The UAE has unveiled plans to build the first city on Mars by 2117 as the energy-rich country looks to transport people to the Red Planet over the next few decades.

Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced the 100-year national project on which the Gulf state would collaborate with specialised international organisations and scientific institutes.

The UAE will set a plan to prepare national cadres that can achieve scientific breakthroughs to facilitate the transport of people to the Red Planet over the next decades.

The 100-year plan will involve scientific research programmes to nurture national cadres specialised in space sciences at universities in the UAE. It will also entrench a passion for space in younger generations.

The announcement was made on the sidelines of the World Government Summit in the presence of representatives of 138 governments, six major international organisations, as well as leading international tech companies, the Gulf News reported.

The new project will be associated with research themes featuring the exploration of transportation means, energy and food on the Red Planet. It will also try to find faster transportation methods for travelling to and from Mars.

A virtual presentation depicting a preliminary concept for the city on Mars was made during the announcement. 
The scientific initiative will first be implemented by an Emirati scientific team, and will eventually expand to include international scientists and researchers that will run in parallel with the coordination of human research efforts in the field of exploring and inhabiting Mars.

&quot;The landing of people on other planets has been a longtime dream for humans. Our aim is that the UAE will spearhead international efforts to make this dream a reality,&quot; Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid was quoted as saying. 
Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed said that the short-term goal is to develop the capacities and skills of Emiratis.

&quot;The 2117 Mars initiative is a long-term project, which will first help develop our education, universities and research centres that will empower young Emiratis to enter all disciplines of scientific research fields,&quot; he said.

In 2015, the UAE announced its Mars Probe mission, which will send the Arab world&#39;s first spacecraft to the Red Planet in a scientific exploration mission that will land on planet in 2021.

(PTI)

The announcement was made on the sidelines of the World Government Summit

The UAE has unveiled plans to build the first city on Mars by 2117 as the energy-rich country looks to transport people to the Red Planet over the next few decades. Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan announced the 100-year national project on which the Gulf state would collaborate with specialised international organisations and scientific institutes. The UAE will set a plan to prepare national cadres that can achieve scientific breakthroughs to facilitate the transport of people to the Red Planet over the next decades. The 100-year plan will involve scientific research programmes to nurture national cadres specialised in space sciences at universities in the UAE. It will also entrench a passion for space in younger generations. The announcement was made on the sidelines of the World Government Summit in the presence of representatives of 138 governments, six major international organisations, as well as leading international tech companies, the Gulf News reported. The new project will be associated with research themes featuring the exploration of transportation means, energy and food on the Red Planet. It will also try to find faster transportation methods for travelling to and from Mars. A virtual presentation depicting a preliminary concept for the city on Mars was made during the announcement. The scientific initiative will first be implemented by an Emirati scientific team, and will eventually expand to include international scientists and researchers that will run in parallel with the coordination of human research efforts in the field of exploring and inhabiting Mars. "The landing of people on other planets has been a longtime dream for humans. Our aim is that the UAE will spearhead international efforts to make this dream a reality," Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid was quoted as saying. Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed said that the short-term goal is to develop the capacities and skills of Emiratis. "The 2117 Mars initiative is a long-term project, which will first help develop our education, universities and research centres that will empower young Emiratis to enter all disciplines of scientific research fields," he said. In 2015, the UAE announced its Mars Probe mission, which will send the Arab world's first spacecraft to the Red Planet in a scientific exploration mission that will land on planet in 2021. (PTI)

UAE plans to build first city on Mars by 2117

A top Emirati court on Monday sentenced seven people to up to life in prison after convicting them of forming a cell linked to Lebanon&#39;s Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, state media said.

One Emirati national and two Lebanese men were given life sentences, while an Iraqi and another Lebanese man were jailed 15 years each, according to state news agency WAM.&nbsp;

An Egyptian woman and another Emirati man were each jailed for 10 years, it said.

The charges included &quot;passing classified information about a governmental department to Lebanon&#39;s Hezbollah terrorist (group) and for the benefit of a foreign country,&quot; WAM said.

The defendants were also accused of passing information about &quot;oil production in one of the emirates as well as maps of oil and gas fields&quot;, it said.

They were also charged with &quot;forming and managing an international group belonging to the (Hezbollah) party without a license from the government,&quot; it added.

The trial at the state security court was attended by some of the defendants&#39;&nbsp;family members, as well as lawyers and representatives of local media, WAM said. Foreign press are not usually given access to state security trials.

The Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council in March declared Hezbollah a &quot;terrorist&quot; group over the movement&#39;s backing for the Syrian regime.

Hezbollah is fighting in Syria in support of the government of President Bashar al-Assad against opponents including Gulf-backed rebels.

(AFP)

One Emirati national and two Lebanese men were given life sentences, while an Iraqi and another Lebanese man were jailed 15 years each

A top Emirati court on Monday sentenced seven people to up to life in prison after convicting them of forming a cell linked to Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, state media said. One Emirati national and two Lebanese men were given life sentences, while an Iraqi and another Lebanese man were jailed 15 years each, according to state news agency WAM. An Egyptian woman and another Emirati man were each jailed for 10 years, it said. The charges included "passing classified information about a governmental department to Lebanon's Hezbollah terrorist (group) and for the benefit of a foreign country," WAM said. The defendants were also accused of passing information about "oil production in one of the emirates as well as maps of oil and gas fields", it said. They were also charged with "forming and managing an international group belonging to the (Hezbollah) party without a license from the government," it added. The trial at the state security court was attended by some of the defendants' family members, as well as lawyers and representatives of local media, WAM said. Foreign press are not usually given access to state security trials. The Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council in March declared Hezbollah a "terrorist" group over the movement's backing for the Syrian regime. Hezbollah is fighting in Syria in support of the government of President Bashar al-Assad against opponents including Gulf-backed rebels. (AFP)

UAE court jails seven for Hezbollah links

A US&nbsp;Navy&nbsp;guided missile destroyer was targeted on Sunday in a failed missile attack from territory in Yemen controlled by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, a US&nbsp;military spokesman told Reuters, saying neither of the two missiles hit the ship.

The attempted strike on the USS Mason, which was first reported by Reuters, came just a week after a United Arab Emirates vessel came under attack from Houthis, and suggests growing risks to the US&nbsp;military from Yemen&#39;s conflict.

The US&nbsp;government, which has become increasingly vocal about civilian casualties in the war, this weekend announced a review of its support to a Saudi Arabia-led coalition battling the Houthis, after a strike on mourners in the capital Sanaa that killed up to 140 people.&nbsp;The failed missile attack on the USS Mason began around 7 pm&nbsp;local time, when the ship detected two inbound missiles over a 60-minute period in the Red Sea off Yemen&#39;s coast, the US&nbsp;military said.

&quot;Both missiles impacted the water before reaching the ship,&quot; Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said. &quot;There were no injuries to our sailors and no damage to the ship.&quot;

Saudi Arabia and the United States blame Shi&#39;ite Iran for supplying weapons to the Houthis. Tehran views the Houthis, who are from a Shi&#39;ite sect, as the legitimate authority in Yemen, but denies it supplies them with weapons.

A US&nbsp;defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the first missile triggered counter-measures from the USS Mason. It was not immediately clear whether those defenses may have helped prevent a direct hit on the ship.&nbsp;The USS Mason did not return fire, the official said, adding that the incident took place just north of the Bab al-Mandab strait off Yemen&#39;s southern coast.

Last week&#39;s attack on the UAE vessel also took place around the Bab al-Mandab strait, in what the UAE branded an &quot;act of terrorism&quot;.&nbsp;In 2013, more than 3.4 million barrels of oil passed through the 20 kilometre&nbsp;(12 mile)-wide Bab al-Mandab each day, the US&nbsp;Energy Information Administration says.

It was unclear what actions the US&nbsp;military might take, but Davis stressed a commitment to defend freedom of navigation and protect US&nbsp;forces.&nbsp;&quot;We will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of our ships and our service members,&quot; he said.

The attack also came the same day that Yemen&#39;s powerful former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, a key Houthi ally, called for an escalation of attacks against Saudi Arabia, demanding &quot;battle readiness at the fronts on the (Saudi) border&quot;.

