Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Meshal visited Abu Dhabi on Tuesday on an official state visit.
Sheikh Meshal was received by President Sheikh Mohamed and Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court, on his arrival, state news agency Wam reported.
The motorcade at Qasr Al Watan was escorted by horsemen and camel riders, as well as Emirati folk art groups, before Sheikh Mohamed led Sheikh Meshal to the dais of honour.
The ceremony featured the national anthems of the UAE and Kuwait, an honour guard and a 21-gun salute, before Al Fursan aerobatics team depicted the Kuwaiti flag in the sky. Landmarks and streets in Abu Dhabi were also decorated with Kuwaiti flags.
Sheikh Mohamed and Sheikh Meshal discussed relations between their countries, particularly in the economic, trade, investment and developmental sectors.
They also emphasised the need to bolster regional security and stability, while promoting the framework of the Gulf Co-operation Council.
Sheikh Meshal wrote in the Qasr Al Watan VIP guestbook, expressing his appreciation of the UAE’s leadership, government and people.
Sheikh Mohamed awarded the Order of Zayed to Sheikh Meshal, while the President was awarded the Order of Mubarak the Great in return, as a mark of respect between the two nations.
Sheikh Meshal left Abu Dhabi on Tuesday afternoon and was bid farewell by Sheikh Mansour.
“I was pleased to welcome my brother Sheikh Mishal Al Ahmad Al Sabah, Emir of Kuwait, to Abu Dhabi to discuss the strong and deep-rooted bonds that unite our nations in pursuit of a better future for our region,” Sheikh Mohamed wrote on X.
“The UAE and Kuwait are committed to advancing bilateral co-operation as we work to foster progress, prosperity, and stability for all.”
The Emir, who was sworn in as ruler in December following the death of his half-brother Sheikh Nawaf, had already visited the other countries – Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman – that make up the GCC over the past couple of months.
Economic and trade agreements and deals between the two countries over the past several decades have contributed to increasing the volume of investments and trade exchanges between Kuwait and the UAE.
In 2014, the UAE and Kuwait established a high-joint committee with an emphasis on intensifying efforts to enhance co-operation between both countries and advance the joint GCC action.
Among the most prominent agreements between the two countries was a three-way deal in the field of securities signed in February 2022 between the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange, the Kuwait Stock Exchange and the Kuwait Clearing Company.
Statistics from the UAE’s Securities and Commodities Authority indicate that the number of Kuwaiti shareholders in publicly traded companies increased from three individuals in 2000 to 40,979 in 2022, according to the Ministry of Finance.
Trade between the UAE and Kuwait in the first half of 2023 reached Dh22.3 billion ($6.07 billion), while statistics compiled by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security show the total trade exchange between the UAE and Kuwait amounted to Dh44.8 billion during 2023, and Dh44.1 billion during 2022, a growth of 15 per cent compared with 2021.
Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Meshal on regional tour - in pictures
THE DETAILS
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Director: Ron Howard
2/5
Barbie
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Company Profile
Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
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Founders: Abdulmajeed Alsukhan, Turki Bin Zarah and Abdulmohsen Albabtain.
Based: Riyadh
Offices: UAE, Vietnam and Germany
Founded: September, 2020
Number of employees: 70
Sector: FinTech, online payment solutions
Funding to date: $116m in two funding rounds
Investors: Checkout.com, Impact46, Vision Ventures, Wealth Well, Seedra, Khwarizmi, Hala Ventures, Nama Ventures and family offices
The%20specs%3A%20Taycan%20Turbo%20GT
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Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
SPECS
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if you go
The flights
Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
The trip
The cost of the Svaneti trip is US$2,000 (Dh7,345) for 10 days, including food, guiding, accommodation and transfers from and to Tbilisi or Kutaisi. This summer the TCT is also offering a 5-day hike in Armenia for $1,200 (Dh4,407) per person. For further information, visit www.transcaucasiantrail.org/en/hike/
Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The%20new%20Turing%20Test
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
'Laal Kaptaan'
Director: Navdeep Singh
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain
Rating: 2/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The Case For Trump
By Victor Davis Hanson
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
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
Profile
Name: Carzaty
Founders: Marwan Chaar and Hassan Jaffar
Launched: 2017
Employees: 22
Based: Dubai and Muscat
Sector: Automobile retail
Funding to date: $5.5 million
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
