President Sheikh Mohamed on Monday arrived in Qatar on a working visit to attend opening of the International Horticultural Expo 2023 in Doha.
Sheikh Mohamed and his delegation were welcomed at Doha International Airport by Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim.
The 179-day Expo, whose theme is “Green Desert, Better Environment”, is the first international horticultural exhibition hosted in a desert climate country.
It will focus on four primary themes: modern agriculture, technology and innovation, environmental awareness, and sustainability.
Sheikh Mohamed, accompanied by Sheikh Tamim, toured pavilions throughout the exhibition, which spans an area of 1.7 million square metres.
The tour included the UAE, Qatari, Saudi, Kuwaiti, Omani, GCC, Turkish and Italian pavilions.
Sheikh Mohamed, writing on social media, congratulated Sheikh Tamim for hosting this international event and commended the Expo’s aim to serve as a platform for innovation, engagement and co-operation to identify sustainable solutions to environmental challenges, including agriculture, food and water security and conservation.
“I was pleased to attend the opening of Expo 2023 Doha and commend my brother Sheikh Tamim and host nation Qatar for promoting innovation in the sustainability field,” Sheikh Mohamed said.
“By raising global environmental awareness, Expo 2023 Doha will inspire collective action for a greener tomorrow.”
The UAE pavilion, managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in partnership with the Salama bint Hamdan Al Nahyan Foundation and the National Projects Office, will present the theme of “Nurturing Legacy” at the exhibition.
It will share a poetic story of the UAE’s dreamers and pioneers, demonstrating the enduring bond between its communities and nature, as well as the UAE’s long history of promoting innovative ways of growing agriculture.
Sheikh Mohamed also took part in the watering of a Sidr tree with Sheikh Tamim, along with leaders, country representatives and invited guests.
Among the delegation are Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court; Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed, National Security Adviser and Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi; Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed; Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad, Adviser for Special Affairs at the Presidential Court; Ali Al Shamsi, Secretary General of the Supreme Council for National Security; Mariam Al Mheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment; Mohamed Al Suwaidi, Minister of Investment; Khalifa Al Marar, Minister of State; Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of State, and Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa, UAE ambassador to Qatar.
Sheikh Mohamed left Doha at the end of his visit to the Expo.
Walls
Louis Tomlinson
3 out of 5 stars
(Syco Music/Arista Records)
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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Name: Marie Byrne
Nationality: Irish
Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption
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Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
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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
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BRIEF SCORES:
Toss: Nepal, chose to field
UAE 153-6: Shaiman (59), Usman (30); Regmi 2-23
Nepal 132-7: Jora 53 not out; Zahoor 2-17
Result: UAE won by 21 runs
Series: UAE lead 1-0
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
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
Blonde
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The chef's advice
Troy Payne, head chef at Abu Dhabi’s newest healthy eatery Sanderson’s in Al Seef Resort & Spa, says singles need to change their mindset about how they approach the supermarket.
“They feel like they can’t buy one cucumber,” he says. “But I can walk into a shop – I feed two people at home – and I’ll walk into a shop and I buy one cucumber, I’ll buy one onion.”
Mr Payne asks for the sticker to be placed directly on each item, rather than face the temptation of filling one of the two-kilogram capacity plastic bags on offer.
The chef also advises singletons not get too hung up on “organic”, particularly high-priced varieties that have been flown in from far-flung locales. Local produce is often grown sustainably, and far cheaper, he says.
