Last week, I was privileged to visit Manila in the Philippines to witness first-hand the exploits of dozens of students as they competed in the Shell Eco-marathon. The name of the game was parsimonious energy consumption and, as the various universities took to the city street track in their incredibly diverse machines, there was a faint flicker of hope in the air for humanity.
Scientific progress means that most of us can move around our planet with incredible ease, live in comfort, earn a decent wage and drive modern cars that are safe, luxurious and efficient. As a child of the 1970s, the things that I now get to experience are enough to fry my brain if I think about them for too long. Yet for all the good things that technology has brought, there are incredibly negative aspects, too.
No matter where you stand on the debate of climate change, there’s no getting around the fact that this planet’s natural resources are finite. One day, oil, gas and uranium will run out and, unless we change the way in which we generate and use energy, we will return to a primitive way of life not seen for millennia. Shell knows this as much as anyone and, for decades, has been championing fuel efficiency, with the annual Eco-marathon representing the jewel in its enviro-PR crown.
The Asia event, held for the first time in Manila (it was previously in Malaysia), brought together the most enquiring minds from the entire region, including the Middle East. Four days long, it was also used as a platform for debate and discussion between some of the world’s most outspoken and knowledgeable experts on climate change, population issues and energy crisis management. All carried out under the gaze of television cameras, hundreds of bloggers, tweeters, activists and the plain curious, it was entirely obvious that there are no clear answers to the very real problems.
It was during a question-and-answer session with Shell’s Mark Gainsborough, who is its executive vice president for commercial operations, that I got an insight into the perceived problems facing us in the Middle East. It was all very well, I suggested, to have students here, applying their scientific know-how in the pursuit of fuel economy, but in a region like ours, what can be done to further the cause? We drive V8s and V12s, we don’t care about emissions or the price of fuel – it’s irrelevant.
“You’re quite right,” he said. “Last year, driving from Dubai to Abu Dhabi for the Grand Prix, for the first time I saw six Ferraris together in one petrol station. So, yes, there’s money and there’s fuel so cheap that nobody thinks twice about his or her consumption. But there has to come a time when authorities sit up and take notice. And what we’ve seen in other parts of the world is that the price of fuel directly impacts the behaviour of the majority, even in wealthy countries. When fuel costs are subsidised, there is little hope of changing the ways of most consumers.”
The price of fuel in this part of the world is unlikely to skyrocket any time soon and, like me, you’ll be glad about that. But that doesn’t mean that we can’t do our bit for the environment. I’m not talking about recycling old newspapers or properly disposing of the batteries from your remote control. I’m talking about the way that we drive.
Keeping our tyres at the right pressures, for example, improves fuel efficiency. Smooth inputs, avoiding aggressive braking or acceleration, keeping our windows closed, not having flags and the like protruding from our cars’ bodywork – they all contribute to greater fuel efficiency and, more than anything I saw at Manila, that is what will stay with me personally. Don’t think that there’s nothing that you can do to help – it’s in the power of all of us to improve our futures. Our roads would be a lot safer, too, if driving habits were changed – now wouldn’t that be satisfying?
khackett@thenational.ae
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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The biog
Favourite colour: Brown
Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices
Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
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
The Farewell
Director: Lulu Wang
Stars: Awkwafina, Zhao Shuzhen, Diana Lin, Tzi Ma
Four stars
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
OTHER IPL BOWLING RECORDS
Best bowling figures: 6-14 – Sohail Tanvir (for Rajasthan Royals against Chennai Super Kings in 2008)
Best average: 16.36 – Andrew Tye
Best economy rate: 6.53 – Sunil Narine
Best strike-rate: 12.83 – Andrew Tye
Best strike-rate in an innings: 1.50 – Suresh Raina (for Chennai Super Kings against Rajasthan Royals in 2011)
Most runs conceded in an innings: 70 – Basil Thampi (for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2018)
Most hat-tricks: 3 – Amit Mishra
Most dot-balls: 1,128 – Harbhajan Singh
Most maiden overs bowled: 14 – Praveen Kumar
Most four-wicket hauls: 6 – Sunil Narine
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
RESULTS
5pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (Turf) 2,200m
Winner: M'A Yaromoon, Jesus Rosales (jockey), Khalifa Al Neydai (trainer)
5.30pm: Khor Al Baghal – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: No Riesgo Al Maury, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6pm: Khor Faridah – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: JAP Almahfuz, Royston Ffrench, Irfan Ellahi
6.30pm: Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Mahmouda, Pat Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7pm: Abu Dhabi Colts Classic – Prestige (PA) Dh110,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: AS Jezan, George Buckell, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
7.30pm: Khor Laffam – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m
Winner: Dolman, Antonio Fresu, Bhupath Seemar
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.
