A general view of a studio of the TV Channel AlJazeera in Doha, Qatar. EPA
A general view of a studio of the TV Channel AlJazeera in Doha, Qatar. EPA

US to force Al Jazeera to disclose workings under foreign agents act



Qatar-funded Al Jazeera and other foreign media outlets will soon be required by the US National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to register as foreign agents.

Under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), individuals and organisations need to disclose their ties to foreign governments whether or not they are aiming to shape public opinion in favour of a foreign entity. Media outlets will be asked to file a report every six months with data about their structure and finances and make the report accessible to the public after 30 days.

For months now, a number of lawmakers, including Senator Ted Cruz, have been pushing for the legislation, arguing that some media outlets have tried to hide their agendas behind a facade of objective journalism. They say that this new legislation is part of a larger effort to force foreign-owned media to disclose their agendas in a bid for complete transparency.

Moscow-backed Russia Today America was required by the Justice Department to register as a foreign agent under the law in 2017; YouTube already forces each Al Jazeera video to disclose that they are funded by the Qatari government.

In an opinion piece for US newspaper The Hill, Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt argued that Al Jazeera was exporting hate against the Jewish people, Israel and the US.

In the US Al Jazeera's sister network Al Jazeera America closed just three years after its launch in August 2013 as a result of low ratings. Reports of low morale among staff, law suits, gender discrimination and alleged antisemitism also tarnished the nascent news channel.

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Director: Laila Abbas

Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum

Rating: 4/5

Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:

1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition

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Married Malala

Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.

The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.

Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.

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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.

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

'How To Build A Boat'
Jonathan Gornall, Simon & Schuster

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Our legal advisor

Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.

Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation. 

Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.

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Saturday

Borussia Dortmund v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm kick-off UAE)

Bayer Leverkusen v Schalke (5.30pm)

Wolfsburg v Cologne (5.30pm)

Mainz v Arminia Bielefeld (5.30pm)

Augsburg v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)

RB Leipzig v Bayern Munich (8.30pm)

Borussia Monchengladbach v Freiburg (10.30pm)

Sunday

VfB Stuttgart v Werder Bremen  (5.30pm)

Union Berlin v Hertha Berlin (8pm)

The Great Derangement: Climate Change and the Unthinkable
Amitav Ghosh, University of Chicago Press

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Started: 2020
 
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Number of staff: 210 
 
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The more serious side of specialty coffee

While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.

The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.

Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”

One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.

Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms. 


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