• Sergei Lavrov and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed pictured in Abu Dhabi on March 9, 2021. Courtesy: Russian Foreign Ministry / EPA
    Sergei Lavrov and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed pictured in Abu Dhabi on March 9, 2021. Courtesy: Russian Foreign Ministry / EPA
  • Mr Lavrov led the highest level delegation to Abu Dhabi since Vladimir Putin's visit in 2019. Courtesy: Russian Foreign Ministry
    Mr Lavrov led the highest level delegation to Abu Dhabi since Vladimir Putin's visit in 2019. Courtesy: Russian Foreign Ministry
  • Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed speaks at a news conference with Mr Lavrov. Russian Foreign Ministry / Reuters
    Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed speaks at a news conference with Mr Lavrov. Russian Foreign Ministry / Reuters
  • Mr Lavrov took questions on tackling Iran's nuclear missile programme among other areas. Courtesy: Russian Foreign Ministry
    Mr Lavrov took questions on tackling Iran's nuclear missile programme among other areas. Courtesy: Russian Foreign Ministry
  • Sheikh Abdullah said the relationship with Russia had special 'strategic partner' status. Courtesy: Russian Foreign Ministry
    Sheikh Abdullah said the relationship with Russia had special 'strategic partner' status. Courtesy: Russian Foreign Ministry
  • Mr Lavrov later met with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, who awarded him the Order of the Union, one of the UAE's highest civilian honours. Mohamed Al Hammadi / Ministry of Presidential Affairs
    Mr Lavrov later met with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, who awarded him the Order of the Union, one of the UAE's highest civilian honours. Mohamed Al Hammadi / Ministry of Presidential Affairs
  • Sergey Lavrov with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. Mohamed Al Hammadi / Ministry of Presidential Affairs
    Sergey Lavrov with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. Mohamed Al Hammadi / Ministry of Presidential Affairs
  • (L-R) Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Dr Anwar bin Mohamed Gargash, Diplomatic Advisrr to the President, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed, Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Undersecretary of the Crown Prince Court, and Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad bin Tahnoon at Al Shati Palace. Mohamed Al Hammadi / Ministry of Presidential Affairs
    (L-R) Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Dr Anwar bin Mohamed Gargash, Diplomatic Advisrr to the President, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed, Mohamed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Undersecretary of the Crown Prince Court, and Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad bin Tahnoon at Al Shati Palace. Mohamed Al Hammadi / Ministry of Presidential Affairs

Sergey Lavrov receives Order of the Union from Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi


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Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov received one of the UAE's highest honours during a meeting with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

Moscow's most senior diplomat was presented with the Order of the Union by Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.

Mr Lavrov's deputy, Mikhail Bogdanov, was presented with the Order of Zayed II.

Mr Lavrov was in Abu Dhabi for talks with top Emirati ministers and officials on Tuesday.

"It was an honour to present Sergey Lavrov, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs with the UAE's Order of the Union, and his deputy Mikhail Bogdanov with the Order of Zayed II," Sheikh Mohamed said.

"These awards from the UAE President acknowledge their efforts to strengthen ties between our nations."

Earlier, Mr Lavrov met Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, who described Russia as a "strategic partner" – a high diplomatic status.

“We share common ground on a wide array of issues and value our strategic partnership,” said Mr Lavrov, who has served as Russia’s foreign minister since 2004.

Mr Lavrov is the highest-ranking Russian government minister to visit the Emirates since 2019, when President Vladimir Putin travelled to Abu Dhabi.

At a press conference, Mr Lavrov spoke about the need to stop Iran's missile programme and its nuclear ambitions.

The National's picks

4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
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7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young

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Our legal columnist

Name: Yousef Al Bahar

Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994

Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers

The specs: 2017 Maserati Quattroporte

Price, base / as tested Dh389,000 / Dh559,000

Engine 3.0L twin-turbo V8

Transmission Eight-speed automatic

Power 530hp @ 6,800rpm

Torque 650Nm @ 2,000 rpm

Fuel economy, combined 10.7L / 100km

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo hybrid

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 390bhp

Torque: 400Nm

Price: Dh340,000 ($92,579

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Traits of Chinese zodiac animals

Tiger:independent, successful, volatile
Rat:witty, creative, charming
Ox:diligent, perseverent, conservative
Rabbit:gracious, considerate, sensitive
Dragon:prosperous, brave, rash
Snake:calm, thoughtful, stubborn
Horse:faithful, energetic, carefree
Sheep:easy-going, peacemaker, curious
Monkey:family-orientated, clever, playful
Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent   

While you're here
A State of Passion

Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi

Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah

Rating: 4/5

The Greatest Royal Rumble card

50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias

Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match

WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura

Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe

United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal

SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos

Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt

Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev

Singles match John Cena v Triple H

Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto

How to increase your savings
  • Have a plan for your savings.
  • Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
  • Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
  • It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings. 

- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

 

 

City's slump

L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Results

2pm: Al Sahel Contracting Company – Maiden (PA) Dh50,000 (Dirt) 1,200m; Winner: AF Mutakafel, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)

2.30pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: El Baareq, Antonio Fresu, Rashed Bouresly

3pm: Shadwell – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,950m; Winner: Lost Eden, Andrea Atzeni, Doug Watson

3.30pm: Keeneland – Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,000m; Winner: Alkaraama, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi

4pm: Keeneland – Handicap (TB) Dh76,000 (D) 1,800m; Winner: Lady Snazz, Saif Al Balushi, Bhupat Seemar

4.30pm: Hive – Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Down On Da Bayou, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer

5pm: Dubai Real Estate Centre – (TB) Handicap Dh64,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Lahmoom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer

WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStreaming%20on%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMBC%20Shahid%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company profile

Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space

Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)

Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)

Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi 

Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution) 

Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space  

Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019

Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
  • Option 2: 50% across three years
  • Option 3: 30% across five years 
Water waste

In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.

Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.

A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.

The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.

Company profile

Name: Infinite8

Based: Dubai

Launch year: 2017

Number of employees: 90

Sector: Online gaming industry

Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor

Teaching your child to save

Pre-school (three - five years)

You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.

Early childhood (six - eight years)

Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.

Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)

Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.

Young teens (12 - 14 years)

Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.

Teenage (15 - 18 years)

Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.

Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)

Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.

* JP Morgan Private Bank 

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. 

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills