French president Emmanuel Macron meets with US businessman and politician Michael Bloomberg, US entrepreneur Bill Gates, and British entrepreneur Richard Branson on December 12, 2017 at the Elysee palace in Paris. Christophe Archambault / AFP
French president Emmanuel Macron meets with US businessman and politician Michael Bloomberg, US entrepreneur Bill Gates, and British entrepreneur Richard Branson on December 12, 2017 at the Elysee palace in Paris. Christophe Archambault / AFP
French president Emmanuel Macron meets with US businessman and politician Michael Bloomberg, US entrepreneur Bill Gates, and British entrepreneur Richard Branson on December 12, 2017 at the Elysee palace in Paris. Christophe Archambault / AFP
French president Emmanuel Macron meets with US businessman and politician Michael Bloomberg, US entrepreneur Bill Gates, and British entrepreneur Richard Branson on December 12, 2017 at the Elysee pal

France steps up the fight against climate change


Mina Aldroubi
  • English
  • Arabic

The French president will host on Tuesday dozens of world leaders at a summit in Paris aimed at reinforcing the fight against climate change.

Emmanuel Macron is seeking to take the lead on climate talks two years after rallying the world behind the Paris accord to limit greenhouse gas emissions.

chief executives of banks and energy companies are joining more than 50 heads of state at the summit, which is aimed in part at speeding up investment in energy that doesn't damage the climate.

Mr Macron hosted leading world philanthropists on Tuesday morning to encourage more climate-related investment. While the summit is aimed at financing climate change action, it is expected to be more symbolic than policy driven.

Sean Penn, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Elon Musk are among prominent figures joining the world leaders at the summit —  ranging from Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto to British prime minister Theresa May — which marks the second anniversary of the Paris accord.

Leaders from the Middle East attending the summit include Iraqi prime minister Haider Al Abadi. He is expected to present Iraq's plan of action aimed at combating global warming.

Baghdad will focus on how climate change will impact the country’s vital economy and environment sectors.

In June, US president Donald Trump announced he was pulling Washington out of the Paris accord, a move that pushed Mr Macron to issue a mock rallying cry to “make our planet great again”.

Mr Macron, who's also using the event to raise his international profile, did not invite Mr Trump.

UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa warned political action "will not be enough if we do not update and reset the global finance architecture and make all development low-emission, resilient, and sustainable".

"We see some movement … but climate consideration must now be part of all private sector decisions," Ms Espinosa said.

Some 3,100 security personnel are fanned out around Paris, including extra patrol boats along the Seine River. Mr Macron is set to accompany the visiting leaders to the summit site on a river island by boat.

Participants are expected to announce billions of dollars' worth of projects to help poor countries and industries reduce emissions.

Company profile

Name: Steppi

Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic

Launched: February 2020

Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year

Employees: Five

Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai

Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings

Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year

BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh650,000

PROFILE BOX

Company name: Overwrite.ai

Founder: Ayman Alashkar

Started: Established in 2020

Based: Dubai International Financial Centre, Dubai

Sector: PropTech

Initial investment: Self-funded by founder

Funding stage: Seed funding, in talks with angel investors

FIXTURES

Nov 04-05: v Western Australia XI, Perth
Nov 08-11: v Cricket Australia XI, Adelaide
Nov 15-18 v Cricket Australia XI, Townsville (d/n)
Nov 23-27: 1ST TEST v AUSTRALIA, Brisbane
Dec 02-06: 2ND TEST v AUSTRALIA, Adelaide (d/n)
Dec 09-10: v Cricket Australia XI, Perth
Dec 14-18: 3RD TEST v AUSTRALIA, Perth
Dec 26-30 4TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Melbourne
Jan 04-08: 5TH TEST v AUSTRALIA, Sydney

Note: d/n = day/night

Global Fungi Facts

• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

EA Sports FC 26

Publisher: EA Sports

Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S

Rating: 3/5

ASSASSIN'S%20CREED%20MIRAGE
%3Cp%3E%0DDeveloper%3A%20Ubisoft%20Bordeaux%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Ubisoft%0D%3Cbr%3EConsoles%3A%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20Series%20S%26amp%3BX%0D%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

Coming 2 America

Directed by: Craig Brewer

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones

3/5 stars

The White Lotus: Season three

Creator: Mike White

Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell

Rating: 4.5/5

Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

Museum of the Future in numbers
  •  78 metres is the height of the museum
  •  30,000 square metres is its total area
  •  17,000 square metres is the length of the stainless steel facade
  •  14 kilometres is the length of LED lights used on the facade
  •  1,024 individual pieces make up the exterior 
  •  7 floors in all, with one for administrative offices
  •  2,400 diagonally intersecting steel members frame the torus shape
  •  100 species of trees and plants dot the gardens
  •  Dh145 is the price of a ticket
Volvo ES90 Specs

Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)

Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp

Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm

On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region

Price: Exact regional pricing TBA

Your Guide to the Home
  • Level 1 has a valet service if you choose not to park in the basement level. This level houses all the kitchenware, including covetable brand French Bull, along with a wide array of outdoor furnishings, lamps and lighting solutions, textiles like curtains, towels, cushions and bedding, and plenty of other home accessories.
  • Level 2 features curated inspiration zones and solutions for bedrooms, living rooms and dining spaces. This is also where you’d go to customise your sofas and beds, and pick and choose from more than a dozen mattress options.
  • Level 3 features The Home’s “man cave” set-up and a display of industrial and rustic furnishings. This level also has a mother’s room, a play area for children with staff to watch over the kids, furniture for nurseries and children’s rooms, and the store’s design studio.
     
THE SPECS

Jaguar F-Pace SVR

Engine: 5-litre supercharged V8​​​​​​​

Transmission: 8-speed automatic

Power: 542bhp​​​​​​​

Torque: 680Nm​​​​​​​

Price: Dh465,071

Things Heard & Seen

Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton

2/5

The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK 

Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV