Leaders from around the world continued to arrive in Abu Dhabi to pay their respects on Sunday following the death of Sheikh Khalifa and the election of the President, Sheikh Mohamed.
From Britain to Israel and India to France, leaders paid tribute to the world's newest head of state.
Senior figures from the US and other nations are expected to follow on Monday on the third day of mourning.
Sheikh Mohamed expressed his thanks and appreciation for the sincere feelings expressed by their Highnesses, Majesties and Excellencies towards the UAE and its people at the death of Sheikh Khalifa.
He wished good health and continued prosperity, progress and prosperity to all brotherly and friendly peoples and their countries, state news agency Wam reported.
Sheikh Mohamed accepted condolences following the death of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed on Friday.
My support to his brother, newly elected President of the United Arab Emirates, as well as to the people of the Emirates
Emmanuel Macron
They included President Mohamed Ould Cheikh El Ghazouani of Mauritania, France's President Emmanuel Macron, and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan, state news agency Wam reported.
Wavel Ramkalawan, President of Seychelles, and Indian Vice President Venkaiah Naidu also offered condolences.
Qatar's Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad was pictured walking through Abu Dhabi airport with Sheikh Mohamed in his first visit since 2016.
Israel's President Issac Herzog paid his respects alongside two senior ministers. Britain's Boris Johnson travelled from London to meet the new president.
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Morocco's Prince Moulay Rachid met Sheikh Mohamed also in person.
In a message in French and Arabic, Mr Macron said Sheikh Khalifa was "respected by all for the values of peace, openness and dialogue that he embodied".
"My support to his brother, newly elected President of the United Arab Emirates, as well as to the people of the Emirates."
Mr Macron, who was last month re-elected by the French people for a second five-year term, spoke of strong political, business and friendship ties during an extended meeting.
In a tweet, Boris Johnson said: "The UK and UAE will continue to work closely together for our peoples’ security & prosperity."
On Monday, Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States, will arrive in Abu Dhabi with a delegation of officials.
She is due to meet Sheikh Mohamed and seeks ways to "deepen our ties in the coming months and years", her press secretary said.
Ms Harris will travel with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who ahead of the trip said he would look to "build on the extraordinary partnership between the United States and the United Arab Emirates".
In total, dozens of leaders and senior officials travelled to Abu Dhabi.
They included:
Middle East
Qatar
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar
Bahrain
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of Bahrain
Field Marshal Sheikh Khalifa bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Commander-in-Chief of the Bahrain Defence Force
Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Vice Chairman of the Royal Family Council
Oman
Sayyid Asaad bin Tariq Al Said, representative of His Majesty the Sultan of Oman
Kuwait
Marzouq Al Ghanim, Speaker of the National Assembly
Saudi Arabia
Prince Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Prince Salman bin Sultan bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Prince Mansour bin Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Prince Mohammed bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Prince Dr Mansour bin Miteb bin Abdulaziz, Adviser to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Minister of State, Member of the Cabinet,
Prince Bandar bin Muqrin bin Abdulaziz Al Saud
Prince Khalid bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Deputy Minister of Defence
Morocco
Prince Moulay Rachid
Palestine
Mahmoud Abbas, President
Israel
Isaac Herzog, President of Israel
Europe
King Philip VI of Spain
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Republic of Germany
Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Dr Bisera Turkovic, Deputy Prime Minister, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Asia
Shavkat Mirziyoyev, President of the Republic of Uzbekistan
Joko Widodo, President of the Republic of Indonesia
Shehbaz Sharif, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Dr Abul Kalam Abdul Momen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Bangladesh
Africa
Macky Sall, President of the Republic of Senegal
Ibrahim Mohamed Saleh, President of the Republic of Maldives
Uhuru Kenyatta, President of the Republic of Kenya
Dr Mohamed El Menfi, President of the Presidential Council of Libya
General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, Vice President of the Sovereignty Council of the Republic of Sudan
Dr Abiy Ahmed, Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia
Dr Philip Mpango, Vice President of Tanzania
___________________________________
Accepting leaders' tributes with Sheikh Mohamed on Sunday was Sheikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla, Ruler of Umm Al Quwain; Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region, Sheikh Tahnoun bin Mohammed, Abu Dhabi Ruler’s Representative in Al Ain Region, Sheikh Saif bin Mohammed and Suroor bin Mohammed.
Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed, Deputy Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council; Sheikh Saeed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi Ruler’s Representative; Sheikh Issa bin Zayed; Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Zayed Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation; Lt Gen Sheikh Saif bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior; and Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed, National Security Adviser were also present.
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs; Sheikh Falah bin Zayed; Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed, Member of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council; Sheikh Theyab bin Zayed; and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, were present.
Officials included Sheikh Omar bin Zayed, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Charitable and Humanitarian Foundation; Sheikh Khalid bin Zayed, Chairman of the Board of Zayed Higher Organisation for People of Determination; Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Khalifa, Adviser to the UAE President; Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa, Member of the Executive Council; Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed, Member of Abu Dhabi Executive Council and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Office; and a number of sheikhs.
Racecard
7pm: Abu Dhabi - Conditions (PA) Dh 80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.30pm: Dubai - Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,400m
8pm: Sharjah - Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,600m
8.30pm: Ajman - Handicap (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 2,200m
9pm: Umm Al Quwain - The Entisar - Listed (TB) Dh132,500 (D) 2,000m
9.30pm: Ras Al Khaimah - Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
10pm: Fujairah - Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,200m
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
Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
Infiniti QX80 specs
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
More on animal trafficking
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
Specs
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The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
Silent Hill f
Publisher: Konami
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC
Rating: 4.5/5
ANATOMY%20OF%20A%20FALL
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MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
