Iran's Parliament on Wednesday approved almost all of President Ebrahim Raisi's Cabinet choices, enabling him to start working in earnest with his government, after his June election victory.
Politicians approved 18 of 19 candidates put forward by the ultra-conservative Mr Raisi for the ministerial posts.
They rejected only his choice for the education portfolio, requiring the president to choose again.
In a country where ultimate power rests with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Mr Raisi inherits a difficult socio-economic situation.
Iran has been strangled financially by sanctions reimposed by Washington after then US president Donald Trump pulled out of a multilateral nuclear deal in 2018.
The country of 83 million people has since been hit by a severe economic crisis worsened by the Covid pandemic.
Iran is dealing with a fifth wave of infections, its strongest yet.
The country recorded its highest daily death toll on Tuesday, with 709 fatalities registered by the Health Ministry.
Mr Raisi won a June 18 election marred by record low turnout and an absence of significant competitors.
He succeeds moderate president Hassan Rouhani, architect of the political opening that culminated in the 2015 nuclear agreement between Tehran and major powers.
But that opening was negated by Mr Trump and much of Iran's conservative camp.
The new president was sworn in by Parliament in early August, but the departing administration remained at the helm until Wednesday's parliamentary vote.
The confidence vote in the strictly conservative line-up – all men – will allow Mr Raisi to start leaving his mark.
The president announced on Saturday that his government's first priority will be the battle against coronavirus, closely followed by the economy.
Russia, China and western powers are all keeping a watchful eye for any sign of willingness by Iran to resume discussions that began in Vienna in April, aimed at salvaging the 2015 nuclear deal.
The parties agreed in late June to meet for a new round of talks, but discussions have yet to resume.
After his election victory, Mr Raisi declared on June 20 that he would not permit talks merely for "negotiations' sake".
But he also said: "Any negotiations that guarantee national interests will certainly be supported."
New Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made no reference to the 2015 deal on Wednesday, listing other matters as the top concern in messages posted after taking office.
"Neighbours and Asia are the number one priority," he wrote on Twitter.
The 2015 deal offered Iran an easing of western and UN sanctions in return for tight controls on its nuclear programme, to be monitored by the UN.
The accord negotiations in Vienna, indirectly with the US but directly with other parties, seek to bring Washington back into the fold.
When the last round of talks finished in June, the plan was to soften US sanctions in exchange for Iran adhering strictly to its nuclear commitments.
In retaliation for Mr Trump's withdrawal three years ago and his sanctions, Iran in effect abandoned most of those commitments.
Elsewhere on the diplomatic circuit, one of the first decisions for the new government will be who to send to an Iraq-hosted regional summit due to take place on Saturday.
The summit seeks to ease tension on several fronts, and Iraq has said that Mr Raisi is among those invited.
Along with the prospective ministers, Iranian Cabinets are composed of several vice presidents who do not require parliamentary approval.
So far Mr Raisi has named four of them.
Among them is Maj Gen Mohsen Rezai, a former chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and among the losers in the presidential poll.
Gen Rezai was named vice president in charge of economic affairs.
PRESIDENTS CUP
Draw for Presidents Cup fourball matches on Thursday (Internationals first mention). All times UAE:
02.32am (Thursday): Marc Leishman/Joaquin Niemann v Tiger Woods/Justin Thomas
02.47am (Thursday): Adam Hadwin/Im Sung-jae v Xander Schauffele/Patrick Cantlay
03.02am (Thursday): Adam Scott/An Byeong-hun v Bryson DeChambeau/Tony Finau
03.17am (Thursday): Hideki Matsuyama/CT Pan v Webb Simpson/Patrick Reed
03.32am (Thursday): Abraham Ancer/Louis Oosthuizen v Dustin Johnson/Gary Woodland
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
Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
Australia squads
ODI: Tim Paine (capt), Aaron Finch (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.
T20: Aaron Finch (capt), Alex Carey (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Travis Head, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Andrew Tye, Jack Wildermuth.
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Liverpool's all-time goalscorers
Ian Rush 346
Roger Hunt 285
Mohamed Salah 250
Gordon Hodgson 241
Billy Liddell 228
