It is hard to overstate the significance of the visit to London earlier this month of Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. The scale and breadth of the agreements signed under his supervision and that of Prime Minister Boris Johnson exceeded all expectations in the comprehensive nature of their coverage of issues affecting our mutual prosperity, security and global vision. They are at one and the same time an acknowledgement of the past and of the firm foundations on which they were built, but also a leap, a “Partnership for the Future”, touching on those areas where the world has moved on and needs fleet-footed partners to do the same.
Despite our long history together, Prime Minister David Cameron and Foreign Secretary William Hague pledged, when they came to office in 2010, to restore the UK’s regional relationships which they felt their predecessors had rather let slip, in what they described as a “Gulf Initiative”. In 2010, the first Taskforce between the UAE and UK was inaugurated and it has met steadily over the years handling defence, business, culture and education. Skillfully guided throughout by UAE Presidential Adviser Dr Anwar Gargash, who for so long was the Minister of State at the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this taskforce set and met ambitious challenges related to new targets for trade and investment and was a hub for the building of a common regional security and defence perspective vital to both states.
I like to believe today’s announcements build on the trust engendered by this patient work, but they are truly on a scale that Dr Gargash and I would not have imagined in our first meetings. So many things catch the eye. We will now have a Partnership for the Future, handled personally at the highest level of Government, focusing on sustainable prosperity and global issues. Within the compass of these pillars will come the building blocks our peoples will need in order to have confidence that, in a world of many uncertainties, there exists the mechanisms to keep them and their families safe and ensure their future.
The scope of the Sovereign Investment Partnership, building on Mubadala’s $1 billion investment in UK’s life sciences, announced only in March 2021, to more than $13.5bn over the next five years will attract much attention. That it is focused on the newest technologies, clean and renewable energies and will tie in closely with research and job creation in both countries, delivers on many vital needs. In other elements of today’s unveilings, ADNOC, Masdar and BP will pool their knowledge to overcome challenges; improved broadband, a key UK Government domestic pledge, will be enhanced by an almost $700m investment; a memorandum of understanding will facilitate the transfer of knowledge on AI, and a joint Space committee will be formed, on the back of the UK’s renewed interest and the successful UAE Hope probe mission. While new existential extraterritorial threats have emerged with ferocity, the joint work that will take place on health and vaccines, and on climate, drought and the terrible implications of rising temperatures, will seek to respond to the adage that no one is safe until we are all safe.
Looking at the events surrounding the announcement, I felt strongly that there was something extra that was more than the sum of the various parts of these agreements, impressive though they were. So much of the modern world appears to be about mistrust, the deliberate undermining of fact, information or intent, so that no one believes anyone anymore. Ultimately the destruction of trust between states can only benefit those with ill intent to us all.
To see, therefore, two states making such commitments – and indeed personal commitments – to each other should surely reinforce the confidence of peoples whose personal and family security requires a degree of faith in those who lead them. The scale of the mutual pacts made cannot be forgotten easily, or be allowed to slip away, as they affect vital parts of each other’s infrastructure and well-being. They lay down markers to which future leaders must adhere.
The agreements recognise a changing Middle East. The recognition in the official communique of the Abraham Accords notes the benefits that economic relationships with Israel can have on the jobs and prosperity needed throughout the region, but in the same breath does not allow the issue of Palestine to be lost, if the Accords are to have their fullest effect. Whatever uncertainty there may be surrounding the role of the United States, or any external partners, the UAE and UK are saying that they are here for each other, and their new annual Strategic Dialogue will underpin that.
This moment has been long in the making, but even so I think we can call it a good day’s work, and a great start to the next fifty years, for both Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and Mr Johnson.
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School counsellors on mental well-being
Schools counsellors in Abu Dhabi have put a number of provisions in place to help support pupils returning to the classroom next week.
Many children will resume in-person lessons for the first time in 10 months and parents previously raised concerns about the long-term effects of distance learning.
