Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Iran’s drone and missile attack on Israel has produced a wave of ridicule among Egyptians on social media – including from pro-government accounts.
This is a rare occurrence in a country where freedom of expression is heavily curtailed, including when it has to do with allies of Cairo, friendly nations or major economic benefactors.
A common thread in many posts is that the Iranian attack and its timing were near common knowledge before it took place overnight on Saturday. However, some observers have said this was because Tehran was primarily concerned with making a gesture.
A further source of amusement was that 99 per cent of the projectiles launched by Iran – more than 300 drones, ballistic and cruise missiles – were intercepted and destroyed, mostly before entering Israeli air space. Some posts were also irreverent towards Iran’s powerful clergy.
“An Iranian strike just to save face!” is how Cairo’s independent daily Al Masry Al Youm on Monday described the mass air raid.
“Man, you have caused so much horror, the whole world is dying of laughter,” a man in a Photoshopped picture is shown in one social media post, sarcastically addressing Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “So, you liked my drones, right!?” the Iranian leader responds.
Another post plays on the ineffectiveness of the Iranian projectiles used to attack Israel. It shows a Shiite cleric in a turban and robe flying on a cucumber.
Significantly, some of the social media accounts involved in mocking Iran's attack were pro-government, and likely controlled by authorities or loyalist political parties.
Egypt and Iran have been working for months towards normalising relations to end decades of tension dating back to Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution. The pair, however, have yet to restore full diplomatic ties, something that sources familiar with Cairo's contacts with Tehran explain as a reflection of a “complex” relationship.
The regional heavyweights pursue contrasting, sometimes clashing, agendas on a wide range of regional issues – including the Palestinian question, relations with the West and groups such as Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon and militias in Iraq.
Sources close to Egypt's government said Cairo's Al Azhar Mosque, the world's primary seat of Sunni Islam learning, has its reservations about closer relations with Iran. This is mostly out of fear that Tehran would, as it has done elsewhere in the region, embark on Shiite evangelicalism among Egypt's overwhelmingly Sunni population, say the sources.
That Iran did nothing to stop the Houthis – who Tehran backs in Yemen – from attacking Red Sea shipping is another source of friction between Tehran and Cairo, whose vital revenue from the Suez Canal has been badly hit as a result of the attacks.
But despite the widespread derision, Iran’s attack on Israel is of serious concern to Egypt, say analysts. In their opinion, it could shift the world’s focus away from the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza.
More than 33,700 people – mostly women and children – have been killed and another over 76,000 injured in the Israeli bombardment and ground offensive in Gaza. Most of the enclave's 2.3 million population has been displaced and swathes of built-up areas razed, while famine looms in northern parts of the enclave.
Israel launched strikes on Gaza in response to the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israeli communities, in which about 1,200 people were killed and some 240 abducted.
Crushing Cairo’s hope?
“The attack has moved the focus away from Gaza and instead created the perception of an Israel at risk,” said Michael Hanna, a Middle East expert from the International Crisis Group Brussels-based think tank.
“It might very well end up being seen as a strategic error on Iran’s part. It’s not unreasonable to question the wisdom of Iran’s action.”
Egypt, which borders both Israel and Gaza, has called for “maximum restraint” and warned against widening the Gaza war to engulf the rest of an already volatile region.
“Egypt is in contact with all relevant parties to try to contain the situation and halt its escalation”, the Foreign Ministry said late on Saturday.
On Sunday, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry repeated Cairo’s call for restraint in phone calls with his Israeli and Iranian counterparts.
He called on the countries “to exercise utmost self-restraint and refrain from provocations that would increase tension and instability in the region”.
Cairo is ready to intensify its efforts to defuse the current crisis, “which has begun taking a dangerous turn as it coincides with the crisis in the Gaza Strip and adds tension to other hotspots in the region”, the Foreign Ministry said Mr Shoukry told both parties.
Egypt has long viewed a peaceful settlement of the decades-long Palestinian-Israeli conflict as imperative to its own and the region’s security and stability. It saw a silver lining in the Israel-Gaza war which, despite its horrors, has revived the “two-state solution” – the creation of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
Cairo hoped the war in Gaza and the Hamas attack that triggered it would frame Israel’s vulnerability, as well as the dangers of leaving its conflict with the Palestinians unresolved.
It also saw the growing international outcry over the high death toll among Gaza’s civilians and the dire humanitarian situation as additional incentives for world leaders to pressure Israel back to peace negotiations with the Palestinians.
But Iran’s attack, a response to an air strike on its Damascus consulate that killed two generals and five members of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, may have crushed Cairo’s hopes, said analysts.
It has also restored the decades-old perception of Israel as a victim in a hostile neighbourhood, rather than a nation whose disproportionate response to Hamas’s October 7 attack killed so many civilians that it faces accusations of genocide, they said.
“Egypt wants to separate the Iran-Israel escalation from the Gaza crisis. It views a ceasefire and a prisoner and hostage swap between Israel and Hamas as something that should open a route towards the two-state solution,” said Mohammed Anis Salem, a former Egyptian diplomat who is now a senior member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, a Cairo-based think tank.
“Iran needs to de-escalate to avoid detracting from the main issue.”
Egypt, the US and Qatar have for months been trying to broker a ceasefire in Gaza, without success.
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
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
RESULTS
6.30pm: Handicap (TB) $68,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Hypothetical, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
7.05pm: Meydan Sprint – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (Turf) 1,000m
Winner: Equilateral, Andrea Atzeni, Charles Hills
7.40pm: Curlin Stakes – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (D) 2,200m
Winner: New Trails, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
8.15pm: UAE Oaks – Group 3 (TB) $125,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Mnasek, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
8.50pm: Zabeel Mile – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,600m
Winner: D’bai, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
9.25pm: Balanchine – Group 2 (TB) $163,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Summer Romance, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
10pm: Al Shindagha Sprint – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Al Tariq, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
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
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 4 (Suarez 27', Vidal 32', Dembele 35', Messi 78')
Sevilla 0
Red cards: Ronald Araujo, Ousmane Dembele (Barcelona)
TICKETS
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mobile phone packages comparison
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
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
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PRO%20MAX
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UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
Top investing tips for UAE residents in 2021
Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.
Think long-term: When you invest, you need to have a long-term mindset, so don’t worry about momentary ups and downs in the stock market.
Invest worldwide: Diversify your investments globally, ideally by way of a global stock index fund.
Is your money tied up: Avoid anything where you cannot get your money back in full within a month at any time without any penalty.
Skip past the promises: “If an investment product is offering more than 10 per cent return per year, it is either extremely risky or a scam,” Mr Cronin says.
Choose plans with low fees: Make sure that any funds you buy do not charge more than 1 per cent in fees, Mr Cronin says. “If you invest by yourself, you can easily stay below this figure.” Managed funds and commissionable investments often come with higher fees.
Be sceptical about recommendations: If someone suggests an investment to you, ask if they stand to gain, advises Mr Cronin. “If they are receiving commission, they are unlikely to recommend an investment that’s best for you.”
Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
