President Sheikh Mohamed on Wednesday hailed Indonesian President Joko Widodo's state visit to the UAE as the culmination of sustained efforts to deepen ties between the nations.
Sheikh Mohamed praised Mr Widodo's contributions to bolstering ties as the two leaders witnessed the signing of agreements aimed at furthering co-operation across the environment, tourism and renewable energy during talks in Abu Dhabi.
Sheikh Mohamed reflected on Mr Widodo's "tireless efforts" to foster closer links between the UAE and Indonesia during his decade-long presidency.
He said high-level discussions had explored ways for the allies to expand economic partnerships and join forces to combat climate change and improve global education.
The Indonesian President will leave office in October at the end of his second and final term.
"We explored opportunities to further expand our economic partnership, boost collaboration in key development areas, enhance climate action efforts, and advance global education initiatives," Sheikh Mohamed said on X, formerly Twitter.
"I extend my sincere thanks to President Widodo for his tireless efforts during his time in office to strengthen the bonds between our two nations."
Mr Widodo concluded his visit on Wednesday, state news agency Wam reported.
Sheikh Mohamed earlier hosted Mr Widodo at an official reception at Qasr Al Watan in Abu Dhabi.
Sheikh Mohamed and Mr Widodo inspected a guard of honour and witnessed renditions of the UAE and Indonesian national anthems.
The ceremony also featured performances by Emirati folk groups, a 21-gun artillery salute and a fly-past by the UAE's Al Fursan aerial display team, which lit up the sky with a trail of smoke in the colours of the Indonesian flag.
Indonesian leader honoured
Sheikh Mohamed presented Mr Widodo with the Order of Zayed for his efforts in strengthening UAE-Indonesian relations.
It is considered the highest civilian honour in the UAE and is bestowed upon world leaders and heads of state.
Sheikh Mohamed said the award was testament to Mr Widodo's valuable contribution to advancing relations.
During the ceremony, Sheikh Mohamed also presented the Order of the Union to Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Indonesia’s Co-ordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment for his work to boost ties.
An Emirati welcoming party at the reception included Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court; Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi; Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior; Suhail Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Infrastructure; Dr Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology, and a number of other ministers and senior officials.
Mr Widodo was accompanied by a delegation of leading Indonesian ministers and officials.
Building on decades-long friendship
Mr Widodo's visit is a landmark moment in a long-standing friendship spanning 47 years.
UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, visited Indonesia in 1990, a tour which was viewed as pivotal to relations, Wam said on Tuesday.
The allies already enjoy close links across various fields, including trade, investment and the environment.
Discussions between the two leaders centred on the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (Cepa) signed between the countries in July 2022, which is crucial to joint efforts to advance sustainable development.
Sheikh Mohamed said on Wednesday the agreement was a major milestone in a growing economic partnership.
Non-oil trade between the two countries from 2014 to 2023 reached Dh101.91 billion ($27.75 billion), with consistent growth in recent years.
The Cepa is projected to increase non-oil trade to more than $10 billion within five years, from about $3 billion in 2021.
Key tenets of the strategic partnership, which came into force last August, include reducing or eliminating tariffs on various goods and services and working to create new opportunities for exporters and businesses from both countries.
Deals struck during visit
The UAE and Indonesia finalised an agreement to install solar energy systems on industrial and commercial rooftops in Indonesia and to co-operate on the peaceful use of nuclear energy.
The countries also agreed to a partnership on a public budget management plan and to develop smart banking systems.
The UAE Presidential Court and the Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investment will establish the Joko Widodo Mangrove Research Centre in Bali, Indonesia.
Indonesia's Ministry of State-Owned Enterprises and Eagle Hills Properties will work in tandem in real estate development, tourism investment and the management of airports and hotels.
A framework agreement was also made on the development of a maritime patrol aircraft.
Mr Widodo left the UAE on Wednesday afternoon. He was seen off at the Presidential Airport by Sheikh Khaled.
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Quick%20facts
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MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Company%20profile%20
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What is a robo-adviser?
Robo-advisers use an online sign-up process to gauge an investor’s risk tolerance by feeding information such as their age, income, saving goals and investment history into an algorithm, which then assigns them an investment portfolio, ranging from more conservative to higher risk ones.
