The 29th annual Abu Dhabi International Book Fair is running from April 24 to 30, featuring 1,000 exhibitors from 50 countries. India is the guest of honor of this year’s event, represented by several authors, one of whom is His Excellency Navdeep Suri, India’s ambassador to the UAE. Ambassador Suri spoke about his book at the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute last week. Former United States Secretary of State, John Kerry, also attended, discussing his book Every Day is Extra. During his panel alongside His Excellency Minister of State Zaki Nusseibeh, Kerry stated that he did not rule out another run for the White House and expressed regret over the United States’ policy in Syria. Philip Kennedy, NYU Abu Dhabi Professor of Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies and Comparative Literature and one of the winners of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award for his 2016 book Arabic Narrative Tradition: Discovery, Deliverance and Delusion, also participated in the ADIBF. He spoke alongside other winners on a panel at the ADIBF after the award ceremony at the Louvre Abu Dhabi. Kennedy spoke to The National on winning the award, saying, “I thought I was dreaming and then realized I wasn’t. I was happy but mostly proud, actually. I’ve heard people say before that they are proud to be associated with Sheikh Zayed through the award and I share that.”

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai announced two major projects after leading the UAE delegation to the Second Belt and Road Conference for International Cooperation.

The first will be a $2.4 Billion project for a 60 million square feet storage and shipping facility in Jebel Ali. The second will be $1 Billion food processing, packaging and export plant. According the Emirates News Agency, 30 percent of Chinese exports to Arab countries goes to the UAE and over 4,000 Chinese firms operate in the UAE.