First liver and lung transplant; On February 21, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, the country’s first multi-organ transplant centre, conducted the UAE’s first liver transplant. The recipient was a 60-year-old Emirati suffering from liver cirrhosis. The first lung transplant in the UAE was then performed 10 days later, providing a 53-year-old Emirati with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with a single lung.
2018 in review: UAE’s ambitions scale new heights
The UAE passport was declared the most powerful in December
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On August 1, the UAE launched an amnesty scheme for illegal residents to correct their status or leave the country. Initially set for three months, it was extended to November 30 and then December 31. It also provided a six-month visa for amnesty-seekers to find a job.
Abdul Rahman/Gulf News
It was an eventful year for UAE’s space programme with KhalifaSat’s launch and the selection of the first Emirati astronauts.
An unprecedented amnesty scheme and a long-term visa system for students and professionals underlined the country’s ambition to become the world’s best country to work and live in.
It was also a year of records and awards. The UAE passport being declared the world’s most powerful was the icing on the cake in December.
First liver and lung transplant
Record-breaking zipline
Record-breaking zipline: In February, Ras Al Khaimah earned a Guinness World Record for the world’s longest zipline — Jebel Jais Flight. The 2,800-metre long attraction is perched above the towering Jebel Jais mountain.
New visa system
New visa system: On May 20, the UAE Cabinet approved 10-year residency visas for investors and professionals in the medical, scientific, research and technical fields as well as for all scientists and innovators. It also granted five-year residency visas for students studying in the UAE, and 10-year visas for exceptional students.
World’s top passport
World’s top passport: On December 1, the UAE passport jumped to number 1 position in the world, offering visa-free entry, or visa-on-arrival facility to Emiratis travelling to 167 countries.
Holy Quran award
Holy Quran award: Ahmad Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum presents the Dubai International Holy Quran Award to 17-year-old Ahmad Burhan, the first American to win it.
UAE’s first homegrown satellite
UAE’s first homegrown satellite KhalifaSat, the UAE’s first satellite built by Emirati engineers, was launched on a Japanese rocket at the Tanegashima Space Centre on October 29. It captures images with a spatial resolution of 70cm — meaning each pixel represents 70cm of the ground.
Unique camel
Unique camel: Bint Shaheen, a female camel calf born at the Dubai Camel Breeding Centre on January 12, became the world’s first camel conceived using frozen sperm from a champion stallion named Shaheen, now retired from racing.
Emirati astronauts
Emirati astronauts: On September 3, the UAE names its first astronauts — Sultan Saif Muftah Hamad Al Niyadi and Hazza Ali Abdan Khalifa Al Mansouri. Both are training in Russia and one of them will travel to the International Space Station in April.
Egyptian declared Arab Hope Maker
Egyptian declared Arab Hope Maker: His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, presents the Arab Hope Makers award to Mahmood Waheed from Egypt on May 14. Wahid helped more than 1,000 homeless elderly people in Egypt.
Briton wins Global Teacher Prize
Briton wins Global Teacher Prize: Andria Zafirakou, a school teacher in the UK, wins the $1 million Global Teacher Prize in Dubai on March 18. She was chosen from 30,000 nominations from around the world.
Largest cup of hot tea
Largest cup of hot tea: On January 25 Dubai set another Guinness World Record when the Global Village created the largest cup of hot tea. The 3.66-metre high cup, a replica of a regular styrofoam cup, had a heating system to keep the tea’s temperature at 85 degrees Celsius.
Dh170,000 speeding fines in four hours
Dh170,000 speeding fines in four hours On July 30, a 26-year-old British tourist drove a rented Lamborghini Huracan at speeds as high as 231km/h on Shaikh Zayed Road, racking up Dh170,000 in speeding fines in a period of just under four hours.
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