DUBAI: A mosque in the UAE’s capital Abu Dhabi has been renamed the “Mary, mother of Jesus” Mosque in a bid to “consolidate bonds of humanity between followers of different religions.”
The mosque — “Mariam, Umm Eisa” in Arabic — was renamed following orders of Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Abu Dhabi crown prince and deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces, who called for consolidating bonds between followers of different faiths.
Minister of State for Tolerance Sheikha Lubna Al-Qasimi thanked the crown prince for his “wise directives in carrying out this initiative that set a shining example, and a beautiful image of the tolerance and coexistence enjoyed by the UAE,” according to a statement carried by WAM.
Rev. Canon Andrew Thompson of the nearby St. Andrew’s Church told Gulf News that he was “delighted” to hear the news.
“We are delighted that we are celebrating something that we have in common between both our faiths,” he said.
“Mary, as the mother of Jesus, is of course a holy, special figure in our communities. She is a woman who symbolizes obedience to God. We look forward to growing in deeper understanding with our neighbors, and we celebrate with them the new name of the mosque.”
The mosque was previously called the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Mosque.
Earlier this week, a church in the area of Al-Ain opened its doors to Muslims for Maghrib prayers. The event saw more than 200 Asian Muslim workers perform prayers in the church.
Abu Dhabi mosque renamed ‘Mary, mother of Jesus’ in harmony bid
Abu Dhabi mosque renamed ‘Mary, mother of Jesus’ in harmony bid
King Faisal Prize announces winners for 2025
- KSU professors, Canadian and Japanese scientists achieving breakthroughs in cellular therapy and carbon nanotubes win coveted prize
- Selection committees held meetings at King Faisal Prize headquarters to select winners in Islamic studies, Arabic language and literature, medicine, and science
RIYADH: The King Faisal Prize 2025 laureates were announced at a ceremony in Riyadh on Wednesday night.
Two King Saud University professors, a Canadian scientist who achieved a breakthrough in cellular therapy and a Japanese scientist doing pioneering work in carbon nanotubes were winners of the most coveted prize in the Arab world.
Announcing the KFP 2025 winners, Dr. Abdulaziz Alsebail, secretary-general of the King Faisal Prize said: “The selection committees of the King Faisal Prize 2025, after meticulous deliberations that were held from Monday to Wednesday, have reached decisions for the prize’s four categories: Islamic studies, Arabic language and literature, medicine, and science. As for the fifth category, the King Faisal Prize for Service to Islam, the announcement will be made at the end of this month.”
The King Faisal Prize for Islamic Studies for 2025 (Topic: Studies of Archaeology in the Arabian Peninsula), was awarded jointly to Professor Saad Abdulaziz Alrashid and Professor Said Faiz Alsaid. Both are Saudi nationals and professors at King Saud University.
Alrashid was awarded the prize for his contribution to the study of Islamic archaeological sites and inscriptions of the Arabian Peninsula, which laid the scientific and methodological groundwork for scholars in this field.
His work has enriched scientific knowledge about Islamic civilization and has become an empirical source for future generations of researchers.
Alsaid was awarded the prize for the originality of his scientific studies, which are based on rich literature and published in several languages. His adaptation of a comparative methodology in studies of inscriptions and ancient writings of the Arabian Peninsula has had a profound impact on understanding the history of the Arabian Peninsula’s civilizations before Islam.
His studies are an important scientific reference for scholars of the history of the Arabian Peninsula and the ancient Near East.
The King Faisal Prize for Arabic Language and Literature (Topic: Studies of Identity in Arabic Literature), was withheld due to the nominated works not reaching the criteria for the prize.
The King Faisal Prize for Medicine (Topic: Cellular Therapy), has been awarded to Michel Sadelain (Canada), Stephen and Barbara Friedman chair and director, Center for Cell Engineering at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Sadelain has been awarded the prize for his pioneering work in cellular therapy, and in particular for the genetic engineering of immune cells with “chimeric antigen receptors” (CAR-T).
Dr. Sadelain led the team that designed and tested clinically effective and novel CAR-T agents for the treatment of blood cancers.
His group identified CD19 as an effective CAR target and included a CD28 domain in the CAR construct, resulting in strikingly effective clinical responses.
Dr. Sadelain continues to improve CAR-T cell efficacy by devising strategies to overcome treatment resistance. This approach also shows promise in the treatment of autoimmune diseases and solid tumors.
