An Emirati neurosurgeon has carried out leading-edge robotic spinal operation in Abu Dhabi, a first-of-its-kind procedure for the Middle East and Africa.
The operation by Dr Abdul Salam Al Belushi is the start of what is hoped will be wider use of robotic technology in UAE neurosurgery, with surgeons in the country trained in the technique.
For Dr Al Belushi himself, undertaking the work in his home nation is a major milestone after 25 years spent training and practicing as a neurosurgeon in the US.
“This is the first place in the entire Middle East and Africa where this surgery has been conducted [and] by an Emirati neurosurgeon,” he said.
You cannot beat the feeling of a life-transforming surgery for a patient now able to carry out a normal life who would have otherwise lived the life of a paraplegic
Dr Abdul Salam Al Belushi
Rather than carrying out the operation freehand, surgeons carrying out robotic surgery are assisted by robots that help them place pedicle screw instruments, which are metal objects used during minimally invasive spinal surgery, “exactly where they belong”.
There are many advantages to robotic surgery, Dr Al Belushi said, including precision, lower rates of complications, less bleeding, quicker recovery, shorter hospital stays and a reduced likelihood that additional operations will be needed.
“It’s the next iteration of minimally invasive spinal surgery, which is transforming the world of spinal surgery,” said Dr Abdul Salam, who began carrying out robotic surgery in 2018.
“It’s a humbling opportunity for me to represent my country at the highest level and to see the leadership of the country embracing technology available in very few countries in the world, to make it available to the Emirati and the local population.”
Dr Al Belushi, a fellow of the American Society of Neurosurgeons, said he wished to express his “sincere gratitude” to President Sheikh Mohamed for his “generous support in making history” in Abu Dhabi.
“The vision of the leadership is to set the highest standard of health care, and allow others in the region and from far to seek the UAE as a healthcare hub and to embrace medical tourism,” he said.
Ultimately, Dr Al Belushi, who studied and worked for 16 years in the US to become a neurosurgeon and has been working as a consultant neurosurgeon in the US since finishing his training, hopes to move back to the UAE full time and to train surgeons here to carry out robotic surgery.
He moved to the US when he was 18 to complete an undergraduate degree in Kentucky and medical school in Ohio.
He undertook a one-year medical internship at Cleveland Clinic in Ohio before six years of neurosurgery training at the University of Louisville, followed by a fellowship at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
He lives in Dallas, Texas and carries out about 450 surgeries a year at several hospitals in the area.
About 85 per cent of his work is spinal surgery and around 15 per cent brain surgery, and his patients have ranged in age from 17 to 90 years.
While the training to become a neurosurgeon is long and demanding, Dr Al Belushi said the work was highly rewarding as it offered the chance to transform lives.
For example, a women in her 20s who had been in a car accident and whose legs were paralysed from a spine fracture was able to regain complete function as a result of a highly risky and complex operation carried out by Dr Al Belushi.
“You cannot beat the feeling of a life-transforming surgery for a patient now able to carry out a normal life who would have otherwise lived the life of a paraplegic,” he said.
As well as pioneering the use of robotic surgery in the UAE, Dr Al Belushi is also looking to use stem cell therapy to help regenerate spinal discs, which are pads between the vertebrae, in people with lumbar disc disease, where the discs bulge out from the spine.
Stem cells, which are produced by bone marrow, have yet to turn into any particular specialised type of cell. They can be injected into the discs of the spine to repair damage from disease.
Dr Al Belushi is thankful to Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak, Minister of Tolerance and Co-existence, for his support in the future use of stem cell therapy in the UAE.
'Laal Kaptaan'
Director: Navdeep Singh
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain
Rating: 2/5
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
Squads
India: Kohli (c), Rahul, Shaw, Agarwal, Pujara, Rahane, Vihari, Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Shami, Umesh, Siraj, Thakur
West Indies: Holder (c), Ambris, Bishoo, Brathwaite, Chase, Dowrich (wk), Gabriel, Hamilton, Hetmyer, Hope, Lewis, Paul, Powell, Roach, Warrican, Joseph
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
RESULTS
6.30pm: Emirates Holidays Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Lady Snazz, Richard Mullen (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
7.05pm: Arabian Adventures Maiden (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Zhou Storm, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7.40pm: Emirates Skywards Handicap (TB) Dh 82,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Rich And Famous, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
8.15pm: Emirates Airline Conditions (TB) Dh 120,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Rio Angie, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson.
8.50pm: Emirates Sky Cargo (TB) Dh 92,500 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Kinver Edge, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
9.15pm: Emirates.com (TB) Dh 95,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Firnas, Xavier Ziani, Salem bin Ghadayer.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
HOSTS
T20 WORLD CUP
2024: US and West Indies; 2026: India and Sri Lanka; 2028: Australia and New Zealand; 2030: England, Ireland and Scotland
ODI WORLD CUP
2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; 2031: India and
Bangladesh
CHAMPIONS TROPHY
2025: Pakistan; 2029: India
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Three-and-a-half stars
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- 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
About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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Michael Beckley, Cornell Press
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 178hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 280Nm at 1,350-4,200rpm
Transmission: seven-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh209,000
On sale: now
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs: 2017 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali
Price, base / as tested Dh207,846 / Dh220,000
Engine 6.2L V8
Transmission Eight-speed automatic
Power 420hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque 624Nm @ 4,100rpm
Fuel economy, combined 13.5L / 100km
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The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
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- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
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- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
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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
Brief scoreline:
Tottenham 1
Son 78'
Manchester City 0
MATCH INFO
Crawley Town 3 (Tsaroulla 50', Nadesan 53', Tunnicliffe 70')
Leeds United 0
