On August 20, 1975, Viking 1 was launched by a Titan/Centaur rocket from Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 5:22 p.m. EDT to begin a half-billion mile, 11-month journey through space to explore Mars. The 4-ton spacecraft went into orbit around the red planet in mid-1976. Courtesy NASA
On August 20, 1975, Viking 1 was launched by a Titan/Centaur rocket from Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 5:22 p.m. EDT to begin a half-billion mile, 11-month journey through space to explore Mars. The 4-ton spacecraft went into orbit around the red planet in mid-1976. Courtesy NASA
On August 20, 1975, Viking 1 was launched by a Titan/Centaur rocket from Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 5:22 p.m. EDT to begin a half-billion mile, 11-month journey through space to explore Mars. The 4-ton spacecraft went into orbit around the red planet in mid-1976. Courtesy NASA
On August 20, 1975, Viking 1 was launched by a Titan/Centaur rocket from Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 5:22 p.m. EDT to begin a half-billion mile, 11-month journey throu

Mission to Mars: a short history of our efforts to reach the Red Planet


James Langton
  • English
  • Arabic

For more than four billion years Mars remained alone in the Solar System, a dusty, cold, desert world out of reach of mankind.

But on July 14, 1965, all that changed with the arrival of its first visitor, a deep space probe consisting of a camera, a satellite dish and four solar panels.

Mariner 4, launched by Nasa, was on a dramatic two day flyby of the Red Planet, the first time Earth had successfully visited Mars.

Scientists hoped their spacecraft could obtain closeup pictures of the Martian surface and transmit the results directly back home.

At that time, some 55 years ago, mankind had long speculated about the fourth planet from the Sun. Astronomers in the 19th Century believed their telescopes had detected canals built by intelligent life, while the writer H G Wells imagined a hostile invasion in his War of the Worlds.

  • A lorry slowly carries the Mars Hope probe - contained in this special sealed container - from the space centre near Dubai International Airport to Dubai World Central. The normally 45-minute journey took 12 hours to minimise bumps. Courtesy: MBRSC
    A lorry slowly carries the Mars Hope probe - contained in this special sealed container - from the space centre near Dubai International Airport to Dubai World Central. The normally 45-minute journey took 12 hours to minimise bumps. Courtesy: MBRSC
  • The three and half-day journey involved painstaking planning to ensure the probe was not damaged
    The three and half-day journey involved painstaking planning to ensure the probe was not damaged
  • Maximus Air, an Abu Dhabi aviation firm specilising in huge cargo shipments, used an Antonov 124 to carry the probe
    Maximus Air, an Abu Dhabi aviation firm specilising in huge cargo shipments, used an Antonov 124 to carry the probe
  • The box is loaded onto the Antonov ahead of the flight to Japan
    The box is loaded onto the Antonov ahead of the flight to Japan
  • Emirati engineers travelling with the probe secured special permission to enter Japan, which has been on lockdown due to the coronavirus
    Emirati engineers travelling with the probe secured special permission to enter Japan, which has been on lockdown due to the coronavirus
  • Engineers discuss the journey to the launch centre on Tanegashima Island, about 1,000km south of Tokyo
    Engineers discuss the journey to the launch centre on Tanegashima Island, about 1,000km south of Tokyo
  • Emirati engineers have spent years constructing the device at a lab in Dubai
    Emirati engineers have spent years constructing the device at a lab in Dubai
  • An earlier picture showing the probe before it was completed
    An earlier picture showing the probe before it was completed
  • The total journey took 83 hours
    The total journey took 83 hours
  • A launch date is yet to be confirmed for the Arab world's first deep space mission, but it has to be from July 14 to August 3, when Earth and Mars align and make the mission possible
    A launch date is yet to be confirmed for the Arab world's first deep space mission, but it has to be from July 14 to August 3, when Earth and Mars align and make the mission possible

The reality was captured by Mariner’s camera, returning to Earth along via a 140 million kilometre signal that took six hours to arrive. Images revealed a bleak, arid landscape, cratered and inhospitable.

