Qatar and Bahrain will resume their diplomatic ties more than two years after an Arab boycott of Doha was lifted.
Both countries' state news agencies confirmed the development on Wednesday,
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt ended a three-and-a-half year boycott of Qatar in January 2021. Except Bahrain, the other three countries restored travel and trade links with Doha in 2021.
On Wednesday, the Bahraini-Qatari Follow-up Committee held its second meeting at the headquarters of the GCC General Secretariat in the Saudi capital where the decision was made, the two countries said in separate statements.
In January, Bahrain's crown prince spoke with Qatar's emir by telephone, in a sign that the two Gulf states were moving towards mending relations.
Their decision to restore diplomatic ties was welcomed by Kuwait, which acted as mediator during the Arab boycott.
Kuwait's Foreign Ministry said the agreement "reflects fraternal relations between Qatar and Bahrain as well as a contributing to unity among the Gulf Co-operation Council member countries", state news agency Kuna reported.
Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the UAE's Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, backed the resumption of diplomatic relations, in comments carried by state news agency Wam.
He said the agreement was an important step towards supporting efforts to advance joint Gulf action and would serve the common interests of both nations and the region
His wished both countries further prosperity and development.
The row that led the four countries to cut ties with Qatar in 2017 centred around its support for Islamist movements deemed a threat by Arab neighbours and its close ties with Iran and Turkey.
The reconciliation between Qatar and Bahrain, both members of the six-nation GCC along with Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Oman, comes amid a flurry of regional efforts to resolve disputes.
Saudi Arabia welcomed Syria's foreign minister on Wednesday in a latest sign that the Arab League might be ready to reinstate Damascus. Syria's membership was suspended more than a decade ago when President Bashar Al Assad launched a brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests.
Last month, Saudi Arabia and its main regional rival, Iran, agreed to restore diplomatic ties that had been severed in 2016, in an agreement brokered by China.
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
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How Apple's credit card works
The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.
What does it cost?
Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.
What will the interest rate be?
The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts
What about security?
The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.
Is it easy to use?
Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision.
* Associated Press
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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