The UAE’s young robotics champions secured silver in the Winning Alliance finals at the FIRST Global Challenge (FGC) 2026 in Incheon, South Korea, emerging among the top performers against student teams representing 187 countries and further strengthening the nation’s reputation for excellence in robotics and technological innovation.

Popularly known as the ‘Robotics Olympics’, the competition brings together young innovators worldwide to tackle global challenges through science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The event is supported by industry giants including Lam Research, LG Electronics, FedEx and Stellantis Philanthropy, with MIT, Yale University and the UN’s International Telecommunication Union among its collaborators.

Bansan Thomas George, National Organiser of FIRST Global Challenge UAE and Founder and CEO of Unique World Robotics, said, “These medals reflect years of dedication and learning. Seeing our students develop into confident innovators and problem-solvers is our greatest achievement.”

The latest achievement builds on Team UAE’s impressive international record. In 2024, the team secured silver in the FIRST Global Grand Challenge Award and bronze in the International Enthusiasm Award in Athens, Greece. In 2025, it won gold in the New Technology Experience category in Panama City for its innovative STASH project, using sodium alginate hydrogels to preserve biological material without conventional refrigeration.

The 14-member UAE team comprised Shreya Binoy Nair, Hriday Pritam Garud, Arjun Sandesh Potkar, Aryav Karmakar, Maahi Gera and Liam Fernandes  (GEMS Modern Academy); Ryan Rony Richard (GEMS Founders School Dubai); Fazil Tafseer (Dubai British School Jumeirah Park); Rayaan Kadernani and Asiru Asiru (Dubai College); Sandra Nair and Zaki Hashim Thottathikulam (DPS Dubai); Mohamed Aamir Nazaif (GEMS Cambridge International School, Abu Dhabi); and Yuvaan Amit Deshpande (Raffles World Academy).

Shreya Binoy Nair, Captain of Team UAE, said, “We overcame challenges together, learned from talented students worldwide and built friendships across borders. Winning silver for the UAE is a moment we will always cherish.”

The team was guided by coaches Ali Mohamed Sheikh Ali Abdurahman, Manoj Thannikal Joseph and Head Coach Mohammed Mukhtar Latif.

Mukhtar said, “The students pushed their boundaries in robot design, problem-solving and teamwork. Their resilience and commitment made this achievement possible.”

Unique World Robotics has nurtured young UAE robotics talent for years through training and mentorship. The achievement was celebrated in Dubai with students, coaches, mentors and parents.

UAE cricketers will learn from some of the biggest names in the game at the 2026 Abu Dhabi T10, which runs from 7 to 20 November. Muhammad Waseem will share a dressing room with Nicholas Pooran. Alishan Sharafu will play under Moeen Ali. And Muhammad Rohid will bowl with Kieron Pollard setting his field, while Dwayne Bravo, one of T20 cricket’s most successful bowlers, works with him as UAE Bulls’ bowling coach and mentor.

Several UAE players were picked across the six franchises at the draft on 30 September, and the rules guarantee them time in the middle. Every playing XI must include at least two UAE players.

Royal Desert Champions have Waseem, Aayan Afzal Khan and Dhruv Parashar. Sharafu and Vriitya Aravind are at Arabian Aces, and Rohid and Wali Muhammad at UAE Bulls. Emirates Eagles picked Haider Razzaq, Luqman Faisal and Harshit Kaushik, United Tigers chose Awais Ali Shah and Adithya Shetty, and Yas Lions have Ansh Tandon and Haider Ali.

Several of them have already established their impact at this level. Waseem, the UAE stalwart scored 176 runs at a strike rate of 196 for Quetta Qavalry last season, with a best of 50 not out. Back in 2021 he made 56 not out off 13 balls for Northern Warriors, a half-century that equalled the T10 record for the fastest fifty at the time. He also holds a record US$210,000 contract in the DP World ILT20. Spinner Haider Ali played alongside former India leg-spinner Piyush Chawla at Ajman Titans last season.

Sharafu has seen what this exposure can do. Five years from his debut in the competition, he is an established UAE international, and after playing alongside Moeen at Ajman Titans last season, he joins him again at Arabian Aces.

The opportunity reaches beyond the UAE. Netherlands spinner Aryan Dutt was picked by Yas Lions as their Associate Member selection, and Scotland’s Bradley Currie is at UAE Bulls. USA batter Andries Gous was one of Yas Lions’ three pre-draft signings after scoring 175 runs at a strike rate of 168.3 for Quetta Qavalry last season.

The coaching benches carry plenty of experience too. Andy Flower is head coach of UAE Bulls, Lance Klusener of Arabian Aces and Mickey Arthur of Emirates Eagles. Royal Desert Champions have Robin Singh as team director, and he knows the local game well from his time as the UAE’s director of cricket. At Arabian Aces, the younger players will train and play every day alongside Moeen Ali, Andre Russell and Liam Livingstone.

The first test comes on 7 November, when UAE Bulls and Yas Lions open the tournament at Zayed Cricket Stadium. The final is on 20 November.

A Dubai businessman has launched a London-based investment company to acquire stakes in private and listed businesses in the United Kingdom and international markets.
Hari Shankar Tibrewala, who founded Dubai-based Zenith Global Limited and Zenith Multi Trading DMCC, said the new company, Zenith Global Ventures Ltd, would invest exclusively its own capital.
Based in Berkeley Square, Mayfair, the company will focus on established private businesses, selected listed shares, technology and artificial intelligence, and strategic acquisitions. It will consider minority and controlling stakes, including investments where it can participate in governance and strategy.
“Zenith Global Ventures has been set up to be a patient, disciplined owner of quality businesses. Because we invest our own capital, we can take a long-term view, back strong management teams and focus on lasting value rather than short-term results,” said Tibrewala, its founder and director.
According to the company, it has no outside investors or fixed fund life, allowing it to hold investments without a predetermined exit timetable.
Zenith said it would assess potential investments on earnings, cash flow, balance-sheet strength and competitive position, alongside management quality and governance. Each opportunity would undergo due diligence and be subject to applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
For listed shares, the company said it would seek businesses it considers undervalued. Its technology and AI investments would focus on companies it believes can sustain a competitive advantage.
The company cited London’s legal framework, capital markets and connections with Europe, the Gulf and Asia as reasons for choosing the city as its base.
Tibrewala established investment holding company Zenith Global Limited in Dubai in 2013, followed by Zenith Multi Trading DMCC in 2014. He moved to London in 2024.
Zenith Global Ventures said it does not manage third-party funds or offer investments to the public.