Latest updates on President Joe Biden's visit to the Middle East here
Israeli and American flags lined the streets of Jerusalem on Wednesday before US President Joe Biden’s arrival in the region.
The president has said the trip to Israel, the occupied West Bank and Saudi Arabia is to “advance important American interests”.
Writing in The Washington Post on Saturday, he said he hoped to “deepen and expand” relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
On the streets of Jerusalem on Wednesday, his imminent arrival was met with a mix of ambivalence and hope.
At Mahane Yehuda Market, a warren of narrow streets and vibrant food stands nestled on a hilltop, shoppers busily prepared for the day.
“I'm not sure that something radical is going to happen,” said Arie Stavisky. “It's a good thing that he's here.”
The Jerusalem resident, who works in sales, said he hoped the US president would follow through on his pledge to help strengthen ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
“[Saudi Arabia] needs us because they know we can help and they need us because we are against the Iranians,” Mr Stavisky told The National. “It's not a matter of falling in love or getting married. OK, it's a matter of interest. That's it, and I think it's going to work.”
Louis Weinrauch shared the hope for stronger ties with Saudi Arabia. “It's very important to join another country, a big country, a strong country,” he said.
But while there is cautious optimism that Mr Biden will help to forge stronger ties between the two countries, there is a feeling that dysfunction within Israeli politics will make any significant progress or achievement difficult.
Israel has had four elections in the past four years and is heading for a fifth in November.
The lack of continuity — and that current Prime Minister Yair Lapid took office only a week ago to serve as a caretaker — mean plans for the future may be put on hold.
“You don't know who's going to be the next one,” said Mr Stavisky. “And by us, things are very flexible. You know, what [happens] in Israel in a day is like a month in America. So we don't know what's going on.”
In addition to meeting Israeli leaders, Mr Biden will meet the Palestinian leadership in Ramallah.
He has worked to improve relations with the Palestinian Authority after Donald Trump's four years as president.
But while some in Jerusalem welcome the move, there is little hope that relations between Israel and the Palestinians will improve any time soon or that new peace talks are on the horizon.
“I think we need to solve relations between Israelis and Palestinians and none of us are ready for it,” said Gal Herschenboim, a graphic designer. "Maybe it'll be the next generation or two generations. I think it's not going to happen in our time, which is sad.”
More about Middle East geopolitics
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
TOURNAMENT INFO
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Getting%20there
%3Cp%3EGiven%20its%20remote%20location%2C%20getting%20to%20Borneo%20can%20feel%20daunting%20even%20for%20the%20most%20seasoned%20traveller.%20But%20you%20can%20fly%20directly%20from%20Kuala%20Lumpur%20to%20Sandakan%20and%20Sepilok%20is%20only%20half%20an%20hour%20away%20by%20taxi.%20Sandakan%20has%20plenty%20of%20accommodation%20options%2C%20while%20Sepilok%20has%20a%20few%20nature%20lodges%20close%20to%20the%20main%20attractions.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (c), Chamani Senevirathne (vc), Subha Srinivasan, NIsha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Esha Oza, Ishani Senevirathne, Heena Hotchandani, Keveesha Kumari, Judith Cleetus, Chavi Bhatt, Namita D’Souza.
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.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Packages which the US Secret Service said contained possible explosive devices were sent to:
- Former first lady Hillary Clinton
- Former US president Barack Obama
- Philanthropist and businessman George Soros
- Former CIA director John Brennan at CNN's New York bureau
- Former Attorney General Eric Holder (delivered to former DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz)
- California Congresswoman Maxine Waters (two devices)
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
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
