A group of UAE students celebrated bringing home gold medals over the weekend following a first place finish at an international robotics and science competition.
The students, known as Team UAE, emerged in the top slot earlier in the month for the Fred Smith global innovator award, named after the late FedEx founder, who was known to have an affinity for technology. Colombia won bronze and Iran won silver in the category.
The overall competition, First Global Challenge, took place in Panama from October 29 to November 1 and features competitors from 190 countries. It is sometimes referred to as the Olympics of Robotics.
“Winning Gold was the result of countless hours of collaboration, experimentation and teamwork,” said Team UAE captain Aarush Pancholi during a celebratory event in Dubai on Saturday.
Team UAE's winning project focused on the country's national tree, the ghaf. The UAE students presented a “biopreservation system designed to protect endangered species such as the ghaf tree without relying on freezing or electricity”.
The system, which Team UAE has called Stash, also uses AI and something called “sodium alginate hydrogels” to enclose “living cells in portable, low-cost beads that maintain viability for three to five days”, which could make it possible to transport endangered species.
According to a news release about the team's victory, the project was presented to scientists from around the world, professors from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and several experts.
“We are proud not just of the medal, but of creating a solution that can truly make a difference for biodiversity and communities worldwide,” Mr Pancholi said.
The First Global Challenge was created in 2016 by the US entrepreneur and engineer, Dean Kamen, who is widely known as one of the inventors of the Segway Human Transport device.
Team UAE consisted of eight students who attend Dubai College, Delhi Private School in Sharjah, Gems Modern Academy, New Millennium School and Dubai International Academy. The group's coach, Muhammed Mukhtar, reflected on Team UAE's achievement.
“This victory is a testament to the extraordinary dedication and ingenuity of our young innovators,” he said. “They have made the nation proud and shown that UAE students can compete at the highest level on the global stage.”
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
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TOURNAMENT INFO
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier
The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier
Thursday results
UAE beat Kuwait by 86 runs
Qatar beat Bahrain by five wickets
Saudi Arabia beat Maldives by 35 runs
Friday fixtures
10am, third-place playoff – Saudi Arabia v Kuwait
3pm, final – UAE v Qatar
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Coming soon
Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura
When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
Akira Back Dubai
Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as, “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.
Dinner by Heston Blumenthal
The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems.
