ABU DHABI // One of the world's oldest and most prestigious universities has sent a delegation to the capital with a view to developing links with the emirate.
The arrival this week of a group from the University of Oxford followed a visit to Abu Dhabi by the university's chancellor, Chris Patten, in September.
Abu Dhabi has already persuaded two of the world's major universities, the Paris-Sorbonne and New York University, to open branches here, generating interest among other well-known institutions.
The nature of any collaboration between Oxford and Abu Dhabi has not been finalised, said Prof Jim Mienczakowski, head of higher education for the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec).
"It's a further sign of how the world's leading universities are identifying Abu Dhabi as an emerging educational hub.
"It's very exciting to see these research-intensive universities coming to Abu Dhabi and wanting to be part of the major developments that are taking place here."
He said discussions were still "very much at an initial phase" although a joint committee had been formed for future talks.
Among those attending this week's meeting were Dr John Hood, the university's vice chancellor, Giles Henderson, the master of Pembroke College, and Edward Oakden, the British ambassador.
The University of Oxford dates back to the 12th century, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world, and it consistently ranks as one of the UK's top two universities alongside Cambridge.
Last month Adec revealed that 11 of the world's top 100 universities, as ranked by The Times Higher Education Supplement, had in the past year shown interest in setting up operations in Abu Dhabi.
The emirate has rejected 30 universities that wanted to set up here, with officials keen only to allow high-ranking institutions to open.
Another of the world's top universities, Yale, based in Connecticut in the United States, had looked into creating a branch campus here, but the talks broke down as the institution did not want the offshoot to award its own degrees.
CHELSEA SQUAD
Arrizabalaga, Bettinelli, Rudiger, Christensen, Silva, Chalobah, Sarr, Azpilicueta, James, Kenedy, Alonso, Jorginho, Kante, Kovacic, Saul, Barkley, Ziyech, Pulisic, Mount, Hudson-Odoi, Werner, Havertz, Lukaku.
Two-step truce
The UN-brokered ceasefire deal for Hodeidah will be implemented in two stages, with the first to be completed before the New Year begins, according to the Arab Coalition supporting the Yemeni government.
By midnight on December 31, the Houthi rebels will have to withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Al Saqef, coalition officials told The National.
The second stage will be the complete withdrawal of all pro-government forces and rebels from Hodeidah city, to be completed by midnight on January 7.
The process is to be overseen by a Redeployment Co-ordination Committee (RCC) comprising UN monitors and representatives of the government and the rebels.
The agreement also calls the deployment of UN-supervised neutral forces in the city and the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure distribution of aid across the country.
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
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The biog
Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha
Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Holiday destination: Sri Lanka
First car: VW Golf
Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters
Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
Schedule for Asia Cup
Sept 15: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Dubai)
Sept 16: Pakistan v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 17: Sri Lanka v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 18: India v Qualifier (Dubai)
Sept 19: India v Pakistan (Dubai)
Sept 20: Bangladesh v Afghanistan (Abu Dhabi) Super Four
Sept 21: Group A Winner v Group B Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 21: Group B Winner v Group A Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 23: Group A Winner v Group A Runner-up (Dubai)
Sept 23: Group B Winner v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 25: Group A Winner v Group B Winner (Dubai)
Sept 26: Group A Runner-up v Group B Runner-up (Abu Dhabi)
Sept 28: Final (Dubai)
Scotland's team:
15-Sean Maitland, 14-Darcy Graham, 13-Nick Grigg, 12-Sam Johnson, 11-Byron McGuigan, 10-Finn Russell, 9-Ali Price, 8-Magnus Bradbury, 7-Hamish Watson, 6-Sam Skinner, 5-Grant Gilchrist, 4-Ben Toolis, 3-Willem Nel, 2-Stuart McInally (captain), 1-Allan Dell
Replacements: 16-Fraser Brown, 17-Gordon Reid, 18-Simon Berghan, 19-Jonny Gray, 20-Josh Strauss, 21-Greig Laidlaw, 22-Adam Hastings, 23-Chris Harris
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
