Saudi Arabia's King Salman walks with Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah and other GCC leaders during the bloc's 40th Summit in Riyadh on December 10, 2019. Saudi Royal Court via Reuters
Saudi Arabia's King Salman walks with Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah and other GCC leaders during the bloc's 40th Summit in Riyadh on December 10, 2019. Saudi Royal Court via Reuters
Saudi Arabia's King Salman walks with Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah and other GCC leaders during the bloc's 40th Summit in Riyadh on December 10, 2019. Saudi Royal Court via Reuters
Saudi Arabia's King Salman walks with Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah and other GCC leaders during the bloc's 40th Summit in Riyadh on December 10, 2019. Saudi Royal Court via Reuters

GCC unites to seek UN extension of Iran arms embargo


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The GCC has called on the UN to extend an international arms embargo on Iran, a move pushed strongly by the US.

The secretariat of the GCC, made up of the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar, said in a letter to the UN Security Council that Iran's continued interference in neighbouring countries made an extension necessary.

Iran “has continued to proliferate weapons across the region as an integral part of its expansionist regional policy and longstanding interference in the internal affairs of Arab states, including GCC member states, in clear violation of the UN Charter,” the GCC said.

"It is inappropriate to lift restrictions on the supply of weapons from and to Iran until Iran gives up its destabilising activities in the region and stops supplying terrorist and sectarian organisations with weapons."

The letter was sent to the UN Security Council by the GCC Secretary General, Nayef Al Hajraf.

The arms embargo on Iran is set to end on October 18 under Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, from which Washington withdrew in 2018.

The letter to the UN is a show of unity from the GCC. In 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed political, trade and transport ties with Qatar over its support for extremists and warm relations with Tehran.

The GCC called on the Security Council to “further impose any additional measures necessary to prevent the destabilising proliferation of Iranian weapons, such as a targeted assets freezes and travel bans on individuals involved in the supply, sale or transfer of arms or related materiel to or from Iran”.

The GCC stance follows recent visits by the departing US special representative for Iran, Brian Hook.

Mr Hook told The National  in June that it was "very important that the region speaks with one voice to call on the UN Security Council to extend the embargo".

The UN banned Iran from buying major foreign weapons systems in 2010 amid tension over its nuclear programme.

If the US is unsuccessful in extending the embargo, it has threatened to start a return of all UN sanctions on Iran under a process agreed to in the 2015 deal.

The US-drafted resolution needs at least nine votes in favour to force Russia and China to use their powers of veto, which Moscow and Beijing have indicated they would do.

But some diplomats question whether Washington can secure those nine votes.

How to vote

Canadians living in the UAE can register to vote online and be added to the International Register of Electors.

They'll then be sent a special ballot voting kit by mail either to their address, the Consulate General of Canada to the UAE in Dubai or The Embassy of Canada in Abu Dhabi

Registered voters mark the ballot with their choice and must send it back by 6pm Eastern time on October 21 (2am next Friday) 

FFP EXPLAINED

What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.

What the rules dictate? 
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.

What are the penalties? 
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.

Squads

India (for first three ODIs) Kohli (capt), Rohit, Rahul, Pandey, Jadhav, Rahane, Dhoni, Pandya, Axar, Kuldeep, Chahal, Bumrah, Bhuvneshwar, Umesh, Shami.

Australia Smith (capt), Warner, Agar, Cartwright, Coulter-Nile, Cummins, Faulkner, Finch, Head, Maxwell, Richardson, Stoinis, Wade, Zampa.

FIGHT CARD

Sara El Bakkali v Anisha Kadka (Lightweight, female)
Mohammed Adil Al Debi v Moaz Abdelgawad (Bantamweight)
Amir Boureslan v Mahmoud Zanouny (Welterweight)
Abrorbek Madaminbekov v Mohammed Al Katheeri (Featherweight)
Ibrahem Bilal v Emad Arafa (Super featherweight)
Ahmed Abdolaziz v Imad Essassi (Middleweight)
Milena Martinou v Ilham Bourakkadi (Bantamweight, female)
Noureddine El Agouti v Mohamed Mardi (Welterweight)
Nabil Ouach v Ymad Atrous (Middleweight)
Nouredin Samir v Zainalabid Dadachev (Lightweight)
Marlon Ribeiro v Mehdi Oubahammou (Welterweight)
Brad Stanton v Mohamed El Boukhari (Super welterweight

MATCH INFO

FA Cup final

Chelsea 1
Hazard (22' pen)

Manchester United 0

Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)

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Saturday's results

West Ham 2-3 Tottenham
Arsenal 2-2 Southampton
Bournemouth 1-2 Wolves
Brighton 0-2 Leicester City
Crystal Palace 1-2 Liverpool
Everton 0-2 Norwich City
Watford 0-3 Burnley

Manchester City v Chelsea, 9.30pm 

South Africa squad

Faf du Plessis (captain), Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper), Theunis de Bruyn, AB de Villiers, Dean Elgar, Heinrich Klaasen (wicketkeeper), Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Morne Morkel, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Vernon Philander and Kagiso Rabada.

Quick pearls of wisdom

Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”

Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.” 

The specs
  • Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
  • Power: 640hp
  • Torque: 760nm
  • On sale: 2026
  • Price: Not announced yet
THE BIO

Ms Al Ameri likes the variety of her job, and the daily environmental challenges she is presented with.

Regular contact with wildlife is the most appealing part of her role at the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi.

She loves to explore new destinations and lives by her motto of being a voice in the world, and not an echo.

She is the youngest of three children, and has a brother and sister.

Her favourite book, Moby Dick by Herman Melville helped inspire her towards a career exploring  the natural world.

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

The biog

Name: Abeer Al Bah

Born: 1972

Husband: Emirati lawyer Salem Bin Sahoo, since 1992

Children: Soud, born 1993, lawyer; Obaid, born 1994, deceased; four other boys and one girl, three months old

Education: BA in Elementary Education, worked for five years in a Dubai school

 

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