Britain's Prince William has launched a Dubai-backed £50 million ($64.6m) drive to find the best visionary climate change projects that can help to save the planet.
DP World in partnership with Dubai Expo 2020 are among the founding partners of the Earthshot Prize, the inspiration for which was provided by conservationist Sir David Attenborough.
The initiative has a 10-year plan designed to clean up the Earth by 2030.
Only the best environmental ideas with the biggest wow factor will be considered for an Earthshot accolade, said Royal Foundation chief executive Jason Knauf.
Mr Knauf said the Earthshots project was based on the theory that “urgency plus optimism equals action”.
He said that by taking pessimism out of the equation and working alongside those committed to science, the rising climate crisis might be alleviated.
Mr Knauf said Dubai Expo was an ideal platform for the initiative.
“We have bought in philanthropy covering China, the Middle East, North America and Europe to make sure we have local expertise and each of our partners bring expertise beyond financial support,” he said.
“DP World is heavily involved with Dubai Expo and that is going to be a very important showcase for innovation and sustainable energy and technology, which is a perfect platform for the Earthshot Prize to work with.”
We are rapidly approaching a number of tipping points.
It is hoped the winners will inspire “everyone from a schoolchild in Africa to a boardroom in Europe”, Mr Knauf said.
The awards are all the more prestigious thanks to the project’s royal backing.
Prince William, who has been immersed in environmental issues all his life, said the same resources used to tackle the coronavirus pandemic should be devoted to saving the natural world.
He added: “The plan is to really galvanise and bring together the best minds, the best possible solutions, to fixing and tackling some of the world’s greatest environmental challenges.
“We’ve got to harness our ingenuity and our ability to invent. The next 10 years are a critical decade for change.
"Time is of the essence, which is why we believe that this very ambitious global prize is the only way forward.”
The scheme is inspired by former US president John F Kennedy’s "moonshot" vision in the 1960s, which resulted in the Americans putting men on the Moon, thus winning the Cold War space race against the Soviet Union.
The Earthshots will award £1m to each of five projects for the next 10 years, making it the world’s most high-profile accolade for fighting climate change.
"We are rapidly approaching a number of tipping points," Mr Knauf said.
"If we don’t act now, we may find that runaway climate change and the destruction of the natural world will simply become impossible to stop.
“This is not theory any more. We can see the fires burning, the ice caps melting. The most vulnerable people on the planet are already suffering from rising sea levels.
“Prince William identified a challenge. Urgency is a key part to people demanding change but people feel pessimistic about our ability to solve complex challenges.”
“With every prize we will demonstrate we have the answers. Our power to innovate and co-operate can now save the planet for future generations. The Earthshot prize will speak to every corner of the Earth.”
Organisers contacted representatives at the Nobel and X Prize foundations to establish how winners would be chosen.
One of the first people Prince William spoke to was Sir David.
The best ideas will be adjudged by nominators from around the world across five categories: protect and restore nature; clean our air; revive our oceans; build a waste-free world; and fix our climate.
Earthshot’s other founding partners are the Aga Khan Development Network, Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Jack Ma Foundation, Marc and Lynne Benioff, and the Paul G Allen Family Foundation.
Nominations will open on November 1, with the first winners – which could be people, established companies, start-ups or even cities – being named in December 2021.
Finalists will have the chance to scale up their project with Earthshot funding.
“We will provide a global platform so that the people who have the solutions have the loudest voice in the room,” Mr Knauf said.
Euro 2020
Group A: Italy, Switzerland, Wales, Turkey
Group B: Belgium, Russia, Denmark, Finland
Group C: Netherlands, Ukraine, Austria,
Georgia/Kosovo/Belarus/North Macedonia
Group D: England, Croatia, Czech Republic,
Scotland/Israel/Norway/Serbia
Group E: Spain, Poland, Sweden,
N.Ireland/Bosnia/Slovakia/Ireland
Group F: Germany, France, Portugal,
Iceland/Romania/Bulgaria/Hungary
Sreesanth's India bowling career
Tests 27, Wickets 87, Average 37.59, Best 5-40
ODIs 53, Wickets 75, Average 33.44, Best 6-55
T20Is 10, Wickets 7, Average 41.14, Best 2-12
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
The bio
Favourite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Favourite travel destination: Maldives and south of France
Favourite pastime: Family and friends, meditation, discovering new cuisines
Favourite Movie: Joker (2019). I didn’t like it while I was watching it but then afterwards I loved it. I loved the psychology behind it.
Favourite Author: My father for sure
Favourite Artist: Damien Hurst
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
UAE%20ILT20
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Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Kerb weight: 1580kg
Price: From Dh750k
On sale: via special order
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
