The British media welcomed the official visit of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, after his arrival in the UK this week.
News of Sheikh Mohamed's visit to Downing Street to meet Prime Minister Boris Johnson was widely reported in the country's print and online media.
The Evening Standard reported that the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and the British prime minister discussed the situation in Afghanistan and the ongoing global efforts to combat climate change during their meeting at No10 Downing Street on Thursday.
Much of the focus was on the UAE-UK Sovereign Investment Partnership, in which the UAE will funnel £10 billion ($13.8bn) over five years into promising companies that operate in the clean energy, technology and infrastructure industries.
The Times said the deal builds on the UAE's previous decision to invest £800 million in the UK's life sciences industry made in March.
It also said the UK's Office for Investment would help the Mubadala Investment Company identify opportunities in green growth areas.
The Financial Times said UAE investment under the framework had already reached £1.1bn in UK companies and funds, including £500m in CityFibre, a telecoms infrastructure group.
Mubadala chief executive Khaldoon Al Mubarak told the FT that UAE investments in Great Britain would comfortably reach £2bn by the end of the year.
The publication also reported that the UK-UAE arrangement would look to strengthen trade and launch “new collaboration” across areas including climate change, regional stability and food security.
“These are all spaces that will grow substantially in the next period and both countries see eye to eye in terms of that outlook,” Mr Mubarak said.
CNN Business also reported that the agreement was part of the UAE's 10-year plan, unveiled earlier this month, to double the size of its economy and attract $150 billion in foreign direct investment by 2030.
Details of the visit featured prominently on newswire services including Reuters, Bloomberg and Agence-France Presse.
News of the official visit even made it into tabloid newspapers including the Sun and The Daily Express, which described news of the trade deal a 'masterstroke' by Mr Johnson that vindicated the UK's decision to leave the EU.
City AM, widely read by London's financial professionals, earlier this month was among the first to reveal details of the deal brokered by Mubadala Investment Company.
It said Britain was hoping to tie up deals with Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and the UAE ahead of the Global Investment Summit on October 19, it reported.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo
Power: 435hp at 5,900rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,800-5,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Price: from Dh498,542
On sale: now
Persuasion
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The Vile
Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah
Director: Majid Al Ansari
Rating: 4/5
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
* Bloomberg
Prop idols
Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.
Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)
An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.
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Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)
Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.
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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)
Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Profile
Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari
Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.
Number of employees: Over 50
Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised
Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital
Sector of operation: Transport
