What impact does cultural diplomacy have in an increasingly polarised world? And can science's leading role in combatting the coronavirus pose a threat to the future of religion?
These are some of the thought-provoking ideas set to be covered in a series of online discussions featuring some of the world's leading intellectuals.
Organised by the Office of Public and Cultural Diplomacy and the Emirates Literature Foundation, the eight-part Literary Conversations Across Borders programme aims to discuss some of the pressing issues facing the world today in the wake of the pandemic.
Beginning on Saturday, May 30, each session will be streamed on Emirates Literature Foundation's YouTube page upon pre-registration on the foundation's website.
Guest speakers include Indian politician and writer Shashi Tharoor, English primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall, and Emirati cultural and key government figures such as Minister of State Zaki Nusseibeh, UAE Minister of State for Food Security Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri and Omar Ghobash, Assistant Minister of Public and Cultural Diplomacy.
Nusseibeh hailed the initiative as “a ground-breaking project for the UAE".
“Having these conversations across cultures strengthens our bonds and brings greater appreciation of the topics that affect us in the world today, no matter where we live,” he said.
“This project provides a platform for Emiratis to be part of the international discussions that are happening at the moment and shows that the UAE is an open, forward-thinking nation, eager to engage with other countries and cultures. Two-way dialogue will foster understanding, helping to break down stereotypes and a recognition of the common concerns, joys and sorrows that affect us all.”
With more sessions yet to be announced, here's a look at the first trio of events coming our way.
Saturday, May 30: How will the events of 2020 change the course of history? (5.30pm)
In what promises to be a riveting first session, Indian parliamentarian and author Tharoor and Nusseibeh will look at how this extraordinary year will shape the future of nations and societies to come.
With both speakers renowned for their keen appreciation of the modern and cultural history of the region and the developed world, their shared analysis and appreciation of the power of cultural diplomacy should be nothing short of insightful.
Saturday, June 6: Sustainability – Have we pulled back from the brink? (7.30pm)
This conversation focuses on the environmental struggles facing our world today, with celebrity scientist Goodall and Almheiri sharing their thoughts on a topic that has become further highlighted by the present pandemic.
Saturday, June 13: Will science be the new religion in the post-pandemic world? (9.30pm)
Ghobash, author of 2017's Letters to A Young Muslim, joins award-winning journalist and author of 2013's The First Muslim, Lesley Hazleton, in looking at how our increased reliance on science – a key feature of this pandemic – could impact our established series of beliefs such as faith, hope and trust.
More information about Literary Conversations Across Borders series is available at www.elfdubai.org
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
ETFs explained
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ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE SQUAD
Khalid Essa (Al Ain), Ali Khaseif (Al Jazira), Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah), Mahmoud Khamis (Al Nasr), Yousef Jaber (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai), Khalifa Al Hammadi (Jazira), Salem Rashid (Jazira), Shaheen Abdelrahman (Sharjah), Faris Juma (Al Wahda), Mohammed Shaker (Al Ain), Mohammed Barghash (Wahda), Abdulaziz Haikal (Shabab Al Ahli), Ahmed Barman (Al Ain), Khamis Esmail (Wahda), Khaled Bawazir (Sharjah), Majed Surour (Sharjah), Abdullah Ramadan (Jazira), Mohammed Al Attas (Jazira), Fabio De Lima (Al Wasl), Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Khalfan Mubarak (Jazira), Habib Fardan (Nasr), Khalil Ibrahim (Wahda), Ali Mabkhout (Jazira), Ali Saleh (Wasl), Caio (Al Ain), Sebastian Tagliabue (Nasr).
Dubai World Cup Carnival card:
6.30pm: Handicap (Turf) | US$175,000 | 2,410 metres
7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (Dirt) | $100,000 | 1,400m
7.40pm: Handicap (T) | $145,000 | 1,000m
8.15pm: Dubawi Stakes Group 3 (D) | $200,000 | 1,200m
8.50pm: Singspiel Stakes Group 3 (T) | $200,000 | 1,800m
9.25pm: Handicap (T) | $175,000 | 1,400m
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