These portfolios are made up of exchange traded funds (ETFs) with exposure to indices such as US and global equities, fixed-income products like bonds, though exposure to real estate, commodity ETFs or gold is also possible.
Investing in ETFs allows robo-advisers to offer fees far lower than traditional investments, such as actively managed mutual funds bought through a bank or broker. Investors can buy ETFs directly via a brokerage, but with robo-advisers they benefit from investment portfolios matched to their risk tolerance as well as being user friendly.
Many robo-advisers charge what are called wrap fees, meaning there are no additional fees such as subscription or withdrawal fees, success fees or fees for rebalancing.
Company%20profile
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WHAT%20MACRO%20FACTORS%20ARE%20IMPACTING%20META%20TECH%20MARKETS%3F
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Overview
Cricket World Cup League Two: Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
RESULTS FOR STAGE 4
Stage 4 Dubai to Hatta, 197 km, Road race.
Overall leader Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
Stage winners: 1. Caleb Ewan AUS (Lotto - Soudal) 2. Matteo Moschetti ITA (Trek - Segafredo) 3. Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
More on Quran memorisation:
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Why your domicile status is important
Your UK residence status is assessed using the statutory residence test. While your residence status – ie where you live - is assessed every year, your domicile status is assessed over your lifetime.
Your domicile of origin generally comes from your parents and if your parents were not married, then it is decided by your father. Your domicile is generally the country your father considered his permanent home when you were born.
UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
more from Janine di Giovanni
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Brief scores:
Toss: South Africa, chose to field
Pakistan: 177 & 294
South Africa: 431 & 43-1
Man of the Match: Faf du Plessis (South Africa)
Series: South Africa lead three-match series 2-0
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
What is an ETF?
An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund that can be traded quickly and easily, just like stocks and shares. They come with no upfront costs aside from your brokerage's dealing charges and annual fees, which are far lower than on traditional mutual investment funds. Charges are as low as 0.03 per cent on one of the very cheapest (and most popular), Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with the maximum around 0.75 per cent.
There is no fund manager deciding which stocks and other assets to invest in, instead they passively track their chosen index, country, region or commodity, regardless of whether it goes up or down.
The first ETF was launched as recently as 1993, but the sector boasted $5.78 billion in assets under management at the end of September as inflows hit record highs, according to the latest figures from ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five largest providers BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisers, Deutsche Bank X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
While the best-known track major indices such as MSCI World, the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, you can also invest in specific countries or regions, large, medium or small companies, government bonds, gold, crude oil, cocoa, water, carbon, cattle, corn futures, currency shifts or even a stock market crash.
Four motivational quotes from Alicia's Dubai talk
“The only thing we need is to know that we have faith. Faith and hope in our own dreams. The belief that, when we keep going we’re going to find our way. That’s all we got.”
“Sometimes we try so hard to keep things inside. We try so hard to pretend it’s not really bothering us. In some ways, that hurts us more. You don’t realise how dishonest you are with yourself sometimes, but I realised that if I spoke it, I could let it go.”
“One good thing is to know you’re not the only one going through it. You’re not the only one trying to find your way, trying to find yourself, trying to find amazing energy, trying to find a light. Show all of yourself. Show every nuance. All of your magic. All of your colours. Be true to that. You can be unafraid.”
“It’s time to stop holding back. It’s time to do it on your terms. It’s time to shine in the most unbelievable way. It’s time to let go of negativity and find your tribe, find those people that lift you up, because everybody else is just in your way.”
It's Monty Python's Crashing Rocket Circus
To the theme tune of the famous zany British comedy TV show, SpaceX has shown exactly what can go wrong when you try to land a rocket.
The two minute video posted on YouTube is a compilation of crashes and explosion as the company, created by billionaire Elon Musk, refined the technique of reusable space flight.
SpaceX is able to land its rockets on land once they have completed the first stage of their mission, and is able to resuse them multiple times - a first for space flight.
But as the video, How Not to Land an Orbital Rocket Booster, demonstrates, it was a case if you fail, try and try again.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The bio
Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
School: Year 8 pupil at Elite English School in Abu Hail, Deira
Role Models: Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk
Dream City: San Francisco
Hometown: Dubai
City of birth: Thiruvilla, Kerala
COMPANY%20PROFILE%3A
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching