Category: Business

GCC countries should allocate more capital to their energy transition and decarbonisation strategies to bolster climate action and sustainable development, the UAE’s Minister of Industry and Advanced Technology has said.

Addressing the GCC Industrial Co-operation Committee and GCC Ministerial Committee for Standardisation meetings in Muscat on Thursday, Dr Sultan Al Jaber said these investments would lay the groundwork for more sustainable economic development in vital sectors, including industry.

The UAE has developed a pioneering model to strengthen economic and developmental partnerships and engage the private sector in sustainable growth, he added.

“As the UAE prepares to host Cop28, we stress the importance of fraternal co-operation to bolster climate action,” said Dr Al Jaber, who is also President-designate of the Cop28 summit that will be held in Dubai from November 30 to December 12.

“It is critical that countries in the Gulf work together to increase investments in the energy transition and in decarbonisation.”

Dr Al Jaber led a high-level UAE delegation at the meetings in Muscat, which were attended by GCC ministers of industry and trade.

Members of the delegation included Dr Thani Al Zeyoudi, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, Mohammed Al Dhaheri, UAE ambassador to Oman, Omar Al Suwaidi, undersecretary in the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology, and Abdulla Alsaleh, undersecretary in the Ministry of Economy, as well as officials and executives from government and private companies.

The 50th meeting of the Industrial Co-operation Committee and the fifth meeting of the Ministerial Committee for Standardisation addressed topics related to enhancing co-operation in industry, standards and metrology, and plans to boost collaboration among member states.

Oman is currently president of the GCC Council.

Dr Al Jaber underlined the UAE’s commitment to strengthening relations and co-operation with GCC countries to boost investment and promote sustainable economic growth.

The meetings reaffirm the deep relations among the GCC countries, especially in the industrial sector, which plays an important role in sustainable economic growth within the Gulf region, he said.

“The GCC represents a model for multinational co-operation that achieves effective sustainable economic development.”

Dr Sultan Al Jaber has previously called for developing nations to be given access to funding to ensure they are not priced out of pursuing climate goals.

Early this month, speaking at the Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin, he said the Cop28 summit should deliver an action plan that engages the public and private sector to achieve transformational results.

Middle East Poultry Expo heads to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.

audi Arabia’s poultry industry could be worth SR17bn ($4.5bn) by 2025, according to Kingdom Vision 2030 targets.

Ahead of proposed expansion Saudi Arabia is set to host the second edition of the Middle East Poultry Expo starting on Monday, May 1.

The three-day event is held under the patronage of Minister of Environment, Water and Agriculture  Abdulrahamn bin Abdulmohsen Al-Fadhly at Riyadh International Centre for Conferences and Exhibitions, under the theme “Global Innovations for a Prosperous Industry”.

Saudi poultry industry

It is expected to attract more than 200 companies from 37 countries and a host of elite experts in the poultry, fodder and animal health sectors.

The exhibition aims at enhancing investment opportunities in the poultry industry, and at providing an ideal platform to bring together local investors, importers and global expert companies to achieve the national strategy of promoting the industry, as well as food security.

According to the targets of the Kingdom Vision 2030, the poultry sector, considered among the fastest growing in the Middle East, is scheduled to pump SR17bn ($4.5bn) to the state budget by 2025 and is expected to achieve 80% self-sufficiency in poultry meat by 2025.

Bickford’s Classic Cola and Tesco’s Lemon Juice were found to be the most acidic of the 306 drinks tested.

Almost nine out of 10 drinks bought in UAE supermarkets have been found to erode teeth — but sugar content is not the culprit, dental researchers revealed.

A study of more than 300 drinks completed by the University of Sharjah’s College of Dental Medicine and Ras Al Khaimah College of Dental Sciences revealed 88 per cent had erosive pH levels, with high acidity causing the breakdown of tooth enamel.

These included carbonated and energy drinks, sparkling water, iced teas, juices, malt beverages, flavoured coconut drinks and sports drinks.

Drinks with a pH level below three were considered the worst for dental health, while 37 per cent of all those tested recorded an erosive reading below four.

Tooth erosion is the loss of structure caused by acids, which are often added to products to improve taste and prolong shelf life.