An estimated 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen&#39;s war. The United Nations blames Saudi-led coalition strikes for 60 per cent of some 3,800 civilian deaths since they began in March 2015.

(Reuters)

It was unclear how the US?military might respond, but it stressed commitment to defend its freedom of navigation and protect its?forces

A US Navy guided missile destroyer was targeted on Sunday in a failed missile attack from territory in Yemen controlled by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels, a US military spokesman told Reuters, saying neither of the two missiles hit the ship. The attempted strike on the USS Mason, which was first reported by Reuters, came just a week after a United Arab Emirates vessel came under attack from Houthis, and suggests growing risks to the US military from Yemen's conflict. The US government, which has become increasingly vocal about civilian casualties in the war, this weekend announced a review of its support to a Saudi Arabia-led coalition battling the Houthis, after a strike on mourners in the capital Sanaa that killed up to 140 people. The failed missile attack on the USS Mason began around 7 pm local time, when the ship detected two inbound missiles over a 60-minute period in the Red Sea off Yemen's coast, the US military said. "Both missiles impacted the water before reaching the ship," Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said. "There were no injuries to our sailors and no damage to the ship." Saudi Arabia and the United States blame Shi'ite Iran for supplying weapons to the Houthis. Tehran views the Houthis, who are from a Shi'ite sect, as the legitimate authority in Yemen, but denies it supplies them with weapons. A US defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the first missile triggered counter-measures from the USS Mason. It was not immediately clear whether those defenses may have helped prevent a direct hit on the ship. The USS Mason did not return fire, the official said, adding that the incident took place just north of the Bab al-Mandab strait off Yemen's southern coast. Last week's attack on the UAE vessel also took place around the Bab al-Mandab strait, in what the UAE branded an "act of terrorism". In 2013, more than 3.4 million barrels of oil passed through the 20 kilometre (12 mile)-wide Bab al-Mandab each day, the US Energy Information Administration says. It was unclear what actions the US military might take, but Davis stressed a commitment to defend freedom of navigation and protect US forces. "We will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of our ships and our service members," he said. The attack also came the same day that Yemen's powerful former president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, a key Houthi ally, called for an escalation of attacks against Saudi Arabia, demanding "battle readiness at the fronts on the (Saudi) border". An estimated 10,000 people have been killed in Yemen's war. The United Nations blames Saudi-led coalition strikes for 60 per cent of some 3,800 civilian deaths since they began in March 2015. (Reuters)

Navy ship targeted in failed missile attack from Yemen: US

Yemeni rebels on Saturday claimed that they had hit a vessel operated by the Emirati military, a part of a Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen&#39;s government.

The UAE military said that its boat was involved in an &quot;accident&quot; in the Bab al-Mandab strait and there were no casualties, according to an AFP report.

&quot;Rockets targeted an Emirati warship as it approached the coast of Mokha&quot; on the Red Sea, the Iran-backed Huthi rebels said in a statement on their website.

An official statement from the Emirati military said that the boat was on a routine trip from Aden, further south, and that an investigation has begun.

The UAE is a member of the coalition fighting Iran-backed Huthi rebels and their allies since March last year.

The rebels control nearly all of the country&#39;s Red Sea coast as well as some territory around capital Sanaa.

Pro-government forces on Saturday recaptured large parts of the town of Ghail after clashes that killed 11 rebels, military sources said.

Forces recaptured Perim island in the Bab al-Mandab strait in October last year thus gaining control over the strategic shipping lane connecting the Suez Canal and Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.

The rebels shelled a loyalist military camp in the Bab al-Mandab area on Saturday, AFP reported.

More than 6,700 people, including civilians, have been killed in the Yemeni conflict since the coalition began its air campaign in March 2015, according to the United Nations.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

The UAE military said that a boat under its command was involved in an "incident" in the Bab al-Mandab strait

