Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, UAE Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, on Friday launched a plan with Britain, the US and others to develop technology that helps farmers in developing nations cope with the effects of climate change.
Sheikh Mohammed spoke at US President Joe Biden's two-day gathering of 40 world leaders to get the world's biggest economies to cut emissions of planet-heating gases and keep rising temperatures under control.
“I am pleased to announce that the UAE will be partnering with a group of champions to launch the Agricultural Innovation Mission for Climate,” Sheikh Mohammed said.
“This is a new initiative to support research and development and innovation for food systems over the next five years.”
Brazil, Denmark, Israel, Singapore, Australia and Uruguay are also involved in the plan.
The planet has so far warmed by 1.2°C and is headed for at least 3°C this century. Globally, farmers are struggling against the effects of increasingly frequent droughts, flash floods and soil degradation.
According to the UN’s Food and Agricultural Agency, climate change has affected rainfall patterns, drought, flooding and the distribution of locusts and other pests, threatening the livelihoods of smallholder and subsistence farmers.
The UAE has over the decades developed know-how in irrigation, water management to use its arid soil for farming. The mission will focus on research and development of farming innovations. It remains unclear how much funding is associated with the project.
"Climate change is not a temporary concern," Sheikh Mohammed said.
“It is rather a global challenge that is ongoing. We must unite our efforts to safeguard the planet for the future generations or else risk paying heavier costs in the future.”
At the same session, Microsoft co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates praised the initiative, saying subsistence farmers in poor countries needed help to cope with the effects of climate change.
"We have to address the climate impacts that are going to come because of the heating that's already taken place," Mr Gates said. "This means accelerating agricultural innovation so that subsistence farmers can withstand the shocks that come with more unpredictable weather."
Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE Minister for Industry and Advanced Technology and Special Envoy for Climate Change, said the plan promised "far-reaching and long-lasting socio-economic benefits".
"By investing in innovation and technology in the agricultural sector, we can unlock opportunities for effective mitigation and adaptation, feed growing populations in resource-stressed areas, and create economic growth," Dr Al Jaber said.
US climate envoy John Kerry, who recently visited Abu Dhabi, said he was proud to be involved in the initiative.
"I was impressed by the ingenuity being applied to food and climate challenges during my recent trip to the UAE, and know that we all stand to benefit by sharing best practices and raising innovation ambition when it comes to climate-smart agriculture," Mr Kerry said.
"AIM for Climate can serve as a unique platform for co-operation among many countries on these shared challenges."
Mr Biden on Friday said America would boost co-operation with India, the UAE, Britain, Russia and other nations in efforts to tackle pollution, rising temperatures and the impacts of climate change.
At his gathering of 40 world leaders and business and technology chiefs, Mr Biden announced plans to work with India and Sweden on cleaning up the industrial sector and creating carbon-free power networks with the UK.
"And the agricultural sector, where we will launch the agriculture innovation mission for climate with the United Arab Emirates and other partners," Mr Biden said on the second day of his two-day climate summit.
"Also I'm very heartened by [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin's call yesterday for the world to collaborate on advanced carbon dioxide removal. And the United States looks forward to working with Russia and other countries in that endeavour as a great promise."
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
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Profile of Tarabut Gateway
Founder: Abdulla Almoayed
Based: UAE
Founded: 2017
Number of employees: 35
Sector: FinTech
Raised: $13 million
Backers: Berlin-based venture capital company Target Global, Kingsway, CE Ventures, Entrée Capital, Zamil Investment Group, Global Ventures, Almoayed Technologies and Mad’a Investment.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
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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