When Sheikh Zayed established the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company in 1971, his vision was that the company would not only utilise fuel reserves but would also play a part in the social and economic growth of the UAE. The news that the bulk of the Dh5 billion that Adnoc is investing in developing its offshore gas reserves will be pumped into the local economy shows that, nearly 50 years on, the company remains committed to that vision. Adnoc has chosen the UAE's National Marine Dredging Company as the winner of the contract to prepare the way for the exploitation of the vast untapped gas fields off the coast of Abu Dhabi's Western Region. The task is breathtaking in its scope and implications. A total of 10 artificial islands are to built, up to 60 kilometres offshore, eliminating the need for expensive drillings rigs and environmentally destructive dredging of the seabed.
As part of its core mission to stimulate growth and create jobs, Adnoc's tender process prioritises "in-country value", which is precisely what the contract will deliver. More than Dh3.62bn will be invested in local materials and suppliers while more than 3,500 jobs will be created. This is a mega-project whose importance for the economic future of the UAE cannot be overestimated. By the middle of the next decade, the islands will be producing enough gas to supply more than two million homes a day with electricity, setting the UAE on course to become not only self-sufficient in gas, but ultimately an exporter.
Three foreign companies have been appointed as partners in the project. Sharing risk and pooling expertise is a fine but necessary line that Adnoc learned to tread with skill long ago. But crucially, 70 per cent of the benefits will remain within the UAE. Adnoc has fuelled the growth of Abu Dhabi and the nation for the past 49 years. Today it prepares to embark on its second half-century as the undisputed engine of the UAE's future.
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Results
STAGE
1 . Filippo Ganna (Ineos) - 0:13:56
2. Stefan Bissegger (Education-Nippo) - 0:00:14
3. Mikkel Bjerg (UAE Team Emirates) - 0:00:21
4. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) - 0:00:24
5. Luis Leon Sanchez (Astana) - 0:00:30
GENERAL CLASSIFICATION
1. Tadej Pogacar (UAE Team Emirates) - 4:00:05
2. Joao Almeida (QuickStep) - 0:00:05
3. Mattia Cattaneo (QuickStep) - 0:00:18
4. Chris Harper (Jumbo-Visma) - 0:00:33
5. Adam Yates (Ineos) - 0:00:39
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
