UNITED NATIONS // The Government has won fresh plaudits from the US, the UN and key players in the international community for aiding Iraq's recovery with diplomatic and financial support.
During a Security Council meeting at UN headquarters in New York yesterday, the UAE was repeatedly praised for appointing an ambassador to Baghdad and writing off billions of dollars of Iraqi debt.
A report from UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, said "the decision of the United Arab Emirates to forgive Iraqi debt is a strong step that I hope is taken by others in the region".
The world's top diplomat added that he hoped more countries would follow the example of the UAE, which together with Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain are "building forward-looking relationships" by resuming full diplomatic relations with Iraq.
His comments come just days after George W Bush, the US president, also praised the UAE's diplomatic efforts in the region. Mr Bush met Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, at Camp David earlier this week.
Last month, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, announced the slashing of almost US$7 billion (Dh25.7bn) worth of Iraqi debt left over from the Saddam Hussein era.
The UAE was also the first GCC nation to name an ambassador to Baghdad since the US-led invasion in 2003.
Mr Ban's sentiments, meanwhile, were echoed by Alejandro Wolff, a US ambassador speaking on behalf of the Multi-National Force - Iraq, who called on other Middle East nations to "follow their example" and establish diplomatic ties.
Russia's UN envoy, Vitaly Churkin, applauded nations that had offered financial support, while Iraq's ambassador, Hamid al Bayati, highlighted his "appreciation" of the UAE "to forgive Iraq's debt".
In his Security Council briefing, Lynn Pascoe, UN undersecretary general for political affairs, said security had improved across most of Iraq in the past three months but added that much more progress was needed on the political front.
"Violent incidents and casualties have declined and we have witnessed the improved performance of Iraq security forces during a series of operations," Mr Pascoe said, adding that it was necessary to cement security gains with "strengthened and sustained political dialogue" among the country's rival factions.
The UN's top political official said failure to agree on new electoral legislation would mean provincial elections, which are seen as a crucial test of Iraq's democracy, could not go ahead.
"The UN has been doing all it can to urge practical compromises," said Mr Pascoe. "A failure to come to agreement on a law at this time would be a major setback, not only for the prospects of elections this year but for the larger process of national reconciliation in Iraq."
According to the US, civilian deaths have dropped by 65 per cent; coalition military deaths have decreased by 96 per cent; and the overall number of attacks has dropped by 84 per cent since June last year.
Responding to the accolades it had received in the Security Council meeting, Anwar al Barout, chargé d'affaires of the UAE mission to the UN, said the Government would continue to back Iraq.
"The UAE decision to appoint an ambassador in Iraq and write off Iraq's debt embodies the brotherhood ties between the people of the two countries, and expresses the desire of the UAE Government to effectively contribute to improving Iraq's economy and help its government implement plans and projects for reconstruction and rehabilitation," said Mr Barout.
@Email:jreinl@thenational.ae
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
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Install an air filter in your home.
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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
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Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
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RESULT
Arsenal 2
Sokratis Papastathopoulos 45 4'
Eddie Ntkeiah 51'
Portsmouth 0
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
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