Week after week and month after month, leaders and officials from across the Middle East and North Africa, and beyond, come to the UAE. Over the last weekend alone, the UAE's leaders conferred with Ali Zidan, the prime minister of Libya, and separately with Hassan Shaikh Mahmoud, the president of Somalia. The president of semiautonomous Somaliland was here last week. The previous week the vice-president of South Sudan visited for high-level talks.
The leaders who come here, typically with government ministers and high civil servants in tow, are here for a reason.
To be sure, the UAE is a prime diplomatic destination any time a crisis demands a quick transfusion of aid money, because this country has resource wealth and is known for its generosity in good causes.
But there is more than that to the frequency of high-level official visits. For Arab and Muslim countries, many of which face known development challenges, the UAE has quietly become a prime source of technical support, governance expertise and specialised assistance.
No wonder. This country has become a hub for more than long-distance air travel. The UAE is at once open to the world and firmly a part of its region. Mena countries looking for examples of sophisticated, modern institutions operating in an Islamic context know where to look.
Libya, for example, does not need financial aid; its own oil industry is recovering rapidly from the disruptions of regime change. But Libya does need security training and expertise, as the foreign minister, Mohamed Abdelaziz, noted while he was here. To integrate former militia members into a national army and police force, Libya has asked for trainers and related assistance from the UAE.
Similarly, Somaliland is asking for help to set up two hospitals. Somalia, Somaliland and Puntland, another semiautonomous region, have all thanked the UAE for logistical and training help in fighting piracy.
To be sure, the UAE benefits as well, given that all of these countries share strategic and security interests with the Emirates. But these are also textbook examples of one form of "soft power" - the development of national influence by attraction, rather than by military or economic coercion.
In other words, when the UAE shares its expertise with regional allies, the benefits are not merely bilateral but help build ties that improve the lives of ordinary citizens across the Mena region. Such assistance may be largely unsung, but it is by no means unappreciated.
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
'Shakuntala Devi'
Starring: Vidya Balan, Sanya Malhotra
Director: Anu Menon
Rating: Three out of five stars
Bournemouth 0
Manchester United 2
Smalling (28'), Lukaku (70')
QUALIFYING RESULTS
1. Max Verstappen, Netherlands, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1 minute, 35.246 seconds.
2. Valtteri Bottas, Finland, Mercedes, 1:35.271.
3. Lewis Hamilton, Great Britain, Mercedes, 1:35.332.
4. Lando Norris, Great Britain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.497.
5. Alexander Albon, Thailand, Red Bull Racing Honda, 1:35.571.
6. Carlos Sainz Jr, Spain, McLaren Renault, 1:35.815.
7. Daniil Kvyat, Russia, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:35.963.
8. Lance Stroll, Canada, Racing Point BWT Mercedes, 1:36.046.
9. Charles Leclerc, Monaco, Ferrari, 1:36.065.
10. Pierre Gasly, France, Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda, 1:36.242.
Eliminated after second session
11. Esteban Ocon, France, Renault, 1:36.359.
12. Daniel Ricciardo, Australia, Renault, 1:36.406.
13. Sebastian Vettel, Germany, Ferrari, 1:36.631.
14. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:38.248.
Eliminated after first session
15. Antonio Giovinazzi, Italy, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.075.
16. Kimi Raikkonen, Finland, Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari, 1:37.555.
17. Kevin Magnussen, Denmark, Haas Ferrari, 1:37.863.
18. George Russell, Great Britain, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.045.
19. Pietro Fittipaldi, Brazil, Haas Ferrari, 1:38.173.
20. Nicholas Latifi, Canada, Williams Mercedes, 1:38.443.
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Company%20Profile
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