Middle East leaders rounded on Israel and its threats to peace at an emergency summit on Monday.
Gulf countries are to review their joint defence plans after last week's Israeli strike on Doha plunged the region into uncharted territory. Dozens of Arab and Muslim countries put on a show of solidarity with Qatar at the summit in its capital.
In unusually stark language, they warned a flurry of Israeli aggression, from the attack on Qatar to the Gaza war, bombardments of Lebanon, Syria and Iran and policies of settlement and expansion, were putting hopes of Middle East peace beyond reach.
A joint communique said the world had failed to keep Israel in check as it called for sanctions, suspension of arms sales and “reviewing diplomatic and economic relations” with Israel.
The attack on Qatar "and the continuation of Israeli aggressive practices, including crimes of genocide, ethnic cleansing, starvation, blockade, settlement activities and expansionist policies, undermine any chances of achieving peace in the region", it said.
Qatar called the summit a "message to the world” that the region rejects aggression. Israel's "terrorist government” does not plan to secure the release of hostages and achieve peace in Gaza, said Sheikh Tamim, Emir of Qatar, in a speech to the summit.
A UAE delegation was led by Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Presidential Court. Dignitaries from across the Middle East, Africa and Asia included Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who held talks on the sidelines of the summit.
In a statement during the summit, the UAE said Qatar "is not standing alone” after it was attacked by Israel and that "the united voice of Arab and Islamic countries today must lead to change”, the state news agency Wam reported. Israel's strike on Doha killed six people but failed in its aim to eliminate senior Hamas leaders.
The UAE "stressed that this reckless escalation by Israel, accompanied by repeated threats of annexing Palestinian land and aggression against neighbouring states, undermines efforts to achieve lasting peace and regional stability”.
Leaders and dignitaries took turns to condemn Israel's government as it orders the bombardment of neighbouring countries and muses about expanding Israeli territory. Some, including Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called for sanctions or prosecutions against the Israeli leadership.
Sheikh Tamim said it was clear that Israel- which was meant to be a participant in Gaza ceasefire talks – was aware of the meeting of Hamas leaders in Doha. He questioned why Israel attacked the people they were in negotiations with. Israel has threatened to carry out more attacks.
"Have you ever heard of such aggression – a state that is party to negotiations yet attacks the venue where negotiations are taking place?” Sheikh Tamim asked. "If Israel wishes to assassinate leaders, why engage in negotiations? If you wish to insist on liberation of hostages, why assassinate all negotiators? How can we host in our country negotiating delegations from Israel when they send drones and planes for an air raid in our country?”
He described Israel's participation in negotiations as part of a "scheme”. The real aim, he said, is to cause Gaza to become unliveable and to continue to kill and displace Palestinians in the besieged enclave.
"Those who work consistently to assassinate the party that's negotiating will certainly do everything to ensure the failure of negotiations,” he said. "When they claim that they seek to liberate the hostages, that is a mere lie.”
Israel deals with critics by describing them as "terrorists or anti-Semites,” he said. "Whereas the government of terrorists and extremists in Israel is pursuing a policy of aggression everywhere.”
Sheikh Tamim called for the emergency summit to establish clear steps to deal with the Israeli government.
In his speech, Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the Israeli attack on Qatar's sovereignty breached every humanitarian principle. "Israel's crimes will not be forgotten … and an attack on a country that is mediating a ceasefire will not be forgotten,” Mr Aboul Gheit said in Doha.
Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El Sisi warned that Israel's "uncontrolled and destabilising” behaviour will expand the scope of the conflict in the region. He added that Israel's actions reduced the chance of new peace treaties in the Middle East.
"What is happening right now hinders the future of peace, threatens your security and the security of the peoples in the region and adds obstacles to chances for any new peace agreements and even aborts existing ones,” he said.
Since the Gaza war began in October 2023, Israel has killed more than 64,900 people in the enclave, although the true death toll is suspected to be higher. Nearly the entire population of 2.2 million have been forced to flee fighting at least once and Israel has expanded its incursion into Gaza city, pushing one million people to further displacement.
By blocking aid into Gaza, Israel has been accused of starving the enclave, where a famine has been declared by the UN-supported Integrated Food Security Phase Classification. At least 425 people, including 145 children, have died from hunger-related causes.
Arab-Islamic leaders gather in Doha – in pictures
An outpouring of condemnation since the Doha strike has pushed Israel further into international isolation, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wanted by the International Criminal Court to face accusations of war crimes.
A resolution adopted at the summit in Doha showed unwavering support for Qatar's sovereignty and its role as mediator between Israel and Hamas. It also said Israel's actions in the region and the killing of civilians in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Iran, Yemen, Syria and Lebanon undermine efforts aimed at coexistence.
The Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) in a statement said a further emergency meeting will be held in Doha for ministers of defence to discuss threats to the region.
Leaders of the GCC also directed the bloc's Unified Military Command to "activate mechanisms of joint defence and Gulf deterrence capabilities”, a statement released on the sidelines of the summit said.
The Doha talks began on Sunday, with foreign ministers meeting behind closed doors. A debate at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva will be held on Tuesday at the request of the Arab and Islamic states.
