Tag: United Arab Emirates (UAE)

UAE releases new AI model to compete with big tech

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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A government research institute in the United Arab Emirates on Monday released a new open-source GenAI model, which could rival the ones from big technology companies.

Abu Dhabi’s Technology Innovation Institute (TII) said it was releasing the Falcon 2 series: Falcon 2 11B, a text-based model, and Falcon 2 11B VLM, a vision-to-language model that can generate a text description of an uploaded image.

TII is a research centre within Abu Dhabi’s Advanced Technology Research Council.

The UAE, a major oil exporter and influential Middle East power, is making huge investments in artificial intelligence. But that bet has also drawn scrutiny from the US officials who last year issued an ultimatum: American or Chinese technology.

Emirati AI firm G42 pulled out Chinese hardware and divested stakes in Chinese companies before securing a $1.5 billion investment from Microsoft that was coordinated with Washington.

Advanced Technology Research Council Secretary General Faisal Al Bannai, who is also an adviser to the president on strategic research and advanced technology, said the UAE was demonstrating it can be a major player in artificial intelligence.

The Falcon 2 series comes as companies and countries are racing to develop their own large language models following the 2022 release of ChatGPT by OpenAI. While some have opted to keep their AI code proprietary, others, like UAE’s Falcon and Meta’s Llama, have made their code publicly available for anyone to use.

Al Bannai said he was optimistic about Falcon 2’s performance and that they were working on “Falcon 3 generation”.

“We’re very proud that we can still punch way above our weight, really compete with the best players globally,” he said.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

UAE in recovery mode after experiencing heaviest rainfall on record

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The United Arab Emirates struggled Thursday to recover from the heaviest recorded rainfall ever to hit the desert nation, as its main airport worked to restore normal operations even as floodwater still covered portions of major highways and roads.

Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest for international travel, allowed global carriers on Thursday morning to again fly into Terminal 1 at the airfield.

“Flights continue to be delayed and disrupted, so we urge you to only come to Terminal 1 if you have a confirmed booking,” the airport said on the social platform X.

The long-haul carrier Emirates, whose operations had been struggling since the storm Tuesday, had stopped travellers flying out of the UAE from checking into their flights as they tried to move out connecting passengers. Pilots and flight crews had been struggling to reach the airport given the water on the roadways. But on Thursday, they lifted that order to allow customers into the airport.

Others who arrived at the airport described hourslong waits to get their baggage, with some just giving up to head home or to whatever hotel would have them.

The UAE, a hereditarily ruled, autocratic nation on the Arabian Peninsula, typically sees little rainfall in its arid desert climate. However, a massive storm forecasters had been warning about for days blew through the country’s seven sheikhdoms.

By the end of Tuesday, more than 142 millimetres (5.59 inches) of rainfall had soaked Dubai over 24 hours. An average year sees 94.7 millimetres (3.73 inches) of rain at Dubai International Airport. Other areas of the country saw even more precipitation.

The UAE’s drainage systems quickly became overwhelmed, flooding out neighbourhoods, business districts and even portions of the 12-lane Sheikh Zayed Road highway running through Dubai.

The st

ate-run WAM news agency called the rain “a historic weather event” that surpassed “anything documented since the start of data collection in 1949.”

In a message to the nation late Wednesday, Emirati leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the ruler of Abu Dhabi, said authorities would “quickly work on studying the condition of infrastructure throughout the UAE and to limit the damage caused.”

On Thursday, people waded through oil-slicked floodwater to reach cars earlier abandoned, checking to see if their engines still ran. Tanker trucks with vacuums began reaching some areas outside of Dubai’s downtown core for the first time as well. Schools remain closed until next week.

Authorities have offered no overall damage or injury information from the floods, which killed at least one person.

“Crises reveal the strength of countries and societies,” Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, wrote on X. “The natural climate crisis that we experienced showed the great care, awareness, cohesion and love for every corner of the country from all its citizens and residents.”

The flooding sparked speculation that the UAE’s aggressive campaign of cloud seeding — flying small planes through clouds dispersing chemicals aimed at getting rain to fall — may have contributed to the deluge. However experts said the storm systems that produced the rain were forecast well in advance and that cloud seeding alone would not have caused such flooding.

