GCC summit: Saudi crown prince calls for unity in face of Iran challenges

Regional states must show unity to counter Iran's regional interference, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said at the GCC summit on Tuesday.

The call came amid signs that a years-long rift with Qatar had been resolved.

The Saudi crown prince and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim exchanged a warm embrace on the tarmac at Al Ula airport after the Qatari delegation arrived for the 41st Gulf Co-operation Council summit.

Qatar's emir is attending the summit for the first time since 2017, when fellow bloc members Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain, along with Egypt, cut off ties over Doha's support for extremist groups.

"We are today in need of co-operation in our efforts, in the face of challenges in our region – especially the nuclear and ballistic missiles programme in Iran, which aims to shake up the stability of the region," Prince Mohammed said in the opening address.

“We need to realise the aims that the GCC is based on, the continued journey in all fields,” he said.

He thanked the gathered leaders for their "bold steps" in attending the summit.

Referring to the summit statement signed by all six GCC leaders, Prince Mohammed said: "The Al Ula Accord emphasises Gulf, Arab and Islamic solidarity and stability as well as the strengthening of friendship and brotherhood between our countries and people."

The contents of the accord were not immediately made public.

Speaking after Prince Salman, Kuwaiti emir Sheikh Nawaf Al Sabah said the Al Ula Accord "can be called the solidarity agreement".

"We congratulate everyone on the historic achievement that has been reached here at the summit," he said.

Sheikh Nawaf was attending his first summit as Kuwaiti emir after succeeding his brother Sheikh Sabah, who died in September.

Prince Mohammed said the summit would be named after Sheikh Sabah and Sultan Qaboos of Oman, who died in January last year.

"This year, the GCC summit is missing two great leaders who played a major role in mediating talks between member states, the late Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah and the late Sultan Qaboos," Prince Mohammed said in his speech.

The summit was held amid expectations that the rift with Qatar would be resolved following Saudi Arabia's announcement on Monday evening that it was reopening land, sea and air borders with its neighbour, which had been closed since 2017.

Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry also attended the summit.

“Egypt appreciates and values every sincere effort made to achieve reconciliation between the four nations [Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt] and Qatar, especially the efforts of the brotherly state of Kuwait over the past years,” said the Foreign Ministry statement.

Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015

- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France

What drives subscription retailing?

Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.

The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.

The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.

The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.

UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.

That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.

Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets

Company profile

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The Voice of Hind Rajab

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What is dialysis?

Dialysis is a way of cleaning your blood when your kidneys fail and can no longer do the job.

It gets rid of your body's wastes, extra salt and water, and helps to control your blood pressure. The main cause of kidney failure is diabetes and hypertension.

There are two kinds of dialysis — haemodialysis and peritoneal.

In haemodialysis, blood is pumped out of your body to an artificial kidney machine that filter your blood and returns it to your body by tubes.

In peritoneal dialysis, the inside lining of your own belly acts as a natural filter. Wastes are taken out by means of a cleansing fluid which is washed in and out of your belly in cycles.

It isn’t an option for everyone but if eligible, can be done at home by the patient or caregiver. This, as opposed to home haemodialysis, is covered by insurance in the UAE.

UAE Falcons

Carly Lewis (captain), Emily Fensome, Kelly Loy, Isabel Affley, Jessica Cronin, Jemma Eley, Jenna Guy, Kate Lewis, Megan Polley, Charlie Preston, Becki Quigley and Sophie Siffre. Deb Jones and Lucia Sdao – coach and assistant coach.

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Sole survivors

Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
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The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.