Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has had to cancel a trip to Australia after technical problems with her official aircraft saw it twice return to Abu Dhabi.
The military announced the Airbus A340 would be retired after the latest in a string of embarrassing mishaps for German officials travelling abroad.
The Green party minister had planned to visit Australia, New Zealand and Fiji in a week-long trip.
As well as holding talks on climate and security policy, she had hoped to watch a semi-final of the Women’s World Cup.
But Ms Baerbock’s tour was abandoned after the German Air Force plane made two aborted attempts to set off from Abu Dhabi International Airport.
On both occasions the crew noticed a “technical fault” with the wing flaps on aircraft, which had stopped off at Abu Dhabi for refuelling.
The aircraft had to dump 80 tonnes of fuel before returning to the airport.
Ms Baerbock said it was “more than unfortunate” that it was “logistically impossible to continue my Indo-Pacific trip without the defective plane”.
The plane changed crew in Abu Dhabi on Sunday but turned back after taking off for Canberra. It had been due to arrive in Australia on Monday night.
A test flight over the UAE went smoothly after repairs, but a second attempt to head for Australia on Monday was called off when the fault resurfaced. The aircraft returned to Abu Dhabi.
It is not the first time that technical problems have thwarted the travel plans of senior German officials.
In May, Ms Baerbock was held up in Qatar because of a tyre fault on an Airbus A321 neo.
A visit to London was called off in December because of delays in de-icing her plane in Dublin.
Former chancellor Angela Merkel arrived late to a G20 summit in 2018 because of a fault with her official aircraft. It was also carrying her successor Olaf Scholz, then finance minister.
The same year, another flight involving Mr Scholz was held up in Indonesia when rodents apparently chewed through electric cables.
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Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
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"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
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Our legal consultants
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The Library: A Catalogue of Wonders
Stuart Kells, Counterpoint Press
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How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
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Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
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Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
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