This week at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec), Amos Hochstein, the US special envoy and presidential co-ordinator for international energy affairs, offered a vision of a future global energy system that was inclusive and equitable.
Mr Hochstein spoke to me about how energy diplomacy can be a tool for strengthening international relations and avoiding conflict.
The energy transition with the shift away from a reliance on oil and gas to support action on global warming is an opportunity to reset how we produce, buy and sell resources and commodities.
The point is to ensure that there cannot be an overdependence on one country or one region, he said.
“What's happening today for renewables is not the thing about just money. But, if I think about batteries, and solar and wind, I think ‘Okay, where is all that coming from? Who owns it? Who makes it? How is it made?’,” said Mr Hochstein.
“A battery has things in it – it has cobalt and copper and graphite, and nickel. Where that coming from? Is it diversified? The answer's no. It's not diversified. So we need to get together and start thinking about who is mining all that stuff? Are they mining cleanly? Do we want a world that has clean energy that comes from dirty sources? Do I want the cobalt to be mined in a dirty mine then goes to a processing facility that's using coal? What's the point? So we need to have all of these things done around the world, not just in one place, in the US, in Australia, in Europe, in Africa, wherever, all over the world, a diversified system so that the renewable energy future, the green energy future is not the same as a 20th century oil and gas business. Take away the geopolitics of this. Let us be developed everywhere. Let competition be about who can do it the cleanest, healthiest, and most cost efficient way.”
The Democratic Republic of Congo has by far the most cobalt reserves. Indonesia is the largest producer of nickel. Chile is the world’s copper powerhouse and although China makes the most graphite, Turkey holds the largest amount of it.
The number of countries involved in supply chains illustrate obstacles to creating a more equitable global energy system. Too many nations will need to buy-in to make it work.
That is mammoth scale diplomacy and given the state of permacrisis we seem to find ourselves in, there will be little bandwidth available to work on it. Mr Hochstein has devoted much of his career to turning energy discourse into something productive and positive.
“More often than not, people think of energy as tools of war tools of conflict, or not even that extreme, but tools of coercion, leverage, ‘if I sell to you, I own you’,” he told me.
“And that has been the case in Europe, in Asia, South China Sea and in the Middle East. So turning the tables is what I've been really trying to do for 10 years, 11 years now of working to see how do we do it the other way around. If it could be a tool of coercion, why can it not be a tool of co-operation? Because at the end of the day, if you can use it to integrate countries and economies, then you have something to lose, then when it goes away … going to conflict now has a cost,” he said.
Although it may sometimes be difficult to picture energy’s ability to draw countries together – for example when Europe and Russia are currently at loggerheads over gas supplies and the Ukraine war – signs of potential are clearly there.
We saw it in Paris in 2015 when the landmark climate agreement was forged. It was present in Glasgow last year for the climate summit Cop26. In Sharm El Sheikh next week for Cop27 and in the UAE next year for Cop28, nations and institutions will take the climate agenda further than it has ever been before. It took decades to build up this momentum but we have it now.
Bilateral deals on clean energy, including the $100 billion strategic Partnership for Accelerating Clean Energy between the US and the UAE are evidence of progress being made. Mr Hochstein is passionate about how energy can be a tool for positive and sustainable relationships between countries.
“I believe at the end of the day, fundamentally, if you have stability, and security and prosperity, you will not have conflicts. And everybody benefits. The trick is that they are all reinforcing of each other. If you have more stability and security, you have a better shot at prosperity. And if you have a lot more prosperity, you tend to have more security and stability,” he said.
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
One in nine do not have enough to eat
Created in 1961, the World Food Programme is pledged to fight hunger worldwide as well as providing emergency food assistance in a crisis.
One of the organisation’s goals is the Zero Hunger Pledge, adopted by the international community in 2015 as one of the 17 Sustainable Goals for Sustainable Development, to end world hunger by 2030.
The WFP, a branch of the United Nations, is funded by voluntary donations from governments, businesses and private donations.
Almost two thirds of its operations currently take place in conflict zones, where it is calculated that people are more than three times likely to suffer from malnutrition than in peaceful countries.
It is currently estimated that one in nine people globally do not have enough to eat.
On any one day, the WFP estimates that it has 5,000 lorries, 20 ships and 70 aircraft on the move.
Outside emergencies, the WFP provides school meals to up to 25 million children in 63 countries, while working with communities to improve nutrition. Where possible, it buys supplies from developing countries to cut down transport cost and boost local economies.
The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
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Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
LAST 16 DRAW
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Company%20Profile
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Titanium Escrow profile
Started: December 2016
Founder: Ibrahim Kamalmaz
Based: UAE
Sector: Finance / legal
Size: 3 employees, pre-revenue
Stage: Early stage
Investors: Founder's friends and Family
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Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Roll of honour
Who has won what so far in the West Asia Premiership season?
Western Clubs Champions League - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Bahrain
Dubai Rugby Sevens - Winners: Dubai Exiles; Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership - Winners: Jebel Ali Dragons; Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
UAE Premiership Cup - Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
West Asia Cup - Winners: Bahrain; Runners up: Dubai Exiles
West Asia Trophy - Winners: Dubai Hurricanes; Runners up: DSC Eagles
Final West Asia Premiership standings - 1. Jebel Ali Dragons; 2. Abu Dhabi Harlequins; 3. Bahrain; 4. Dubai Exiles; 5. Dubai Hurricanes; 6. DSC Eagles; 7. Abu Dhabi Saracens
Fixture (UAE Premiership final) - Friday, April 13, Al Ain – Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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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
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
First-round leaderbaord
-5 C Conners (Can)
-3 B Koepka (US), K Bradley (US), V Hovland (Nor), A Wise (US), S Horsfield (Eng), C Davis (Aus);
-2 C Morikawa (US), M Laird (Sco), C Tringale (US)
Selected others: -1 P Casey (Eng), R Fowler (US), T Hatton (Eng)
Level B DeChambeau (US), J Rose (Eng)
1 L Westwood (Eng), J Spieth (US)
3 R McIlroy (NI)
4 D Johnson (US)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs: 2018 Maxus T60
Price, base / as tested: Dh48,000
Engine: 2.4-litre four-cylinder
Power: 136hp @ 1,600rpm
Torque: 360Nm @ 1,600 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed manual
Fuel consumption, combined: 9.1L / 100km
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
TEACHERS' PAY - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
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RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP FIXTURES
September 30
South Africa v Australia
Argentina v New Zealand
October 7
South Africa v New Zealand
Argentina v Australia
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars
