Northern Ireland has a new-look leadership pairing: all-female, with an Irish nationalist in the top job, and political careers forged in peacetime rather than the bloody years of conflict known as the Troubles.
But despite hopes of a fresh start, the rise of Michelle O’Neill and Emma Little-Pengelly – each a daughter of a paramilitary family – suggests old loyalties are alive and well in the new generation, experts said.
Ms O’Neill has just become Northern Ireland’s First Minister, a symbolic first for a Catholic republican. Under power-sharing rules, the unionist Ms Little-Pengelly has equal responsibilities as Deputy First Minister.
They have pledged to show unity after a long stalemate at Stormont, which left the political institutions created by the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement suspended for two years.
There is hope of consensus on bread-and-butter issues such as hospitals and housing. But on the question of Northern Ireland’s future in the UK or Ireland, Ms Little-Pengelly said, the two women “will never agree”.
Family ties
Ms O’Neill, 47, is leader in the north of the all-Ireland nationalist party Sinn Fein and comes from a “staunchly republican background”, said Jon Tonge, a professor of British and Irish politics at the University of Liverpool.
Her father, Brendan Doris, was an IRA prisoner at the height of the Troubles and later a Sinn Fein councillor in County Tyrone, where the young Michelle went to Catholic grammar school. A cousin, Tony Doris, was shot dead in a British special forces ambush of paramilitary members in 1991.
Paul Doris, an uncle, worked for a group called Noraid that raised money for the IRA in the United States, long home to significant Irish republican sympathies. Ms O'Neill plans to visit Washington for St Patrick's Day despite Sinn Fein's pro-Palestinian stance putting it at odds with the US position on the Israel-Gaza war.
Upon Brendan Doris’s death in 2006, former IRA member Martin McGuinness lauded the Doris family for playing “a significant role in the republican struggle for many years”.
Ms O’Neill has crossed the lines of an older generation by being willing to refer to “Northern Ireland” – nationalists tend to say “the north of Ireland” – and striking up a personal chemistry with Britain’s King Charles III.
“She’s post-conflict generation in the sense that her political career has developed in the aftermath of the Good Friday Agreement,” Prof Tonge said.
But “she’s never going to disavow IRA violence. That would mean tearing up history".
“There is this walking a tightrope where she goes into Stormont one day and says how sorry she is for everything, and then the following week will go to an IRA commemoration and laud the contribution of IRA volunteers.
The election of these two women with those backgrounds is an indication of the continuities
Liam Kennedy,
historian
“That will always offend unionists, certainly an older generation of unionists who suffered during the conflict. But I don’t think she glorifies it either.”
Ms Little-Pengelly, 44, had her father Noel Little watching from the public gallery as she took up her role on behalf of the Democratic Unionist Party last Saturday.
Mr Little was one of the “Paris Three” arrested in France in 1989 for his role in a loyalist arms plot. The Royal Ulster Constabulary searched the family home in Markethill as part of the French investigation.
He denied buying arms for loyalist group Ulster Resistance, but the three received fines and suspended sentences. Writing in 2015, Ms Little-Pengelly said her father “made those choices in his life but I love him as a daughter”. The same year, it was revealed he was working as a steward at a Belfast cathedral.
The two women now leading Northern Ireland are “almost mirror images of each other”, said Liam Kennedy, a Queen’s University Belfast historian and campaigner on paramilitary abuses during the Troubles.
More than 3,000 people died during the Troubles as rival paramilitaries carried out bombings, shootings and vigilante attacks. The British Army was deployed as a peacekeeper but some of its troops were implicated in killings.
The violence mostly ended after the Good Friday Agreement, with the IRA formally ending its armed campaign in 2005, but dissident groups remain. The threat level from Northern Ireland-related terrorism was raised last year.
“In a way, the election of these two women with those backgrounds is an indication of the continuities” in Northern Ireland’s politics, Prof Kennedy said.
“The more extreme elements in both communities have come to dominate and it looks likely that this will continue to be the case.”
In 1998, moderate parties led by David Trimble and John Hume were the faces of unionism and nationalism respectively. The two men won a Nobel Prize for their readiness to make peace.
However, Trimble and Hume’s moderates were subsequently eclipsed by the more hardline voices on each side: the DUP led by Ian Paisley, and Sinn Fein under Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness.
Paisley and McGuinness became an unlikely leadership pair known as the “Chuckle Brothers”, despite being sworn enemies during the Troubles. Both have since died, but their parties remain the dominant forces at Stormont.
Far from repelling voters, having a paramilitary hinterland “actually strengthens your position” as a candidate on each side of the political divide, Prof Kennedy said.