Bickford’s Classic Cola and Tesco’s Lemon Juice were found to be the most acidic of the 306 drinks tested with tests revealing an erosive reading below four.

“The consumption of these drinks is increasing dramatically in the region, especially among younger people,” said Mohannad Nassar, associate professor at the College of Dental Medicine, who led the research.

“Lemon juice, for example, contains a lot of citric acid, which is the most destructive to tooth structure, enamel and dentine.”

Dr Nassar added that once enamel is eroded by acid, dentine is exposed that can lead to hypersensitive teeth.

Acids found in soft drinks include malic, citric and phosphoric acid, which is used as a flavour enhancer. It has also been found to contribute to osteoporosis in later life and cause a depletion of calcium over time.

“Caries, or cavities, start easier when the dentine is exposed to the oral environment,” he said.

Researchers found 88 per cent of beverages had a pH level of at least four, which is considered extremely erosive.

Each drink was tested three times at room temperature immediately after opening, while the type of acid added to each drink was identified through labelling on the packaging.

Only 12 per cent of the drinks were considered mildly erosive, with a pH level above four.

Many popular drinks, such as flavoured coconut water, were considered extremely erosive, with an erosive reading of four or lower, Dr Nassar said.

He warned that brushing teeth immediately after consumption would do more harm than good.

“If you have something acidic in your mouth and you immediately brush, you are increasing the erosion as you are rubbing that acidic component on to the tooth structure,” he said.

Young adults at risk

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s World Cost of Living Survey, sugar-sweetened drinks have become cheaper worldwide, making the issue of tooth decay a growing problem.

Almost 3.5 billion people are affected by oral disease, while 85 per cent of children in the UAE have tooth decay by the age of 12.

Regular consumption of sweetened drinks can also lead to weight gain and health issues such as Type 2 diabetes and obesity.

According to Don Varghese, a specialist oral and maxillofacial surgeon and head of department at Saudi German Hospital in Dubai, these acids can cause the enamel of teeth to mottle, leading to tooth structure loss.

“We see many patients — usually young adults — with deficient enamel and dentine and also a lot of cervical caries associated with the same issue,” Dr Varghese said.

The effects of decay are often irreversible, said Naffla Rashin, a dentist at Aster Hospital in Sharjah, because enamel erodes first before damaging the tooth’s dentine.

“As medical professionals we have been seeing a lot of cases developing into irreversible chronic conditions due to lifestyle,” Dr Rashin said.

“Progressive dental erosion might then demand complex and lengthy dental treatment.”

The objective of the UAE’s National Food Security Strategy is to enhance local food production.

According to a recent report by GlobalData, the UAE has secured the top spot among 56 countries in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) for having the lowest risk in managing food security.

Israel secured the second position, while Saudi Arabia came in third place as one of the lowest-risk nations in the MEA region, according to the GlobalData Regional and Global Risk Index (GCRI) for Q4 2022. Qatar and Kuwait ranked fourth and fifth, respectively, while Bahrain secured the ninth position on a regional level.

As the UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment launched the first session of the National Dialogue for Food Security, a report was also released. The objective of the dialogue is to encourage productive discussions among government and private stakeholders to strengthen food security in the UAE.

The UAE’s National Food Security Strategy 2051 aims to bolster the local food production industry and decrease food waste and loss, using advanced technology. With COP28 set to take place in the UAE in 2023, the country is prioritizing efforts to achieve the goals of the strategy by collaborating with partners and implementing solutions to revolutionize the agricultural sector and food systems. This will help to enhance the resilience and sustainability of the food industry, according to Mariam bint Mohammed Almheiri, the Minister of Climate Change and Environment.

The GlobalData Regional and Global Risk Index (GCRI) report highlights that the MEA region is facing challenges such as supply chain disruptions, which have led to higher prices for essential items such as food and fuel. As a result, the region is facing increasing risks related to food insecurity and rising debt.

Switzerland has secured the top spot on the index, which takes into account the most up-to-date macroeconomic, political, social, technological, environmental, and legal data. Denmark and Singapore are in second and third place, respectively.

