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Arab leaders and diplomats will head to Europe this week in a key window for Middle East peace discussions as the war in Gaza overshadows a security summit in Germany.
The King of Jordan, President of Yemen, prime ministers of Lebanon, Iraq and Qatar and foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Oman will attend the annual Munich Security Conference, organisers said on Monday.
Israel’s President Isaac Herzog is also expected at the three-day meeting, which begins on Thursday, as diplomats try to broker a pause in fighting in Gaza and stop it spreading across the Middle East.
It is hoped diplomats will use the opportunity of being in the same room in Munich as a platform for talks on the Gaza crisis, as new evidence shows it is fuelling worries in Europe about Islamist extremism.
Polling for the Munich summit shows radical Islamic terrorism is now the top public concern in France and the second-highest in Germany, leaping above the threat from Russia.
Terrorism fears have also mounted in Italy and the UK, the polling shows. Mass migration as a result of war or climate change is now ranked as Germany’s top concern.
Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel “appears to have prompted a spike in concern about radical Islamic terrorism” in several countries, authors of the annual Munich Security Report said.
Aid push
Western diplomats are also pushing Israel to contain the war’s humanitarian fallout and allow more aid into Gaza, with a possible assault looming on Rafah, the last refuge for many Palestinians.
“We’ve seen goods that were refused now allowed in but compared to the list of goods that still aren’t allowed in, there’s an awful lot on that list,” a western source said.
“We’ve seen the opening of Kerem Shalom [border crossing], which has increased capacity, but are we up anywhere near the levels we need to be at? No.”
Key European leaders in Munich will include German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, while Vice President Kamala Harris is travelling from the US.
Mediators from the US, Egypt and Qatar have been trying to broker a truce in exchange for a hostage release by Hamas but Israel has rejected demands for a ceasefire. Efforts are continuing to try to calm the situation before the start of Ramadan, likely to be around March 10.
Foreign ministers from the G7 countries are expected to hold talks on the margins in Munich, where the security report warns that global co-operation is breaking down.
“Many autocrats from Russia to Iran feel there is an opportunity to increase their own size of the cake,” said report author Tobias Bunde.
The hope for Christoph Heusgen, the summit chairman, is to live up to its motto of “peace through dialogue” as it marks its 60th anniversary, although no formal decisions will be taken in Munich.
In a peace symbol, a string quartet featuring an Israeli, a Palestinian and an Egyptian will open the conference. One musician is the son of Daniel Barenboim, believed to be the world’s first Israeli-Palestinian dual citizen.
“This year we have as many crises, conflicts and challenges as we have rarely, if ever, had in the last 60 years,” said Mr Heusgen, an architect of German foreign policy under former chancellor Angela Merkel.
The aim is to “bring together the most important actors and give them an opportunity to share their views, but also to talk, including out of the public eye, and see how we can somehow make headway on the various conflicts,” he said.
“We very much hope that succeeds again this year.”
Also hanging over the summit is the war in Ukraine and the prospect that Donald Trump, who has openly called the foundations of Nato into question, could once again be leading the West’s response. Russia is not invited.
Mr Heusgen played down alarm over Mr Trump’s latest suggestion that he would not stop Russia attacking Nato allies, saying the former president was stressing “in his own way” a well-known demand for Europe to pay more.
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
Tips to keep your car cool
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It’ll be summer in the city as car show tries to move with the times
If 2008 was the year that rocked Detroit, 2019 will be when Motor City gives its annual car extravaganza a revamp that aims to move with the times.
A major change is that this week's North American International Auto Show will be the last to be held in January, after which the event will switch to June.
The new date, organisers said, will allow exhibitors to move vehicles and activities outside the Cobo Center's halls and into other city venues, unencumbered by cold January weather, exemplified this week by snow and ice.
In a market in which trends can easily be outpaced beyond one event, the need to do so was probably exacerbated by the decision of Germany's big three carmakers – BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi – to skip the auto show this year.
The show has long allowed car enthusiasts to sit behind the wheel of the latest models at the start of the calendar year but a more fluid car market in an online world has made sales less seasonal.
Similarly, everyday technology seems to be catching up on those whose job it is to get behind microphones and try and tempt the visiting public into making a purchase.
Although sparkly announcers clasp iPads and outline the technical gadgetry hidden beneath bonnets, people's obsession with their own smartphones often appeared to offer a more tempting distraction.
“It's maddening,” said one such worker at Nissan's stand.
The absence of some pizzazz, as well as top marques, was also noted by patrons.
“It looks like there are a few less cars this year,” one annual attendee said of this year's exhibitors.
“I can't help but think it's easier to stay at home than to brave the snow and come here.”
Company: Instabug
Founded: 2013
Based: Egypt, Cairo
Sector: IT
Employees: 100
Stage: Series A
Investors: Flat6Labs, Accel, Y Combinator and angel investors
Poacher
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Look north
BBC business reporters, like a new raft of government officials, are being removed from the national and international hub of London and surely the quality of their work must suffer.
Company profile
Name: GiftBag.ae
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2011
Number of employees: 4
Sector: E-commerce
Funding: Self-funded to date
Company profile
Company name: Dharma
Date started: 2018
Founders: Charaf El Mansouri, Nisma Benani, Leah Howe
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: TravelTech
Funding stage: Pre-series A
Investors: Convivialite Ventures, BY Partners, Shorooq Partners, L& Ventures, Flat6Labs
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
MATCH INFO
Tottenham Hotspur 3 (Son 1', Kane 8' & 16') West Ham United 3 (Balbuena 82', Sanchez og 85', Lanzini 90' 4)
Man of the match Harry Kane
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THREE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Cricket World Cup League Two
Oman, UAE, Namibia
Al Amerat, Muscat
Results
Oman beat UAE by five wickets
UAE beat Namibia by eight runs
Fixtures
Wednesday January 8 –Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 – Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 – UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
Results
Stage 7:
1. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal - 3:18:29
2. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - same time
3. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious
4. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep
5. Cees Bol (NED) Team DSM
General Classification:
1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 24:00:28
2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:35
3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:02
4. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:42
5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