The King Faisal Prize for Science for this year was awarded in physics to Sumio Iijima, a
professor at Meijo University, Japan.
Iijima has been awarded the prize for establishing the field of carbon nanotubes, following his pioneering discovery of carbon nanotubes using electron microscopy. This new class of one-dimensional carbon materials has had a powerful impact on fundamental solid-state physics and material science.
His work has opened new avenues for developing wide-ranging, practical applications in nanotechnology, ranging from electronics to energy storage systems and biomedicine.
The General Secretariat of the King Faisal Prize commended the 2025 laureates and offered thanks to the distinguished members of the selection committees and the experts for their valued contributions.
The selection committees for the prize’s four categories — Islamic studies, Arabic language and literature, medicine, and science — convened at the prize’s headquarters from Monday to Wednesday.
The selection committees included prominent experts, scholars and specialists from 16 countries.
The KFP was established in 1977, and was awarded for the first time in 1979 in three categories — service to Islam, Islamic studies, and Arabic language and literature. Two additional categories were introduced in 1981 — medicine and science. The first medicine prize was awarded in 1982, and in science two years later.
Since 1979, the KFP in its different categories has awarded about 300 laureates to those who have made distinguished contributions to different sciences and causes.
Each prize laureate is endowed with $200,000, a 24-carat gold medal weighing 200 grams, and a certificate inscribed with the laureate’s name and a summary of the work that qualified them for the prize.
Warning of thunderstorms and flash floods in Saudi Arabia for next 4 days
RIYADH: Residents of Saudi Arabia were warned on Wednesday that the country could be hit by thunderstorms and flash floods between now and Sunday.
The General Directorate of Civil Defense advised people to remain sheltered and stay away from canyons.
Many regions can expect medium-to-heavy rain, hail or strong gusts of wind, with a high risk of flooding. Forecasters predict Riyadh, Jeddah, Al-Baha, Asir and Jazan will be among the affected regions, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
70% of Saudi employers say technological literacy is increasingly important skill, report finds
- World Economic Forum predicts net gain of 78m jobs by 2030, as half of employers globally plan to reshape businesses to benefit from technology-related opportunities
- However, largest job growth is expected to be among frontline roles such as farm workers, delivery drivers and construction workers
DUBAI: Macroeconomic conditions, geopolitical tensions and advancements in technology are among the factors shaping the global workforce, as the World Economic Forum projects 170 million jobs will be created worldwide by 2030.
The latest edition of the forum’s “Future of Jobs” report also predicted the displacement of 92 million jobs, leaving a net gain of 78 million over the next five years.
The largest job growth is expected to be among frontline roles such as farm workers, delivery drivers and construction workers. The WEF also expects increased demand for healthcare and educational professionals, and in the fields of artificial intelligence and energy, particularly renewable energy and environmental engineering.
The report said skills gaps are the leading barrier to business transformation. Nearly 40 percent of skills required for jobs are set to change and 63 percent of employers cited this as a key challenge they face.
Half of employers globally said they planned to reshape their business to benefit from technology-related opportunities and this will be reflected in the job market, with 77 percent of employers intending to upskill their employees.
Despite this growing demand for technological skills, human skills, such as creative and analytical thinking and agility, will remain essential, the WEF said.
However, 41 percent of employers said they plan to reduce workforce size because AI is capable of automating some tasks, with cashiers, administrative assistants and secretaries expected to see the largest declines in the next five years.
Companies in the Middle East and North Africa region are more positive about the availability of talent for recruitment by 2030 than their global peers, the report found, with 46 percent of regional employers expecting the hiring outlook to improve.
“The big trends creating new jobs globally — such as increasing digitalization, adoption of artificial intelligence and the transition away from a carbon-heavy economy — are the same ones driving economic transformation across the Middle East,” Till Leopold, the WEF’s head of work, wages and job creation, told Arab News.
Employers in the region, most notably in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are also planning to accelerate the process of automation. For example, the proportion of work tasks expected to be mostly automated through the use of technology is projected to reach 45 percent by 2030 in the Kingdom and 43 percent in the UAE, both well above the global average of 34 percent.
As companies invest more in the latest technology, more 70 percent of employers in Saudi Arabia and 87 percent in the UAE identified technological literacy as a skill on the rise, along with growing demand for skills in networks and cybersecurity, and AI and big data.
The report stressed the need for “urgent and collective action across government, business and education” as employment continues to evolve, with key priorities including efforts to bridge skills gaps, invest in reskilling and upskilling initiatives, and enable easy access to the fastest-growing jobs and skills development.
“It is essential that public- and private-sector leaders work together to ensure people across the region are equipped with the right skills to benefit from these opportunities, including technology literacy, resilience and creative thinking,” said Leopold.
Russian strike kills 13 in Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia
- The blast left bodies strewn across a road alongside injured residents
- Public transport was also damaged in the strike
ZAPORIZHZHIA, Ukraine: A Russian guided bomb attack on Wednesday killed at least 13 people and injured 63 in Ukraine’s southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, authorities said.
The blast left bodies strewn across a road alongside injured residents. Public transport was also damaged in the strike.
Prosecutors in the region said 63 people had been injured. Rescue work had been completed at the site of the attack.
High-rise apartment blocks were damaged along with an industrial facility and other infrastructure, Ukraine’s prosecutor general office said on Telegram. The debris hit a tram and a bus with passengers inside, it added.
As emergency workers tried to resuscitate a man, raging flames, smoke and burnt cars could be seen in the background.
Russian troops had used two guided bombs to hit a residential area, the regional governor Ivan Fedorov told reporters.
At least four of the injured were rushed to hospital in serious condition, Fedorov said, adding that Thursday would be an official day of mourning.
“There is nothing more cruel than launching aerial bombs on a city, knowing that ordinary civilians will suffer,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said on X, urging Ukraine’s Western allies to step up pressure on Russia.
Regional authorities reported further explosions after the first strike hit.
Fedorov said Russian troops shelled the town of Stepnohirsk, south of Zaporizhzhia, killing two people. Two residents were pulled alive from underneath rubble.
Russia regularly carries out air strikes on the Zaporizhzhia region, which its forces partially occupy, and its capital. Moscow claims to have annexed the Ukrainian region along with four others including Crimea.
Public broadcaster Suspilne also reported two people killed and 10 injured in attacks on several centers in the southern region of Kherson, also partially occupied by Russian forces.
US to announce new weapons package for Ukraine as defense leaders prepare to meet in Germany
- The group’s future is unclear with President-elect Donald Trump set to take office on Jan. 20
- Advisers to Trump have floated proposals to end the Ukraine war that would cede large parts of the country to Russia for the foreseeable future
WASHINGTON: The US is expected to announce $500 million in military aid for Ukraine on Thursday at a final gathering of President Joe Biden’s weapons pledging conferences, meetings Kyiv says have been critical to its defense against Russia.
The Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), comprised of about 50 allies who usually meet every few months at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, was started in 2022 by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to speed and synchronize the delivery of arms to Kyiv.
The group’s future is unclear with President-elect Donald Trump set to take office on Jan. 20. Advisers to Trump have floated proposals to end the Ukraine war that would cede large parts of the country to Russia for the foreseeable future.
Washington has committed more than $63.5 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since Russia’s invasion and the additional $500 million could be announced later on Wednesday, a US official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
On Thursday, the defense leaders will meet at Ramstein Air Base for the 25th UDCG meeting.
“We’re not sunsetting the group. The next administration is completely welcome and encouraged ... to take the mantle of this 50 country strong group and continue to drive and lead through it,” said a senior US defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
“It will endure in some capacity, in some form going forward, I believe, regardless of exactly how the next team does or doesn’t pursue it,” the official said.
Trump will have a few billion dollars in appropriated money that he could use for Ukraine’s military needs once he takes office.
The official added that the Thursday meeting would look to endorse roadmaps for Ukraine’s military needs and objectives through 2027.
More than 12,300 civilians have been killed in the Ukraine war since Russia invaded nearly three years ago, the United Nations said, noting a spike in casualties due to the use of drones, long-range missiles and glide bombs.
Ukraine said on Tuesday its forces were “commencing new offensive actions” in Russia’s western Kursk region.
Ukraine first seized part of the Kursk region in a surprise incursion last August, and it has held territory there for five months despite losing some ground.
The apparent escalation in the fighting in the Kursk region comes at a critical time for Ukraine, whose outnumbered and outgunned troops are struggling to repel Russian advances in the east.
