Egyptian residents have paid tribute to their "second home" of the UAE as the two nations prepare to mark a golden era of friendship.
More than 400,000 Egyptians live in the Emirates, with many building careers, raising families and forging friendships over several decades.
They embody the fraternal spirit between the countries, which will be celebrated at a three-day festival in Cairo to mark 50 years of close ties.
The golden jubilee will be held under the slogan "Egypt and the UAE — one heart" and will take place from Wednesday to Friday this week.
UAE is 'part of my soul'
Elsayed Bekhit, 59, a media professor at Zayed University, moved to Al Ain from Egypt 25 years ago, and has witnessed first-hand the remarkable rise of the UAE on the regional and international stage.
“The progress across all sectors happened very quickly and in terms of education, the UAE’s universities are now among the most prestigious,” he said.
“The country and its loving people not only embraced us but opened a wide door of opportunities for us.
“This country is a large part of my soul — the friendships we made, the knowledge we gained and the memories that will forever live with us. It is our second home.”
He said the mutual values of tolerance, as well as the shared history and culture deserved to be recognised.
Suzan Faheem, 43, a mother of three, was born in the UAE after her family moved from Egypt, and she has a deep affinity for both countries.
“Both are my countries, I am loyal to both,” she said.
Ms Faheem considers herself and her children lucky to be living in the Emirates, which she said had cared for them and given them security and a future.
Doctor's sense of pride
Dr Essam Atta, associate director of business development and medical affairs at the Thumbay Health Group, moved to the UAE with his father in 1973.
He attended school in the Emirates before returning to Egypt to study medicine in 1981. He was back in the UAE 10 years later with his wife, and has remained ever since.
“We both hit success here and made so many achievements that probably could not have been easily achieved elsewhere,” he said.
“All three of our daughters were born in Abu Dhabi, where we settled first before moving to Ajman.”
He said the ties between both countries had always been strong while the love between their people was deep and mutual.
“It fills me with pride to be an Egyptian living in the UAE.”
Shaping my future
Egyptian architect Marwan Amr, 32, said the UAE had offered him the right platform to build his career.
“As an ambitious designer, it made perfect sense that I move to the UAE where I saw a young country with much room for creativity and extended support for talent and businesses,” said Mr Amr, founder of KDSV design studio in Dubai.
“It is the right choice because with the world focus being on the UAE, doing business here puts you on the world map rapidly."
Mr Amr said he had always felt welcome in the Emirates.
“As an Egyptian I believe the strong relationship between Egypt and the UAE can best be portrayed by the feeling that we are home when we are here.”
An enduring partnership
Ministers and officials from both countries will be among the more than 1,800 leading Emirati and Egyptian figures from various industries attending the Cairo gathering.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi will open the event, followed by an address by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly.
The UAE delegation will include Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to the President, Minister of Culture and Youth Noura Al Kaabi and Ministers of State Dr Maitha Al Shamsi and Khalifa Al Marar.
Mohammed Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, said the firm foundations for the long-standing ties were laid down by the UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan.
The UAE more than doubled its investments in Egypt during the first half of the 2021-2022 fiscal year, after a series of government-backed initiatives and forays by private companies, it was announced in August.
The value of Emirati investments in Egypt, the Arab world's third-largest economy, rose to $1.9 billion in the first six months of the fiscal year, up by about 169 per cent from $712.6m in the same period a year earlier, Egypt's Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics said in a statement on its website.
The value of trade between the two countries grew by 1.4 per cent annually to $1.2bn during the first quarter of 2022, the agency said.
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202-litre%204-cylinder%20turbo%20and%203.6-litre%20V6%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20automatic%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20235hp%20and%20310hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E258Nm%20and%20271Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh185%2C100%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,600hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.4seconds
0-200kph in 5.8 seconds
0-300kph in 12.1 seconds
Top speed: 440kph
Price: Dh13,200,000
Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,500hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.3 seconds
0-200kph in 5.5 seconds
0-300kph in 11.8 seconds
Top speed: 350kph
Price: Dh13,600,000
Take Me Apart
Kelela
(Warp)
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Jawan
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAtlee%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shah%20Rukh%20Khan%2C%20Nayanthara%2C%20Vijay%20Sethupathi%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key features of new policy
Pupils to learn coding and other vocational skills from Grade 6
Exams to test critical thinking and application of knowledge
A new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance, Assessment, Review and Analysis for Holistic Development) will form the standard for schools
Schools to implement online system to encouraging transparency and accountability
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
