The Government has contributed US$10 million (Dh36.7m) to a global nuclear fuel bank, strengthening the UAE's credentials to become the first Arab nation to exploit atomic power.
The donation to the bank, which is essentially a global co-operative for storing and distributing ready-made enriched uranium, prepares the way for the Government to officially embark on a nuclear power programme later this year.
To underline its peaceful intentions and ensure broad international support, the UAE has already pledged to forego uranium enrichment, which is needed to make fuel but can also be used to make atomic weapons.
"The UAE donation marks another important milestone towards supporting mechanisms for non-discriminatory, non-political assurances of supply of fuel for nuclear power plants," said Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which will own and administer the bank.
Iran, by contrast, faces intensifying UN sanctions over its nuclear programme because it includes enrichment that Western powers think is aimed at building a bomb, despite Tehran's denials.
The idea for a nuclear fuel bank was first proposed in 2006 as a way of guaranteeing a steady supply of enriched fuel for countries that want nuclear power but do not have the capacity or desire to enrich uranium.
The UAE has turned to atomic power to fuel its rapid development while diversifying its energy sources and reducing its growing carbon footprint.
The bank was conceived by the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), a non-profit group working to stop the spread of nuclear weapons, and has received $50m from the US and $5m from Norway. The NTI, with backing from Warren Buffett, the billionaire American investor, has promised to donate another $50m if IAEA member contributions reach $100m.
At the request of Mr ElBaradei, NTI has extended its deadline by another year until September 2009 for IAEA members to reach the target.
The UAE is expected to build a fleet of atomic reactors to cater for up to half of the nation's power needs by 2025. Energy demand is rising by 10-15 per cent annually and the nation's heavy reliance on natural gas for power means its carbon emissions are high.
The Government is expected to sanction the nuclear programme officially later this year, in time for seven years of construction, with a view to generating its first kilowatt in 2016.
Several other countries in the region have also announced plans to make electricity by splitting the atom, but the UAE is hoping to become the first Arab nation to do so.
The Government is also developing a network of fuel supply sources to ensure the programme has a secure feedstock, said Hamad al Kaabi, the UAE's special representative for international nuclear co-operation.
It has already signed agreements with three nuclear powers - France, Britain and the US - and is expected to sign with five more nations.
"The UAE contribution to the proposed fuel bank should provide incentives for other states to follow the UAE model to forego enrichment and rely exclusively on the international market in nuclear fuels," said Mr Kaabi.
The fuel bank will act as a backup or reserve mechanism and the IAEA has designed it to operate in such a way as to avoid disrupting the commercial fuel market.
However, analysts said the real significance of the fuel bank concept would come in decades to come, if the world turns decisively to nuclear power as oil supplies are expected to tighten and climate change concerns grow.
Most nuclear power plants in the world use enriched uranium fuel in light-water reactors, which are seen as less of a proliferation risk than fast-breeder plutonium reactors.
However, world uranium reserves are not expected to be sufficient to fuel a massive expansion in this design and the future of nuclear power is almost certainly in fourth-generation plutonium fast-breeder reactors, said Antony Froggatt, research fellow at Chatham House in London.
This will entail a greater risk of proliferation of material suitable for nuclear weapons and therefore will require greater international monitoring of each country's sources of fuel.
"The longer-term vision for nuclear power requires additional security measures for nuclear fuel management and that is what the fuel bank is all about," he said.
@Email:tashby@thenational.ae
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Five famous companies founded by teens
There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:
- Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate.
- Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc.
- Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway.
- Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
- Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
The Kingfisher Secret
Anonymous, Penguin Books
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 banned).
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.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