The US is looking to strike a balance between its relations with Qatar, a US ally and regional security partner, and its support for Israel. America's Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who received Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman in Washington on Friday, travelled to Jerusalem two days later. Mr Rubio is expected to arrive in Qatar on Tuesday.
In a press conference with Mr Netanyahu, he highlighted the important role Qatar has played as a mediator in Gaza ceasefire talks. His visit to Israel came a week before many western nations are to recognise Palestinian statehood at the UN General Assembly in New York. Mr Rubio called the move "symbolic”, but said it was also an "impediment” to peace.
Iran's dirty tricks to dodge sanctions
There’s increased scrutiny on the tricks being used to keep commodities flowing to and from blacklisted countries. Here’s a description of how some work.
1 Going Dark
A common method to transport Iranian oil with stealth is to turn off the Automatic Identification System, an electronic device that pinpoints a ship’s location. Known as going dark, a vessel flicks the switch before berthing and typically reappears days later, masking the location of its load or discharge port.
2. Ship-to-Ship Transfers
A first vessel will take its clandestine cargo away from the country in question before transferring it to a waiting ship, all of this happening out of sight. The vessels will then sail in different directions. For about a third of Iranian exports, more than one tanker typically handles a load before it’s delivered to its final destination, analysts say.
3. Fake Destinations
Signaling the wrong destination to load or unload is another technique. Ships that intend to take cargo from Iran may indicate their loading ports in sanction-free places like Iraq. Ships can keep changing their destinations and end up not berthing at any of them.
4. Rebranded Barrels
Iranian barrels can also be rebranded as oil from a nation free from sanctions such as Iraq. The countries share fields along their border and the crude has similar characteristics. Oil from these deposits can be trucked out to another port and documents forged to hide Iran as the origin.
* Bloomberg
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.
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
J%20Street%20Polling%20Results
%3Cp%3E97%25%20of%20Jewish-Americans%20are%20concerned%20about%20the%20rise%20in%20anti-Semitism%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E76%25%20of%20US%20Jewish%20voters%20believe%20Donald%20Trump%20and%20his%20allies%20in%20the%20Republican%20Party%20are%20responsible%20for%20a%20rise%20in%20anti-Semitism%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E74%25%20of%20American%20Jews%20agreed%20that%20%E2%80%9CTrump%20and%20the%20Maga%20movement%20are%20a%20threat%20to%20Jews%20in%20America%22%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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 Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
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
WHAT%20MACRO%20FACTORS%20ARE%20IMPACTING%20META%20TECH%20MARKETS%3F
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Looming%20global%20slowdown%20and%20recession%20in%20key%20economies%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Russia-Ukraine%20war%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Interest%20rate%20hikes%20and%20the%20rising%20cost%20of%20debt%20servicing%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Oil%20price%20volatility%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Persisting%20inflationary%20pressures%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Exchange%20rate%20fluctuations%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shortage%20of%20labour%2Fskills%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20A%20resurgence%20of%20Covid%3F%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The most expensive investment mistake you will ever make
When is the best time to start saving in a pension? The answer is simple – at the earliest possible moment. The first pound, euro, dollar or dirham you invest is the most valuable, as it has so much longer to grow in value. If you start in your twenties, it could be invested for 40 years or more, which means you have decades for compound interest to work its magic.
“You get growth upon growth upon growth, followed by more growth. The earlier you start the process, the more it will all roll up,” says Chris Davies, chartered financial planner at The Fry Group in Dubai.
This table shows how much you would have in your pension at age 65, depending on when you start and how much you pay in (it assumes your investments grow 7 per cent a year after charges and you have no other savings).
|
Age
|
$250 a month
|
$500 a month
|
$1,000 a month
|
|
25
|
$640,829
|
$1,281,657
|
$2,563,315
|
|
35
|
$303,219
|
$606,439
|
$1,212,877
|
|
45
|
$131,596
|
$263,191
|
$526,382
|
|
55
|
$44,351
|
$88,702
|
$177,403
|
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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
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
yallacompare profile
Date of launch: 2014
Founder: Jon Richards, founder and chief executive; Samer Chebab, co-founder and chief operating officer, and Jonathan Rawlings, co-founder and chief financial officer
Based: Media City, Dubai
Sector: Financial services
Size: 120 employees
Investors: 2014: $500,000 in a seed round led by Mulverhill Associates; 2015: $3m in Series A funding led by STC Ventures (managed by Iris Capital), Wamda and Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority; 2019: $8m in Series B funding with the same investors as Series A along with Precinct Partners, Saned and Argo Ventures (the VC arm of multinational insurer Argo Group)
Fifa Club World Cup quarter-final
Kashima Antlers 3 (Nagaki 49’, Serginho 69’, Abe 84’)
Guadalajara 2 (Zaldivar 03’, Pulido 90')
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The specs: 2018 Genesis G70
Price, base / as tested: Dh155,000 / Dh205,000
Engine: 3.3-litre, turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 370hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 510Nm @ 1,300rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.6L / 100km
