For post Brexit UK, building strong, global trading relations has a renewed importance. So the timing of a visit by a group of highly enterprising businesswomen from Sharjah, UAE, seemed a perfect symbol of that energized dynamic.
The trade delegation was led by Sheikha Jawaher bint Mohammed Al-Qasimi, wife of the ruler of Sharjah, chairperson of NAMA Women Advancement Establishment and honorary chairperson of the Sharjah Business Women Council (SBWC).
During the week-long visit the delegation met with leading British companies including Asprey, Smythson, Fortnum & Mason, Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant and Pret-A-Manger, as well as participated in exchanges with business organizations and universities.
One of the key events which attracted over 200 British businesswomen from a wide range of sectors was a seminar held by the Arab International Women’s Forum (AIWF) in partnership with global partner SBWC.
Held in the opulent surrounding of the Royal Automobile Club on Pall Mall under the theme of ‘Partnership for Innovation in Entrepreneurship’ it presented a great opportunity for networking and exchanging of experience and ideas. In attendance were Aalya Al-Mazroui, wife of the United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Noura Al-Noman, Chairperson of the Executive Office of Sheikha Jawaher Al-Qasimi, and Dr. Afnan Al-Shuaiby, secretary general and CEO of the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce.
In her press statement Sheikha Jawaher invited British businesswomen and entrepreneurs to visit Sharjah and learn more about the Emirate’s pioneering experience and efforts advancing women in the economic sector. She said: “Sharjah offers ideal investment and business opportunities and its business market is characterized by having large and stimulating investment facilities. We emphasize that British businesswomen have a great opportunity to forge strategic partnerships with Sharjah businesswomen and to launch joint development projects which are beneficial for both of them.”
In her opening address, Haifa Fahoum Al-Kaylani, founder and chairperson, Arab International Women’s Forum, said: “We are proud to collaborate with Sharjah Business Women Council on this seminar to exchange knowledge and ideas on how best to support women as business leaders, mentors, and importantly, role models, for the next generation.”
Ameera Abdelrahim BinKaram, vice-chairperson NAMA Women Advancement Establishment and Chairperson, Sharjah Business Women Council, in her address, noted that of the 593 British businesses licensed to operate in Sharjah, currently just five are owned by British women. “This is something SBWC aims to improve after this trade mission,” she said.
Two panels, chaired by Rania Rizk, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, PepsiCo, featured UAE businesswomen who shared their experience of building their companies.
Sheikha Hind Majid Al-Qasimi, founder of ‘Designed by Hind’, explained how with the encouragement of Sheikha Jawaher she developed the confidence to develop her porcelain business. “I didn’t believe in my designs when I first started. My first encouragement came from Her Highness,” she said.
Noor Saab, a Lebanese designer based in London, whose beautiful scarves inspired by Arabic calligraphy and arabesque, saw her being commissioned by Cartier to design and produce a collection for the 10th Anniversary of the Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards, said: “There is huge potential for innovation across cultures; creating more dialogue across cultures is something which I think we are badly in need of. These are the things that will open up the world as opposed to closing it down.”
Alia Abdulla Al-Mazrouei, co-founder ‘Just Falafel’, said her experience of working in the public sector gave her valuable understanding of structures and procedures which proved very useful when it came to setting up her own business.
Sara Al-Madani, who has a wide range of business interests, said she was about to open a restaurant in Dubai to be named ‘Shepherds Bush’ which takes its inspiration from London. “All the Arabs go there! I wanted to bring a piece of London to Dubai because I know how much the UAE loves London,” she said.
She paid tribute to Sheikha Jawaher, who, she revealed, inspired her to start her first business venture in Sharjah. “Thanks to Her Highness my dream came true. Her Highness doesn’t just tell you what to do — she shows you what to do,” she said.
She added that in her view, Sharjah with its excellent facilities and logistics, has the potential to be the start-up hub of the Middle East.
Dr. Amal Ibrahim Al-Ali, assistant professor at Sharjah University and Founder and CEO, Cardiff Management Consultants, led the visiting delegation to participate in a special workshop held at Cardiff University’s Center for Innovation. Dr. Al-Ali studied at Cardiff University and is a former Sharjah Government Director of communications.
Heba Khairallah Al-Emara, UK head of relations, EMEA Orangefield Group, London, said investing personal effort into each project and taking ownership of the work would always result in a much higher level of quality and production.
