The National
The National
The National
The National


No rest for Sheikh Abdullah in a whirlwind year


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December 19, 2009

Although the UAE has registered several achievements over the past 12 months such as the hosting of the Formula One race and the opening of the Dubai Metro, it is possible that what has happened outside of our borders has had a greater impact. And one individual is responsible for what will be seen in the future as the most important year in the UAE’s foreign relations to date.

Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the UAE’s young foreign minister, started the year with visits to Syria to meet President Bashar Al Assad, to Kuwait for the Arab Economic Summit and to Egypt to meet that country’s president, Hosni Mubarak. Then he was on to the US to sign the US-UAE nuclear agreement, to Bonn to speak at the founding summit of the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) and to Berlin where the UAE offered to jointly fund an Afghan airport.

In February, Sheikh Abdullah visited Qatar, Jordan, Oman, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain on a regional tour. He also hosted the foreign ministers of the above states as well as those from Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, Yemen and Palestine to discuss issues relating to the Palestinian territories. He then headed a delegation that included UAE businessmen to Minsk, Belarus. In March, Sheikh Abdullah headed the UAE delegation to the Arab-South America Summit in Doha after accompanying the President Sheikh Khalifa to the Arab summit in the same location. He also visited Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon, where the UAE financed a major mine-clearing operation. He held bilateral talks in Egypt with the US secretary of state Hillary Rodham Clinton. And in the UAE, Sheikh Abdullah hosted the foreign ministers of Australia and Iran.

In April, Sheikh Abdullah embarked on an unprecedented African tour of Niger, Mali, Ivory Coast, Cape Verde, Gambia, Nigeria, Chad and Burkina Faso. He then visited Japan for the Pakistan donors’ conference where the UAE pledged $300 million to assist that country.In May, Sheikh Abdullah’s African tour continued with visits to the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Central African Republic, Morocco, Liberia, as well as Spain, Lithuania, Finland, Portugal and Lebanon. The foreign minister then appointed four senior aides with political, economic, legal and special affairs portfolios as part of his ministry’s restructuring aimed at “meeting the UAE’s growing foreign relations commitments and interests”. Also in May, Sheikh Abdullah reached an agreement with the French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner to allow Emirati diplomats to be stationed in French embassies in countries, such as many in Africa, where the UAE lacks a diplomatic mission.

In June, Sheikh Abdullah went on an extensive diplomatic and economic tour including South Korea, Brunei, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives as well as visits to Hungary, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Estonia, Macedonia, Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Croatia, Cameroon, Libya, and South Africa.June was a good month for Sheikh Abdullah and his team as their efforts to win international support for the UAE to host Irena succeeded when the UAE was awarded the honour in a meeting in Sharm El Sheikh, beating two major European contenders, Bonn and Vienna.

Despite that achievement Sheikh Abdullah didn’t rest. He continued travelling – to Pakistan and then to Azerbaijan in July. In August, Sheikh Abdullah accompanied Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince, on a trip to China. In September, the UAE foreign minister met with his GCC counterparts as well as ministers from Russia and a host of other nations. Sheikh Abdullah addressed the UN General Assembly and highlighted the strategy behind the UAE’s foreign policy. He also joined Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince to meet the US president Barack Obama in Washington.

In October, Sheikh Abdullah travelled to meet the president of Mexico, Philippe Calderón, and then to Cuba, Columbia, Ecuador, Panama, Nicaragua, Uruguay, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, and the Dominican Republic. Sheikh Abdullah then hosted the US secretary of state Hillary Clinton and the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in Abu Dhabi for bilateral talks. In November, Sheikh Abdullah took part in the Forum for the Future meeting in Morocco and then accompanied Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid, the UAE’s prime minister, on a visit to Britain to meet Gordon Brown before visiting the UAE forces in Afghanistan. This December, Sheikh Abdullah flew to Bahrain for the Manama Dialogue conference and Kuwait for a summit of GCC heads of state as well as meeting the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s secretary general Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

