标签： North America

Dubai, UAE – In an extraordinary display of honor, the six distinguished winners of the 2025 Great Arab Minds Awards received a red-carpet experience from the moment they boarded their Emirates flights to Dubai. The national carrier orchestrated a series of surprise tributes for the scholars, who were traveling from across the Arab world to receive the region’s most prestigious intellectual honor, often described as the Arab equivalent of the Nobel Prize.

During their flights, cabin crews made special announcements recognizing the awardees’ presence, drawing applause from fellow passengers. The laureates, seated in first class, were presented with customized congratulatory desserts. Upon arrival at Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 3, security personnel provided dedicated assistance while immigration officials stamped their passports with a special ‘Great Arab Minds’ commemorative seal.

The awards ceremony, scheduled at the futuristic Museum of Future – which serves as the permanent headquarters for the Great Arab Minds Initiative – will be presided over by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai. The event will celebrate exceptional contributions across six categories: Natural Sciences (Professor Majid Chergui), Engineering and Technology (Professor Abbas El Gamal), Medicine (Dr. Nabil Seidah), Economics (Professor Badi Hani), Architecture and Design (Dr. Souad Al Amri), and Literature and Arts (Professor Charbel Dagher).

Now in its third edition, the initiative represents the Arab world’s most comprehensive program for recognizing intellectual excellence. Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the initiative’s Higher Committee, emphasized that the program not only honors exceptional Arab achievers but also catalyzes investment in research and innovation across governments and institutions.

The Museum of the Future hosts a permanent research center dedicated to expanding the impact of the awardees’ work, supporting their ongoing contributions to scientific, creative, and intellectual advancement. The initiative aims to inspire Arab youth by providing exemplary role models while strengthening the region’s contribution to global civilization and human progress.

Dubai’s private education sector is undergoing a significant transformation in its approach to inclusive learning, moving beyond theoretical principles to implement concrete support systems for Students of Determination. The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has introduced comprehensive updated guidelines governing external assessments for children with special educational needs, establishing a framework that prioritizes equity over mere equality.

The revised standards emphasize personalized support tailored to each child’s unique requirements rather than attempting to fit diverse learners into standardized molds. At the core of this educational philosophy lies the recognition that inclusion means providing every student with the specific resources they need to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

External assessments, conducted by qualified specialists licensed by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) or Community Development Authority (CDA), serve as diagnostic tools to better understand how children learn, communicate, and manage emotions. These evaluations involve professionals including psychologists, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, and psychiatrists, depending on individual needs.

Schools follow a structured eight-step process when considering external assessments, beginning with initial observation and progressing through in-school evaluation, additional support implementation, formal review, and only then—if necessary—recommending external assessment with mandatory parental consent. The process emphasizes collaboration between educators and families, with parents participating as essential partners throughout the journey.

The guidelines establish clear parental rights, including involvement from the earliest stages, transparent communication, input in specialist selection, cost disclosure, and participation in developing individualized education plans. Confidentiality protocols ensure assessment reports remain securely stored with restricted access, requiring parental permission for sharing beyond essential educational staff and authorities.

For families who disagree with assessment recommendations, the framework provides escalation pathways to KHDA while maintaining parental authority. The system also includes mechanisms to address schools that fail to follow proper procedures, with dedicated channels for resolution through KHDA’s Parent Empowerment and Inclusion teams.

This progressive approach reflects the UAE’s broader commitment to ensuring learning differences never become barriers to education, focusing on understanding each child’s potential rather than limiting them with labels.

A transformative trend is reshaping social events across the United Arab Emirates as professional ‘event nannies’ become essential fixtures at celebrations ranging from corporate functions to wedding receptions. This emerging service sector addresses the perennial challenge of child supervision during adult-oriented events, allowing parents to fully participate in social gatherings while their children receive professional care.

Specialized companies including Yellowsprings, Smart Babissitters and Caregivers Services LLC, and Nannies & More have developed comprehensive childcare solutions for events. These services deploy trained professionals who create age-appropriate entertainment zones featuring activities such as canvas painting, magic shows, slime manufacturing, craft stations, and themed games. The operations are meticulously planned with dedicated spaces often provided by venues, transformed into vibrant activity hubs complete with popcorn machines, candyfloss stations, and gaming zones.

Fatema Basrawala, a Dubai-based digital marketing manager, attested to the service’s effectiveness after implementing it for a corporate event. “Parents could genuinely relax and socialize while professional caregivers maintained children’s engagement through structured activities,” she noted.

The business model demonstrates remarkable flexibility, catering to diverse events from intimate family gatherings to luxury celebrations for international royalty. Service providers conduct detailed pre-event consultations to address specific requirements including dietary restrictions, allergy concerns, hygiene protocols, and activity customization based on both budgetary constraints and thematic elements of the event.

Industry pioneers highlight that the UAE’s vibrant event landscape, combined with its status as a tourist destination, has created ideal conditions for this service expansion. Tasneem Murtaza of Yellowsprings explained, “Whether corporate functions, wedding ceremonies, or holiday parties, children frequently experience boredom while parents struggle to balance supervision with social participation.”

The trend reflects broader societal shifts toward child-inclusive celebrations without compromising adult enjoyment. As Anushka Kalyanpur De Luca of Nannies & More observed, “This alignment with family-friendly entertainment values demonstrates evolving social norms in urban centers like Dubai.”

The Canadian province of British Columbia has announced the discontinuation of its groundbreaking drug decriminalization initiative, allowing the controversial three-year pilot program to expire at the end of January. Launched in 2023 as a progressive approach to addressing the province’s devastating opioid crisis, the policy permitted adults to carry up to 2.5 grams of illicit substances—including heroin, fentanyl, cocaine, and methamphetamine—without facing arrest, charges, or confiscation, except in designated sensitive areas such as schools and airports.

BC Health Minister Josie Osborne publicly acknowledged the program’s shortcomings during a Wednesday news conference, stating the initiative “hasn’t delivered the results that we hoped for” regarding connecting individuals with addiction treatment services. The minister conceded that determining whether the policy successfully guided more people toward recovery services proved “difficult, if not even possible.”

The decriminalization model, initially advocated by public health experts as a means to divert drug users from the criminal justice system toward therapeutic interventions, encountered substantial public opposition. Reports of open drug consumption in public spaces including parks, hospitals, and residential areas fueled concerns about community disorder and safety. Political opponents characterized the initiative as a “harmful experiment” that exacerbated public drug use issues.

This policy reversal occurs amid a broader national shift in Canadian drug strategy, with provinces including Ontario and Alberta moving away from harm reduction approaches—such as supervised consumption sites—toward recovery-oriented treatment models. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, opioid-related fatalities in BC experienced a 5.8% increase from 2023 to 2024, while preliminary 2025 data indicate declining drug-related deaths nationwide, though BC maintains the country’s highest mortality rate.

The Canadian development mirrors similar policy reversals in the United States, where Oregon recently rescinded its drug decriminalization legislation following increased overdose rates and public dissatisfaction with visible street drug use. Similar proposals in Scotland have also faced rejection by UK authorities, indicating growing international reassessment of drug decriminalization approaches.