Abu Dhabi 'smartest city' in Middle East: Study
Abu Dhabi, June 29 : Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has topped the list of "smart cities" in the Middle East and Africa, the city's Department of Culture and Tourism said on Friday.
Covering 50 international cities, a report by McKinsey Global Institute titled "Smart Cities: Digital Solutions for a More Livable Future" views how cities all over the world use technology to improve the quality of life, reports Xinhua.
With a rating of 18.4, Abu Dhabi ranked the first in the region ahead of Dubai, which was placed the second with a rating of 17.3.
Saif Saeed Ghobash, under-secretary of the department, said that in the digital age, metropolitan cities are delivering creative ways in which data is used to reinvent the way their city is perceived, explored, interacted with, and how services are delivered.
"With apps and online systems in place that support the tourism and business infrastructure of the emirate, we hope to lead the way to a sustainable future for generations to come," he said.
According to McKinsey, three factors make a city smart.
First is the technology base, which includes a critical mass of smartphones and sensors connected by high-speed communication networks.
The second consists of specific applications, such as translating raw data into alerts. The third is usage by cities, companies, and the public.
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England sticking with Key, McCullum and Stokes despite Ashes humbling
London (AP): England is not sacking anybody following the 4-1 Ashes loss in Australia.
A review of the tour by the England and Wales Cricket Board, announced within hours of the final match in January, was concluded on Monday. Firing people would “be the easy thing to do,” ECB chief executive Richard Gould said but he insisted, "This is not the time to throw everything out."
Managing director Rob Key, coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes kept their jobs after the best England side to go to Australia in 14 years lost the Ashes in 11 days with two games to spare.
“Moving people on can sometimes be the easy thing to do. That's not the route that we're going to take,” Gould said. “I've seen the driving ambition and determination that we're lucky enough to have within our leadership group to take the lessons from the Ashes and move forward.”
Gould previously was the chief executive of Bristol City soccer club and said the ECB would not follow the same route as soccer's hire-and-fire culture.
“Cricket is a very unique sport in that it takes a team of leadership ... it's not like football where there's a single point of failure or success with a manager," he said. He added the ECB would not “select or deselect management based on a popularity campaign.”
The main criticisms of England's tour were poor preparation, player misbehavior, and selection mistakes.
At a press conference at Lord's, Gould and Key said McCullum and Stokes have not had a “bust up,” they did not want McCullum to “completely change” but “to evolve,” the behavior of some players was “unprofessional,” there will be more consequences for underperforming, and a commitment to “better long-term planning” ahead of major test series.
Some changes were already implemented for the Twenty20 World Cup, where England reached the semifinals. Gould implied that performance saved McCullum.
Key acknowledged that England supporters would be disappointed to see the management team go unpunished.
“I know people want punishment and that people then should be sacked for that,” Key said. “That doesn't mean we don't feel like we've gone through some serious pain: Brendon, myself, Ben. It's been as tough a time as I think I've had.”
