Many years ago, when I travelled and people asked where I was from, I used to say “Saudi Arabia”. Not because it was true — but because it was easier. Explaining where the UAE was became tiring: “Next to Iran, near Oman, on the Arabian Gulf.” At one point, I even started carrying a map.
When I visited the Galapagos Islands in 2018, I was the first Emirati most had ever met.
Today, those conversations sound very different. When I travel and say I’m from Abu Dhabi — not Dubai, which I used to default to — I hear things like “I lived there, they were the best years of my life” or “my friend works there and keeps telling me to visit”. And then there’s my favourite moment: when I ask “have you heard of Abu Dhabi?” and they smile as they answer: “Of course, who hasn’t?”
So discovering that our young nation — just over 50 years old — now has a scientific presence in the polar regions, in the furthest and most unforgiving places on Earth, stopped me in my tracks. It left me with an overwhelming sense of pride.
In this month’s edition of Emirati, I speak to those shaping the Emirates Polar Programme about why the UAE chose science as its pathway to the poles. From the treaties that govern Antarctica to research partnerships across the Arctic and the Hindu Kush–Himalayan “Third Pole”, the conversations reveal how climate leadership is being defined through long-term thinking, collaboration and responsibility — far from the spotlight, but with global consequences.
The UAE officially has a presence in the furthest regions of the Earth!
The UAE is fast establishing itself as a leading player in the global space race - but it is also making significant strides in a mission to explore some of the harshest environments back on Earth.
Central to this quest is the Emirates Polar Programme, which puts Emirati scientists at the forefront of international research in Antarctica and the Arctic.
As President Sheikh Mohamed said at the programme's launch in 2023, the polar regions are sentinels of climate change, biodiversity and human resilience.
The need to protect them has never been more critical. They are experiencing the most rapid rates of warming on the planet, with far-reaching consequences for natural ecosystems and human activity worldwide.
The Arctic is not a continent, but a frozen ocean capped by ice that expands and contracts with the seasons, bordered by eight sovereign countries.
Antarctica, by contrast, is. Much of it sits more than 500 metres above sea level, making it both the coldest and highest continent on the planet, where temperatures can fall below -60°C in winter.
Did you know?
Two Emirati researchers, Ahmed Al Kaabi and Badr Al Ameri, helped to install two meteorological and seismic monitoring stations to boost weather monitoring during an Antarctic mission that concluded in January. Read more here
The rugged Sharjah terrain that sustained human life for thousands of years. Ahmed Ramzan for The National
An ancient desert landscape in Sharjah recognised by the UN has been hailed as an example of “human resilience” after sustaining life as civilisation was gripped by an ice age.
The Faya palaeolandscape won Unesco World Heritage status in July and includes one of the oldest uninterrupted records of archaic human habitation, dating back more than 210,000 years.
The National took a tour in the company of experts who have told of its significance not only to the story of the Gulf region, but the wider world.
“This is one of the oldest sites of human settlement outside Africa,” said Eisa Yousif, director general of the Sharjah Archaeology Authority.
“It shows not only early dispersal, but sustained human presence, even during dry periods. That continuity is what makes the site exceptional.”
A farmer in Zambia tends to a maize farm affected by drought. Photo: EPA
The UAE this month set out ambitious plans to use artificial intelligence to deliver a critical lifeline to millions of farmers bearing the brunt of the growing threat posed by climate change.
Abu Dhabi's AI Ecosystem for Global Agriculture Development will seek to use advanced technology to help farmers adapt quickly to extreme weather and give them access to the tools needed to cultivate a better future for the communities they support.
The high-tech strategy is the result of a major international collaboration between the UAE Presidential Court and the Gates Foundation. Its launch will build on the $200 million UAE-Gates Foundation fund announced at Cop28 in Dubai, which aims to accelerate agricultural innovation.
The announcement was made in the presence of Mariam Almheiri, head of the International Affairs Office at the UAE Presidential Court, and Bill Gates, chairman of the Gates Foundation.
Four landmark initiatives will serve as the foundation of the new ecosystem, including an agriculture and AI centre at the Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence and the Agricultural Innovation Mechanism for Scale (Aim for Scale), under which an advanced weather warning system for farmers is already achieving success.
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What is type-1 diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is a genetic and unavoidable condition, rather than the lifestyle-related type 2 diabetes.
It occurs mostly in people under 40 and a result of the pancreas failing to produce enough insulin to regulate blood sugars.
Too much or too little blood sugar can result in an attack where sufferers lose consciousness in serious cases.
Being overweight or obese increases the chances of developing the more common type 2 diabetes.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
From Conquest to Deportation
Jeronim Perovic, Hurst
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
The winners
Fiction
‘Amreekiya’ by Lena Mahmoud
‘As Good As True’ by Cheryl Reid
The Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award
‘Syrian and Lebanese Patricios in Sao Paulo’ by Oswaldo Truzzi; translated by Ramon J Stern
‘The Sound of Listening’ by Philip Metres
The George Ellenbogen Poetry Award
‘Footnotes in the Order of Disappearance’ by Fady Joudah
Children/Young Adult
‘I’ve Loved You Since Forever’ by Hoda Kotb
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
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.
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.
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
What is Reform?
Reform is a right-wing, populist party led by Nigel Farage, a former MEP who won a seat in the House of Commons last year at his eighth attempt and a prominent figure in the campaign for the UK to leave the European Union.
It was founded in 2018 and originally called the Brexit Party.
Many of its members previously belonged to UKIP or the mainstream Conservatives.
After Brexit took place, the party focused on the reformation of British democracy.
Former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson became its first MP after defecting in March 2024.
The party gained support from Elon Musk, and had hoped the tech billionaire would make a £100m donation. However, Mr Musk changed his mind and called for Mr Farage to step down as leader in a row involving the US tycoon's support for far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson who is in prison for contempt of court.