Dr. Zanubia Daud Shams, co-chairperson, Zulekha Healthcare Group, said having self-belief was critical for success. She quoted a comment made by Hillary Clinton: “Before you get there you have to get going.”
Some of the visiting businesswomen from Sharjah were interviewed about their own entrepreneurial journeys.
Naeema Al-Amiri runs a heritage village in Sharjah that showcases the craftsmanship of artisans across a wide range of specialisms. She started out with a small stall twenty years ago and now has an enterprise employing 35 full time staff and up to 150 part time staff whose work is featured in major exhibitions in the UAE.
She recalled how a meeting with Sheikha Jawaher proved inspirational and set her on the path to success. “I remember telling Her Highness that it was my dream to set up a business and she responded: “Why are you dreaming? We are here to help support women to turn their dreams into reality.”
Al-Amiri said that she was considering some ideas for business collaborations in the UK.
Mariam Al-Mazro, fashion designer, Mimi Fashion Design, explained that she was with the family business for ten years which gave her good management experience. Today she specializes in customized evening wear and is looking into collaborating on projects related to fashion.
She commented on her own personal challenge in establishing her business: “For me the biggest challenge was getting over my shyness. Building my business has made my personality stronger and stronger.”
Aisha Alali, Dolce Confectionary Co., said she was looking to expand her business.
“I am looking to establish collaborations with UK businesswomen. My production is in Sharjah and we specialize in high-end chocolate,” she said.
The founder of FarahIcons spoke about her business specializing in wedding gifts which she started just a few months ago.
Ameera BinKaram emphasized the importance of face to face meetings to forge business connections.
“Entrepreneurs globally have similar challenges; we think it is very important for our members to look at what are some of the international entrepreneurs’ challenges and see how both can exchange best practices and see if they can collaborate. SBWC focuses on members understanding the power of networking; how to lobby people they meet and how to follow up and stay in contact when they go back to the UAE.
“On a government level the British Embassy in the UAE has been extremely supportive of SBWC. They have opened up a lot of doors for the Council and its members to meet with their counterparts in the UK. The embassy, and especially the Trade Mission department, offered advice on the corporates we should be engaging with. On a government level a lot has been done but there is always room for more to be done.”
Speaking of the collaboration with Asprey she said: “We worked on this for approximately nine months. Our beautiful traditional embroidery is on a limited collection of handbags. We have a collection with Asprey for London, another for New York, and an upcoming one for Moscow.”
Asked to give an insight into her own motivation in her work, she commented:
“My motivation comes from HH Sheikha Jawaher; her unwavering support is what keeps us going. She is very practical: she is mother, a professional, a strong advocate for women, and a very savvy businesswoman. She knows what it takes to get woman into the public and private sector.”
Haifa Al-Kaylani observed that there is a great bond between the UAE and the UK: “In conversations with women from the UAE about how they feel about the UK, and London in particular, everyone was saying: ‘There is no place like London.’
They travel all over Europe and they never feel more at home than when they are in London. There is a huge affinity between the Arab world and the UK.”
Sharjah businesswomen bring their spirit of enterprise to the UK
Sharjah businesswomen bring their spirit of enterprise to the UK
Cheating on your spouse is no longer a crime in New York, with the repeal of a little-known 1907 law
Cheating on your spouse is no longer a crime in New York, with the repeal of a little-known 1907 law
ALBANY, N.Y.: New York on Friday repealed a seldom-used, more than century-old law that made it a crime to cheat on your spouse — a misdemeanor that once could have landed adulterers in jail for three months.
Gov. Kathy Hochul signed a bill repealing the statute, which dates back to 1907 and has long been considered antiquated as well as difficult to enforce.
“While I’ve been fortunate to share a loving married life with my husband for 40 years — making it somewhat ironic for me to sign a bill decriminalizing adultery — I know that people often have complex relationships,” she said. “These matters should clearly be handled by these individuals and not our criminal justice system. Let’s take this silly, outdated statute off the books, once and for all.”
Adultery bans are actually law in several states and were enacted to make it harder to get a divorce at a time when proving a spouse cheated was the only way to get a legal separation. Charges have been rare and convictions even rarer. Some states have also moved to repeal their adultery laws in recent years.