As the MEA region relies heavily on Russia and Ukraine for the import of essential food items, its risk score in the GCRI Q4 2022 update increased slightly from 54 to 54.3 out of 100.

Bindi Patel, an economic research analyst at GlobalData, noted that the recent decision by OPEC+ to reduce oil production could have an adverse impact on the economies of oil-producing nations in the MEA region, which depend heavily on oil exports. Additionally, many countries in the region rely heavily on food imports, and challenges related to the supply chain disruptions caused by various factors, such as conflicts in Ukraine and Syria and drought in Horn of African nations and Kenya, continue to pose significant challenges to food security.

According to the GlobalData report, although the MEA region has implemented more stringent monetary policies, the inflation level is expected to remain significantly high, with only a slight reduction projected. The inflation rate in the region is estimated to be 18.7 percent in 2023, with particularly high rates anticipated in countries such as Egypt (23.3 percent), Iran (40.7 percent), Turkey (43.7 percent), and Nigeria (19.3 percent).

According to the report, the overall risk for countries in the MEA region remains upward, as factors such as a possible slowdown in the global economy, tighter monetary policies, geopolitical tensions, and a rise in poverty and food insecurity continue to have a negative impact on their economies.

Part of its ‘Priceless’ campaign, Mastercard’s book celebrates the journeys of women who are making a difference on a global scale
The post Spotlight: 25 inspiring women leaders who’ve created a ‘Lasting Legacy’ appeared first on Gulf Business.
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As a free-time musician, he loves playing the drums and is a semi-professional drummer & percussionist who studied in several conservatories, attending to masterclasses.

 

No matter how much ever we talk about a few people exceeding and pushing boundaries in order to consistently evolve and innovate in their industries, it feels much more discussions are still needed about them for the world to know their genius. These geniuses are those who surrender themselves to their dreams and goals in life and leave no stone unturned in getting better at their craft. This quality has what led many of them to propel forward in their respective sectors like true-blue professionals, just like Marcel Yoshida grew to be.

 

Marcel Yoshida stands tall and unique as a one-of-a-kind and versatile professional who started by being a Mechanical Engineer with a Masters in Leadership & Management and is now also grabbing significant attention from people for his musical skills as a percussionist. Interestingly, this German citizen, born in Brazil to Japanese/Italian parents, who speaks eight languages, worked as a Global Manager of Sales and Aftersales for Ultra-Limited-Supercars at Italdesign-Giugiaro (part of the AUDI AG Group). Since November 2022 he joined NIO as Head of Europe Service Operations Support, being before at Lamborghini, Audi, Audi Sport and several important companies in the Automotive Industry. Here, he gained seasonal global, cosmopolitan, as well as massive experiences in the automotive commercial chain, from marketing and sales to aftersales, OEM, wholesales, and retail.

His passion for the sector and for racing as an Engineer is also related to experiences and events with the DTM, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Formula-E, and F1, including events collaboration with race drivers like Nico Rosberg (Event Drivin´ with Nico Rosberg).

He began his journey at only 14 years of age in the managerial side of things and started his journey first as an apprentice technician, and since then, while pursuing his academic studies has only had an upward growth trend in his career. Today, he is also a musician who has excelled as a percussionist after studying in several conservatories, attending to masterclasses with drummers and percussionists like Airto Moreira (Weather Report, Miles Davis, Return to Forever), Terry Bozzio (Frank Zappa), Naná Vasconcelos, Hermeto Pascoal, Ian Paice (Deep Purple). He says that music is his bridge between logic and emotions.

Marcel Yoshida even played the drums in a recorded album with a Jazz & Bossa Nova Quartet called “Perifazz” (2007), which was at the same time a social inclusion project with the mission of providing access to Jazz, Bossa Nova, and fusion-related music and culture in poverty-stricken neighborhoods, with difficult access to this kind of music and culture. He is also driven by his enthusiasm, determination, resilience and immense passion for results, focusing on innovation, motivation, leadership, and D&I (Diversity & Inclusion).

 

“I like playing and practicing drums and listening to music (mainly jazz vinyl records), traveling (over 100 countries as of now), and volunteering to support human beings with severe handicaps,” he shares.