Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has become the face of contemporary Saudi Arabia. Yesterday he took his modernising vision on the road as he began an international tour – his first since his promotion – to export that image to the world. He began in Egypt, reaffirming with that decision the cooperation that has seen Cairo support Riyadh's foreign policy and huge grants and loans flow in the other direction. He will fly to the UK and US to discuss security and investment with the leaders of both countries and finish his trip in France. The malign influence of Iran in the Middle East will no doubt be on the agenda at these meetings. Meanwhile the Kingdom's modernisation drive, launched by King Salman and overseen by Prince Mohammed, will attract further praise from these allies. "Saudi Arabia has introduced exactly the kind of reforms that we have always advocated," wrote UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in a column last week. Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt expressed on Twitter his intention to discuss "how the UK can contribute to the Saudi Vision 2030 programme of social and economic reforms" with Prince Mohammed. At a pivotal moment for the Middle East, alliances like these are more important than ever.
After decades of deeply traditional leadership, the pace of change in Saudi Arabia has been astonishing. A root and branch anti-corruption drive late last year detained 400 people and raised $106 billion. "You have a body that has cancer everywhere, the cancer of corruption," Prince Mohammed told The Washington Post last week. "You need to have the chemo, the shock of chemo, or the cancer will eat the body." This shock-therapy approach has characterised the other reforms the Saudi leadership have implemented. In the last six months, Saudi Arabia has announced it would allow women to drive, attend sports events, register businesses and serve in the military. Last month, Tamadur bint Youssef Al Ramah was appointed Deputy Labour Minister, becoming the first woman to serve in the government. Cinemas will open this year after a more than 35-year ban. Prince Mohammed previously stated that he wanted to foster moderate Islam and open the country to multiple religions. He appears to be meeting words with deeds.
Prince Mohammed’s international tour comes at a time of great flux in the Middle East. In May, elections will take place in Lebanon and Iraq. The gruesome conflict in Syria staggers on. The war to restore the legitimate government in Yemen amid Iran-backed Houthi aggression will soon enter its fourth year. If Saudi Arabia is to thwart Iran’s growing influence and promote stability, it will require international support. The modernising Crown Prince is best-placed to forge such alliances. And as he begins his tour, international partners rightly like what they see.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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How it works
Each player begins with one of the great empires of history, from Julius Caesar's Rome to Ramses of Egypt, spread over Europe and the Middle East.
Round by round, the player expands their empire. The more land they have, the more money they can take from their coffers for each go.
As unruled land and soldiers are acquired, players must feed them. When a player comes up against land held by another army, they can choose to battle for supremacy.
A dice-based battle system is used and players can get the edge on their enemy with by deploying a renowned hero on the battlefield.
Players that lose battles and land will find their coffers dwindle and troops go hungry. The end goal? Global domination of course.
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The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
Future plan: Will now concentrate on her charitable work
A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
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Profile
Co-founders of the company: Vilhelm Hedberg and Ravi Bhusari
Launch year: In 2016 ekar launched and signed an agreement with Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi. In January 2017 ekar launched in Dubai in a partnership with the RTA.
Number of employees: Over 50
Financing stage: Series B currently being finalised
Investors: Series A - Audacia Capital
Sector of operation: Transport
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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GREATEST ROYAL RUMBLE CARD
The line-up as it stands for the Greatest Royal Rumble in Saudi Arabia on April 27
50-man Royal Rumble
Universal Championship
Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns
Casket match
The Undertaker v Rusev
Intercontinental Championship
Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
SmackDown Tag Team Championship
The Bludgeon Brothers v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship
Sheamus and Cesaro v Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy
United States Championship
Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
Singles match
Triple H v John Cena
To be confirmed
AJ Styles will defend his WWE World Heavyweight title and Cedric Alexander his Cruiserweight Championship, but matches have yet to be announced
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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MATCH INFO
Norwich 0
Watford 2 (Deulofeu 2', Gray 52')
Red card: Christian Kabasele (WatforD)
Stats at a glance:
Cost: 1.05 billion pounds (Dh 4.8 billion)
Number in service: 6
Complement 191 (space for up to 285)
Top speed: over 32 knots
Range: Over 7,000 nautical miles
Length 152.4 m
Displacement: 8,700 tonnes
Beam: 21.2 m
Draught: 7.4 m
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Walls
Louis Tomlinson
3 out of 5 stars
(Syco Music/Arista Records)
