More than 100,000 climate change protesters marched through Glasgow on Saturday to demand bolder global action from policymakers convening at the UN Cop26 environment summit.
Despite being battered by wind and rain and temperatures of 9°C, about 100,000 activists, students, families and the retired walked through the city centre carrying banners, flags and shouting slogans to make their voice heard.
Dorothy Guerrero, head of policy at Global Justice Now and a member of the co-ordinating committee of the Cop26 Coalition, said the march is being replicated in 50 cities around the globe.
“This is the world telling the negotiators that we think that what they are they are pledging to each other is not enough,” said Ms Gueterrero, who is originally from the Philippines but has lived in Kent, in the UK, for the past 20 years.
“They are discussing reaching net zero by 2050 but that is wrong because they should aim for zero by 2030.”
Ms Gueterrero said net zero allows the "big and historic emitters" to continue polluting the environment and "fossil fuel corporations to continue emitting".
“What we need to do is get to zero as soon as possible,” she said.
Carrying banners with slogans such as “no more greenwashing”, “honour environmental debts”, “the house is on fire” and “we are watching you”, different campaign groups marched through the streets, with some singing and others chanting or banging drums.
Others chanted in favour of socialism, punching their fists in the air and using megaphones to amplify their voice while a separate protester pushed a wheelie bin with the message “No more Blah”.
Several campaigners dressed up in costumes, with one wearing a rabbit onesie carrying a red sign that read “Cop out: don’t let Australia get away with empty promises”.
There were also a number of placards dedicated to the South Pacific island nations such as the Solomon Islands and Tuvalu that have been particularly affected by climate change.
The demonstration was so large that much of the city was cordoned off to traffic to allow the protesters to pass through safely.
Police presence was high, with a helicopter also hovering overhead as the demonstrators made their way from the city's Kelvingrove Park towards the central George Square.
While some protesters were local to Scotland, coming from Glasgow itself or Edinburgh, others had travelled long distances to attend the rally.
Phil Joyce, 68, from Andover in Hampshire, walked from the south of England to Scotland with a group of 10 Spaniards, who arrived from Spain at the start of the month.
Wheeling his bike with a sign on it that says “March 2 Glasgow”, Mr Joyce, a retired electrical engineer who runs local Extinction Rebellion groups in his home town, said the group covered 1,062 kilometres (660 miles) through the UK in October.
“They were coming because they were very concerned about the fires and heat stroke people are suffering in Spain. Temperature records are being broken around the world – it is very concerning," he said.
Meanwhile, Ellis Kokko, 31, a Finnish student studying for a doctorate in Edinburgh, was carrying a homemade placard with the slogan “We can’t bear it”.
“This is a cute pun – I normally go for something more aggressive,” said the campaigner.
“There is this sense of frustration that nobody is doing anything and we are literally running out of time.”
Elsewhere in the crowd, dozens of Scottish national flags were waved in the wind while others called attention to climate justice and vulnerable farmers.
A few blocks away at the Cop26 meeting, negotiators continued to work to secure enough national promises to cut greenhouse gas emissions – mainly from fossil fuels – to keep the rise in the average global temperature to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
The first week of the two-week summit has included promises to phase out coal, slash emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane and reduce deforestation.
Meanwhile, a coalition of banks, insurers and asset managers pledged to provide $130 trillion of financial firepower to meet the Paris Agreement goals.
However, protesters say this does not go far enough. On Friday, a separate demonstration, organised by Fridays for Future Scotland, started with small groups of schoolchildren marching along the banks of the River Clyde.
More than 8,000 joined street protests and teenage Swedish activist Greta Thunberg addressed a rally in the city centre.
Activist Vanessa Nakate and other young campaigners, as well as local trade unionists, were scheduled to speak to crowds at the end of the march.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, actor Idris Elba acknowledged that he had few credentials to speak on climate change but said he was at Cop26 to amplify the climate threat to global food security.
Sitting on the same panel, climate justice campaigner Vanessa Nakate of Uganda implored the world to stop burning fossil fuels, the main cause of rising global temperatures.
"We are watching farms collapse and livelihoods lost due to floods, droughts and swarms of locusts," she said – all of which scientists say are being exacerbated by climate change.
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Sub Regional Qualifier
Event info: The tournament in Kuwait is the first phase of the qualifying process for sides from Asia for the 2020 World T20 in Australia. The UAE must finish within the top three teams out of the six at the competition to advance to the Asia regional finals. Success at regional finals would mean progression to the World T20 Qualifier.
Teams: UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Maldives, Qatar
Friday fixtures: 9.30am (UAE time) - Kuwait v Maldives, Qatar v UAE; 3pm - Saudi Arabia v Bahrain
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%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
The Gentlemen
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant
Three out of five stars
FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday
Saint-Etienne v Montpellier (10.45pm)
Saturday
Monaco v Caen (7pm)
Amiens v Bordeaux (10pm)
Angers v Toulouse (10pm)
Metz v Dijon (10pm)
Nantes v Guingamp (10pm)
Rennes v Lille (10pm)
Sunday
Nice v Strasbourg (5pm)
Troyes v Lyon (7pm)
Marseille v Paris Saint-Germain (11pm)
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
The specs: 2017 Ford F-150 Raptor
Price, base / as tested Dh220,000 / Dh320,000
Engine 3.5L V6
Transmission 10-speed automatic
Power 421hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 678Nm @ 3,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.1L / 100km
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
