BENGHAZI, LIBYA// A deadly wave of protests across the Muslim world receded yesterday, but left leaders propelled to power by the Arab Spring counting the potential political and economic cost.
At least eight people, including the US ambassador to Libya, have died since tens of thousands of demonstrators began attacking western embassies and businesses to vent their anger over a film made in the United States that defames the Prophet Mohammed.
But yesterday in Cairo, where the protests began with an assault on the US embassy last Tuesday night, clashes in Tahrir Square came to a halt after Egypt's main Islamist groups called for calm. A newly erected concrete barrier kept protesters well away from the embassy, and the streets remained relatively quiet.
The president, Mohammed Morsi, a prominent member of the Muslim Brotherhood until his election victory this year, is understood to have received a heated late-night phone call last week from the US president Barack Obama. Egypt receives about $1.5 billion a year from the US, most of it in military aid.
In Tunisia, where the government is led by by the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, a high security presence deterred protesters from taking to the streets of Tunis. "I recognise that we failed to protect the embassy and we should offer our apologies to the Americans," said the interior minister, Ali Larayedh. A security investigation is under way, he said.
The US embassy in Tunis hoisted a new American flag, after the old one was torn down on Friday by demonstrators bearing the black banner adopted by extremist Islamist groups.
A statement on the embassy's Facebook page expressed thanks for "messages of support" and to Tunisians who "assisted us yesterday while the embassy was under attack".
Hundreds of Israeli Arabs protested against the film yesterday in the north of the country, but Israel police dispersed a crowd of 150 Palestinians in mainly Arab east Jerusalem, where they tried to march to a US consulate building. There was calm on the surface in Benghazi, although flights remained disrupted after American drones attracted anti-aircraft fire earlier in the week. According to a Washington Post report, FBI investigators have not yet been able to begin work in Benghazi, and although Libyan officials say four people have been arrested in connection with the attack on the US consulate in which the US ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans died, they have not yet been charged.
The president of Libya's interim government, Mohammed Al Magarief, said on Friday that he believed Al Qaeda had been behind the "organised" attack on the consulate, but several people in the city said they feared Libya's loosely organised security services would be unable to bring the perpetrators of the attack to justice.
Members of the armed, Islamist Ansar Al Sharia group, at least some of whose members had been present during the attack, continued to guard a hospital in the city, while other participants in the assault held a demonstration on Friday in a main road in the city, apparently unconcerned about the prospect of being arrested.
American attempts to boost security in vulnerable diplomatic missions by sending teams of marines ran into problems when authorities in Yemen and Sudan rejected the deployment of extra soldiers, and said national security forces were capable of protecting the compounds. On Friday, a crowd of rioters penetrated the embassy compound in the Yemeni capital, while in Sudan, three people died when the German and American embassies were stormed and black Islamist flags raised.
Debate raged among religious leaders and extremists about whether attacks on US embassies and diplomats, or perhaps an international anti-blasphemy law, were legitimate responses to the film that sparked the protests.
Sheikh Ahmed Al Tayyeb, grand imam of Al Azhar Mosque in Cairo, the highest seat of Sunni Muslim learning, called for an international resolution banning any attack on Muslim religious symbols, as a response to "those who provoked challenges to world peace and international security".
In Saudi Arabia, the Grand Mufti also denounced the film, but was scathing about the attacks. "It is forbidden to punish the innocent for the wicked crimes of the guilty, or to attack those who have been granted protection of their lives and property, or to expose public buildings to fire or destruction," he said.
Al Qaeda, however, called for more violence. "Let the step of kicking out the embassies be a step towards liberating Muslim countries from the American hegemony," Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the Yemeni offshoot of the terror organisation, said.
It called on Muslims to emulate the example of Libyans who attacked and burnt the consulate in Benghazi. The organisation said the attack was a response to the death of Al Qaeda leader Abu Yahia Al Libi, a Libyan killed in a US drone strike.
