The cold hydrostatic test for Unit 4 at UAE's first nuclear power plant has been completed. Courtesy: Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation
The cold hydrostatic test for Unit 4 at UAE's first nuclear power plant has been completed. Courtesy: Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation
The cold hydrostatic test for Unit 4 at UAE's first nuclear power plant has been completed. Courtesy: Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation
The cold hydrostatic test for Unit 4 at UAE's first nuclear power plant has been completed. Courtesy: Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation

Ambassador: UAE is a 'model' nuclear power


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The swift creation of a civilian nuclear industry has made the UAE a model for development across the region, a senior official has told The National.

The first nuclear power plant in the Arab world is expected to start operations by early 2020, less than nine years after work started, said Hamad Alkaabi, the UAE’s permanent representative to the Vienna-based UN nuclear watchdog.

The process – working in tandem with the International Atomic Energy Agency – created a new path for aspiring, peaceful nuclear nations to follow, said Mr Alkaabi, who is also ambassador in Vienna.

“The last country that actually established this kind of peaceful nuclear programme was China. That was more than three decades ago,” he said.

“There have been countries that have expanded or introduced a nuclear power plant but for a country to start from scratch, the last time this happened was 30 years ago.”

The first phase of development at the Barakah nuclear energy plant, 50 kms southwest of Ruwais, in the Al Dhafra region was completed in March 2018 after seven years of construction work. It could start operations before the end of the year.

The plant is expected to provide 25 per cent of the UAE’s energy demands when it is completed.

“There was a decision in the government that we were going to develop a nuclear energy programme that could serve as a model for many countries in the region and beyond,” he said.

“Before the UAE pursued this, people thought nuclear power should only belong to countries with advanced economies, big powers. That has been the case in the past,” Mr Alkaabi said.

“The UAE approach has proven if you work correctly, if you check all the boxes, you will be able to develop a responsible programme, that is widely supported internationally and will be successful in achieving its objectives,” he added.

The nuclear sector – which did not exist ten years ago - was chosen for rapid development because of its commercial viability with natural gas, other hydrocarbons and renewable energy unable to meet all of the demand.

“The government concluded that demand for electricity in 2007 would triple by 2020. With that demand, naturally, you start to look at the options available to us,” Mr Alkaabi said.

“Nuclear is a proven technology. It competes commercially and environmentally with our other options. That's why the government decided to evaluate it and implement it further,” Mr Alkaabi said.

The UN watchdog reviews the national regulator and has advised the UAE over the last decade.

“All of this allowed the UAE and IAEA partnership to grow over the years,” Mr Alkaabi said. “Now the UAE is seen in the eyes of the agency and many of the member states as a model for being a responsible, peaceful nuclear power programme because we followed the book and we followed the steps and best practice.”

The ambassador sees the IAEA as playing a crucial role in reducing tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme.

Donald Trump last year abandoned the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) that saw Iran give up its nuclear weapons ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief.

IAEA inspectors confirmed in July that Iran has exceeded the limits on enriched uranium set out under the nuclear deal. The Iranian government this month began developing centrifuge technology that was banned under the deal.

Mr Alkaabi called on Iran to return to the red lines set out in the JCPOA. “Technically Iran in is violation of the JCPOA. Our call to Iran is to go back and implement the JCPOA and build confidence,” he said. “Countries who develop nuclear power should abide by the high standards of safety.”

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Married Malala

Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.

The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.

Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
How will Gen Alpha invest?

Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.

“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.

Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.

He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.

Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”

BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES

(All games 4-3pm kick UAE time) Bayern Munich v Augsburg, Borussia Dortmund v Bayer Leverkusen, Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin, Wolfsburg v Mainz , Eintracht Frankfurt v Freiburg, Union Berlin v RB Leipzig, Cologne v Schalke , Werder Bremen v Borussia Monchengladbach, Stuttgart v Arminia Bielefeld

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
%20Ramez%20Gab%20Min%20El%20Akher
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStreaming%20on%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMBC%20Shahid%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Fixtures and results:

Wed, Aug 29:

  • Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
  • Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
  • UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs

Thu, Aug 30: 

  • UAE bt Nepal by 78 runs
  • Hong Kong bt Singapore by 5 wickets
  • Oman bt Malaysia by 2 wickets

Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal

Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore

Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong

Thu, Sep 6: Final

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills

Fifa Club World Cup:

When: December 6-16
Where: Games to take place at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain
Defending champions: Real Madrid

The five pillars of Islam
If%20you%20go
%3Cp%3EThere%20are%20regular%20flights%20from%20Dubai%20to%20Kathmandu.%20Fares%20with%20Air%20Arabia%20and%20flydubai%20start%20at%20Dh1%2C265.%3Cbr%3EIn%20Kathmandu%2C%20rooms%20at%20the%20Oasis%20Kathmandu%20Hotel%20start%20at%20Dh195%20and%20Dh120%20at%20Hotel%20Ganesh%20Himal.%3Cbr%3EThird%20Rock%20Adventures%20offers%20professionally%20run%20group%20and%20individual%20treks%20and%20tours%20using%20highly%20experienced%20guides%20throughout%20Nepal%2C%20Bhutan%20and%20other%20parts%20of%20the%20Himalayas.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ten10 Cricket League

Venue and schedule Sharjah Cricket Stadium, December 14 to 17

Teams

Maratha Arabians Leading player: Virender Sehwag; Top picks: Mohammed Amir, Imad Wasim; UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Zahoor Khan

Bengal Lions Leading player: Sarfraz Ahmed; Top picks: Sunil Narine, Mustafizur Rahman; UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Rameez Shahzad

Kerala Kings Leading player: Eoin Morgan; Top picks: Kieron Pollard, Sohail Tanvir; UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Imran Haider

Pakhtoons Leading player: Shahid Afridi; Top picks: Fakhar Zaman, Tamim Iqbal; UAE players: Amjad Javed, Saqlain Haider

Punjabi Legends Leading player: Shoaib Malik; Top picks: Hasan Ali, Chris Jordan; UAE players: Ghulam Shabber, Shareef Asadullah

Team Sri Lanka Cricket Will be made up of Colombo players who won island’s domestic limited-overs competition

BlacKkKlansman

Director: Spike Lee

Starring: John David Washington; Adam Driver 

Five stars

INFO

What: DP World Tour Championship
When: November 21-24
Where: Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae.

PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE

1 Man City    26   20   3   3   63   17   63 

2 Liverpool   25   17   6   2   64   20    57 

3 Chelsea      25   14   8  3   49   18    50 

4 Man Utd    26   13   7  6   44   34    46 

----------------------------------------

5 West Ham   26   12   6   8   45   34    42 

----------------------------------------

6 Arsenal      23  13   3   7   36   26   42 

7 Wolves       24  12   4   8   23   18   40 

8 Tottenham  23  12   4   8   31   31   39  

While you're here
US tops drug cost charts

The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.

Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.

In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.

Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol. 

The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.

High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.

Generation Start-up: Awok company profile

Started: 2013

Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev

Sector: e-commerce

Size: 600 plus

Stage: still in talks with VCs

Principal Investors: self-financed by founder

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