That portrait did not put off further attempts to explore our nearest planetary neighbour, however.

The UAE's Hope mission, which coincidentally is due to lift-off on the same day that Mariner 4 first arrived, will take the number of attempts to reach Mars to nearly 60.

Note the word “attempts”. Getting there is notoriously difficult. Around six out of 10 missions have failed, sending billions of dollars often literally up in smoke.

The old Soviet Union was the first to try. Back in 1960, Marsnik 1 exploded just five minutes after launch. The next four Soviet missions were also lost, one frustratingly to a communications failure at the halfway point in 1962.

When Sputnik 22 exploded in flight during the Cuban Missile Crisis, it briefly prompted fears in the West that the falling debris was an incoming nuclear attack.

Mariner 4, Nasa's first attempt to reach Mars, was one of a pair of probes sent towards the Red Planet. Its twin, Mariner 3, should have been first but went off course shortly after launch and was lost in space. Mariner 8 failed to even to leave Earth orbit in 1971.

As the missions became more spectacular, so did the failures. The Soviet Union suffered four more launch explosions before successfully placing Mars 2 in orbit in May 1971, although its lander crashed.

Four further Soviet attempts, launched in July and August 1973, also failed. Two reached the planet but failed to stop. Mars 5 made it into orbit but broke down after a couple of weeks. Mars 6 crash-landed.

The European Space Agency's Schiaparelli lander also failed to put on the brakes when attempting a landing in 2016, leaving nothing but a black smudge on the planet's surface.

Britain's Beagle 2, a relative bargain at £50 million (Dh234m) hoped to land inside giant airbags but then promptly vanished.

It was found, intact, by an American orbiter, in 2015, its solar panels only partially deployed and trapping its communications antenna.

Meanwhile, Japan's Nozomi probe ran out of fuel and was abandoned in space in 2003. China attempted to reach Mars for the first time in 2011, travelling with a Russian lander that was intended to come back with samples of Martian soil.

The Yinghou-1 probe was lost when the Russian craft failed to make it out of Earth orbit, leaving both to burn up in the atmosphere.

Mariner 4, launched in 1964, was the first satellite to take the first up close pictures of another planet in our solar system. It ceased transmitting in 1967. Courtesy: Nasa
Mariner 4, launched in 1964, was the first satellite to take the first up close pictures of another planet in our solar system. It ceased transmitting in 1967. Courtesy: Nasa

The successes, though, have been spectacular, capturing the imagination of the whole world. It was Russia that first proved it was possible to make a soft landing when Mars 3 touched down in December 1971, even if the spacecraft ceased communication after 90 seconds.

Seven months earlier, Nasa's Mariner 9 became the first spacecraft to complete a full orbit of the Red Planet, sending back over 7,000 close up images of Mars over the next 18 months.

The United States also succeeded in its first attempt to land on Mars, with Viking 1 touching down on July 20, 1975, the anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing.

Viking 1 continued to send back photographs and carry out experiments until November 1982.

It was joined by Viking 2 in September 1976, but no further attempts to land were made until the 1990s. Mars Pathfinder was the most ambitious mission yet, touching down on July 4, 1997 carrying Sojourner, the first wheeled vehicle on Mars.

The UAE's mission to Mars. Courtesy: MBRSC
The UAE's mission to Mars. Courtesy: MBRSC

For the next 85 days Sojourner trundled around the planet, or rather a 100 metres, until communication was lost. Both Pathfinder and Sojourner would reappear in the film The Martian when stranded astronaut Mark Watney revived them to communicate with Earth.

America had shown it was possible to remotely explore another planet, even if the failure of its next three Mars missions underlined the risk of sending humans there.

The Mars Climate Orbiter burned up in the planet's atmosphere in 1998, while the Mars Polar Lander was destroyed in a crash landing the following year.

Undeterred, Nasa tried again, this time with spectacular success. In the space of a month, in January 2004, it successfully deployed two rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, sending back thousands of colour photographs and finding important clues about the prospect of water on Mars.

Technical specifications of UAE's mission to Mars. Ramon Peñas / The National
Technical specifications of UAE's mission to Mars. Ramon Peñas / The National

Spirit would continue working until contact was lost in early 2010. Opportunity would exceed its mission by 14 years, travelling more than 45 kilometres to the rim of a giant crater until it went silent following a dust storm.

By then the two rovers had become global celebrities, even rivaling their human explorer counterparts such as Yuri Gagarin or Neil Armstrong.

Phoenix, in 2007, was another effort by Nasa, this time as part of a search for water at the Martian north pole. It proved the sixth successful landing in seven attempts by the USA.

Five years later Nasa was confident enough to attempt an even more complex - and untested - landing using a combination of rocket thrusters, a giant parachute and something called a “sky crane.”

At the end of what the space agency dubbed "seven minutes of terror", Curiosity, a rover the size of a small car, was ready to begin its mission of exploration.

Curiosity is still out there, its initial two year mission extended indefinitely and having travelled more than 21 kilometres.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and Sheikh Hamdan witness the installation of the final piece of the Hope Probe. Courtesy: Dubai Media Office
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid and Sheikh Hamdan witness the installation of the final piece of the Hope Probe. Courtesy: Dubai Media Office

Its achievements include determining the possibility of life on Mars and broadcasting the first song from another planet - Happy Birthday to mark the first anniversary of its landing.

Curiosity is one of five spacecraft still operating from Mars. They include InSight, another Nasa lander that uses instruments from the European Space Agency to study the planet's interior, and Mangalyaan, or Mars Orbiter Mission, a probe launched by India in 2013 to study the planet's atmosphere.

Four space agencies, America, Europe, Russia and India have now visited Mars. This summer sees more attempts.

Three days after the UAE's Hope departs, Nasa launches Mars 2020, carrying Perseverance, an upgraded version of Curiosity that will include a tiny remote controlled helicopter.

The rover will continue the search for evidence of life, but with a difference. It will store the samples it collects ready for a future mission that will return them to Earth, possibly by the end of the decade.

Less is known about Tianwen 1, or “Questions to Heaven”, marked in the calendar for a launch in late July with a combined payload of a rover and orbiter that will be China’s first independent mission to another planet.

Not all may succeed, but others will follow. Mariner 9 was the first, but Hope is certainly not the last.

Timeline

2012-2015

The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East

May 2017

The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts

September 2021

Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act

October 2021

Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence 

December 2024

Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group

May 2025

The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan

July 2025

The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan

August 2025

Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision

October 2025

Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange

November 2025

180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE

POWERWASH%20SIMULATOR
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FuturLab%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESquare%20Enix%20Collective%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%20Switch%2C%3Cstrong%3E%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPlayStation%204%20%26amp%3B%205%2C%20Xbox%20Series%20X%2FS%20and%20PC%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ads on social media can 'normalise' drugs

A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.

The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.

Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.

Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

DUBAI WORLD CUP RACE CARD

6.30pm Meydan Classic Trial US$100,000 (Turf) 1,400m

7.05pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,400m

7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,600m

8.15pm Dubai Sprint Listed Handicap $175,000 (T) 1,200m

8.50pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 Group Two $450,000 (D) 1,900m

9.25pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,800m

10pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,400m

 

The National selections

6.30pm Well Of Wisdom

7.05pm Summrghand

7.40pm Laser Show

8.15pm Angel Alexander

8.50pm Benbatl

9.25pm Art Du Val

10pm: Beyond Reason

FIRST TEST SCORES

England 458
South Africa 361 & 119 (36.4 overs)

England won by 211 runs and lead series 1-0

Player of the match: Moeen Ali (England)

 

Tamkeen's offering
  • Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
  • Option 2: 50% across three years
  • Option 3: 30% across five years 
Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

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.

Brief scoreline:

Toss: South Africa, elected to bowl first

England (311-8): Stokes 89, Morgan 57, Roy 54, Root 51; Ngidi 3-66

South Africa (207): De Kock 68, Van der Dussen 50; Archer 3-27, Stokes 2-12

Crime%20Wave
%3Cp%3EHeavyweight%20boxer%20Fury%20revealed%20on%20Sunday%20his%20cousin%20had%20been%20%E2%80%9Cstabbed%20in%20the%20neck%E2%80%9D%20and%20called%20on%20the%20courts%20to%20address%20the%20wave%20of%20more%20sentencing%20of%20offenders.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERico%20Burton%2C%2031%2C%20was%20found%20with%20stab%20wounds%20at%20around%203am%20on%20Sunday%20in%20Goose%20Green%2C%20Altrincham%20and%20subsequently%20died%20of%20his%20injuries.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%26nbsp%3B%E2%80%9CMy%20cousin%20was%20murdered%20last%20night%2C%20stabbed%20in%20the%20neck%20this%20is%20becoming%20ridiculous%20%E2%80%A6%20idiots%20carry%20knives.%20This%20needs%20to%20stop%2C%E2%80%9D%0D%20Fury%20said.%20%E2%80%9CAsap%2C%20UK%20government%20needs%20to%20bring%20higher%20sentencing%20for%20knife%20crime%2C%20it%E2%80%99s%20a%20pandemic%20%26amp%3B%20you%20don%E2%80%99t%20know%20how%20bad%20it%20is%20until%20%5Bit%E2%80%99s%5D%201%20of%20your%20own!%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Skoda Superb Specs

Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol

Power: 190hp

Torque: 320Nm

Price: From Dh147,000

Available: Now

Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23

UAE fixtures:
Men

Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final

Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final

MEYDAN CARD

6.30pm Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,600m

7.05pm Conditions Dh240,000 (D) 1,600m

7.40pm Handicap Dh190,000 (D) 2,000m

8.15pm Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 2,200m

8.50pm The Entisar Listed Dh265,000 (D) 2,000m

9.25pm The Garhoud Sprint Listed Dh265,000 (D) 1,200m

10pm Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m

 

The National selections

6.30pm Majestic Thunder

7.05pm Commanding

7.40pm Mark Of Approval

8.15pm Mulfit

8.50pm Gronkowski

9.25pm Walking Thunder

10pm Midnight Sands

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20TV%204K%20(THIRD%20GENERATION)
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECPU%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Apple%20A15%20Bionic%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECapacity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2064GB%2C%20Wi-Fi%20only%3B%20128GB%2C%20Wi-Fi%20%2B%20ethernet%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wi-Fi%206%2C%20Bluetooth%205.0%2C%20ethernet%20(Wi-Fi%20%2B%20ethernet%20model%20only)%2C%20IR%20receiver%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20HDMI%2C%20ethernet%20(128GB%20model%20only)%3B%20Siri%20remote%20(charging%20via%20USB-C)%3B%20accessibility%20features%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVideo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20SDR%2FDolby%20Vision%2FHDR10%2B%20up%20to%202160p%20%40%2060fps%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPeripherals%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Compatible%20with%20HD%2FUHD%20TVs%20via%20HDMI%2C%20Bluetooth%20keyboards%2C%20AirPods%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPhoto%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20GIF%2C%20HEIF%2C%20JPEG%2C%20TIFF%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColour%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Black%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20TV%204K%2C%20Siri%20remote%2C%20power%20cord%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dh529%2C%20Wi-Fi%20only%3B%20Dh599%2C%20Wi-Fi%20%2B%20ethernet%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How Tesla’s price correction has hit fund managers

Investing in disruptive technology can be a bumpy ride, as investors in Tesla were reminded on Friday, when its stock dropped 7.5 per cent in early trading to $575.

