Arabic News Digest
The US military launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles on Shayrat airfield in western Syria last week in response to the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons in Khan Sheikhoun.
According to the Syria’s Arabic-language newspaper Al Watan, America’s response has put the Syrian crisis at a crossroads.
“The strike was a response – albeit late – to global demands that the US military intervene to put an end to the Syrian crisis that has been going on for more than six years,” its editorial noted.
“It was also a test for the US administration to take the action it owes to the world in light of Russia’s seven vetoes against holding the Assad regime to account for its crimes that have left hundreds of thousands of Syrians dead and caused the displacement of millions.”
Russia has condemned the US attack and warned that it could have a serious impact on US-Russian relations.
The editorial said that Russia was well aware that a US military intervention would put an end to its control of the Syrian conflict.
As for Iran, it will have to halt its interference in Syria.
“The world is furious at Iran’s foreign policy and will not hesitate to deter it by any means.
“The whole world is aware of Iran’s policies on Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Lebanon. As such, there had been constant demand for US intervention.”
The editorial concluded that now it’s time to wait and see whether it was intended to be a one-time strike or if it would be followed by further operations.
Writing in the London-based pan-Arab daily Asharq Al Awsat, Egyptian columnist Emile Ameen examined the recent events from a wider geopolitical perspective.
“The attack on Syria was intended as a rapid retaliation for using chemical weapons against civilians, but it has resonated throughout the world and has got other countries analysing and considering the worst-case scenario,” Ameen wrote.
“The first question to be asked here is whether the US-Russian honeymoon is over.”
Ameen said that it probably was.
“America even asked Russians to withdraw from the airfield hours before the attack so as not to complicate matters.”
The writer noted that the attack coincided with Chinese president Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States.
He wondered whether by doing so the US president, Donald Trump, was sending a message to China.
“Is this a warning to China against competing with the United States as the latter will implement its decisions without the need to consult anyone?”
According to the writer, the alarm bells rung by the US have echoed in Tehran, too.
“Iran’s leadership has always thought that Washington would not enter into a military confrontation in the Arabian Gulf.
“Hence, it has meddled with the security of the Arab world, both directly and indirectly,” Ameen noted.
But, he argued, the scene is as yet incomplete.
“The world has to wait for the reactions of Moscow, Tehran and Beijing. Only time will tell if America’s moves will lead to reprisals around the world or if the attack on Syria will serve as an example for others to calculate their steps,” the writer concluded.
Mohamed Al Hammadi, the editor in chief of Aletihad, the sister publication of The National, said: “The attack sent the message that the rules of the game had changed and that a new era was unfolding, where the US has become a key player in the region after Barack Obama had turned it into a mere observer and, at times, a false witness.”
The writer saw in the chemical attack on Khan Sheikhoun an attempt by the Syrian regime to test Mr Trump’s decision-making ability.
“The Assad regime thought that the US president would be like his predecessor. It was stunned by Mr Trump’s swift response.”
According to Al Hammadi, Mr Trump’s message was clear and the missiles launched were a warning to the Assad regime, Iran and their allies that the world would no longer keep quiet.
“It is true that the missile attack was launched by the US, but the decision to strike Syria was global,” he noted.
Most countries, including the UAE, as well as many other Arab and western nations have voiced their support for Mr Trump.
The writer concluded that the US strike against Syrian might actually be the beginning of the war against terrorism.
* Translated by Jennifer Attieh
translation@thenational.ae
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Results
2pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 40,000 (Dirt) 1,200m, Winner: AF Thayer, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer).
2.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: AF Sahwa, Nathan Crosse, Mohamed Ramadan.
3pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,000m, Winner: AF Thobor, Szczepan Mazur, Ernst Oertel.
3.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 2,000m, Winner: AF Mezmar, Szczepan Mazur, Ernst Oertel.
4pm: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum Cup presented by Longines (TB) Dh 200,000 (D) 1,700m, Winner: Galvanize, Nathan Cross, Doug Watson.
4.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 40,000 (D) 1,700m, Winner: Ajaj, Bernardo Pinheiro, Mohamed Daggash.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Biog
Age: 50
Known as the UAE’s strongest man
Favourite dish: “Everything and sea food”
Hobbies: Drawing, basketball and poetry
Favourite car: Any classic car
Favourite superhero: The Hulk original
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
Company%20profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Past winners of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
2016 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2014 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2012 Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
2011 Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2010 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2009 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
THREE
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Nayla%20Al%20Khaja%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Jefferson%20Hall%2C%20Faten%20Ahmed%2C%20Noura%20Alabed%2C%20Saud%20Alzarooni%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 5 (Lenglet 2', Vidal 29', Messi 34', 75', Suarez 77')
Valladolid 1 (Kiko 15')
Ibrahim's play list
Completed an electrical diploma at the Adnoc Technical Institute
Works as a public relations officer with Adnoc
Apart from the piano, he plays the accordion, oud and guitar
His favourite composer is Johann Sebastian Bach
Also enjoys listening to Mozart
Likes all genres of music including Arabic music and jazz
Enjoys rock groups Scorpions and Metallica
Other musicians he likes are Syrian-American pianist Malek Jandali and Lebanese oud player Rabih Abou Khalil