New York defined adultery as when a person “engages in sexual intercourse with another person at a time when he has a living spouse, or the other person has a living spouse.” The state’s law was first used a few weeks after it went into effect, according to a New York Times article, to arrest a married man and 25-year-old woman.
State Assemblymember Charles Lavine, sponsor of the bill, said about a dozen people have been charged under the law since the 1970s, and just five of those cases resulted in convictions.
“Laws are meant to protect our community and to serve as a deterrent to anti-social behavior. New York’s adultery law advanced neither purpose,” Lavine said in a statement Friday.
The state’s law appears to have last been used in 2010, against a woman who was caught engaging in a sex act in a park, but the adultery charge was later dropped as part of a plea deal.
New York came close to repealing the law in the 1960s after a state commission tasked with evaluating the penal code said it was nearly impossible to enforce.
At the time, lawmakers were initially on board with removing the ban but eventually decided to keep it after a politician argued that repealing it would make it seem like the state was officially endorsing infidelity, according to a New York Times article from 1965.
Banana taped to a wall sells for $6.2 million in New York
- Chinese-born crypto founder Justin Sun forks over more than six million for the fruit and its single strip of silver duct tape
- Given the shelf life of a banana, Sun is essentially buying a certificate of authenticity that the work was created by Maurizio Cattelan
NEW YORK: A fresh banana taped to a wall — a provocative work of conceptual art by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan — was bought for $6.2 million on Wednesday by a cryptocurrency entrepreneur at a New York auction, Sotheby’s announced in a statement.
The debut of the edible creation entitled “Comedian” at the Art Basel show in Miami Beach in 2019 sparked controversy and raised questions about whether it should be considered art — Cattelan’s stated aim.
Chinese-born crypto founder Justin Sun on Wednesday forked over more than six million for the fruit and its single strip of silver duct tape, which went on sale for 120,000 dollars five years ago.
“This is not just an artwork. It represents a cultural phenomenon that bridges the worlds of art, memes, and the cryptocurrency community,” Sun was quoted as saying in the Sotheby’s statement.
“I believe this piece will inspire more thought and discussion in the future and will become a part of history.”
The sale featured seven potential buyers and smashed expectations, with the auction house issuing a guide price of $1-1.5 million before the bidding.
Given the shelf life of a banana, Sun is essentially buying a certificate of authenticity that the work was created by Cattelan as well as instructions about how to replace the fruit when it goes bad.
The installation auctioned on Wednesday was the third iteration — with the first one eaten by performance artist David Datuna, who said he felt “hungry” while inspecting it at the Miami show.
Sun, who founded cryptomoney exchange Tron, said that he intended to eat his investment too.
“In the coming days, I will personally eat the banana as part of this unique artistic experience, honoring its place in both art history and popular culture,” he said.
As well as his banana work, Cattelan is also known for producing an 18-carat, fully functioning gold toilet called “America” that was offered to Donald Trump during his first term in the White House.
His work is often humorous and deliberately provocative, with a 1999 sculpture of the pope stuck by a meteor titled “The Ninth Hour.”
He has explained the banana work as a critical commentary on the art market, which he has criticized in the past for being speculative and failing to help artists.
The asking price of $120,000 for “Comedian” in 2019 was seen at the time as evidence that the market was “bananas” and the art world had “gone mad,” as The New York Post said in a front-page article.
The banana sold on Wednesday was bought for 35 cents from a Bangladeshi fruit seller on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, according to The New York Times.
Sun has hit headlines in the past as an art collector and as a major player in the murky cryptocurrency world.
He was charged last year by the US Securities and Exchange Commission for alleged market manipulation and unregistered sales of crypto assets, which he promoted with celebrity endorsements, including from Lindsay Lohan.
In 2021, he bought Alberto Giacometti’s “Le Nez” for $78.4 million, which was hailed by Sotheby’s at the time as signaling “an influx of younger, tech-savvy collectors.”
Global art markets have been dropping in value in recent years due to higher interest rates, as well as concern about geopolitical instability, experts say.
“Empire of Light” (“L’Empire des lumieres“), a painting by Rene Magritte, shattered an auction record for the surrealist artist on Tuesday, however, selling for more than $121 million at Christie’s in New York.