It recovered slightly but still ended the week 15 per cent lower and is down a third from its all-time high of $883 on January 26. The electric car maker’s market cap fell from $834 billion to about $567bn in that time, a drop of an astonishing $267bn, and a blow for those who bought Tesla stock late.

The collapse also hit fund managers that have gone big on Tesla, notably the UK-based Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust and Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF.

Tesla is the top holding in both funds, making up a hefty 10 per cent of total assets under management. Both funds have fallen by a quarter in the past month.

Matt Weller, global head of market research at GAIN Capital, recently warned that Tesla founder Elon Musk had “flown a bit too close to the sun”, after getting carried away by investing $1.5bn of the company’s money in Bitcoin.

He also predicted Tesla’s sales could struggle as traditional auto manufacturers ramp up electric car production, destroying its first mover advantage.

AJ Bell’s Russ Mould warns that many investors buy tech stocks when earnings forecasts are rising, almost regardless of valuation. “When it works, it really works. But when it goes wrong, elevated valuations leave little or no downside protection.”

A Tesla correction was probably baked in after last year’s astonishing share price surge, and many investors will see this as an opportunity to load up at a reduced price.

Dramatic swings are to be expected when investing in disruptive technology, as Ms Wood at ARK makes clear.

Every week, she sends subscribers a commentary listing “stocks in our strategies that have appreciated or dropped more than 15 per cent in a day” during the week.

Her latest commentary, issued on Friday, showed seven stocks displaying extreme volatility, led by ExOne, a leader in binder jetting 3D printing technology. It jumped 24 per cent, boosted by news that fellow 3D printing specialist Stratasys had beaten fourth-quarter revenues and earnings expectations, seen as good news for the sector.

By contrast, computational drug and material discovery company Schrödinger fell 27 per cent after quarterly and full-year results showed its core software sales and drug development pipeline slowing.

Despite that setback, Ms Wood remains positive, arguing that its “medicinal chemistry platform offers a powerful and unique view into chemical space”.

In her weekly video view, she remains bullish, stating that: “We are on the right side of change, and disruptive innovation is going to deliver exponential growth trajectories for many of our companies, in fact, most of them.”

Ms Wood remains committed to Tesla as she expects global electric car sales to compound at an average annual rate of 82 per cent for the next five years.

She said these are so “enormous that some people find them unbelievable”, and argues that this scepticism, especially among institutional investors, “festers” and creates a great opportunity for ARK.

Only you can decide whether you are a believer or a festering sceptic. If it’s the former, then buckle up.

Disturbing%20facts%20and%20figures
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E51%25%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20of%20parents%20in%20the%20UAE%20feel%20like%20they%20are%20failing%20within%20the%20first%20year%20of%20parenthood%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E57%25%20vs%2043%25%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20is%20the%20number%20of%20mothers%20versus%20the%20number%20of%20fathers%20who%20feel%20they%E2%80%99re%20failing%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E28%25%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20of%20parents%20believe%20social%20media%20adds%20to%20the%20pressure%20they%20feel%20to%20be%20perfect%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E55%25%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20of%20parents%20cannot%20relate%20to%20parenting%20images%20on%20social%20media%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E67%25%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20of%20parents%20wish%20there%20were%20more%20honest%20representations%20of%20parenting%20on%20social%20media%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3E53%25%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20of%20parents%20admit%20they%20put%20on%20a%20brave%20face%20rather%20than%20being%20honest%20due%20to%20fear%20of%20judgment%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cspan%20style%3D%22font-size%3A%2014px%3B%22%3ESource%3A%20YouGov%3C%2Fspan%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Our legal consultant

Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

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MATCH INFO

Manchester United 2
(Martial 30', McTominay 90 6')

Manchester City 0

Black Panther
Dir: Ryan Coogler
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o
Five stars

Classification of skills

A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation. 

A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.

The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000. 

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

'The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'

Director:Michael Lehmann

Stars:Kristen Bell

Rating: 1/5