ABU DHABI // Twenty Emirati students have started a course at Zayed University that will prepare them to become "future energy leaders".
The course will qualify the students to begin a master's degree at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology, the alternative energy research centre linked to carbon-neutral Masdar City.
The one-year programme is aimed at students who lack the English-language skills and test scores to directly enter the institute's highly competitive master of science courses.
John Perkins, the provost of the Masdar Institute, said qualified Emirati students who could become "future energy leaders" were key to the centre achieving its goals.
"The arrival of students for the pre-master's programme, in collaboration with Zayed University, represents a landmark stage in Abu Dhabi's development towards a knowledge-based economy," he said.
The Masdar Institute has started its first master's programme with 92 students selected from 1,200 applicants.
They are studying subjects such as engineering and systems management, information technology, materials, water and the environment and mechanical engineering.
About half of their two-year course will be spent researching and writing a thesis.
Rex Taylor, an associate provost at Zayed University, said: "This innovative programme is a prelude to more joint academic programmes between the two institutions that focus on building human capital in the energy sector."
Masdar City is designed to be the first zero-emissions city in the world, with renewable energy sources powering public transport and buildings. It is scheduled to house 50,000 people when it is completed in 2016.
dbardsley@thenational.ae
New process leads to panic among jobseekers
As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.
Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE.
“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.
“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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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
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Kerb weight: 1580kg
Price: From Dh750k
On sale: via special order
