This, famously, is a year of elections all over the world and so perhaps we should begin with some good news. We have witnessed the greatest exercise of democracy in history, the elections in India. Narendra Modi has now been sworn in for a third term as Prime Minister, although without his party obtaining an overall majority.
Whatever you think of the result, the Indian elections were a stunning achievement. Almost a billion Indian citizens were eligible to vote, in what was a triumph for the democratic spirit in the fast-growing economic and political power in South Asia.
Elsewhere, however, there is turmoil ahead.
One unanswerable question is what the prospect of former US president Donald Trump’s return to the White House might mean. That question energised a discussion I chaired at a weekend conference in the north of England, York Festival of Ideas, but so more urgently did the EU elections.
Senior diplomats, political researchers, academics and international relations and defence specialists met to consider, among other things, what a second Trump term in the White House might mean but also what the rise of far-right parties in Europe might do to shape, or damage, international relations, the future of Nato, European security, support for Ukraine, and other matters.
We met as tens of millions of EU citizens were voting in elections that define the composition of the European Parliament. Those elections also acted as an important opinion poll across an increasingly troubled continent setting the tone of political debate within every EU member state.
At first sight, the results have been greeted with alarm. One key trend has indeed been the rise of parties from the right, far right, or some may prefer to say, extreme right.
In France, President Emmanuel Macron reacted swiftly to the election victory of his key rival Marine Le Pen. Her National Rally party staged a predicted but nevertheless – for Mr Macron – unsettling victory. Mr Macron has therefore called an urgent and surprising election.
It is a brave gamble to see off (he hopes) the far-right challenge but – as we will get to in a moment – Mr Macron’s decision may reveal that the European elections are not quite the far-right tidal wave that some of the more exaggerated headlines proclaim.
What is clear is that right-wing nationalist parties sceptical of, or hostile to, the EU have done well. Germany’s far right picked up votes but so did the equally anti-EU German far left.
In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban welcomed the election results of his party, Fidesz, with a tweet that could sum up some of the far-right reactions across Europe: “Stop migration! Stop gender! Stop war! Stop Soros! Stop Brussels!”
Soros is a reference to George Soros, the Hungarian-American billionaire philanthropist whom some on the far right love to hate. Migration, the debate about gender, a thinly disguised Islamophobia, and ending support for Ukraine in the war with Russia are also policies that tend to fire up enthusiasts in far-right parties across Europe, although hostility to “Brussels” – the EU itself – is mixed.
It is therefore worth being careful about reading too much into these far-right victory speeches.
In Mr Orban’s case, his ultra-nationalist party did receive the most votes (44 per cent) and will have 11 MEPs. That’s a success. But the vote share of Fidesz fell by 11 per cent compared to the 2022 Hungarian general election, and some calculate that these results actually suggest the party’s biggest loss of support in 18 years. In France, Mr Macron’s snap election gamble may also pay off. That’s because elections for the European Parliament have never been reliable as a guide to how elections to national parliaments will go. Turnout in this year’s continent-wide elections was 50 per cent.
The French elections, and the upcoming UK general election, can expect about 70 per cent of voters to go to the polls. The less enthusiastic 20 per cent of EU voters therefore can make a big difference if they turn out to elect their own national governments.
It is also true that far-right parties across Europe usually agree with Mr Orban on issues about migration. But Europe’s far right disagree profoundly on many other issues.
Some, including Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Ms Le Pen of France, are strong supporters of Ukraine. Mr Orban isn’t. The German far-right AfD party is so disliked by other far-right groups that it was not invited to a recent gathering in Madrid, a gathering attended by (among others) Ms Le Pen, Ms Meloni and Trump supporters and backers in America.
The picture of European politics therefore suggests voters are unhappy. Unhappy voters often merely want “change”, whatever that may mean for them. Yes, far-right parties across Europe are often doing better than at any time since before the Second World War.
Britain’s political disruptor, Nigel Farage, is now running the Reform UK party and is a candidate in the general election on July 4. But at our York conference and elsewhere, the big unknown is about the future for the disruptor-in-chief, Mr Trump. It’s a long road until November.
RESULT
Valencia 3
Kevin Gameiro 21', 51'
Ferran Torres 67'
Atlanta 4
Josip Llicic 3' (P), 43' (P), 71', 82'
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre V6
Power: 295hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 355Nm at 5,200rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
Price: Dh179,999-plus
On sale: now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
UAE and Russia in numbers
UAE-Russia ties stretch back 48 years
Trade between the UAE and Russia reached Dh12.5 bn in 2018
More than 3,000 Russian companies are registered in the UAE
Around 40,000 Russians live in the UAE
The number of Russian tourists travelling to the UAE will increase to 12 percent to reach 1.6 million in 2023
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Elvis
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The Sky Is Pink
Director: Shonali Bose
Cast: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim, Rohit Saraf
Three stars
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Results
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Types of fraud
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
Smishing: The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
SHAITTAN
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'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
