Prince Turki al Faisal bin Abdulziz al-Saud, chairman of King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies, addresses the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain capital on December 6, 2020. AFP
Prince Turki al Faisal bin Abdulziz al-Saud, chairman of King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies, addresses the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain capital on December 6, 2020. AFP
Prince Turki al Faisal bin Abdulziz al-Saud, chairman of King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies, addresses the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain capital on December 6, 2020. AFP
Prince Turki al Faisal bin Abdulziz al-Saud, chairman of King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies, addresses the Manama Dialogue security conference in Bahrain capital on December 6, 2020.

Bahrain: ‘No easy road’ to Middle East peace but dialogue is key


Mina Aldroubi
  • English
  • Arabic

Bahrain on Sunday emphasised the challenges to peace in the Middle East, despite major shifts taking place as Israel forges new ties with several Arab states.

“The path of peace is not an easy ride. There will be a lot of obstacles along the way. There will be ups and downs, but the bedrock of that path, the path of peace, is the Israeli-Palestinian issue,” Abdullatif Al Zayani, Bahrain’s Foreign Minister said at the annual Manama Dialogue, hosted by the International Institute of Strategic Studies.

Mr Al Zayani said the region required a “broader partnership” to work together to protect common security interests.

The Bahraini minister mediated the conversation on Middle East security that included Israeli officials as well as former top Saudi official Prince Turki Al Faisal.

Prince Turki spoke about the challenges that Arab states face and referenced the Abraham Accord.

The deal, brokered by US President Donald Trump, came into effect in September making the UAE and Bahrain the first Arab states to establish relations with Israel in more than two decades.

Prince Turki called on Israel to extend “the hands of peace” and said Palestinians are living under a “western colonising” power. He also restated the kingdom’s established position of the Arab Peace Initiative providing the path to resolution to end the conflict between Palestinians and Israelis.

He said that the views he expressed during the session were “personal and do not reflect the government’s stance”.

Mr Al Zayani said the Abraham Accord represented a “pro-active move to consolidate security and prosperity in the Middle East”.

He said the Accord "changed the dynamics of our region” and altered perceptions of regional co-operation.

“It will take time for the implications and opportunities to become apparent but they are here to stay,” he said.

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Overview

What: The Arab Women’s Sports Tournament is a biennial multisport event exclusively for Arab women athletes.

When: From Sunday, February 2, to Wednesday, February 12.

Where: At 13 different centres across Sharjah.

Disciplines: Athletics, archery, basketball, fencing, Karate, table tennis, shooting (rifle and pistol), show jumping and volleyball.

Participating countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Qatar and UAE.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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MATCH INFO

Euro 2020 qualifier

Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')

Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)

Bullet%20Train
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The specs

Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

My Country: A Syrian Memoir

Kassem Eid, Bloomsbury

Fixtures

50-over match

UAE v Lancashire, starts at 10am

Champion County match

MCC v Surrey, four-day match, starting on Sunday, March 24, play starts at 10am

Both matches are at ICC Academy, Dubai Sports City. Admission is free.

THE SIXTH SENSE

Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Rating: 5/5

Top 5 concerns globally:

1. Unemployment

2. Spread of infectious diseases

3. Fiscal crises

4. Cyber attacks

5. Profound social instability

Top 5 concerns in the Mena region

1. Energy price shock

2. Fiscal crises

3. Spread of infectious diseases

4. Unmanageable inflation

5. Cyber attacks

Source: World Economic Foundation

Match info

Liverpool 3
Hoedt (10' og), Matip (21'), Salah (45 3')

Southampton 0

Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final

Esperance de Tunis 0
Al Ain 3
(Ahmed 02’, El Shahat 17’, Al Ahbabi 60’)

2.0

Director: S Shankar

Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films

Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Groom and Two Brides

Director: Elie Semaan

Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

The specs

Engine: 6.2-litre V8

Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm

Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm

Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto

Price: from Dh317,671

On sale: now

Previous men's records
  • 2:01:39: Eliud Kipchoge (KEN) on 16/9/19 in Berlin
  • 2:02:57: Dennis Kimetto (KEN) on 28/09/2014 in Berlin
  • 2:03:23: Wilson Kipsang (KEN) on 29/09/2013 in Berlin
  • 2:03:38: Patrick Makau (KEN) on 25/09/2011 in Berlin
  • 2:03:59: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 28/09/2008 in Berlin
  • 2:04:26: Haile Gebreselassie (ETH) on 30/09/2007 in Berlin
  • 2:04:55: Paul Tergat (KEN) on 28/09/2003 in Berlin
  • 2:05:38: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 14/04/2002 in London
  • 2:05:42: Khalid Khannouchi (USA) 24/10/1999 in Chicago
  • 2:06:05: Ronaldo da Costa (BRA) 20/09/1998 in Berlin
The design

The protective shell is covered in solar panels to make use of light and produce energy. This will drastically reduce energy loss.

More than 80 per cent of the energy consumed by the French pavilion will be produced by the sun.

The architecture will control light sources to provide a highly insulated and airtight building.

The forecourt is protected from the sun and the plants will refresh the inner spaces.

A micro water treatment plant will recycle used water to supply the irrigation for the plants and to flush the toilets. This will reduce the pavilion’s need for fresh water by 30 per cent.

Energy-saving equipment will be used for all lighting and projections.

Beyond its use for the expo, the pavilion will be easy to dismantle and reuse the material.

Some elements of the metal frame can be prefabricated in a factory.

 From architects to sound technicians and construction companies, a group of experts from 10 companies have created the pavilion.

Work will begin in May; the first stone will be laid in Dubai in the second quarter of 2019. 

Construction of the pavilion will take 17 months from May 2019 to September 2020.