Yemeni rebels on Saturday claimed that they had hit a vessel operated by the Emirati military, a part of a Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen's government. The UAE military said that its boat was involved in an "accident" in the Bab al-Mandab strait and there were no casualties, according to an AFP report. "Rockets targeted an Emirati warship as it approached the coast of Mokha" on the Red Sea, the Iran-backed Huthi rebels said in a statement on their website. An official statement from the Emirati military said that the boat was on a routine trip from Aden, further south, and that an investigation has begun. The UAE is a member of the coalition fighting Iran-backed Huthi rebels and their allies since March last year. The rebels control nearly all of the country's Red Sea coast as well as some territory around capital Sanaa. Pro-government forces on Saturday recaptured large parts of the town of Ghail after clashes that killed 11 rebels, military sources said. Forces recaptured Perim island in the Bab al-Mandab strait in October last year thus gaining control over the strategic shipping lane connecting the Suez Canal and Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. The rebels shelled a loyalist military camp in the Bab al-Mandab area on Saturday, AFP reported. More than 6,700 people, including civilians, have been killed in the Yemeni conflict since the coalition began its air campaign in March 2015, according to the United Nations. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Yemen rebels claim attack on UAE military vessel

The United Arab Emirates has urged men to avoid wearing the white robes, headscarf and headband of the national dress when travelling abroad, after a businessman visiting the United States was wrestled to the ground and held as an Islamic State suspect. 
 
UAE media reported that the Emirati man was detained in Avon, Ohio, last week after a female clerk at a local hotel called 911 to report what she had described as a man affiliated to Islamic State, according to the Arabic-language al-Bayan newspaper. It only identified him by his initials. 
 
The English language publication The National said the receptionist at the Fairfield Inn hotel called the police after she heard the man talking on his phone in the hotel lobby. 
 
UAE newspaper&nbsp;Gulf News&nbsp;published photos of the Emirati man in robes being wrestled to the ground and handcuffed before being led away by the police. 
 
In a message on a foreign ministry Twitter account focusing on citizens travelling abroad, the ministry said on Saturday:&nbsp;&quot;For citizens travelling outside the country, and in order to ensure their safety, we point out not to wear formal dress while travelling, especially in public places.&quot; The message was dated July 2, and made no reference to the Avon incident. 
 
The foreign ministry, in a message posted in Arabic and English on its website, urged citizens to abide by the laws of countries they are visiting. It alerted women to countries in Europe whose laws prohibit wearing of face covers, also without referring to the incident in Avon. 
 
Local newspapers said Avon police released the man after they realised their mistake, but he fainted and needed hospital treatment. 
 
Al-Bayan reported that the citizen had hired a lawyer to pursue the case, saying he had received no apology from either the police or the hotel. 
 
(Reuters)

An innocent Emirati man was detained in Ohio after a hotel clerk called 911 to report a man affiliated with Islamic State

The United Arab Emirates has urged men to avoid wearing the white robes, headscarf and headband of the national dress when travelling abroad, after a businessman visiting the United States was wrestled to the ground and held as an Islamic State suspect. UAE media reported that the Emirati man was detained in Avon, Ohio, last week after a female clerk at a local hotel called 911 to report what she had described as a man affiliated to Islamic State, according to the Arabic-language al-Bayan newspaper. It only identified him by his initials. The English language publication The National said the receptionist at the Fairfield Inn hotel called the police after she heard the man talking on his phone in the hotel lobby. UAE newspaper Gulf News published photos of the Emirati man in robes being wrestled to the ground and handcuffed before being led away by the police. In a message on a foreign ministry Twitter account focusing on citizens travelling abroad, the ministry said on Saturday: "For citizens travelling outside the country, and in order to ensure their safety, we point out not to wear formal dress while travelling, especially in public places." The message was dated July 2, and made no reference to the Avon incident. The foreign ministry, in a message posted in Arabic and English on its website, urged citizens to abide by the laws of countries they are visiting. It alerted women to countries in Europe whose laws prohibit wearing of face covers, also without referring to the incident in Avon. Local newspapers said Avon police released the man after they realised their mistake, but he fainted and needed hospital treatment. Al-Bayan reported that the citizen had hired a lawyer to pursue the case, saying he had received no apology from either the police or the hotel. (Reuters)

UAE advises citizens to avoid national dress while abroad after man held in US

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UAE plans to build first city on Mars by 2117

UAE court jails seven for Hezbollah links

Navy ship targeted in failed missile attack from Yemen: US

Yemen rebels claim attack on UAE military vessel

UAE advises citizens to avoid national dress while abroad after man held in US