Live updates: Follow the latest news on Cop28
Momentum to fight the climate crisis must continue after the UAE's Cop28 scored an early win when nations agreed to put into operation the loss and damage fund and triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030, the International Monetary Fund's managing director has said.
The landmark loss and damage fund, which came into operation after a 30-year wait, and the renewables agreement will help the world to hasten decarbonisation efforts and boost financial commitments to battle climate change, Kristalina Georgieva told The National on Sunday.
Climate-related financial pledges started to pour in during the early days of the Cop28 summit in Dubai, including the UAE's $30 billion fund and the IMF's Resilience and Sustainability Trust that has received pledges for more than $40 billion to accelerate the energy transition.
Cop28 “is very successful from Day 1, it has turned the hopes of everybody here up. Why? Because of the actions that have already been taken”, she said.
“I do hope this will continue in the spirit of 'yes we can fight, successfully, the climate crisis and turn it into an opportunity to transform our economies to low-carbon and climate resilient development'.”
Countries on Thursday agreed to the historic deal of putting into operation the loss and damage fund, which is aimed at helping vulnerable countries to cope with the increasingly expensive and damaging effect of climate disasters.
Loss and damage refers to climate effects that are already happening or are inevitable, such as rising sea levels that threaten to submerge small island nations.
Countries agreed on the principle of a loss and damage fund at Cop27 in Egypt last year, but left several questions open, such as who would pay and who would oversee the payments.
The deal in Dubai means the fund can now come into operation. With some of those questions answered, governments of rich countries have been told to “take the lead” in funding, and the World Bank is envisaged as an initial host.
However, the IMF chief said challenges remained, including putting in place policies to speed up decarbonisation, eliminate fossil fuel subsidies and expand the use of carbon pricing.
“The biggest challenge is to address the policy obstacles for faster decarbonisation,” Ms Georgieva said.
Governments should eliminate fossil fuel subsidies to accelerate decarbonisation goals, she said.
Direct and indirect fossil-fuel subsidies surged to a record $7.1 trillion in 2022 as governments supported consumers and businesses, and higher fuel prices and inflation rates sparked a cost-of-living crisis.
Ms Georgieva also called for wider use of carbon pricing, which creates an incentive for the biggest polluters to decarbonise their operations quickly.
Carbon pricing determines the cost that a company needs to pay for its planet-warming emissions and is considered by the IMF as a cost-effective way to cut such pollution.
The Washington-based lender views carbon pricing as a tool that leads to more government revenue, creates incentives for changes in behaviour and is fair as companies pay for the emissions they produce.
Carbon pricing currently covers close to 25 per cent of emissions, up from 10 per cent a decade ago, according to the IMF.
Average carbon prices are also increasing in areas where they exist, reaching $20 a tonne, but that remains below the target of at least $85 a tonne by 2030.
“We have a long way to go and the private sector would actually welcome a clearer price signal on carbon because then they would know how to structure their investments and we would see a peak of investments as a result,” Ms Georgieva said.
The IMF chief's comments come as top policymakers and business leaders gather in Dubai for the UN's two-week long climate summit, which is scheduled to end on December 12.
Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
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CHATGPT%20ENTERPRISE%20FEATURES
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Company%20profile
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The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
A German university was a good fit for the family budget
Annual fees for the Technical University of Munich - £600
Shared rental accommodation per month depending on the location ranges between £200-600
The family had budgeted for food, books, travel, living expenses - £20,000 annually
Overall costs in Germany are lower than the family estimated
As proof that the student has the ability to take care of expenses, international students must open a blocked account with about £8,640
Students are permitted to withdraw £720 per month
MATCH INFO
Borussia Dortmund 0
Bayern Munich 1 (Kimmich 43')
Man of the match: Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich)
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Mountain%20Boy
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Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 2 (Mahrez 04', Ake 84')
Leicester City 5 (Vardy 37' pen, 54', 58' pen, Maddison 77', Tielemans 88' pen)
Man of the match: Jamie Vardy (Leicester City)
Women%E2%80%99s%20Asia%20Cup
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PAKISTAN v SRI LANKA
Twenty20 International series
Thu Oct 26, 1st T20I, Abu Dhabi
Fri Oct 27, 2nd T20I, Abu Dhabi
Sun Oct 29, 3rd T20I, Lahore
Tickets are available at www.q-tickets.com
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law