Emirati astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi spoke to pupils during the first amateur radio session from the International Space Station on Tuesday.
Asked what he loved about living on the ISS, Dr Al Neyadi said he enjoyed “floating in space, like Superman, from one module to the other”.
The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre arranged the 10-minute radio session in collaboration with the Emirates Amateur Radio Society and the Emirates Literature Foundation as the ISS passed over the region, news agency Wam reported.
The event, held at the UAE space centre, is the first of 10 radio sessions in a series titled “A Call with Space”.
Twenty-five pupils from various schools in the Emirates took part and asked questions about the launch, what inspired Dr Al Neyadi, 41, to become an astronaut and his memorable experiences.
They were also interested in the scientific experiments being conducted, visible climate changes and space-related activities.
Dr Al Neyadi gave a glimpse of life aboard the orbiting space lab and also spoke about how astronauts communicate, maintain their psychological health and stay fit.
Protecting our planet
He captivated the young audience by providing valuable insights and encouraged them to explore the realms of space further.
Sharing the message of the importance of protecting our planet, Dr Al Neyadi said he was able to better understand how precious and beautiful our planet is from his vantage point on the ISS.
Amateur radio is a popular hobby that allows people or groups to communicate locally or internationally using a broad spectrum of frequencies.
It enables communication between remote regions, including space, making it a valuable tool in emergencies.
Since its inception in the early 20th century, it has played a crucial role in times of crisis by relaying emergency communications when conventional networks fail.
The ISS has its own programme called the Amateur Radio on the International Space Station.
The programme aims to encourage an interest in space in pupils around the world and inspire them to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and maths.
Astronauts share their experience of life on the ISS and help pupils to explore Earth from space through science and maths activities.
The programme also raises awareness within school communities about the benefits of human space flight and the exploration and discovery that comes with it.
Earlier in the day, Dr Al Neyadi shared footage of Makkah from space as Ramadan draws to a close.
He called the footage “a gift for [Saudi King] Salman's children on these blessed nights”.
The footage showed Makkah and Madinah lit up from various points, with the Grand Mosque shining bright in Makkah's centre.
The astronaut has regularly paid tribute to the Gulf region and the UAE since embarking on his six-month mission in March, sharing footage of his hometown of Al Ain, as well as the Arabian Peninsula.
Sultan Al Neyadi in space - in pictures
Emiratisation at work
Emiratisation was introduced in the UAE more than 10 years ago
It aims to boost the number of citizens in the workforce particularly in the private sector.
Growing the number of Emiratis in the workplace will help the UAE reduce dependence on overseas workers
The Cabinet in December last year, approved a national fund for Emirati jobseekers and guaranteed citizens working in the private sector a comparable pension
President Sheikh Khalifa has described Emiratisation as “a true measure for success”.
During the UAE’s 48th National Day, Sheikh Khalifa named education, entrepreneurship, Emiratisation and space travel among cornerstones of national development
More than 80 per cent of Emiratis work in the federal or local government as per 2017 statistics
The Emiratisation programme includes the creation of 20,000 new jobs for UAE citizens
UAE citizens will be given priority in managerial positions in the government sphere
The purpose is to raise the contribution of UAE nationals in the job market and create a diverse workforce of citizens
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Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 36', Moura 42', Kane 49')
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Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
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UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (captain), Chirag Suri, Shaiman Anwar, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Saqlain Haider, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Naveed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Boota, Amir Hayat, Ashfaq Ahmed
Fixtures Nov 29-Dec 2
UAE v Afghanistan, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
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'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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