More than 700 participants from over 67 IAEA member states have gathered in Abu Dhabi to "engage in dialogue at a high ministerial and international experts' level on the role of nuclear power in meeting future energy demand, contributing to sustainable development and mitigating climate change". One party, however, is conspicuous by its absence: Iran. Tehran, which earlier indicated that it would attend the International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Power in the 21st Century, was a no-show as discussions began. Why would a country that never tires of proclaiming that its nuclear programme is for purely peaceful purposes fail to appear at an IAEA conference whose primary objective is to find ways to put nuclear power to peaceful uses?
The UAE is among the countries directly affected by Tehran's actions in the region. Yet the Ministry of Energy and Federal Authority for Nuclear Regulation went out of its way to accommodate Tehran and to enable it to air its views. Iran's decision to forgo the chance to amplify its narrative at an international meeting of nuclear experts may seem puzzling, but there is method to what seems an irrational move on the face of it. Consider the context. The UAE is developing its own civil nuclear programme, with the first reactor at the Bakarah Power Station scheduled to start generating electricity in early 2018. But unlike Iran's, the UAE's civil nuclear programme has been hailed as a model for the rest of the world for its transparency and adherence safety and regulatory standards. By appearing at the IAEA conference, Iran would immediately have drawn attention to the contrast between its own supposedly peaceful programme and the UAE's. Why, observers might have asked, does the former radiate danger and invite suspicion while the latter draws plaudits?
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Read more
Iran boycotts international summit in Abu Dhabi on peaceful nuclear power
The nuclear deal has failed to curb Iran's weapons programme
Iran violations threaten support for nuclear deal: UN watchdog
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Before arriving in Abu Dhabi, IAEA chief Yukia Amano visited Tehran. Speaking on the sidelines of the nuclear conference, he disclosed that he had "requested that Iran … fully implement the nuclear-related commitments" under the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Iran has violated this agreement in both letter and spirit. It has on at least two occasions exceeded the limit of 130 metric tons of heavy water. And as the UAE's Foreign Minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, told the UN earlier this year, Tehran's development of ballistic missiles is a "violation of the spirit of the nuclear agreement".
These flagrant violations are what prompted the US President Donald Trump's refusal to re-certify the deal that is increasingly not worth the paper on which it is written. Tehran has hastily announced that it will limit the range of its ballistic missiles to 2,000 kilometres. Iran expects the world to treat this as a sign of responsible behaviour. It is nothing of the kind: a range of 2,000 kilometres still exposes much of the Middle East to Iran's missiles. Iran chose not to attend a conference on the peaceful uses of nuclear power because, as its actions have repeatedly made clear, its nuclear programme is antithetical to a peaceful world.
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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Age: 23
Occupation: Founder of the Studio, formerly an analyst at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Education: Bachelor of science in industrial engineering
Favourite hobby: playing the piano
Favourite quote: "There is a key to every door and a dawn to every dark night"
Family: Married and with a daughter
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
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Usain Bolt's time for the 100m at major championships
2008 Beijing Olympics 9.69 seconds
2009 Berlin World Championships 9.58
2011 Daegu World Championships Disqualified
2012 London Olympics 9.63
2013 Moscow World Championships 9.77
2015 Beijing World Championships 9.79
2016 Rio Olympics 9.81
2017 London World Championships 9.95
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Biography
Favourite drink: Must have karak chai and Chinese tea every day
Favourite non-Chinese food: Arabic sweets and Indian puri, small round bread of wheat flour
Favourite Chinese dish: Spicy boiled fish or anything cooked by her mother because of its flavour
Best vacation: Returning home to China
Music interests: Enjoys playing the zheng, a string musical instrument
Enjoys reading: Chinese novels, romantic comedies, reading up on business trends, government policy changes
Favourite book: Chairman Mao Zedong’s poems
Ten10 Cricket League
Venue and schedule Sharjah Cricket Stadium, December 14 to 17
Teams
Maratha Arabians Leading player: Virender Sehwag; Top picks: Mohammed Amir, Imad Wasim; UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Zahoor Khan
Bengal Lions Leading player: Sarfraz Ahmed; Top picks: Sunil Narine, Mustafizur Rahman; UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Rameez Shahzad
Kerala Kings Leading player: Eoin Morgan; Top picks: Kieron Pollard, Sohail Tanvir; UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Imran Haider
Pakhtoons Leading player: Shahid Afridi; Top picks: Fakhar Zaman, Tamim Iqbal; UAE players: Amjad Javed, Saqlain Haider
Punjabi Legends Leading player: Shoaib Malik; Top picks: Hasan Ali, Chris Jordan; UAE players: Ghulam Shabber, Shareef Asadullah
Team Sri Lanka Cricket Will be made up of Colombo players who won island’s domestic limited-overs competition
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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