ABU DHABI // A book on the dispute between the UAE and Iran over three invaded islands was launched on Friday.
The Three Islands: Mapping the UAE-Iran Dispute was launched by Sheikh Sultan bin Zayed, the President’s Representative, and its author Sheikh Khalid bin Sultan Al Nahyan, ahead of another launch in London next week.
Abu Musa and the Greater and Lesser Tunbs were occupied by Iran when the British left on the eve of the formation of the UAE, on November 30, 1971.
Sir Harold Walker, former British ambassador to the UAE, and Prof Michael Clarke, director of the Royal United Services Institute in London – publisher of the book – were also at the launch, the state news agency Wam reported.
Sir Harold and Prof Clarke praised Sheikh Khalid, who was recently awarded a PhD by King’s College London, for the thoroughness of his research.
In a speech to an invited audience, Sheikh Khalid said he had sought to present the issue clearly and concisely, but also as comprehensively as possible, putting forward the arguments of both sides.
In the short term, he suggested, there was little chance of the dispute being resolved, as this would require a change in Iranian attitudes.
Sheikh Khalid recommended further engagement by the US and other prominent members of the international community.
“It may take some time but history suggests that the combination of understanding and patience can be surprisingly effective,” he said.
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How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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360Vuz PROFILE
Date started: January 2017
Founder: Khaled Zaatarah
Based: Dubai and Los Angeles
Sector: Technology
Size: 21 employees
Funding: $7 million
Investors: Shorooq Partners, KBW Ventures, Vision Ventures, Hala Ventures, 500Startups, Plug and Play, Magnus Olsson, Samih Toukan, Jonathan Labin
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Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
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