Saudi Arabia's hefty donation to a new anti-terror force in west Africa's Sahel region is in line with Riyadh's desire to show it is serious about fighting extremism, analysts say.
The G5 Sahel force pools troops from Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and Niger in an area of desert the size of Europe where extremist groups have been thriving.
Money had been a major obstacle to getting it off the ground, meaning Riyadh's pledge of 100 million euros (Dh431.5m) is a relief for former colonial power France, which has spearheaded the project.
But Saudi-watchers say getting involved also serves twin purposes for Riyadh: countering accusations that it finances extremism, and consolidating influence in a region where it has invested for years.
"Fighting terrorism and extremism with zero tolerance is our priority," Saudi foreign minister Adel Al Jubeir told Le Monde newspaper in an interview published on Thursday.
The UAE, which has also committed to fighting extremism, has offered an additional 30m euros to the fledgling force.
The cash brings total funding over the initial 250m euros needed to get the force up and running following last month's maiden mission in the volatile border zone between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.
The Saudi contribution is "very important", according to a source close to the talks where the donations were announced on Wednesday following a summit hosted by French president Emmanuel Macron.
Read more: Saudi, UAE head to Paris to offer helping hand in West Africa force
Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman is seeking to rein in the influence of religious ultra-conservatives in the kingdom, which has been hit by multiple attacks blamed on extremists.
Crown prince Mohammed — widely known by his nickname "MBS" — has presented himself as a champion of moderate Islam as he seeks to modernise Saudi Arabia.
Last month, he launched a military coalition of 40 Muslim countries, vowing to "pursue terrorists until they are wiped from the face of the earth".
And Riyadh was already a member of the US-led anti-ISIL coalition fighting in Iraq and Syria.
"Saudi Arabia has an interest both in combating violent jihadi movements and in being seen to do so," said Jane Kinninmont, a senior research fellow at British think-tank Chatham House.
"This isn't entirely new under MBS," she added.
"Saudi leaders have been aware of the risks of transnational violent Islamist movements for a long time — especially since 9/11 and since Al Qaeda started to attack Saudi Arabia in 2003."
Diplomatic interests are at play too in yielding to French pressure to join the project, Ms Kinninmont said.
"France's ties with the Gulf have been growing for years and as the UK prepares to leave the EU, France is likely to become the new best friend of the Gulf states within the EU," she said.
What is tokenisation?
Tokenisation refers to the issuance of a blockchain token, which represents a virtually tradable real, tangible asset. A tokenised asset is easily transferable, offers good liquidity, returns and is easily traded on the secondary markets.
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Test
Director: S Sashikanth
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Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
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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The specs
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The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Section 375
Cast: Akshaye Khanna, Richa Chadha, Meera Chopra & Rahul Bhat
Director: Ajay Bahl
Producers: Kumar Mangat Pathak, Abhishek Pathak & SCIPL
Rating: 3.5/5
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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A little about CVRL
Founded in 1985 by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory (CVRL) is a government diagnostic centre that provides testing and research facilities to the UAE and neighbouring countries.
One of its main goals is to provide permanent treatment solutions for veterinary related diseases.
The taxidermy centre was established 12 years ago and is headed by Dr Ulrich Wernery.
