Egyptian Ali Abdo is hoping to promote sustainability while setting a world record for the longest electric motorcycle ride in his journey to Cop27, the UN climate summit being held in Sharm El Sheikh in November.
The environmental activist, who has set two Guinness World Records, plans to cover nearly 20,000 kilometres and all of Egypt’s 27 governorates during his “Ride to Cop27”.
Mr Abdo will criss-cross the country, starting at Abu Simbel in Upper Egypt and finishing in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm El Sheikh.
“I personally believe that knowledge can save us,” Mr Abdo, 37, told The National. "The first step is to know there’s a problem. And that’s what I’m trying to show during this trip: the impacts of climate change and the small steps that we can take."
The drive, supported by the Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports, the Ministry of Environment and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), will begin on October 1 and take about a month.
Cop27 takes place from November 6 to 18.
Mr Abdo said the main goals of the journey are to document the effects of climate change on societies through collecting stories, to spread awareness on how people can decrease their own carbon footprints and to encourage youth to come up with solutions.
The “Ride to Zero” hackathon, an online competition that runs simultaneously with the trip, will select the best ideas to combat climate change from five Egyptian cities: Cairo, Alexandria, Assiut, Suez and Tanta.
While covering more than 500km per day, Mr Abdo will visit schools, universities, villages and government offices in an effort to promote his message of sustainability.
“It’s like a framework connecting people together,” he said.
Mr Abdo, who works as a corporate social responsibility manager at IBM, has not always been an environmental activist.
The man from Alexandria has a passion for motorbikes and in 2013 started touring Egypt to learn more about his homeland. In 2016, he drove nearly 6,000km over the course of seven days.
He set his first Guinness World Record in 2017 for the greatest distance on a motocross bike in 24 hours, riding more than 600km in El Gouna on the Red Sea.
In 2019, he began to shift his focus to building awareness of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and became a sustainability ambassador through a programme with the Egyptian Ministry of Planning and Economic Development.
While he had a certain attachment to motorbike culture and the sound of revving the engine, he recognised he needed to abandon his old ways.
“I can’t do something associated with the environment when I’m riding a gas motorcycle, so I changed to an e-motorcycle,” he said.
In September 2021, he set his second Guinness World Record, this time the greatest distance on an electric motorcycle in 24 hours. He covered nearly 920km in New Alamein on the Mediterranean coast.
Ride to Cop27 will attempt to break two world records: the world’s longest journey on an electric motorcycle and longest electric motorcycle journey in a single country.
The first record stands at 12,379km, set by an Italian entrepreneur who rode through 11 countries from Shanghai, China to Milan, Italy in July 2013.
Owning an electric motorcycle in the Middle East is rare, which makes it “attract people’s attention”, Mr Abdo said.
He recognises that not everyone can make the switch from petrol or diesel cars and motorcycles to electric, but people can find other ways to reduce emissions, such as using public transport, bicycles or scooters.
“The core issue of climate actions is financing,” he said. "No one can finance everything we need, but we can transform individual behaviour to get an impact. That’s my vision."
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The Book of Collateral Damage
Sinan Antoon
(Yale University Press)
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Gifts exchanged
- King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
- Queen Camilla - Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
- Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
- Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
At Eternity’s Gate
Director: Julian Schnabel
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Oscar Isaacs, Mads Mikkelsen
Three stars
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
Score
Third Test, Day 1
New Zealand 229-7 (90 ov)
Pakistan
New Zealand won the toss and elected to bat
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
The Kites
Romain Gary
Penguin Modern Classics
Q&A with Dash Berlin
Welcome back. What was it like to return to RAK and to play for fans out here again?
It’s an amazing feeling to be back in the passionate UAE again. Seeing the fans having a great time that is what it’s all about.
You're currently touring the globe as part of your Legends of the Feels Tour. How important is it to you to include the Middle East in the schedule?
The tour is doing really well and is extensive and intensive at the same time travelling all over the globe. My Middle Eastern fans are very dear to me, it’s good to be back.
You mix tracks that people know and love, but you also have a visually impressive set too (graphics etc). Is that the secret recipe to Dash Berlin's live gigs?
People enjoying the combination of the music and visuals are the key factor in the success of the Legends Of The Feel tour 2018.
Have you had some time to explore Ras al Khaimah too? If so, what have you been up to?
Coming fresh out of Las Vegas where I continue my 7th annual year DJ residency at Marquee, I decided it was a perfect moment to catch some sun rays and enjoy the warm hospitality of Bab Al Bahr.
match info
Union Berlin 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Lewandowski 40' pen, Pavard 80')
Man of the Match: Benjamin Pavard (Bayern Munich)
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
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