Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Egyptian MP Sahar Albazar has called for Arab countries to formulate an alternative to US President Donald Trump's Gaza evacuation demands, calling the White House proposal a distraction from realistic and sustainable solutions for peace.
Speaking to The National at the Munich Security Conference, Ms Albazar said the starting point in moving beyond Washington's proposal is that displacing people breaks international law.
“We should not entertain unrealistic proposals because that distracts our focus and energy in bringing about realistic, sustainable solutions for peace in the Middle East.
“If there’s no peace in the Middle East, there will be a lot of problems for neighbouring countries,” she said.
“I'm sure that the Arab world, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar were going to bring another proposal that rebuilds Gaza while keeping Palestinians in their own land."
A member of the foreign relations committee of the Egyptian House of Representatives, Ms Albazar noted the trip this week of new US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to the Middle East as a chance to change direction.
Israeli measures are not allowing us to send as much aid as we need
Ayman Safadi
“I hope that after his visit in the Middle East we can find a common ground between the Arab proposal and the US proposal, where we can at least maintain the ceasefire,” she said. “We definitely need to empower Palestinians and push for the sustainable peace solution, which is the two state solution.”
Gaza aid
The ceasefire has led to an increased flow of aid into Gaza, but the bottlenecks imposed by Israel have again created shortages.
“We see some obstacles when it comes to the number of aid [shipments],” she said. " There are difficulties when it comes to the other party because it's definitely not a question of why one track goes and the other does not. This kind of situation creates a struggle to continue with the ceasefire.”
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Ayman Safadi, Jordan's Foreign Minister, shared the same concerns.
“I just want to address the humanitarian situation,” he told a Munich Security Conference panel. “Our priority number one is that the ceasefire holds (and) that we go through phase one, phase two and phase three of the deal.
“We have a route through which we're sending trucks; Israeli measures are not allowing us to send as much aid as we need.
“We have a problem of getting aid into Gaza. People are starving. Foods not is getting in, tents are not getting in, caravans are not getting in, medicine is not getting in. We have two hospitals operating in Gaza, and we're told horror stories of what's happening there.”
Sigrid Kaag, the UN Special Co-ordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, spoke of Palestine at risk of “dropping out of sight permanently” as a result of the situation on the ground, not just in Gaza but the West Bank and East Jerusalem as well.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Bullet%20Train
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20David%20Leitch%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Brad%20Pitt%2C%20Aaron%20Taylor-Johnson%2C%20Brian%20Tyree%20Henry%2C%20Sandra%20Bullock%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
Five expert hiking tips
- Always check the weather forecast before setting off
- Make sure you have plenty of water
- Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon
- Wear appropriate clothing and footwear
- Take your litter home with you
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Russia's Muslim Heartlands
Dominic Rubin, Oxford
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
SHAITTAN
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Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
The specs
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Engine: Electric
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Engine: 3-litre V6 with 100kW electric motor
Transmission: 2-speed auto
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Set-jetting on the Emerald Isle
Other shows filmed in Ireland include: Vikings (County Wicklow), The Fall (Belfast), Line of Duty (Belfast), Penny Dreadful (Dublin), Ripper Street (Dublin), Krypton (Belfast)