Developing FNC experience


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"The democratic experience witnessed by the UAE in the last elections of the Federal National Council must be supported and more people must be allowed to participate," wrote Muhammad al Hamadi, a regular columnist for the UAE's independent newspaper Al Ittihad. If the parliament's mandate is extended for two new years, which seems likely, its members must listen to the citizens about their needs, and not simply address whatever lands on their desks, he wrote.

"On the official level, the council needs to be given more power and a wider remit so that it can fulfill its legislative role. Our parliament today is still deficient because it does not have the right to issue real laws and this is hampering its workings," al Hamadi said. "Doubling the number of council members to 80 members would allow women to have a real presence, he added. "It is important that the coming elections include more citizens, or even all of them, and give them the right to both run as candidates and to vote, so that they participate in the democratic process."

Jordan's independent newspaper Al Arab al Yawm ran an ironic article by Jawad al Bashiti saying the opinions of the Iraqi people should not necessarily be polled concerning the security agreement with the United States, which is about to be ratified. "Attention is focused now on the Iraqi parliament, though the result has become known even before it convenes to ratify the draft and practise its constitutional right in approving or rejecting it," he wrote.

"Why should we repudiate an agreement, the articles and items of which would justify calling it 'the agreement that completely ends the military presence of the United States in Iraq on December, 31, 2011'." Further room for optimism is given by President-elect Obama's promise of change when he takes the keys of the White House, al-Bashiti wrote. "Didn't Obama say he has a plan, upon which he will withdraw one or two brigades every month from Iraq, and so after 16 months, only a small force will remain and in the middle of 2010, all fighting forces will have left Iraq?"

Syria's state-controlled Teshreen daily ran an opinion piece by Editing Director Issam Dari reporting the British Foreign Minister David Miliband as saying "Syria enjoys a major role at the level of enhancing stability in the Middle East". The statement echoed those of other European and even American officials who visited "the capital of love, peace, tolerance and coexistence", he wrote."For the past eight years, enemies pressured Syria with false accusations based on lies, threats and unfair sanctions, and then attempts to isolate it, blockade it or militarily attack it, whether the attacks were carried out by Israel or the American army occupying Iraq." The attempts failed because Syria's positions are based on "what is right and just", Dari wrote.

"We hope that the European officials - who are our neighbours and who know the facts better than those running the wars from across the oceans - will respect their convictions and those of their people who expressed, in recent polls, their belief that Israel was a factor threatening security and stability not only in the Middle East but also on the European continent."

Hussam Ittani, a regular columnist for Lebanon's independent leftist newspaper As Safir wrote that it is remarkable that one of the busiest sea lanes in the world passes right though a hotbed of piracy near the shores of Somalia. "The recent attack on a Saudi oil supertanker, which was laden with two million barrels of oil, added a new dimension to the piracy issue," he wrote. This issue now involves the world, risks worsening the economic crisis and raises fears of an environmental disaster.

"The irony here is that Somalia managed to re-attract western attention through the piracy issue," Ittani wrote. "While this country doesn't present any motive for any country to occupy it because of its lack of natural resources and the complexity of its tribal and political structure, the pirates, unintentionally of course, seem to have presented the motive for returning the Somali issue to the forefront of international attention."

The pirates have played, for the thousandth time, the role of David versus Goliath "who proved, also for the thousandth time, that he needs a bit more brain and a bit less brawn". * Digest compiled by mideastwire.com

Analysis

Maros Sefcovic is juggling multiple international trade agreement files, but his message was clear when he spoke to The National on Wednesday.

The EU-UAE bilateral trade deal will be finalised soon, he said. It is in everyone’s interests to do so. Both sides want to move quickly and are in alignment. He said the UAE is a very important partner for the EU. It’s full speed ahead - and with some lofty ambitions - on the road to a free trade agreement. 

We also talked about US-EU tariffs. He answered that both sides need to talk more and more often, but he is prepared to defend Europe's position and said diplomacy should be a guiding principle through the current moment. 

 

Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

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.

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UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

Defence review at a glance

• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels

House-hunting

Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove

  1. Edinburgh, Scotland 
  2. Westminster, London 
  3. Camden, London 
  4. Glasgow, Scotland 
  5. Islington, London 
  6. Kensington and Chelsea, London 
  7. Highlands, Scotland 
  8. Argyll and Bute, Scotland 
  9. Fife, Scotland 
  10. Tower Hamlets, London 

 

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills