China, an importer of Iranian oil, remains the toughest impediment to the West's plans to subject the Islamic Republic to new sanctions that seek to weaken the leaders of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and the corporations under their tutelage, wrote Mazen Hammad in the Qatari newspaper Al Watan. There is also Russia, which may have relaxed its stance to come closer to the US position, but whose intentions are still unclear whether it would approve a fourth batch of sanctions. However, during the latest round of six-nation talks on Iran, which was held on Saturday in New York, "it was China's spectre that loomed over the meeting room".
On the occasion of his country's chairmanship of the Security Council earlier this month, the Chinese ambassador to the United Nations said that the time is not right to enforce sanctions against the Islamic Republic because diplomatic efforts are still going on to try to whittle down differences over Iran's nuclear programme. Because Beijing does not hide its doubts regarding the efficiency of new sanctions, the western powers now have to consider more seriously Iran's response to their proposal to enrich uranium in Russia and France.
"During my college days, we used to study a course offered by the media department called 'Islamic media' and, to this day, I still disagree with all those theories that sought to establish it on scientific grounds," wrote Nasser al Sarrami in the Saudi newspaper Al Jazirah. A number of professors have written about the subject and its academic viability, but it remains "hard and unreasonable" to try to put it into practice.
"The very appellation is problematic because everybody who works in the Saudi media is Muslim. And what about all those media outlets that represent a certain sect or ideology within Islamic culture itself?" More websites, blogs and forums are popping up these days and calling their product "Islamic press". Even television channels have joined in the trend. All of them devote narrow margins for innovation and tolerance and stick to a rigid set of conservative standards that border on sheer fanaticism. These outlets have a hard time accepting the arts, for instance, and readily write off important issues - women's status is only one of them - and consequently stay on the defensive. "Such practices can be called anything but journalism. Perhaps if a shrewd attorney took them up, he would manage to shut down most of these outlets and have them fined on charges of slander, libel and misleading information."
The determination of Nabil Berri, the speaker of the Lebanese parliament, to hold discussions about the formation of an authority in charge of eradicating political sectarianism in the country has engendered widely mixed reactions, said Ghasib al Mokhtar in the opinion section of the Lebanese newspaper Assafir.
Some said those discussions could wait, because current circumstances are not favourable. Others stressed the need to root out sectarian sentiments first before tackling legislation. There were those who called for guarantees to be given to Lebanon's Christians before getting on with the debate and others who demanded that the project be approved unanimously. Putting the discussions on a stand-by mode means that sectarianism will remain fixed in the spirit and the conventions of the Lebanese people for years to come. And offering guarantees to a particular sect would only entail more demands for guarantees by other groups, which runs counter to the very need to grow out of sectarianism. Then, there are those who see in the eradication of political sectarianism a gateway to a federal system, which is an old dream that has been revived recently. Even if used for routine political bargaining, tossing this "federation" card on an already messy table is a perilous manoeuvre.
Al Qa'eda has decidedly become a transcontinental organism, and perhaps only Antarctica is still spared its influence, wrote Mohammed bin Huwaidin in the Emirati newspaper Al Bayan.
There are many reasons why al Qa'eda has opted in the past months to relocate its activities to Yemen. Faced with strong pressure in Afghanistan and Pakistan, al Qa'eda needed some breathing space, and Yemen offered the best landscape and the most propitious political and security conditions. "Yemen resembles Afghanistan in its mountainous relief, a characteristic that makes regular war difficult and gives an advantage to guerrilla warriors. Add to that, Yemen's community is quite similar to that of Afghanistan. Both populations consist of tribes which include a significant majority of illiterate and unemployed individuals who cherish the tradition of arms possession."
Al Qa'eda's primary objective in Yemen is to drag US troops into the Arab peninsula. Then the confrontation in Afghanistan and Pakistan with the US forces will necessarily abate, granting al Qa'eda leeway to replenish its resources and heal its scars. The US would also be lured into squandering money and logistics on yet another lost war, which is a victory in itself for al Qa'eda. * Digest compiled by Achraf A ElBahi
@Email:aelbahi@thenational.ae
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hoopla%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EDate%20started%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMarch%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounder%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Jacqueline%20Perrottet%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2010%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EPre-seed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20required%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%24500%2C000%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Match info:
Portugal 1
Ronaldo (4')
Morocco 0
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
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
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
Company%20profile
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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
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.
EA%20Sports%20FC%2024
%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20EA%20Vancouver%2C%20EA%20Romania%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20EA%20Sports%3Cbr%3EConsoles%3A%20Nintendo%20Switch%2C%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20One%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Could%20We%20Be%20More
%3Cp%3EArtist%3A%20Kokoroko%3Cbr%3ELabel%3A%20Brownswood%20Recordings%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Western Region Asia Cup Qualifier
Results
UAE beat Saudi Arabia by 12 runs
Kuwait beat Iran by eight wickets
Oman beat Maldives by 10 wickets
Bahrain beat Qatar by six wickets
Semi-finals
UAE v Qatar
Bahrain v Kuwait
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Trolls World Tour
Directed by: Walt Dohrn, David Smith
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake
Rating: 4 stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
A general guide to how active you are:
Less than 5,000 steps - sedentary
5,000 - 9,999 steps - lightly active
10,000 - 12,500 steps - active
12,500 - highly active
A Dog's Journey
Directed by: Gail Mancuso
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Josh Gad, Marg Helgenberger, Betty Gilpin, Kathryn Prescott
3 out of 5 stars
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
US households add $601bn of debt in 2019
American households borrowed another $601 billion (Dh2.2bn) in 2019, the largest yearly gain since 2007, just before the global financial crisis, according to February data from the New York Federal Reserve Bank.
Fuelled by rising mortgage debt as homebuyers continued to take advantage of low interest rates, the increase last year brought total household debt to a record high, surpassing the previous peak reached in 2008 just before the market crash, according to the report.
Following the 22nd straight quarter of growth, American household debt swelled to $14.15 trillion by the end of 2019, the New York Fed said in its quarterly report.
In the final three months of the year, new home loans jumped to their highest volume since the fourth quarter of 2005, while credit cards and auto loans also added to the increase.
The bad debt load is taking its toll on some households, and the New York Fed warned that more and more credit card borrowers — particularly young people — were falling behind on their payments.
"Younger borrowers, who are disproportionately likely to have credit cards and student loans as their primary form of debt, struggle more than others with on-time repayment," New York Fed researchers said.
ANDROID%20VERSION%20NAMES%2C%20IN%20ORDER
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Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East