Friday's state visit by the President of the Republic of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, marks the beginning of a new chapter in the long-standing relations between his country and the UAE, it was announced in a joint statement.
"President Ramaphosa’s first visit to the UAE ... constitutes a step in further enriching the strong bilateral ties between the two countries," the statement read, according to state press agency Wam.
The South African leader was in UAE to discuss trade, investment and review potential economic and cultural opportunities to help achieve sustainable development.
On arrival in Abu Dhabi on July 13, President Ramaphosa was received by Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. An official reception ceremony was held at the airport, where the national anthems of South Africa and the UAE were played, along with the firing of 21 artillery rounds to greet the country's guest.
Sheikh Mohammed and the South African president discussed ways of enhancing co-operation between their countries, as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest. He highlighted the country's policy of building good and constructive relations with friendly countries, based on mutual respect.
The UAE aims to create partnerships with African countries, but Sheikh Mohammed stressed that the UAE has prioritised its ties with South Africa, which is an important and effective partner in the African continent. Both countries are leading regional and international symbols of tolerance and openness.
Sheikh Mohammed wished South Africa greater development, progress and prosperity, and Mr Ramaphosa with luck and success in leading the development and modernisation of his country, while Mr Ramaphosa expressed his happiness at visiting the UAE.
The president and his delegation also visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, and Wahat Al Karama (Oasis of Dignity), the Abu Dhabi’s landmark designed to commemorate the sacrifices and heroic deeds of UAE martyrs.
He attended the Guard of Honour ceremony, then laid a wreath at the monument that was made up of 31 panels leaning on one another in a symbol of solidarity between the leadership, people and soldiers of the UAE.
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Sheikh Mohammed meets South Africa president in Abu Dhabi - in pictures
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Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, received at the ministry premises Lindiwe Sisulu, Minister of International Relations and Cooperation of South Africa.
Mohammed bin Ahmed, Minister of State for Defence Affairs, received Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, South Africa's Minister of Defence and military veterans at Emirates Palace on Friday. They discussed ways of boosting a joint strategic partnership in the defence and military fields.
The UAE further welcomed South Africa’s positive role in supporting peace and stability on the African continent and the two sides pledged to work closely together. Since formal diplomatic ties were first established in 1994, the UAE and South Africa have maintained vibrant economic and trade relations.
''Non-oil foreign trade between the two countries saw a marked increase of 23 per cent last year to US$3.2 billion from US$ 2.6b in 2016, boosted by UAE re-exports to South Africa,'' said Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, during a keynote address.
The visit this year also marks the centenary of the birth of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Nahyan and Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa.
TOURNAMENT INFO
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Match info
Australia 580
Pakistan 240 and 335
Result: Australia win by an innings and five runs
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
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Afghanistan squad
Gulbadin Naib (captain), Mohammad Shahzad (wicketkeeper), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
