- Ashwin bags six wickets as India hammer Bangladesh in first Test
- Nascent French government under pressure on multiple fronts
- Angry French cognac makers see red over Chinese tariffs threat
- Protect the prosciutto: Italy battles swine fever
- UN holds 'Summit of the Future' to tackle global crises
- Marxist leader set to become Sri Lanka's next president
- From blades to pull-up bars: UK charity tackles knife crime
- Swiss vote on pensions and environment protections
- No pain, no gain: Chinese pro wrestlers fight for recognition
- UAE leader seeks to deepen 'strategic' ties in US visit during Mideast crisis
- Hezbollah takes heavy hits but still fighting Israel
- Floods, landslides hit central Japan months after major quake
- All Blacks coach Robertson demands better finishing
- Argentina edge South Africa to keep title hopes alive
- Biden says China 'testing us,' in hot mic remarks to Quad allies
- Dubois destroys Joshua to retain IBF world heavyweight crown
- Guardiola says critics want Man City wiped 'from face of the Earth'
- Biden says 'Quad' is 'here to stay' despite challenges
- Dubois knocks out Joshua to retain IBF world heavyweight crown
- Vinicius helps 'faster' Madrid overturn stubborn Espanyol
- Zelensky to press US on long-range missile strikes inside Russia
- PSG drop first points in draw at Reims
- Vinicius, Mbappe on target as Madrid crush plucky Espanyol
- Jeeno leads Ko by two at LPGA Queen City Championship
- Bottega Veneta goes for 'E.T.' chic as Madonna pops into D&G
- Messi, Miami frustrated by New York late leveler
- Musk's X platform takes first step toward lifting Brazil ban
- 'Business as usual' for Australia match-winner Carey amid boos
- Israeli jets pound Lebanon after deadly Beirut strike
- Ten Hag bemoans Man Utd's lack of killer instinct in Palace stalemate
- France's Macron appoints new government in shift to right
- Cheika proud of Leicester grit after winning start as boss
- Profligate Man Utd pay price in 0-0 draw at Palace
- Kane, Olise run riot as Bayern thump Bremen
- Diaz fires Liverpool top of Premier League, Man Utd held at Palace
- LIV champion Rahm out of LIV Team semis with severe flu
- Slot surprised by tearful Nunez's moment of magic
- Title rivals Norris, Verstappen on 'cool' front row for Singapore GP
- Biden talks China with 'Quad' leaders in hometown summit
- Juve and Napoli play out goalless draw in early Serie A title tussle
- Alcaraz fears tennis tour grind will 'kill us'
- Carey sparks recovery as Australia thrash England in 2nd ODI
- Leclerc, Sainz lament 'disappointing' Saturday in Singapore
- Bottega Veneta holds investors' aces as Madonna pops into D&G
- Beirut digs for victims at building flattened in Israeli strike
- Verstappen stages protest over 'ridiculous' swearing punishment
- Bayern boss Kompany lauds 'special talent' Olise
- Diaz fires Liverpool top of Premier League, Spurs bounce back
- Heavy fire over Israel-Lebanon border after deadly Beirut strike
- Ramos guides unbeaten Toulouse to Montpellier win despite Hogg scuffle
UAE leader seeks to deepen 'strategic' ties in US visit during Mideast crisis
UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan is due Monday in Washington for a first official visit at a time of soaring tensions in the Middle East, seeking to highlight economic and technological cooperation.
Presidential advisor Anwar Gargash said the Emiratis, who want to reorient their economy away from oil and towards new technologies such as AI, were thinking "economy first, prosperity first" in their "strategic relationship" with the United States.
With his upcoming trip, Sheikh Mohamed will become the first sitting president of the oil-rich Gulf monarchy to make an official visit to Washington.
He is scheduled to meet with US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running to succeed Biden, the White House said.
US officials said the top agenda items were the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and the conflict in Sudan, where the UAE has been accused of backing one of the warring parties -- a charge it denies.
Speaking to journalists this week, Gargash said that without ignoring "things happening in Gaza or things happening in other areas", the president's visit will focus on deepening business and technological ties.
The "UAE is trying to move more along an economic and technological view, with the full realisation that we are in the fall (season) of the hydrocarbon age", the adviser said.
He said the UAE's ties with the United States were "our most important strategic relationship", even as "sometimes people like to talk about some tensions in the relationship".
The UAE, expected to be a key contributor to the Gaza Strip's post-war reconstruction, also has close ties with Russia and refused to condemn the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Sheikh Mohamed's trip follows a sharp escalation of hostilities between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah that raised fears of a widening Middle East war.
The UAE, a federation of sheikhdoms, is one of a handful of Arab states to recognise Israel and enjoys growing clout in the Middle East owing to its oil wealth, business environment and reputation for stability.
It also neighbours oil giant Saudi Arabia, which the US has been pressing to forge relations with Israel in the hope of calming a region pushed to the edge by the Israel-Hamas war.
Sheikh Mohamed, who became president in May 2022 after several years of de facto rule, has strong relations with China and India and has visited both countries this year.
In April, Microsoft announced a $1.5 billion investment in UAE artificial intelligence firm G42, as Abu Dhabi simultaneously shifted away from Chinese partnerships in AI.
"Why are we betting on technology? If we believe that hydrocarbon is on the way out, slowly but surely, then we have to replace the revenue stream through something else," Gargash said.
He added: "A lot of things are in the pipeline. We're laying a map... and we need to partner with you (US) in order for us to achieve these things."
P.Mathewson--AMWN