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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Doha, May 10: Olympic and world champion Neeraj Chopra finished second at the Doha Diamond League meeting javelin throw event as his big final effort of 88.36m fell short by two centimeters of Jakub Vadlejch's winning effort here on Friday.
The 26-year-old Chopra trailed Czech Republic veteran Vadlejch -- who won the title with his third round throw of 88.38m -- all through the competition.
Chopra made a last ditch effort but his final round throw fell 2cm short of Vadlejch's mark as the Indian superstar failed to defend the title he had won won last year .
Two-time world champion Anderson Peters took the third sport with a best throw of 86.62m.
Kishore Jena's Diamond League debut ended in disappointment as he was eliminated after three rounds of throws, with 76.31m being his best. He began with a 75.72m, then fouled his second effort, before coming up with 76.31m to be at ninth after three throws each by all the 10 competitors.
The 28-year-old Jena has a personal best of 87.54m, a performance that fetched him a silver medal in the Hangzhou Asian Games last year, but it was not his day on Friday.
Vadlejch had won a silver in the Tokyo Olympics and a bronze in the 2023 World Championships, the two events in which Chopra had won gold.
Chopra had won the 2023 Doha Diamond League with a throw of 88.67m, ahead of Vadlejch (88.63) and Peters (85.88m).
The next Diamond League meeting which has men's javelin as a discipline will be in Paris on July 7.
At each DL meeting, athletes are awarded 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 or 1 points for ranking first to to eighth respectively. The top six javelin throwers will compete in the Diamond League Finals in Brussels on September 13-14 and the winner will lift the DL champion's trophy.
