The EU’s ambassador to the UK has said there is no scope for reopening negotiations on the Northern Ireland Protocol and that any independent UK action would lead to retaliation from Brussels.
Joao Vale de Almeida warned the UK government that if parts of the current deal are torn up, there would be response.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has outlined plans for legislation to amend the protocol so that concerns about the deal can be addressed.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has insisted that “we don’t want to nix it, we want to fix it”.
But Mr de Almeida said: “It’s not very reassuring if you go into a negotiation where you are presented with two options — either renegotiation or unilateral action to override the treaty.
“This is not the best way to fix; this is rather a way, maybe, to nix.
“So if we want to fix it, which is what we want and I understand this is what the government wants as well, we need to create a better atmosphere.”
He said there was “untapped potential” in the proposals set out by European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic in talks with the UK government.
“There is still potential in the proposals that we’ve made," Mr de Almeida said. "We would like to focus on that instead of going unilateral.
“Unilateral calls for unilateral. Action calls for reaction.
“And is that what we want, an escalation around Northern Ireland at this present point in time? I don’t think so.”
He said in Westminster that there was little prospect of the EU’s member states giving Mr Sefcovic a mandate to rewrite the protocol in his talks with Ms Truss.
"We were told that we should get a new mandate but I can tell you very clearly what the member states are telling us is very simple: 'You don’t need a mandate and even if you ask for one, you will not get it'."
Mr de Almeida said there was a lack of trust between the two sides and little sign of a “happy ending” in the protocol dilemma.
“I’m worried by the low levels of trust that exist today between the EU and the UK, between our leaders, between all of us that are involved in this relationship,” he said.
Mr de Almeida compared the protocol row to a long-running drama.
“I was hoping to see in this season of this saga … more creativity and hopefully a happy ending," he said.
"I’m not seeing it for the moment and this is an area where I think things have not changed enough.”
Co-operation on issues such as the war in Ukraine and climate change showed how the two sides could work together.
But Mr de Almeida said: “If I look at the wider picture of our relationship, our problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol have an excessively negative impact on the quality of our overall relationship, and we need to overcome this situation.”
Downing Street said the EU’s proposals for fixing the protocol did not provide a solution.
“You will know that we have invited Vice President Sefcovic to London to hold further talks," the government said.
“The foreign secretary has been clear that the measures that are currently on the table won’t address the problems that we know exist on the ground in Northern Ireland, which is why we need to find new solutions.
“We remain committed to trying to reach a negotiated settlement.”
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
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Key findings
- Over a period of seven years, a team of scientists analysed dietary data from 50,000 North American adults.
- Eating one or two meals a day was associated with a relative decrease in BMI, compared with three meals. Snacks count as a meal. Likewise, participants who ate more than three meals a day experienced an increase in BMI: the more meals a day, the greater the increase.
- People who ate breakfast experienced a relative decrease in their BMI compared with “breakfast-skippers”.
- Those who turned the eating day on its head to make breakfast the biggest meal of the day, did even better.
- But scrapping dinner altogether gave the best results. The study found that the BMI of subjects who had a long overnight fast (of 18 hours or more) decreased when compared even with those who had a medium overnight fast, of between 12 and 17 hours.
Specs
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