A visiting minister from Luxembourg said his country’s approach to artificial intelligence (AI) mirrored that of the UAE's, highlighting the importance of using technology to benefit people.
Franz Fayot, Luxembourg’s Minister of Economy, Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Affairs, met with several UAE ministers and government officials this week.
He said it was a bold move for the Emirates to appoint the world's first minister for artificial intelligence and was pleased to meet Omar Sultan Al Olama during his three-day visit.
"Both the UAE and Luxembourg have embraced AI as a symbol of the knowledge-based economy," he told The National.
“Similar to the UAE, Luxembourg is not doing AI for the sake of AI. Our goal is to have a human-centric AI approach where the technology benefits first and foremost our citizens. An important aspect in this regard is the quality and efficiency of public services with the goal to simplify citizen-government interactions.”
Logistics, smart mobility, health technology and space have been identified by the UAE as strategic sectors where AI can exert a positive role, and this is similar to Luxembourg's goal.
Mr Fayot welcomed opportunities for collaboration.
Both countries have longstanding relations. The Luxembourg embassy in Abu Dhabi, set up a decade ago, is the only one in the Middle East. The UAE is also the biggest trading partner of Luxembourg in the region.
Luxembourg's presence at Expo 2020 Dubai
The minister also met with Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of State for Advanced Technology, Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Co-operation and Abdullah Al Marri, Minister of Economy, and visited the Luxumbourg pavilion.
The structure, with a giant slide and an outer shell that resembles a giant loop with no boundaries, has generated great interest months before the World Fair opens in October.
One of the world’s smallest countries, Luxembourg has been present at World Fairs since the first event in London in 1851.
“We have seen these participations as a tremendous opportunity to make Luxembourg and its economic activities better known on the world stage,” he said.
The country hoped to make a meaningful contribution to the Expo theme: Connecting minds, creating the future.
“Our history has been strongly defined and influenced by the need not only to adapt to the future, but to shape it for our country,” he said.
“The exposition shown in our pavilion reflects this mindset very well.”
The space sector and entrepreneurship were also discussed.
Both countries have exchanged information in space policy, law and regulation.
A space finance seminar was held in Abu Dhabi earlier this year by the space agencies of both countries that brought together companies, experts and public authorities on investment opportunities and trends in the space industry in the European market.
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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
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Andy Murray - hip
Novak Djokovic - elbow
Roger Federer - back
Stan Wawrinka - knee
Kei Nishikori - wrist
Marin Cilic - adductor
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
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Thor: Ragnarok
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Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 38,387
Karl Malone 36,928
Kobe Bryant 33,643
Michael Jordan 32,292
LeBron James 31,425
Wilt Chamberlain 31,419
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Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
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• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
if you go
The flights
Fly to Rome with Etihad (www.etihad.ae) or Emirates (www.emirates.com) from Dh2,480 return including taxes. The flight takes six hours. Fly from Rome to Trapani with Ryanair (www.ryanair.com) from Dh420 return including taxes. The flight takes one hour 10 minutes.
The hotels
The author recommends the following hotels for this itinerary. In Trapani, Ai Lumi (www.ailumi.it); in Marsala, Viacolvento (www.viacolventomarsala.it); and in Marsala Del Vallo, the Meliaresort Dimore Storiche (www.meliaresort.it).
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
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