Stakes are raised in outcome of peace talks



JERUSALEM // Calls for Palestinian-Israeli talks to continue took on added urgency yesterday after Egypt's president warned of a surge in terrorist attacks if they falter and Jordan's king declared they are a chance for peace that must be seized.

Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, warned that "violence and terrorism will erupt in the Middle East and all over the world" if the peace talks collapse. Mr Mubarak met separately yesterday in Cairo with the Palestinian Authority president, Mahmoud Abbas, and Bill Clinton, the former US president.

In Amman, King Abdullah II held talks with Israel's social affairs minister, Issac Herzog, saying afterward: "We must make all possible efforts to move towards peace through the direct talks." The negotiations, he added, were an "historical opportunity" that "should not be missed". The appeals by the two prominent Arab leaders came amid reports that the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and a group of top ministers yesterday were to debate resuming a freeze on settlement construction in the West Bank, just days before a meeting between Arab foreign ministers and Mr Abbas.

Late yesterday, however, the Israeli premier's office issued a statement saying Mr Netanyahu and his ministers had only discussed global hostility towards Israel after its troops stormed a Gaza-bound aid boat that was trying to run the Israeli blockade in May, killing nine Turkish activists. "The Forum of Seven did not hold a debate on the issue of efforts to allow the continuation of peace talks," the statement said.

Israeli media had reported that Mr Netanyahu was to discuss a 60-day building moratorium in exchange for a US deal offering security and other guarantees. If he won approval of the proposal, he would assemble his 15-member security cabinet in a bid to win their support, the reports said. Israel's resumption of settlement building last week is the latest threat to Palestinian-Israeli peace talks, which restarted September 2 in Washington.

Mr Abbas has said the construction must stop for the negotiations to continue, a stance that received popular backing following a meeting on Saturday of the Palestine Liberation Organisation's executive committee. Mr Abbas said he intends to decide whether to bow out of the talks at a meeting of the Arab League in Libya on Friday. A study released on Monday found that 66 per cent of Palestinians support Mr Abbas's stance on the settlement issue.

Critics have warned that Mr Abbas and the Palestinians have pursued a dead-end strategy by predicating negotiations on settlement expansion. But Khalil Shikaki, the director of the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research, which conducted the study, said the results suggest that Mr Abbas's strategy of not publicly bending on the issue could have earned him more public support. "For now, Abu Mazen seems to be doing fine, and it [the support] gives him some room for maneuver," he said, referring to Mr Abbas by his kunya, or honorific.

More than 120 Jewish settlements, with roughly 300,000 settlers living in them, are located in the West Bank. The international community considers the settlements illegal, and Palestinians want the land on which they are located for a future state. On Monday, the London-based daily Asharq al-Awsat reported that Mr Netanyahu had agreed to the 60-day building freeze, persuaded by incentives from the United States that included weaponry and allowing Israeli soldiers to maintain a presence inside the West Bank in the event of a deal with the Palestinians.

The Israeli leader has neither confirmed his change of heart on the freeze nor the US inducements that reportedly led to it, but said at a cabinet meeting on Monday he was "in the midst of sensitive diplomatic contacts with the US administration" in "to find a solution that will allow the continuation of the talks". At his meeting yesterday, Mr Netanyahu was expected to encounter resistance from some ministers in his pro-settler cabinet, which is divided over the issue. Half of his cabinet of 30 ministers, for example, are opposed to an extension of the freeze, according to a poll by the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth that was published on Monday.

His reported opening to re-freezing settlement construction also earned him a barrage of criticism yesterday from settlers. Moshe Rosenbaum, the head of Beit El's regional council, called the prospect of another freeze a "shameful and humiliating injury to basic human rights, my rights as a man and a Jew living in his country".

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher:  Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5

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The Details

Article 15
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
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Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

ASHES FIXTURES

1st Test: Brisbane, Nov 23-27 
2nd Test: Adelaide, Dec 2-6
3rd Test: Perth, Dec 14-18
4th Test: Melbourne, Dec 26-30
5th Test: Sydney, Jan 4-8

Take Me Apart

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COMPANY PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
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Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
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Five expert hiking tips
    Always check the weather forecast before setting off Make sure you have plenty of water Set off early to avoid sudden weather changes in the afternoon Wear appropriate clothing and footwear Take your litter home with you
The National photo project

Chris Whiteoak, a photographer at The National, spent months taking some of Jacqui Allan's props around the UAE, positioning them perfectly in front of some of the country's most recognisable landmarks. He placed a pirate on Kite Beach, in front of the Burj Al Arab, the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland at the Burj Khalifa, and brought one of Allan's snails (Freddie, which represents her grandfather) to the Dubai Frame. In Abu Dhabi, a dinosaur went to Al Ain's Jebel Hafeet. And a flamingo was taken all the way to the Hatta Mountains. This special project suitably brings to life the quirky nature of Allan's prop shop (and Allan herself!).

MATCH INFO

Euro 2020 qualifier

Fixture: Liechtenstein v Italy, Tuesday, 10.45pm (UAE)

TV: Match is shown on BeIN Sports

How to report a beggar

Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)

Dubai – Call 800243

Sharjah – Call 065632222

Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372

Ajman – Call 067401616

Umm Al Quwain – Call 999

Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411

BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES

Friday (all kick-offs UAE time)

Hertha Berlin v Union Berlin (10.30pm)

Saturday

Freiburg v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)

Paderborn v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)

Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund (5.30pm)

Borussia Monchengladbach v Bayer Leverkusen (5.30pm)

Bayern Munich v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm)

Sunday

Schalke v Augsburg (3.30pm)

Mainz v RB Leipzig (5.30pm)

Cologne v Fortuna Dusseldorf (8pm)

DUBAI CARNIVAL RESULTS

6.30pm Handicap US$135,000 (Turf) 2,410m

Winner Dubai Future, Harry Bentley (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).

7.05pm UAE 1000 Guineas Listed $250,000 (Dirt) 1,600m

Winner Dubai Love, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.

7.40pm Dubai Dash Listed $175,000 (T) 1,000m

Winner: Equilateral, James Doyle, Charles Hills.

8.15pm Al Bastakiya Trial Conditions $100,000 (D) 1.900m

Winner Laser Show, Kevin Stott, Saeed bin Suroor.

8.50pm Al Fahidi Fort Group Two $250,000 (T) 1,400m

Winner Glorious Journey, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby.

9.25pm Handicap $135,000 (D) 2,000m

Winner George Villiers, Tadhg O’Shea, Satish Seemar.

Nick's journey in numbers

Countries so far: 85

Flights: 149

Steps: 3.78 million

Calories: 220,000

Floors climbed: 2,000

Donations: GPB37,300

Prostate checks: 5

Blisters: 15

Bumps on the head: 2

Dog bites: 1

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Ultra processed foods

- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns 

- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;

- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces

- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,

- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.


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