A delegation was headed by Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of State for Tolerance, visited the Vatican on Wednesday to discuss the importance of promoting tolerance with Pope Francis (not pictured). Wam
A delegation was headed by Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of State for Tolerance, visited the Vatican on Wednesday to discuss the importance of promoting tolerance with Pope Francis (not pictured).Show more

UAE delegation meet Pope Francis



UAE officials met Pope Francis in the Vatican on Wednesday about the importance of promoting tolerance worldwide and preventing prejudice, extremism and violence.

The delegation was headed by Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, Minister of State for Tolerance, who also met Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, president of the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue.

Sheikha Lubna described the UAE’s “philosophy of tolerance” and emphasised the need to promote communication and understanding of religions and cultures, reported Wam, the state news agency.

She also described how the country hosts more than 200 nationalities “living in dignity and safety”, Wam said.

The delegation visited the Vatican archivse and were shown drawings, documents and other items in the library, such as material on Arab history.

Sheikha Lubna was accompanied by Dr Hissa Al Otaiba, UAE Ambassador to Spain and non-resident Ambassador to the Vatican, and officials from the General Authority for Islamic Affairs and Endowments, the UAE National Archives, the Sharjah government and other entities.

newsdesk@thenational.ae

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Director: Daniel Espinosa 

Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona

Rating: 2/5

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Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
 
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
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4) The campaign uses the hashtag  #donate_hope

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Director: Michael O’Shea

Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine

Three stars

Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

if you go

The flights

Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return. 

The trek

Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required. 

INFO

Visit www.wtatennis.com for more information

 

The specs: 2017 Porsche 718 Cayman

Price, base / as tested Dh222,500 / Dh296,870

Engine 2.0L, flat four-cylinder

Transmission Seven-speed PDK

Power 300hp @ 6,500rpm

Torque 380hp @ 1,950rpm

Fuel economy, combined 6.9L / 100km

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Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah

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