LONDON // The Queen and Tony Blair led tributes to Margaret Thatcher, who died yesterday aged 87, but even in death she provoked fierce emotion as critics condemned her political career.
Flags hung at half mast over parliament and No10 Downing Street, where a crowd had gathered to pay their respects for Britain's first female prime minister and one of the most influential and divisive political figures in the country's history.
She was derided and venerated in equal measure for a political career in which she faced down labour unions, undermined much of Britain's traditional industry, reinvented the country's economy from a manufacturing into a service-based one, privatised much of Britain's state industries and fought and won a war against Argentina over the distant Falkland Islands.
But Britain – and the world – remains deeply divided over the legacy of the longest continuously serving prime minister, a woman who revelled in her image as the "Iron Lady", a moniker that was wielded by both supporters and opponents.
Queen Elizabeth II headed the list of those paying tribute. The British monarch was sad to hear the news of Thatcher's passing, and was sending a private message of condolences to the Thatcher family, said a Buckingham Palace spokesman.
David Cameron, the prime minister, called her a "great leader, a great prime minister and a great Briton".
"As our first woman prime minister, Margaret Thatcher succeeded against all the odds … she didn't just lead our country, she saved our country, and I believe she will go down as the greatest British peacetime prime minister."
From across the political aisle, Labour leader Ed Miliband also offered his tribute, calling Thatcher a "unique figure" who "reshaped the politics of a whole generation".
Tony Blair, whose 10-year Labour premiership lasted just one year less than Thatcher's, was effusive, and acknowledged his own debt to her.
"Her global effect was great. And some of the changes she made in Britain were, in certain respects at least, retained by the 1997 Labour government, and came to be implemented by governments around the world."
But news of her death also prompted negative reaction from those opposed to her policies.
Ken Livingstone said every Thatcher policy had been "fundamentally wrong". The former Labour mayor of London said he held her responsible for "every real problem" Britain faced today.
She "called Nelson Mandela a terrorist", tweeted George Galloway, a one-time Labour firebrand and now a member of parliament for his own Respect Party.
"I was there. I saw her lips move. May she burn in hell fires."
Gerry Adams, another man branded a terrorist by Thatcher, also did not hold back.
"Margaret Thatcher did great hurt to the Irish and British people during her time as prime minister," said Mr Adams, who heads Sinn Fein, now Northern Ireland's second largest party but once the political wing of the Irish Republican Army.
He recalled Thatcher's support for Chile's dictator, Augusto Pinochet, and the Khmer Rouge of Cambodia, as well as her opposition to sanctions against apartheid South Africa. Her policy on Ireland was a "failure" and her effect on international affairs "belligerent", he said.
And on the streets of London, opinions were equally divided.
"It's a sad day for the country," said Emily Whitehurst, 67, a retired retail office manager from Brighton in the south. "She was our last great living politician. She made it possible for people to be ambitious in this country and blazed a trail, especially for ambitious women."
But Jerry Cooper, 51, an educationalist and Labour Party member, said Thatcher "destroyed lives". Mr Cooper, of Newcastle in England's north-east, said many would be celebrating the news of her passing.
"She destroyed so much that was good in this country, so much of our industrial base, and she had no coherent strategy for getting people back into work. She just let them rot."
Thatcher passed away yesterday morning after a stroke. She had been suffering poor health for years, including dementia, and stopped giving public speeches in 2002.
She will not have a state funeral, but will be honoured at a ceremony with full military honours at London's St Paul's Cathedral, in the manner of Princess Diana and the Queen Mother. A date has not yet been set.
okarmi@thenational.ae
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Get Out
Director: Jordan Peele
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford
Four stars
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
Price, base / as tested: Dh182,178
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Power: 350hp @ 7,400rpm
Torque: 374Nm @ 5,200rpm
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 10.5L / 100km
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Calendar 2018/19
July 29: OTA Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan
Sep 22-23: LA Convention Centre in Los Angeles, US
Nov 16-18: Carioca Arena Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Feb 7-9: Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Mar 9-10: Copper Box Arena in London, UK
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Maestro
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBradley%20Cooper%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBradley%20Cooper%2C%20Carey%20Mulligan%2C%20Maya%20Hawke%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
RESULTS
Bantamweight: Victor Nunes (BRA) beat Azizbek Satibaldiev (KYG). Round 1 KO
Featherweight: Izzeddin Farhan (JOR) beat Ozodbek Azimov (UZB). Round 1 rear naked choke
Middleweight: Zaakir Badat (RSA) beat Ercin Sirin (TUR). Round 1 triangle choke
Featherweight: Ali Alqaisi (JOR) beat Furkatbek Yokubov (UZB). Round 1 TKO
Featherweight: Abu Muslim Alikhanov (RUS) beat Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG). Unanimous decision
Catchweight 74kg: Mirafzal Akhtamov (UZB) beat Marcos Costa (BRA). Split decision
Welterweight: Andre Fialho (POR) beat Sang Hoon-yu (KOR). Round 1 TKO
Lightweight: John Mitchell (IRE) beat Arbi Emiev (RUS). Round 2 RSC (deep cuts)
Middleweight: Gianni Melillo (ITA) beat Mohammed Karaki (LEB)
Welterweight: Handesson Ferreira (BRA) beat Amiran Gogoladze (GEO). Unanimous decision
Flyweight (Female): Carolina Jimenez (VEN) beat Lucrezia Ria (ITA), Round 1 rear naked choke
Welterweight: Daniel Skibinski (POL) beat Acoidan Duque (ESP). Round 3 TKO
Lightweight: Martun Mezhlumyan (ARM) beat Attila Korkmaz (TUR). Unanimous decision
Bantamweight: Ray Borg (USA) beat Jesse Arnett (CAN). Unanimous decision
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE%20Warriors%20fight%20card
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