The Agenda

Dubai Eye 103.8

The Agenda is your go-to programme for news, analysis and comment - a daily digest of local and international stories that matter to you. Broadcasting every weekday, Georgia Tolley goes beyond the headlines to speak to government ministers, decision makers, analysts and local experts to find out how the news will impact those of us living in the UAE.
From Covid-19, to climate change and community issues, The Agenda covers stories from every walk of life, so get in touch with us and tell us your news.

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Friday · 1 hr
Dubai bans families and single tenants from sharing a flat
Dubai bans families and single tenants from sharing a unit under tougher shared housing rules. What does it mean if you rent a room, and could you be forced to move? KHDA wants to hear from parents stuck in school traffic. Why is it running a survey on the school commute? Half term is here, and UAE staycation bookings are up nearly a third. Where is everyone heading, and are there last-minute bargains? Abu Dhabi’s packed entertainment season adds Black Coffee and The Phantom of the Opera. Has international confidence returned? Do cats make us happier? New research says countries with more cats are happier, with a strange twist involving a parasite. And we meet the 16-year-old who is the youngest member of Dubai Police’s triathlon team. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Thursday · 1 min
Abu Dhabi launches AI that speaks Emirati Arabic
Abu Dhabi researchers have launched a new AI model designed to understand Emirati Arabic. We'll discuss why the UAE needs its own ChatGPT equivalent. As global technology leaders gather in Abu Dhabi for AI Everything, the boss of French AI company Mistral says the UAE needs powerful AI systems under its own control to defend against cyber threats. Thousands of robots will be roaming the streets of Abu Dhabi within months - that's one of the revelations from the event. We find out what they'll be doing and how soon you could see one. We're also looking at the war for UAE talent. If you quit tomorrow, could your boss stop you going to work for their biggest rival? Top lawyers say employers are increasingly enforcing non-compete clauses. We find out why, and how much breaking one could cost you. It's still months away, but we're already thinking about Christmas, because we're being warned it could cost more this year. We dig into a new global survey warning of double-digit cost increases across supply chains. Meanwhile, Dubai is getting a colourful new look, with redesigned street signs and neighbourhood names. We find out why your house could soon be getting a number plate. And scientists have discovered that butterflies may use the patterns on their wings to create optical illusions, confusing predators and helping them escape being eaten. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Wednesday · 48 min
UAE introduces new limits on salt, sugar and fat in everyday food
The UAE has begun putting limits on how much salt, sugar and fat can go into some of the foods we eat every day. The new resolution covers packaged foods made in the UAE or imported, including by companies in free zones. It starts with bread, sweetened milk drinks, flavoured yoghurt and laban, salty snacks and processed cheese. The limits come down in stages until the end of 2030. On The Agenda, we get more details about the new resolution from Nouf Khamis Al Ali, Director of the Health Promotion Department, Ministry of Health and Prevention. What does an AI-native city looks like? If you have a pool in the UAE, you may have noticed the costs to keep it are rising. Why? And some parents are posting their children's pictures in Facebook groups, asking strangers to remove the watermark, and photographers say that puts children at risk. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Tuesday · 1 hr 10 min
When school photos go too far
Schools across the UAE are asking parents to rethink the way they take and share photos and videos on campus. It’s not a ban on photographing your own child. Parents can still capture those important school moments. The concern is what happens when other children are unintentionally included in the frame and, more importantly, what happens to those images afterwards. Abu Dhabi says it will be the world's first AI-native government by 2027, with more than 40 government entities working as one AI-driven system. For residents, that could mean fewer forms and faster answers. But when a machine makes the call on your application and gets it wrong, who answers for it? Cheap flights from Europe to Abu Dhabi were meant to be back this month. But now Wizz Air says they won't start until January. With world food prices rising, do you know where your own money goes? One Dubai founder tracked her shop and found her grocery bill had jumped by about a quarter, with the same habits. So how do you spot it before it bites? And how do you move a whole museum's worth of specimens? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Monday · 1 hr 4 min
What's behind the rising food prices?
