• Supporters of Iran's newly elected president Ebrahim Raisi gather at a rally celebrating his victory, in Imam Hossein square, in the capital Tehran. AFP
    Supporters of Iran's newly elected president Ebrahim Raisi gather at a rally celebrating his victory, in Imam Hossein square, in the capital Tehran. AFP
  • A woman wears a pin bearing the image of Iran's newly elected president Ebrahim Raisi during a rally in Imam Hossein square. AFP
    A woman wears a pin bearing the image of Iran's newly elected president Ebrahim Raisi during a rally in Imam Hossein square. AFP
  • A woman shows an image of Iranian president-elect Ebrahim Raisi on her phone. He received 17.9 million votes in a landslide victory. EPA
    A woman shows an image of Iranian president-elect Ebrahim Raisi on her phone. He received 17.9 million votes in a landslide victory. EPA
  • Women supporters of Ebrahim Raisi hold posters depicting him and national flags as they celebrate his presidential victory. More than 28 million Iranians out of 59 million eligible voters cast their ballots. AFP
    Women supporters of Ebrahim Raisi hold posters depicting him and national flags as they celebrate his presidential victory. More than 28 million Iranians out of 59 million eligible voters cast their ballots. AFP
  • An Iranian child holds a toy gun at a celebration to mark the victory of Ebrahim Raisi in the presidential elections. The vote appeared to see the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history. AP Photo
    An Iranian child holds a toy gun at a celebration to mark the victory of Ebrahim Raisi in the presidential elections. The vote appeared to see the lowest turnout in the Islamic Republic’s history. AP Photo
  • Ebrahim Raisi supporters display his portrait during a celebratory rally for his presidential election victory in Tehran. He will succeed President Hassan Rouhani, who is coming to the end of his second term in office. Reuters
    Ebrahim Raisi supporters display his portrait during a celebratory rally for his presidential election victory in Tehran. He will succeed President Hassan Rouhani, who is coming to the end of his second term in office. Reuters
  • Supporters of Ebrahim Raisi gather to celebrate his presidential election victory in Tehran. He had the support of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the backing of the powerful Guardian Council. Reuters
    Supporters of Ebrahim Raisi gather to celebrate his presidential election victory in Tehran. He had the support of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the backing of the powerful Guardian Council. Reuters
  • A conservative cleric and head of Iran’s judiciary, Ebrahim Raisi is expected to usher in hardline policies that will close Iran off from much of the world. Reuters
    A conservative cleric and head of Iran’s judiciary, Ebrahim Raisi is expected to usher in hardline policies that will close Iran off from much of the world. Reuters
  • Ebrahim Raisi will be the first Iranian president to have had sanctions imposed against him by the US government before entering office. Reuters
    Ebrahim Raisi will be the first Iranian president to have had sanctions imposed against him by the US government before entering office. Reuters
  • Although critical of the West, Ebrahim Raisi is keen to to revive the 2015 nuclear accord that lifted global sanctions on Tehran. AP Photo
    Although critical of the West, Ebrahim Raisi is keen to to revive the 2015 nuclear accord that lifted global sanctions on Tehran. AP Photo
  • Other pressing issues Iran's president-elect Ebrahim Raisi faces include an economic downturn that has led to spiralling inflation and job losses and tackling the region's worst outbreak of Covid-19. Reuters
    Other pressing issues Iran's president-elect Ebrahim Raisi faces include an economic downturn that has led to spiralling inflation and job losses and tackling the region's worst outbreak of Covid-19. Reuters
  • Supporters of Ebrahim Raisi celebrate his presidential election victory in Tehran. Reuters
    Supporters of Ebrahim Raisi celebrate his presidential election victory in Tehran. Reuters

To endure, Raisi's old guard need to modernise


  • English
  • Arabic

The Iranian journalist Akbar Ganji, who was once imprisoned for his reporting on a string of political murders throughout the 1990s, once observed that Ruhollah Khomeini, Iran's first supreme leader and architect of the 1979 revolution, never made any specific promises to his countrymen regarding their economic prosperity. He preferred, rather, to craft their societal expectations around matters of religion and ideology.
It is a luxury Iran's presidents, charged with a more corporeal remit, do not enjoy. Ebrahim Raisi, Iran's newly elected President, knows that he is inheriting an electorate wading through dire economic straits. The country's own national statistics centre estimates that about half of Iranians live in poverty – up from a third before the Covid-19 pandemic. Inflation has shot up, as oil revenues have plummeted. Millions of livelihoods will depend on Mr Raisi's ability to turn the situation around.
Sceptics have grounds to be pessimistic. A jurist and longtime admirer of the current supreme leader , Ali Khamenei, Mr Raisi has spent more time in Iran's austere justice system than he has pondering economic or foreign policy. In Iran, which has been crippled by years of international sanctions over its nuclear programme, the two are linked; restoring economic health will require abandoning Iran's adversarial politics and antagonistic worldview.

