RABAT // Once upon a time, foreign journalists visiting Libya were shown around the ruins of the house of Muammar Qadafi, the Libyan leader, wrecked by US air strikes in 1986.
Now fast-forward to last Tuesday, when the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, met Mr Qadafi's son, Mutassim Qadafi, in Washington to talk security co-operation.
Senior US and Libyan officials have shuttled across the Atlantic in the past seven months, and the US reopened its embassy in Tripoli, as relations between the countries have warmed after decades in cold storage.
Mr Qadafi's determined grip on power and ambitions for a "United States of Africa" may present headaches for US leaders seeking democratic reform. But his desire to bring the country in from the cold offers new hope for a productive relationship, analysts said.
"The Libyans are a sovereign state, and are increasingly relishing the US's recognition of that," said Ronald Bruce St John, a Libya expert and analyst with Foreign Policy in Focus, a think tank that is part of the Washington-based Institute for Policy Studies.
A half-century ago the United States called Libya a friend. A Cold War ally, the country hosted British and US military bases and welcomed foreign oil companies under its pro-western king, Idris I.
All of that changed in 1969 when Mr Qadafi, then a 27-year-old army colonel, burst onto the scene, overthrowing Idris and erecting an authoritarian state with himself as "Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution".
"We had a very close relationship with the Libyan government and King Idris," said David Mack, an adjunct scholar at the Middle East Institute in Washington who served as a US diplomat in Libya from 1969 to 1972. "That changed very abruptly after the revolution."
For three decades Mr Qadafi helped train and bankroll a rogues' gallery of militant groups and liberation movements. Some, such as the Palestinian group Black September, carried out terrorist attacks, while rebel leaders such as Liberia's Charles Taylor spread murder and mayhem through corners of the Third World. Libya was also implicated in bombings in Germany and the blowing up of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, in 1988.
These kinds of antics led an exasperated US to cut relations with Libya in 1981, impose economic sanctions and hit the country with air strikes in 1986. By the 1990s, Mr Qadafi began to doubt his approach to world affairs.
"He realised that a lot of things he'd been doing had not made Libya a better place for Libyans to live, had not strengthened Libya's role among the community of nations, but had instead isolated Libya," Mr Mack said.
Recently Mr Qadafi has sought to mend relations with the West, starting with secret talks with the United States in 1998. In 2002 Libya paid US$2.7 billion (Dh9.9bn) to the families of victims of the Lockerbie bombing and the following year renounced attempts to acquire a nuclear weapon.
Mr Qadafi has also abandoned a long-held dream of creating a pan-Arab state to focus on another passion - African unity. In February he was elected to chair the 53-nation African Union for one year.
That may cause problems for US and other western countries seeking to promote democracy on the continent, analysts said.
Although he has tried to play peacemaker in Darfur, Mr Qadafi inaugurated his chairmanship of the AU by declaring coups "fine as long as they are staged peacefully", stating that African tribalism trumps democracy and characterising Somali piracy as self-defence.
"He now sees Africa as the appropriate stage for him to be a world leader," Mr St John said. "He is very concerned that Libya and the African Union don't do anything that compromises African governments' ability to make decisions in Africa."
Consequently, Mr Qadafi has shown little enthusiasm for US-led counterterrorism operations in the southern fringe of the Sahara desert, or for western mediation in conflicts in Darfur and Chad, Mr St John said.
Nor is Libya likely to embark on major democratic reform, Mr St John said, despite a new constitution reportedly being drafted under the direction of Saif al Islam Qadafi, a son of the Libyan leader who is widely considered a reformer and possible political heir.
While the United States calls for democracy and greater respect for human rights, Libyan officials want more thanks for junking their weapons programme.
"Washington never considered whether our two countries could forge a new relationship that would positively influence how other proliferators calculate the costs and benefits of parting with their weapons of mass destruction," wrote Ali S. Aujali, Libya's ambassador to Washington, in a letter to The New York Times on April 3. "The United States needs to send a stronger message that Libya has made the right decision."
That could allow the US and Libya to co-operate more on a central goal of the US president, Barack Obama: fighting nuclear proliferation.
The United States should "try to revisit with Libyans what transpired in 2003 and how that might be used a model to approach Iran and North Korea," Mr St John said.
