Large parts of the Middle East have become “playgrounds for local thugs and war economies”, where innocent communities are “torn up and terrorised”, a UAE assistant minister said.
“The collapse of nation states into arenas for civil war and ethnic cleansing” has created a breeding ground of intolerance and extremism, Omar Ghobash, the UAE’s Assistant Minister for Culture and Public Diplomacy, told a major international conference on interfaith dialogue.
“This national and societal collapse has been accompanied by the rise of extremist groups of inexplicable ferocity and evil such as Al Qaeda and ISIS, and all of their offshoots,” the minister told the European Parliament-sponsored conference in Belgium.
Mr Ghobash spoke of his concern for the growing population of young Arabs in the region and the challenges they face with education and employment.
“What were once clear traditional modes of describing the world and our place in it have been swept aside by the ability of the young to follow every strand of interest they have," he said.
Mr Ghobash said that at the same time, “large parts of the Arab world have become the playgrounds for local thugs and war economies, as well as the arena for global powers to assert their interests".
“Communities and societies of the innocent are being torn up and terrorised – terrorised by the reality of violence as well as the uncertainty the future holds for them,” he said.
Mr Ghobash’s father Saif, the UAE's first foreign minister, was killed in a terrorist attack at Abu Dhabi International Airport in 1977.
“If we allow intolerance to thrive in our societies, it will not be long before that intolerance devours us all,” Mr Ghobash said.
He was keynote speaker on a session devoted to the Human Fraternity Document, which seeks to improve interfaith relations and was signed by Pope Francis and Ahmed Al Tayeb, the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, in Abu Dhabi in February.
The rise of extremist groups has resulted in the flight of many religious communities, robbing the region of their social value and “a double blow to the Arab world,” Mr Ghobash said.
He said the UAE had succeeded because its leadership had created a society open to “to people of all nationalities, to all ethnicities, and to all faiths”.
He said rulers such as the Founding Father, Sheikh Zayed, and Dubai's Sheikh Rashid ensured “any signs of budding racism or xenophobia were tackled with a sharp rebuke and a clear sign that we would open our country to all who were willing and interested in contributing".
As Muslims, Emiratis also understand the importance of recognising many shades of opinion, Mr Ghobash said.
“The attitude has been we are all human, we are all imperfect, and no one of us has the right to completely dominate the minds of others," he said.
“For this reason, the UAE has stood firm against the use of religion for political purposes in the Arab world. This intolerance directly conflicts with the open and tolerant nature of the UAE.”
The Human Fraternity Document, Mr Ghobash said, opened a path to understanding through dialogue.
“For far too long the default language of the Arab world and the Middle East has been the language of violence," he said.
“This violence parades itself at level of the spoken word, at the level of the family, at the level of our institutions, and at the level of states."
Breaking this cycle begins with tolerance and would require “bold thinking", Mr Ghobash said.
“We need to be honest with ourselves and with each other about how deep and widespread the problem is.
"We need to identify what we mean by tolerance, and where we find we are reaching the limits of tolerance.
“We need to speak about the relationship between limitless tolerance and the disappearance of national and religious identity."
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Akeed
Based: Muscat
Launch year: 2018
Number of employees: 40
Sector: Online food delivery
Funding: Raised $3.2m since inception
'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.
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPowertrain%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20electric%20motor%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E201hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E310Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E53kWh%20lithium-ion%20battery%20pack%20(GS%20base%20model)%3B%2070kWh%20battery%20pack%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E350km%20(GS)%3B%20480km%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C900%20(GS)%3B%20Dh149%2C000%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Abu Dhabi traffic facts
Drivers in Abu Dhabi spend 10 per cent longer in congested conditions than they would on a free-flowing road
The highest volume of traffic on the roads is found between 7am and 8am on a Sunday.
Travelling before 7am on a Sunday could save up to four hours per year on a 30-minute commute.
The day was the least congestion in Abu Dhabi in 2019 was Tuesday, August 13.
The highest levels of traffic were found on Sunday, November 10.
Drivers in Abu Dhabi lost 41 hours spent in traffic jams in rush hour during 2019
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
if you go
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group H
Manchester United v Young Boys, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
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2019 ASIA CUP POTS
Pot 1
UAE, Iran, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia
Pot 2
China, Syria, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Qatar, Thailand
Pot 3
Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Palestine, Oman, India, Vietnam
Pot 4
North Korea, Philippines, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Turkmenistan
The specs: McLaren 600LT
Price, base: Dh914,000
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 600hp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 620Nm @ 5,500rpm
Fuel economy 12.2.L / 100km
What is the definition of an SME?
SMEs in the UAE are defined by the number of employees, annual turnover and sector. For example, a “small company” in the services industry has six to 50 employees with a turnover of more than Dh2 million up to Dh20m, while in the manufacturing industry the requirements are 10 to 100 employees with a turnover of more than Dh3m up to Dh50m, according to Dubai SME, an agency of the Department of Economic Development.
A “medium-sized company” can either have staff of 51 to 200 employees or 101 to 250 employees, and a turnover less than or equal to Dh200m or Dh250m, again depending on whether the business is in the trading, manufacturing or services sectors.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The%C2%A0specs%20
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Mental%20health%20support%20in%20the%20UAE
%3Cp%3E%E2%97%8F%20Estijaba%20helpline%3A%208001717%3Cbr%3E%E2%97%8F%20UAE%20Ministry%20of%20Health%20and%20Prevention%20hotline%3A%20045192519%3Cbr%3E%E2%97%8F%20UAE%20Mental%20health%20support%20line%3A%20800%204673%20(Hope)%3Cbr%3EMore%20information%20at%20hope.hw.gov.ae%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Fire and Fury
By Michael Wolff,
Henry Holt
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 611bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Price: upon application
On sale: now
