Anti-Semitism is still a threat to European Jews. On a daily basis, Neo-Nazis, left-wing extremists and radical Islamists spread their online hatred and, too often, their propaganda incites real-life attacks.
It sounds quite similar to the wave of Islamophobia that has swept through Europe in recent years, resulting in political parties based on xenophobia and all-too-frequent crimes against Muslims. And in recent years the same groups that are infamous for intolerance regarding Muslims, and in many cases Jews in the past, have now falsely assumed the mantle of protesting against anti-Semitism.
The truth is that leading members of Europe's Islamophobic movement are forging close bonds with ultra-conservative Israeli politicians, lawyers and businessmen. The two most prominent contacts for Israelis seeking partners in the fight against "Islamisation" are Filip Dewinter, a well-known politician in Belgium's extreme-right Vlaams Belang party, and Patrik Brinkmann, a Swedish millionaire based in Berlin who has gained notoriety as a generous sponsor of Germany's far right. Mr Brinkmann is now planning a trip to Israel for like-minded Europeans and says that he has 120 registered participants, 35 of them from Germany.
On the Israeli front line stands Ayoob Kara, a Druze politician for the governing party Likud and the deputy Speaker of the Knesset. As recently as July, a meeting between Mr Kara and Mr Brinkmann caused a small scandal, the latest in a series of visits between the two.
After the recent visit, an Israeli government spokesman was forced to state that Mr Kara was in Belgium in a personal capacity and that his visit did not reflect government policy. Even Israel's ultra-nationalist foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman reportedly condemned the meeting.
Belgium's Jewish community was also disturbed to learn of the unlikely friendship. Mr Kara had already caused a stir when he met a leader of the far-right Freedom Party of Austria in 2010. Michael Freilich, the editor-in-chief of the Belgian newspaper Joods Actueel, said at the time to the European Jewish Press: "Is this the message we want to send to Europe? That Israel follows the racist ideology of Europe's most notorious bigots?"
The unofficial European-Israeli network includes politicians and academics such as David Ha'ivri, an activist settler who in his youth participated in Israel's Kach party (now listed as a terrorist organisation), and Hillel Weiss, a professor at Bar Ilan University who is active in the Neo-Zionist movement.
Mr Kara and Mr Ha'ivri have just returned to Israel from Nigeria, where they tried to drum up support in the face of next month's United Nations bid to recognise the country of Palestine.
It gets worse. Mr Kara and a fellow Knesset member last month welcomed two high-profile Russian neo-Nazis to the Knesset and Yad Vashem, the Israeli monument to the Holocaust. Radical Islam is our enemy now, was the official line - but the two Russians were proven Holocaust deniers and photos have emerged of them doing the Hitler salute.
The controversial politician Geert Wilders, a kingmaker in the Dutch government, is another European point of contact. In December 2010 he attended a conference in Israel held by the right-wing Hatikva party. In a passionate speech, Mr Wilders exclaimed: "Let us stand with Israel, because it is the frontline in the battle for the survival of the West!" Around the same time, representatives of the Sweden Democrats, Vlaams Belang and the two "Freedom" parties (one in Germany, one in Austria) signed the so-called "Jerusalem Declaration in Israel", in which the far-right parties - many with an anti-Semitic past - pledged their allegiance.
The basis of popular racism has changed, says Liz Fekete, a British expert on contemporary xenophobia. "It's not so much based on race, but on culture and religion - it is civilisational racism - the notion that there is a hierarchy of cultures, where western civilisation reigns supreme."
This idea was prevalent in the Norwegian terrorist Anders Breivik's manifesto. "The extreme right no longer thinks - publicly at least - in terms of race pride, or white pride," Ms Fekete said, "but in terms of civilisational pride, civilisational vigour." Mr Wilders is drawn to Israel "because he sees Israel as the defender of western civilisation against Islam. He admires Israel as a country prepared to use force against Muslims to defend itself."
In a backlash against these extremist views, many Jewish and pro-Israeli associations protest against the link between anti-Semitic efforts and intolerant ideas such as the call for bans on minarets. The extreme anti-Muslim parties have in some cases overshadowed other right-wing European parties and legitimate concerns about immigration. Sadly, the anti-Muslim bigotry of some Israeli right-wingers has got in the way of seeing Europe's far right for what it really is.
Maik Baumgärtner is a Berlin-based freelance journalist specialising in right-wing extremism. Lisa Bjurwald, based in Stockholm, is a freelance writer monitoring Europe's right-wing populist parties
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
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Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Maestro
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Secret Nation: The Hidden Armenians of Turkey
Avedis Hadjian, (IB Tauris)
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
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Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi
Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)
Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)
Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)
Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).
Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)
Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)
Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)
Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)
Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia
Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)
Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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NATIONAL%20SELECTIONS
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
HERO%20CUP%20TEAMS
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RESULTS
Lightweight (female)
Sara El Bakkali bt Anisha Kadka
Bantamweight
Mohammed Adil Al Debi bt Moaz Abdelgawad
Welterweight
Amir Boureslan bt Mahmoud Zanouny
Featherweight
Mohammed Al Katheeri bt Abrorbek Madaminbekov
Super featherweight
Ibrahem Bilal bt Emad Arafa
Middleweight
Ahmed Abdolaziz bt Imad Essassi
Bantamweight (female)
Ilham Bourakkadi bt Milena Martinou
Welterweight
Mohamed Mardi bt Noureddine El Agouti
Middleweight
Nabil Ouach bt Ymad Atrous
Welterweight
Nouredine Samir bt Marlon Ribeiro
Super welterweight
Brad Stanton bt Mohamed El Boukhari
Fireball
Moscow claimed it hit the largest military fuel storage facility in Ukraine, triggering a huge fireball at the site.
A plume of black smoke rose from a fuel storage facility in the village of Kalynivka outside Kyiv on Friday after Russia said it had destroyed the military site with Kalibr cruise missiles.
"On the evening of March 24, Kalibr high-precision sea-based cruise missiles attacked a fuel base in the village of Kalynivka near Kyiv," the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
Ukraine confirmed the strike, saying the village some 40 kilometres south-west of Kyiv was targeted.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Director: Jon Favreau
Starring: Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, John Oliver
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.
When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.
How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
