President Sheikh Mohamed and Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Monday attended the inauguration of Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Solo.
The mosque, which is named after the UAE Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, is a smaller replica of the one in Abu Dhabi.
“I was pleased to join President Joko Widodo in Solo, Indonesia to inaugurate the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque,” Sheikh Mohamed, who is in Indonesia for the G20 Summit, said on Twitter.
“Named in honour of the UAE’s Founding Father, the Mosque represents his values of peace and goodwill, reflecting the long-standing ties that exist between our two countries.”
Sheikh Mohamed offered the $20 million building as a gift to Indonesia during his trip to the Muslim country in July 2019.
The replica is almost identical to the original, only smaller, with four minarets and a central dome surrounded by four smaller domes.
The architects have included Indonesian detailing. Local materials were used for construction where possible.
The mosque can house 10,000 worshippers at a time.
The Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi can accommodate more than 40,000.
The three-hectare plot in central Java also hosts a UAE-sponsored Islamic centre for teaching Indonesian clerics the importance of religious moderation.
In 2020, Sheikh Mohamed directed a mosque to be built in Abu Dhabi’s diplomatic area in honour of the Indonesian president.
He also renamed Al Maarid Street, behind Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, President Joko Widodo Street, in recognition of the leader's role in strengthening ties between the two countries.
The road was inaugurated in October 2020 in a ceremony that coincided with the anniversary of Mr Widodo’s election.
Diplomatic ties between the UAE and Indonesia began in 1976.
The Indonesian embassy opened in Abu Dhabi in October two years later, at the level of charge d’affaires.
Sheikh Zayed visited the South-East Asian country in May 1990, a year before the UAE embassy opened in Jakarta.
Since then there have been frequent state visits between the two countries.
Mr Widodo visited Abu Dhabi in August when he met with Sheikh Mohamed.
The countries signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement that is expected to boost bilateral non-oil trade from about $3 billion currently to $10 billion in the next five years.
The agreement covers trade in goods and services, investment, intellectual property rights, Islamic economics, customs procedures and trade facilitation, economic co-operation, small and medium enterprises, digital commerce, as well as legal requirements and institutional issues.
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
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How Apple's credit card works
The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.
What does it cost?
Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.
What will the interest rate be?
The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts
What about security?
The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.
Is it easy to use?
Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision.
* Associated Press
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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