President Ashraf Ghani called on global leaders to help turn Afghanistan into a “sovereign united, democratic” success story.
As Afghan leaders hold peace talks with the Taliban, he said the country can be a model for overcoming the turmoil we all face.
Mr Ghani said five drivers of turmoil were hitting the world and were being dealt with in Afghanistan simultaneously.
One of them, the coronavirus pandemic, was having aggravating effects on the other four – warfare and terrorism, inequality, climate change and the digital revolution.
“We have demonstrated the commitment, passion and courage to start direct peace talks with the Taliban but it won’t be enough," Mr Ghani said.
"For sustainable peace in Afghanistan we must get to the roots of the terrorism blighting our region.
“The untold sorrow of our people during the past 40 years serves as reminder of relevance of the UN charter and also of its unfulfilled promise for maintaining international peace and security."
He said it was vital to wipe out terrorism, with its links to international crime.
“We are living and dying inside the fifth wave of global terrorism, making warfare totally unconventional and peace-building even more of a challenge,” Mr Ghani said.
He said Afghan peace could be a sign to the world that the UN’s lofty goals of spreading peace were attainable.
“The role of the UN and our international partners and allies will continue to be extremely important as our negotiating team sits across from the Taliban," he said.
“At those talks, the Afghan people have a clear and urgent priority – a ceasefire, an end to the violence, that gives us the chance to progress.”
Mr Ghani also thanked the UAE for its help with his country’s coronavirus crisis.
"We took very strong measures thanks in part to the warning and advanced notice we received from the Emirates," Mr Ghani said.
He said the UAE was "the only country I know that predicted the likely scenario", and thanked its leadership for the advance warning.
"As a result of that we mobilised."
Mr Ghani said Afghanistan probably has 7,000 more coronavirus deaths than the official toll of 1,446.
Afghanistan's economic growth was projected to grow 3.5 per cent in 2020, but will instead drop to minus 5 per cent, he said.
The impact of the virus has resulted in a revenue loss of 33 per cent.
Small and medium businesses have been "very hard hit".
The UN and its international organisations have "not delivered a single laboratory for testing", Mr Ghani said, calling their support "marginal".
RESULT
Manchester United 1 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Man United: Dunk (66' og)
Man of the Match: Shane Duffy (Brighton)
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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'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.
