US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said a united Gulf region was essential for building a planned security and economic alliance of Middle Eastern states as he arrived in Qatar.
After meeting his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Mr Pompeo flew to Saudi Arabia as he pushes on with his multi-leg Middle Eastern tour to reassure allies about Washington's commitment to the region.
He was greeted on the tarmac by Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al Jubeir and Saudi Ambassador to the US Prince Khalid bin Salman.
From Qatar he said that the crisis had gone on too long and said that the region faced challenges that required a unified stance.
"When we have a common challenge, disputes between countries with shared objectives are never helpful," Mr Pompeo, said from Doha.
"They never permit you to have as robust response to common adversaries or common challenges as you might," he added. "We're hoping that the unity of GCC will increase in the days and weeks and months ahead."
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar in June 2017 saying its support for terror groups was a destabilising threat and said the country’s policies interfered in the internal affairs of its neighbours. The quartet has issued a list of demands they say Doha must compromise on before they will restore links.
Pompeo later told reporters that he had brought up the rift with officials in Bahrain, Egypt and the UAE. "It's ... not at all clear that the rift is any closer to being resolved today than it was yesterday and I regret that," he said.
The UAE and Saudi Arabia have said that the situation is not a priority and could maintain for the foreseeable future unless Qatar is serious about change but stated that it does not compromise defence cooperation with the US.
Mr Pompeo said that Gulf unity was essential for the planned Middle East Strategic Alliance – dubbed MESA – that would also include Jordan and Egypt.
America has proposed a nine-country alliance for security, economic and political cooperation. MESA has been dubbed an Arab Nato.
Mr Pompeo also said he had signed an agreement with Doha to expand the Al Udeid Air Base that operates as a forward position for America's Central Command and is home to some 10,000 US troops.
He is also set to raise the importance of peace in Afghanistan and countering Iranian policies in the Middle East.
The Taliban have a political office in Doha and Saudi Arabia and the UAE have played an important recent role behind the scenes in holding peace talks between the US and the armed Afghan group.
However, it is unclear where Qatar will stand on the issue of the US’s increasingly active policy against Iran given that it has strong links with Tehran.
Mr Pompeo is later expected to head to Riyadh, where all eyes will be on a possible meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Touching on the killing of Saudi journalist and critic of government policy, Jamal Khashoggi, in the kingdom’s embassy last year, Mr Pompeo said he would speak with the crown prince to ensure there is "full and complete" accountability.
A group of senior officials and security personnel were arrested for carrying out the killing which the Saudi government says the country’s leadership were unaware of. The trial of the 11 men opened at the start of the year.
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Read more:
Mike Pompeo: Syria pullout won't stop fight against ISIS or Iranian influence
National Editorial: US engagement in the Middle East is critical to global security
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Meanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif met with his Iraqi counterpart in Baghdad just days after Mr Pompeo’s surprise visit to the country.
After a two-hour meeting on Sunday, Iraq's top diplomat Mohammed Ali al-Hakim said he had talked through the restrictions with his counterpart.
"We discussed the unilateral economic measures taken by the US and are working with our neighbour (Iran) on them," Hakim said.
He said the two talked through various political and economic issues, including Syria and Yemen, in a "long and interesting meeting".
Tehran has also summoned Poland's ambassador and cancelled a Polish film festival over news that Warsaw would host a global summit to address the threat posed by the Iranian regime.
The Polish capital will be where dozens of countries are to gather at a February 13-14 meeting to “focus on Middle East stability and peace and freedom and security here in this region,” Mr Pompeo said on Friday.
America's top diplomat departed from Abu Dhabi after meeting with UAE ambassador to the US Yousef Al Otaiba. On Saturday evening, he met with Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed. The pair discussed areas of cooperation and mutual interest between Washington and Abu Dhabi.
The meeting was attended by Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chief executive and managing director of Mubadala, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Affairs Authority and Abu Dhabi Executive Council Member, Dr Anwar Gargash, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, and Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed, National Security Adviser.
Mr Pompeo's arrival in Doha follows an address to the region delivered from Cairo on Thursday in which he pledged continuing US focus on stabilising the region and countering the threat posed by Iran and its role in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.
T20 World Cup Qualifier
October 18 – November 2
Opening fixtures
Friday, October 18
ICC Academy: 10am, Scotland v Singapore, 2.10pm, Netherlands v Kenya
Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan
Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed
Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
How to get there
Emirates (www.emirates.com) flies directly to Hanoi, Vietnam, with fares starting from around Dh2,725 return, while Etihad (www.etihad.com) fares cost about Dh2,213 return with a stop. Chuong is 25 kilometres south of Hanoi.
Match info
Liverpool 4
Salah (19'), Mane (45 2', 53'), Sturridge (87')
West Ham United 0
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Some of Darwish's last words
"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
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
In 2018, the ICRC received 27,756 trace requests in the Middle East alone. The global total was 45,507.
There are 139,018 global trace requests that have not been resolved yet, 55,672 of these are in the Middle East region.
More than 540,000 individuals approached the ICRC in the Middle East asking to be reunited with missing loved ones in 2018.
The total figure for the entire world was 654,000 in 2018.
Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: nine-speed
Power: 542bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh848,000
On sale: now
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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Spider-Man: No Way Home
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon
Rating:*****
Story%20behind%20the%20UAE%20flag
%3Cp%3EThe%20UAE%20flag%20was%20first%20unveiled%20on%20December%202%2C%201971%2C%20the%20day%20the%20UAE%20was%20formed.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIt%20was%20designed%20by%20Abdullah%20Mohammed%20Al%20Maainah%2C%2019%2C%20an%20Emirati%20from%20Abu%20Dhabi.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EMr%20Al%20Maainah%20said%20in%20an%20interview%20with%20%3Cem%3EThe%20National%3C%2Fem%3E%20in%202011%20he%20chose%20the%20colours%20for%20local%20reasons.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EThe%20black%20represents%20the%20oil%20riches%20that%20transformed%20the%20UAE%2C%20green%20stands%20for%20fertility%20and%20the%20red%20and%20white%20colours%20were%20drawn%20from%20those%20found%20in%20existing%20emirate%20flags.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Under-21 European Championship Final
Germany 1 Spain 0
Weiser (40')
