President Sheikh Mohamed sent messages of congratulations to Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday to celebrate the country's 77th Independence Day.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, dispatched similar messages.
Sheikh Mohammed later shared a message of goodwill towards the leadership and people of Pakistan, highlighting the UAE’s commitment to working with the Islamic nation in the future.
“I extend my warm congratulations to the leadership and people of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on the occasion of its 77th Independence Day,” he wrote on X.
“As Pakistan continues its journey towards progress and stability, the UAE reiterates its steadfast commitment to strengthening our collaboration, exploring new opportunities for growth, and working together to build a future of prosperity and success.
“Happy Independence Day to our Pakistani friends.”
It follows a grand celebration to mark the occasion, held at Dubai World Trade Centre on Sunday.
Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, along with Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, Pakistan's ambassador to the UAE, and dignitaries and diplomats were in attendance.
More than 10,000 people attended, as Sheikh Nahyan highlighted the deep-rooted ties between the two nations.
“Our cultural, political, commercial and people-to-people linkages are deeply rooted in shared values and beliefs, and provide a strong and stable foundation for our close relations, now and in the future,” he said.
“We also have hope and strong resolve for achieving progress and peace in all corners of the world. We are determined to take advantage of the emerging and growing special place of both Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates in world affairs.”
The UAE and Pakistan share a longstanding relationship, bolstered by strategic partnerships and economic ties.
Since its establishment in 1971 by UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the country has been a major supporter of development in Pakistan.
The UAE recently committed $10 billion in investment to the country, state news agency Wam reported.
The Matrix Resurrections
Director: Lana Wachowski
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jessica Henwick
Rating:****
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Results
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m. Winner: Majd Al Megirat, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Ahmed Al Shehhi (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m. Winner: Dassan Da, Patrick Cosgrave, Helal Al Alawi
6pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m. Winner: Heba Al Wathba, Richard Mullen, Jean de Roualle
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m. Winner: Hameem, Adrie de Vries, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Richard Mullen, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 2,200m. Winner: Harbour Spirit, Adrie de Vries, Jaber Ramadhan.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
