Donald Trump is wrapping up his visit to the UAE today. He arrived in Abu Dhabi yesterday, becoming the second serving US president to visit the country. Turkish-hosted talks to end the conflict in Ukraine appeared uncertain on Thursday. Israel's army stepped up attacks on Gaza.
On today's episode of Trending Middle East:
Sheikh Mohamed vows to work with Trump on advancing peace
US President Donald Trump visits Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi
Sheikh Mohamed bestows Trump with Order of Zayed
Ukraine accuses Russia of 'disrespect' as peace talks stall
'We were expecting a ceasefire': More than 100 killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza, civil defence says
This episode features Mohamad Ali Harisi, Foreign Editor, and Lizzie Porter, Turkey Correspondent.
COMPANY PROFILE
Kumulus Water
2021
Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Tunisia
Water technology
22
$4 million
Tomorrow 2021
More on Quran memorisation:
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The burning issue
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company profile
January, 2014
Mike Dawson, Varuna Singh, and Benita Rowe
Dubai
Education technology
Five employees
$100,000 from the ExpoLive Innovation Grant programme in 2018 and an initial $30,000 pre-seed investment from the Turn8 Accelerator in 2014. Most of the projects are government funded.
Turn8 Accelerator; In5 Innovation Centre; Expo Live Innovation Impact Grant Programme; Dubai Future Accelerators; FHI 360; VSO and Consult and Coach for a Cause (C3)
Specs
Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Up to 610km
905hp
985Nm
From Dh439,000
Now
At a glance
Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
THE BIO
Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Zayed Sustainability Prize
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
On Women's Day
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
The years Ramadan fell in May
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The five pillars of Islam
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