Farmer in Argentina gets jail term for killing penguin chicks
- The sheep farmer was found guilty of destroying nests and killing chicks while clearing land along the Punta Tumbo nature reserve
- In his defense, he said he had no choice but to clear the land as the state had failed to set up an access route to his property
BEUNOS AIRES: An Argentinian farmer was given a three-year prison sentence for animal cruelty Wednesday, likely to be commuted, after being found guilty of killing over 100 Patagonian penguin chicks.
The sheep farmer from the southern province of Chubut was found guilty last month of destroying dozens of nests and killing chicks in 2021 while clearing land along the Punta Tumbo nature reserve, home to one of the main colonies of Magellanic penguins on the Atlantic coast.
The farmer is unlikely to be incarcerated as Argentina’s penal code recommends alternatives to prison for a first conviction and sentences up to three years.
Prosecutors had requested a four-year sentence.
Environmental group Greenpeace, the complainant in the case, had welcomed the farmer’s conviction as “an important step for environmental justice.”
The farmer argued there was no choice but to clear the land as the state had failed to set up an access route to his property, or boundaries between his farm and the reserve.
The Magellanic Penguin is listed as a species of “least concern” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List, meaning it is not at risk of extinction even though numbers are in decline.
SpaceX fails to repeat Starship booster catch, as Trump looks on
BOCA CHICA: SpaceX’s Starship megarocket blasted off on its latest test flight Tuesday, with President-elect Donald Trump joining Elon Musk to witness the spectacle firsthand in the latest sign of their ever closer ties.
But the Republican leader was deprived of the chance to see the booster stage caught in the launch tower’s “chopstick” arms, an engineering marvel demonstrated by the company last month and one he personally lauded during his election victory speech.
Instead, the colossal Super Heavy first stage made a more subdued splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. Company representatives cited unmet technical criteria, dampening the triumph of an event attended by a bevy of Trump-world figures, including Donald Trump Jr.
Earlier, Trump greeted Musk warmly on Tuesday afternoon, sporting a red MAGA hat as the pair headed off to watch from the control tower of the company’s Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, where the rocket blasted off at 4:00 p.m. local time (2200 GMT) on the sixth test flight for Starship.
SpaceX founder and CEO Musk has been a constant presence at Trump’s side since the incoming president’s election victory, joining him at a meeting with Argentina’s President Javier Milei and even at a UFC bout.
Trump’s decision to travel to Musk’s home turf was the latest sign of the growing alliance between the billionaire duo, which has raised questions over possible conflicts of interests given SpaceX’s lucrative contracts with NASA and the Pentagon.
Tuesday’s launch marked the quickest turnaround between test flights for the world’s most powerful rocket, a gleaming, 121-meter-tall (400-foot) stainless steel colossus central to Musk’s ambition of colonizing Mars and making humanity a multiplanetary species.
Musk aims to launch the first uncrewed missions to the Red Planet as early as 2026, coinciding with the next “Mars transfer window” — a period when the journey between Earth and Mars is at its shortest.
NASA is also counting on a specialized version of Starship to ferry astronauts to the lunar surface later this decade under its Artemis program.
Flight six of Starship was seen as a test of whether SpaceX’s first booster catch was pure precision or relied on a stroke of luck after Musk — perhaps inadvertently — disclosed how close the last flight came to disaster.
In a clip posted to X showcasing his gaming chops in “Diablo IV,” sharp-eared fans caught an employee briefing him that the Super Heavy booster was “one second away” from a system failure that could have spelled catastrophe.
Starship’s upper stage will make a partial orbit of Earth, reenter the atmosphere and splash down in the Indian Ocean a little over an hour later, but this time in the daylight, providing clearer visuals for analysis.
Key milestones include reigniting Starship’s Raptor engines for the first time in space and trialing new heat shield materials. The flight also carries Starship’s first ever payload — a stuffed banana — and serves as a swan song for the current generation of Starship prototypes.
With twice the thrust of the Saturn V rockets that powered Apollo missions, Starship is the most powerful rocket ever built. Musk has already teased that its successor, Starship V3, will be “3X more powerful” and could take flight within a year.
The flight comes as Musk is riding high on Trump’s November 5 White House win, having campaigned extensively for the returning Republican leader, as well as donating staggering sums from his own fortune to the cause.
