About forty veiled men threw Molotov cocktails at a security patrol on Friday night causing their car to catch fire and burn, yet no policeman was injured, reported the Saudi-owned newspaper Al Hayat in quoting Bahraini authorities.
"The terrorists planned to kill the two policemen in the car," said the Police Acting Director General in the Northern Province.
The official pointed out that the patrol was at the entrance to Duraz, a village west of the capital Manama. He added that the patrol car was completely burnt, but the two policemen managed to leave the car safely. "An investigation into the incident is under way to arrest the perpetrators of this cowardly terrorist act and bring them to justice," he said.
Duraz has recently been the scene of clashes between demonstrators and riot police, reported Al Hayat.
The Jordanian newspaper Al Rai carried an opinion article by Fuad Hussein who wrote about the Western viewpoint towards the Holocaust and the sanctity of the prophets, decrying the biased attitude in favour of the former.
"This policy is erratic; it gives ground for the Israeli media to lash out in blasphemy against Jesus and Mary in response to statements by a priest questioning the scale of the Holocaust. Reactions of this kind by Israelis were expected because the Christian West itself has created the sacred aura of the Holocaust, yet failed to treat religions and prophets with a similar degree of sacred respect. This has persisted as the West tolerated on many occasions offences against other people's religions. Such behaviour contradicts the freedoms of belief and opinion that the West claims to advocate."
The Qatar-based Al Raiya carried a lead editorial that commented on new developments in the political scene in Somalia which is marked by unilateral ceasefire announced by President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed who also agreed to implement Sharia law as part of his effort to achieve national reconciliation.
"The president's call for reconciliation should receive support from the opposition because their rejection of the present government is baseless. Restoring political and security stability in Somalia is a shared responsibility by all ends of the political spectrum. The two main opposition factions must back the new government and cease fire immediately," the paper commented.
"By the same token, the opposition should work hand in hand with the government and respond positively to the wise advice offered by Muslim scholars. Furthermore, they should come to understand the fact that it is pointless to continue fighting on the grounds of resisting Ethiopian troops while they have already left the country and the remaining troops are African peace forces."
The newspaper called for the international community to play a greater role to help Somalia recover from its ordeal.
The Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika erased all debts, valued at $560 million, owed by farmers to the state, reported the London-based daily Al Sharq al Awsat.
"We decided to write off all farmers' debts owed to the state and the Treasury will accordingly re-purchase them. We aim through this decision to promote the rural sector which we expect will invest more to increase production," Bouteflika announced in a speech.
The agriculture sector has registered a steady annual growth since 2000 which coincided with the launch of a national campaign aimed at promoting the rural areas. The plan has allowed for expanding agricultural land to more than 500 thousand hectares and providing one million direct and indirect job opportunities.
* Digest compiled by Mostapha El Moulouda
melmouloudi@thenational.ae
Bob Honey Who Just Do Stuff
By Sean Penn
Simon & Schuster
Left Bank: Art, Passion and Rebirth of Paris 1940-1950
Agnes Poirer, Bloomsbury
Five expert hiking tips
Always check the weather forecast before setting off
Make sure you have plenty of water
Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
Take your litter home with you
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
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
Federer's 11 Wimbledon finals
2003 Beat Mark Philippoussis
2004 Beat Andy Roddick
2005 Beat Andy Roddick
2006 Beat Rafael Nadal
2007 Beat Rafael Nadal
2008 Lost to Rafael Nadal
2009 Beat Andy Roddick
2012 Beat Andy Murray
2014 Lost to Novak Djokovic
2015 Lost to Novak Djokovic
2017 Beat Marin Cilic
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
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Ireland (15-1):
Ireland (15-1): Rob Kearney; Keith Earls, Chris Farrell, Bundee Aki, Jacob Stockdale; Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray; Jack Conan, Sean O'Brien, Peter O'Mahony; James Ryan, Quinn Roux; Tadhg Furlong, Rory Best (capt), Cian Healy
Replacements: Sean Cronin, Dave Kilcoyne, Andrew Porter, Ultan Dillane, Josh van der Flier, John Cooney, Joey Carbery, Jordan Larmour
Coach: Joe Schmidt (NZL)
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
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