Veteran Egyptian opposition leader Gameela Ismail has declared her intention to run for president, becoming the first woman to seek the highest office in Egypt.
Ms Ismail, who leads the Constitution Party and is a critic of incumbent President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, said it had taken her weeks to decide whether to accept her party's nomination to contest the election.
“It was not an easy decision given the uncertainty shrouding the political scene and the insistence of the ruling regime to ignore demands by political forces and popular masses for a democratic election that's not tailor-made for a single person,” she said in a statement.
The date of the election is due to be officially announced on September 25 but unconfirmed media reports say the vote will take place in the first half of December.
Ms Ismail, 57, was a key figure in the 2011 uprising that forced long-time president Hosni Mubarak to step down. She started her career as a journalist, first as a reporter then a TV presenter. She is also a prominent defender of women's rights.
So far, the only other opposition leader to announce their candidacy is Ahmed Tantawy, an outspoken former politician who has been openly critical of Mr El Sisi's policies.
The others who have publicly announced their plans to contest the vote are supporters of the president, with their participation widely seen as an attempt to give the vote the appearance of a competitive race.
Mr El Sisi, who has been president since 2014, has yet to announce whether he will run for a third six-year term but he is widely expected to do so. He has already been addressing crowds of supporters in campaign-style rallies in which he defended his policies.
In the previous election, held in 2018, the only candidate to run against Mr El Sisi was an obscure politician who entered the race at the last minute and repeatedly declared his support for the Egyptian leader.
Ms Ismail's statement was scathingly critical of Mr El Sisi's government, which she accused of being undemocratic and lacking transparency.
“People want to end their exclusion from information and decisions and hold to account the officials responsible for the daily crisis,” she said. “We don't know why we borrow? Where the loans go? And why we have power cuts after we promised to export electricity?”
Egyptians will vote for their next president amid a crushing economic crisis.
The Egyptian pound has lost half of its value since March last year and a persistent dollar crunch is suppressing imports and hurting domestic industries. Inflation is at a record high, pushing millions into poverty.
Egypt is also saddled with more than $160 billion in foreign debt, which it is struggling to repay.
The government blames the dire state of the economy on the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine, and has rejected criticism of its multibillion-dollar megaprojects, including the new $60 billion capital city in the desert east of Cairo and a resort city on the Mediterranean coast used as the summer seat of the government.
Ms Ismail and others have criticised the government's spending priorities and also called for the gradual withdrawal of the military from economic activity to allow the private sector to assume a greater role. Mr El Sisi says the use of the military was meant to ensure the timely completion of development projects.
“We are enduring the destructive consequences of policies in which we did not participate,” said Ms Ismail.
Commission promises fair elections
Ms Ismail's statement came only hours after the State Election Commission sought to reassure voters of the integrity and transparency of the coming vote.
Ahmed El Bendary, the commission's executive director, said authorities would view all candidates equally.
He also appealed to the relevant state institutions and media to “abide by objectivity and neutrality and afford all candidates equal opportunities to present their programmes to the Egyptian people”.
He did not say what measures the commission would take to ensure the compliance of these institutions.
“We emphasise that the commission will not show any hesitance to take all the legal measures against anyone who casts doubt about the integrity and transparency of the commission's efforts,” he warned. “The law will be implemented against anyone who seeks to deface that feast of democracy [the election].”
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
T20 World Cup Qualifier, Muscat
UAE FIXTURES
Friday February 18: v Ireland
Saturday February 19: v Germany
Monday February 21: v Philippines
Tuesday February 22: semi-finals
Thursday February 24: final
THE BIG THREE
NOVAK DJOKOVIC
19 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 5 (2011, 14, 15, 18, 19)
French Open: 2 (2016, 21)
US Open: 3 (2011, 15, 18)
Australian Open: 9 (2008, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21)
Prize money: $150m
ROGER FEDERER
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 8 (2003, 04, 05, 06, 07, 09, 12, 17)
French Open: 1 (2009)
US Open: 5 (2004, 05, 06, 07, 08)
Australian Open: 6 (2004, 06, 07, 10, 17, 18)
Prize money: $130m
RAFAEL NADAL
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 2 (2008, 10)
French Open: 13 (2005, 06, 07, 08, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20)
US Open: 4 (2010, 13, 17, 19)
Australian Open: 1 (2009)
Prize money: $125m
In Full Flight: A Story of Africa and Atonement
John Heminway, Knopff
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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What is the Supreme Petroleum Council?
The Abu Dhabi Supreme Petroleum Council was established in 1988 and is the highest governing body in Abu Dhabi’s oil and gas industry. The council formulates, oversees and executes the emirate’s petroleum-related policies. It also approves the allocation of capital spending across state-owned Adnoc’s upstream, downstream and midstream operations and functions as the company’s board of directors. The SPC’s mandate is also required for auctioning oil and gas concessions in Abu Dhabi and for awarding blocks to international oil companies. The council is chaired by Sheikh Khalifa, the President and Ruler of Abu Dhabi while Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, is the vice chairman.
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Indian origin executives leading top technology firms
Sundar Pichai
Chief executive, Google and Alphabet
Satya Nadella
Chief executive, Microsoft
Ajaypal Singh Banga
President and chief executive, Mastercard
Shantanu Narayen
Chief executive, chairman, and president, Adobe
Indra Nooyi
Board of directors, Amazon and former chief executive, PepsiCo
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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UJDA CHAMAN
Produced: Panorama Studios International
Directed: Abhishek Pathak
Cast: Sunny Singh, Maanvi Gagroo, Grusha Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla
Rating: 3.5 /5 stars
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
Stuck in a job without a pay rise? Here's what to do
Chris Greaves, the managing director of Hays Gulf Region, says those without a pay rise for an extended period must start asking questions – both of themselves and their employer.
“First, are they happy with that or do they want more?” he says. “Job-seeking is a time-consuming, frustrating and long-winded affair so are they prepared to put themselves through that rigmarole? Before they consider that, they must ask their employer what is happening.”
Most employees bring up pay rise queries at their annual performance appraisal and find out what the company has in store for them from a career perspective.
Those with no formal appraisal system, Mr Greaves says, should ask HR or their line manager for an assessment.
“You want to find out how they value your contribution and where your job could go,” he says. “You’ve got to be brave enough to ask some questions and if you don’t like the answers then you have to develop a strategy or change jobs if you are prepared to go through the job-seeking process.”
For those that do reach the salary negotiation with their current employer, Mr Greaves says there is no point in asking for less than 5 per cent.
“However, this can only really have any chance of success if you can identify where you add value to the business (preferably you can put a monetary value on it), or you can point to a sustained contribution above the call of duty or to other achievements you think your employer will value.”
The five pillars of Islam
Australia World Cup squad
Aaron Finch (capt), Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Championship play-offs, second legs:
Aston Villa 0
Middlesbrough 0
(Aston Villa advance 1-0 on aggregate)
Fulham 2
Sessegnon (47'), Odoi (66')
Derby County 0
(Fulham advance 2-1 on aggregate)
Final
Saturday, May 26, Wembley. Kick off 8pm (UAE)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
The Cockroach
(Vintage)
Ian McEwan
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
Cry Macho
Director: Clint Eastwood
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Dwight Yoakam
Rating:**
The Saga Continues
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