Jeff Masters, a meteorologist for Yale Climate Connections, said the flooding in Dubai was caused by an unusually strong low-pressure system that drove many rounds of heavy thunderstorms.

Scientists also say climate change is responsible for more intense and more frequent extreme storms, droughts, floods and wildfires around the world. Dubai hosted the United Nations COP28 climate talks just last year.

Abu Dhabi’s state-linked newspaper The National in an editorial Thursday described the heavy rains as a warning to countries in the wider Persian Gulf region to “climate-proof their futures.”

“The scale of this task is more daunting that it appears even at first glance, because such changes involve changing the urban environment of a region that for as long as it has been inhabited, has experienced little but heat and sand,” the newspaper said.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Trade pacts send Indian engineering exports to Australia, UAE soaring

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) of India has attributed the 9 percent rise in engineering exports and shipments to Australia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) between April-August 2023 to FTAs (Free Trade Agreements) signed with both these countries.

Noting that engineering exports to Australia and UAE rose during the period which was otherwise marked as a period of decline for export of engineering goods, EEPC India has urged the Centre to sign FTAs with non-traditional markets like South America and Africa to boost export prospects.

Engineering exports to UAE in the April-August period of FY24 increased 9 percent year-on-year to $2.24 billion. In the same period, engineering exports to Australia also jumped 9 percent year-on-year and stood at $596.14 million compared to $548.62 million in the April-August period of FY23.

However, overall engineering exports in the April-August period of FY 2023-24 dropped 4.55 percent to $44.62 billion, compared to $46.74 billion in the April-August period of 2022-23. Engineering exports to Russia have also surged 178 percent year-on-year to $568.41 million in the April-August period of FY24, compared to $204.17 million last year.

However, engineering exports to the United States, India’s top market, fell 14 percent year-on-year in the April-August period of the current financial year.

Describing India’s engineering export demand as “significantly affected,” EEPC India termed the current fiscal as tough for engineering exports due to the Russia-Ukraine war and the impact of a global slowdown in the US, Europe and China.

Stating that 19 out of 34 engineering panels recorded positive YoY growth on cumulative terms during the period of April-August in FY24, the engineering exporters body pointed out that a growth in exports was observed in copper and products, lead and tin, industrial machinery, pumps, machine tools, aircraft and spacecraft, electrical machinery and equipment, auto components/parts, medical devices, instruments and construction machinery.

India’s engineering exports in August 2023 were recorded at $9.05 billion, as against $8.40 billion in August 2022. After eight straight months of year-on-year decline from December 2022 to July 2023, India’s engineering exports were back to growth in August 2023 registering a decent 7.73 percent growth over August 2022 owing mainly to a lower statistical base.

EEPC India said that region-wise, positive year-on-year growth in August 2023 was noted in CIS, Other European countries, WANA, NE Asia, EU, SSA (Sub-Saharan Africa), and Oceania, while the regions witnessing a drop in exports during August 2023 included North America, ASEAN countries, South Asia and Latin America.

According to the Quick Estimates of the Department of Commerce, the share of engineering exports in India’s total merchandise exports was 26.26 percent in August 2023.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

India to export 75,000 tonnes of non-Basmati white rice to UAE

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

UAE Astronaut shares captivating images of Himalayas from space, see pics

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) astronaut Sultan Al Neyadi, currently on a six-month space mission to the International Space Station (ISS), has treated the world to a captivating glimpse of the Himalayas from space. Al Neyadi shared a series of images on Twitter showcasing the snow-covered majesty of the Himalayan Mountain range, which he described as “iconic landmarks of our planet’s rich nature.”

In a post on his official account, Sultan Al Neyadi shared the stunning images and wrote, “The Himalayas from space. Home to the Everest summit, the highest point above sea level on earth, these mountains are one of the iconic landmarks of our planet’s rich nature.”

The images garnered over 60,000 views and many reactions in the comment section.

The Himalayas from space 🏔️

Home to the Everest summit, the highest point above sea level on earth, these mountains are one of the iconic landmarks of our planet’s rich nature. pic.twitter.com/DiQqz0L95b

— Sultan AlNeyadi (@Astro_Alneyadi) August 12, 2023

One user marvelled, “Nature’s grand masterpiece on full display.”

