent of the country's factories as well as investing nearly $1.5 billion annually in education, research, and future skill development," he told the forum.
"To further enhance its potential, it is critical to forge partnerships with local, regional and global investors to ensure sustainable and qualitative growth.”
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
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Six things you need to know about UAE Women’s Special Olympics football team
Several girls started playing football at age four
They describe sport as their passion
The girls don’t dwell on their condition
They just say they may need to work a little harder than others
When not in training, they play football with their brothers and sisters
The girls want to inspire others to join the UAE Special Olympics teams
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
