Fifteen hand-picked ministers have been given the tough task of cajoling nations into backing some of the most controversial topics of the Cop26 climate deal.
The 15 – from a range of nations and backgrounds, but with a strong Nordic presence – have been paired-up to tackle crucial elements of the deal, such as emissions trading, financing poorer countries and ensuring how country commitments will be monitored.
The eight men and seven women come from countries that range from industrialised economies to some of the most threatened by climate change – such as Antigua and the Maldives. We detail five key players.
Espen Barth Eide (Norway)
Norway’s environment minister was chosen to tackle issues around carbon trading, despite being in the job barely a month. This follows the election of a new left-of-centre government in October that fought on a climate change ticket.
A former foreign and defence minister and UN special adviser on Cyprus, Mr Eide is no stranger to major jobs. But few come bigger than resolving an issue that is one of the most difficult sticking points at the talks.
He wrote on Twitter late on Thursday that as “crunch time” approached there were several issues to resolve but praised “remarkable people from all around the world doing their very best”.
Dr Jeanne d'Arc Mujawamariya (Rwanda)
Rwanda’s environment minister is involved in thrashing out details on how often countries should review and update their climate change goals to aim to limit global warming to 1.5ºC above pre-industrial levels.
Some nations have baulked at setting more regular targets but Dr Mujawamariya has a history of proving people wrong. Told at school that maths, physics and chemistry were not subjects for girls, she went to a Russian university to study chemistry.
A former ambassador to Moscow – and fluent in English, French and Russian – she became environment minister in 2019.
Aminath Shauna (Maldives)
Aminath Shauna is well placed to lead on issues of adapting to a new world of rising waters and extreme weather with her nation at threat from being submerged due to climate change.
The former journalist led the national effort to towards the islands’ goal of becoming carbon neutral, despite relying on tourists flying to the island. She has warned of the dire prospects for her nation if a successful deal is not struck.
Four-fifths of the 1,190 islands of the archipelago are just a metre above sea level.
“There’s no higher ground for us ... it’s just us, it’s just our islands and the sea,” she has said.
Dan Jorgensen (Denmark)
The Danish politician is the second of three ministers from the Nordic nations brought in to try to get the deal over the finishing line.
Climate minister since 2019, Mr Jorgensen is overseeing a shift from fossil fuel, with the country announcing an end to oil and gas exploration by 2050 to reinvest the funds into retraining workers for greener jobs.
Denmark has positioned itself as a leader in climate change. Mr Jorgensen appeared in a video dropping a courgette, and generally being incompetent in the kitchen, while trying to persuade Danes to put more vegetables into their meatballs to promote sustainable living.
Yasmine Fouad (Egypt)
Ms Fouad has been Egypt's environment minister since 2018 and was the lead author for a chapter on increasing desert landscapes for the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
She has a master's degree in environmental science and 20 years' experience working in the field, through government, non-government organisations and UN organisations.
Ms Fouad also has experience in leading talks at previous Cop negotiations and will be working with Per Bolund, a Swedish Green Party politician, on finance issues in the final hours.
She has told the talks that the hard work at Cop26 “deserves to be rewarded” and will continue when her country stages the next round of talks, Cop27, at the Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh next year.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
heading
Iran has sent five planeloads of food to Qatar, which is suffering shortages amid a regional blockade.
A number of nations, including Iran's major rival Saudi Arabia, last week cut ties with Qatar, accusing it of funding terrorism, charges it denies.
The land border with Saudi Arabia, through which 40% of Qatar's food comes, has been closed.
Meanwhile, mediators Kuwait said that Qatar was ready to listen to the "qualms" of its neighbours.
Director: Shady Ali
Cast: Boumi Fouad , Mohamed Tharout and Hisham Ismael
Rating: 3/5
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Company%20profile
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
The lowdown
Bohemian Rhapsody
Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Villains
Queens of the Stone Age
Matador
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The biog
Full name: Aisha Abdulqader Saeed
Age: 34
Emirate: Dubai
Favourite quote: "No one has ever become poor by giving"
The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch
St Andrew's Church Al Ain branch
St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais
Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
Blue%20Beetle
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U19 World Cup in South Africa
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Vriitya Aravind, Deshan Chethyia, Mohammed Farazuddin, Jonathan Figy, Osama Hassan, Karthik Meiyappan, Rishabh Mukherjee, Ali Naseer, Wasi Shah, Alishan Sharafu, Sanchit Sharma, Kai Smith, Akasha Tahir, Ansh Tandon
Who are the Sacklers?
The Sackler family is a transatlantic dynasty that owns Purdue Pharma, which manufactures and markets OxyContin, one of the drugs at the centre of America's opioids crisis. The family is well known for their generous philanthropy towards the world's top cultural institutions, including Guggenheim Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, Tate in Britain, Yale University and the Serpentine Gallery, to name a few. Two branches of the family control Purdue Pharma.
Isaac Sackler and Sophie Greenberg were Jewish immigrants who arrived in New York before the First World War. They had three sons. The first, Arthur, died before OxyContin was invented. The second, Mortimer, who died aged 93 in 2010, was a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma. The third, Raymond, died aged 97 in 2017 and was also a former chief executive of Purdue Pharma.
It was Arthur, a psychiatrist and pharmaceutical marketeer, who started the family business dynasty. He and his brothers bought a small company called Purdue Frederick; among their first products were laxatives and prescription earwax remover.
Arthur's branch of the family has not been involved in Purdue for many years and his daughter, Elizabeth, has spoken out against it, saying the company's role in America's drugs crisis is "morally abhorrent".
The lawsuits that were brought by the attorneys general of New York and Massachussetts named eight Sacklers. This includes Kathe, Mortimer, Richard, Jonathan and Ilene Sackler Lefcourt, who are all the children of either Mortimer or Raymond. Then there's Theresa Sackler, who is Mortimer senior's widow; Beverly, Raymond's widow; and David Sackler, Raymond's grandson.
Members of the Sackler family are rarely seen in public.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
