Sir Richard Branson and American technology guru Sean Parker are heading to Abu Dhabi this week as part of a high-level summit aimed at addressing some of the region’s most pressing challenges.
Water security, the refugee crisis and rising youth unemployment are all topics under the microscope as the Milken Institute’s MENA summit returns to the city.
The two-day summit on Tuesday and Wednesday will feature a host of local and international speakers, from health chiefs to philanthropists.
George W Bush attended last year's inaugural gathering, which saw the former United States president take a subtle aim at some of Donald Trump's policies.
“We are at a time of some global uncertainty,” said Katie O'Reilly, executive director of the Milken institute, a non-profit think tank based in America.
“Lots of things such as traditional power dynamics are shifting, while dominant industries are changing.
“That also means there is a tonne of opportunity. We aim to provide perspective by highlighting those areas of opportunity and advance discussion about the challenges.”
One area of focus is the environment. Climate change, pollution and land reclamation are wreaking havoc on the Middle East’s flora and fauna.
Razan Al Mubarak, managing director of the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, will speak on this theme, looking at some of the efforts in the Middle East to drive sustainability.
Another issue is the youth unemployment crisis facing the Middle East in the wake of the Arab uprising. Rates of joblessness among young people in the region stand at 31 per cent.
A panel on Tuesday, chaired by Mina Al-Oraibi, editor in chief of The National, will examine what governments are doing to create more opportunities for the region's youth.
The summit will also feature an appearance by Mr Parker. As a teenager, he co-founded the Napster file-sharing website which disrupted the very fabric of the music industry.
The company was famously sued by Metallica and was eventually shut down, but many consider it to be the pioneering precursor to sites such as iTunes and Spotify.
Mr Parker went on to become the founding president of Facebook, the social networking site, and he is now a philanthropist.
He will be among those speaking on how countries can harness personal data to find cures to diseases, support healthy aging, and solve other public health challenges.
Tackling what is widely seen as an international mental health crisis, the reconstruction of war-torn Middle East countries, and whether space travel can ever become a viable business are also expected to be discussed over the two days.
Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chief executive of investment company, Mubadala, and presidential special envoy to China, will also lead a session charting the current global outlook, while Noura Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, will speak about culture and soft power.
For Ms O'Reilly, the summit provides a forum that could lead to real change in policy.
“I think [change] is really tough to do in a vacuum. It’s hard to do it without talking – that’s the reason we don’t have speeches, we don’t really do keynotes and instead have panel discussions so no-one can say something in public without being challenged.”
Mr Bush’s visit to the UAE last year came just over a decade after his state visit in 2008.
That year he became the first - and so far only - sitting US president to visit the country.
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Squads
India: Kohli (c), Rahul, Shaw, Agarwal, Pujara, Rahane, Vihari, Pant (wk), Ashwin, Jadeja, Kuldeep, Shami, Umesh, Siraj, Thakur
West Indies: Holder (c), Ambris, Bishoo, Brathwaite, Chase, Dowrich (wk), Gabriel, Hamilton, Hetmyer, Hope, Lewis, Paul, Powell, Roach, Warrican, Joseph
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
TOURNAMENT INFO
Women’s World Twenty20 Qualifier
Jul 3- 14, in the Netherlands
The top two teams will qualify to play at the World T20 in the West Indies in November
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (captain), Chamani Seneviratne, Subha Srinivasan, Neha Sharma, Kavisha Kumari, Judit Cleetus, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Heena Hotchandani, Namita D’Souza, Ishani Senevirathne, Esha Oza, Nisha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi
T20 World Cup Qualifier
October 18 – November 2
Opening fixtures
Friday, October 18
ICC Academy: 10am, Scotland v Singapore, 2.10pm, Netherlands v Kenya
Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan
Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed
Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, Group B
Barcelona v Inter Milan
Camp Nou, Barcelona
Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, Group C
Liverpool v Red Star Belgrade
Anfield, Liverpool
Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
MWTC info
Tickets to the MWTC range from Dh100 and can be purchased from www.ticketmaster.ae or by calling 800 86 823 from within the UAE or 971 4 366 2289 from outside the country and all Virgin Megastores. Fans looking to attend all three days of the MWTC can avail of a special 20 percent discount on ticket prices.
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Price, base: Dh1.2 million
Engine: 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 725hp @ 6,500pm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,800rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.3L / 100km (estimate)
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The first Soroptimists club was founded in Oakland, California in 1921. The name comes from the Latin word soror which means sister, combined with optima, meaning the best.
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Since then the group has grown exponentially around the world and is officially affiliated with the United Nations. The organisation also counts Queen Mathilde of Belgium among its ranks.
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Gearbox seven-speed dual clutch auto
Power 1479 @ 6,700rpm
Torque 1600Nm @ 2,000rpm 0-100kph: 2.6 seconds 0-200kph: 6.1 seconds
Top speed 420 kph (governed)
Fuel economy, combined 35.2L / 100km (est)
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
The biog
Mission to Seafarers is one of the largest port-based welfare operators in the world.
It provided services to around 200 ports across 50 countries.
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