A little more than two years ago, when the Jubail Mangrove Park opened to the public in Abu Dhabi, visitors flocked to the island to soak in the environment. In being able to explore the park, with the intertidal trees on both sides of the winding two-kilometre boardwalk, visitors learnt how these trees provide an indispensable natural habitat for numerous marine species.
Last week, during Prince William's visit to the UAE, and due to the time he spent addressing key conservation issues, including notably, planting mangrove saplings, the critical importance of these trees and the support they lend to the marine ecosystem was once again highlighted. With Abu Dhabi launching an ambitious mangrove conservation project, people were reminded about the characteristic benefits of mangroves and why it is essential to take good care of them.
The UAE's vast nature conservation programmes have already been at work. Just last month, the UAE Cabinet agreed the country would join the Leaders' Pledge for Nature, an international effort to increase protection of the planet’s land and oceans.
Last week, Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment, spoke of the UAE's "marine wealth", emphasising the point that protecting marine resources and biodiversity are some of the key priorities of the UAE, where mangroves cover an estimated 150 square kilometres of the country's coastline. With such dedicated effort at conservation, it is every bit conceivable that the UAE will reach its stated goal of planting 100 million mangroves by 2030.
As in tropics and sub-tropical areas all over the world, in the UAE, too, mangroves protect the Emirates from rising sea levels and storms. Since they are found where sea meets land, mangroves can act as natural defences from waves and the wind. Peter Thomson, the UN's special envoy for oceans, wrote in a report on the state of the world's mangroves that they are especially useful in the world's goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, as they have the remarkable ability to sequester carbon at a rate four times that of terrestrial forests.
In a time when the news about climate change is cause for worry, there are aspects of mangrove regeneration that evoke a sense of optimism: in the past 20 years, across the world, mangrove forests have shifted from being one of the fastest-diminishing habitats on Earth to being among the best protected.
The hardiness and natural resilience of these trees, which have adapted to live in salty, tropical climes, and in stressful environments, are among their most prominent features. A report co-authored by The Nature Conservancy, a global environment organisation, showed that mangroves have been a crucial defence to mitigate natural disasters in the US state of Florida. The report also said that during Hurricane Irma in 2017 in the Eastern Caribbean, mangroves protected more than half a million people and prevented $1.5 billion in direct flood damages.
Over centuries, they have acted as a flood defence, fortified coastlines and provided immeasurable benefits to colonies of sea life across the world, species both small and large – molluscs, crabs, crustaceans, but even larger life, be it dugongs, porpoises, crocodiles and even tigers – in the Sundarbans, one of the world's largest continuous mangrove forests, shared by Bangladesh and India. In many countries, coastal communities and fishers depend on the healthy proliferation of mangroves.
Here, in the UAE, with so much awareness of their importance, the pride of place of these remarkable trees, and a mangrove park that is easily accessible, their value is apparent. The priority that is accorded to them at the highest levels indicates that the country is an example of what can be achieved when, at the heart of national efforts, is a commitment to being good stewards of its marine wealth and the natural world.
Traces%20of%20Enayat
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PULITZER PRIZE 2020 WINNERS
JOURNALISM
Public Service
Anchorage Daily News in collaboration with ProPublica
Breaking News Reporting
Staff of The Courier-Journal, Louisville, Ky.
Investigative Reporting
Brian M. Rosenthal of The New York Times
Explanatory Reporting
Staff of The Washington Post
Local Reporting
Staff of The Baltimore Sun
National Reporting
T. Christian Miller, Megan Rose and Robert Faturechi of ProPublica
and
Dominic Gates, Steve Miletich, Mike Baker and Lewis Kamb of The Seattle Times
International Reporting
Staff of The New York Times
Feature Writing
Ben Taub of The New Yorker
Commentary
Nikole Hannah-Jones of The New York Times
Criticism
Christopher Knight of the Los Angeles Times
Editorial Writing
Jeffery Gerritt of the Palestine (Tx.) Herald-Press
Editorial Cartooning
Barry Blitt, contributor, The New Yorker
Breaking News Photography
Photography Staff of Reuters
Feature Photography
Channi Anand, Mukhtar Khan and Dar Yasin of the Associated Press
Audio Reporting
Staff of This American Life with Molly O’Toole of the Los Angeles Times and Emily Green, freelancer, Vice News for “The Out Crowd”
LETTERS AND DRAMA
Fiction
"The Nickel Boys" by Colson Whitehead (Doubleday)
Drama
"A Strange Loop" by Michael R. Jackson
History
"Sweet Taste of Liberty: A True Story of Slavery and Restitution in America" by W. Caleb McDaniel (Oxford University Press)
Biography
"Sontag: Her Life and Work" by Benjamin Moser (Ecco/HarperCollins)
Poetry
"The Tradition" by Jericho Brown (Copper Canyon Press)
General Nonfiction
"The Undying: Pain, Vulnerability, Mortality, Medicine, Art, Time, Dreams, Data, Exhaustion, Cancer, and Care" by Anne Boyer (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
and
"The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America" by Greg Grandin (Metropolitan Books)
Music
"The Central Park Five" by Anthony Davis, premiered by Long Beach Opera on June 15, 2019
Special Citation
Ida B. Wells
Fitness problems in men's tennis
Andy Murray - hip
Novak Djokovic - elbow
Roger Federer - back
Stan Wawrinka - knee
Kei Nishikori - wrist
Marin Cilic - adductor
RESULTS
ATP China Open
G Dimitrov (BUL x3) bt R Bautista Agut (ESP x5)
7-6, 4-6, 6-2
R Nadal (ESP x1) bt J Isner (USA x6)
6-4, 7-6
WTA China Open
S Halep (ROU x2) bt D Kasatkina (RUS)
6-2, 6-1
J Ostapenko (LAT x9) bt S Cirstea (ROU)
6-4, 6-4
ATP Japan Open
D Schwartzman (ARG x8) bt S Johnson (USA)
6-0, 7-5
D Goffin (BEL x4) bt R Gasquet (FRA)
7-5, 6-2
M Cilic (CRO x1) bt R Harrison (USA)
6-2, 6-0
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
Princeton
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
MATCH INFO
Bayern Munich 2 Borussia Monchengladbach 1
Bayern: Zirkzee (26'), Goretzka (86')
Gladbach: Pavard (37' og)
Man of the Match: Breel Embolo (Borussia Monchengladbach)
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
1,000 VFX artists
3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
New sound technology, named 4D SRL
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.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
MATCH INFO
Wales 1 (Bale 45 3')
Croatia 1 (Vlasic 09')
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20Z%20FLIP5
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Director: Laxman Utekar
Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna
Rating: 1/5
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
T20 World Cup Qualifier
October 18 – November 2
Opening fixtures
Friday, October 18
ICC Academy: 10am, Scotland v Singapore, 2.10pm, Netherlands v Kenya
Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan
Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed
Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 (Gundogan 56')
Shakhtar Donetsk 1 (Solomon 69')
