Biden, Lapid sign US-Israel pledge to deny Iran nuclear weapons

Live updates: follow the latest news on Joe Biden's Middle East visit

US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid on Thursday signed a pledge to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons, including by force if needed.

Standing on matching lecterns with US and Israeli flags waving on twin LED screens in the basement of the Waldorf Astoria, Mr Biden vowed to protect Israel and deepen military co-operation as part of a new "Jerusalem Declaration" one day after telling local media that a "last resort" use of force against Iran was on the table.

"We will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon," Mr Biden told a news conference following the signing of the declaration that stated that the US was "prepared to use all elements of its national power to ensure that outcome."

Mr Biden said he was seeking to deepen the Obama administration's record $38 billion, 10-year commitment to Israeli security with new collaboration on defence projects such as laser interceptors.

“We will make sure Israel can defend itself by itself.”

The US leader spoke at length of his country's long and close relationship with Israel and said: "We're here to stay. Like it or not, we're here."

Hours after the press conference on Thursday, Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi said his country would have a "harsh and regrettable" response to any mistake from Washington and its allies.

While indirect talks between the US and Iran remain at loggerheads, Mr Biden once again said he hoped Iran would agree to a new pact and that diplomacy was the best way to ensure Iran didn't make nuclear weapons. Iran denies its enrichment of uranium is in pursuit of a warhead.

"We’ve laid out for the leadership of Iran what we’re willing to accept to get back into the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action]," Mr Biden said. "We’re waiting for their response. When that will occur, when that will happen, I’m not sure But we are not going to wait forever."

US officials have warned that if Iran fails to agree to a deal then more sanctions and other curbs would be announced.

Mr Lapid, whose country has long said it retains the right to decide how it chooses to respond to the Iranian threat, said "the only thing that can stop Iran is knowing the free world will use force to stop them."

In an interview with Israel's Channel 12, broadcast on Wednesday evening, the US leader said he was prepared to use force as a “last resort” against Iran.

The US also promised to work with other partners in the region “to confront Iran’s aggression and destabilising activities”.

On Friday, Mr Biden heads to Saudi Arabia, which has its own concerns about Iran's regional activity, and he will also meet with leaders of GCC states as well as Iraq, Jordan and Egypt to discuss matters of regional security and energy. Mr Lapid described the US president's next leg of his regional tour as "extremely important to Israel."

Mr Biden said that the visit to Saudi Arabia was an opportunity for the US to reassert its influence in the region. "We made a mistake of walking away from our influence in the Middle East," he said.

Mr Biden is on his first trip to the Middle East since taking office in January 2020. He is expected to travel to the occupied West Bank on Friday to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas before going to Saudi Arabia.

The president once again stated his belief that a two-state solution was the only way to ensure “a reality in which Israelis and Palestinians alike can enjoy equal measures of security, freedom and prosperity”. However, there is not expected to be any progress on the matter during the visit.

The president, who has come under scrutiny from the US media for travelling to Saudi Arabia after publically criticising the kingdom, said the trip was an opportunity to reassert the US in the region and counter the influence of China and Russia.

THE SPECS

Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8

Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch

Power: 710bhp

Torque: 770Nm

Speed: 0-100km/h 2.9 seconds

Top Speed: 340km/h

Price: Dh1,000,885

On sale: now

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.

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi

From: Dara

To: Team@

Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT

Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East

Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.

Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.

I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.

This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.

It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.

Uber on,

Dara

Teaching your child to save

Pre-school (three - five years)

You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.

Early childhood (six - eight years)

Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.

Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)

Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.

Young teens (12 - 14 years)

Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.

Teenage (15 - 18 years)

Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.

Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)

Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.

* JP Morgan Private Bank

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20

%3Cp%3EName%3A%20DarDoc%3Cbr%3EBased%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%3Cbr%3EFounders%3A%20Samer%20Masri%2C%20Keswin%20Suresh%3Cbr%3ESector%3A%20HealthTech%3Cbr%3ETotal%20funding%3A%20%24800%2C000%3Cbr%3EInvestors%3A%20Flat6Labs%2C%20angel%20investors%20%2B%20Incubated%20by%20Hub71%2C%20Abu%20Dhabi's%20Department%20of%20Health%3Cbr%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%2010%3C%2Fp%3E%0A