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
* With additional reporting by the Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters and Bloomberg
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
More coverage from the Future Forum
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
About Proto21
Date started: May 2018
Founder: Pir Arkam
Based: Dubai
Sector: Additive manufacturing (aka, 3D printing)
Staff: 18
Funding: Invested, supported and partnered by Joseph Group
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
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
the pledge
I pledge to uphold the duty of tolerance
I pledge to take a first stand against hate and injustice
I pledge to respect and accept people whose abilities, beliefs and culture are different from my own
I pledge to wish for others what I wish for myself
I pledge to live in harmony with my community
I pledge to always be open to dialogue and forgiveness
I pledge to do my part to create peace for all
I pledge to exercise benevolence and choose kindness in all my dealings with my community
I pledge to always stand up for these values: Zayed's values for tolerance and human fraternity
Race 3
Produced: Salman Khan Films and Tips Films
Director: Remo D’Souza
Cast: Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor, Jacqueline Fernandez, Bobby Deol, Daisy Shah, Saqib Salem
Rating: 2.5 stars
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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.
Spain drain
CONVICTED
Lionel Messi Found guilty in 2016 of of using companies in Belize, Britain, Switzerland and Uruguay to avoid paying €4.1m in taxes on income earned from image rights. Sentenced to 21 months in jail and fined more than €2m. But prison sentence has since been replaced by another fine of €252,000.
Javier Mascherano Accepted one-year suspended sentence in January 2016 for tax fraud after found guilty of failing to pay €1.5m in taxes for 2011 and 2012. Unlike Messi he avoided trial by admitting to tax evasion.
Angel di Maria Argentina and Paris Saint-Germain star Angel di Maria was fined and given a 16-month prison sentence for tax fraud during his time at Real Madrid. But he is unlikely to go to prison as is normal in Spain for first offences for non-violent crimes carrying sentence of less than two years.
SUSPECTED
Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid's star striker, accused of evading €14.7m in taxes, appears in court on Monday. Portuguese star faces four charges of fraud through offshore companies.
Jose Mourinho Manchester United manager accused of evading €3.3m in tax in 2011 and 2012, during time in charge at Real Madrid. But Gestifute, which represents him, says he has already settled matter with Spanish tax authorities.
Samuel Eto'o In November 2016, Spanish prosecutors sought jail sentence of 10 years and fines totalling €18m for Cameroonian, accused of failing to pay €3.9m in taxes during time at Barcelona from 2004 to 2009.
Radamel Falcao Colombian striker Falcao suspected of failing to correctly declare €7.4m of income earned from image rights between 2012 and 2013 while at Atletico Madrid. He has since paid €8.2m to Spanish tax authorities, a sum that includes interest on the original amount.
Jorge Mendes Portuguese super-agent put under official investigation last month by Spanish court investigating alleged tax evasion by Falcao, a client of his. He defended himself, telling closed-door hearing he "never" advised players in tax matters.
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
Elvis
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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
What you as a drone operator need to know
A permit and licence is required to fly a drone legally in Dubai.
Sanad Academy is the United Arab Emirate’s first RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) training and certification specialists endorsed by the Dubai Civil Aviation authority.
It is responsible to train, test and certify drone operators and drones in UAE with DCAA Endorsement.
“We are teaching people how to fly in accordance with the laws of the UAE,” said Ahmad Al Hamadi, a trainer at Sanad.
“We can show how the aircraft work and how they are operated. They are relatively easy to use, but they need responsible pilots.
“Pilots have to be mature. They are given a map of where they can and can’t fly in the UAE and we make these points clear in the lectures we give.
“You cannot fly a drone without registration under any circumstances.”
Larger drones are harder to fly, and have a different response to location control. There are no brakes in the air, so the larger drones have more power.
The Sanad Academy has a designated area to fly off the Al Ain Road near Skydive Dubai to show pilots how to fly responsibly.
“As UAS technology becomes mainstream, it is important to build wider awareness on how to integrate it into commerce and our personal lives,” said Major General Abdulla Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief, Dubai Police.
“Operators must undergo proper training and certification to ensure safety and compliance.
“Dubai’s airspace will undoubtedly experience increased traffic as UAS innovations become commonplace, the Forum allows commercial users to learn of best practice applications to implement UAS safely and legally, while benefitting a whole range of industries.”
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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