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People and projects changing the world for the better via The National

23/07/2025

Abu Dhabi has launched a 25-year climate adaptation plan to strengthen its environmental resilience and protect critical resources such as groundwater, soil and biodiversity.

Announced by the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, the strategy outlines 142 science-based measures to be implemented by 2050, with 86 of them to be introduced in the next five years. It forms part of a wider emirate-level effort to address the accelerating impacts of climate change on public health, food and water security.
“This plan is a defining moment for the environmental future of the emirate,” said Dr Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri, secretary general of the agency. “We are moving beyond foresight to decisive action.”

The roadmap will be regularly updated and integrates contributions from over 40 entities including government bodies, academics and youth representatives. Separate strategies are also being developed for the energy, health and infrastructure sectors.

Read more via the link in our bio.

20/07/2025

Years of worsening glaucoma, dense cataracts and eye misalignment left Ellyzabeth Lukitasari barely able to see, with her vision deteriorating to the point where she feared she would no longer recognise her children’s faces.

When she arrived at Moorfields Eye Hospital Abu Dhabi, doctors found a complex combination of conditions threatening to rob her of her remaining sight. Over the course of several months, a multidisciplinary team carried out cataract removal and strabismus correction surgeries, which gradually restored her ability to see.

“The first thing I saw after the bandages came off was my daughter’s smile,” she told The National. “It felt like a second life.”

Today, she can see her family clearly once again and has regained the independence she thought was lost.

18/07/2025

A young Syrian girl with spinal muscular atrophy has received life-saving gene therapy in Dubai, after Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, stepped in to cover the Dh7 million cost of the treatment.

Two-year-old Yaqeen Kankar underwent the procedure on Friday at Al Jalila Children’s Speciality Hospital, two weeks after her family issued a public appeal for help.

“We didn’t sleep for three days after receiving the happy news that Sheikh Mohammed would cover the cost,” her uncle Ibrahim Abdulaziz Faroj told The National. “It’s a mix of feelings between joy, anticipation and anxiety. We want her to grow normally like any other child. Thanks to Dubai, the dream becomes true.”

Doctors described Yaqeen’s condition as stable and expressed optimism following the procedure. “She’s got some weakness and hopefully the treatment will help to get her better,” said Dr Haitham Elbashir, paediatric consultant at the hospital. “I’m very optimistic.”

“We know that she has no time. We didn’t have other way than to plea for help as we couldn’t afford the cost,” Mr Faroj said. “It was the best gift ever. We all cried with joy when we heard the news.”

15/07/2025

A 14-year-old Sudanese boy in Dubai has made a full recovery after doctors discovered a heart defect that had gone undiagnosed since birth.

Mazin Muntassir Hassan was treated for coarctation of the aorta, a rare condition where the artery carrying blood from the heart is narrowed.
“Had it gone unnoticed for a few more years, it could have led to permanent hypertension, heart failure, or stroke,” said Dr Naveed Ahmed, head of cardiology at Aster hospitals.

Doctors performed a minimally invasive stent procedure, allowing Mazin to avoid open-heart surgery. He is now expected to resume full activity within weeks.

Read more from the link in our bio.

30/06/2025

Dh650m to get it on one line in the tile

Dubai has announced a Dh650 million project to redevelop the Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the city’s most important natural reserves.

The initiative, led by Dubai Municipality with the Dubai Environment and Climate Change Authority, will unfold in two phases. The first, with a budget of Dh100 million, is scheduled for completion by the end of 2026. It includes major ecological enhancements, such as a 144 per cent increase in the sanctuary’s water bodies, new irrigation channels and a 60 per cent expansion in mangrove. Ten hectares of mudflats will also be added.

The second phase will introduce infrastructure, including 5.6km of cycling tracks, 3km of walking trails, and a visitor centre. The additions are aimed at transforming the reserve into a leading eco-tourism destination.

Covering 6.4 square kilometres, Ras Al Khor was the first UAE site to be designated under the Ramsar Convention and is home to nearly 450 species of flora and fauna.

25/06/2025

Sharjah has opened its largest solar power plant. Known as Sana, the facility spans 850,000 square metres in the Sajaa Gas Complex and has a capacity of 60 megawatts.

