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Tag: UAE

  • “Allah is watching and He knows what’s in your heart,” says singer Akon

    “Allah is watching and He knows what’s in your heart,” says singer Akon

    Akon was in the UAE this week and and instead of singing his famous tunes, he delivered a keynote address at the Sharjah Entrepreneurial Festival.

    He spoke about his journey from being a car thief to becoming one of the biggest pop stars but said that his social entrepreneurship is what gives him the most satisfaction.

    Originally from Senegal, Akon is a Grammy award winning singer and has now launched a solar-powered energy project of his own. He says that his decisions are based on his faith and there is a spiritual side to business that entrepreneurs ignore.

    “It makes you ask the question: what is success? Is it fame or fortune? Does that measure what success means to you? Or is it faith?” he asked, “For me, real success is faith. If God is not smiling upon me I am not successful. I don’t care even if I have a billion dollars in the bank. And what good am I if have a billion dollars sitting in the bank in the first place?”

    One of Akon’s biggest hits: Right Now (Na Na Na)

    Akon had spoken to The National, a UAE based newspaper and said that he was born a Muslim and in some places of Senegal it was considered haram. But he said that the intention has to be good and even in daily prayers, “we pray in melody.”

    He also added that he would not judge anyone because, “at the end of the day, Allah is watching and he knows what is in your heart.”

    Akon was going to visit Pakistan in April of this year but was not able to. In January he had uploaded this message for PM Khan,

  • UAE to invest $5bn in Pakistan’s oil refinery project

    UAE to invest $5bn in Pakistan’s oil refinery project

    The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has decided to invest $5 billion in an oil refinery project in Pakistan by the end of 2019, Geo News has reported.

    According to the details, while talking to a newspaper the UAE Ambassador Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al-Zaabi said: “we are going to launch one of the biggest investments in a refinery project in Hub very soon”.

    “It is going to be a $5 billion investment between Mubadala Petroleum Company of Abu Dhabi, Pak Arab Refinery Limited (PARCO) and OMV [OMV Pakistan Exploration Gesellschaft],” Hamad Obaid was quoted as saying.

    Al-Zaabi also said that the project was the result of extensive discussions between Mubadala Petroleum and Pakistan’s petroleum ministry along with PARCO and OMV.

    The project was finalised during Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s Pakistan visit earlier this year. 

    The envoy said that the discussions are ongoing on the minute details of the refinery project, adding that a delegation headed by Mubadala Petroleum chief, Musabbeh Al Kaabi, visited Pakistan and met with the chairman of board of investment (BOI) and petroleum minister in this regard.

  • Kashmir crisis: PM calls UAE crown prince who awarded Modi highest civilian honour

    Kashmir crisis: PM calls UAE crown prince who awarded Modi highest civilian honour

    Amid rising Kashmir tensions, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has called Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, who had recently drawn ire of hundreds of thousands of people for awarding Indian PM the country’s highest civilian honour.

    According to reports, the “regional and international developments” were discussed over the phone call, while a tweet by the crown prince also confirmed the development.

    The two dignitaries discussed “ways to enhance bilateral cooperation as well as the latest regional and international developments and issues of mutual interest”, the tweet said.

    Mohammed bin Zayed — or MBZ — is also the deputy supreme commander of the UAE armed forces. The phone call between the two leaders comes days after Indian premier Narendra Modi was awarded UAE’s highest civilian honour.

    The move had sparked outrage among rights activists over the Modi-led government’s clampdown on the Muslim-majority Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK).

    MBZ had personally put the gold medal around Modi’s neck, with a portrait of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE’s first president after whom the order is named, displayed behind them.

    The two men had also held hands for a moment and spoken quietly. “You deserve it,” MBZ had told the Hindu nationalist leader at one point while posing for photos.

  • Saudi Arabia, Palestine, UAE among six Muslim states that awarded Modi with high civilian awards

    Saudi Arabia, Palestine, UAE among six Muslim states that awarded Modi with high civilian awards

    Despite the crisis in occupied Kashmir and after the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain has also conferred upon Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi its top award, “The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance”.

    While the Modi-led government paves way for a Muslim genocide in the troubled valley, India’s relations with Islamic nations are better than ever before.

    Several other Islamic nations also honoured Modi with their high civilian award in the recent past. Here’s a list of awards the Indian premier has been conferred with by Muslim-majority countries:

    The King Hamad Order of the Renaissance, Bahrain – August 2019

    Order of Zayed, UAE’s highest civilian award – August 2019

    Grand Collar of the State of Palestine – February 2018

    Amir Amanullah Khan Award, Afghanistan – June 2016

    King Abdulaziz Sash Award, Saudi Arabia – April 2016

    Rule of Nishan Izzuddeen, Maldives – June 2019

    Both recent awards have led to an uproar as a human rights crisis brews in Muslim-majority occupied Kashmir with New Delhi continuing its clampdown in the disputed territory.

  • UAE to give Modi its highest civilian award

    UAE to give Modi its highest civilian award

    At a time when Pakistan seeks Muslim nation’s support to help sort out the Kashmir issue, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is reportedly giving Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi its highest civilian award, Khaleej Times reported.

    According to reports, Modi is set to visit the country on a two-day trip starting August 23, where he will receive “Order of Zayed” for his efforts to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries.

    The award is named after Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father of the UAE.

    Tensions run high on either side of the border ever since the Modi administration in New Delhi revoked Article 370 of its constitution — robbing Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) of its autonomy.

    Pakistan has strongly reacted to the move that can pave way for a Muslim genocide in the troubled valley, and reached out to the world to highlight Indian atrocities.

    UAE bestowing upon Modi its highest civil award at such a critical time has left people wondering if the Emirates is declaring its pro-India stance.

  • Pakistani driving licences to be valid in UAE

    Pakistani driving licences to be valid in UAE

    Federal Minister for Communications and Postal Services Murad Saeed has said that an authority will be set up to issue driving licences that will also be valid in the Gulf states.

    Addressing the launching ceremony of an e-billing system for the National Highway Authority (NHA), the minister said that a delegation will leave for Dubai in a week or so for the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities on acceptance of Pakistani driving licences in the Gulf states.

    The minister said he read in a news report that the UAE government had inked a similar agreement with another country, Dawn news reported.

    “Obtaining a driving licence in the UAE is a gigantic task, but once the agreement is signed, our drivers holding the local driving licence will have more job opportunities in the Gulf states as they will have no need to get another licence there,” he added.

    He said offices of the driving licence authority will be established all over the country.

  • UAE PM writes poem to condemn ‘runaway’ wife, Princess Haya of Jordan

    UAE PM writes poem to condemn ‘runaway’ wife, Princess Haya of Jordan

    Prime Minister (PM) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has written a furious poem criticising the “treachery and betrayal” of his wife.

    His wife and the daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan, Princess Haya bint Al Hussein, secretly fled to Europe with their son Zayed, 7, and daughter Al Jalila, 11, last week. She is also the half-sister of King Abdullah II.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BzBI5aChdCT/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    Al-Maktoum, 69, is known for frequently marking great occasions of state and family events such as weddings, in verse.

    “You Lived and You Died” is the new poem, which appears to have been written by the prince in outrage at his wife’s decision to leave.

    “Some mistakes are known as betrayal, and you have transgressed and betrayed,” the poem begins. “You traitor, you betrayed the most precious trust, you exposed your games and nature,” he adds in the piece.

    The royal then continues to accuse his wife of lying, suggesting the claim was backed by evidence.

    “You no longer have a place within me, go to who has kept you occupied,” he wrote, ending with “I do not care whether you live or die”.

    While the subject behind the poem was not disclosed by al-Maktoum, the tone suggests it was addressed to a woman who had betrayed him.

    Princess Haya is believed to have initially sought asylum in Germany, while reports claim her application has been approved in principle.

    According to reports, she is also said to be seeking refuge in the United Kingdom (UK) as her preference is to live in London, where she is currently said to be residing at a secret location.