Bahrain on Friday announced three days of mourning to mark the death of the UAE's President, Sheikh Khalifa.
The UAE's Ministry of Presidential Affairs announced on Friday the death of Sheikh Khalifa at the age of 73. The UAE government announced 40 days of mourning for the President, who led the country following the death of the Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, in 2004.
Bahrain's King Hamad joined leaders around the world in expressing condolences to the leadership and people of the UAE.
He said Sheikh Khalifa was “a wise leader who devoted his life to serving his people”.
The UAE President died “after a life full of giving and achievements in the service of his people and the Arab and Islamic nation and in support of its causes”, King Hamad said.
He praised Sheikh Khalifa's achievements and expressed “our sincere condolences to our brothers, the honourable royal family of Al Nahyan and the dear people of the Emirates”.
For three days, flags in Bahrain will be flown at half-staff to mark a period of mourning.
The life of Sheikh Khalifa — in pictures
if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
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.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
The 100 Best Novels in Translation
Boyd Tonkin, Galileo Press
