A leading article for the London-based daily Al Quds Al Arabi commented on the stiff competition between Egypt and Algeria for the secretary general position at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation. "It is sorry to see this heated competition, which has affected the relations between the two respective countries: Egypt and Algeria."
Egypt has put forward its minister of culture, Farouk Hosni, as a candidate for the position and expressed its dismay at the presence of a challenger from another Arab nation: the former Algerian foreign minister Dr Mohammed Bedjaoui. It consequently called on Algeria to make him withdraw from consideration.
"Let's face it Dr Bidjaoui, a world renowned legal expert and a former chairman of the International Court of Justice, applied for the post thanks to his personal achievements and international contacts. He received an official nomination from Cambodia but not from his own country.
Supporters of Dr Bedjaoui are wondering why Egypt is asking the candidate to step down and making such a fuss over the issue." The Algerian nominee is an independent challenger holding no official or unofficial position in his country's government.
The paper went on to criticise the needless standoff between the two country, saying that there is no reason for it.
In a piece for London's Al Hayat newspaper, Ghassan Sharbal wrote: "The supreme leader of the Iranian revolution has seen reasons for concern: daily marches by protesters accusing the authorities of rigging poll results, televised debates disclosing scandals and rivals attributing the responsibility of the economic failure and international seclusion to the re-elected president."
Sharbal went on to argue that revolutions need a clear conflict to unify its members. But recent events may challenge the Islamic republic's policies, especially after the change in the US administration's attitude towards the Iranian regime.
The supreme leader is aware of this. That Mir Hosein Mousavi led the protest is not the only reason for his worries. The problem runs deeper than domestic challenges to his authority. The majority of Iranians are more concerned with their future and welfare, and they will seize any opportunity to ask the establishment to reconcile with modernity. They are less willing to defend the values of the revolution.
This is why the supreme leader was so decisive in confirming the victory of Mr Ahmadinejad. "By doing so he was acting as the spiritual guardian of the revolution.
But a question remains: Will the regime concede to the people's demands to foster economic prosperity and coexist with the rest of the world?"
"By securing additional funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US President Barack Obama's new strategy is being called into doubt," reported the UAE-based daily Al Bayane.
"Unlike in Afghanistan, the US president's strategy in Iraq is ambiguous and far from clear. Mr Obama did not announce a new strategy concerning Iraq, nor did he discuss what his administration would do should Iraq slide into more sectarian violence following the withdrawal of US forces.
The new budget plan creates fears that it means a prolonging of the occupation and an indefinite expansion of its military presence in Afghanistan. Mr Obama seeks to reduce his troops in Iraq so that he can consolidate his military presence in Afghanistan where Nato forces are waging war against al Qa'eda and its Taliban allies. But at the same time, he would like to keep forces inside Iraq as emergency backup to the ensure smooth transition of security control."
The new funding appears to contradict Mr Obama's "conciliatory" address in Cairo. It has been considered to have ushered in a new era of peace and a new US strategy for handling conflicts. The US therefore needs to avoid engaging in wars that have tarnished its reputation. The opportunity to achieve that is now available as the security situation has improved in Iraq, concluded the paper.
The Kuwaiti newspaper Al Jarida carried a comment piece by Hussein Atwi who discussed areas of disagreement between Israel and Washington.
Unlike Washington, Israel favours the use of force to solve the Iranian nuclear issue. The US sees this option as counterproductive, claiming that it would have fatal repercussions on its interests in the region as well as on the security of Israel.
Learning from past experiences, Washington also is against imposing sanctions on Iran. It believes such measures are futile and less likely to force the Islamic regime to concede to western demands.
The US suggests resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It considers this the key to solving other issues, including the Iranian nuclear standoff. Washington proposes that the Israelis and Palestinians enter into direct talks based on the Arab peace plan, Israel thinks quick action should be taken to counter Iran's ambitions to possess a nuclear bomb.
It appears that the US adopts a more comprehensive approach to Middle East issues based on co-operation and dialogue, which requires engaging Syria and Iran because of their regional influence, especially in relation to Iraq and Afghanistan.
* Digest compiled by Mostapha el Mouloudi melmouloudi@thenational.ae
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
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THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
The details
Colette
Director: Wash Westmoreland
Starring: Keira Knightley, Dominic West
Our take: 3/5
Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Sub Regional Qualifier
Event info: The tournament in Kuwait this month is the first phase of the qualifying process for sides from Asia for the 2020 World T20 in Australia. The UAE must finish within the top three teams out of the six at the competition to advance to the Asia regional finals. Success at regional finals would mean progression to the World T20 Qualifier.
UAE’s fixtures: Fri Apr 20, UAE v Qatar; Sat Apr 21, UAE v Saudi Arabia; Mon Apr 23, UAE v Bahrain; Tue Apr 24, UAE v Maldives; Thu Apr 26, UAE v Kuwait
World T20 2020 Qualifying process:
- Sixteen teams will play at the World T20 in two years’ time.
- Australia have already qualified as hosts
- Nine places are available to the top nine ranked sides in the ICC’s T20i standings, not including Australia, on Dec 31, 2018.
- The final six teams will be decided by a 14-team World T20 Qualifier.
World T20 standings: 1 Pakistan; 2 Australia; 3 India; 4 New Zealand; 5 England; 6 South Africa; 7 West Indies; 8 Sri Lanka; 9 Afghanistan; 10 Bangladesh; 11 Scotland; 12 Zimbabwe; 13 UAE; 14 Netherlands; 15 Hong Kong; 16 Papua New Guinea; 17 Oman; 18 Ireland
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
The distance learning plan
Spring break will be from March 8 - 19
Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm
Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19
Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning
Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5
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 specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Transmission: ten-speed
Power: 420bhp
Torque: 624Nm
Price: Dh325,125
On sale: Now
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
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