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The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution that demands an immediate humanitarian ceasefire during Ramadan that is to be “respected by all parties leading to a lasting, sustainable ceasefire”.
The E10-crafted resolution passed with 14 votes in favour and one abstention from the US.
This is the first time the council has passed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Gaza war.
The council has adopted two resolutions on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the enclave, but neither has called for a ceasefire.
The non-permanent members of the council negotiated with the US at the weekend to prevent another veto.
Unlike Friday's US-sponsored text, which was vetoed by Russia and China, the call for a ceasefire in the new resolution is not linked to continuing talks to pause the fighting in return for Hamas releasing hostages.
The text “demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, as well as ensuring humanitarian access to address their medical and other humanitarian needs”.
It also calls on all parties to comply “with their obligations under international law”.
Initially, the text called for a “permanent sustainable ceasefire” but the US asked for it to be replaced with “lasting” instead.
At the last minute Russia objected to the removal of the word “permanent” but the vote on the amendment was not passed.
“The word 'lasting' could be interpreted in various different ways and that is very telling. Those who are providing cover for Israel still want to give it a free hand,” said Russia's ambassador Vasily Nebenzya.
Security Council finally shouldering responsibility, Algeria says
The successful resolution was drafted in part by Algeria, the Arab Group's representative on the council, along with other non-permanent members of the council, including Slovenia, Switzerland and Mozambique.
Algeria's ambassador to the UN Amar Bendjama said the council was finally shouldering its responsibility as the primary organ responsible for maintaining international peace and security and “responding to the calls of the international community”.
“We look forward to the commitment and the compliance of the Israeli occupying power with this resolution for them to put an end to the bloodbath without any conditions to end the suffering of the Palestinian people,” he added.
Mr Bendjama emphasised that it falls upon the Security Council to guarantee the enforcement of the resolution's stipulations.
'We did not agree with everything': US abstains from vote
Washington's top UN envoy Linda Thomas-Greenfield shared her appreciation for the willingness of members of the council to take “some of our edits and improve on this resolution”.
However, she pointed out that significant amendments were overlooked, including the US request to add a condemnation of Hamas.
“We did not agree with everything in the resolution. For that reason, we were, unfortunately, not able to vote yes,” added Ms Thomas-Greenfield.
“However, as I've said before, we fully support some of the critical objectives in this non-binding resolution. And we believe it was important for the council to speak out and make clear that any ceasefire must come with the release of all hostages.”
According to the UN Charter, all Security Council resolutions are binding under international law.
After the Security Council meeting, South Korea's delegate Hwang Joon-kook provided further explanation on the US envoy's comments regarding the non-binding nature of the text.
"Legally speaking [the resolution] is non binding because ... this resolution does not use the word 'decide'. And it did not invoke chapter seven of the charter."
Mozambique's UN ambassador Pedro Commissario interjected and stressed that "all United Nations Security Council resolutions are binding and mandatory".
"I have been a member of the International Law Commission for 15 years and president, and I know what I'm saying, OK?" he said.
Slovenia called for swift implementation of “this clear resolution” in particular with regard to the ceasefire, the unconditional release of hostages and the urgent need for expansion of the flow of humanitarian aid.
Ms Thomas-Greenfield said that the ceasefire can be put into effect only after Hamas starts releasing the hostages it currently holds.
Following the vote, Israel's UN ambassador Gilad Erdan said: “Your demand for a ceasefire without conditioning it on the release of the hostages not only is not helpful... because it gives Hamas terrorists the hope to get a ceasefire without releasing the hostages.”
Some in Washington said the US should have vetoed the resolution.
“By not opposing today’s UN Security Council resolution, the Biden administration has empowered Hamas terrorists as they shamefully obstruct negotiations to free the hostages," House Foreign Relations Committee chairman Michael McCaul told The National.
"Instead, the administration should have kept continued pressure on Hamas to agree to freeing hostages and a short-term ceasefire.”
“This crisis is not over. Our council will have to remain mobilised and immediately get back to work,” said Nicolas de Riviere, France's UN representative.
“After Ramadan, which ends in two weeks, it will have to establish a permanent ceasefire.”
Netanyahu cancels Washington visit
Moments after the US refused to veto the resolution, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu cancelled a planned visit to Washington by a high-level delegation in protest.
Mr Netanyahu accused Washington of “retreating” from what he said had been a “principled position” by allowing the vote to pass without conditioning the ceasefire on the release of hostages held by Hamas.
The Israeli delegation was to present White House officials with plans for an expected ground invasion of the city of Rafah in Gaza, where over one million Palestinians have sought shelter from the war.
Washington has been pressing Israel to hold off on an invasion of the city until secure plans are in place to protect civilians.
“We're very disappointed that they won't be coming to Washington, DC, to allow us to have a fulsome conversation with them about viable alternatives to going in on the ground in Rafah,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters.
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
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Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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Specs
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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War 2
Director: Ayan Mukerji
Stars: Hrithik Roshan, NTR, Kiara Advani, Ashutosh Rana
Rating: 2/5
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
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- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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PROFILE OF INVYGO
Started: 2018
Founders: Eslam Hussein and Pulkit Ganjoo
Based: Dubai
Sector: Transport
Size: 9 employees
Investment: $1,275,000
Investors: Class 5 Global, Equitrust, Gulf Islamic Investments, Kairos K50 and William Zeqiri
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
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THE BIO:
Sabri Razouk, 74
Athlete and fitness trainer
Married, father of six
Favourite exercise: Bench press
Must-eat weekly meal: Steak with beans, carrots, broccoli, crust and corn
Power drink: A glass of yoghurt
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Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
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if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
- Max Dowman (Arsenal)
15 years, 235 days old
- Jeremy Monga (Leicester)
15 years, 271 days old
- Harvey Elliott (Fulham)
16 years, 30 days old
- Matthew Briggs (Fulham)
16 years, 68 days old
T20 World Cup Qualifier
October 18 – November 2
Opening fixtures
Friday, October 18
ICC Academy: 10am, Scotland v Singapore, 2.10pm, Netherlands v Kenya
Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan
Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed
Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed
Fixtures and results:
Wed, Aug 29:
- Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
- Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
- UAE bt Singapore by 215 runs
Thu, Aug 30: UAE v Nepal; Hong Kong v Singapore; Malaysia v Oman
Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal
Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore
Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu, Sep 6: Final
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'The worst thing you can eat'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)
Sunday
Brighton and Hove Albion v Newcastle United (7pm)
Monday
Arsenal v West Bromwich Albion (11pm)
