Hamdan bin Zayed visits 21st Liwa Date Festival
ABU DHABI (ALETIHAD)His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), has visited the 21st Liwa Date Festival, organised by the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority and underway in Al Dhafra Region until July 27, 2025.
Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President of the UAE, Deputy Prime Minister, and Chairman of the Presidential Court, the festival affirms the UAE leadership's commitment to preserving national heritage and supporting related sectors.
Read more: https://t.co/mhVaPIXhLq #AletihadNewsCenter #UAE #AbuDhabi @Turathuna_ae pic.twitter.com/zHDY0y7uG3 — Aletihad English (@AletihadEn) July 19, 2025
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed highlighted the continued support of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan toward efforts that safeguard Emirati culture and promote agricultural sustainability.During the visit, His Highness praised the festival's role in showcasing the cultural and agricultural significance of the palm tree as a symbol of national identity and in supporting local communities in Abu Dhabi, in line with the aspirations of the UAE Year of Community.His Highness underscored the festival's importance in empowering the local community, supporting farmers, and encouraging the cultivation of palm trees as a pillar of food security, and a key component of the UAE's heritage. He also commended the active participation of government and private entities, producers, manufacturers, and traditional craftswomen, highlighting Emirati traditions and promoting palm-related products.His Highness toured the festival pavilions, reviewed entries in various competitions, met with judging committees for both the date and fruit competitions, and visited sections featuring heritage crafts, palm saplings, agricultural tools, a fresh dates market, the traditional souq, and displays from government and private sector organisations.
His Highness was accompanied during the visit by His Excellency Faris Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Heritage Authority; His Excellency Nasser Mohammed Al Mansouri, Undersecretary of the Ruler's Representative Court in Al Dhafra Region; His Excellency Abdullah Mubarak Al Muhairi, Acting Director General of the Authority; His Excellency Obaid Khalfan Al Mazrouei, Executive Director of the Festivals and Events Sector at the authority; and a number of officials.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Zawya
25 minutes ago
- Zawya
Federal Tax Authority announces AED 3.2bln in tax refunds for UAE nationals building new residences by June 2025
Abu Dhabi: The Federal Tax Authority (FTA) continues to see strong results from its digital VAT refund systems for eligible categories, maintaining high levels of accuracy and operational efficiency throughout 2025. The FTA today revealed the results of these systems for the first half of the year, including the VAT refund system for new residences for UAE nationals and the VAT refund system for tourists. The FTA announced that, since the launch of the service approximately eight years ago and up until June 2025, the total number of approved applications for VAT refunds related to new residences for UAE nationals reached approximately 38,000, amounting to a total value of AED 3.2 billion. This marks a significant increase from the 31,000 approved applications valued at AED 2.54 billion by June 2024, reflecting a 22.74% growth in the number of applications and a 25.72% increase in the value of refunds within the past year. The FTA also highlighted that more than 7,000 new applications for VAT refunds for UAE nationals building new residences were approved between June 2024 and June 2025, amounting to AED 653.1 million. Furthermore, in the first half of 2025 alone, 3,097 new applications were approved, resulting in refunds totalling AED 284.77 million. Digital Tax Refund System for Tourists The FTA highlighted the continued significant expansion of the digital tax refund system for tourists, as the number of retail shops electronically linked to the system saw consistent growth across all emirates. By the end of June 2025, the number of outlets registered with the Authority and connected to the system had increased to 18,410 shops, compared to 17,720 shops by the end of 2024 and approximately 17,080 shops by June 2024. The FTA further noted that 697 outlets connected to the system in the first half of 2025, up from 540 outlets during the same period in 2024, marking an increase of over 29%. This brings the total number of outlets that have joined the digital tax refund system for tourists in the past two years, including the first half of 2025, to 3,390 outlets. With regard to the self-service machines that fully automate the tax refund process for tourists departing the country in approximately two minutes per transaction, which are available at major shopping malls, hotels, and departure points for tourists, the number of these machines reached 96 by the end of June. His Excellency Khalid Ali Al Bustani, Director General of the FTA, said: 'The indicators reflect the ongoing development and upgrade of our digital systems in line with global best practices, and in alignment with the UAE's digital transformation strategy. The Authority's initiatives in this regard have positively impacted the overall quality and performance of its services, particularly the digital VAT refund systems for eligible categories. 'Notable examples include the tax refund services for new residences for UAE nationals and VAT refund for tourists, which have undergone continuous improvement to streamline and expedite the refund process. 'Among the key initiatives in this area is the 'Maskan' smart application, which enhances the ease and convenience of VAT refunds for UAE nationals, and relies on paperless procedures with 100% fully digitised procedures.' Al Bustani added: 'As part of its efforts to develop digital services, FTA launched last December the world's first e-commerce purchases VAT refund system for tourists during their stay in the UAE, supporting the UAE's leadership in all sectors, including the tourism sector and the e-commerce sector, in continuation of what has been achieved in this field, where more than two years ago the Authority launched the digital VAT refund system for tourists, which is based on 100% paperless procedures and is constantly updated, and provides a digital platform that allows tourists to scan their passports easily, and automatically share their transactions as digital invoices, check their invoices through the shopper portal for a seamless shopping experience, and receive a refundable tax credit for their purchases in a convenient and fully digitalised manner.' His Excellency stressed that the Authority would continue to launch and implement various projects and initiatives in the field of digital transformation in the tax sector to keep pace with the government's digital transformation strategy placed for all services based on smooth and proactive digital infrastructure, supporting efforts to reduce bureaucracy and maintain high levels of customer satisfaction. -Ends- About Federal Tax Authority: The Federal Tax Authority was established by Federal Decree-Law No. (13) of 2016 to help diversify the national economy and increase non-oil revenues in the UAE through the management and collection of federal taxes based on international best practices and standards, as well as to provide all means of support to enable taxpayers to comply with the tax laws and procedures. Since its inception in 2017, the FTA has been committed to cooperate with the competent authorities to establish a comprehensive and balanced system to make the UAE one of the first countries in the world to implement a fully electronic tax system that encourages voluntary compliance, with simple procedures based on the highest standards of transparency and accuracy – beginning from registration, to the submission of tax returns, to the payment of due taxes through the Authority's website:
Zawya
25 minutes ago
- Zawya
H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, the Crown Prince of Fujairah, attends the closing ceremony of Fujairah's Young Techpreneurs
FUJAIRAH, UAE: His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, attended the closing ceremony of the third and final phase of Fujairah's Young Techpreneurs. He emphasised the importance of empowering youth and young generations with technological tools and digital knowledge, viewing them as essential to realising Fujairah's future vision and promoting comprehensive and sustainable development. H.H. Sheikh Mohammed also attended the graduation ceremony of the students who participated in the final phase of the initiative, which was launched in April 2025. Fujairah Young Techpreneurs is an initiative organised and overseen by the Office of the Crown Prince of Fujairah, in collaboration with Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU) H.E. Eng. Mohammed Hamza Al Qasim, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education, was also present at the ceremony. Furthermore, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed also underlined the significant attention Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Fujairah, places on investing in people and empowering future generations, including both youth and children across various fields. He also emphasised the importance of preparing technically and intellectually qualified national talents capable of actively contributing to Fujairah's development journey and building the nation's future while advancing the pillars of its growth. H.H. Sheikh Mohammed praised the efforts of the students who participated in the Fujairah Young Techpreneurs initiative. He also commended their excellence, strong commitment to learning, engagement, and dedication to applying technical skills through practical projects, a significant step supporting Fujairah's digital transformation journey and meeting its knowledge-based requirements. An exhibition featuring several technology projects developed by students across five main topics: health, tourism, education, community, and the economic sector, was also organised alongside the closing ceremony. Participants demonstrated their skills in Artificial Intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, programming and entrepreneurship. H.H. Sheikh Mohammed also toured the exhibition held alongside the ceremony, where students presented the results of the initiative and their interactive applications. During the closing ceremony, H.E. Dr. Ahmed Hamdan Al Zeyoudi, Director of the Office of the Crown Prince of Fujairah, emphasised that the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, focuses on empowering youth and equipping young generations with the knowledge tools that contribute to creating positive change across all vital sectors of society. He also underlined the success of the initiative in preparing a promising generation capable of leading the future in line with its evolving demands and dynamics. For his part, H.E. Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, Chancellor of Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU), said: "Fujairah's Young Techpreneurs is a direct translation of the visionary guidance of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, aimed at empowering young minds and enhancing their digital competencies. It equips them with critical skills in artificial intelligence, programming, and cybersecurity. We are proud to actively contribute to the goals of this pioneering initiative through our strong collaboration with the Office of the Crown Prince of Fujairah, reflecting our shared strategic vision to empower the next generation through innovation and meaningful collaboration." He further said, "At HBMSU, we are committed to advancing a smart learning model built on creativity, critical thinking, and innovation, one that prepares learners for success in a rapidly evolving digital world. We remain keen to support bold educational initiatives that align learning outcomes with the needs of future industries and contribute to the broader development vision of the Emirate of Fujairah and the United Arab Emirates.' Fujairah's Young Techpreneurs was launched under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, as part of Fujairah's strategy to foster smart education, invest in young national talents and build a generation equipped with advanced technological skills to contribute actively to the future economy. The ceremony was attended by H.E. Dr. Ahmed Hamdan Al Zeyoudi, Director of the Office of the Crown Prince of Fujairah; H.E Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, Chancellor of Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University, (HBMSU); Amna Al Saleh, Acting Assistant Undersecretary of the Curriculum and Assessment Sector at the Ministry of Education; H.E. Tariq Al Hashmi, Assistant Undersecretary for the School Operations Sector; Dr. Fahad Al Saadi, Vice Chancellor for Learners Development at Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University; along with several officials and families of the students participating in the initiative.
Khaleej Times
an hour ago
- Khaleej Times
Ajman to adopt updated job classification system for public sector employees
Ajman government will adopt an updated job classification system, to ensure transparency in the evaluation of jobs and tasks in the public sector. This comes under a decision issued Sheikh Ahmed bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, representative of the Ruler of Ajman for Administrative and Financial Affairs. Several main and sub job groups have been created or modified in the system, to meet the needs of both existing and new government entities. These are as follows: Stay up to date with the latest news. Follow KT on WhatsApp Channels. In the education job group, three sub-groups were adopted: education, school administration, and student affairs. For the communication, promotion, and media job group, several sub-groups were created and modified, including: institutional communication and media, marketing, promotion and events, public relations, institutional partnerships, digital media, media documentation, editing and journalism, and photography. In the digital technology and data job group, a range of precise technical specialties were included, namely: Digital technology and data, information systems development and analysis, data science, artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, information technology databases, cybersecurity, and technical support. The adoption of this updated system is based on amendments and developments introduced to the previous system issued under Decision No. (7) of 2021. The Department of Human Resources in Ajman will oversee the implementation of the system in government entities by issuing circulars, guides, and required forms. It shall submit reports documenting the progress made and the challenges that entities may face, along with providing recommendations and technical support. The new decision also repealed all previous decisions or systems related to job evaluation and classification that conflict with its provisions. The emirate called on government entities to review their job listings, align them with the new groups, and submit modification requests through the approved electronic job evaluation and classification system.
