Qatar's Foreign Minister Mohammed Al Thani backs talks between Gulf countries and Iran. AP
Qatar's Foreign Minister Mohammed Al Thani backs talks between Gulf countries and Iran. AP
Qatar's Foreign Minister Mohammed Al Thani backs talks between Gulf countries and Iran. AP
Qatar's Foreign Minister Mohammed Al Thani backs talks between Gulf countries and Iran. AP

Doha offers to broker Gulf dialogue with Iran


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Doha can broker talks between Gulf states and Iran now that GCC ties are restored, Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Al Thani told Bloomberg TV on Tuesday.

His comments came a day after Omar Ghobash, the UAE's Assistant Minister for Culture and Public Diplomacy, repeated to CNBC that the country backed conditional talks with Iran that tackle regional meddling and its ballistic missiles.

"Qatar will facilitate negotiations, if asked by stakeholders, and will support whoever is chosen to do so. We want the accomplishment, we want to see the deal happening," Mr Al Thani said.

The issue of the 2015 Iran nuclear accord is back on the table because incoming US President Joe Biden is keen to restart talks with Tehran about two years after Donald Trump withdrew from the deal.

Qatar maintained close ties with Iran in recent years and the countries share several oil and gas projects.

Relations were mended between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt before the 41st GCC summit at Al Ula in Saudi Arabia this month.

The move ended a three-year Gulf crisis and travel, economic and diplomatic ties have started to resume.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Al Thani attended the summit for the first time since 2017, when the four countries cut ties with Doha after accusing it of supporting extremist groups and meddling in the internal affairs of neighbouring states. Doha denied the accusations.

In his opening address at the latest summit, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said that the region needed a co-ordinated front to face challenges, including on Iran's nuclear and ballistic missiles programmes.

On Saturday, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said that he expected the kingdom's embassy in Doha to reopen "within days".

Full diplomatic relations will resume, he said in Riyadh alongside Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.

Qatari TV channel beIN Sports was broadcast in Saudi Arabia on Monday.

In July, Saudi Arabia's General Authority for Competition said it had cancelled the licence of the broadcaster, which has been banned from broadcasting in the kingdom since mid-2017.

The broadcaster’s website was blocked as of Monday.

Qatar Airways resumed flights through Saudi airspace on January 7, with the first plane flying from Doha to Johannesburg.

Qatar Airways employees wait at the boarding counter ahead of the first flight bound for Cairo after the resumption of flights between Qatar and Egypt, at Qatar's Hamad International Airport near the capital Doha on January 18, 2021. Egypt reopened its airspace to Qatari flights on January 18 following a thaw in relations between Doha and a Saudi-led bloc. Egypt in June 2017 joined Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in cutting ties with Qatar, accusing it of being too close to Iran and backing the Muslim Brotherhood, seen by Cairo and its Gulf allies as a "terrorist" group. Qatar has denied the charges. / AFP / KARIM JAAFAR
Qatar Airways employees wait at the boarding counter ahead of the first flight bound for Cairo after the resumption of flights between Qatar and Egypt, at Qatar's Hamad International Airport near the capital Doha on January 18, 2021. Egypt reopened its airspace to Qatari flights on January 18 following a thaw in relations between Doha and a Saudi-led bloc. Egypt in June 2017 joined Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in cutting ties with Qatar, accusing it of being too close to Iran and backing the Muslim Brotherhood, seen by Cairo and its Gulf allies as a "terrorist" group. Qatar has denied the charges. / AFP / KARIM JAAFAR

Saudia and Qatar Airways resumed flights between Doha and Riyadh on January 11.

Bahrain also resumed flights and Qatar released Sami Al Haddad, a bodybuilding champion, and two other Bahrainis who were detained during fishing trips, Bahrain's Interior Ministry said last Thursday.

The first flights from Qatar to Egypt resumed on Monday and transport links with the UAE have also been restored.

Egypt reopened its airspace to flights from Qatar on January 18 after a thaw in relations with Doha. AFP
Egypt reopened its airspace to flights from Qatar on January 18 after a thaw in relations with Doha. AFP
BMW M5 specs

Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor

Power: 727hp

Torque: 1,000Nm

Transmission: 8-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km

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ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

The biog

Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi

Age: 23

How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them

Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need

Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman

Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs 

Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing

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Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Bullet%20Train
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All or Nothing

Amazon Prime

Four stars

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Bert van Marwijk factfile

Born: May 19 1952
Place of birth: Deventer, Netherlands
Playing position: Midfielder

Teams managed:
1998-2000 Fortuna Sittard
2000-2004 Feyenoord
2004-2006 Borussia Dortmund
2007-2008 Feyenoord
2008-2012 Netherlands
2013-2014 Hamburg
2015-2017 Saudi Arabia
2018 Australia

Major honours (manager):
2001/02 Uefa Cup, Feyenoord
2007/08 KNVB Cup, Feyenoord
World Cup runner-up, Netherlands

Awar Qalb

Director: Jamal Salem

Starring: Abdulla Zaid, Joma Ali, Neven Madi and Khadija Sleiman

Two stars

hall of shame

SUNDERLAND 2002-03

No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.

SUNDERLAND 2005-06

Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.

HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19

Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.

ASTON VILLA 2015-16

Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.

FULHAM 2018-19

Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.

LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.

BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
  • Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
  • Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester

Don’ts 

  • Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal 
  • Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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A German university was a good fit for the family budget

Annual fees for the Technical University of Munich - £600

Shared rental accommodation per month depending on the location ranges between  £200-600

The family had budgeted for food, books, travel, living expenses - £20,000 annually

Overall costs in Germany are lower than the family estimated 

As proof that the student has the ability to take care of expenses, international students must open a blocked account with about £8,640

Students are permitted to withdraw £720 per month

'The Lost Daughter'

Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal

Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson

Rating: 4/5

Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
INFO

Everton 0

Arsenal 0

Man of the Match: Djibril Sidibe (Everton)

Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance

Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.

Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.

The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.

The Details

Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
Directed by: Anubhav Sinha
Starring: Ayushmann Khurrana, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa, Sayani Gupta, Zeeshan Ayyub
Our rating: 4/5 

UAE squad

Men's draw: Victor Scvortov and Khalifa Al Hosani, (both 73 kilograms), Sergiu Toma and Mihail Marchitan (90kg), Ivan Remarenco (100kg), Ahmed Al Naqbi (60kg), Musabah Al Shamsi and Ahmed Al Hosani (66kg)

Women’s draw: Maitha Al Neyadi (57kg)

The specs

AT4 Ultimate, as tested

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 420hp

Torque: 623Nm

Transmission: 10-speed automatic

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets