From conflict and mass migration to cyber-security, nuclear threats and asymmetric warfare, a 48-hour online forum involving security experts from across the globe tackled a number of pressing issues facing the world today.
The Debate Security Plus, hosted and moderated by Friends of Europe and the Abu Dhabi-based counter-extremism think tank Hedayah, held a number of discussions in the hope of finding solutions to global security problems last week.
Conflict and poverty were high on the agenda as they are among the main drivers behind mass displacement, with more than 65 million people estimated to be forcibly displaced worldwide last year.
“The Syrian crisis as well as other crises in Africa, Asia, with the Rohingyas in Myanmar and Bangladesh, South and Central America, are some of them,” said Monique Pariat, European Commission director general for humanitarian aid and civil protection. “No numbers will do justice to the acuteness and scale of today’s humanitarian needs. Whole countries and regions are stuck in a state of protracted crises and fragility. Forced displacement is a grim reality now lasting an average of 17 years.”
She said better coordination among aid-providers, including the EU, US, Gulf and Canada, was needed. “Building the resilience of vulnerable populations requires decisive global action at many levels,” Ms Pariat said. “The Gulf provides humanitarian relief, in particular in Yemen, Syria and Iraq. Nevertheless, it should be recalled that some countries in the Middle East, like Jordan and Lebanon, are bearing the burden of hosting a large number of Syrian refugees. A quarter of the Lebanese population is composed of Syrian refugees.”
Fabrice Leggeri, executive director at Frontex, said Europe would remain under migratory pressure for economic and demographic reasons. “There will always be people looking for a better life, those escaping conflicts and people in need of international protection,” he said. “Border control is only one element of effective migration management, which has to be complemented by development in countries of origin and hopefully peace processes in conflict zones.”
On nuclear matters, experts said it was important that the Middle East was a region free from nuclear weapons.
Read more: Cyberspace is as vital and contentious as geostrategic waters
“Some regions are clearly more fraught with conflict and tensions than others,” said Paul Carroll, senior adviser at N Square. “South Asia is often cited as the place that keeps security experts up at night, with two nuclear-armed nations bordering each other and with unclear security around their arsenals. One can imagine nations in the Middle East developing nuclear arsenals and similar dynamics – unstable governments, elements of radicalism, long-standing tensions – even hatred – and shared borders.”
Adding a nuclear weapons element to an already volatile region was like throwing gas on a fire, he added.
“I would like to see Israel begin to alter its policy on nuclear weapons, begin to admit its possession and also work to stabilise or at least better convey its intentions.”
Lassina Zerbo, executive secretary of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation, said the essential first step was to build trust among countries. “The Middle East is a region that has not witnessed nuclear tests,” he said. “We should focus on making the existing non-testing norm legally binding in the region. This would foster trust and establish confidence between states.”
The future of cyber-security was also discussed during the forum and officials said it was a potential area of confrontation.
“The security environment today is characterised by complexity and unpredictability,” said General Denis Mercier, supreme allied commander - transformation at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato).
“We must integrate cyber issues from the very first step of our capability development process, in every operational domain. Cyber is a domain in which we will have to assume an acceptable risk to make progress – quite similarly to the early stages of aviation, a century ago.”
Solange Ghernaouti, director at the Swiss Cybersecurity Advisory and Research Group, said cyberspace was a common environment that must be shared and regulated. “The internet has global coverage and cyber attacks do not stop at national borders,” she said. “Regional or bilateral agreements are insufficient. Cyberspace requires effective coordination, cooperation and legislation at the local level, while being compatible at the international level.”
Given the number and intensity of cyber attacks, she said it is important for the world to specify unacceptable practices and determine international standards. “Cyber attacks against human life, peace, national security or the stability of states would be punishable under international law, even if they were not reprehensible at a national level,” she said.
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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
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Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
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Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
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
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Banthology: Stories from Unwanted Nations
Edited by Sarah Cleave, Comma Press
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
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Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
MATCH INFO
First Test at Barbados
West Indies won by 381 runs
Second Test at Antigua
West Indies won by 10 wickets
Third Test at St Lucia
February 9-13
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Dolittle
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Michael Sheen
One-and-a-half out of five stars
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
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The Intruder
Director: Deon Taylor
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Michael Ealy, Meagan Good
One star
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
Favourite things
Luxury: Enjoys window shopping for high-end bags and jewellery
Discount: She works in luxury retail, but is careful about spending, waits for sales, festivals and only buys on discount
University: The only person in her family to go to college, Jiang secured a bachelor’s degree in business management in China
Masters: Studying part-time for a master’s degree in international business marketing in Dubai
Vacation: Heads back home to see family in China
Community work: Member of the Chinese Business Women’s Association of the UAE to encourage other women entrepreneurs
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Changing visa rules
For decades the UAE has granted two and three year visas to foreign workers, tied to their current employer. Now that's changing.
Last year, the UAE cabinet also approved providing 10-year visas to foreigners with investments in the UAE of at least Dh10 million, if non-real estate assets account for at least 60 per cent of the total. Investors can bring their spouses and children into the country.
It also approved five-year residency to owners of UAE real estate worth at least 5 million dirhams.
The government also said that leading academics, medical doctors, scientists, engineers and star students would be eligible for similar long-term visas, without the need for financial investments in the country.
The first batch - 20 finalists for the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Distinction.- were awarded in January and more are expected to follow.
Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.