A perfect storm of nuclear aggression by North Korea, Russian military assertiveness and international terrorism has created a more dangerous world than for decades, according to the head of Nato.
The military alliance has faced a convergence of major and unpredictable threats contributing to a greater sense of danger and instability than for 30 years, said secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg.
“It is more unpredictable and it’s more difficult because we have so many challenges at the same time, the former Norwegian prime minister told The Guardian. “We have proliferation of weapons of mass destruction in North Korea, we have terrorists, instability and we have a more assertive Russia. It is a more dangerous world.”
Mr Stoltenberg was speaking from Estonia before an estimated 100,000 Russian and Belarusian troops take part in a major military exercise, predicted to be the biggest since the end of the Cold War.
The exercise is just the latest testing situation for the 29-member alliance as it scrambles to deal with global threats and doubts over the unwavering commitment of the US to the mutual defence treaty.
While on the campaign trail, Donald Trump cast doubt on whether the US would defend allies in the Baltic if they came under attack from Russia but has since softened his stance towards Nato. Mr Stoltenberg’s trip included visits to troops on four frontline states, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Lithuania.
The world’s most pressing diplomatic threat concerns the stepped-up programme of missile testing by the North Korean regime, which prompted Mr Trump to warn of unleashing “fire and fury” on the North Korean regime.
Japanese fighter jets carried out an exercise with US bombers on Saturday to underscore the threat as the region braces for a further possible missile test. Mr Stoltenberg said that he backed the presence of US troops in the area and the rights of South Korea and Japan to defend themselves. “I will support efforts to find a political, negotiated solution,” he said.
He has previously spoken of Nato concerns about Pyongyang’s “destabilising pattern of behaviour” which poses a threat to international security.
Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: India, chose to bat
India (1st innings): 215-2 (89 ov)
Agarwal 76, Pujara 68 not out; Cummins 2-40
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Scores
Oman 109-3 in 18.4 overs (Aqib Ilyas 45 not out, Aamir Kaleem 27) beat UAE 108-9 in 20 overs (Usman 27, Mustafa 24, Fayyaz 3-16, Bilal 3-23)