His loyalty has paid off. Musk has been tapped to co-lead a new “Department of Government Efficiency” — or DOGE, a cheeky nod to the meme-based cryptocurrency Musk loves to promote.
That in turn has led to concerns Musk could engage in “self-dealing” as the CEO is poised to straddle the line between government insider and corporate titan.
Critics worry he could sway regulatory decisions to benefit his six companies, including SpaceX and its marquee Starship program, which has faced launch delays linked to an environmental review the company called “superfluous.”
Stray dogs in Giza become tourist draw after ‘pyramid puppy’ sensation
- Apollo became an overnight sensation last month after being filmed scaling the Great Pyramid of Khafre
- As news of Apollo’s daring climb spread worldwide, interest grew in the dogs who have long made their homes among the ancient stones
CAIRO: Beneath the blazing Egyptian sun, crowds at the Giza Pyramids gazed up at the ancient wonders, but some had their eyes peeled for a new attraction.
“There he is,” one Polish tourist told his wife as they spotted a scrappy dog perched on one of the stones.
They were talking about Apollo, a stray who became an overnight sensation last month after being filmed scaling the Great Pyramid of Khafre, one of the seven wonders of the world.
The viral footage, captured by American paragliding enthusiast Alex Lang and shared online by his friend Marshall Mosher, showed Apollo fearlessly climbing the 136-meter monument, barking at birds from the summit.
“He was acting like a king,” Lang told AFP.
As news of Apollo’s daring climb spread worldwide, interest grew in the dogs who have long made their homes among the ancient stones.
“He is climbing over there,” said Arkadiusz Jurys, a tourist from Poland, craning his neck for a better view.
“It is unusual,” he added, describing Apollo as surveying the picture-snapping crowd from above.
Another visitor, Diego Vega from Argentina, felt a special bond with the dogs.
“Connecting with them feels like connecting with the pharaohs,” he said, while petting a member of Apollo’s pack.
Apollo’s newfound fame has even inspired local guides to include him and his pack in their stories for tourists.
“This is Anubis,” one tour guide told two American tourists, comparing Apollo, now known as the “pyramid puppy,” with the ancient Egyptian god of the dead, often depicted as a man with a jackal’s head.
“He and his pack are now part of our tour conversations,” said Sobhi Fakhry, another tour guide.
Businesses around the Giza plateau are also seeing a boost.
Umm Basma, a 43-year-old woman selling souvenirs near the Khafre pyramid, reported an increase in sales thanks to the influx of tourists eager to meet the so-called pyramid dogs.
“We’ve always seen these dogs climbing the pyramids, but we never thought they would become a blessing for us,” she said.
One pyramid guard, who preferred to remain anonymous, also said that some celebrities had paid for permits to have their own dogs photographed with Apollo.
Apollo, a three-year-old Baladi dog, is part of a pack of about eight that has made their home among the ancient ruins.
The dogs, a local breed, are known for their resilience, intelligence and ability to survive in Egypt’s harsh climate.
Ibrahim el-Bendary, co-founder of the American Cairo Animal Rescue Foundation, which monitors the pyramid dogs, described Apollo as the pack’s “alpha male.”
“He is the bravest and strongest in his pack,” he said.
Apollo was born in a rocky crevice within the Khafre pyramid where his mother, Laika, found shelter. Sadly, some of Apollo’s siblings did not survive the site’s perilous heights.
A sympathetic guard eventually relocated Laika to a safer spot where Apollo now stands out with his distinctive curled tail and confident nature.
The initial focus of Lang and Marshall was the daring canine climber, but their visit led to a deeper connection with Cairo’s stray dogs.
Intrigued by the challenges they face, Mosher decided to adopt a puppy from the pack: Anubi, who is Apollo’s daughter.
Anubi will join Marshall in the US after she receives the dedicated care she needs in Egypt to grow up healthy.
At the pyramids, local animal care groups are now working with the government in order to set up food and water stations for the strays, as well as for other animals including camels and horses.
A permanent veterinary center will be established at the pyramids with staff set to receive animal care training, said Egypt’s tourism minister.
Vicki Michelle Brown, the other co-founder of the American Cairo Animal Rescue Foundation, believes that Apollo’s story can make a difference.
“It sheds so much light on the dogs and cats that are here,” Brown said.
“I definitely believe him (Apollo) climbing the pyramids can help all of the dogs in Egypt to have a better life.”