Schools leaders and counsellors said extra support will be offered to anyone that needs it. Additionally, heads of years will be on hand to offer advice or coping mechanisms to ease any concerns.
“Anxiety this time round has really spiralled, more so than from the first lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic,” said Priya Mitchell, counsellor at The British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi.
“Some have got used to being at home don’t want to go back, while others are desperate to get back.
“We have seen an increase in depressive symptoms, especially with older pupils, and self-harm is starting younger.
“It is worrying and has taught us how important it is that we prioritise mental well-being.”
Ms Mitchell said she was liaising more with heads of year so they can support and offer advice to pupils if the demand is there.
The school will also carry out mental well-being checks so they can pick up on any behavioural patterns and put interventions in place to help pupils.
At Raha International School, the well-being team has provided parents with assessment surveys to see how they can support students at home to transition back to school.
“They have created a Well-being Resource Bank that parents have access to on information on various domains of mental health for students and families,” a team member said.
“Our pastoral team have been working with students to help ease the transition and reduce anxiety that [pupils] may experience after some have been nearly a year off campus.
"Special secondary tutorial classes have also focused on preparing students for their return; going over new guidelines, expectations and daily schedules.”
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UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (c), Chamani Senevirathne (vc), Subha Srinivasan, NIsha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Esha Oza, Ishani Senevirathne, Heena Hotchandani, Keveesha Kumari, Judith Cleetus, Chavi Bhatt, Namita D’Souza.
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
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UAE FIXTURES
October 18 – 7.30pm, UAE v Oman, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 19 – 7.30pm, UAE v Ireland, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 21 – 2.10pm, UAE v Hong Kong, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 22 – 2.10pm, UAE v Jersey, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 24 – 10am, UAE v Nigeria, Abu Dhabi Cricket Oval 1
October 27 – 7.30pm, UAE v Canada, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
October 29 – 2.10pm, Playoff 1 – A2 v B3; 7.30pm, Playoff 2 – A3 v B2, at Dubai International Stadium.
October 30 – 2.10pm, Playoff 3 – A4 v Loser of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Playoff 4 – B4 v Loser of Play-off 2 at Dubai International Stadium
November 1 – 2.10pm, Semifinal 1 – B1 v Winner of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Semifinal 2 – A1 v Winner of Play-off 2 at Dubai International Stadium
November 2 – 2.10pm, Third place Playoff – B1 v Winner of Play-off 1; 7.30pm, Final, at Dubai International Stadium
UFC Fight Night 2
1am – Early prelims
2am – Prelims
4am-7am – Main card
7:30am-9am – press cons
MATCH INFO
Day 2 at Mount Maunganui
England 353
Stokes 91, Denly 74, Southee 4-88
New Zealand 144-4
Williamson 51, S Curran 2-28
The rules of the road keeping cyclists safe
Cyclists must wear a helmet, arm and knee pads
Have a white front-light and a back red-light on their bike
They must place a number plate with reflective light to the back of the bike to alert road-users
Avoid carrying weights that could cause the bike to lose balance
They must cycle on designated lanes and areas and ride safe on pavements to avoid bumping into pedestrians
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
HOW DO SIM CARD SCAMS WORK?
Sim swap frauds are a form of identity theft.
They involve criminals conning mobile phone operators into issuing them with replacement Sim cards, often by claiming their phone has been lost or stolen
They use the victim's personal details - obtained through criminal methods - to convince such companies of their identity.
The criminal can then access any online service that requires security codes to be sent to a user's mobile phone, such as banking services.
LUKA CHUPPI
Director: Laxman Utekar
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Cinema
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon, Pankaj Tripathi, Vinay Pathak, Aparshakti Khurana
Rating: 3/5
At a glance
Fixtures All matches start at 9.30am, at ICC Academy, Dubai. Admission is free
Thursday UAE v Ireland; Saturday UAE v Ireland; Jan 21 UAE v Scotland; Jan 23 UAE v Scotland
UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (c), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan
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Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5