At the same time Belfast was the focus of a 25-year set of programmes designed to “build a sustainable peace and promote reconciliation”. The billion euro EU Special Support Fund for Peace and Reconciliation was a flagship but also just one of many funds. These drew on the involvement of hardline communities and rewarded long-term processes that required significant local political leadership. One report on the post-conflict programmes was titled: From enemies to partners?
Women to the fore
Ms O’Neill was appointed to her party role in 2018 and “that background helps her in terms of nailing down the Sinn Fein vote”. he said.
“It does alienate smallish numbers of Catholic nationalists but not to the extent that someone on the outside might imagine. In some respects we’re very forgiving of certain aspects of the past.
“On the unionist side, I think it was a masterstroke of the DUP to put in Emma Little-Pengelly, because it reassures more extreme DUP voters that they’re not being sold down the river.”
Plea for unity
The two women made a point of looking to the future when they took the floor at Stormont.
“The past cannot be changed or undone, but what we can do – what we all can do – is build a better future,” Ms O’Neill said as she promised to be a first minister for all.
Ms Little-Pengelly urged a focus on shared needs as she told Stormont the “wee mummy waiting for her cancer diagnosis is not defined as republican or unionist”.
Prof Tonge, who watched the proceedings in Belfast, said they reminded him of “a wedding where you’re not sure the couple are entirely suited, but you wish them well”.
“Even though they can park their rival constitutional ambitions, you still think sometimes these are two parties looking for a row rather than two parties that are looking to govern together,” he said.
Under the Good Friday Agreement, the two leading posts are earmarked for unionists and nationalists. This is meant to ensure cross-community policies but also entrenches the old divides.
Stormont has been suspended several times, most recently after the DUP walked out over post-Brexit trade rules it fears are dividing Northern Ireland from the British mainland.
The goal for Sinn Fein is to build support for Irish unity and hasten the day when a vote is called on Northern Ireland’s future. Its historic win in a 2022 assembly election paved the way for Ms O’Neill’s appointment.
While views on the union remain entrenched, experts believe a looming election in the republic does at least give Sinn Fein an incentive to govern well as it aims for power in Dublin as well as Belfast.
“It’s vital for Sinn Fein in Northern Ireland to project an image of responsibility, of reaching out, because that will go down well with the electorate in the Republic of Ireland,” Prof Kennedy said.
“It stands a very good chance of Mary Lou McDonald becoming the Irish Taoiseach, a very good chance of forming the next government. That really would be a seismic change in the politics of the island.”
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
THE BIO
Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old
Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai
Favourite Book: The Alchemist
Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna
Favourite cuisine: Italian food
Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman
MADAME%20WEB
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MATCH INFO
Juventus 1 (Dybala 45')
Lazio 3 (Alberto 16', Lulic 73', Cataldi 90 4')
Red card: Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus)
THE SPECS
Engine: AMG-enhanced 3.0L inline-6 turbo with EQ Boost and electric auxiliary compressor
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 429hp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh360,200 (starting)
Batti Gul Meter Chalu
Producers: KRTI Productions, T-Series
Director: Sree Narayan Singh
Cast: Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Divyenndu Sharma, Yami Gautam
Rating: 2/5
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
The%20specs
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Civil%20War
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Alex%20Garland%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Kirsten%20Dunst%2C%20Cailee%20Spaeny%2C%20Wagner%20Moura%2C%20Nick%20Offerman%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE BIO
Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain
Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude
Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE
Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally
Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science
Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
New Zealand 15 British & Irish Lions 15
New Zealand 15
Tries: Laumape, J Barrett
Conversions: B Barrett
Penalties: B Barrett
British & Irish Lions 15
Penalties: Farrell (4), Daly
Types of policy
Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.
Whole-of-life insurance: as its name suggests, this type of life cover is designed to run for the rest of your life. You pay regular monthly premiums and in return, get a guaranteed cash lump sum whenever you die. As a result, premiums are typically much higher than one term life insurance, although they do not usually increase with age. In some cases, you have to keep up premiums for as long as you live, although there may be a cut-off period, say, at age 80 but it can go as high as 95. There are penalties if you don’t last the course and you may get a lot less than you paid in.
Critical illness cover: this pays a cash lump sum if you suffer from a serious illness such as cancer, heart disease or stroke. Some policies cover as many as 50 different illnesses, although cancer triggers by far the most claims. The payout is designed to cover major financial responsibilities such as a mortgage or children’s education fees if you fall ill and are unable to work. It is cost effective to combine it with life insurance, with the policy paying out once if you either die or suffer a serious illness.
Income protection: this pays a replacement income if you fall ill and are unable to continue working. On the best policies, this will continue either until you recover, or reach retirement age. Unlike critical illness cover, policies will typically pay out for stress and musculoskeletal problems such as back trouble.
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
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Norway
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Canada
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How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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