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.
Poacher
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)
Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)
Wednesday
Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)
Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)
Norwich City v Everton (9pm)
Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)
Thursday
Burnley v Watford (9pm)
Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)
Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
More on animal trafficking
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Brighton, Sunday, 6pm UAE
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
Personalities on the Plate: The Lives and Minds of Animals We Eat
Barbara J King, University of Chicago Press
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THE BIO
Age: 33
Favourite quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill
Favourite breed of dog: All of them. I can’t possibly pick a favourite.
Favourite place in the UAE: The Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain. It sounds predictable, but it honestly is my favourite place to spend time. Surrounded by hundreds of dogs that love you - what could possibly be better than that?
Favourite colour: All the colours that dogs come in
Result
Qualifier: Islamabad United beat Karachi Kings by eight wickets
Fixtures
Tuesday, Lahore: Eliminator 1 - Peshawar Zalmi v Quetta Gladiators
Wednesday, Lahore: Eliminator 2 – Karachi Kings v Winner of Eliminator 1
Sunday, Karachi: Final – Islamabad United v Winner of Eliminator 2
Race card
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m
5.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m
6.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m
7pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 (T) 2,400m
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Roll of honour 2019-2020
Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Hurricanes
Runners up: Bahrain
West Asia Premiership
Winners: Bahrain
Runners up: UAE Premiership
UAE Premiership
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes
UAE Division One
Winners: Abu Dhabi Saracens
Runners up: Dubai Hurricanes II
UAE Division Two
Winners: Barrelhouse
Runners up: RAK Rugby
MATCH INFO
FA Cup final
Chelsea 1
Hazard (22' pen)
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Results
- Brock Lesnar retained the WWE Universal title against Roman Reigns
- Braun Strowman and Nicolas won the Raw Tag Team titles against Sheamus and Cesaro
- AJ Styles retained the WWE World Heavyweight title against Shinsuke Nakamura
- Nia Jax won the Raw Women’s title against Alexa Bliss
- Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon beat Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn
- The Undertaker beat John Cena
- The Bludgeon Brothers won the SmackDown Tag Team titles against the Usos and New Day
- Ronda Rousey and Kurt Angle beat Triple H and Stephanie McMahon
- Jinder Mahal won the United States title against Randy Orton, Rusev and Bobby Roode
- Charlotte retained the SmackDown Women’s title against Asuka
- Seth Rollins won the Intercontinental title against The Miz and Finn Balor
- Naomi won the first WrestleMania Women’s Battle Royal
- Cedric Alexander won the vacant Cruiserweight title against Mustafa Ali
- Matt Hardy won the Andre the Giant Battle Royal
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Steve Smith (capt), David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc.
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Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
