Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Monday urged faster aid deliveries to Gaza and said the bloc was debating a call for a “humanitarian pause” in Israel's conflict with Hamas.
“Personally, I think a humanitarian pause is needed to allow humanitarian support to come into [the enclave] and be distributed,” said Mr Borrell as he arrived at a meeting of EU foreign affairs ministers in Luxembourg.
“In normal times, without war, 100 trucks enter Gaza every day, so it’s clear that 20 is not enough.”
A first shipment of 20 lorries carrying humanitarian aid was allowed through the Rafah border crossing on Saturday.
It was followed by a second convoy of 17 on Sunday and a third comprising 40 on Monday.
Mr Borrell said ministers would discuss calls from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres for a “humanitarian ceasefire”.
“It’s important to have fuel to make the power stations work and the desalination stations work,” he said. “Otherwise, there is no water and no electricity and without water and electricity, hospitals can barely work.”
Mr Borrell said that a pause was also needed for Israeli hostages held by Hamas to be returned safely.
“It’s part of any step towards de-escalation,” he said.
Israel said on Monday that 222 people had been confirmed as taken hostage on October 7 by Hamas.
In its unprecedented cross-border raid, the militant group, labelled as terrorist by the EU, killed more than 1,400 Israelis, mostly civilians.
About 5,000 Palestinians, also mainly civilians, have been killed in the Gaza Strip by Israel’s retaliatory bombardments.
Asked by reporters why the aid was not reaching Gaza, Mr Borrell said: “At the moment, Egypt is ready to let all the trucks [that] are queuing to enter. I don’t want to put the blame on anyone but the fact is that they are not entering.”
Foreign affairs ministers from the bloc acknowledged the complexity of the situation but said that a call for a ceasefire was unlikely. The EU is divided by the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Germany's Annalena Baerbock said the “fight against terrorism, which has brought so much suffering to the people of Gaza, is essential”.
“At the same time, everything must be done to alleviate the unbelievable suffering of the two million people in Gaza,” she said.
“This is squaring the circle. But we must face this squaring of the circle together.”
Others said they backed Mr Guterres’ call for a humanitarian pause, which would be “welcome,” said Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn.
“The EU can in no way spell out conditions to Israel,” said Mr Asselborn.
“But we can explain our point of view and echo what [US] President Biden said: do not react with rage.”
Ireland’s Foreign Minister Micheal Martin said that the conflict could spill over to neighbouring countries such as Lebanon.
“Lebanon is in no position to withstand a conflict at this stage due to the perilous situation it is in,” said Mr Martin.
Others were keen to reaffirm their support for Israel.
Questioned about whether the EU would call for a ceasefire, Czech Foreign Affairs Minister Jan Lipavsky said: “I hope that everyone understands that Israel has a right to self-defence.”
The EU, particularly EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, has been criticised both internally and externally for its pro-Israel stance and double standards in comparison with the war in Ukraine.
Mr Borrell acknowledged the issue, saying “the issue of double standards that already was there before the war in Gaza, now it comes again”.
“We have to be very […] careful in order to show the same concern for every civilian killed,” he said.
Echoing previous statements made by Ms von der Leyen, Latvia’s Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins said there was “no contradiction” between a complete condemnation of the killing of 1,400 Israelis by Hamas, the EU’s support for Israeli self-defence and its calls to protect civilian lives.
“The EU is not as far apart as maybe the media and some of our non-friends would want,” said Mr Karins.
The bloc’s foreign affairs ministers are unlikely to call for a ceasefire, he said.
“It’s a question of what we are emphasising: Israel against Hamas, or are we emphasising what is actually happening to civilians. These are not contradictions. These are just different ends to the same, rather difficult, puzzle,” he said.
All the Money in the World
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Charlie Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer
Four stars
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
Tickets
Tickets start at Dh100 for adults, while children can enter free on the opening day. For more information, visit www.mubadalawtc.com.
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
MATCH INFO
Sheffield United 3
Fleck 19, Mousset 52, McBurnie 90
Manchester United 3
Williams 72, Greenwood 77, Rashford 79
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The years Ramadan fell in May
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The five pillars of Islam
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Normcore explained
Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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Veere di Wedding
Dir: Shashanka Ghosh
Starring: Kareena Kapoo-Khan, Sonam Kapoor, Swara Bhaskar and Shikha Talsania
Verdict: 4 Stars
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
RESULTS
Cagliari 5-2 Fiorentina
Udinese 0-0 SPAL
Sampdoria 0-0 Atalanta
Lazio 4-2 Lecce
Parma 2-0 Roma
Juventus 1-0 AC Milan
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
