Iran’s top two presidential candidates accused each other of having no solution to the country’s problems ahead of Friday's runoff election aimed at choosing a successor for the late president Ebrahim Raisi, who died last month in a helicopter crash.
During a more than two-hour televised debate, reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian attacked his competitor, Saeed Jalili, a hard-line former nuclear negotiator, for his lack of experience, saying: “Tell me, what single company have you ever managed to make you capable of running the country?”
Mr Jalili defended himself by highlighting his career and several positions held, including that of a top nuclear negotiator.
Mr Pezeshkian further questioned his opponent on what plans he would have for reaching a nuclear deal, with Mr Jalili responding he would approach it “based on strength not weakness”, without providing details.
Iran will hold a runoff presidential election on Friday, only its second since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, after only 39.9 per cent of its voting public cast a ballot the previous week. Of over 24.5 million votes, more than 1 million ballots were later rejected – typically a sign of people feeling obligated to head to the polls but wanting to reject all the candidates.
Mr Pezeshkian, Iran's sole reformist candidate, said he would focus his foreign policy on building more ties with other countries instead of the aggressions seen by previous governments.
“If we want to grow in the world, the more connections we make, the better we can live,” he said. “The skill of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or foreign policy should have flexibility and various alternatives for negotiations and trade,” he added.
The ultraconservative Mr Jalili, for his part, said that the discussion of foreign policy is an extension of an internal one.
“You must definitely have a dynamic, active, and successful foreign policy. If we want to gain benefits from those with whom we have most differences, it will certainly not be achieved,” he said.
Mr Pezeshkian also defended former president Hassan Rouhani's foreign policy in signing the nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) and called for intensified efforts to approve the FATF-related bills by relevant Iranian bodies to expand trade relations with the world. Mr Rouhani endorsed Mr Pezeshkian in this election.
Both sides also promised to address the problems of the country's poor, workers, women, ethnic groups and religious minorities and vowed to provide better and faster internet – a plea to a younger generation that showed apathy during Friday's vote.
Both candidates also said the low turnout in the first round – the lowest-ever poll turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history – should be probed.
“It is not acceptable that some 60 per cent (of voters) did not cast a ballot,” said Mr Pezeshkian.
The US said on Monday it expected no “fundamental change” from Iran no matter who wins the presidential election runoff and said it did not consider the first round free and fair.
The candidates will have their second and final debate later on Tuesday.
Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
Key Points
- Protests against President Omar Al Bashir enter their sixth day
- Reports of President Bashir's resignation and arrests of senior government officials
UAE SQUAD
Khalid Essa (Al Ain), Ali Khaseif (Al Jazira), Adel Al Hosani (Sharjah), Mahmoud Khamis (Al Nasr), Yousef Jaber (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai), Khalifa Al Hammadi (Jazira), Salem Rashid (Jazira), Shaheen Abdelrahman (Sharjah), Faris Juma (Al Wahda), Mohammed Shaker (Al Ain), Mohammed Barghash (Wahda), Abdulaziz Haikal (Shabab Al Ahli), Ahmed Barman (Al Ain), Khamis Esmail (Wahda), Khaled Bawazir (Sharjah), Majed Surour (Sharjah), Abdullah Ramadan (Jazira), Mohammed Al Attas (Jazira), Fabio De Lima (Al Wasl), Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Khalfan Mubarak (Jazira), Habib Fardan (Nasr), Khalil Ibrahim (Wahda), Ali Mabkhout (Jazira), Ali Saleh (Wasl), Caio (Al Ain), Sebastian Tagliabue (Nasr).
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
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
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Starfield
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Men's football draw
Group A: UAE, Spain, South Africa, Jamaica
Group B: Bangladesh, Serbia, Korea
Group C: Bharat, Denmark, Kenya, USA
Group D: Oman, Austria, Rwanda
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
'Spies in Disguise'
Director: Nick Bruno and Troy Quane
Stars: Will Smith, Tom Holland, Karen Gillan and Roshida Jones
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
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