The value of deals the UAE is expected to sign during next week’s International Defence Exhibition and Conference, or Idex, and the Naval Defence & Maritime Security Exhibition, or Navdex, is expected to be similar to those achieved in 2019, organisers said on Monday.
UAE armed forces awarded Dh20.5 billion ($5.58bn) worth of contracts to various local and international companies during the last Idex and Navdex events held two years ago.
International defence companies won 65 per cent of total contracts during the event, while local companies picked up the remainder.
“We are expecting more or less similar and [deals] will be announced based on a decision by a special committee on a daily basis,” said Saeed Al Mansoori, executive director of Capital Events, an Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Centre group company.
Idex and Navdex will run from Sunday, February 21 until Thursday, February 25, with a record number of exhibitors and participating countries expected to attend, organisers said.
Overall, about 900 exhibitors from more than 50 nations are due to take part in the 2021 event.
The UAE, the US, Saudi Arabia, China and France will have the largest pavilions, according to the organisers. North Macedonia, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, and Portugal will be participating for the first time.
Israel, which was meant to participate in the event for the first time following its normalisation of ties with the UAE last year, will not take part due to Covid-19 curbs on travel, Reuters reported on Monday citing officials from Israel's Defence Ministry and Regional Co-operation Ministry.
“This [event] marks the commencement of the recovery phase from the Covid-19 pandemic, in spite of the ongoing global conditions,” Maj Gen Staff Pilot Faris Khalaf Al Mazrouei, chairman of the higher organising committee for Idex and Navdex, said.
“It will demonstrate how Abu Dhabi and the UAE are ready and able to organise, deliver and host leading international events.”
The five-day event takes place as Gulf countries increasingly focus on producing and procuring military equipment locally, signalling a shift in the way they do business with international defence companies.
Technology transfers and commitments to produce and buy equipment locally have become key factors in determining which companies secure global arms orders from the region.
In 2019, the UAE announced the creation of Edge, a defence conglomerate specialised in developing advanced technology for weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
A number of global defence companies including Lockheed Martin, Raytheon Technologies, Italy's Leonardo, France's Naval Group, South Africa’s Paramount Group and others will take part in the event.
Saudi Arabian Military Industries and other defence companies from the region will also showcase their military equipment.
Scoreline
Australia 2-1 Thailand
Australia: Juric 69', Leckie 86'
Thailand: Pokklaw 82'
BABYLON
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final, first leg:
Liverpool 5
Salah (35', 45 1'), Mane (56'), Firmino (61', 68')
Roma 2
Dzeko (81'), Perotti (85' pen)
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
What is an FTO Designation?
FTO designations impose immigration restrictions on members of the organisation simply by virtue of their membership and triggers a criminal prohibition on knowingly providing material support or resources to the designated organisation as well as asset freezes.
It is a crime for a person in the United States or subject to the jurisdiction of the United States to knowingly provide “material support or resources” to or receive military-type training from or on behalf of a designated FTO.
Representatives and members of a designated FTO, if they are aliens, are inadmissible to and, in certain circumstances removable from, the United States.
Except as authorised by the Secretary of the Treasury, any US financial institution that becomes aware that it has possession of or control over funds in which an FTO or its agent has an interest must retain possession of or control over the funds and report the funds to the Treasury Department.
Source: US Department of State
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (c), Chamani Senevirathne (vc), Subha Srinivasan, NIsha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Esha Oza, Ishani Senevirathne, Heena Hotchandani, Keveesha Kumari, Judith Cleetus, Chavi Bhatt, Namita D’Souza.
Company%20profile%20
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