Gun control campaigners are winning the battle to impose new firearms laws across the USA in the wake of February’s mass shooting at a Florida high school.
While gridlock in Washington and the reluctance of the Trump administration to take on the gun lobby has led to little being done by the federal government, the same cannot be said for individual states where more than half have brought in new legislation.
The issue is also high on the agenda in the mid-term elections next month where, in addition to congressional races, voters in 36 of the 50 states will vote for a governor.
Clearly, the political landscape has changed.
While the US is unlikely to ban private ownership of guns, the argument against tighter controls — on the grounds that they undermine Americans’ rights to bear arms under the constitution's Second Amendment — is resonating less among voters.
The message has not been lost on Rick Scott, Florida’s Republican governor who faced two mass shootings during his term — the 2016 slaughter of 49 people at a nightclub in Orlando and February’s shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that left 14 students and three staff dead.
Florida Republicans and Democrats joined forces to bring in a raft of controls, from raising the minimum age of gun ownership to 21 to imposing a three-day waiting period on all gun sales.
Florida was among nine states to outlaw bump stocks, devices which make it possible to unleash a rapid and deadly volley of bullets with a semi-automatic weapon.
“Every student in Florida has the right to learn in a safe environment, and every parent has the right to send their kids to school knowing that they will return safely at the end of the day,” Mr Scott said when he signed the bill.
Rather pointedly, he added: “This is a far different way of operating than the typical inefficiency we see from the federal government in Washington.
“Politics in DC seems to always get in the way of actually enacting measures that will help American families.”
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The evidence suggests that Mr Scott’s views are shared by the majority of governors throughout the US.
Since the Parkland shooting, 26 states have passed a total of 66 separate gun control measures.
Six states have brought in legislation requiring buyers to undergo background checks before they can receive their weapons. Eight states have passed laws allowing the authorities to impose “extreme risk protection orders" under which firearms can be confiscated from an person who poses a threat to themselves and others.
Nine states have barred domestic abusers from owning guns, and six have tightened laws which allow people to carry concealed weapons in public.
“It's clear that so much of the conversation changed after the Parkland massacre,” said Max Samis, spokesman for the Brady Campaign and Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
“It galvanised the nation and a lot of the credit must go to the students of Parkland and the 'March for Our Lives' when students throughout the US took to the streets to demand tougher laws.”
While the Democrats are making the running on the issue, Rick Scott is not the only Republican governor ready to act.
Governor Phil Scott of Vermont, who once was given an A rating by the National Rifle Association, the powerful gun lobby group, signed off on the most restrictive laws in the state’s history.
He acted after police foiled an alleged plot by a shooter to stage a massacre at a local high school. He not only raised the minimum age for gun ownership to 21, but also gave police powers to confiscate weapons, tightened controls on firearm sales and limited the number of rounds a weapon could fire without reloading.
Mr Scott was pilloried by NRA supporters who accused him of treachery to the cause of gun ownership.
Larry Hogan, the Republican governor of Maryland, has infuriated the NRA by turning down the group’s money.
The gun lobby group seems to be on the back foot, with current figures showing that it is being outspent by its opponents in state elections.
Candidates across the country appear to be burnishing their anti-gun credentials as association with the NRA becomes increasingly toxic.
“I think what makes it unique is the volume of public support. Polling shows that these are changes the overwhelming majority of people want,” said Andrew Patrick, media director of the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence.
“I think it is going to be a huge issue in the mid-term elections," he said.
“I believe the NRA is in its weakest position for some time with it facing highest disapproval rating for years.
“I don’t think they are used to being held at arm’s length.”
The NRA was approached but declined to comment.
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.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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At a glance
Fixtures All matches start at 9.30am, at ICC Academy, Dubai. Admission is free
Thursday UAE v Ireland; Saturday UAE v Ireland; Jan 21 UAE v Scotland; Jan 23 UAE v Scotland
UAE squad Rohan Mustafa (c), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan
If you go
Flight connections to Ulaanbaatar are available through a variety of hubs, including Seoul and Beijing, with airlines including Mongolian Airlines and Korean Air. While some nationalities, such as Americans, don’t need a tourist visa for Mongolia, others, including UAE citizens, can obtain a visa on arrival, while others including UK citizens, need to obtain a visa in advance. Contact the Mongolian Embassy in the UAE for more information.
Nomadic Road offers expedition-style trips to Mongolia in January and August, and other destinations during most other months. Its nine-day August 2020 Mongolia trip will cost from $5,250 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, two nights’ hotel accommodation in Ulaanbaatar, vehicle rental, fuel, third party vehicle liability insurance, the services of a guide and support team, accommodation, food and entrance fees; nomadicroad.com
A fully guided three-day, two-night itinerary at Three Camel Lodge costs from $2,420 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, accommodation, meals and excursions including the Yol Valley and Flaming Cliffs. A return internal flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad costs $300 per person and the flight takes 90 minutes each way; threecamellodge.com
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
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
Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin
COMPANY PROFILE
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Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
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Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
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Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
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How to improve Arabic reading in early years
One 45-minute class per week in Standard Arabic is not sufficient
The goal should be for grade 1 and 2 students to become fluent readers
Subjects like technology, social studies, science can be taught in later grades
Grade 1 curricula should include oral instruction in Standard Arabic
First graders must regularly practice individual letters and combinations
Time should be slotted in class to read longer passages in early grades
Improve the appearance of textbooks
Revision of curriculum should be undertaken as per research findings
Conjugations of most common verb forms should be taught
Systematic learning of Standard Arabic grammar
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
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Real Sociedad v Leganes (midnight)
Saturday
Alaves v Real Valladolid (4pm)
Valencia v Granada (7pm)
Eibar v Real Madrid (9.30pm)
Barcelona v Celta Vigo (midnight)
Sunday
Real Mallorca v Villarreal (3pm)
Athletic Bilbao v Levante (5pm)
Atletico Madrid v Espanyol (7pm)
Getafe v Osasuna (9.30pm)
Real Betis v Sevilla (midnight)
