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.
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
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if you go
The flights
Air France offer flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi to Cayenne, connecting in Paris from Dh7,300.
The tour
Cox & Kings (coxandkings.com) has a 14-night Hidden Guianas tour of Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. It includes accommodation, domestic flights, transfers, a local tour manager and guided sightseeing. Contact for price.
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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More from Neighbourhood Watch
TERMINAL HIGH ALTITUDE AREA DEFENCE (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US's most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out ballistic missiles as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles inside and outside the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 150 kilometres above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then stationed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
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
Your rights as an employee
The government has taken an increasingly tough line against companies that fail to pay employees on time. Three years ago, the Cabinet passed a decree allowing the government to halt the granting of work permits to companies with wage backlogs.
The new measures passed by the Cabinet in 2016 were an update to the Wage Protection System, which is in place to track whether a company pays its employees on time or not.
If wages are 10 days late, the new measures kick in and the company is alerted it is in breach of labour rules. If wages remain unpaid for a total of 16 days, the authorities can cancel work permits, effectively shutting off operations. Fines of up to Dh5,000 per unpaid employee follow after 60 days.
Despite those measures, late payments remain an issue, particularly in the construction sector. Smaller contractors, such as electrical, plumbing and fit-out businesses, often blame the bigger companies that hire them for wages being late.
The authorities have urged employees to report their companies at the labour ministry or Tawafuq service centres — there are 15 in Abu Dhabi.
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
West Indies v India - Third ODI
India 251-4 (50 overs)
Dhoni (78*), Rahane (72), Jadhav (40)
Cummins (2-56), Bishoo (1-38)
West Indies 158 (38.1 overs)
Mohammed (40), Powell (30), Hope (24)
Ashwin (3-28), Yadav (3-41), Pandya (2-32)
India won by 93 runs
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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