A group of Emirati teenagers will watch the President’s UK visit through the lens of history.
The two-day event, filled with pomp and pageantry, will bring their history and current-affairs lessons at school to life.
Ghanim Hableel, 18, is well versed in the historic ties between the UAE and UK, which he studies at school.
“The treaty that existed before the Union ensured Britain would protect our sea and land borders,” says Ghanim, who is in Grade 12 at Al Khaleej National School in Dubai. “After the UAE was formed, much of the collaboration existed to further trade, education and business.”
He says the UK-UAE Friendship Treaty, signed in 1971, has laid a strong foundation for the cooperation that still exists.
“I’ve noticed there is a rising number of UK expatriates and there are 4,000 British businesses here,” says Ghanim. “Many Emiratis are also moving to the UK.
“It is also a popular vacation destination for most of us.”
Ahmed Al Mansoori, a Grade 10 pupil at the Raha International School in Abu Dhabi, believes the UK’s presence since the mid-1800s has bolstered the nation’s development and given the UAE “a head start in a lot of things”.
“They are still working together to improve trade and look at ways to enhance renewable energy, which is great,” adds the 15-year-old pupil.
For Tala Barham, 15, reciprocal royal visits highlight the progress made by an Arab country. Queen Elizabeth visited in 2010.
“It also leads to a stronger bond between the West and the [Arabian] Gulf,” says Tala, who plans to keep herself updated during the visit.
“It opens channels for more dialogue on common world issues.”
Aisha Mahmoub, 17, from Dubai, is also looking forward to more cultural ties between the two nations.
"It will build a cultural understanding, as we display our culture to the people in the UK, and creates mutual respect," Aisha says.
aahmed@thenational.ae
* With additional reporting by Vivian Nereim
Tomorrow 2021
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Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
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Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
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Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
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Amal likes watching Japanese animation movies and Manga - her favourite is The Ancient Magus Bride
She is the eldest of 11 children, and has four brothers and six sisters.
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
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“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
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Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
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All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)
Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Newcastle United (7pm)
Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)
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