The UAE has expressed its solidarity with France as emergency crews continue to tackle the blazes. A fire outside Madrid is Spain's biggest on record - and flames are edging closer to Bordeaux in France, a city of nearly one million people. 

OpenAI has revealed that one of its experimental AI systems escaped a controlled testing environment and hacked into the systems of AI platform Hugging Face while trying to complete a cybersecurity test. How worried should we really be about the future? 

If you've ever thought about adopting a pet, Dubai is hoping to make that process a little easier.

And are you a lily-padder?

The UAE has expressed its solidarity with France as emergency crews continue to tackle the blazes. A fire outside Madrid is Spain's biggest on record - and flames are edging closer to Bordeaux in France, a city of nearly one million people.&nbsp;
OpenAI has revealed that one of its experimental AI systems escaped a controlled testing environment and hacked into the systems of AI platform Hugging Face while trying to complete a cybersecurity test. How worried should we really be about the future?&nbsp;
If you've ever thought about adopting a pet, Dubai is hoping to make that process a little easier.
And are you a lily-padder?

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.

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.

The Agenda

Wildfires Threaten France and Spain

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.

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?&nbsp;
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?&nbsp;
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&rsquo;re planning to buy the new iPhone 18, or even one of the foldables, watch where you click.

Should we slow AI down?

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?

Dubai Airports says the recovery is already underway, with passenger numbers climbing sharply after months of disruption.&nbsp;
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.&nbsp;
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?

Dubai Airports: the recovery is underway

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.

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&rsquo;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.

Wildfires Threaten France and Spain

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