Rare are the moments when the curtain that conceals the machinery of state is pulled aside, affording tantalising glimpses of the everyday realities and challenges of power and responsibility. The publication of the autobiographical My Story – 50 Stories in 50 Years by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, is one such moment, and it offers a fascinating glimpse of a life of service lived with courage and imagination.
As a document of record, this is an important book that adds crucial detail to pivotal moments in national and regional history. Doubtless, it will have historians racing to revise accounts of some of the most tumultuous events of the past half-century. The revelation that in 2003 Sheikh Mohammed flew to Basra to offer Saddam Hussein asylum in a bid to avert the invasion of Iraq casts the subsequent tragedy in a new light and reinforces the reputation of the UAE as a force for peace and stability.
In these pages we follow in Sheikh Mohammed’s steady footsteps through history. We are present in a tent on the Dubai-Abu Dhabi border in 1968, as Sheikh Mohammed’s father declines the presidency of the future UAE in favour of Sheikh Zayed. We bear witness to ultimately futile efforts to encourage the newly elevated President Bashar Al Assad and the Libyan ruler Muammar Qaddafi to usher their nations down paths that might have led not to war and destruction, but to peace and prosperity.
But the true power of this book lies in the thoroughly human, and humane, perspective of its narrator, a man unlike any other who, with humility and humour, shares the lessons life has taught him. This is the tale of a leader whose passion and vision transformed Dubai from the small, creekside settlement of his youth to the mighty metropolis of today, and has helped to cast the UAE as a major player on the world stage. But it is also the story of a man who has shouldered great responsibility for the sake of his people.
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Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
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What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
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