In a news report, the London-based newspaper Al Quds al Arabi quoted the Moroccan minister of communications, Khaled Naciri, as saying that the camp put up by a group of citizens at the outskirt of Layoune in the Sahara was an expression of social and economic demands. It is a normal event in a country like Morocco known for its openness and democracy, he said.
"The government is seriously engaged in addressing the problems of these citizens. The government, while it sympathises with their legitimate demands, is undertaking normal dialogue with these citizens in order to find suitable solutions."
The protesters number 12,000. They demanded the government to offer them adequate housing, jobs and health care.
Moroccan officials argued that the demands of protesters in Layoune do not differ from protests in other regions in Morocco, overruling the political aspect of the issue. But many Sahrawi sources believe the exodus to the camp will continue because of the impact it has had in the media.
According to the Moroccan online newspaper Hespress, most of the protesters came from poor quarters of the city and their demands was for social and economic change. It reported that another camp was forming in Al Marsa, 20 kilometres southeast of Layoune. Both camps were being monitored by military troops and police forces.
Hamas and Fatah back at loggerheads
Hopes for achieving reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah were short-lived, as the supposedly last and decisive round of talks between the two sides scheduled on September 20 in Damascus was postponed until further notice, wrote Areeb al Rantawi in a commentary for the Jordanian daily Addustoor.
The reason for the delay was that Fatah would like to change the place of the meeting, whereas Hamas opposed this. According to news reports, there was an argument between the Syrian president Bashar Assad and the president of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas on the sidelines of the Arab League summit in Sirte, Libya, about issues related to resistance, negotiations and security. As a result, Mr Abbas reportedly requested to hold the meeting in Beirut, or anywhere else.
This was condemned by Hamas, which described it as a "pretext" for Fatah to withdraw from previous agreements, and thus both parties were engaged in an endless exchange of blame and accusations.
According to several sources, a message from the US and Israel warned top Palestinian officials in Ramallah against changing the security policy in the West Bank in which Hamas remains under the control of the security coordination between the Israeli military and the Palestinian Authority forces. The objective was to distance Hamas from Fatah.
Controlling news on referendum in Sudan
News on sensitive national issues should not be the only issues subject to stringent censorship, wrote Satea Nouredine in an opinion piece for the Lebanese daily Assafir.
Reports on the Sudanese referendum, for example, need to be checked for accuracy as they come from various sources. Most Arab media outlets put this issue at the top of its headlines on a par with other pressing Arab questions, such as the Palestinian cause, Lebanon, Iraq and Yemen.
This was a conscious editorial decision because most Arab media were aware of the fact that Sudan and the Arab world will soon face a new historical event and a strategic political change even before southerners go to vote in January. Voters will have to choose whether to support the union or to separate from the North and declare an independent state in the South. The latter event is likely.
Unchecked news on this issue represents, therefore, a threat to the stability and security in various Arab countries. This requires that censorship authorities to direct the public to understand the objective facts about the referendum.
Censorship – although it is not the only solution – can lessen the effects of the likely independence of the South of Sudan because the newly born republic might incite other minorities within Arab countries to follow suit.
Kuwait needs stricter law enforcement
In an opinion piece for the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Jareeda, Abdullah al Mesfer denounced the abuse of democracy in Kuwait in light of the attack on the privately-owned channel Scope TV.
The author criticised the democratic malpractice of media outlets in Kuwait that were involved in defamation. This prompted an unexpected reaction like the storming of the Scope TV offices by an angry crowd.
"Kuwaitis have been wrong in how they interpret freedom of expression and democracy because they think liberty means they can do anything they wish at any time. They also believe that encroaching on others' space is still under the realm of freedom of opinion, democracy and dialogue.
"If the law is a term that has a particular impact on all people across the globe, meaning justice and equality, in Kuwait it has different effect, like an old fairy tale."
In a country like Kuwait, which is endowed with well-established institutions, the law should not be seen as a luxury or a dilemma. And now because of risky deviations, it is imperative more than ever to abide by the letter of the law to achieve justice in order to avoid falling into a lawless situation.
* Digest compiled by Mostapha El Mouloudi
melmouloudi@thenational.ae
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
Barbie
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Greta%20Gerwig%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Margot%20Robbie%2C%20Ryan%20Gosling%2C%20Will%20Ferrell%2C%20America%20Ferrera%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
EA Sports FC 25
Developer: EA Vancouver, EA Romania
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
The 12
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (c), Chamani Senevirathne (vc), Subha Srinivasan, NIsha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Esha Oza, Ishani Senevirathne, Heena Hotchandani, Keveesha Kumari, Judith Cleetus, Chavi Bhatt, Namita D’Souza.
Pad Man
Dir: R Balki
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, Radhika Apte
Three-and-a-half stars
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AIR
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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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
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SERIES INFO
Schedule:
All matches at the Harare Sports Club
1st ODI, Wed Apr 10
2nd ODI, Fri Apr 12
3rd ODI, Sun Apr 14
4th ODI, Sun Apr 16
UAE squad
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Zimbabwe squad
Peter Moor (captain), Solomon Mire, Brian Chari, Regis Chakabva, Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Craig Ervine, Brandon Mavuta, Ainsley Ndlovu, Tony Munyonga, Elton Chigumbura
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FIGHT%20CARD
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Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final
Kashima Antlers 3 (Nagaki 49’, Serginho 69’, Abe 84’)
Guadalajara 2 (Zaldivar 03’, Pulido 90')
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
Company%20Profile
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Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Usain Bolt's World Championships record
2007 Osaka
200m Silver
4x100m relay Silver
2009 Berlin
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2011 Daegu
100m Disqualified in final for false start
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2013 Moscow
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
2015 Beijing
100m Gold
200m Gold
4x100m relay Gold
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
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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Results
5pm: Reem Island – Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,600m; Winner: Farasah, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi
5.30pm: Sir Baniyas Island – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: SSR Ghazwan, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 1,400m; Winner: Astral Del Sol, Sean Kirrane, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
6.30pm: Al Maryah Island – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Toumadher, Dane O’Neill, Jaber Bittar
7pm: Yas Island – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Mukhrej, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Saadiyat Island – Handicap (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 2,400m; Winner: Celestial Spheres, Gary Sanchez, Ismail Mohammed
Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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