World food prices rose again in September. The UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says its benchmark index averaged 136 points, up 1.5 percent on August and just under 6 percent on a year ago. So what does that mean for the weekly shop? The UAE is tightening up on late salaries. Under the latest Wage Protection System decision, employers will get alerts about delayed wages before the ministry takes any administrative action. His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, has attended the unveiling of the probe for the Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt. In a post on X, Sheikh Hamdan said the spacecraft was developed, assembled and tested in the UAE. A venomous snake living in the UAE's mountains has been caught doing something that has never been recorded before. And what if you could film in Paris, on Mars or in the middle of a storm without leaving Dubai? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 2 · 1 hr 6 min
Between pick-up and drop-off
The KHDA has sent parents across Dubai a new survey on the school commute, asking how children get to school, how long families spend stuck in traffic at the gates, and what would actually make it easier. One option's already being tested. We also speak to a Dubai student who created a platform aimed at getting more children sharing rides to school. Plus, how are school buses managing the school pick-up and drop-off process? UAE university enrolment has hit its highest level in a decade, more than 57,000 new students across 66 institutions, a 13 per cent jump on last year. Altair-1, the UAE's first commercial AI-enabled Earth observation satellite, launched on Wednesday evening from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. What does this milestone actually signal about where the UAE's space ambitions are heading? New data out from the Copernicus Climate Change Service shows Europe's summer was defined by extreme heat and drought. It was the continent's third warmest summer on record, and the warmest ever for western Europe, with 52 per cent of Europe exposed to dangerous heat stress by the end of the season. And we're heading north as Fujairah reopens its hiking and biking trails. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
October 1 · 1 hr 13 min
Can you make your car fuel last longer?
Fuel prices in the UAE are up this October, and that explains the long queues at the pumps yesterday. From today, Super 98 costs AED4.40 a litre compared to AED3.80 in September, while Special 95 goes up from AED3.69 to AED4.28. E-Plus 91 is now at Dh4.21, and diesel climbs to Dh4.80, the steepest monthly jump of the year. So, how can we make fuel last a little longer? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
September 30 · 1 hr 4 min
Etihad Rail's Dubai station is now open
Etihad Rail's stations in Dubai and Al Dhaid, in Sharjah, open this morning, joining the Abu Dhabi to Fujairah route that launched at the end of June. From the Al Yalayis station, the journey to Abu Dhabi takes around 64 minutes, with tickets from AED 39 for standard class and AED 109 for premium. So will people really swap the drive for the train? How will attractions and tourist spots benefit from these newly-opened stations? Is mental health care becoming more accessible in the UAE? And why has OpenAI scrapped the release of its next-generation model? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
September 29 · 57 min
We take you aboard the Etihad Rail
Ahead of the official launch of Etihad Rail's station in Dubai, ARN's News Centre's Lujain Ammar got on the preview journey, departing Mohammed Bin Zayed City Station in Abu Dhabi and arriving at Al Yalayis Station in Dubai. She shares her experience of the journey, giving listeners a first look at the new rail service and what passengers can expect when the station officially opens. Ajman has wrapped up its fourth Real Estate Investment Exhibition, and demand was high enough that organisers actually extended it by a day. It's given us a good look at where the emirate's heading, infrastructure, community building under Ajman 2030, and a real shift away from just building towers towards thinking about how people actually live there. Today is the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. We speak with people who are finding innovative ways to keep food from going to waste, from rescuing surplus meals to extending the shelf life of fresh produce. Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi have found that a single cancer-causing gene doesn't always do the same thing to a cell. And looking for a home with a little history? Ras Al Khaimah's Al Qasimi Palace, famously known as the Haunted Palace, is up for sale for over AED 22 million. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
September 28 · 1 hr 6 min
Spotting fake insurance offers
On our monthly Consumer Hour with the Dubai Corporation for Consumer Protection and Fair Trade (DCCPFT), we're looking at scams, specifically the ones designed to look completely legitimate. One of the most common right now is fake insurance offers, policies sold at a fraction of the normal price, sometimes even with official-looking documents, that turn out to be worthless the moment you actually need to make a claim. The government's been cracking down on fake Emiratisation, the Ministry of Human Resources & Emiratisation (MoHRE) uncovered 377 cases across 266 companies this year, businesses hiring Emirati nationals on paper without giving them real roles. So what does it look like when a company actually gets this right? Spain has had a brutal wildfire season, with more than 265,000 hectares of forest burnt by mid-August and 42 large fires recorded. Now a solar-powered aircraft from the UAE is helping keep watch. And why do dogs listen more to consonant sounds that vowels? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
September 25 · 1 hr 4 min
Dubai teenager tackles worker dehydration
A Dubai teenager is turning a conversation with an exhausted delivery rider into a business idea with a social conscience, launching a low-cost rehydration product for outdoor workers. CBSE Class 12 students in the UAE whose board exams were disrupted earlier this year now have another chance to sit those papers. But after a gap of more than six months, should they take it? We get advice from a headteacher. We also look ahead to the launch of Etihad Rail’s Dubai passenger station next week, turning the spotlight on Fujairah. Could better rail links bring a new wave of tourists, investment and opportunities for local businesses? Abu Dhabi is officially the Middle East’s leading city for artificial intelligence - and one of the best places in the world to build an AI industry. A new global index ranks the capital 11th in the world, so what is Abu Dhabi getting right, and what would it take to break into the global top ten? Meanwhile, when was the last time you picked up a book? A reading caravan will travel across the UAE to encourage both children and adults to get back into literature. And scarlet macaws are deliberately allowing some of their youngest chicks to starve. Scientists are now stepping in, taking the abandoned babies and placing them with foster parents. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
September 24 · 1 hr 12 min
Etihad Rail: Dubai fares revealed
The passenger train from Dubai to Abu Dhabi starts running next week, and we now know how much a ticket will cost. The Agenda's Katie Chambers has everything you need to know about the UAE's new commuter service. We're also putting the spotlight on Al Ain, as the city looks to establish itself as a business centre in its own right - attracting major international companies and investing in new industries. But what can Al Ain offer that Abu Dhabi and Dubai don't? What role will its universities play in that growth? And what's it actually like to build a technology company there? Remember the AI trend a couple of weeks ago, when we all turned ourselves into 1980s versions of ourselves - big hair, shoulder pads and questionable fashion choices included? If you tried it, did you think about the environmental footprint of your request? Should we be considering the climate every time we use ChatGPT? Meanwhile, forget crisps or a fizzy drink - a new machine popping up around Dubai is dispensing something rather different: your next book. We'll find out how you can get involved. And could watching the sunset actually be good for you? Research suggests those few minutes of changing light can trigger a powerful sense of awe, with some surprising benefits for our wellbeing. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
September 21 · 39 min
Should we be nervous about flying amid regional disruption?
Flights in and out of Riyadh were disrupted after a missile was intercepted over the Saudi capital. So should we be nervous about flying while the conflict continues? We take a closer look at AI - how dangerous is it really, could it help develop better cancer treatments. Ed Sheeran has spoken out about Gaza, raising the question: should pop stars keep politics off the stage? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
September 18 · 1 hr 12 min
UAE interest rates rise: What it means for your mortgage?
Mortgage costs are heading higher after the UAE raised interest rates for the first time in more than three years. So how much more could you end up paying? And when the conflict ends, will Middle East aviation be ready for travellers to come flooding back? The red carpet is also coming back to Dubai. The Dubai International Film Festival will return in 2027, a decade after it disappeared from the city’s cultural calendar. Meanwhile, hackers are stealing encrypted data today, hoping quantum computers will help them unlock it in the future. So how do we protect our secrets from technology that hasn’t even arrived yet? Plus, should pop stars keep their politics off the stage? Macklemore has been dropped from Ed Sheeran’s US tour over comments about Palestine, prompting other artists to pull out in solidarity. We meet the Dubai couple who have rescued more than 6,000 drivers stranded in the desert - completely free of charge. And would you take a halal-friendly cruise to Antarctica? The first voyage sold out, and now the company behind it is taking the idea to even more remote destinations. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
September 17 · 54 min
Dubai’s new 80km road: can it keep up with the city’s growth?
Dubai is building a huge new 80-kilometre road through the desert, creating a fourth major route linking Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. It’s designed to ease congestion, but can building more roads really keep pace with the UAE’s rapid growth? And just how challenging will a project of this scale be to build? We speak to the experts. Plus, the United States has confirmed for the first time that it has weapons orbiting the Earth. What exactly are they, and are we entering a new arms race in space? Would you read more if you were paid to do it? Singapore is offering people rewards for picking up a book as it tries to tackle doomscrolling and encourage deeper reading. And robot fighting has become a sport in Riyadh. So are humanoid robots finally ready to move out of the lab and into our everyday lives? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
September 16 · 50 min
Gulf tourism set for 10% annual growth
Despite months of disruption, the Gulf is still forecast to be one of the fastest-growing tourism markets in the world. A new report suggests visitor numbers could rise by around 10% a year over the next five years. We speak to the author of the study about what is driving that growth and whether the momentum can continue. Meanwhile, Ras Al Khaimah is turning its attention from staycationers back to international tourists. The CEO of RAK Tourism joins us to discuss the billions of dirhams being invested in new hotels, attractions and tourism projects across the emirate. And the UAE’s highest mountain is getting a major adventure upgrade. Jebel Jais is set to add an 80-kilometre hiking loop, with a route that could take around five days to complete. Plus, the UAE is expanding its annual flu vaccination campaign. We ask who should be getting the jab and when. And finally, a remarkable piece of travel history has gone under the hammer in Abu Dhabi, with a 700-year-old manuscript documenting the journeys of Ibn Battuta selling for nearly AED 1 million. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
September 15 · 1 hr
How does an unpleasant smell affect you?
