Ahmed Shafiq speaks during a news conference in Cairo in 2012. Khaled Elfiqi / EPA
Ahmed Shafiq speaks during a news conference in Cairo in 2012. Khaled Elfiqi / EPA
Ahmed Shafiq speaks during a news conference in Cairo in 2012. Khaled Elfiqi / EPA
Ahmed Shafiq speaks during a news conference in Cairo in 2012. Khaled Elfiqi / EPA

Former Egyptian prime minister retracts bid for presidency


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Egypt’s former prime minister Ahmed Shafiq announced on Sunday his withdrawal from the upcoming elections in May.

Shafiq was seen as the most serious potential challenger to President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in an election due early in the year, though Mr Sisi has yet to officially announce his candidacy.

“I have realized that I am not ideal candidate to lead the county’s affairs in the coming period, for this reason I have decided not to run in the upcoming presidential elections,” Mr Shafiq said in a statement.

“Being abroad for five years has affected my ability to closely follow developments in the country," he said.

In late November, Mr Shafiq announced his bid to run for presidency in a televised address from his home in the UAE.

"I'm honoured to announce my will to run in the upcoming presidential elections in Egypt as a choice to be president of the country for the next four years," said Mr Shafiq, who thanked the UAE, its leadership and people for hosting him "with all dignity".

The 76-year-old, an ex-air force commander and former aviation minister, narrowly lost a presidential election to Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohamed Mursi in 2012 before fleeing for the United Arab Emirates, where he has lived since.

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Read more:

Former Egyptian PM Ahmed Shafiq leaves UAE for Cairo

UAE denies it barred Egypt's former premier from leaving country

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8

Power: 640hp

Torque: 760nm

On sale: 2026

Price: Not announced yet

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?

Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
 

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Honeymoonish
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F1 The Movie

Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Rating: 4/5

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Tuesday results:

  • Singapore bt Malaysia by 29 runs
  • UAE bt Oman by 13 runs
  • Hong Kong bt Nepal by 3 wickets

Final:
Thursday, UAE v Hong Kong

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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About Takalam

Date started: early 2020

Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: HealthTech and wellness

Number of staff: 4

Funding to date: Bootstrapped

Gothia Cup 2025

4,872 matches 

1,942 teams

116 pitches

76 nations

26 UAE teams

15 Lebanese teams

2 Kuwaiti teams

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Match info:

Real Betis v Sevilla, 10.45pm (UAE)

Game Of Thrones Season Seven: A Bluffers Guide

Want to sound on message about the biggest show on television without actually watching it? Best not to get locked into the labyrinthine tales of revenge and royalty: as Isaac Hempstead Wright put it, all you really need to know from now on is that there’s going to be a huge fight between humans and the armies of undead White Walkers.

The season ended with a dragon captured by the Night King blowing apart the huge wall of ice that separates the human world from its less appealing counterpart. Not that some of the humans in Westeros have been particularly appealing, either.

Anyway, the White Walkers are now free to cause any kind of havoc they wish, and as Liam Cunningham told us: “Westeros may be zombie land after the Night King has finished.” If the various human factions don’t put aside their differences in season 8, we could be looking at The Walking Dead: The Medieval Years

 

Company%20profile
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MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League last-16, second leg:

Real Madrid 1 (Asensio 70'), Ajax 4 (Ziyech 7', Neres 18', Tadic 62', Schone 72')

Ajax win 5-3 on aggregate