The Agenda

Over the weekend, there was a serious safety scare just off the coast near the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club. A high-speed jet ski collided with a sailing boat — and the impact was so powerful, it reportedly chopped the front off the catamaran’s hull. We speak to the Dubai Maritime Authority about what happened and what’s being done to protect sailors and swimmers on our coastlines.
Dubai is rolling out biometric hotel check-in, where facial recognition and Emirates ID integration could soon allow guests to bypass the reception desk entirely. We speak with hotel managers on where they are now when it comes to implementation.
Now, if you live in the UAE, there’s a good chance you’ve spotted them already—those little yellow robots rolling around neighbourhoods, quietly delivering groceries and takeaway orders. Well, get ready to see a lot more of them.
Moving to technology, we’re looking at the most downloaded app of the year with tech journalist Kevin Sebastian.
You may have seen the viral post — Australia’s red-tipped bananas making headlines and sparking curiosity in supermarkets and across social media. But this isn’t just about clever marketing, the red wax tip is actually a sign of something far more serious: sustainability and chemical-free farming.
And with Christmas just around the corner, many families across the UAE are asking the same question: What kind of Christmas tree should we get this year?

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As of today, Australia has made it law – becoming the first country in the world to force platforms like TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram to verify users’ ages… or be blocked. We speak with Professor Toby Walsh, one of the experts behind the policy.

One of the key issues surfacing again and again this week at the Abu Dhabi Finance Week is cybersecurity. Despite companies spending more than ever on digital defences, cybercrime is still on the rise. And many experts here at ADFW are warning that the real vulnerability isn't technical… it’s human.

There are still millions of people — particularly low-income expats and underbanked communities — who aren’t fully part of the formal financial system. We speak to one company pushing innovation in digital finance.

You may think you know the story of the Black Death — that devastating plague which tore through Europe in the 1340s, but new research is revealing that a volcanic eruption may have paved the way for the pandemic years before the first signs of illness appeared.

And industry insiders are watching closely to see if Avatar can revive the golden era of event cinema — the kind of release that gets people back into seats, and away from their sofas. So is this the blockbuster comeback Hollywood needs? Or is the era of the big screen already behind us?

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One of the most powerful commitments made here in Abu Dhabi this week wasn’t financial in the traditional sense — it was humanitarian.  At the "Investing in Humanity" session at Abu Dhabi Finance Week, world leaders, philanthropists, and global health institutions pledged a total of $1.9 billion to help eradicate polio.

His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, has just launched a new Digital Resilience Policy aiming to make neighbourhoods smarter, greener, and more adaptable. So how are these big ideas translated into the public spaces we all use?

One of the big stories coming out of the Abu Dhabi Finance Week is the capital’s rise as a serious global hub for startups and innovation. At the centre of that story is Hub71, the capital’s tech ecosystem that’s helped launch hundreds of high-growth startups across fintech, healthtech, AI, and climate tech. 

And how do we design public spaces that people actually want to use, even during summer?

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IndiGo Airlines has cancelled more than 1,000 flights, with major delays and rising fares, especially between India and the UAE. Have your travel plans been hit? Should regulators ease safety rules to help airlines — or hold them accountable for poor planning? We speak to the man on the ground, Ajay Awtaney, founder of Live From A Lounge.

We’re also digging a little deeper into how this kind of crisis unfolds from an operational point of view and what it reveals about the wider pressures in the aviation industry, with Guy Gratton, Professor of Aircraft Test and Evaluation at Cranfield University.

We turn our attention to global connectivity as Friday’s Cloudflare outage showed just how fragile our digital infrastructure really is. Food delivery apps, payment systems, even UAE websites were knocked offline — so what went wrong?

Heading to the wilds of South Australia too for a rather joyful conservation success story. The burrowing bettong — also known as the boodie — was once wiped out on mainland Australia by invasive predators like cats and foxes. But now, after more than a century, it’s bouncing back.

And do cats meow louder at men?

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The latest INRIX Global Traffic Scorecard shows that drivers in Dubai lost an average of 45 hours to congestion over the past year.  That’s a 30% jump from 2024, and a 36% increase compared to two years ago. In other words, we’re now spending a third more time on the road than we used to.

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Scammers have been at it again, offering tickets for a fake Taylor Swift concert in Dubai, as cloned sites and OTP traps offering massive discounts continue to rise. 

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Dubai billionaire Khalaf Al Habtoor is urging schools and universities to prioritise practical experience alongside academic study. In the UAE, it's been two and a half years since teenagers aged 15 to 18 can legally apply for part-time jobs under what is known as a juvenile work permit.

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We take a look round one of the UAE’s most anticipated cultural landmarks - the Zayed National Museum, now open on Saadiyat Island. 

Just down the road, the Natural History Museum is already making waves - we chat with the Director about dinosaurs, meteorites, and more.

The Oxford Word of the Year is here. Ever heard of rage bait?

Looking ahead to FIFA World Cup 2026, we’ve got expert tips on navigating the US visa process.

Plus, we unpack the solar storm that grounded over 100 planes in the UAE and ask: could there be more delays ahead? Aviation analyst Anita Mendiratta joins us.

Then, science takes a spooky turn: could black mould that thrives on radiation help protect astronauts in space? 

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Rents in Dubai have risen by over 23% on average in the last 12 months, with some areas seeing increases of up to 35%, according to property consultancy CBRE. So what are your rights if your landlord asks for a big jump in rent? Dr. Yousef Al Mansoori, Senior First Instance Judge at the Rental Dispute Center walk us through some of the most common legal battles — including evictions for personal use, rent increases, and contract handovers.

White Friday is here but it’s no longer just about the deepest discount. We hear from brand experts tracking how shoppers are rewarding seamless experiences over price tags. 

We unpack how big logistics companies cope when the world starts gift-wrapping.

A new study from the University of Cambridge in the UK has found that our brains go through four major rewiring moments — not just in childhood, but also around the ages of 32, 66, and even 83. So what does that mean for how we grow, learn, and age?

And when does a brand refresh become a branding disaster? 

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A fake advert offering “half-price tickets” to Wicked at Dubai Opera has been circulating on Instagram and Facebook and it leads to a replica website that looks almost identical to the real thing. One listener clicked the link, made the purchase… and only realised something was wrong when AED 24,000 dirhams vanished from her credit card. 

We also speak with Dubai Opera’s Paolo Petrocelli about how audiences can protect themselves.

As of yesterday, Abu Dhabi became the first city outside the US to launch fully driverless robotaxis on the Uber platform; public commercial operations have begun in Yas Island. So the question now is: are we really ready to ride without a driver? 

A new transport system will be launched in Dubai in a few year’s time and will feature vehicles measuring 11.5 meters in length and 2.65 meters in width, with each unit carrying 40 passengers at speeds of up to 100 kph. It will run on tracks equipped with solar panels.

A new study coming out of the US has found that people with greater muscle mass and lower visceral fat — the hidden fat around the organs — have younger-looking brains on MRI scans. 

And we’re heading into the Hajar Mountains because a brand-new species of ant has just been discovered in Wadi Shees, and it’s been officially named Carebara sharjahensis in honour of the emirate.

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