The European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. EU is set to transform her Green Deal strategy to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Reuters
The European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. EU is set to transform her Green Deal strategy to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Reuters
The European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. EU is set to transform her Green Deal strategy to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Reuters
The European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. EU is set to transform her Green Deal strategy to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Reuters

EU to launch the world's greenest Covid-19 recovery package


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The European Union is poised to announce the world’s greenest recovery package next week, as it seeks to curb pollution and save its economy from the coronavirus pandemic.

European Commission President Ursula Von Den Leyen is set to transform her Green Deal strategy to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, into a coronavirus economic rescue plan that’ll rapidly drive private investment and create jobs across the continent, according to a draft document with details of the proposal seen by Bloomberg.

The plan is part of the package that the EU executive will unveil on May 27 for the bloc’s jointly financed response to the pandemic-induced recession. The package will include a proposal for the EU’s next trillion-euro budget for the years 2021-2027 and a “recovery instrument” of at least half-a-trillion euros specifically designed to cushion the economic blow from the outbreak.

“These sums would dwarf any green stimulus announcements to date and signal that the EU really wants to align its economic recovery strategy with the Green Deal,” said Victoria Cuming, head of global policy at BloombergNEF.

As governments around the world move from health-crisis management to plotting an economic recovery path, they’re under pressure to invest in measures that can scale up rapidly and create jobs for the millions who now find themselves out of work.

A big part of the proposed European stimulus assumes involvement of the private sector in financing or draws on existing projects to accelerate the sustainable transition. The amount of fresh cash to be injected into the clean recovery will be possible to calculate only after the commission has put forward its final proposal next week.

Still, the details from the plans under consideration send an important signal for investors. Before the crisis, the commission calculated Europe will need between 250 and 300 billion investment a year to reach the climate neutrality goal.

The EU’s executive is seeking to strike a fine balance between kick-starting the economy and greening it at the same time. The proposal to be unveiled next week is subject to unanimous approval by the EU’s 27 governments in a process of tough negotiations that could take months to conclude.

“We need an economy that is more resilient, better equipped to use digitalisation, and above all, greener,” said Virginijus Sinkevicius, the EU Environment Commissioner.

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

Islamophobia definition

A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.

If you go

The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.

The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.

The Details

Kabir Singh

Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series

Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga

Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa

Rating: 2.5/5 

The specs

Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors

Power: Combined output 920hp

Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic

Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km

On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025

Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000

The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz GLA

Price, base / as tested Dh150,900 / Dh173,600

Engine 2.0L inline four-cylinder

Transmission Seven-speed automatic

Power 211hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque 350Nm @ 1,200rpm

Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km

Disclaimer

Director: Alfonso Cuaron 

Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville 

Rating: 4/5

Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015

- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France

RESULTS

5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
Winner: Ferdous, Szczepan Mazur (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer)
5.30pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-3 Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 2,400m
Winner: Basmah, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6pm: UAE Arabian Derby Prestige (PA) Dh150,000 2,200m
Winner: Ihtesham, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Emirates Championship Group 1 (PA) Dh1,000,000 2,200m
Winner: Somoud, Patrick Cosgrave, Ahmed Al Mehairbi
7pm: Abu Dhabi Championship Group 3 (TB) Dh380,000 2,200m
Winner: GM Hopkins, Patrick Cosgrave, Jaber Ramadhan
7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Conditions (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: AF Al Bairaq, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PRO%20MAX
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Zakat definitions

Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.

Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.

Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.

Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
New UK refugee system

 

  • A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
  • Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
  • A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
  • To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
  • Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
  • Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
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