A small satellite built as part of a space initiative by the UAE and the UN is expected to launch on June 27.
The PHI-Demo CubeSat, a modular satellite with 12 units, is scheduled to blast off aboard a Russian Soyuz-2 rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia at 3.34pm, UAE time.
It is the first mission under the Payload Hosting Initiative, a platform by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs and Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre that offers opportunities in space to start-ups and countries developing their own space programmes.
The initiative includes the development of miniature satellites by MBRSC engineers, with technology from start-ups and companies integrated into it to help them gain access to space.
“PHI-Demo is an innovative initiative, the first of its kind in the region, designed to escort our partner entities' payloads to space while extending operational support," said Zakaria Al Shamsi, project manager of the initiative.
"This mission not only serves as our trail for all forthcoming PHI missions, but it also holds significant value as a programme that will be beneficial for a lot of organisations and entities in the region."
Th 20kg satellite has technology payloads from two companies.
One of them is a propulsion subsystem that uses water to fuel the spacecraft.
Built by UK company SteamJet Space Systems, the technology offers a greener and more sustainable use of space.
OQ Technology, a US company that hopes to build a global satellite constellation dedicated for 5G, built the other payload.
It includes an Internet of Things communication system that stores and forwards collected data from IoT devices in remote areas, industries and autonomous vehicles using 5G technology.
Mission control specialists at MBRSC will communicate with the satellite once it is in orbit, at an altitude of 550km.
Laboratories at the American University in Ras Al Khaimah and Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi will also be sending the satellite commands.
Solar panels on the satellite will be activated once it is in orbit.
"A meticulously planned five-day period has been allotted for this critical phase, during which the MBRSC technical team will maintain daily, precise 10-minute communications as the PHI-Demo traverses above the UAE," the space centre said.
"Upon successful completion of the five days, the team will embark on payload operations.
"Command operations will be expertly handled from the ground stations located within the university campus, with the university's faculty members leading the operation."
The next satellite under the Payload Hosting Initiative is the PHI-1 CubeSat.
Bahrain and Nepal were selected to add their technologies to the satellite.
Bahrain’s National Space Science Agency will develop the Aman payload, which will help secure communication between the satellite and ground station.
Nepal’s Antarikchya Pratisthan, a non-profit organisation, will build the Danfe Space Mission – technology that will study the operation of drones in space.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
ELIO
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Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
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Retirement funds heavily invested in equities at a risky time
Pension funds in growing economies in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East have a sharply higher percentage of assets parked in stocks, just at a time when trade tensions threaten to derail markets.
Retirement money managers in 14 geographies now allocate 40 per cent of their assets to equities, an 8 percentage-point climb over the past five years, according to a Mercer survey released last week that canvassed government, corporate and mandatory pension funds with almost $5 trillion in assets under management. That compares with about 25 per cent for pension funds in Europe.
The escalating trade spat between the US and China has heightened fears that stocks are ripe for a downturn. With tensions mounting and outcomes driven more by politics than economics, the S&P 500 Index will be on course for a “full-scale bear market” without Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts, Citigroup’s global macro strategy team said earlier this week.
The increased allocation to equities by growth-market pension funds has come at the expense of fixed-income investments, which declined 11 percentage points over the five years, according to the survey.
Hong Kong funds have the highest exposure to equities at 66 per cent, although that’s been relatively stable over the period. Japan’s equity allocation jumped 13 percentage points while South Korea’s increased 8 percentage points.
The money managers are also directing a higher portion of their funds to assets outside of their home countries. On average, foreign stocks now account for 49 per cent of respondents’ equity investments, 4 percentage points higher than five years ago, while foreign fixed-income exposure climbed 7 percentage points to 23 per cent. Funds in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan are among those seeking greater diversification in stocks and fixed income.
• Bloomberg
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Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
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Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
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3.15pm: Handicap Dh115,000 1,000m
Winner: Leading Spirit, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
3.45pm: Jebel Ali Mile Group 3 Dh575,000 1,600m
Winner: Chiefdom, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer.
4.15pm: Handicap Dh105,000 1,400m
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ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
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TEAMS
EUROPE:
Justin Rose, Francesco Molinari, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Alex Noren, Thorbjorn Olesen, Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson
USA:
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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
if you go
Know your Camel lingo
The bairaq is a competition for the best herd of 50 camels, named for the banner its winner takes home
Namoos - a word of congratulations reserved for falconry competitions, camel races and camel pageants. It best translates as 'the pride of victory' - and for competitors, it is priceless
Asayel camels - sleek, short-haired hound-like racers
Majahim - chocolate-brown camels that can grow to weigh two tonnes. They were only valued for milk until camel pageantry took off in the 1990s
Millions Street - the thoroughfare where camels are led and where white 4x4s throng throughout the festival
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Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
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2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
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4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
PROFILE BOX:
Company/date started: 2015
Founder/CEO: Rami Salman, Rishav Jalan, Ayush Chordia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Technology, Sales, Voice, Artificial Intelligence
Size: (employees/revenue) 10/ 100,000 downloads
Stage: 1 ($800,000)
Investors: Eight first-round investors including, Beco Capital, 500 Startups, Dubai Silicon Oasis, Hala Fadel, Odin Financial Services, Dubai Angel Investors, Womena, Arzan VC
