Britain's chief Brexit negotiator, David Frost, arrives at St Pancras station in London, Britain, bound for Brussels and last-gasp Brexit talks. Reuters
Britain's chief Brexit negotiator, David Frost, arrives at St Pancras station in London, Britain, bound for Brussels and last-gasp Brexit talks. Reuters
Britain's chief Brexit negotiator, David Frost, arrives at St Pancras station in London, Britain, bound for Brussels and last-gasp Brexit talks. Reuters
Britain's chief Brexit negotiator, David Frost, arrives at St Pancras station in London, Britain, bound for Brussels and last-gasp Brexit talks. Reuters

Britain and EU reach breakthrough on fishing rights in last-gasp Brexit trade talks


Paul Peachey
  • English
  • Arabic

British and EU negotiators on Sunday made a breakthrough on the issue of European fleets fishing in UK waters, after they resumed last-minute trade talks to try to resolve differences that threaten to derail a post-Brexit deal.

The UK's chief negotiator David Frost headed to Brussels on Sunday amid warnings that failure to strike a deal would leave Britain in an “economic war” with the 27-nation bloc and the US.

"We are going to see what happens," Mr Frost said when he arrived.

Officials said the next 48 hours would be crucial after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen spoke by phone on Saturday afternoon and agreed to restart the deadlocked talks.

The discussions broke down the previous day with the British side accusing the EU team of putting new demands on the table at the last minute.

However, citing EU sources, The Guardian reported that on Sunday evening, the two sides had all but finalised terms on the level of access for EU boats to seas within the UK's 200-mile exclusive economic zone. But other challenges still remained, on issues including the "level playing field".

Mr Johnson and Ms von der Leyen agreed to talk again on Monday night after acknowledging that “significant differences” remained. The two leaders will then decide whether negotiations will continue on Tuesday or whether they will walk away from the talks, meaning that Britain will crash out of the EU without a trade deal.

The two sides had sought to reach an accord by October 15 but the negotiations are going right to the wire.

The UK is due to leave the European single market and Customs union at the end of this month.

With Britain and EU both needing time to obtain parliamentary approval for any deal, it must be reached weeks before that date so everything is ready.

Talks are “in a very difficult position”, UK Environment Secretary George Eustice told Sky News.

“We will continue to work on these negotiations until there is no point doing so any further, but there is no point denying that what happened late last week was a setback,” Mr Eustice said

Officials on both sides said this week was realistically the last chance for a deal.

Mr Johnson has the backing of his Cabinet if he opts to walk away, The Sunday Times  reported.

Thirteen ministers, including eight who opposed Brexit, will support a no-deal if Mr Johnson thinks it is necessary, the paper said.

Former British leader Gordon Brown said the failure to agree on a deal would leave Mr Johnson the “most isolated prime minister in peacetime history”, with no friends around the world.

“We would be in an economic war with Europe that would cost us dearly,” the anti-Brexit Mr Brown told Sky News.

“We would also be in an economic war with America because there would be no chance of a trade treaty.”

The EU has said it will never be the one to walk away from the negotiations, it regards Thursday’s summit of the bloc’s 27 leaders, where they would be asked to approve any deal, as a natural end point.

Negotiators are striving to reach a deal on Monday or Tuesday at the latest, one official said.

“Significant differences remain on three critical issues,” Mr Johnson and Ms von der Leyen said in a joint statement after their call, which lasted about an hour.

These are the level playing field for businesses and fisheries, and the governance of any agreement. They are disagreements that have dogged the talks since they started in March.

“Both sides underlined that no agreement is feasible if these issues are not resolved,” the leaders said.

Without an accord, businesses and consumers will be left facing the cost and disruption of tariffs and quotas, while relations between the UK and EU could be sour for a generation.

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney struck a more positive note, saying a trade deal was highly likely because it was in everyone’s interests.

Super Bowl LIII schedule

What Super Bowl LIII

Who is playing New England Patriots v Los Angeles Rams

Where Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, United States

When Sunday (start time is 3.30am on Monday UAE time)

 

Salah in numbers

€39 million: Liverpool agreed a fee, including add-ons, in the region of 39m (nearly Dh176m) to sign Salah from Roma last year. The exchange rate at the time meant that cost the Reds £34.3m - a bargain given his performances since.

13: The 25-year-old player was not a complete stranger to the Premier League when he arrived at Liverpool this summer. However, during his previous stint at Chelsea, he made just 13 Premier League appearances, seven of which were off the bench, and scored only twice.

57: It was in the 57th minute of his Liverpool bow when Salah opened his account for the Reds in the 3-3 draw with Watford back in August. The Egyptian prodded the ball over the line from close range after latching onto Roberto Firmino's attempted lob.

7: Salah's best scoring streak of the season occurred between an FA Cup tie against West Brom on January 27 and a Premier League win over Newcastle on March 3. He scored for seven games running in all competitions and struck twice against Tottenham.

3: This season Salah became the first player in Premier League history to win the player of the month award three times during a term. He was voted as the division's best player in November, February and March.

40: Salah joined Roger Hunt and Ian Rush as the only players in Liverpool's history to have scored 40 times in a single season when he headed home against Bournemouth at Anfield earlier this month.

30: The goal against Bournemouth ensured the Egyptian achieved another milestone in becoming the first African player to score 30 times across one Premier League campaign.

8: As well as his fine form in England, Salah has also scored eight times in the tournament phase of this season's Champions League. Only Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 to his credit, has found the net more often in the group stages and knockout rounds of Europe's premier club competition.

The specs: 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn

Price, base / as tested: Dhxxx
Engine: 5.7L V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 556Nm @ 3,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km

THE SPECS

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm

Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km

Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)

On sale: now

The lowdown

Rating: 4/5

David Haye record

Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4

Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RoboCop%3A%20Rogue%20City
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETeyon%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENacon%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%205%2C%20Xbox%20Series%20X%2FS%20and%20PC%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go…

Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.

Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days. 

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirectors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Amit%20Joshi%20and%20Aradhana%20Sah%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECast%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Shahid%20Kapoor%2C%20Kriti%20Sanon%2C%20Dharmendra%2C%20Dimple%20Kapadia%2C%20Rakesh%20Bedi%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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. 

The biog

Name: Mohammed Imtiaz

From: Gujranwala, Pakistan

Arrived in the UAE: 1976

Favourite clothes to make: Suit

Cost of a hand-made suit: From Dh550

 

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

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