The UAE Central Bank on Monday launched a new Dh100 banknote. Made of polymer, it features the Umm Al Quwain National Fort on the front, with a design depicting Etihad Rail alongside the Port of Fujairah on the back.
The note, in various shades of red, is part of the bank’s third issuance of the National Currency Project and uses multi-coloured security chip technology to combat counterfeiting. It will be in circulation from Monday.
Polymer banknotes are more durable and sustainable than traditional paper ones, lasting as least twice as longer in circulation, the central bank says. There are prominent symbols in Braille to help the blind and visually impaired.
“The new Dh100 [$27] banknote reflects our commitment to the leadership's vision for a sustainable future through initiatives and achievements that support net zero and enhance the nation's financial competitiveness,” said Khaled Mohamed Balama, governor of the central bank.
“Its design embodies the country's ambitious aspirations for future progress and prosperity, while honouring its historical and cultural heritage. We are pleased to announce this special issue in conjunction with the Eid Al Fitr celebrations.”
Banks and exchange houses throughout the Emirates have been instructed to programme their cash machines and counting devices to accept the new notes, alongside existing currency.
What do we know about Etihad Rail?
Etihad Rail, which features prominently on the note, is set to play a transformative role in the UAE. Its planned passenger line is aimed at reducing commuting times, easing congestion, and boosting tourism and trade. It was announced this month that a major station was to be built in Sharjah, close to the airport and University City.
Once up and running, the train station could boost the number of passengers on Etihad Rail to about 14,000 each weekday, officials estimate. Etihad Rail that the first station on the new line would be built in Fujairah.
Other stations in Dubai and across the UAE are expected as part of plans for the passenger network to link 11 cities and regions across the country, from Al Sila to Fujairah, passing through Al Ruwais, Al Mirfa, Abu Dhabi city, Dubai, Sharjah and Al Dhaid.
Trains will travel at up to 200kph and have space for up to 400 passengers. Officials say they expect more than 36 million people a year to use the service by 2030. Carriages will have Wi-Fi, entertainment systems, charging points, and sell various food and drink options.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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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THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
Our legal advisor
Rasmi Ragy is a senior counsel at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Prosecutor in Egypt with more than 40 years experience across the GCC.
Education: Ain Shams University, Egypt, in 1978.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
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The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
