ABU DHABI // Abu Dhabi has set a global standard in establishing a "responsible" nuclear power plant programme, the main speaker at a new series of lectures in the capital said last night.
Dr Graham Allison, the director of Harvard University's Belfer Centre for Science and Technology, said that in order to avoid "catastrophic" scenarios, such as nuclear materials falling into the hands of terrorists, it was vital for there to be "no new nascent nukes", or no new national production of uranium or plutonium.
"Abu Dhabi is doing this," he said. "I congratulate Abu Dhabi for its civilian nuclear plan, which forswears any creation of uranium or plutonium. If only the rest of the world would behave like that."
Nuclear power plants, were a responsible option if correctly implemented, he said. Although there were risks, as demonstrated at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant - where uncertainty surrounds the status of three reactors following Friday's earthquake and tsunami - those risks could be minimalised by proper construction and operation.
"The risk comes not from the nuclear power plant but from the facility that makes the fuel for the plant, called the enrichment facility," he said. "The concern for the international community is from the fuel cycle and from the disposal of the waste coming out."
Dr Allison was the first speaker to take part in Khalifa University's series of public lectures, which will bring distinguished speakers from around the world to discuss science, technology and society. Future lectures will address topics ranging from the information age, biotechnology, robotics, climate change and sustainable development, among others, said Professor Tod Laursen, the president of Khalifa University. Last night, at the Emirates Palace hotel, Dr Allison inaugurated the series with a discussion on the fragility of the global nuclear order, and addressed the possibility of a nuclear catastrophe and the threat posed by the nuclear programmes of countries such as Iran and North Korea.
"The global nuclear order tonight is as fragile as the landscape of the Middle East was this time last year, when it otherwise looked fairly stable, or as fragile as the global financial order was three years ago, when we were assured it was sound, stable and resilient," he said.
He said the international community should embrace the "doctrine of three nos" in trying to prevent nuclear terrorism, a theory Dr Allison presented in his 2004 book Nuclear Terrorism: The Ultimate Preventable Catastrophe. The book is now in its third printing and was selected by The New York Times as one of the 100 most notable books of 2004.
The three nos, said Dr Allison, were "no new nukes, no new nascent nukes and no new nuclear weapon states".
hkhalaf@thenational.ae
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Mobile phone packages comparison
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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
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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 banned).
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.
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Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
LAST-16 FIXTURES
Sunday, January 20
3pm: Jordan v Vietnam at Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
6pm: Thailand v China at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
9pm: Iran v Oman at Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Monday, January 21
3pm: Japan v Saudi Arabia at Sharjah Stadium
6pm: Australia v Uzbekistan at Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
9pm: UAE v Kyrgyzstan at Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Tuesday, January 22
5pm: South Korea v Bahrain at Rashid Stadium, Dubai
8pm: Qatar v Iraq at Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi
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Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
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At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Specs
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