It will supply enough electricity to power nearly 14,000 homes annually and cut carbon dioxide emissions by 66,000 tonnes per year.

The UAE is rapidly expanding its clean energy mix, with solar and nuclear power now accounting for 35 per cent of electricity generation.

15/06/2025

Brest Friends, the UAE’s first breast cancer support group, has marked 20 years of helping women through diagnosis, treatment and recovery.

Founded by Dr Houriya Kazim in 2005, the group grew from a handful of women needing someone to talk to into a vital network offering monthly meetups, a WhatsApp helpline and a drop-in centre in partnership with Al Jalila Foundation.

But with cancer cases rising sharply since 2019, Dr Kazim says there’s still more to be done to ensure early diagnosis and expand support to patients beyond medical care.

Health psychologist Dr Melanie Schlatter says the emotional impact of cancer can last for years, even after remission. “The success of Brest Friends really shows the value of culturally sensitive, long-term community spaces that normalise emotional struggles and basically foster belonging,” she says.

Tap the link in our bio for the full story.

05/06/2025

“On World Environment Day, we reaffirm our steadfast commitment to protecting the environment and advancing sustainable development,” UAE President Sheikh Mohamed wrote on social media.

Established by the UN in 1972 and first observed the following year under the slogan Only One Earth, World Environment Day has become a global platform for raising awareness and inspiring environmental action.

The UAE has emerged as a key player in international climate efforts. In 2023, it hosted Cop28 in Dubai, where countries agreed to the UAE Consensus, a deal calling for a global shift away from fossil fuels and a major increase in renewable energy capacity to limit global warming to 1.5ºC.

02/06/2025

Emirati mother of two, Fatima Alloghani, got her motorcycle licence at 43. What began as a way to shake off the boredom of the Covid-19 pandemic has taken her across continents.

Alloghani balances parenting two teenage daughters with riding thousands of kilometres across rough terrain. “I really didn’t want to fail,” she says of her first major ride through the Alps, where she fell repeatedly but kept going. Alloghani later scaled Khardung La in the Himalayas, one of the world’s highest motorable passes.

19/03/2025

Imane Khelif, the 25-year-old Algerian boxer and reigning Olympic champion, has dismissed US President Donald Trump’s claims about her gender, stating she is not intimidated by his policies.

US President Trump recently signed an executive order banning transgender girls and women from competing in women’s sports in the US. Khelif, who won gold in Paris last year, has faced relentless scrutiny despite the International Olympic Committee dismissing previous allegations about her eligibility.

“I am not transgender. This does not concern me, and it does not intimidate me. That is my response,” Khelif said.

Determined to move past the controversy, Khelif has her sights set on defending her title at the Los Angeles 2028 Games. “Second gold medal, of course. In America, Los Angeles,” she said.

13/02/2025

Eleven-year-old Charlie Tregoning from Dubai is set to climb Mount Kilimanjaro with his father to raise funds for an orphanage in Tanzania.

Larchfield Children’s Home, which supports children who have been abandoned because of poverty, disease or conflict, is close to Charlie’s heart after he learned of the hardships facing local children during a visit to Zanzibar.

“I want to help the children who can’t go to school and have very little,” Charlie said.

He and his father aim to raise Dh200,000 to support the orphanage’s projects, including a fish farm and agricultural initiatives.

04/02/2025

“I really believe that we’ll finish the eradication of polio. And I really believe, although it’ll take maybe 20 more years, that we can cut childhood deaths in half again,” Bill Gates tells The National.

“We’ll have to solve a lot of diseases, do a much better job on malnutrition. And so we’re smarter today than ever.”

He is optimistic about the future of philanthropy and humanitarian aid, at a time when devastating wars have sorely tested global co-operation and a new US president has pledged to slash foreign assistance.

“There are plenty of things to worry about, including all sorts of polarisation that not only the US, but certainly the US, is experiencing. He says.

“But still, I’d say this is the best time in the world to be born. And I do think that human ingenuity will help us overcome even climate change and be ready for pandemics. It’s clear we can.”

Read the full interview via the link in the bio.

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