For now, the countries are building on Libya's gesture to co-operate increasingly on trade and scientific exchange, said Michele Dunne, a Libya expert at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington.
For the first time in decades, "the US is treating Libya in a conventional state-to-state relationship," Mr St John said. "The more the US can do that, the more it can get to the tougher issues."
jthorne@thenational.ae
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
Company%20profile
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
bundesliga results
Mainz 0 Augsburg 1 (Niederlechner 1')
Schalke 1 (Caligiuri pen 51') Bayer Leverkusen 1 (Miranda og 81')
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Confirmed%20bouts%20(more%20to%20be%20added)
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In the Restaurant: Society in Four Courses
Christoph Ribbat
Translated by Jamie Searle Romanelli
Pushkin Press
Napoleon
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Ridley%20Scott%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Joaquin%20Phoenix%2C%20Vanessa%20Kirby%2C%20Tahar%20Rahim%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%202%2F5%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
SPECS
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Company%20Profile
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The five pillars of Islam
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
Coffee: black death or elixir of life?
It is among the greatest health debates of our time; splashed across newspapers with contradicting headlines - is coffee good for you or not?
Depending on what you read, it is either a cancer-causing, sleep-depriving, stomach ulcer-inducing black death or the secret to long life, cutting the chance of stroke, diabetes and cancer.
The latest research - a study of 8,412 people across the UK who each underwent an MRI heart scan - is intended to put to bed (caffeine allowing) conflicting reports of the pros and cons of consumption.
The study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, contradicted previous findings that it stiffens arteries, putting pressure on the heart and increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke, leading to warnings to cut down.
Numerous studies have recognised the benefits of coffee in cutting oral and esophageal cancer, the risk of a stroke and cirrhosis of the liver.
The benefits are often linked to biologically active compounds including caffeine, flavonoids, lignans, and other polyphenols, which benefit the body. These and othetr coffee compounds regulate genes involved in DNA repair, have anti-inflammatory properties and are associated with lower risk of insulin resistance, which is linked to type-2 diabetes.
But as doctors warn, too much of anything is inadvisable. The British Heart Foundation found the heaviest coffee drinkers in the study were most likely to be men who smoked and drank alcohol regularly.
Excessive amounts of coffee also unsettle the stomach causing or contributing to stomach ulcers. It also stains the teeth over time, hampers absorption of minerals and vitamins like zinc and iron.
It also raises blood pressure, which is largely problematic for people with existing conditions.
So the heaviest drinkers of the black stuff - some in the study had up to 25 cups per day - may want to rein it in.
Rory Reynolds
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Specs
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
SPECS
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Cultural fiesta
What: The Al Burda Festival
When: November 14 (from 10am)
Where: Warehouse421, Abu Dhabi
The Al Burda Festival is a celebration of Islamic art and culture, featuring talks, performances and exhibitions. Organised by the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development, this one-day event opens with a session on the future of Islamic art. With this in mind, it is followed by a number of workshops and “masterclass” sessions in everything from calligraphy and typography to geometry and the origins of Islamic design. There will also be discussions on subjects including ‘Who is the Audience for Islamic Art?’ and ‘New Markets for Islamic Design.’ A live performance from Kuwaiti guitarist Yousif Yaseen should be one of the highlights of the day.
Mountain Classification Tour de France after Stage 8 on Saturday:
- 1. Lilian Calmejane (France / Direct Energie) 11
- 2. Fabio Aru (Italy / Astana) 10
- 3. Daniel Martin (Ireland / Quick-Step) 8
- 4. Robert Gesink (Netherlands / LottoNL) 8
- 5. Warren Barguil (France / Sunweb) 7
- 6. Chris Froome (Britain / Team Sky) 6
- 7. Guillaume Martin (France / Wanty) 6
- 8. Jan Bakelants (Belgium / AG2R) 5
- 9. Serge Pauwels (Belgium / Dimension Data) 5
- 10. Richie Porte (Australia / BMC Racing) 4
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: SimpliFi
Started: August 2021
Founder: Ali Sattar
Based: UAE
Industry: Finance, technology
Investors: 4DX, Rally Cap, Raed, Global Founders, Sukna and individuals
The%20specs
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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RACE SCHEDULE
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm
Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm
Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm
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.
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
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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