Sudanese demonstrators gather during a rally outside the army complex in Khartoum on April 16. AFP
Sudanese demonstrators gather during a rally outside the army complex in Khartoum on April 16. AFP
Sudanese demonstrators gather during a rally outside the army complex in Khartoum on April 16. AFP
Sudanese demonstrators gather during a rally outside the army complex in Khartoum on April 16. AFP

Sudan’s Omar Al Bashir moved to maximum security prison in Khartoum


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Sudan's deposed president Omar Al Bashir has been transferred to a maximum-security prison, a week after being forced from office by the military.

Mr Al Bashir was moved to Kobar prison in the capital, Khartoum, late on Tuesday, his family told Reuters.

He was removed from power on April 11 after four months of mass rallies against his three-decade rule, then held under heavy guard in a presidential residence.

Deposed Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir has been held at a presidential residence since being removed from power on April 11. Reuters
Deposed Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir has been held at a presidential residence since being removed from power on April 11. Reuters

On Wednesday, Sudan's military rulers revealed they had also detained two of Mr Al Bashir's five brothers, Abdallah and Abbas.

Meanwhile, Uganda said it would consider offering asylum to Mr Al Bashir, although he had not yet asked.

"Uganda would not be apologetic at all for considering an application by Bashir," Okello Oryem, Uganda's Minister of State for International Affairs, told Reuters.

Mr Oryem said there was no harm in considering offering asylum to Mr Al Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court over the deaths of about 300,000 people in the western Darfur region more than a decade ago.

Uganda, like all signatories to the ICC, is obliged to hand over anyone wanted by the court who enters its territory.

Sudan's new leadership has said it has no intention of sending Mr Al Bashir to The Hague.

The Sudanese Professionals' Association, which has led the demonstrations against Mr Al Bashir, this week told the Military Transitional Council to hand control over to a civilian-led government or face sustained protests.

Lt Gen Abdel Fattah Al Burhan, the new head of the military body overseeing the transition, has contacted protest organisers and said a return to civilian leadership could happen within months, but no longer than two years from now.

Gen Al Burhan has released protesters arrested since December and vowed to “uproot” Mr Al Bashir's party, the National Congress.

But those behind the popular movement say it is not enough.

The military council fired the country’s three highest-ranking public prosecutors on Tuesday evening after calls from protesters for a major overhaul of the judiciary.

They were chief prosecutor Omar  Abdelsalam, deputy public prosecutor Hesham Saleh and the head of public prosecutions, Amer Majid.

Alwaleed Mahmoud was appointed to carry out Mr Abdelsalam's duties, the protest organisers said.

Mr Mahmoud's background was not immediately known.

A Sudanese woman flashes the victory sign while protesting during a rally outside the army complex in the capital Khartoum on April 16. AFP
A Sudanese woman flashes the victory sign while protesting during a rally outside the army complex in the capital Khartoum on April 16. AFP

A delegation from Saudi Arabia and the UAE met Gen Al Burhan in Khartoum on Tuesday, the military council said.

During the meeting, he "praised the distinguished relationship between Sudan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE", the council said.

As chief of Sudan’s army, Lt Gen Burhan oversaw Sudanese troops fighting in the Yemen conflict and has close ties to senior Gulf military officials.

The UAE, a member of the Saudi-led Arab Coalition in Yemen, welcomed Lt Gen Burhan’s appointment and said it would look to accelerate aid to Sudan.

Shortly after he took office, Riyadh said it would provide wheat, fuel and medicine to Sudan.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi also called Lt Gen Al Burhan on Tuesday to offer his backing.

Mr El Sisi's spokesman said the president had repeated "Egypt's full support for the security and stability of Sudan and its support for the will and choices of the Sudanese people".

The military council said Mr El Sisi was expected to visit Sudan in the coming days.

The African Union's peace and security council on Monday called for the military leaders to transfer power to a civilian-led authority within 15 days or risk being suspended from the bloc.

On Monday in Addis Ababa, where the African Union is based, military council member Jalal Al Sheikh said it was already in the process of picking a prime minister for civilian rule, ahead of elections promised within two years.

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F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dual%20electric%20motors%20with%20102kW%20battery%20pack%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E570hp%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20890Nm%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERange%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Up%20to%20428km%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh1%2C700%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Red flags
  • Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
  • Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
  • Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
  • Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
  • Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.

Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching

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The biog

Title: General Practitioner with a speciality in cardiology

Previous jobs: Worked in well-known hospitals Jaslok and Breach Candy in Mumbai, India

Education: Medical degree from the Government Medical College in Nagpur

How it all began: opened his first clinic in Ajman in 1993

Family: a 90-year-old mother, wife and two daughters

Remembers a time when medicines from India were purchased per kilo

The specs

Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo

Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic

Power: 375bhp

Torque: 520Nm

Price: Dh332,800

On sale: now

SPECS
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Country-size land deals

US interest in purchasing territory is not as outlandish as it sounds. Here's a look at some big land transactions between nations:

Louisiana Purchase

If Donald Trump is one who aims to broker "a deal of the century", then this was the "deal of the 19th Century". In 1803, the US nearly doubled in size when it bought 2,140,000 square kilometres from France for $15 million.

Florida Purchase Treaty

The US courted Spain for Florida for years. Spain eventually realised its burden in holding on to the territory and in 1819 effectively ceded it to America in a wider border treaty. 

Alaska purchase

America's spending spree continued in 1867 when it acquired 1,518,800 km2 of  Alaskan land from Russia for $7.2m. Critics panned the government for buying "useless land".

The Philippines

At the end of the Spanish-American War, a provision in the 1898 Treaty of Paris saw Spain surrender the Philippines for a payment of $20 million. 

US Virgin Islands

It's not like a US president has never reached a deal with Denmark before. In 1917 the US purchased the Danish West Indies for $25m and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.

Gwadar

The most recent sovereign land purchase was in 1958 when Pakistan bought the southwestern port of Gwadar from Oman for 5.5bn Pakistan rupees. 

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War 2

Director: Ayan Mukerji

Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana

Rating: 2/5

Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Scores

Day 2

New Zealand 153 & 56-1
Pakistan 227

New Zealand trail by 18 runs with nine wickets remaining

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Four reasons global stock markets are falling right now

There are many factors worrying investors right now and triggering a rush out of stock markets. Here are four of the biggest:

1. Rising US interest rates

The US Federal Reserve has increased interest rates three times this year in a bid to prevent its buoyant economy from overheating. They now stand at between 2 and 2.25 per cent and markets are pencilling in three more rises next year.

Kim Catechis, manager of the Legg Mason Martin Currie Global Emerging Markets Fund, says US inflation is rising and the Fed will continue to raise rates in 2019. “With inflationary pressures growing, an increasing number of corporates are guiding profitability expectations downwards for 2018 and 2019, citing the negative impact of rising costs.”

At the same time as rates are rising, central bankers in the US and Europe have been ending quantitative easing, bringing the era of cheap money to an end.

2. Stronger dollar

High US rates have driven up the value of the dollar and bond yields, and this is putting pressure on emerging market countries that took advantage of low interest rates to run up trillions in dollar-denominated debt. They have also suffered capital outflows as international investors have switched to the US, driving markets lower. Omar Negyal, portfolio manager of the JP Morgan Global Emerging Markets Income Trust, says this looks like a buying opportunity. “Despite short-term volatility we remain positive about long-term prospects and profitability for emerging markets.” 

3. Global trade war

Ritu Vohora, investment director at fund manager M&G, says markets fear that US President Donald Trump’s spat with China will escalate into a full-blown global trade war, with both sides suffering. “The US economy is robust enough to absorb higher input costs now, but this may not be the case as tariffs escalate. However, with a host of factors hitting investor sentiment, this is becoming a stock picker’s market.”

4. Eurozone uncertainty

Europe faces two challenges right now in the shape of Brexit and the new populist government in eurozone member Italy.

Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at IG, which has offices in Dubai, says the stand-off between between Rome and Brussels threatens to become much more serious. "As with Brexit, neither side appears willing to step back from the edge, threatening more trouble down the line.”

The European economy may also be slowing, Mr Beauchamp warns. “A four-year low in eurozone manufacturing confidence highlights the fact that producers see a bumpy road ahead, with US-EU trade talks remaining a major question-mark for exporters.”

SERIES INFO

Afghanistan v Zimbabwe, Abu Dhabi Sunshine Series

All matches at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Test series

1st Test: Zimbabwe beat Afghanistan by 10 wickets
2nd Test: Wednesday, 10 March – Sunday, 14 March

Play starts at 9.30am

T20 series

1st T20I: Wednesday, 17 March
2nd T20I: Friday, 19 March
3rd T20I: Saturday, 20 March

TV
Supporters in the UAE can watch the matches on the Rabbithole channel on YouTube

'The worst thing you can eat'

Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.

Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines: 

Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.

Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.

Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.

Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.

Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.

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 specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

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