Another user expressed gratitude, saying, “Amazing brother. Thanks so much for continuing to send us these gorgeous photos of our blue giant sphere of life.”

“Wahhhh niceee view,” read a third comment.

Sultan Al Neyadi embarked on his six-month mission to the International Space Station on March 3, becoming the first Arab astronaut to participate in a long-term ISS mission. His journey began with SpaceX’s Crew-6 mission, marking a significant achievement for the UAE Astronaut Programme. Throughout his mission, he has been conducting scientific experiments as part of the UAE Astronaut Programme, as per the agreement between Texas-based Axiom Space and the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre.

Sultan Al Neyadi also etched his name in history by becoming the first Arab astronaut to perform a spacewalk. The spacewalk, lasting 7 hours, was completed alongside NASA astronaut Steve Bowen and concluded at 1:42 AM IST on Saturday, April 29, according to NASA.

As his mission nears its conclusion, Sultan Al Neyadi is scheduled to depart the ISS in late August or early September. However, the exact date depends on the completion of pending experiments and duties, which must be handed over to the incoming Crew-7 astronauts. These astronauts are slated to reach the ISS on August 26, a pattern mirroring previous mission transitions where outgoing crews depart around a week after the arrival of their successors.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Lulu Group to invest Rs 10,000 crore in India, plans major destination shopping mall in Hyderabad

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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UAE-based Lulu Group will be investing Rs 10,000 crore in India on various ongoing projects over the next three years and the UAE-based conglomerate has invested over Rs 20,000 crore in the country, Lulu Chairman MA Yusuff Ali said in Hyderabad on Monday.

He also said his aim is to provide employment to 50,000 people in India and so far his various enterprises have given over 22,000 jobs.

Yusuff Ali also said the Lulu Group has committed about Rs 3,500 crore in investments in Telangana in the next five years in various projects including a Destination Shopping Mall (Rs 3,000 crore) in Hyderabad and also in other cities in the state.

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”We have got an investment of more than Rs 20,000 crore in different areas including shopping malls, hotels, and food processing units (in India). We will increase this,” he said.

”We have started the construction of a shopping mall in Ahmedabad. And also another one in Chennai we are coming up. A food processing plant is coming up in Noida and another one in Telangana. It is Rs 10,000 crore investments in the next three years,” Yusuff Ali said when asked about the overall investments on the upcoming projects.

He further said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has liberalised NRI investment laws and according to that all investments by non-resident Indians are treated as domestic investments.

ALSO READ | UAE’s Lulu Group opens mall in Lucknow hours after crowds swarmed its Kerala stores for midnight sale

He said a 5 lakh sq ft Lulu Mall built with an investment of Rs 300 crore in Hyderabad will be inaugurated in August and an export-oriented modern integrated meat processing plant and state-of-the-art Destination Mall (2.2 million sq ft ) will also come up.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

UAE changes visa rules: Here is what you need to know

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The United Arab Emirates (UAE) had recently changed its rules for visa application and processing. The country’s Advanced Visa System, which was introduced last month by the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Ports Security (ICP), finally came into effect on October 3. The changes are aimed at reforming the country’s residency and immigration policies.

Among the new changes are longer tourist visas, an expanded Green Visa scheme, and a revamped 10-year Golden Visa scheme. Under the new Green Visa scheme, foreign freelancers, skilled workers and investors will be able to sponsor themselves without the need of any Emirati companies. Additionally, Green Visa holders will also be able to sponsor the visas of their family members and upon expiry of the visa, they will have a period of six months to stay in the country to renew their visa or apply for a new one.

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The 10-year Golden Visa scheme has been expanded as well. The expanded residency visa is offered to foreign investors, entrepreneurs, and individuals with exceptional talents. Now, holders of the visa will be able to sponsor their own family members. More importantly, those sponsored by the holder of the Golden Visa will be able to stay in the UAE even after the death of the holder of the visa. The tenure of the extended stay will be equal to the remaining time on the visa. Holders of the Golden Visa will also be able to hold 100 percent of any business they set up or own.

For those looking to work in the UAE, the new job exploration visa will help professionals and job-seekers to come to the country to find a job without any sponsor or offer in hand.

