World Governments Summit: live updates
The World Governments Summit in Dubai opened on Tuesday with a speech by its chairman calling on humanity to learn from the mistakes of the past as a new technological age begins.
Over the next 25 years, Mohammed Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs said, artificial intelligence would move civilisation ahead faster than at any stage in history.
He also called on governments to keep pace with innovation and asked the richest nations to contribute more to eliminate poverty. “The past 25 years have been nothing short of extraordinary,” said Mr Al Gergawi.
“Marked by certain transformations and unprecedented shifts, the world in 2000 was optimistic, with globalisation seen as an unstoppable force for economic good and technological innovation. But the opposite has happened and we have given way to fragmentation, protectionism and populism.”
Growing population
The global population has increased from six billion in 2000 to 8.2 billion today, while the global economy has tripled to $33 trillion.
This century, the world went from domination by traditional industrial giants driven by oil, heavy manufacturing and financial services to one dominated by technology.
Conflict and natural disasters have cost millions of lives and displaced millions more.
Mr Al Gergawi said with only four per cent of conflicts resolved by peace agreements, it was time to look for alternatives to war through diplomacy.
“What if we had selected peace over violence and diplomatic solutions?” Mr Al Gergawi said in the summit’s opening address.
“A utopia – but we can make more wise decisions when we realise that stability and coexistence are much better than conflicts. It is said those who fail to learn from history are destined to repeat it.”
The minister said a disintegrating public trust in governments had led to a rise in populism, and he warned of further unrest.
“Since 2000, we have witnessed a decline and the level of trust in governments in many countries, and a rise of populist movements and protests around the world,” said Mr Al Gergawi.
“Studies suggest that eradicating hunger and disease would require approximately $800 billion annually. If the world's 50 largest economies allocated just one per cent of their GDP to solve these challenges, it would be more than enough – the decision is in our hands. Our future does not require miracles, only a commitment to our humanitarian values.”
Rapid rate of change
Discussion on the opening morning of the summit included how governments operate in an age of artificial intelligence, and how to innovate in a more connected world with an ageing population.
In 2050, more than 20 per cent of the world's population will be over the age of 60, double the percentage recorded in 2000.
While tackling the health challenges of an ageing population, governments will also have to keep pace with the rapid rate of change.
“We are now moving from the industrial age to the intelligent age, but there's one big difference,” said Klaus Schwab, chairman of the board of trustees at the World Economic Forum.
“Where we had several generations to adapt, this transition is happening at exponential speed. It's a transition to a new time, which will change everything - how we communicate, how we work and how we live.
“Governments have to be enablers of this change at lightning speech, to provide the necessary infrastructure and to co-operate with business. Transition into this new intelligent age will only be mastered if all human society works together.”
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The specs
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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The specs
Engine: 5.2-litre V10
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Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
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On sale: Q3 or Q4 2022
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Volvo ES90 Specs
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Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
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Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Jetour T1 specs
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Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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