US climate envoy John Kerry attends the Regional Climate Dialogue in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. This is Mr Kerry's first visit to the Middle East, and Asia, since being appointed to the role. Courtesy: Office of the UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change
US climate envoy John Kerry attends the Regional Climate Dialogue in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. This is Mr Kerry's first visit to the Middle East, and Asia, since being appointed to the role. Courtesy: Office of the UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change
Alok Sharma, President of Cop26, attends the Regional Climate Dialogue in Abu Dhabi.
The pledge issued at the end of the Regional Climate Dialogue vowed to help the most vulnerable.
Delegates at the talks in Abu Dhabi.
Abdullah Al Nuaimi, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment and John Kerry, US climate envoy at the dialogue.
Abdullah Al Nuaimi, UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment, at the Regional Climate Dialogue.
The dialogue comes during a critical year in the global fight to halt rising temperatures. Courtesy: Office of the UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change
The UAE's Special Envoy for Climate Change, Dr Sultan Al Jaber, at the Regional Climate Dialogue. Courtesy: Office of the UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change
US climate envoy John Kerry is given a helicopter tour of Noor solar park, outside Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Courtesy: Office of the UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change
John Kerry speaks with Dr Sultan Al Jaber at Abu Dhabi's Shams 1 solar park on Saturday. The National
This is John Kerry's first visit to the Middle East since being appointed US climate envoy. The National
Mr Kerry has vowed to make up for the 'lost years' of the Donald Trump presidency and put the US at the forefront of efforts to protect the environment. The National
John Kerry meets Francesco La Camera, director general of International Renewable Energy Agency, which has its global headquarters in Abu Dhabi. The National
US climate envoy John Kerry visits Jubail Mangrove Park. Courtesy Office of the UAE Special Envoy for Climate Change
An aerial image of Abu Dhabi's Noor solar park. Its 3.2 million panels make it the largest single-site solar park in the world. Courtesy: Noor Abu Dhabi
Arrayed panels at Abu Dhabi's Noor solar park. Pawan Singh / The National
As John Kerry stepped onto UAE soil this Easter weekend, I was reminded of the words of the Founding Father, the late Sheikh Zayed, who emphasised the importance of unity in order to provide a better life for our people, to realise their hopes and aspirations, and to ensure stability.
Mr Kerry’s visit to the UAE in his role as US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate during our Golden Jubilee year is an example of Sheikh Zayed’s vision playing out on the highest of international levels. From here, our two nations will only continue to leverage a long-standing partnership to rouse the international community into creating a unified action plan for a stable and sustainable future.
This notion was clear for all to see as Dr Abdullah Al Nuaimi, the Minister of Climate Change and Environment, and Dr Sultan Al Jaber, the Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology and the UAE’s Special Envoy on Climate, hosted Alok Sharma, President of the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference (Cop26), as well as Mr Kerry and leaders from countries of the GCC and Mena region in Abu Dhabi on Sunday to inaugurate the UAE Regional Climate Dialogue.
Chaired by Dr Al Jaber, the event marked the first multilateral ministerial dialogue aimed at driving new climate mitigation efforts and growth opportunities in the Mena region and beyond.
Indeed, in the joint statement issued after the meeting, participants urged the international community to take steps to keep a Paris-aligned temperature limit within reach through “enhanced nationally determined contributions". The statement also outlined the importance of energy adaptation and the co-benefits of building resilience to climate change. The participating nations will aim to achieve these goals, they said, through “investments in renewable energy, ecosystem-based approaches, nature-based solutions, climate-smart agriculture, carbon-capture technologies, and other low-carbon solutions [that] will support sustainable economic growth and job creation".
Also on show during the Dialogue was a value the US and the UAE hold close: collectivism. The event brought together a multitude of perspectives to solve our biggest challenges and leave a lasting impact. Similarly, since taking office in January, the Biden-Harris administration has wasted no time in putting this into practice to confront the greatest challenge of our times: the climate emergency.
Mere days after being sworn in, President Joe Biden signed a set of sweeping environmental executive orders and announced a virtual summit of 40 world leaders on Earth Day this month as part of a resolute focus to build traction around global climate action. The UAE, which will be one of only two Arab nations in attendance at the Leaders Summit on Climate on April 22, has already begun aligning with the US on strategies to address the global climate agenda.
To date, several collaborations on renewable energy and sustainability-focused projects in the UAE have seen us working together to tackle global climate change challenges. Among them are the peaceful nuclear co-operation that resulted in the establishment of the Barakah Nuclear Energy Plant that generates clean electricity for the UAE, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s role in establishing and developing Abu Dhabi’s Masdar Institute of Science and Technology and subsequently Khalifa University and partnerships on carbon capture and renewables-powered desalination.
