President Sheikh Mohamed arrived in India’s Gujarat state on Tuesday to attend a three-day global business summit and to lead a parade with Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the event.
The Vibrant Global Gujarat Summit is a biennial investors' international business event aimed at attracting funding and promoting the state. It was devised by Mr Modi in 2003 when he was the state's chief minister.
Sheikh Mohamed arrived in Ahmedabad in the evening and was received by Mr Modi.
They later led a 3km parade from outside Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport to Gandhinagar city, 30km from Ahmedabad, where the summit will take place.
“Landed in Ahmedabad a short while ago. Over the next two days, will be taking part in the Vibrant Gujarat Summit and related programmes,” Mr Modi had earlier said on X on Tuesday.
“It is a matter of immense joy that various world leaders will be joining us during this summit. The coming of my brother Mohamed bin Zayed is very special.”
Sheikh Mohamed visited India in September last year for the G20 Ministers meeting in the capital, New Delhi.
The trip to the South Asian nation follows a state visit to Azerbaijan.
UAE Minister of State for Trade Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi will also take part in the summit, along with a delegation from the Gulf nation's business community.
Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit
The three-day 10th Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit will take place at Mahatma Mandir Convention Centre in Gandhinagar, from January 10.
The summit is themed Gateway to the Future and will involve 34 countries and 16 partner organisations.
There will be seminars and talks on global issues including industry, innovation, sustainable manufacturing, green hydrogen, electric mobility, renewable energy and space technology.
Mr Modi will hold bilateral meetings with world leaders and chief executives of top global corporations.
The summit has evolved into a global platform and, with participation from 135 countries and more than 2,000 exhibitors, has helped the state attract $55 billion in foreign direct investments over the last two decades.
Tesla co-founder Elon Musk will reportedly participate in this year's event.
India-UAE ties
The UAE and India have strong strategic and economic ties, and Mr Modi has further strengthened relations since coming to power in 2014.
The UAE is India’s third-largest trading partner and its second-largest export destination.
The two nations have signed a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, or Cepa, that helped to grow bilateral trade to $38.6 billion in the first nine months of 2022 – almost double the figure recorded in the same period of 2020.
During Sheikh Mohamed's visit, there were three signed agreements across food parks, health care and the renewable energy sector.
The investment in renewable energy projects is to be implemented in India under the agreement and will reach up to 60 gigawatts.
The transition to clean energy is a priority for India, as it aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2070 and meet 50 per cent of its electricity requirements from renewable energy sources by 2030.
There are plans to increase India's renewable energy capacity to 500 gigawatts, lowering the emissions intensity of its economy by 45 per cent and reducing one billion tonnes of carbon dioxide.
The two nations have also agreed to develop a series of integrated food parks across India that will incorporate state-of-the-art climate-smart technologies to reduce food waste and spoilage.
The parks will bring together farmers, processors and retailers to minimise waste, conserve water and maximise crop yields.
The nations also agreed to develop projects that have an emphasis on personalised health care based on a person's unique genetic, genomic or biological composition.
A Genomic Centre of Excellence is being reviewed as one of the possible projects under the agreement.
The healthcare sector in India is estimated to be around $372 billion and offers affordable treatment, advanced technology, a wide range of specialities as well as access to international markets.
During Mr Modi's visit to the UAE in July last year, the two nations signed an agreement to settle trade in the Indian currency, rupees, instead of US dollars.
He is scheduled to travel to Abu Dhabi in February to inaugurate the BAPS Hindu Temple and attend a community event at Zayed Stadium.
The Indian diaspora is the largest in the Emirates with 3.5 million Indian nationals living in the UAE in 2021, according India's Ministry of External Affairs.
The Indian community in the UAE works in sectors including finance, education, and health, and as entrepreneurs, white and blue-collar workers, and labourers.
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
The%20specs
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Champions parade (UAE timings)
7pm Gates open
8pm Deansgate stage showing starts
9pm Parade starts at Manchester Cathedral
9.45pm Parade ends at Peter Street
10pm City players on stage
11pm event ends
German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
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