Finally, the new tourist visa allows visitors to stay in the country for up to 60 days while the five-year multi-entry tourist visa allows stays of up to 90 days in a row.

ALSO READ: Svante Paabo wins 2022 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

India, Israel, UAE, US unveil joint food security, energy initiatives at first I2U2 meet

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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As they virtually convened for the first leaders’ conference of the ‘I2U2’ Group, the leaders of Israel, India, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates unveiled two major collaborative initiatives in the areas of food security and clean energy.

The joint statement stated that “the unique grouping of countries aims to harness the vibrancy of our societies and entrepreneurial spirit to tackle some of the greatest challenges confronting our world, with a particular focus on joint investments and new initiatives in water, energy, transportation, space, health, and food security.”

US President Joe Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi all attended the virtual meet.

Also read: PM Narendra Modi in I2U2 Summit 2022

The communiqué stated that the I2U2 nations will also use their respective private sectors to advance low carbon development pathways, enhance public health and access to vaccinations, co-create novel approaches to waste management, and encourage the advancement of green technology.

The countries stressed their support for Israel’s integration in the region, drawing a connection between the Abraham Accords normalisation agreements and the formation of forums such as the I2U2.

They also welcomed other new regional groupings such as the Negev Forum, which consists of Israel, the UAE, Bahrain, Morocco, Egypt and the US.

The communiqué stated that the leaders spoke about creative approaches to ensuring longer-term, more diversified food production and food distribution networks that can better manage global food shocks.

Also read: India-Japan key pillars of stable, secure Indo-Pacific region: PM Modi pens op-ed in Japanese newspaper

The following initiatives were highlighted by the I2U2 leaders:

In the first, the UAE will invest $2 billion to build a network of food parks throughout India that will use eco-friendly technology to cut down on food waste, preserve fresh water, and use renewable energy sources.

In the partnership, India will contribute land and include its farmers in the project, while the US and Israel will push their respective corporate sectors to contribute their knowledge for the effort, which will combat food insecurity in South Asia and the Middle East.

According to the joint statement, the second effort would see the development of a 300 megawatt (MW) hybrid renewable energy plant in Gujarat, that will combine solar and wind power with a battery energy storage technology.

The project’s $330-million feasibility study was funded by the US Trade and Development Agency, and with the support of the US and Israeli governments, and Emirati businesses are looking into the investment potential.

The project would help India get closer to its objective of acquiring 500 GW of non-fossil fuel capacity by 2030 and transform the nation into a centre for renewable energy on the international stage.

The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to use well-established markets to develop more innovative, inclusive, and evidence-based solutions to improve food security and the sustainability of food systems.

The leaders reaffirmed that “these are only the initial stages of a long-term strategic alliance to support programmes and investments that enhance the movement of people and products across hemispheres, boost sustainability, and improve resilience through cooperative research and technology collaborations”.

Also read: Quad marked its importance in the world forum in a short duration, says PM Narendra Modi

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

UAE royal council elects Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed new president

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The United Arab Emirates’ de facto leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan was elected president of the Gulf Arab state by a federal supreme council on Saturday, solidifying his rule over the OPEC oil producer and key regional player.

The council, which groups the rulers of the seven emirates of the UAE federation, elected Sheikh Mohammed, known as MbZ, a day after the death of his half-brother, President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, who was also ruler of Abu Dhabi.

“We congratulate him and pledge allegiance to him as do our people…and the entire country will follow his leadership to glory,” Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, who is also UAE vice-president and premier, said in a Twitter post.

Also read: UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan dies at 73; condolences pour in

MbZ, 61, had already been wielding power for years in a period when Sheikh Khalifa suffered bouts of illness, including a stroke in 2014.

He becomes president at a time when the UAE’s long-standing ties with the United States have been visibly strained over perceived US disengagement from its Gulf allies’ security concerns.

MbZ led a realignment of the Middle East that created a new anti-Iran axis with Israel. He also bolstered the military might of the UAE which, coupled with its oil wealth and business hub status, extended Emirati influence in the region and beyond.

Also read: India-UAE trade pact to create huge job opportunities, boost economy: Piyush Goyal

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow