Serious challenges await Rowhani, who is caught between global isolation and clerics
It was clever of Iranian president-elect Hassan Rowhani to use a key as his campaign symbol, because in Iran the doors have been locked for years, with no end to tension in sight, wrote Ghassan Charbel, editor of the London-based Al Hayat newspaper, in a column yesterday.
Caution must be exercised when writing about Iran, he said. The Iranian democracy is carefully contrived under the umbrella of the country's religious leaders. Give and take is allowed on the details, not on the essence. The Green Movement was radically suppressed in 2009.
Mr Rowhani is a "legitimate son" of the 1979 Iranian revolution. He joined Ayatollah Khomeini to overthrow the Shah's regime. Since then, Mr Rowhani has moved through Iran's corridors of power, with roles in parliament, the army, the media and home security.
He had strong relations with the former moderate presidents Hashemi Rafsanjani and Mohammad Khatami, who chose him to lead negotiations with the West on the nuclear programme.
Long and costly was the tenure of the outgoing president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Granted, footholds have been gained in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. But it has ended up badly: an economy hobbled by sanctions, growing unemployment, a declining currency and deepening isolation.
Mr Rowhani is part of the regime. He knows that the president is not a policymaker when it comes to the country's nuclear programme and foreign policy, the writer said, adding: "In major issues it is crystal clear - the Supreme Leader holds the key".
The figures of Iran's economy speak for themselves. Tension with the West is palpable; involvement in Syria is costly, with Tehran having to keep sending large amounts of cash for the Syrian regime to carry on the fight. Hizbollah has made the war even more costly for Iran.
As it stands, Iran seems to be like one who is rushing into a life and death battle. To say that the country is gambling with everything is not an overstatement. Even regionally, Iran could not be more isolated, and Sunni-Shiite strife looms large over it.
No doubt, the victory of a "reformist and moderate" will contribute to improving the regime's image, tarnished because of its meddling in Syria. Mr Rowhani knows that, but he also knows what the regime did to Mr Rafsanjani and Mr Khatami. The current situation, however, is the worst ever.
It is against this murky backdrop that Mr Rowhani waved the key as a symbol. He won the presidential vote by a landslide. And he has already spoken of moderation, hope and new opportunities. But he will soon be put to the test.
Is President Rowhani entitled to wave the key or he is but the most senior employee at the Supreme Leader's office? Only time will tell.
Brotherhood to blame for Egypt's sorry plight
Last Tuesday, a young man was standing on Al Batal Ahmed Abdel Aziz Street in Cairo, holding a poster showing Egypt's former president, Hosni Mubarak. It read: "We love you, president".
"This view among ordinary citizens is on the rise," commented Emad Eddine Hussein in the Cairo-based newspaper Al Shorouk.
Egyptians who feel nostalgia for the old regime are growing in numbers. They are not part of the opposition and it is hard to say they are "remnants". The Muslim Brotherhood is the only party that will not take notice of that.
There is a general mood that life has become harder. Taxi drivers usually offer a good thermometer to gauge a country's mood. They are against any authority that fails to maintain stability. After interacting with them, the writer came to the conclusion that most of them are opposed to the Brotherhood and many of them mourn the times of Mr Mubarak.
The citizen who held Mr Mubarak's picture and other mourners of the old regime have forgotten that Mr Mubarak was Israel's strategic asset; that he was responsible for their hunger; handed over the country's economy to a bunch of cronies and allowed the police to oppress citizens".
The growing number of people turning away from the revolution and lamenting the passage of the Mubarak regime indicates that President Mohammed Morsi has failed spectacularly in convincing the people that he is president for all Egyptians.
Western media failed in covering Turkey
"Mr Kalin, we've got to stop. The show is over" - that's how CNN anchorwoman Christiane Amanpour abruptly cut off Ibrahim Kalin, a chief adviser to the Turkish prime minister, during a live interview last Tuesday, Al Jazeera TV anchorman Ahmed Mansour wrote in the Egyptian paper Al Shorouk.
They had been talking about the level of violence police used against protesters in Turkey. Mr Kalin asked Amanpour if she could imagine people with Molotov cocktails and sticks being allowed to march to the White House and attack public property. That's when she ended the interview in a manner that violated the rules of decorum.
"I am known to be confrontational in my television interviews, but I can clearly differentiate between forcefulness and insolence," the writer said.
He also quoted a colleague living in Germany this way: "I have never hated the German media as I hate it these days for its hatred and racism towards Erdogan and his government … the coverage lacks the basic rules of professional ethics."
The western media has done poorly in covering the events in Turkey over the past two weeks, and hatred towards the prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has been blatant, the writer said.
* Digest compiled by Abdelhafid Ezzouitni
AEzzouitni@thenational.ae
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Intercontinental Cup
Namibia v UAE Saturday Sep 16-Tuesday Sep 19
Table 1 Ireland, 89 points; 2 Afghanistan, 81; 3 Netherlands, 52; 4 Papua New Guinea, 40; 5 Hong Kong, 39; 6 Scotland, 37; 7 UAE, 27; 8 Namibia, 27
23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees
Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Sui Dhaaga: Made in India
Director: Sharat Katariya
Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
3.5/5
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Episode list:
Ep1: A recovery like no other- the unevenness of the economic recovery
Ep2: PCR and jobs - the future of work - new trends and challenges
Ep3: The recovery and global trade disruptions - globalisation post-pandemic
Ep4: Inflation- services and goods - debt risks
Ep5: Travel and tourism
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Six pitfalls to avoid when trading company stocks
Following fashion
Investing is cyclical, buying last year's winners often means holding this year's losers.
Losing your balance
You end up with too much exposure to an individual company or sector that has taken your fancy.
Being over active
If you chop and change your portfolio too often, dealing charges will eat up your gains.
Running your losers
Investors hate admitting mistakes and hold onto bad stocks hoping they will come good.
Selling in a panic
If you sell up when the market drops, you have locked yourself out of the recovery.
Timing the market
Even the best investor in the world cannot consistently call market movements.
Super%20Mario%20Bros%20Wonder
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PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Gertrude Bell's life in focus
A feature film
At one point, two feature films were in the works, but only German director Werner Herzog’s project starring Nicole Kidman would be made. While there were high hopes he would do a worthy job of directing the biopic, when Queen of the Desert arrived in 2015 it was a disappointment. Critics panned the film, in which Herzog largely glossed over Bell’s political work in favour of her ill-fated romances.
A documentary
A project that did do justice to Bell arrived the next year: Sabine Krayenbuhl and Zeva Oelbaum’s Letters from Baghdad: The Extraordinary Life and Times of Gertrude Bell. Drawing on more than 1,000 pieces of archival footage, 1,700 documents and 1,600 letters, the filmmakers painstakingly pieced together a compelling narrative that managed to convey both the depth of Bell’s experience and her tortured love life.
Books, letters and archives
Two biographies have been written about Bell, and both are worth reading: Georgina Howell’s 2006 book Queen of the Desert and Janet Wallach’s 1996 effort Desert Queen. Bell published several books documenting her travels and there are also several volumes of her letters, although they are hard to find in print. Original documents are housed at the Gertrude Bell Archive at the University of Newcastle, which has an online catalogue.
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000