Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, has called on countries to sign up to an environmental management agreement for space after accusing the world "making a mess of this planet".
The Prince of Wales made the comment while visiting Astroscale in Oxfordshire, where new technology to capture defunct satellites for scrapping or repair is developed.
The UK plays a leading role in helping to clear space debris orbiting the Earth. The industry is estimated to be worth billions of dollars.
Science Minister George Freeman joined Prince Charles at mission control of Astroscale's operations and announced the UK Space Agency was providing £1.7 million for 13 new projects to track and remove space debris.
Prince Charles speaks to the Head of Operations at Astroscale, Al Colebourn. PA
The visit put Prince Charles in a reflective mood.
"It just occurred [to me] while we're making rather a mess of this planet, that it might be useful to have an environmental management agreement for space," he said.
Mr Freeman was keen to focus on the commercial opportunities created by the "new space race" – the race to get junk down from space, not people into it.
"Astroscale is helping companies to make sure that when their satellites die they're removed and brought back down to Earth," he said.
"There's a huge commercial opportunity. As the sector evolves, everyone will be required to have satellite maintenance and servicing contracts to show they're not dumping rubbish in space, and I think the UK could be a world leader in setting the standards and therefore the insurance market."
Since the early days of space flight in the 1950s, debris has been building up around the planet and it is estimated 330 million pieces, from obsolete satellites to spent rocket bodies and much smaller objects, are orbiting Earth.
They pose a threat to the increasing number of satellites being launched each year which provide vital services, including communications and climate change monitoring.
Astroscale engineers paused their work during the royal visit to their base near Didcot to speak to Prince Charles.
Harriet Brettle, the company's head of business analysis, told him Astroscale aimed to commercialise its services by 2024.
"We're looking at providing services to satellite operators. If their satellites have failed in orbit we can be the AA [Automobile Association], the breakdown cover. They call us up and we can go and remove their satellite safely for them," she said.
"We're looking at capturing a big chunk of the multibillion dollar in-orbit servicing market by 2030."
Eradicating the 'launch and forget' culture
Astroscale said it has been testing the ability of its satellite capture technology since March 2021, and the next phase of trials will involve snagging real space debris.
John Auburn, Astroscale managing director, said a policy framework from governments was needed.
"There's a commercial market and government market, but to open the market we need the right policy so that industry takes it seriously.
"It's a sort of chicken-and-egg [situation], so if we can open the market we can create a whole new environment that's safe … so we go from a throwaway culture – launch and forget – to bringing down failed spacecraft."
Elon Musk's out-of-control SpaceX rocket, Falcon 9, is on a collision course with the moon and will inevitably spawn a plethora of space devbris when it crashes. Getty
Later, Prince Charles toured the UK Atomic Energy Authority's fusion experiment near Oxford, where work towards sustainable, low-carbon energy production is progressing at a time when gas prices are soaring.
During his visit to learn more about nuclear fusion – the power source of the Sun – he told Professor Ian Chapman, chief executive of the UKAEA: "We've got to do this."
When nuclei are fused, a large amount of energy is released which a commercial power station could use to generate electricity, but there are huge scientific and engineering challenges to overcome.
"We agreed significant changes are needed to decarbonise the energy supply, and how fusion energy has huge potential to address that challenge," Prof Chapman said.
"The Prince of Wales was very keen to understand more about how fusion can be a critical piece of the future global energy puzzle and Britain's leadership position in overcoming the great scientific and engineering challenges set before us."
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
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), EsekaiaDranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), JaenBotes (Exiles), KristianStinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), EmosiVacanau (Harlequins), NikoVolavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), ThinusSteyn (Exiles)
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."
UAE's role in anti-extremism recognised
General John Allen, President of the Brookings Institution research group, commended the role the UAE has played in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
He told a Globsec debate of the UAE’s "hugely outsized" role in the fight against Isis.
"It’s trite these days to say that any country punches above its weight, but in every possible way the Emirates did, both militarily, and very importantly, the UAE was extraordinarily helpful on getting to the issue of violent extremism," he said.
He also noted the impact that Hedayah, among others in the UAE, has played in addressing violent extremism.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final, first leg:
Liverpool 5
Salah (35', 45 1'), Mane (56'), Firmino (61', 68')
Roma 2
Dzeko (81'), Perotti (85' pen)
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Scoreline
Switzerland 5
Volunteers offer workers a lifeline
Community volunteers have swung into action delivering food packages and toiletries to the men.
When provisions are distributed, the men line up in long queues for packets of rice, flour, sugar, salt, pulses, milk, biscuits, shaving kits, soap and telecom cards.
Volunteers from St Mary’s Catholic Church said some workers came to the church to pray for their families and ask for assistance.
Boxes packed with essential food items were distributed to workers in the Dubai Investments Park and Ras Al Khaimah camps last week. Workers at the Sonapur camp asked for Dh1,600 towards their gas bill.
“Especially in this year of tolerance we consider ourselves privileged to be able to lend a helping hand to our needy brothers in the Actco camp," Father Lennie Connully, parish priest of St Mary’s.
Workers spoke of their helplessness, seeing children’s marriages cancelled because of lack of money going home. Others told of their misery of being unable to return home when a parent died.
“More than daily food, they are worried about not sending money home for their family,” said Kusum Dutta, a volunteer who works with the Indian consulate.
Saturday Freiburg v Borussia Monchengladbach, Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Dortmund, Cologne v Wolfsburg, Arminia Bielefeld v Mainz (6.30pm) Bayern Munich v RB Leipzig (9.30pm)
Sunday Werder Bremen v Stuttgart (6.30pm), Schalke v Bayer Leverkusen (9pm)
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition
