An abandoned water park opposite to the shores of the Dead Sea at the Dead Sea coastal resort near Ein Gedi.
An abandoned water park opposite to the shores of the Dead Sea at the Dead Sea coastal resort near Ein Gedi.
An abandoned old work camp on the southern side of the Dead Sea.
An abandoned old work camp on the southern side of the Dead Sea.
An old buoy used by the Israeli navy when they were stationed at the Dead Sea during the 1980s lies about 20 meters out of the water and marks were the water line was about 30 years ago.
An old buoy used by the Israeli navy when they were stationed at the Dead Sea during the 1980s lies about 20 meters out of the water and marks were the water line was about 30 years ago.
Dead palm trees stand in front of the Dead Sea coastal resort.
Dead palm trees stand in front of the Dead Sea coastal resort.
An old dock lies at the middle of the beach.
An old dock lies at the middle of the beach.
A large sinkhole created by the decrease in water level at the Dead Sea coastal resort near Ein Gedi.
A large sinkhole created by the decrease in water level at the Dead Sea coastal resort near Ein Gedi.
An abandoned tourist Boat shipwreck lying at the Dead Sea coastal resort.
An abandoned tourist Boat shipwreck lying at the Dead Sea coastal resort.
A drying pool of the Dead Sea salt processing factory on the southern side of the sea.
A drying pool of the Dead Sea salt processing factory on the southern side of the sea.
A researcher from the Isareli Geological Institute of Limnological Research measures the Dead Sea depth from a rope covered with salt while sailing on the research ship ‘Taglit’ (Discovery) during their monthly research of the Dead Sea water level.
A researcher from the Isareli Geological Institute of Limnological Research measures the Dead Sea depth from a rope covered with salt while sailing on the research ship ‘Taglit’ (Discovery) during their monthly research of the Dead Sea water level.
An old dock stands about 20 meters above the sea level mark where the water line was about 20 years ago.
An old dock stands about 20 meters above the sea level mark where the water line was about 20 years ago.

MENA

Jordan and Israel agree to stop Dead Sea and Jordan River deterioration

Agreement aims to 'rehabilitate' the joint lake and river

The National

November 17, 2022

  • English
  • Arabic

Jordan and Israel agreed on Thursday to work together to halt the drying up of the Dead Sea and the Jordan River, which form a large part of the border between the two countries.

The official Jordanian news agency said a bilateral declaration of intent was signed on the sidelines of the Cop27 climate meetings in Sharm El Sheikh “to rehabilitate and improve the environment and water system of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea”.

The report did not give any details about how this could be carried out as farming and mining on both sides continues to cause the waters to decrease.

The Dead Sea is dropping by almost one metre a year. The highly salty lake is a main tourism destination in the two countries but also a centre of their potash industries, a main cause of the water drain. The Jordan River's water flow is only 7 per cent of the level it was in the 1950s, before Israel, Jordan and Syria began damming its tributaries.

The agreement, the news agency reported, “aims to create job opportunities and more water for those living on both sides of the Jordan River, including Palestinians,” without being more specific.

It was signed by Jordan's Water Minister Muhammad Najjar and Israel's Minister of Environmental Protection, Tamar Zanderberg.

The two countries signed the Wadi Araba peace agreement in 1994, ending a technical state of war that lasted 46 years. Since then Israel, which has one of the most advanced irrigation systems in the world, has been supplying Jordan with water as the kingdom's water resources have lessened sharply.

Last year the two countries struck a deal whereby Israel would provide Jordan with more water in return for electricity from a proposed solar power plant.

While you're here
While you're here
UAE squad

Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.

