NEW DELHI // Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed on Wednesday held official talks with Narendra Modi, the prime minister of India.
The leaders discussed boosting ties between the two countries as well as several regional and international issues, including terrorism and violence.
Sheikh Mohammed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme commander of the Armed Forces, met Mr Modi at Hyderabad House in the capital.
Mr Modi welcomed the UAE delegation, praising the special relationship between the countries and expressed the eagerness of both to increase cooperation.
Sheikh Mohammed thanked his hosts for their hospitality and congratulated the Indian people and government on the occasion of the 68th Republic Day.
He also conveyed the best wishes of Sheikh Khalifa, President of the UAE, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.
Sheikh Mohammed said existing strong ties between the nations build on a rich heritage of friendship and cooperation.
He said he had sensed a shared desire among the leadership of both states to strengthen bilateral relations and develop them into one of the most important in the region and world.
The two leaders also stressed that the UAE and India shared a common interest in working for peace and stability in the region and the rest of world by helping to resolve disputes and conflicts by peaceful means.
The leaders penned memorandums of understanding and agreements on further cooperation in defence, shipping, road and maritime transpor, prevention of human trafficking, small and medium enterprises, innovation, agriculture, entry visas, media, trade, oil storage, energy and technology development.
Rajeev Sharma, a foreign policy expert based in New Delhi, said the agreements spelt out the commitment both countries had in broadening relations.
“Traditionally the countries partnership was based on two things – oil and the Indian diaspora in the Emirates,” said Mr Sharma. “New areas have come up and you can see relations flowering in every sector. The agreements in areas such as defence, cyber security, space, and infrastructure show that India and the UAE are reaching for much more,” he said.
With UAE being India’s third largest trade partner after China and the US, Mr Modi’s efforts in developing closer ties with Sheikh Mohammed was commendable, Mr Sharma said.
“The diplomatic symbolism is significant. Mr Modi deserves a pat on the back for breaking protocol in inviting someone who is not head of state to Republic Day and greeting him at the airport.”
Mr Sharma said the instability of the region coupled with the uncertainties that came with a new US President made the development of UAE-India ties all the more urgent.
While at Hyderabad House Sheikh Mohammed signed the visitor’s book, writing that the Indian constitution, which is celebrated every year on Republic Day, had laid the foundations for India to take on a steady course of growth and comprehensive development.
Sheikh Mohammed also attended a luncheon hosted by Mr Modi in his honour.
tsubaihi@thenational.ae
Match info
Deccan Gladiators 87-8
Asif Khan 25, Dwayne Bravo 2-16
Maratha Arabians 89-2
Chadwick Walton 51 not out
Arabians won the final by eight wickets
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
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Look north
BBC business reporters, like a new raft of government officials, are being removed from the national and international hub of London and surely the quality of their work must suffer.
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
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Spain drain
CONVICTED
Lionel Messi Found guilty in 2016 of of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying €4.1m in taxes on income earned from image rights. Sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined more than €2m. But prison sentence has since been replaced by another fine of €252,000.
Javier Mascherano Accepted one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after found guilty of failing to pay €1.5m in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.
Angel di Maria Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria was fined and given a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud during his time at Real Madrid. But he is unlikely to go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying sentence of less than two years.
SUSPECTED
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid's star striker, accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, appears in court on Monday. Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies.
Jose Mourinho Manchester United manager accused of evading €3.3m in tax in 2011 and 2012, during time in charge at Real Madrid. But Gestifute, which represents him, says he has already settled matter with Spanish tax authorities.
Samuel Eto'o In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought jail sentence of 10 years and fines totalling €18m for Cameroonian, accused of failing to pay €3.9m in taxes during time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.
Radamel Falcao Colombian striker Falcao suspected of failing to correctly declare €7.4m of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while at Atletico Madrid. He has since paid €8.2m to Spanish tax authorities, a sum that includes interest on the original amount.
Jorge Mendes Portuguese super-agent put under official investigation last month by Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao, a client of his. He defended himself, telling closed-door hearing he "never" advised players in tax matters.
Points classification after Stage 4
1. Arnaud Demare (France / FDJ) 124
2. Marcel Kittel (Germany / Quick-Step) 81
3. Michael Matthews (Australia / Sunweb) 66
4. Andre Greipel (Germany / Lotto) 63
5. Alexander Kristoff (Norway / Katusha) 43
FA CUP FINAL
Manchester City 6
(D Silva 26', Sterling 38', 81', 87', De Bruyne 61', Jesus 68')
Watford 0
Man of the match: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
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Age: 34
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Favourite sport: anything extreme
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Brief scores:
Day 2
England: 277 & 19-0
West Indies: 154
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
The fake news generation
288,000 – the number of posts reported as hate speech that were deleted by Facebook globally each month in May and June this year
11% – the number of Americans who said they trusted the news they read on Snapchat as of June 2017, according to Statista. Over a quarter stated that they ‘rarely trusted’ the news they read on social media in general
31% - the number of young people in the US aged between 10 and 18 who said they had shared a news story online in the last six months that they later found out was wrong or inaccurate
63% - percentage of Arab nationals who said they get their news from social media every single day.
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