It is sometimes said that there are “decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen”. There is no doubt that we are living through a period of rapid change, in which we can feel the ground shifting beneath our feet.
In the UAE, we are no strangers to this experience. In the space of a generation, our founding fathers and their successors created the foundations for our country’s meteoric rise from one of the least to one of the most developed countries in the world: building security, prosperity, international influence and soft power.
Wise leadership has transformed our prospects as a people and made our land a magnet of opportunity for all nationalities who live and work in our country or seek to partner with us today.
Because of this experience, we know that it is possible to unite people of different backgrounds around common goals and to create the momentum needed to improve the conditions of a society and of humanity. We have seen this with our own eyes: it is our national story.
In my book When Ground Shifts: The Story of Dubai Expo: Creating Hope in Times of Upheaval, I recount our country’s successful bid to host the first World Expo ever held anywhere in the Middle East, Africa or South Asia.
I describe how the UAE won the bid against much larger and more established nations, the innovative approach we pioneered to staging the Expo and the adversities we collectively overcame, including the global coronavirus pandemic.
The book is not the final word on the subject of Expo 2020. Many more volumes could be written. But it is my humble attempt to shine a light on an incredible decade, and to honour Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.
He led our country to stage the most inclusive Expo ever seen – with equal participation for all countries, and respect, dignity and opportunity afforded to all. He ensured that we left behind a city that is a hub for innovation, enterprise and sustainable living. And he empowered the Expo 2020 team to serve our country in this way, inspired by his example and values.
The book is written in my name, but it is the story of his vision that inspired a nation and brought together millions of people. It is the story of our partners across the UAE and the world who made Expo 2020 possible. It is a story of complexities unravelled and possibilities unlocked.
It is a tale of people at their best: innovative, creative, collaborative, practical and motivated. In short, it is about seeing the world in a new light and living and working together differently. By capturing the lessons of this experience, I hope we can help to inspire young leaders, entrepreneurs and problem-solvers in our own country and beyond.
The message of Expo 2020 is that extraordinary things can and do happen in places that have enlightened leadership. There is nothing that humans cannot achieve if we have passion, commitment and a relentless determination to deliver against all odds and in an exceptional way.
We learnt through Expo 2020 that during moments of upheaval, it is particularly incumbent upon us – as individuals, as nations, as humanity – to try to shape the developments for the better. We cannot sit and wait in hope that the stars will align; we have to make the best of our present reality.
We have the capacity to chart our path, and we often underestimate the scope we have to improve our collective circumstances. We can be steeped in realism but still choose to find a way forward that is built on hope and faith in human agency.
We were proud to hand the World Expo baton to Japan, and, when Expo 2025 opens in Osaka next month, we are excited to see the new innovations it will bring.
Expo 2020 is now in our past, but its message belongs to the future. It belongs to all children, and to everyone working to improve their society or country or seeking to make positive strides for the common good.
It stands as testament to the fact that if we can hold on to a vision that is based on equality and partnership between nations and apply ourselves to solving collective problems, we can succeed in building the trust needed to manage the complexities of the modern era.
Believing that things cannot change for the better only ever holds us back. Positive change – for individuals, communities and the world – doesn’t lie in a single act, but in the culmination of everything we do. And when obstacles and difficulties seem insurmountable, we can take comfort in the fact that the world – like the ground beneath our feet – is constantly shifting.
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Six tips to secure your smart home
Most smart home devices are controlled via the owner's smartphone. Therefore, if you are using public wi-fi on your phone, always use a VPN (virtual private network) that offers strong security features and anonymises your internet connection.
Keep your smart home devices’ software up-to-date. Device makers often send regular updates - follow them without fail as they could provide protection from a new security risk.
Use two-factor authentication so that in addition to a password, your identity is authenticated by a second sign-in step like a code sent to your mobile number.
Set up a separate guest network for acquaintances and visitors to ensure the privacy of your IoT devices’ network.
Change the default privacy and security settings of your IoT devices to take extra steps to secure yourself and your home.
Always give your router a unique name, replacing the one generated by the manufacturer, to ensure a hacker cannot ascertain its make or model number.
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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.
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Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
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Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
National Editorial: Suleimani has been killed, now we must de-escalate
Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
Simon Waldman: Cautious Israel keeping a low profile
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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The specs: 2019 GMC Yukon Denali
Price, base: Dh306,500
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Power: 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 621Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.9L / 100km
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The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
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Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000
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Transmission 10-speed automatic
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Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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Power: Combined output 920hp
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Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
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Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
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Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
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ENGLAND SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope
Defenders: John Stones, Harry Maguire, Phil Jones, Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier, Gary Cahill, Ashley Young, Danny Rose, Trent Alexander-Arnold
Midfielders: Eric Dier, Jordan Henderson, Dele Alli, Jesse Lingard, Raheem Sterling, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Fabian Delph
Forwards: Harry Kane, Jamie Vardy, Marcus Rashford, Danny Welbeck
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US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
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The biog
Favourite pet: cats. She has two: Eva and Bito
Favourite city: Cape Town, South Africa
Hobby: Running. "I like to think I’m artsy but I’m not".
Favourite move: Romantic comedies, specifically Return to me. "I cry every time".
Favourite spot in Abu Dhabi: Saadiyat beach
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Directed by: Stefano Sollima
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4/5
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
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Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
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Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
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PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)
Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Newcastle United (7pm)
Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
Specs
Christopher Robin
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Haley Atwell, Jim Cummings, Peter Capaldi
Three stars
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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