Ebrahim Raisi became a prosecutor when he was just 20. Reuters
Ebrahim Raisi became a prosecutor when he was just 20. Reuters
The international community now has access to an ally of the secretive Supreme Leader

Mr Raisi has already had sanctions imposed on him by the US  for past actions incompatible with this spirit. In 1988, when the "chain murders" on which Ganji reported began,  Mr Raisi was a state prosecutor who helped to fast-track the execution of thousands of other regime opponents. Despite growing calls from young Iranians for an inquiry, he remains unrepentant. He has since been instrumental in other crackdowns on dissent.
This is not a background that will help Iran's case in ongoing multilateral negotiations to revive a nuclear deal and lift the burden of sanctions. Such a deal was a cornerstone policy of the previous administration, but a favourite whipping post of hardliners, including Mr Raisi.
Today, its original moderate backers are largely irrelevant. A key architect of the deal, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, admitted as much in audio recordings leaked in May, in which he complained that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps controls the country's foreign policy. But with moderates now out of office, Mr Raisi will no longer be able to pin all blame for the country's economic failures on his predecessors.

But this may afford him a peculiar opportunity to put his own stamp on an agreement that his allies once despised, if he so chooses. A determined effort to end western sanctions through a new deal could prove popular among cash-strapped citizens and back up Mr Raisi's claim that he will govern for all Iranians. With conservatives now in total control of the government, the international community also has a rare chance to engage figures close to the notoriously isolated and distrusting office of the supreme leader.
The ideology of popular resistance, espoused by the establishment since 1979's revolution, is no longer stacking up for many Iranians outside the political system. Mr Raisi will be aware that his victory came on the back of the lowest electoral turnout since the revolution. He may prefer to fall back on the hollow rhetoric of resistance politics. He should avoid giving in to temptation, however, not just for the interests of ordinary Iranians, but also for his political endurance.

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Who was Alfred Nobel?

The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.

  • In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
  • Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
  • Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Types of bank fraud

1) Phishing

Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.

2) Smishing

The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.

3) Vishing

The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.

4) SIM swap

Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.

5) Identity theft

Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.

6) Prize scams

Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
HIJRA

Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy

Director: Shahad Ameen

Rating: 3/5

THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick

Hometown: Cologne, Germany

Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)

Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes

Favourite hobby: Football

Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk

How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

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Match info

Bournemouth 0
Liverpool 4
(Salah 25', 48', 76', Cook 68' OG)

Man of the match: Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)

UAE squad

Humaira Tasneem (c), Chamani Senevirathne (vc), Subha Srinivasan, NIsha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Esha Oza, Ishani Senevirathne, Heena Hotchandani, Keveesha Kumari, Judith Cleetus, Chavi Bhatt, Namita D’Souza.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

Results

1. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 1hr 32mins 03.897sec

2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda) at 0.745s

3. Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 37.383s

4. Lando Norris (McLaren) 46.466s

5.Sergio Perez (Red Bull-Honda) 52.047s

6. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) 59.090s

7. Daniel Ricciardo (McLaren) 1:06.004

8. Carlos Sainz Jr (Ferrari) 1:07.100

9. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri-Honda) 1:25.692

10. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin-Mercedes) 1:26.713,

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TO A LAND UNKNOWN

Director: Mahdi Fleifel

Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa

Rating: 4.5/5

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

The Vile

Starring: Bdoor Mohammad, Jasem Alkharraz, Iman Tarik, Sarah Taibah

Director: Majid Al Ansari

Rating: 4/5

The alternatives

• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.

• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.

• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.

2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.

• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases -  but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.

Another way to earn air miles

In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.

An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.

“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.

Avatar: Fire and Ash

Director: James Cameron

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5