ABU DHABI // The UAE’s support has been vital for Afghanistan’s continuing redevelopment and growth.
That was the message from Hekmat Karzai, the founding director of the Centre for Conflict and Peace Studies in Afghanistan, during a lecture in the capital on Monday.
Mr Karzai spoke at the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies and Research about the outlook for the country this year.
“As an Afghan let me take this opportunity to thank the UAE for the hand that it has extended to Afghanistan,” Mr Karzai said.
“The UAE is one of the very few Muslim countries that has provided assistance and support to the Afghan people and Afghans won’t forget that. The UAE has embarked on various initiatives, it has built schools and infrastructure. My favourite project is a training programme established by the UAE to train over 20,000 religious clerics.
“In today’s world where battles are won by ideology, training clerics is of the utmost importance.”
Mr Karzai also hailed the work of the Emirates Centre, which he said was of crucial importance for the region.
Presidential elections in Afghanistan will take place in April, with the current leader Hamid Karzai stepping down after two terms.
Also of key importance was the continuing US intervention in the country and the possibility of signing a bilateral security agreement, which could lead to a continued US presence.
“2014 has become a very difficult year for Afghans because we have started to hear different scenarios for what happens after 2014. Some say that immediately after there will be an overnight civil war in Afghanistan – they will start killing each other and turning on each other and they say this because for the last three and half decades we have had a very bloody history.”
Mr Karzai identified three transitional areas that must be developed in unison to ensure a successful future: improved security, political stability and economic improvement.
He said he believed the help of countries in the region would make Afghanistan stronger.
“There is hope but at the same time 2014 also represents a fear that this will all come crumbling down. But I believe that with partners like the UAE, Afghanistan will not just survive but it will transform itself into a country that is no longer known for terrorism, but a country that has the ability to be a bridge between different regions,” he said.
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Ferrari
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THE SPECS
Range Rover Sport Autobiography Dynamic
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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
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.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
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Game Changer
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The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
The specs: 2018 Nissan 370Z Nismo
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- Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
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'Panga'
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US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
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The National photo project
Chris Whiteoak, a photographer at The National, spent months taking some of Jacqui Allan's props around the UAE, positioning them perfectly in front of some of the country's most recognisable landmarks. He placed a pirate on Kite Beach, in front of the Burj Al Arab, the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland at the Burj Khalifa, and brought one of Allan's snails (Freddie, which represents her grandfather) to the Dubai Frame. In Abu Dhabi, a dinosaur went to Al Ain's Jebel Hafeet. And a flamingo was taken all the way to the Hatta Mountains. This special project suitably brings to life the quirky nature of Allan's prop shop (and Allan herself!).