A health hero delivering life-changing support to isolated communities in the Amazon said success in the Zayed Sustainability Prize would support his crucial medical mission to help those in need.
Dr Ricardo Ferreira set up Associacao Expedicionarios da Saude, a non-profit organisation in Brazil providing specialised care for indigenous people, after witnessing the challenges they faced first hand during a hiking trip.
About 500,000 indigenous people who live in rural and forested areas in Brazil lack access to essential health services due to their remote location.
There is a high rate of degenerative eye disease, such as cataracts, due to regular exposure to intense sunlight.
Dr Ferreira established mobile hospitals and initially brought in four doctors to provide treatment.
The group, which secured $600,000 in funding as one of 10 winners of the annual award, now has 90 volunteer doctors who have performed about 10,000 operations.
Joy as mother sees children for first time
"We do around 70 surgeries a day. People come in blind and can see by the next day," Dr Ferreira told The National at a gathering of this year's winners.
"The incidence of cataracts is really high. We had a 26-year-old girl who was blind for five years because of cataracts.
"After surgery, she saw her one-year-old and three-year-old children for the first time."
Dr Ferreira said the prize money was secondary to the global platform provided by winning the prestigious accolade.
"We can get more allies so can do better and do more," he said.
"The kind of allies we want are people who are focused on a better world."
Rebuilding hope in war-torn Mosul
A team of three Iraqi pupils and three teachers was honoured in the Global High Schools category for their forward-thinking efforts to boost water security and reduce emissions.
Gifted Students School Niniveh, in Mosul, lived up to its name with a plan to develop a hydroponic greenhouse in which food can be grown all year round, saving 532,000 litres of water and eliminating 255 tonnes of emissions over three years.
Two of the 16-year-old eco champions said the nightmare of war in their homeland had inspired them to dream of a better future.
"War gave us the incentive," said Abdulrahman Neshat and Mohammed Ali. "The war we saw in Mosul was a nightmare — it was unimaginable and has made many people lose hope but it gave us the incentive.
"This is the sense of hope that we wanted to give Iraq and many of the countries that have gone through and are going through war."
The team is currently growing strawberries having previously grown aubergine.
The greenhouse saves water through the use of nutrient solutions instead of regular irrigation and saves 37.2 megawatt hours using solar cells. It will provide food for pupils at the school.
Protecting those hardest hit by climate change
Ledars, a non-profit organisation in n Bangladesh, integrates water resource management models to solve scarcity issues in disaster-prone areas. It provides people with safe drinking water and agricultural irrigation.
To date, Ledars projects have helped more than 15,880 families and saved more than 12 million gallons of water.
Founder Mohan Kumar Mandal said many women were forced to travel hundreds of kilometres to obtain clean drinking water and severe infections were common due to high salinity rates.
"We need more support because millions of people — and particularly women — are suffering," he said.
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 biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
Company%C2%A0profile
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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.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The Kites
Romain Gary
Penguin Modern Classics
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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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.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
No_One Ever Really Dies
N*E*R*D
(I Am Other/Columbia)
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
Champions parade (UAE timings)
7pm Gates open
8pm Deansgate stage showing starts
9pm Parade starts at Manchester Cathedral
9.45pm Parade ends at Peter Street
10pm City players on stage
11pm event ends
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
