French President Emmanuel Macron will send a “message of appeasement” to his country's allies in the Gulf as the diplomatic row over a Lebanese minister's pro-Houthi comments continues, a French diplomatic source said.
Political and diplomatic sources have told The National that France and the US want to prevent Lebanon’s current government, which took 13 months to form, from collapsing due to the spat.
Mr Macron and Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati met on Tuesday on the sidelines of the Cop26 climate change conference and discussed the Gulf crisis as well as the need for political reform.
The French leader expressed his support to Mr Mikati and to the Lebanese government “so it can meet and work on reforms to improve the situation of Lebanese people”, a French diplomatic source said.
“He also reassured the prime minister that he will pass messages of appeasement to partners in the Gulf.”
The president will not be acting as a mediator, the source said, “but when France’s partners do not see eye to eye we pass messages to call for dialogue and peaceful resolutions of differences".
Last week, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait recalled their representatives to Lebanon after Information Minister George Kordahi said in a televised interview that the Iran-backed Houthi rebels are acting in self-defence.
The Gulf nations who back Yemen’s internationally recognised government against the Houthis said the comments were insulting.
Riyadh has banned all imports from Lebanon and asked Beirut’s envoy to leave.
Saudi Arabia had been a major investor and ally to Lebanon but relations between the two countries have become strained in the past decade as Iran-backed Hezbollah gained more influence in Beirut.
The group and its allies back several ministers in Lebanon's unity government.
Ministers backed by Hezbollah and its allies have threatened to resign should Mr Kordahi leave, the Economy Minister told The National. Such a move could lead to the government’s collapse.
Mr Mikati said in his first speech as prime minister that mending ties with Arab countries was a priority, and that Mr Kordahi's comments do not represent the government.
The country has been reeling from two years of economic meltdown caused by decades of corruption, economic mismanagement and political inaction.
The prime minister met US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken at Cop26, along with other senior foreign officials.
Ali Darwish, a member of Parliament who is part of Mr Mikati’s Azm movement, said that the US and France do not want to see the current government collapse.
“Mikati’s meeting with Macron and Blinken sent a clear message: there is a need to save and support this government. Lebanon must not face another political power vacuum,” he said.
Mr Darwish said that Mr Mikati may consider asking for Mr Kordahi’s resignation upon his return to Beirut on Wednesday or Thursday.
“He has made several calls to resolve the issue and now has several options. One of them is to ask George Kordahi to resign to save the government,” he said.
Mr Kordahi has refused to resign or apologise for the comments over the past week, but seemed to soften his stance in a recent interview.
Hezbollah, which supports the Houthis, expressed solidarity with Mr Kordahi.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Simon Nadim has completed 7,000 dives.
The hardest dive in the UAE is the German U-boat 110m down off the Fujairah coast.
As a child, he loved the documentaries of Jacques Cousteau
He also led a team that discovered the long-lost portion of the Ines oil tanker.
If you are interested in diving, he runs the XR Hub Dive Centre in Fujairah
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20Z%20FLIP5
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'Manmarziyaan' (Colour Yellow Productions, Phantom Films)
Director: Anurag Kashyap
Cast: Abhishek Bachchan, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
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
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
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
The specs
The specs: 2019 Audi Q8
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 340hp @ 3,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
Afro%20salons
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Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Company%20profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Previous men's records
- 2:01:39: Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) on 16/9/19 in Berlin
- 2:02:57: Dennis Kimetto (KEN) on 28/09/2014 in Berlin
- 2:03:23: Wilson Kipsang (KEN) on 29/09/2013 in Berlin
- 2:03:38: Patrick Makau (KEN) on 25/09/2011 in Berlin
- 2:03:59: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 28/09/2008 in Berlin
- 2:04:26: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 30/09/2007 in Berlin
- 2:04:55: Paul Tergat (KEN) on 28/09/2003 in Berlin
- 2:05:38: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 14/04/2002 in London
- 2:05:42: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 24/10/1999 in Chicago
- 2:06:05: Ronaldo da Costa (BRA) 20/09/1998 in Berlin
Saturday's schedule at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 race, 12:30pm
Formula 1 final practice, 2pm
Formula 1 qualifying, 5pm
Formula 2 race, 6:40pm
Performance: Sam Smith
MATCH INFO
Jersey 147 (20 overs)
UAE 112 (19.2 overs)
Jersey win by 35 runs
