RIYADH // King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz has appointed his son Prince Miteb commander of the Saudi national guard, the kingdom's second-largest military force, and made him a cabinet member with the rank of minister of state.
The move was not unexpected as the Sandhurst-trained prince, who is in his late 50s, has been a senior official with the force for some time. Nevertheless, it marks a significant turning point because King Abdullah has led the force for almost half a century.
Some observers see the step as part of the princely competition that inevitably accompanies the process of royal succession.
"It's pretty clear that the senior Al Saud players are continuing to consolidate the positions of their sons" as they look ahead to changes at the top among the kingdom's ageing leaders, said Neil Partrick, an associate fellow of London's Royal United Services Institute.
Mr Partrick noted that the sons of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz and Interior Minister Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz have taken on heightened responsibilities at the ministries of defence and interior respectively in recent years.
"The king is now doing the same thing," Mr Partrick said.
The official announcement of Prince Miteb's promotion, carried by the Saudi Press Agency late on Wednesday, also said that the national guard deputy commander, Prince Badr bin Abdul Aziz, was retiring for health reasons. He is the king's half-brother.
Prince Miteb now joins six other ministers of state within the Saudi cabinet, known as the Council of Ministers.
"This is something new, maybe because [the king] would like him to know the politics of government," said Anwar Eshki, a retired Saudi army general and chairman of the Middle East Centre for Strategic and Legal Studies in Jeddah.
Mr Eshki added that as a graduate of the UK's Sandhurst military academy, Prince Miteb "is very qualified" to command the guard.
A tribal force, the guard grew out of the Ikhwan or White Army of King Abdul Aziz, the kingdom's founder. It has been responsible for protecting the royal family and vital facilities, as well as maintaining security inside the kingdom.
It also has long been seen as a counter-balance to the regular military forces (army and air force) of the ministry of defence, which has been headed by Crown Prince Sultan since 1962. King Abdullah was named commander of the national guard the same year.
Estimates of the guard's total strength vary widely, anywhere from 60,000 to 100,000. In 2002, Anthony H Cordesman, an expert on the Saudi military at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, wrote that "regardless of the exact numbers, it is clear that the guard is now far larger than it was at the time of the [1990-91] Gulf War, and that it has a full-time active strength approaching that of the Saudi Army."
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COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
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
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
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
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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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.
BOSH!'s pantry essentials
Nutritional yeast
This is Firth's pick and an ingredient he says, "gives you an instant cheesy flavour". He advises making your own cream cheese with it or simply using it to whip up a mac and cheese or wholesome lasagne. It's available in organic and specialist grocery stores across the UAE.
Seeds
"We've got a big jar of mixed seeds in our kitchen," Theasby explains. "That's what you use to make a bolognese or pie or salad: just grab a handful of seeds and sprinkle them over the top. It's a really good way to make sure you're getting your omegas."
Umami flavours
"I could say soya sauce, but I'll say all umami-makers and have them in the same batch," says Firth. He suggests having items such as Marmite, balsamic vinegar and other general, dark, umami-tasting products in your cupboard "to make your bolognese a little bit more 'umptious'".
Onions and garlic
"If you've got them, you can cook basically anything from that base," says Theasby. "These ingredients are so prevalent in every world cuisine and if you've got them in your cupboard, then you know you've got the foundation of a really nice meal."
Your grain of choice
Whether rice, quinoa, pasta or buckwheat, Firth advises always having a stock of your favourite grains in the cupboard. "That you, you have an instant meal and all you have to do is just chuck a bit of veg in."
RESULTS
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The%20specs
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Scoreline:
Manchester City 1
Jesus 4'
Brighton 0
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
Asia Cup Qualifier
Final
UAE v Hong Kong
Live on OSN Cricket HD. Coverage starts at 5.30am