Over two days, the leaders of Afghanistan and Pakistan made their case to an influential American audience, each stating they were America’s trusted partner to counter terrorism. And both chose to do so at the Council on Foreign Relations, CFR, a stone’s throw from the UN. As opposed to last year, Afghan president Ashraf Ghani comes to the UN with more confidence and clarity as the American strategy on Afghanistan has been announced, and it is one he emphatically supports. As for the prime minister of Pakistan, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, he comes to New York less than two months after assuming his position.
Mr Abbasi addressed the CFR on Wednesday, and Mr Ghani on the following day. If anything, the two speeches only went to reinforce the distance that remains between the two countries over who holds responsibility for ending the war in Afghanistan, countering terrorism and stabilising South Asia.
Mr Ghani referred to Pakistan several times. He said peace first and foremost relied on Pakistan, and hoped it would "take my offer for comprehensive dialogue". Referring to Europe’s peace deal of 1648, he said: "We end the war first by persuading Pakistan that in South Asia we need to come to a Westphalian state."
But Pakistan’s prime minister presented a different line, stating that the solution lay with whether "Afghans can sit together and resolve their differences and defeat terrorism on their soil". Moreover, he was keen to stress that Pakistan's "relationship with the US is 70 years old. It’s not a relationship that is defined by Afghanistan alone."
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Mr Abbasi addressed accusations of Pakistan supporting the Taliban in Afghanistan saying, "Let me say that nobody wants peace more in Afghanistan than Pakistan." He went on to claim that "this perception that there are sanctuaries is absolutely not correct. We have defeated the enemy on our own territory. We have destroyed the sanctuaries". Rather, he said, "Today the cross-border incursions, if they happen, are from Afghanistan into Pakistan to attack our forces. We have suffered the terror described, and we are today implementing border management to control cross-border infiltration."
Other than the United States, the other influential country in this dynamic that was not present was India. Afghanistan’s relations with India have been developing rapidly over the past few months, but Mr Abbasi said, "We don’t foresee any political or military role for India in Afghanistan. I think it will just complicate the situation and it will not resolve anything." He repeated emphatically: "We don’t accept or see any role politically or militarily for India in Afghanistan."
Addressing the CFR three years to the day since he was elected, Mr Ghani said the most "surprising" development since becoming president has been the change on the international stage. What he called "conditions of radical uncertainty" have impacted Afghanistan and the region. That radical uncertainty struck Pakistan recently, with a scandal that led to the supreme court's removal of the prime minister.
And yet both countries need to find a path forward. Both suffer from the scourge of terrorism, and from the terrors of poverty. If the speeches in New York are any indicator, it will be a long time before either country accepts its responsibility and works toward a shared future. This was one conflict that did not make any advances in New York this week.
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
Company%20Profile
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
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
Company%20Profile
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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.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company profile
Name: Tratok Portal
Founded: 2017
Based: UAE
Sector: Travel & tourism
Size: 36 employees
Funding: Privately funded
Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
Scoreline
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 17
Jebel Ali Dragons 20
Harlequins Tries: Kinivilliame, Stevenson; Cons: Stevenson 2; Pen: Stevenson
Dragons Tries: Naisau, Fourie; Cons: Love 2; Pens: Love 2
The%20specs
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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.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
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
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
Company%20Profile
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MORE ON CORONAVIRUS & THE ECONOMY
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
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SPECS
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