Sheikh Abdullah also makes it a point to meet the various Arab ambassadors in the states he visits, which reflects the UAE’s balanced pan-Arab foreign policy. Sheikh Abdullah managed to do all this as well as attend the UAE cabinet meetings and host diplomatic guests to the country. Sheikh Abdullah has been supported by a team as diverse and professional as Dr Anwar Gargash, the Minister of State for Federal National Council Affairs, Reem Ibrahim al Hashimi, the UAE Minister of State, Dr Sultan Al-Jaber, the CEO of the Masdar Initiative and Khalid Al Ghaith, the Assistant Foreign Minister for Economic Affairs.

Without a doubt the most travelled foreign minister in this young nation’s history, he has set standards that are very tough to follow. Sheikh Abdullah’s youth may have played a part in his relentless efforts to see his country prosper and be represented in the best possible manner. It is clear his determination is what sets him apart and why I believe 2009 is the year of Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed.

Turkish Ladies

Various artists, Sony Music Turkey 

'Spies in Disguise'

Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane

Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones 

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

box

COMPANY PROFILE

Company name: Letstango.com

Started: June 2013

Founder: Alex Tchablakian

Based: Dubai

Industry: e-commerce

Initial investment: Dh10 million

Investors: Self-funded

Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month

The%20specs
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Brief scoreline:

Crystal Palace 2

Milivojevic 76' (pen), Van Aanholt 88'

Huddersfield Town 0

RESULTS

5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner: Yas Xmnsor, Sean Kirrane (jockey), Khalifa Al Neyadi (trainer)

5.30pm: Falaj Hazza – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Arim W’Rsan, Dane O’Neill, Jaci Wickham

6pm: Al Basrah – Maiden (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Kalifano De Ghazal, Abdul Aziz Al Balushi, Helal Al Alawi

6.30pm: Oud Al Touba – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Pharitz Oubai, Sean Kirrane, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami

7pm: Sieh bin Amaar – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Oxord, Richard Mullen, Abdalla Al Hammadi

7.30pm: Jebel Hafeet – Conditions (PA) Dh85,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: AF Ramz, Sean Kirrane, Khalifa Al Neyadi

8pm: Al Saad – Handicap (TB) Dh70,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Sea Skimmer, Gabriele Malune, Kareem Ramadan

Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199

The biog

Name: Gul Raziq

From: Charsadda, Pakistan

Family: Wife and six children

Favourite holes at Al Ghazal: 15 and 8

Golf Handicap: 6

Childhood sport: cricket 

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 biog

Hobby: Playing piano and drawing patterns

Best book: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins

Food of choice: Sushi  

Favourite colour: Orange

UAE finals day

Friday, April 13
Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City

3pm, UAE Conference: Dubai Tigers v Sharjah Wanderers
6.30pm, UAE Premiership: Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins

Episode list:

Ep1: A recovery like no other- the unevenness of the economic recovery 

Ep2: PCR and jobs - the future of work - new trends and challenges 

Ep3: The recovery and global trade disruptions - globalisation post-pandemic 

Ep4: Inflation- services and goods - debt risks 

Ep5: Travel and tourism 

Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

The specs: 2019 Lincoln MKC

Price, base / as tested: Dh169,995 / Dh192,045

Engine: Turbocharged, 2.0-litre, in-line four-cylinder

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power: 253hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque: 389Nm @ 2,500rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 10.7L / 100km

 


 

Specs

Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request

How much of your income do you need to save?

The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.

In other words, you will not save enough to retire comfortably. If you save 15 per cent, you can forward to another 43 working years. Up that to 40 per cent of your income, and your remaining working life drops to just 22 years. (see table)

Obviously, this is only a rough guide. How much you save will depend on variables, not least your salary and how much you already have in your pension pot. But it shows what you need to do to achieve financial independence.

 

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Updated: February 08, 2023, 2:34 PM`