First lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska and former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton batted for women's rights at the Forbes 30/50 Summit held in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.
They called for pay parity and the need for institutional support to support women to achieve gender equality.
Speaking on International Women's Day, Ms Clinton said the UN’s latest estimate shows that gender equality and pay parity are 300 years away and that is “distressing.”
“I think the bottom line is we have a lot of work to do, and we can't take any of the progress that has been made for granted,” the former first lady told a high-profile audience of women chief executives, entrepreneurs and change-makers from all over the world.
Previously, it was thought that first ladies are soft power. But we have shown that we are not just a soft power. We are a force.
First lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska
Twenty years after she famously declared that “women’s rights are human rights" at a United Nations conference on women in September 1995 in Beijing, Ms Clinton said governments have stalled on pay equality.
“We have seen organised pushback to the advancement of women,” she said, adding that Covid-19 dramatically slowed down the already slow progress the world was making on gender issues.
Ms Clinton said in the US, though women make up the majority of college-educated people, they are still underrepresented at the highest level of leadership in most sectors. This is a problem that goes far beyond the US and is a global fact, she said.
"It is important to fight for institutional support for women. We are working hard to get quality, affordable childcare and paid leave so that women could choose to combine family and work in a way that did not disadvantage or undermine their responsibilities at home or in the workplace,” she told The National.
Ms Clinton said women have to stand up for other women, find allies and also learn the power of communication.
“Too often, it is a lonely time when you are the only woman who is in a position of having to speak up or try to make a point in a not-very-friendly atmosphere,” she said.
She said the Ukraine war, like any other conflict in Afghanistan or Iran, has demonstrated that women and children are the primary sufferers of conflict and climate change.
By speaking up, women are amplifying the voices of many other women, said Ms Clinton.
She said Ms Zelenska was doing exactly that. “She is standing up on behalf of her country and the people who are the most vulnerable and marginalised," Ms Clinton said.
“But you don't have to be in the middle of a horrible war that is breaking every law there is and committing crimes against humanity to stand up and speak out. And know that you are doing it not just for yourself. Somehow that might make it easier.”
Forbes 30/50 Summit - in pictures
First ladies are not just soft power
Speaking about the difficulties Ukraine is facing since the Russian invasion, Ms Zelenska, who addressed the audience in her native language, said it is a time of trial for every woman in Ukraine and it is no different for her.
Quoting examples of the resilience and bravery of Ukrainian women, the first lady said they had adapted faster than their enemies predicted.
“Ukrainian men and women have been adapting so fast that our enemies are not able to come up with new challenges,” Ms Zelenska said.
She said her efforts to forge diplomatic partnerships and mobilise humanitarian work with the help of other first ladies are proving efficient.
“Previously, it was thought that first ladies are soft power. But we have shown that we are not just a soft power. We are a force,” she said.
On the importance of International Women’s Day, Ms Zelenska said that it should not be just a day to speak about women’s rights and equality.
“I would like us all to remember that equality is a normal thing. It is not something that we should be fighting for. It Is not new,” she said.
“It is much easier for me to speak about it [equality] because I understand equality is normal. I think the next step is to make sure that all women understand that. Not only women but also men.”
Billie Jean King, an American sports icon and champion of equality, and Gloria Steinem, a journalist and leading feminist voice in the US, also participated in the panel and stressed the importance of pay parity and equal rights for women.
Ms King said women have a “long way to go” before they achieve pay equity.
“Follow the money," she advised. "What can money do? It can give many fantastic things in life like freedom and mobility … all kinds of things that we never dreamed of.”
Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
Directors: Tarzan and Arab Nasser
Rating: 4.5/5
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%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPowertrain%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20electric%20motor%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E201hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E310Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E53kWh%20lithium-ion%20battery%20pack%20(GS%20base%20model)%3B%2070kWh%20battery%20pack%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E350km%20(GS)%3B%20480km%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C900%20(GS)%3B%20Dh149%2C000%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
History's medical milestones
1799 - First small pox vaccine administered
1846 - First public demonstration of anaesthesia in surgery
1861 - Louis Pasteur published his germ theory which proved that bacteria caused diseases
1895 - Discovery of x-rays
1923 - Heart valve surgery performed successfully for first time
1928 - Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin
1953 - Structure of DNA discovered
1952 - First organ transplant - a kidney - takes place
1954 - Clinical trials of birth control pill
1979 - MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, scanned used to diagnose illness and injury.
1998 - The first adult live-donor liver transplant is carried out
Globalization and its Discontents Revisited
Joseph E. Stiglitz
W. W. Norton & Company
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 1 (Gundogan 56')
Shakhtar Donetsk 1 (Solomon 69')
Scores:
Day 4
England 290 & 346
Sri Lanka 336 & 226-7 (target 301)
Sri Lanka require another 75 runs with three wickets remaining
Women & Power: A Manifesto
Mary Beard
Profile Books and London Review of Books
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
The Details
Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
MATCH DETAILS
Juventus 2 (Bonucci 36, Ronaldo 90 6)
Genoa 1 (Kouame 40)
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
MATCH INFO
BRIGHTON 0
MANCHESTER UNITED 3
McTominay 44'
Mata 73'
Pogba 80'
Porsche Taycan Turbo specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 1050Nm
Range: 450km
Price: Dh601,800
On sale: now
