The Agenda with Tom Urquhart

26 Mar 2020: The Meadows, Lakes and Springs Community group was set up years ago but in recent weeks its take on a whole new role supporting its members. Katie Watson-Grant tells us about the work of an admin in times like these.

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26 Mar 2020: Tech journalist Daanesh Kalyaniwalla tells us about the best apps to chat, hangout, catch up and share news with friends and family.

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26 Mar 2020: Svetlana Quindt is a German YouTuber who has been self-isolating for six weeks now, and is full of advice for how to amuse ourselves, be sensible, and stay sane.

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26 Mar 2020: Lalita Elen-Nur has set up a group to unite people across the UAE who have questions and concerns about the changes going on around us. Listen to how 2,000 people have joined in ten days and are offering each other support in these unprecedented times.

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25 Mar 2020: We asked them to get in touch and let us know their thoughts on staying home instead of going to school.

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25 Mar 2020: Safe Hands UAE has just launched an online first aid course in response to people wanting to brush up on these essential skills while staying at home.

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25 Mar 2020: Jebel Ali School principal Lizzie Robinson tells us how we can help our kids stay in touch with their friends and protect students' mental health while distance learning.

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25 Mar 2020: Anna Arzua Macmillan has setup the UAE Buddy programme to help people help each other - and make sure social distancing doesn't mean emotional disconnection.

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25 Mar 2020: Charlie Barlow, Founder and CEO of Health at Hand explains how their app is making quality healthcare accessible to everyone, with all coronavirus consultations completely free of charge.

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25 Mar 2020: We chat with comms expert Kate Midttun from Acorn Strategy about keeping in touch and preparing for a return to normal.

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24 Mar 2020: David Hicks, Principal at Dubai International Academy, tells Georgia how his students are coping with distance learning.

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24 Mar 2020: Vip Patel, founder of Dubailad.com and dad blogger, gives all the dads and dudes ideas on what to do at home, including keeping their kids entertained and doing some online shopping for the absolute essentials. 

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24 Mar 2020: Veer Vohra, who is 16 and in year 12, has developed an app that helps students cope with academic pressure, especially during these times of uncertainty. So let's all breathe in and out and think of all the things we're grateful for as we download MiZen on the Apple app store.

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24 Mar 2020: Twelve-year-old Joshua is homeschooled and offers some advice to students who are still trying to get the hang of distance learning.

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24 Mar 2020: Jayesh Patel, head of Liv, tells people who they can get their finances in order during uncertain times. 

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24 Mar 2020: Darren Gale is the principal of Horizon International School. He does a monthly singing challenge for his staff and students, and with distance learning in place, he's managed to carry on with the tradition by moving it entirely online.  

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23 Mar 2020: Jodh Dhesi, deputy chief education officer at GEMS Education, tells Georgia what students and teachers have been saying about distance learning across GEMS schools.

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23 Mar 2020: Tom Harvey, commercial manager at Spinneys, says it will be business as usual for supermarkets and supplies will continue to come in. He also appeals to shoppers to stop hoarding.

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23 Mar 2020: Ben Pullen, CEO and Co-Founder of Generation E HQ, has been organising the Smart Mobility World Conference, which takes place in Dubai tomorrow.After months of preparation, fears over the spread of covid19 prompted authorities to cancel all events in Dubai. Instead of calling it off, Ben is holding the conference entirely online, with over 2,000 registered participants.Find out how he's pulling it off. 

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23 Mar 2020: Karl Feilder, CEO and Founder of Neutral Fuels, tells Georgia how much carbon we're not emitting by staying at home. 

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22 Mar 2020: Respected food reviewer Food Sheikh tells us about the new platform, which lets customers order directly from their favourite local eatery in Dubai.

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22 Mar 2020: Lisa Sherrington-Boyd, principal at Kangaroo Kids Nursery in Dubai, gives us practical advise on how to tackle distance learning with our children.

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22 Mar 2020: Wissam Amid, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Xische, says working remotely is going to be the future. He gives us some practical advise on how to ensure it goes smoothly.

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22 Mar 2020: University students and professors are being encouraged to design solutions that would help the world in the fight against covid 19. Joining Georgia on the line is Brendan McGetrick, Head of Curation of the Global Grad Show and Curative Director of The Museum of the Future.

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19 Mar 2020: Georgia chats to Jenny Mollon, Senior Editor at WhichSchoolAdvisor about what this announcement means to UAE students.

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19 Mar 2020: Tracy Moxley, Director of Education at Aldar Education, tells Georgia how they will implement distance learning for their 20,000 students across Abu Dhabi and Al Ain.

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19 Mar 2020: Zach Holz a.k.a. The Happiest Teacher tells Georgia how parents and children can cope with distance learning, which takes effect on 22nd March.

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19 Mar 2020: Georgia meets Alma, a mother of four and one of the millions of residents in Manila who are forced to stay home to prevent the spread of coronavirus. She remains optimistic and believes social distancing and isolation is the right thing to do.

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19 Mar 2020: Georgia chats to Dr. Wael Farouq Elamin, an infection control doctor at the King’s College Hospital in Dubai about proper testing for covid 19, and whether we are close to developing a vaccine for it.

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18 Mar 2020: Georgia and Zeena discuss the new rules for eateries set by the Dubai Municipality. They also talk to Nicky Ramchandani, managing director of JLT food hall Streetery, about the measures they've put in place to ensure that the preparation and delivery of their food is safe.

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18 Mar 2020: Simone Noorali has recently flown back to Dubai after the University of Pennsylvania, where she's been studying as a freshman, closed over coronavirus concerns.

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18 Mar 2020: Peter Davos, CEO of Hale Education, tells Georgia how applicants are dealing with preparing for university as amid closures across the US.

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18 Mar 2020: Dr. Mansoor Al Awar, Chancellor at the Hamdan bin Mohammed Smart University, tells Georgia about a free course they're offering to teachers and academic support staff to equip them with skills they need during the distance learning period in the UAE.

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18 Mar 2020: Georgia puts this question to Jonathan Robinson, the Head of Physiotherapy at The Nightingale Clinic, and in the process performs a full body workout on air. 

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17 Mar 2020: We've seen empty shelves and trolleys filled with mountains of supplies, especially toilet rolls! Georgia chats to Christine Kritzas, a psychologist at LightHouse Arabia, to make sense of this form of consumer behaviour in recent weeks. 

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17 Mar 2020: Georgia chats to pulmonologist Dr. Faisal Asad, from the Saudi German Hospital, about what we need to understand about covid19 and why social distancing is crucial. 

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17 Mar 2020: Joe Franklin tells Georgia all about an app that lets people earn rewards based on the number of steps they take. 

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17 Mar 2020: If you're a tenant, have you ever gotten your security deposit back? Equally if you're a landlord, have you ever given your tenant their security deposit? 
Hossein Lankarani, the CEO of Inventally, tells us the importance of doing an inventory of every property before a tenant moves in to avoid disputes between the two parties. We also speak to Mario Volpi, Sales Manager at Engel and Volkers, who has a few tips on how to maintain a good relationship with your tenant. 

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16 Mar 2020: Charlie Barlow is the Founder and CEO of Health at Hand, an app that lets you consult a doctor through its built-in VOIP service.

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16 Mar 2020: Worried about kitchen hygiene? Bobby Krishna, Food Safety Specialist at the Dubai Municipality, tells Georgia how to keep food clean and safe to consume at all times. 

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16 Mar 2020: Absolutely, according to Dr. Abdullatif Al Shamsi, President & CEO of the Higher Colleges of Technology. HCT piloted their online programme recently, garnering positive feeedback from a majority of faculty and students.

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16 Mar 2020: Amy Lobl is the Regional Development Manager for Online Master’s  at King’s College London. She's seen a massive spike in interest in online MBAs, with subject likes public health catching the eye of potential students. 

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15 Mar 2020: About half of the world's population are dissatisfied with their sleep. Ozlem Fidanci, CEO of Phillips in the region, tells Georgia about the survey.

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15 Mar 2020: Gaurav Sinha, founder of Insignia and author of Compassion Inc. tells Georgia what residents and businesses need to focus on as covid19 continues to impact lives and livelihoods. 

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12 Mar 2020: Chef Uwe was one of the first chefs to come out to Dubai and carve out a culinary career in the region. Tom catches up with him about his childhood, what led him to come to the UAE and how he wants to spend the rest of his life.

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11 Mar 2020: Nestle has announced that it is extending paid parental leave for both mums and dads. David Moloto, Regional Human Resources Director at Nestle Middle East and North Africa tells Tom about the new policy. They're joined by Ben Brown, partner at Addleshaw and Goddard.

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11 Mar 2020: Sarita Harding tells us about this amazing community of animal lovers, and you can get involved.

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11 Mar 2020: Last song for our takeover radio star, Frank, is a song he wrote for his wife on their wedding day sang by his Best Man, John. Another first in Takeover radio! 

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10 Mar 2020: Monir Bou Ghanem of the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi explains to Tom how the emirate of Abu Dhabi plans to eliminate the use of single-use plastic within two years. 

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10 Mar 2020: Hotdesk lets you find a workspace or enable you to rent out your office space. Founder Mohammed Khaled tells Tom and Zeena all about it.

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10 Mar 2020: Franks is this weeks' Takeover Radio Star and he selected a song from The Proclaimers, Streets of Edinburgh

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09 Mar 2020: Dr. Mustafa Khan, emergency physician at the Saudi German Hospital clarifies information about travel into and out of the UAE, based on announcements from health authorities and the World Health Organisation.

He also speaks to journalist Ashleigh Stewart, who recently came back from a high-risk country and shares her experience being screened at the airport. 

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09 Mar 2020: Henry and Danielle Platten saw the need for a social media platform that would serve as a safe space for children and keep them away from predators and bullies. 

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09 Mar 2020: Takeover Radio Star Frank second song is Mazzy Star's Fade into You.

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08 Mar 2020: Who should wear masks? How much protection do they give? Dr. Wael Farouq Elamin of King's College Hospital Dubai answers all your questions about mask use as protection from covid19.

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08 Mar 2020: Amira Rashad, CEO of Bulkwhiz, says online grocery sales are up by 70 to 100% as residents choose to stay home and shop online.

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08 Mar 2020: Business psychologist Mamta Saha tells us about the importance of affirmations to counter negative emotions. She chats to Tom about the news stories she spotted over the weekend.

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08 Mar 2020: What a song to kick off the week with our Takeover Radio star, Frank. Surely you'll sing along with and bring back memories too.

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05 Mar 2020: Maria, founder of the Maria Cristina Foundation, is an award-winning humanitarian, a multiple Guinness world record holder, and the first Portuguese woman & 3rd Portuguese citizen to summit Everest.She landed in Dubai more than a decade ago, flying for Emirates. A trip to Bangladesh opened her eyes to the plight of young slum-dwellers of Dhaka, leading to her to make big decisions that would later change the lives of hundreds of children. 

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05 Mar 2020: Working parents tell Tom how they're planning to juggle work and monitoring their children's learning progress as schools prepare to close on Sunday, March 8.Tom also chats to companies who have flexible hours or work-from-home options to their staff who have children.

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05 Mar 2020: Many events are still pushing through as the government controls the spread of covid19.Tom chats to Tomas Palacios, a professional polo player who will be taking part in the Standard Chartered Gold Cup.

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04 Mar 2020: The Agenda hosts a panel of experts who answered all your questions about e-learning, school fee refunds and more.

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04 Mar 2020: We speak to experts who tell parents how e-learning systems work.

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04 Mar 2020: Coach Patrick Campos tells us all about the sport and how to join his team. 

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04 Mar 2020: Takeover Radio Star Craig selected a song from The White Stripes, Blue Orchid.

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03 Mar 2020: Dr. Sam Westhead of Amity Veterinary Clinic tells Tom that there is absolutely no evidence that pets can contract coronavirus. Tom also welcomes into the studio Carol Ann Geldenhuys of Kitty Snip and Belinda Prince of K9 Friends, who say they have received queries from pet owners who have concerns over their furry friends contracting the virus. They tell Tom that it is sadly one more excuse for people to dump their pets.

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03 Mar 2020: Abdelrahman Ismail tells Tom all about El Adly, an app that promises to find you a parking space in five minutes. 

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02 Mar 2020: H.E. Jaber Al Lamki, Acting Director General of the National Media Council, answers all your questions about #covid19.

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02 Mar 2020: Tom discusses issues faced by the restaurant industry with The Food Sheikh, and later on welcomes an all-star F&B panel into the studio: Naim Maadad, Chief Executive and Founder of Gates Hospitality; Stasha Toncev, owner of 21 Grams; Hama Mansour who owns High Joint; and Wael Khechen, owner of Food To Go, a cloud kitchen.

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02 Mar 2020: Tom catches up with British TV producer Gareth Davies, who has worked with Graham Norton, Sir Bruce Forsyth and many more. Davies is in town this week to conduct workshops targeting influencers, aspiring TV presenters and high-level executives who face the press.

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02 Mar 2020: This weeks Takeover Radio Star Craig selected a song from the 1980s, Pixies' Here Comes Your Man.

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01 Mar 2020: Dubai mum Malak says her one-year-old son was saved by completely strangers after he choked in a mall. She talks about the importance of first aid training for parents and guardians, and thanked the Good Samaritans who saved her little boy's life.

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01 Mar 2020: That's the question we put to the Safe Hands team. While it could save lives, there's also a fear among residents that stepping in in an emergency situation could get them intro trouble.

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01 Mar 2020: Scottish educator Ali Kinge tells Tom about the horrific bike crash that left hear nearly paralysed, and how she resolved to recover and run a marathon months later.

At present, she runs and cycles for the benefit of charities around Britain.

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01 Mar 2020: Souq Al Mal have been investigating a potentially widespread insurance scam that's seen many motorists duped out of thousands of dirhams. 

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01 Mar 2020: Tom is back and so our Takeover Radio. This week we have Craig as our star and for his first song, he selected (What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace Love and Understanding.

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27 Feb 2020: It all started when an 8-year-old boy in Ras Al Khaimah tweeted Betty Crocker, questioning the Arabic baking instructions on its box, which seemed to speak only to women. The company listened and change the wording on 20 million boxes! We welcome Betty Crocker's Ali Sheikh into the studio, with four outstanding boys who have a passion for baking. And they brought some treats for us!

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27 Feb 2020: The American chiropractor has lived in the UAE for more than 23 years and built a life here treating athletes and high-profile patients. Hear his story and be inspired

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26 Feb 2020: Virgin Radio's Kris Fade and Big Rossi debate over whether it's okay for guys to wear mascara and powder. Rob Chilton, editor of Edgar Daily, weighs in on boths arguments.

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26 Feb 2020: Lynn Jafar, founder of High Hopes, talks to Georgia about the importance of providing specialised services for children of determination, and spreading awareness about rare diseases.

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26 Feb 2020: Trevor McKenzie, owner of the Mango Tree chain of restaurants, says there is too much negative publicity around the spread of the novel coronavirus. 

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26 Feb 2020: Ananda Shakespeare is the founder of Dubai Vegan Days, a community of vegans who meet up and partner with restaurants to hold pop-up dinners and workshops on going plant-based. 

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25 Feb 2020: There's a growing anti-tipping movement in the US. You've been sharing your thoughts tipping customs in the UAE.

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25 Feb 2020: Zena Hamdan created Fitlov, an app tha lets your find personal trainers. 

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25 Feb 2020: Georgia chats to H.E. Huda Al Hashmi about the UAE Innovation Month, which aims to encourage residents to come up with solutions to the country's social challenges. 

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24 Feb 2020: Shane Phillips, CEO of The Phillips Group, weighs in on 360 degree feedback.

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24 Feb 2020: Graham Tooby is left with injuries on his thigh after his lithium-powered vape exploded in his pocket. 

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24 Feb 2020: Is it really better than smoking? Do you sell to minors? What about nicotine-free vape? The team from Vape House UAE answer all your questions about vaping. 

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23 Feb 2020: Dead Simple Saving's Steve Cronin's stories take a dark turn, forcing Georgia to face her greatest fears.

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23 Feb 2020: We look into the root causes of teacher burnout and what we can do about it.
Georgia spoke to former school teacher Mary, and welcomed into the studio Tanya Dharamshi of the Priory Clinic and Brett Girven, principal at The Arbor School. 

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20 Feb 2020: The boss of Dubai Duty Free tells Tom how he built a life in the UAE and turned the retail organisation into a household name. 

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20 Feb 2020: Aysha Awwad from MedicoBeauty.com joined us to review the growing trend of Korean beauty. We asked her whether the number of beauty products has got totally out of hand. Korean beauty brands often recommend TEN step beauty regime. But is that needed?

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20 Feb 2020: Discussing social media as a school in the UAE has started up its own social media club. But should we be encouraging our children to spend on social media? We speak to Aimon Sabawi, teacher, Uptown International School along with Tala Daher, Rakan Alsarabi and Kristina Sahawneh.

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19 Feb 2020: Together with Expo 2020, Vince Reffet a.k.a. Jetman Dubai, accomplished another world first in their quest to achieve a 100 per cent autonomous human flight: a take-off from the ground, transitioning into a high-altitude flight. He tells Georgia all about his experience, and how he made it possible. 

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19 Feb 2020: Juan and Mairead shared their experience with adopting children in Ethopia.
Resident legal expert Ludmila Yamalova tells us the legalities involved in adopting. 
Make sure you listen until the end - and bring those tissue out!

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19 Feb 2020: A new performing arts course in Dubai is being launched by Lisa Scott-Lee from the British pop band Steps. She is joined in studio by Brendan Fulton, executive principal at Dubai British Schools. 

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19 Feb 2020: James Matthews talks to us about all things Welsh!

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18 Feb 2020: Researchers found that each child is the equivalent of 58.6 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year, and there's growing number of people deciding not to have children for this reason. Gerogia chats to Mariela, who decided to adopt instead of have biological children. She also welcomes into the studio Aimee, who decided with her husband not to have any children. Interestingly, she has eight siblings. 

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18 Feb 2020: Jolene Nash founded Cherrypix, an app that lets you  choose photos on your phone - whether they're from your Gallery or your social media accounts.

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