And in the other direction, the UAE has invested in a raft of forward-looking projects that are currently taking shape in Nebraska, Texas, California and New Mexico, covering solar photovoltaics, wind energy and lithium-ion batteries.
Marking the next step in this relationship, Dr Al Jaber opened a dialogue with Mr Kerry in February with a view to teaming up to combat the climate crisis while unlocking opportunities for economic growth and diversification and job creation that help build a carbon-free future.
The two special envoys agreed to set up bilateral working groups to advance our nations’ shared global climate agenda, and contribute to regional and global sustainable development. With time running out to limit global warming, and mere months to go before Cop26 in Glasgow, Scotland, close collaboration remains vital – not just between the UAE and the US, but also with our respective allies.
As the permanent home to the International Renewable Energy Agency, the UAE has contributed significantly to shaping the global dialogue around renewable energy. But our own energy leadership extends to concerted policy action and business incentives. For over 15 years, the nation has developed a considerable green economy with value additions in a wide range of areas, from eco-friendly transport and sustainable industry to carbon capture and storage, and clean energy.
The next 10 years, the US, the UAE and the wider international community firmly agree, must be a decade of action
To take just one sector as an example, the UAE has sizeable renewable energy investments in 70 countries around the world, including three of the biggest and lowest-cost solar plants right here within our own borders. These assets, whether in the UAE, the US or elsewhere, have improved economic opportunities, strengthened industrial diversification and enhanced financial output while creating knowledge, skills and jobs on the road to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement.
The next 10 years, the US, the UAE and the wider international community firmly agree, must be a decade of action. As we move towards Cop26 for what must mark an inflection point in our approach to the climate emergency, the UAE stands ready to share its experience and expertise from the frontlines of the clean energy movement.
As Sheikh Zayed said, our forefathers recognised the need to conserve the environment, to take from it only what they needed to live and to preserve it for succeeding generations. Sustainability is in our DNA, and strengthening our partnership with the US will allow us to leverage the power of the green economy for the global good.
Dr Nawal Al-Hosany is a permanent representative of the UAE to the International Renewable Energy Agency
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (all kick-offs UAE time)
Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (10.30pm)
Saturday
Freiburg v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Paderborn v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen (5.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)
Sunday
Schalke v Augsburg (3.30pm)
Mainz v RB Leipzig (5.30pm)
Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf (8pm)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, six-cylinder
Transmission: six-speed manual
Power: 395bhp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: from Dh321,200
On sale: now
MATCH INFO
Schalke 0
Werder Bremen 1 (Bittencourt 32')
Man of the match Leonardo Bittencourt (Werder Bremen)
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
How to wear a kandura
Dos
Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Results:
Men's 100m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 15 sec; 2. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 15.40; 3. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 15.75. Men's 400m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 50.56; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 50.94; 3. Henry Manni (FIN) 52.24.
The biog
Name: Sarah Al Senaani
Age: 35
Martial status: Married with three children - aged 8, 6 and 2
Education: Masters of arts in cultural communication and tourism
Favourite movie: Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
Favourite hobbies: Art and horseback ridding
Occupation: Communication specialist at a government agency and the owner of Atelier
Favourite cuisine: Definitely Emirati - harees is my favourite dish
Spain drain
CONVICTED
Lionel Messi Found guilty in 2016 of of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying €4.1m in taxes on income earned from image rights. Sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined more than €2m. But prison sentence has since been replaced by another fine of €252,000.
Javier Mascherano Accepted one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after found guilty of failing to pay €1.5m in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.
Angel di Maria Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria was fined and given a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud during his time at Real Madrid. But he is unlikely to go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying sentence of less than two years.
SUSPECTED
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid's star striker, accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, appears in court on Monday. Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies.
Jose Mourinho Manchester United manager accused of evading €3.3m in tax in 2011 and 2012, during time in charge at Real Madrid. But Gestifute, which represents him, says he has already settled matter with Spanish tax authorities.
Samuel Eto'o In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought jail sentence of 10 years and fines totalling €18m for Cameroonian, accused of failing to pay €3.9m in taxes during time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.
Radamel Falcao Colombian striker Falcao suspected of failing to correctly declare €7.4m of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while at Atletico Madrid. He has since paid €8.2m to Spanish tax authorities, a sum that includes interest on the original amount.
Jorge Mendes Portuguese super-agent put under official investigation last month by Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao, a client of his. He defended himself, telling closed-door hearing he "never" advised players in tax matters.