Residents from Dubai Marina and JLT to The Springs, Al Barsha, Al Furjan and Discovery Gardens are reporting a persistent unpleasant smell. The Agenda team has reached out to Dubai Municipality for an interview/ statement and we're awaiting response. Meanwhile, the Municipality’s Call Centre confirmed to Gulf News it has received complaints and is aware of the problem. But when a smell is being reported across such a wide area, how do you actually work out what it is and where it’s coming from? We also ask: Can a bad smell itself be harmful, and what symptoms should we be looking out for? Lots of focus on tourism as the Arabian Travel Market continues. We start with the smallest emirate of the UAE - Ajman. What does it have to offer people who perhaps haven’t explored it before? We also discuss how artificial intelligence change how we book and plan our holidays Plus, are we getting real Christmas trees this year? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
September 14 · 1 hr 19 min
Should we slow AI down?
Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, which is the company behind Claude, says AI capabilities are advancing dramatically, and argues that slowing development could buy researchers crucial time to make the technology safer. So how worried should we be about the speed at which AI is developing? The Boring Company is set to build more than 150 kilometres of tunnels across the UAE, as part of a new agreement with several investment companies based in the Emirates. The idea is to move passengers underground in electric vehicles, bypassing the traffic above. But does putting cars underground actually solve congestion? Dubai welcomed around nearly 900,000 international visitors in August, its highest monthly figure since February, while hotel occupancy climbed from just 36% in March to 66% in August. So how long will it take Dubai tourism to fully recover, and what will drive the next stage of that recovery? The tourism industry is gathering in Dubai for Arabian Travel Market, at the start of what would traditionally be one of the UAE's busiest tourism seasons. But beyond getting visitors back, there's a longer-term challenge: finding and training the people needed to support the UAE's growing hospitality, tourism, sports and events industries. We speak to one academy that is on a mission to meet that demand. Sisters Arva and Farida of Frying Pan Adventures join The Agenda to talk about their 13 years of showing Dubai to tourists, And if you’re planning to buy the new iPhone 18, or even one of the foldables, watch where you click. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
September 11 · 1 hr
Dubai Airports: the recovery is underway
Dubai Airports says the recovery is already underway, with passenger numbers climbing sharply after months of disruption. As delayed major events including Arabian Travel Market and GISEC finally get underway, we hear from Dubai Airports CEO Paul Griffiths on who is flying, when international tourists will return, and the latest timeline for the move to Al Maktoum International. Meanwhile, Palm Jebel Ali has unveiled its first retail and lifestyle hub, set to open as soon as next year. But how do you actually build a brand-new neighbourhood from scratch? Also, would you go back to work in your seventies? Sharjah is creating 1,000 part-time jobs for senior citizens, in a scheme designed to keep older people active and connected. We meet two septuagenarians with no intention of slowing down, and speak to the manager of Elder Square, a UAE daycare centre dedicated entirely to older people. Plus, more than 24,000 Dubai Government employees have just completed a summer experiment in flexible working. So did working fewer hours actually work? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
September 10 · 59 min
Cyber war at the Strait of Hormuz
With attacks on ships around the Strait of Hormuz escalating, the regional conflict is also intensifying online, with cyberattacks on the UAE still running at around 600,000 a day. So how do you protect the ports and infrastructure that keep global trade moving? We speak to DP World. Also on the podcast, Wizz Air is returning to the UAE, just a year after pulling the plug on its Abu Dhabi operation. We find out what has changed, why it is coming back and what it could mean for airfares. Meanwhile, some of the people building the world’s most powerful AI systems are warning that the technology could eventually wipe out humanity. So just how seriously should we take those warnings coming out of Silicon Valley? Could spending a few minutes as Marie Curie change the way you think about women in science? Researchers at NYU Abu Dhabi say virtual reality could help challenge some of our unconscious biases. And the UAE National Orchestra is back for its second season with a bigger programme. We speak to its Artistic Planning Director about how the orchestra is developing an increasingly distinctive sound of its own. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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