Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
The UN Security Council on Monday adopted a US-drafted resolution endorsing President Joe Biden’s ceasefire plan for the Gaza Strip.
The measure won 14 votes in favour, with Russia abstaining. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in the Middle East to promote the proposal.
The vote marked the first time the world body has backed a comprehensive peace agreement aimed at ending the Gaza conflict.
Israel has already accepted the ceasefire terms, according to the document's text.
The proposal urged Hamas and Israel to fully implement the ceasefire's terms “without delay and without condition”, and calls on the Palestinian militant group to accept it.
“We're all waiting and waiting on Hamas to agree to the ceasefire deal it claims to want,” the US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, told council members before the vote.
"But we cannot afford to wait and wait and wait.
“Israel accepted this deal because it ensures its security. As President Biden made clear, Hamas is no longer capable of carrying out another October 7, and the United States' commitment to Israel's self defence is ironclad."
Ms Thomas-Greenfield said that after consultations with all council members, support for the resolution clearly indicates that the “world wants an immediate ceasefire with the release of hostages".
The text also underscored “the importance of the continuing diplomatic efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the United States aimed at reaching a comprehensive ceasefire deal, consisting of three phases".
While the US text is "not perfect", said Algeria's ambassador to the UN, Amar Bendjama, "it offers a glimmer of hope to the Palestinians as the alternative is continued killing and suffering of the Palestinian people".
"We voted for this text to give diplomacy a chance to reach an agreement that will end the aggression against the Palestinian people. That has lasted for far too long," Mr Bendjama said.
Whether Israel and Hamas will agree to implement the ceasefire plan remains in question.
"From the very beginning of escalation in Gaza, the Council has adopted three resolutions, which have remained on paper in terms of implementation," Russia's UN envoy Vasily Nebenzya said.
"Here, we can add a fourth This is not something we could call a positive trend," he noted.
The proposal comes in three phases that firstly would comprise “a full and complete ceasefire,” the withdrawal of Israeli forces from “all populated areas of Gaza,” and the release of “a number of hostages – including women, the elderly and the wounded – in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners".
The initial phase is expected to last six weeks, during which Israel and Hamas would “negotiate the necessary arrangements” to move to the second phase, which would centre on the “release of all remaining living hostages” in exchange for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
The final phase would include a “major reconstruction plan for Gaza” and the return of “any final remains of hostages who have been killed” to their families.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Mr Biden presented only parts of the proposal and that any discussion of a permanent ceasefire before dismantling Hamas’s military and governing ability is unacceptable.
Hamas welcomed the adoption of the resolution that “affirmed the permanent ceasefire in Gaza,” the militant group said in a statement.
The group also said it was willing to engage in indirect negotiations over implementing the principles "that are consistent with the demands of our people and resistance."
Israel's UN political coordinator, Reut Shapir Ben-Naftaly, pointed out that Israel will not allow Hamas to rearm, regroup, or remain in power.
“This also means that Israel will not engage in meaningless and endless negotiations, which can be exploited by Hamas as a means to stall for time," she said.
Israel’s military assault has killed more than 37,100 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
It has also destroyed about 80 per cent of Gaza’s buildings, according to the UN.
The assault was in response to the October 7, Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and abducted 240.
This was the 11th Security Council vote on a draft resolution concerning the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The resolution rejected any attempt to change Gaza’s territory or demography, including any actions that reduce the territory of Gaza.
It repeats the Security Council’s “unwavering commitment to achieving the vision of a negotiated two-state solution where two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, live side by side in peace within secure and recognised borders".
How Alia's experiment will help humans get to Mars
Alia’s winning experiment examined how genes might change under the stresses caused by being in space, such as cosmic radiation and microgravity.
Her samples were placed in a machine on board the International Space Station. called a miniPCR thermal cycler, which can copy DNA multiple times.
After the samples were examined on return to Earth, scientists were able to successfully detect changes caused by being in space in the way DNA transmits instructions through proteins and other molecules in living organisms.
Although Alia’s samples were taken from nematode worms, the results have much bigger long term applications, especially for human space flight and long term missions, such as to Mars.
It also means that the first DNA experiments using human genomes can now be carried out on the ISS.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
Liverpool (0) v Barcelona (3), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Game is on BeIN Sports
Results
United States beat UAE by three wickets
United States beat Scotland by 35 runs
UAE v Scotland – no result
United States beat UAE by 98 runs
Scotland beat United States by four wickets
Fixtures
Sunday, 10am, ICC Academy, Dubai - UAE v Scotland
Admission is free
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
Ajax 2-3 Tottenham
Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
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Thanksgiving meals to try
World Cut Steakhouse, Habtoor Palace Hotel, Dubai. On Thursday evening, head chef Diego Solis will be serving a high-end sounding four-course meal that features chestnut veloute with smoked duck breast, turkey roulade accompanied by winter vegetables and foie gras and pecan pie, cranberry compote and popcorn ice cream.
Jones the Grocer, various locations across the UAE. Jones’s take-home holiday menu delivers on the favourites: whole roast turkeys, an array of accompaniments (duck fat roast potatoes, sausages wrapped in beef bacon, honey-glazed parsnips and carrots) and more, as well as festive food platters, canapes and both apple and pumpkin pies.
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, The Address Hotel, Dubai. This New Orleans-style restaurant is keen to take the stress out of entertaining, so until December 25 you can order a full seasonal meal from its Takeaway Turkey Feast menu, which features turkey, homemade gravy and a selection of sides – think green beans with almond flakes, roasted Brussels sprouts, sweet potato casserole and bread stuffing – to pick up and eat at home.
The Mattar Farm Kitchen, Dubai. From now until Christmas, Hattem Mattar and his team will be producing game- changing smoked turkeys that you can enjoy at home over the festive period.
Nolu’s, The Galleria Mall, Maryah Island Abu Dhabi. With much of the menu focused on a California inspired “farm to table” approach (with Afghani influence), it only seems right that Nolu’s will be serving their take on the Thanksgiving spread, with a brunch at the Downtown location from 12pm to 4pm on Friday.
England's lowest Test innings
- 45 v Australia in Sydney, January 28, 1887
- 46 v West Indies in Port of Spain, March 25, 1994
- 51 v West Indies in Kingston, February 4, 2009
- 52 v Australia at The Oval, August 14, 1948
- 53 v Australia at Lord's, July 16, 1888
- 58 v New Zealand in Auckland, March 22, 2018
Scores
New Zealand 266 for 9 in 50 overs
Pakistan 219 all out in 47.2 overs
New Zealand win by 47 runs
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
The Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
- Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
- Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
