In his latest embrace of social media, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has signed up to Twitter, updating his "followers" on his life in 140-character messages.
He has been "tweeting" under the name HHShkMohd over the past month, but the profile was only officially verified by the website last week as genuine.
The website's administrators verify a famous user's identity only upon having contacted the person directly.
Sheikh Mohammed's "tweets" include details of horse races he has attended and updates on decisions on school term dates.
"Attended Newmarket racecourse in England & watched UAE horse, Fryvolous, take the honours in the Abu Dhabi Race for Purebred Arabians", he wrote last Thursday, in his first message after the account was verified.
Last month, Sheikh Mohammed signed up to Facebook, providing the public with a rare insight into his life. He has also used his website to field questions from the media and the public.
Sheikh Mohammed joins a wealth of high-profile tweeters, including the US president Barack Obama, the British actor and writer Stephen Fry, and the record-breaking Tour de France cyclist Lance Armstrong. Officials at Buckingham Palace created an account for the British royal family last week.
In response to questions posted on the site regarding term dates for private and British schools, following the announcement that public schools in the UAE will not open until after Eid, Sheikh Mohammed said he would address the queries.
"Will be able to confirm in 10 days time, the date when private and British schools will be reopening in the UAE," he wrote on July 10.
Sheikh Mohammed has 1,140 followers and has made 20 updates.
lmorris@thenational.ae
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
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Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
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Ways to control drones
Countries have been coming up with ways to restrict and monitor the use of non-commercial drones to keep them from trespassing on controlled areas such as airports.
"Drones vary in size and some can be as big as a small city car - so imagine the impact of one hitting an airplane. It's a huge risk, especially when commercial airliners are not designed to make or take sudden evasive manoeuvres like drones can" says Saj Ahmed, chief analyst at London-based StrategicAero Research.
New measures have now been taken to monitor drone activity, Geo-fencing technology is one.
It's a method designed to prevent drones from drifting into banned areas. The technology uses GPS location signals to stop its machines flying close to airports and other restricted zones.
The European commission has recently announced a blueprint to make drone use in low-level airspace safe, secure and environmentally friendly. This process is called “U-Space” – it covers altitudes of up to 150 metres. It is also noteworthy that that UK Civil Aviation Authority recommends drones to be flown at no higher than 400ft. “U-Space” technology will be governed by a system similar to air traffic control management, which will be automated using tools like geo-fencing.
The UAE has drawn serious measures to ensure users register their devices under strict new laws. Authorities have urged that users must obtain approval in advance before flying the drones, non registered drone use in Dubai will result in a fine of up to twenty thousand dirhams under a new resolution approved by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.
Mr Ahmad suggest that "Hefty fines running into hundreds of thousands of dollars need to compensate for the cost of airport disruption and flight diversions to lengthy jail spells, confiscation of travel rights and use of drones for a lengthy period" must be enforced in order to reduce airport intrusion.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded