French President Emmanuel Macron visited a revered Shiite shrine in the Iraqi capital late on Saturday, one of several stops in his two-day Iraq visit aimed at strengthening bilateral relations and showing support for the country.
The main reason for Mr Macron's visit to the country, the second in less than a year, was to attend the Baghdad Conference for Co-operation and Partnership regional summit.
This was co-organised by Paris and Baghdad to bring together rivals from the region in a bid to ease tensions and boost Iraq.
Shortly after the summit, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi accompanied Mr Macron on a visit to the gold-domed shrine of the eighth-century Imam Moussa Al Kadhim shrine in Baghdad’s northern Kadhimiya district.
Thousands of worshippers thronged to get a glimpse of the two leaders, with some approaching to shake hands and pose for selfies at the ornately decorated shrine.
In the shrine’s library, Mr Macron was heard asking curators if France can help in their efforts to preserve ancient books and manuscripts.
Then the French leader flew to Erbil, capital of the northern self-ruled Kurdish region, where he was greeted by the region's President Nechirvan Barzani.
Mosul heritage restoration
On Sunday morning, Mr Macron headed to Mosul, capital of northern Nineveh province. It was formerly the crown jewel in ISIS's self-proclaimed state, after the extremist group's onslaught in Syria and Iraq in mid-2014.
Nearly four years after ISIS was driven out, many parts of the city and surrounding areas are still in ruins, due to lack of funds, political wrangling and corruption, which has delayed reconstruction efforts.
Mr Macron toured Our Lady of the Hour Church, a Catholic church that suffered heavy damage during the rule of ISIS and in military operations to retake the city.
Inside the church, Mr Macron urged Iraq's religious communities to “work together” to rebuild the country, reported AFP.
“We will bring back a [French] consulate and schools,” he pledged, while criticising the pace of reconstruction in Mosul, where ISIS fought its last urban battle, as “too slow".
Mr Macron also made a stop at the site of Al Nuri Mosque.
ISIS destroyed it in June 2017, levelling its famed 12th century minaret, as Iraqi forces closed in on the extremists in Mosul's Old City.
Al Nuri Mosque and its complex, plus Al Tahera and Al Safa’a churches, are being reconstructed through a joint UAE-Unesco project.
The UAE has pledged $50.4 million.
UAE Minister of Culture and Youth Noura Al Kaabi thanked France for the “unwavering and continued support of global cultural heritage, marked by this historic visit to two of Mosul’s historic religious sites that are being revived by the UAE and Unesco".
Revive the spirit of Mosul
Unesco launched its Revive the Spirit of Mosul initiative in early 2018. It aims to restore the city’s landmark buildings and heritage sites, while also strengthening the education system through repairing schools.
With a focus on reforming curriculums and supporting local cultural initiatives, the project aims to revive the city’s intellectual life.
Baghdad summit aims for co-operation
The one-day summit in Baghdad was attended by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, UAE Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, Jordan’s King Abdullah, Sheikh Tamim, the Emir of Qatar, as well as top officials from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Turkey.
Ambassadors of the permanent members of the UN Security Council, the EU, members of the G20 group, the Gulf Co-operation Council and the Arab League were also present as observers.
The summit yielded no breakthroughs with regards to ongoing conflicts in the region or pending multi-billion-dollar deals between Iraq and a number of regional countries – including a Jordan-Iraq oil pipeline and an ongoing project to connect electricity grids between Iraq and Kuwait.
There were, however, notable side meetings between Iran and several countries, though not Saudi Arabia.
Baghdad has been hosting meetings between rivals Iran and Saudi Arabia in recent months but no major progress has yet been achieved.
The summit's final communique did not go into detail on topics discussed, suggesting significant differences among attendees on how to deal with regional crises.
Participants “acknowledged that the region faces common challenges”, and that the countries need “to deal with them on the basis of joint co-operation and mutual interests in accordance with the principles of good neighbourliness, non-interference in the internal affairs of countries, and respect of national sovereignty”, the communique read.
Iraqi officials hailed the summit as a success in their country’s efforts to reclaim a leading role in the region and to win support for post-war reconstruction efforts.
2.0
Director: S Shankar
Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films
Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Super Saturday results
4pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 | US$350,000 | (Dirt) | 1,200m
Winner: Drafted, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).
4.35pm: Al Bastakiya Listed | $300,000 | (D) | 1,900m
Winner: Divine Image, Brett Doyle, Charlie Appleby.
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 | $350,000 | (Turf) | 1,200m
Winner: Blue Point, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 | $350,000 | (D) | 1,600m
Winner: Muntazah, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.
6.20pm: Dubai City of Gold Group 2 | $300,000 | (T) | 2,410m
Winner: Old Persian, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 Group 1 | $600,000 | (D) | 2,000m
Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.30pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 | $400,000 | (T) | 1,800m
Winner: Dream Castle, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor.
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Brief scores:
Everton 0
Leicester City 1
Vardy 58'
Everything Now
Arcade Fire
(Columbia Records)
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Ferrari
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Living in...
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.
The years Ramadan fell in May
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The years Ramadan fell in May
The years Ramadan fell in May
Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
SHAITTAN
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EVikas%20Bahl%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAjay%20Devgn%2C%20R.%20Madhavan%2C%20Jyothika%2C%20Janaki%20Bodiwala%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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%3Cp%3E1.%20Baghdad%2C%20Iraq%3Cbr%3E2.%20Manama%2C%20Bahrain%3Cbr%3E3.%20Dhahran%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%3Cbr%3E4.%20Kuwait%20City%2C%20Kuwait%3Cbr%3E5.%20Ras%20Al%20Khaimah%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E6.%20Ash%20Shihaniyah%2C%20Qatar%3Cbr%3E7.%20Abu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E8.%20Cairo%2C%20Egypt%3Cbr%3E9.%20Riyadh%2C%20Saudi%20Arabia%3Cbr%3E10.%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%202022%20World%20Air%20Quality%20Report%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
MOST%20POLLUTED%20COUNTRIES%20IN%20THE%20WORLD
%3Cp%3E1.%20Chad%3Cbr%3E2.%20Iraq%3Cbr%3E3.%20Pakistan%3Cbr%3E4.%20Bahrain%3Cbr%3E5.%20Bangladesh%3Cbr%3E6.%20Burkina%20Faso%3Cbr%3E7.%20Kuwait%3Cbr%3E8.%20India%3Cbr%3E9.%20Egypt%3Cbr%3E10.%20Tajikistan%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cem%3ESource%3A%202022%20World%20Air%20Quality%20Report%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
MATCH INFO
Manchester City 3 (Silva 8' &15, Foden 33')
Birmginahm City 0
Man of the match Bernado Silva (Manchester City)
PROFILE OF CURE.FIT
Started: July 2016
Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
Based: Bangalore, India
Sector: Health & wellness
Size: 500 employees
Investment: $250 million
Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)
The five pillars of Islam
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
FIVE%20TRENDS%20THAT%20WILL%20SHAPE%20UAE%20BANKING
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20The%20digitisation%20of%20financial%20services%20will%20continue%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Managing%20and%20using%20data%20effectively%20will%20become%20a%20competitive%20advantage%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Digitisation%20will%20require%20continued%20adjustment%20of%20operating%20models%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Banks%20will%20expand%20their%20role%20in%20the%20customer%20life%20through%20ecosystems%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20The%20structure%20of%20the%20sector%20will%20change%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Zayed Sustainability Prize
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The five pillars of Islam
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
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