An airport named after the Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed, has opened in Albania.
The revamped Kukes International Airport Zayed welcomed its first flight on Sunday with the country's Prime Minister Edi Rama onboard, local media reported.
An Air Albania aircraft flew in from the capital Tirana, 150 kilometres away, to the airport that has been revitalised with the UAE's help.
Kukes, in north-east Albania, first opened in the 1920s but had been chiefly used for military and emergency use.
The UAE established an aid camp there during the Kosovan conflict in the late 1990s, to assist refugees who were streaming into Albania.
Emirati businessman Mohamed Alabbar, founder of Emaar Properties, shared pictures of a display dedicated to Sheikh Zayed and the UAE in the terminal.
"Our relations with Albania go back to 1998 when Sheikh Zayed, may his soul rest in peace, sent humanitarian relief to those affected by the Kosovo war, built camps and provided educational and medical aid," Mr Alabbar wrote on Twitter.
The UAE involvement in Kosovo was a humanitarian mission. When the former Yugoslavia broke up in the 1990s, separatist voices grew louder in Kosovo. Serbia responded by attacking the territory's ethnic Albanian population, creating a refugee crisis.
Almost 1,500 Emirati troops would serve in Kosovo over two operations. One was with the Nato-led Kfor peacekeeping force, from the spring of 1999 to late 2001.
The other operation was the White Hands aid mission near Kukes, between March and June 1999.
In an interview with The National in 2019, Emirati Maj Gen Obaid Al Ketbi recalled the humanitarian relief effort and camp that saw more than 10,000 refugees receive help.
"We opened schools where we brought people from Kosovo to teach," said Maj Gen Al Ketbi. "The camp was open. We had journalists living with us."
Up to 45,000 hot meals were served every day. It was known among other militaries as the “five-star camp”.
"We felt proud hearing that, and Emiratis today should feel the same," Maj Gen Al Ketbi said.
“We are lucky to have a leadership who invested in us to help others. We were not only servicing the refugees but all the people of Albania.
"This was humanitarian assistance, part of the UAE's strategy to help wherever help is needed."
The UAE's role in Kosovo also featured prominently in a 2018 exhibition at Dubai's Etihad Museum that illustrated the UAE's humanitarian missions.
Video footage showed Emirati soldiers on patrol safeguarding the peace and interacting with locals.
In the years after the war, UAE investment was central to the airport's redevelopment, which included a new terminal, a control tower and expansion of the apron and runway.
The naming of the airport after Sheikh Zayed pays tribute to that story.
Kukes International Airport Zayed is designed to serve as Albania's second airport, after Tirana International Airport, and boost tourism in the region.
UAE's humanitarian mission to Kosovo – in pictures
The Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
- Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
- Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
The five pillars of Islam
Results
4pm: Al Bastakiya Listed US$300,000 (Dirt) 1,900m; Winner: Emblem Storm, Oisin Murphy (jockey), Satish Seemar (trainer).
4.35pm: Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Wafy, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.
5.10pm: Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 $350,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Wildman Jack, Fernando Jara, Doug O’Neill.
5.45pm: Burj Nahaar Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Salute The Soldier, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass.
6.20pm: Jebel Hatta Group 1 $400,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Barney Roy, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
6.55pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 $600,000 (D) 2,000m; Winner: Matterhorn, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
7.30pm: Dubai City Of Gold Group 2 $350,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Loxley, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby.
'Of Love & War'
Lynsey Addario, Penguin Press
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPECS
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How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
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The%20specs%20
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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1 The Jockey Club Local Handicap (TB) 1,800m (Dirt) $500,000
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From: Wimbledon, London, UK
Education: Medical doctor
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Film: Raid
Dir: Rajkumar Gupta
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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.
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Name: GiftBag.ae
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2011
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- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
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Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Thank You for Banking with Us
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Barings Bank
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Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
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ICC Awards for 2021
MEN
Cricketer of the Year – Shaheen Afridi (Pakistan)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)
ODI Cricketer of the Year – Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Test Cricketer of the Year – Joe Root (England)
WOMEN
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ODI Cricketer of the Year – Lizelle Lee (South Africa)
T20 Cricketer of the Year – Tammy Beaumont (England)
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
BIG SPENDERS
Premier League clubs spent £230 million (Dh1.15 billion) on January transfers, the second-highest total for the mid-season window, the Sports Business Group at Deloitte said in a report.