Abu Dhabi will host the International Defence Conference on February 20 next year in a hybrid format, taking place both virtually and at the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company’s Business Centre.
The conference will bring together thought leaders, policy makers and researchers. It will focus on the impact of innovation on the global defence sector and how the military industry can unlock the benefits of the so called Fourth Industrial Revolution.
The IDC will be organised as part of the biennial International Defence Exhibition (Idex 2021) and the Naval Defence Exhibition (Navdex 2021), which take place from February 21-25 next year at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre.
More than 1,300 companies from across the land, air and marine defence sectors are expected to take part in the two exhibitions, according to an earlier report by state news agency Wam.
“Bringing together leading global experts and specialists to discuss the global defence sector is crucial,” said Khalifa Al Kaabi, chairman of the organising committee for the conference.
“The industry is a complex and dynamic one, with a large number of entities working to provide state actors with a range of measures that secure their country’s defences.”
The events will showcase the latest developments in the defence sector and highlight the latest in military technology. The exhibitions facilitate relationships between entities attending the event and major international companies.
The IDC will explore ways of protecting artificial intelligence and other disruptive technologies from misuse by either state or non-state actors, including terrorist and extremist groups. Panellists will focus on how governments, businesses and academics working in the sector, can collaborate to ensure the protection of critical technologies and ensure their benefits are used for wider peacekeeping efforts.
A second session will focus on disruption in the defence supply chain sector, which was experienced during Covid-19. The session will highlight how defence companies can support militaries in meeting their requirements, how defence manufacturing is changing and how supply chains need to maintain pace.
The third session will highlight research and development in the defence sector. Panellists will discuss how the defence R&D sector will focus on future technologies, including AI, and how this research can be used for civilian application.
The final session will discuss how digital technologies have created new cybersecurity challenges and their implications for the defence industry. Delegates will discuss how industry and government players can respond to threats such as third-party manipulation of technology, personal data theft, or weaponising of social media with false or misleading information.
The IDC has “come at [an] opportune moment where the world is focused on technological innovation,” said Matar Ali Al Romaithi, chief economic development officer of Tawazun, the body tasked with developing a home-grown defence industry.
The previous edition of Idex and Navdex in February 2019 welcomed 124,400 visitors. The UAE Armed Forced awarded contracts worth Dh20.5 billion during the five-day event.
International defence companies won 65 per cent of total contracts during the event while local companies won the remainder.
Abu Dhabi launched the Idex in 1993 which is now the biggest defence fair in the region and one of the largest in the world.
Defence spending continues to increase and has thus far been largely insulated from the pandemic's fallout. Total global military expenditure rose 3.6 per cent to $1.917 trillion in 2019, the biggest annual growth in spending in a decade, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
How do Sim card scams work?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards by claiming to be the victim, often pretending their phone has been lost or stolen in order to secure a new Sim.
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
The nine articles of the 50-Year Charter
1. Dubai silk road
2. A geo-economic map for Dubai
3. First virtual commercial city
4. A central education file for every citizen
5. A doctor to every citizen
6. Free economic and creative zones in universities
7. Self-sufficiency in Dubai homes
8. Co-operative companies in various sectors
9: Annual growth in philanthropy
Medicus AI
Started: 2016
Founder(s): Dr Baher Al Hakim, Dr Nadine Nehme and Makram Saleh
Based: Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai
Sector: Health Tech
Staff: 119
Funding: €7.7 million (Dh31m)
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
Specs
Engine: 3.0L twin-turbo V6
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 405hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 562Nm at 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.2L/100km
Price: From Dh292,845 (Reserve); from Dh320,145 (Presidential)
On sale: Now
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The biog
Born: Kuwait in 1986
Family: She is the youngest of seven siblings
Time in the UAE: 10 years
Hobbies: audiobooks and fitness: she works out every day, enjoying kickboxing and basketball
