US president-elect Donald Trump's nominated Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is already playing a key role in negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, even though his job does not officially begin until next week.
The billionaire real estate developer was in the Middle East at the weekend, when he visited Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and joined mediators in Qatar as Israel and Hamas negotiate a final draft of the text for a ceasefire and hostage-detainee exchange deal.
The proposed deal is not substantively different from the one first put forward by the Biden administration in May last year. Israel and Hamas have accused each other of sabotaging the agreement whenever it appeared to be near finalised.
Mr Trump, who takes office on Monday, last week said “all hell will break out in the Middle East” if the remaining hostages are not released by the time he is sworn in. According to The Times of Israel and other Israeli outlets, Mr Witkoff leaned hard on Mr Netanyahu to accept the deal when the two met in Israel on Saturday.
Speaking alongside Mr Trump in Florida last week, Mr Witkoff, 67, made his first appearance on the world stage as the incoming Middle East envoy.
He said he was “really hopeful” that he and his team would “have some good things to announce” by Mr Trump's January 20 inauguration in Washington.
Mr Trump, also a New York real estate developer, gave the first hint that Mr Witkoff might play a key role in a second Trump presidency during the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last year.
In a speech at the RNC, Mr Witkoff paid tribute to his friend and made it clear that the two men shared a deep and meaningful bond, describing him as a “kind and compassionate man”.
Mr Witkoff is the president-elect’s golf partner and was with Mr Trump when he was the target of a second attempted assassination at his golf club in West Palm Beach, Florida, in September. His son recently named his child after Mr Trump, a move that touched the president-elect.
“Congratulations to Zach and Sophi Witkoff on the birth of their son, Don James Witkoff (DJW), named after me (Thank you),” Mr Trump said on Truth Social.
Before his selection for Middle East envoy, Mr Witkoff was not known to have any diplomatic or Middle East experience. Mr Trump described him as “a highly respected leader in business and philanthropy, who has made every project and community he has been involved with stronger and more prosperous".
“Steve will be an unrelenting voice for peace, and make us all proud,” the president-elect said in a statement.
The fact that Mr Witkoff shares such a strong and public bond with Mr Trump will probably allow those with whom he interacts to know that he speaks on the president's behalf, which is key for any diplomat to be successful.
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How England have scored their set-piece goals in Russia
Three Penalties
v Panama, Group Stage (Harry Kane)
v Panama, Group Stage (Kane)
v Colombia, Last 16 (Kane)
Four Corners
v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via John Stones header, from Ashley Young corner)
v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via Harry Maguire header, from Kieran Trippier corner)
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One Free-Kick
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1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists.
Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.
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EMILY%20IN%20PARIS%3A%20SEASON%203
Turning%20waste%20into%20fuel
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
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If you go
Flight connections to Ulaanbaatar are available through a variety of hubs, including Seoul and Beijing, with airlines including Mongolian Airlines and Korean Air. While some nationalities, such as Americans, don’t need a tourist visa for Mongolia, others, including UAE citizens, can obtain a visa on arrival, while others including UK citizens, need to obtain a visa in advance. Contact the Mongolian Embassy in the UAE for more information.
Nomadic Road offers expedition-style trips to Mongolia in January and August, and other destinations during most other months. Its nine-day August 2020 Mongolia trip will cost from $5,250 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, two nights’ hotel accommodation in Ulaanbaatar, vehicle rental, fuel, third party vehicle liability insurance, the services of a guide and support team, accommodation, food and entrance fees; nomadicroad.com
A fully guided three-day, two-night itinerary at Three Camel Lodge costs from $2,420 per person based on two sharing, including airport transfers, accommodation, meals and excursions including the Yol Valley and Flaming Cliffs. A return internal flight from Ulaanbaatar to Dalanzadgad costs $300 per person and the flight takes 90 minutes each way; threecamellodge.com
Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
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May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
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May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
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Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
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