UAE tour of Zimbabwe

All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

 

On Women's Day
On Women's Day
THE SPECS

Engine: 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo

Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic

Power: 169bhp

Torque: 250Nm

Price: Dh54,500

On sale: now

While you're here
Aayan%E2%80%99s%20records
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EYoungest%20UAE%20men%E2%80%99s%20cricketer%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EWhen%20he%20debuted%20against%20Bangladesh%20aged%2016%20years%20and%20314%20days%2C%20he%20became%20the%20youngest%20ever%20to%20play%20for%20the%20men%E2%80%99s%20senior%20team.%20He%20broke%20the%20record%20set%20by%20his%20World%20Cup%20squad-mate%2C%20Alishan%20Sharafu%2C%20of%2017%20years%20and%2044%20days.%3Cbr%3E%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EYoungest%20wicket-taker%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EAfter%20taking%20the%20wicket%20of%20Bangladesh%E2%80%99s%20Litton%20Das%20on%20debut%20in%20Dubai%2C%20Aayan%20became%20the%20youngest%20male%20cricketer%20to%20take%20a%20wicket%20against%20a%20Full%20Member%20nation%20in%20a%20T20%20international.%3Cbr%3E%20%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EYoungest%20in%20T20%20World%20Cup%20history%3F%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EAayan%20does%20not%20turn%2017%20until%20November%2015%20%E2%80%93%20which%20is%20two%20days%20after%20the%20T20%20World%20Cup%20final%20at%20the%20MCG.%20If%20he%20does%20play%20in%20the%20competition%2C%20he%20will%20be%20its%20youngest%20ever%20player.%20Pakistan%E2%80%99s%20Mohammed%20Amir%2C%20who%20was%2017%20years%20and%2055%20days%20when%20he%20played%20in%202009%2C%20currently%20holds%20the%20record.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
While you're here
Sinopharm vaccine explained

The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades. 

“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.

"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."

This is then injected into the body.

"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.

"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."

The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.

Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.

“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.

Graduated from the American University of Sharjah

She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters

Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks

Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding

 

Tributes from the UAE's personal finance community

• Sebastien Aguilar, who heads SimplyFI.org, a non-profit community where people learn to invest Bogleheads’ style

“It is thanks to Jack Bogle’s work that this community exists and thanks to his work that many investors now get the full benefits of long term, buy and hold stock market investing.

Compared to the industry, investing using the common sense approach of a Boglehead saves a lot in costs and guarantees higher returns than the average actively managed fund over the long term. 

From a personal perspective, learning how to invest using Bogle’s approach was a turning point in my life. I quickly realised there was no point chasing returns and paying expensive advisers or platforms. Once money is taken care off, you can work on what truly matters, such as family, relationships or other projects. I owe Jack Bogle for that.”

• Sam Instone, director of financial advisory firm AES International

"Thought to have saved investors over a trillion dollars, Jack Bogle’s ideas truly changed the way the world invests. Shaped by his own personal experiences, his philosophy and basic rules for investors challenged the status quo of a self-interested global industry and eventually prevailed.  Loathed by many big companies and commission-driven salespeople, he has transformed the way well-informed investors and professional advisers make decisions."

• Demos Kyprianou, a board member of SimplyFI.org

"Jack Bogle for me was a rebel, a revolutionary who changed the industry and gave the little guy like me, a chance. He was also a mentor who inspired me to take the leap and take control of my own finances."

• Steve Cronin, founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com

"Obsessed with reducing fees, Jack Bogle structured Vanguard to be owned by its clients – that way the priority would be fee minimisation for clients rather than profit maximisation for the company.

His real gift to us has been the ability to invest in the stock market (buy and hold for the long term) rather than be forced to speculate (try to make profits in the shorter term) or even worse have others speculate on our behalf.

Bogle has given countless investors the ability to get on with their life while growing their wealth in the background as fast as possible. The Financial Independence movement would barely exist without this."

• Zach Holz, who blogs about financial independence at The Happiest Teacher

"Jack Bogle was one of the greatest forces for wealth democratisation the world has ever seen.  He allowed people a way to be free from the parasitical "financial advisers" whose only real concern are the fat fees they get from selling you over-complicated "products" that have caused millions of people all around the world real harm.”

• Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.org

"In an industry that’s synonymous with greed, Jack Bogle was a lone wolf, swimming against the tide. When others were incentivised to enrich themselves, he stood by the ‘fiduciary’ standard – something that is badly needed in the financial industry of the UAE."

The alternatives

• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.

• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.

• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.

• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.

• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases -  but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.

Updated: November 17, 2022, 3:00 PM`
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