The regime of former Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi has contributed to presidential campaigns in the US, Ukraine and France, reported Asharq Al Awsat newspaper on Monday.
The report said that the Qaddafi government put $5 million towards the campaign of a candidate who was running in the 2004 US elections. Another €4m was spent on the campaign of Yulia Tymoshenko, who ran in the 2010 Ukraine elections, it added.
The report also reiterated that Qaddafi spent almost €50m to fund the presidential campaign of Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007.
French-Lebanese businessman Ziad Takieddine, who was present at Mr Sarkozy’s meeting with Qaddafi, said the “figures were much higher than that”, according to the daily.
Mr Sarkozy has repeatedly denied taking money from Qaddafi, who was captured and killed in 2011 after being deposed.
A close aide of Saif Al Islam — Qaddafi’s son, who was part of his father’s inner circle — said he was present during closed-door meetings between French and Libyan officials.
Mr Sarkozy had promised improved ties between France and Libya in return for the funding, he told the paper on condition of anonymity.
Read more: Britain arrests French suspect in Sarkozy financing probe
Negotiations reportedly took place at the Corinthia Hotel Tripoli and included discussions on dropping the case of the 1989 UTA Flight bombing that implicated Qaddafi’s brother-in-law, Abdullah Al Senussi.
"Of course Sarkozy was interior minister before he was elected president. He had arrived in Libya at the insistence of his aide, Claude Gueant, as well as Takieddine," the source told the paper.
"We felt while talking with him that he had great ambitions to become president of France. He asked for support from Libya to fund his campaign."
The US candidate was financed through a mediator, who was a close friend of Saif Al Islam and the US official, reported Asharq Al Awsat.
“The candidate had pledged to Tripoli that if he should win the elections, he would remove Libya off terrorism blacklists,” the newspaper reported.
“The financing of his campaign took place through transferring funds through a third country.
“The agreement between the Libyans and Americans took place after a meeting in the US city of Toledo in Idaho.”
Meanwhile, Al Islam’s aide said that he personally delivered funds for Ms Tymoshenko’s campaign.
“I had them in a briefcase and I travelled to Ukraine on a private jet. I arrived at Kiev airport and delivered the case to the deputy prime minister,” he said.
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE results
Lost to Oman by eight runs
Beat Namibia by three wickets
Lost to Oman by 12 runs
Beat Namibia by 43 runs
UAE fixtures
Free admission. All fixtures broadcast live on icc.tv
Tuesday March 15, v PNG at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Friday March 18, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Saturday March 19, v PNG at Dubai International Stadium
Monday March 21, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
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Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
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Oscars in the UAE
The 90th Academy Awards will be aired in the UAE from 3.30am on Monday, March 5 on OSN, with the ceremony starting at 5am
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England's lowest Test innings
- 45 v Australia in Sydney, January 28, 1887
- 46 v West Indies in Port of Spain, March 25, 1994
- 51 v West Indies in Kingston, February 4, 2009
- 52 v Australia at The Oval, August 14, 1948
- 53 v Australia at Lord's, July 16, 1888
- 58 v New Zealand in Auckland, March 22, 2018
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Singham Again
Director: Rohit Shetty
Stars: Ajay Devgn, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ranveer Singh, Akshay Kumar, Tiger Shroff, Deepika Padukone
Rating: 3/5
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Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
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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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Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
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MATCH INFO
Euro 2020 qualifier
Croatia v Hungary, Thursday, 10.45pm, UAE
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
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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
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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.
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5