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.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
More on animal trafficking
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Fitness problems in men's tennis
Andy Murray - hip
Novak Djokovic - elbow
Roger Federer - back
Stan Wawrinka - knee
Kei Nishikori - wrist
Marin Cilic - adductor
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Retirement funds heavily invested in equities at a risky time
Pension funds in growing economies in Asia, Latin America and the Middle East have a sharply higher percentage of assets parked in stocks, just at a time when trade tensions threaten to derail markets.
Retirement money managers in 14 geographies now allocate 40 per cent of their assets to equities, an 8 percentage-point climb over the past five years, according to a Mercer survey released last week that canvassed government, corporate and mandatory pension funds with almost $5 trillion in assets under management. That compares with about 25 per cent for pension funds in Europe.
The escalating trade spat between the US and China has heightened fears that stocks are ripe for a downturn. With tensions mounting and outcomes driven more by politics than economics, the S&P 500 Index will be on course for a “full-scale bear market” without Federal Reserve interest-rate cuts, Citigroup’s global macro strategy team said earlier this week.
The increased allocation to equities by growth-market pension funds has come at the expense of fixed-income investments, which declined 11 percentage points over the five years, according to the survey.
Hong Kong funds have the highest exposure to equities at 66 per cent, although that’s been relatively stable over the period. Japan’s equity allocation jumped 13 percentage points while South Korea’s increased 8 percentage points.
The money managers are also directing a higher portion of their funds to assets outside of their home countries. On average, foreign stocks now account for 49 per cent of respondents’ equity investments, 4 percentage points higher than five years ago, while foreign fixed-income exposure climbed 7 percentage points to 23 per cent. Funds in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan are among those seeking greater diversification in stocks and fixed income.
• Bloomberg
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
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
If you go...
Flying
There is no simple way to get to Punta Arenas from the UAE, with flights from Dubai and Abu Dhabi requiring at least two connections to reach this part of Patagonia. Flights start from about Dh6,250.
Touring
Chile Nativo offers the amended Los Dientes trek with expert guides and porters who are met in Puerto Williams on Isla Navarino. The trip starts and ends in Punta Arenas and lasts for six days in total. Prices start from Dh8,795.
