The Arab world is primed to celebrate a landmark achievement that will highlight its soaring progress ― on this planet and beyond.
In a few short weeks, three Arab astronauts will meet on board the International Space Station.
On February 26, the UAE's Sultan Al Neyadi will blast off into the skies for a six-month mission on the orbiting science laboratory.
He is scheduled to be joined in the spring by Saudi Arabia's Rayyannah Barnawi, will become the first female Arab in space, and her compatriot Ali Al Qarni, who will be spending a 10-day stint on the ISS.
The UAE's Hazza Al Mansouri in 2019 was the first and so far only Arab to spend time on the station.
Before the ISS existed, Prince Sultan bin Salman of Saudi Arabia flew on Nasa's Space Shuttle in 1985, becoming the first Arab in space.
The milestone moment to come demonstrates a giant leap forward in the space race by both nations. But it is not the only cause for celebration.
Saudi Arabia sending its first female to space, less than five years after the kingdom lifted its ban on women driving, is notable for its show of societal growth.
The UAE selected the Arab world's first woman astronaut, Nora Al Matrooshi, in 2021. She said it allowed her to fulfil a childhood dream.
Region marks stellar success
Salem Al Marri, director general of the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, told The National that the Arab assembly will be an exciting moment.
“The space station has received one Arab astronaut in about 22 years of operation," he said.
“So if now, in one year, we’re able to have three Arab astronauts there at the same time, I think that’s pretty cool.
“I think it really showcases that this region is starting to look at space as something important and a driver of whether it is the economy, supporting education or doing outreach.”
The station became operational in 2000 and is a joint project by Nasa, Russia's space agency Roscosmos, the European Space Agency, Japan's Jaxa and the Canadian space agency.
Maj Al Mansouri flew on Russia's Soyuz rocket in 2019 as part of a long-term astronaut programme launched by the Emirates.
Saudi Arabia launched their astronaut programme last year, with four citizens currently making up its astronaut corps.
Teaming up with Saudi Arabia
Mr Al Marri said collaborating with the kingdom in space is something they have in mind.
"First of all, Saudi Arabia is a brotherly and a close nation. We are working with them closely on many different areas," he said.
"And this is something that we are looking at closely ― how could we work together with Saudi. There are some ideas and we'll see where it goes."
The menus for the UAE astronaut has not been revealed yet, although Maj Al Mansouri took traditional Emirati dishes during his trip.
Usually, American astronauts and their colleagues on board the station share meals on special occasions, such as Thanksgiving, the Fourth of July, and birthdays.
It could be that the three Arab astronauts have their own food party on the ISS to celebrate and share their cultures.
On Earth, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are part of the Arab Space Co-operation Group ― an organisation made up of several member states from the Middle East and North Africa region that exchange experiences.
This helps smaller Arab nations learn more from countries like the UAE and Saudi Arabia, who are investing heavily in their space programmes.
Bahrain, for example, launched its first nanosatellite, Light-1, in 2021 after teaming up with a UAE university.
Kuwait launched its KuwaitSat-1 nanosatellite in January.
And Oman also built its first satellite, which was destroyed last year after a Virgin Orbit launch failure.
But the sultanate has announced plans to build the Middle East's first spaceport.
Who are Saudi Arabia's new astronauts?
Saudi Arabia named their astronauts last week, months after announcing that they had secured a trip to the ISS.
Ms Barnawi, 33, is a research laboratory specialist, with nine years of experience in cancer stem cell research. She has a master's degree in biomedical science from Alfaisal University.
Mr Al Qarni, 31, is an air force captain with 2,387 flying hours logged. He has 12 years of experience on fighter aircraft. He has a bachelor's degree in aeronautical sciences from the King Faisal Air Academy.
Ali Alghamdi, 31, and Mariam Fardous, 38 are the back-up astronauts for this mission.
Ms Fardous is an epidemiology physician with 13 years' experience. She has a master's degree in epidemiology from the King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences.
Mr Alghamdi is an air force captain with 11 years' experience on fighter aircraft, and 2,285 flying hours logged. He has a bachelor's degree in aeronautical sciences from the King Faisal Air Academy.
Private US space industry making missions possible
Axiom Space, a space infrastructure company in Houston, has made both the UAE and Saudi missions possible.
The UAE signed a deal with the company last year.
This is the Falcon 9 seat that Axiom Space got in exchange from Nasa, after the company gave up its Russian Soyuz rocket seat for American astronaut, Mark Vande Hei, in 2021.
MBRSC did not disclose how much they paid Axiom for the seat, but the agreement includes transportation to and from the space station; comprehensive mission support; all necessary training and preparation for launch; flight operations; and landing and crew rescue services.
Saudi Arabia signed a deal with the company last year. The agreement involves two Saudi astronauts who will be part of the Ax-2 mission, a privately-led mission by Axiom Space.
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
GOODBYE%20JULIA
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMohamed%20Kordofani%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESiran%20Riak%2C%20Eiman%20Yousif%2C%20Nazar%20Goma%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
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.”
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Joy%20Ride%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Adele%20Lim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAshley%20Park%2C%20Sherry%20Cola%2C%20Stephanie%20Hsu%2C%20Sabrina%20Wu%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
CREW
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERajesh%20A%20Krishnan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETabu%2C%20Kareena%20Kapoor%20Khan%2C%20Kriti%20Sanon%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Uefa Nations League: How it works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
RedCrow Intelligence Company Profile
Started: 2016
Founders: Hussein Nasser Eddin, Laila Akel, Tayeb Akel
Based: Ramallah, Palestine
Sector: Technology, Security
# of staff: 13
Investment: $745,000
Investors: Palestine’s Ibtikar Fund, Abu Dhabi’s Gothams and angel investors
