Northern Ireland will mark 25 years of relative peace next week as US President Joe Biden jets in to hail the “tremendous progress” since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.
The 1998 deal largely ended the 30 years of violence known as The Troubles and brought in a form of power-sharing between pro-Irish republicans and pro-UK unionists.
But the new system has often been dysfunctional, and issues arising from Brexit have threatened to inflame old wounds.
Police are on high alert for possible unrest around Mr Biden's visit, which is expected to be brief.
About 160 people have died in sporadic violence since 1998, compared to an estimated 3,600 deaths during The Troubles, said Jon Tonge, a professor of British and Irish politics at the University of Liverpool.
When Mr Biden visits “there’ll be a lot of backslapping and congratulations in the air because as a peace deal you’d probably give it nine, possibly 10 out of 10,” said Prof Tonge.
“What will be glossed over during the Biden visit will be the chronically unstable politics that have followed the agreement.”
Mr Biden, who likes to speak of his Irish ancestry, will also visit the Republic of Ireland during a four-day trip. Irish leader Leo Varadkar said the “number one objective” was to “welcome a son of Ireland home.”
In the north, the White House said Mr Biden would “mark the tremendous progress” of the past 25 years and “underscore the readiness of the United States to support Northern Ireland’s vast economic potential.”
Mr Varadkar said the US role in the peace process was “immense and indispensable.”
Donatienne Ruy, a European politics expert at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said protecting the gains of the peace process was a rare bipartisan cause in modern US politics.
Former president Bill Clinton lobbied heavily for the peace process during the 1990s, when his special envoy George Mitchell helped broker the talks in Belfast.
The talks brought together the mainly Catholic republicans who support a united Ireland, and the largely Protestant unionists who want Northern Ireland to remain part of the UK.
Northern Ireland conflict — timeline
1921: Ireland is partitioned between Protestant north, which remains in the UK, and Catholic south which soon breaks away from Britain
1969: Amid growing sectarian unrest, British troops are deployed to Northern Ireland
1972: Thirteen people are killed by British soldiers on Bloody Sunday; London imposes direct rule
1984: Former UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher narrowly survives bombing at height of IRA campaign
1994: IRA declares ceasefire amid tentative peace talks
1998: Good Friday Agreement ends The Troubles and paves way for power-sharing
Good Friday Agreement — in pictures
The deal was signed on April 10, 1998 by former UK prime minister Tony Blair, his Irish counterpart Bertie Ahern and leaders of the opposing Northern Irish parties.
Mr Clinton this month described it as one of the happiest days of his life. Mr Blair said the deal offered “fair treatment” for the two communities.
In the deal, Britain and Ireland agreed that Northern Ireland’s “present wish” was to remain in the UK but that they would respect whatever choice it made in future.
The agreement established a power-sharing Northern Ireland Assembly in which each side effectively has a veto.
It sought to lower the temperature by reforming Northern Ireland’s police service, withdrawing British troops and decommissioning paramilitary arms.
The Irish Republican Army formally ended its armed campaign in 2005.
A critic of the deal, former Ulster Unionist Party MP William Ross, told The National he would not be celebrating what he called a “surrender to IRA terrorists.”
Mr Ross said the region had been in “continual turmoil” since 1998, with partisan bickering taking the focus away from everyday issues such as the national health service.
“I don’t know what Tony Blair thought he was doing but he certainly wasn’t fulfilling his first duty, the unity of the kingdom,” Mr Ross said.
He said the anniversary was “a matter of deep regret rather than a matter for celebration.”
“Whenever you see President Biden lauding an agreement, remember he is a man who has identified very closely with Irish republicans and Irish nationalism whose desire is the destruction of the UK. People should keep that in mind.”
Since 1998, the assembly at Stormont has often been suspended because the two sides cannot co-operate.
The UUP was split by the agreement and was overtaken by the Democratic Unionist party — which opposed the Good Friday Agreement — as the largest unionist force in 2003.
Northern Ireland has had no devolved government since February 2022 after the DUP pulled out over Brexit. In all, the assembly has been out of action about 40 per cent of the time, said Prof Tonge.
“Northern Irish society is still as polarised on some measures as it was in 1998 — hardly any integrated education, segregated housing, still separate facilities for Protestant and Catholic areas,” he said.
“You’re always going to have the conflict. It’s just that the conflict is, mercifully, played out via peaceful political institutions.”
Ms Ruy said the deal was “the best it could have been at the time” but that politicians had struggled to break out of the old divide, even as a generation grows up in the aftermath of The Troubles.
She highlighted the progress made by the cross-community Alliance Party, which scored its best ever election result by becoming the third-largest Assembly party in 2021.
Another shift is that there are now more Catholics than Protestants in Northern Ireland, according to the 2021 census, eroding what was once an inbuilt unionist majority.
The current political stalemate resulted from unionist fears that ties to the UK were being severed by the Northern Ireland Protocol resulting from Brexit.
UK and EU negotiators agreed that trade checks could not take place on the Irish land border, for fear of inflaming sectarian tension.
But the workaround they agreed on — keeping Northern Ireland within the scope of EU laws — led to unionists crying foul that the region was being carved off from Britain.
A revised deal, the Windsor Framework announced in February, aims to address those concerns by simplifying checks and giving the Northern Ireland Assembly a veto over new EU measures.
However, the DUP has not given any indication that it intends to return to power-sharing, and pundits are doubtful that a rallying cry from Mr Biden will change the party’s mind.
“The DUP has spent a lot of its political life saying no,” said Prof Tonge.
“Tony Blair couldn’t persuade them to back the Good Friday Agreement and neither could Bill Clinton. So Biden’s not going to persuade the DUP back into the political institutions.”
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tips for taking the metro
- set out well ahead of time
- make sure you have at least Dh15 on you Nol card, as there could be big queues for top-up machines
- enter the right cabin. The train may be too busy to move between carriages once you're on
- don't carry too much luggage and tuck it under a seat to make room for fellow passengers
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SECRET%20INVASION
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Friday Valladolid v Osasuna (Kick-off midnight UAE)
Saturday Valencia v Athletic Bilbao (5pm), Getafe v Sevilla (7.15pm), Huesca v Alaves (9.30pm), Real Madrid v Atletico Madrid (midnight)
Sunday Real Sociedad v Eibar (5pm), Real Betis v Villarreal (7.15pm), Elche v Granada (9.30pm), Barcelona v Levante (midnight)
Monday Celta Vigo v Cadiz (midnight)
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
box
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Letstango.com
Started: June 2013
Founder: Alex Tchablakian
Based: Dubai
Industry: e-commerce
Initial investment: Dh10 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month
Results
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
6.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m, Winner: Mayehaab, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Monoski, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Eastern World, Royston Ffrench, Charlie Appleby
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Madkal, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
8.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Taneen, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
Investors include: Singapore’s Battery Road Digital Holdings, Egypt’s Algebra Ventures, Uber co-founder and former CTO Oscar Salazar
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
POSSIBLE ENGLAND EURO 2020 SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope, Dean Henderson.
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kieran Trippier, Joe Gomez, John Stones, Harry Maguire, Tyrone Mings, Ben Chilwell, Fabian Delph.
Midfielders: Declan Rice, Harry Winks, Jordan Henderson, Ross Barkley, Mason Mount, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Forwards: Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Tammy Abraham, Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Key products and UAE prices
iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229
iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649
iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179
Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.
