SHARJAH //The country's first stem cell conference began yesterday at Ajman University of Science and Technology.
The conference, Stem Cell from Theory to Practice, was opened by Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid, Ruler of Ajman.
"The conference on stem cells in Ajman, coming as we still celebrate the union's 40th year, is another achievement," Sheikh Humaid said. "I am very grateful to all the organisers for this conference and hope it will bring good results for researchers both locally and globally in the field of stem cell research."
Dr Saeed Abdullah Salman, the university's president, said he was grateful to host the conference, which had been postponed several times for various reasons.
He said stem cells remained among the most controversial scientific topics, but that increased research was vital to find therapies for patients with otherwise intractable conditions.
"Unfortunately, this vital scientific work is being hindered by politics," he said. "I was in China in 2009 and asked one of the leading researchers in the field about US policy to ban stem cell research, and all he could reply was it was just a political stance taken by the US government towards China. And after I also couldn't find a reason for it, I agreed."
Dr Saeed urged politicians to give stem cell research a chance.He said it could lead to a cure for some currently untreatable conditions, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, neurological disorders and spinal cord problems.
Hamad Taryam Al Shamsi, director of the Ajman Medical Zone and Sheikh Khalifa Hospital, said Ajman University was living up to its founding objective of innovation by organising such a conference.
"Stem cell research is important in the UAE to help in the treatment of people with different accident injuries," he said.
Papers presented at the conference included: Stem Cells: Research and Application Governing Laws, by Dr Shahbi Ibrahim Al Shafawi of Ajman University; Retrodifferentiation:A Simple, Safe and Ethical Approach Towards Stem Cell Creation, by Dr Elham Saleh of the UK; and Serious International Organisations Working in the Field of Stem Cells, by Dr Zayed Mohammed Al Zaabi of Jordan.
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The specs
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Transmission: eight-speed PDK
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T20 World Cup Qualifier A, Muscat
Friday, February 18: 10am - Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm - Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am - Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm - UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am - Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm - Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm – semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm – final
UAE squad: Ahmed Raza (captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Country-size land deals
US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:
Louisiana Purchase
If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.
Florida Purchase Treaty
The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty.
Alaska purchase
America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".
The Philippines
At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million.
US Virgin Islands
It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.
Gwadar
The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees.
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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