President Sheikh Mohamed talked on the phone to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday. Photo: UAE Presidential Court / SPA
President Sheikh Mohamed talked on the phone to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday. Photo: UAE Presidential Court / SPA

President Sheikh Mohamed discusses two-state solution with Saudi Crown Prince



President Sheikh Mohamed on Tuesday received a phone call from Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

During the call, the two leaders reviewed regional and international developments, particularly the latest in the Middle East, state news agency Wam reported. They emphasised the importance of maintaining regional stability and advancing a lasting peace in Gaza based on the two-state solution.

Also read: Trump says US will 'take over Gaza' in biggest Middle East policy shift in decades

They also discussed ways to enhance bilateral co-operation, examining ways to further strengthen ties and continue development and prosperity.

It comes after the foreign ministers of five Arab countries and a senior Palestinian official sent a letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio opposing plans to displace Palestinians from Gaza.

The letter, first reported by Axios and later confirmed by Reuters, was sent on Monday and signed by the foreign ministers of the UAE, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and Palestinian presidential adviser Hussein Al Sheikh.

“Reconstruction in Gaza should be through direct engagement with and participation of the people of Gaza. Palestinians will live in their land and help rebuild it,” the letter said. “And they should not be stripped of their agency during reconstruction as they must take ownership of the process with the support of the international community.”

US President Donald Trump first floated the suggestion of Jordan and Egypt taking in Palestinians from Gaza on January 25, less than a week into a ceasefire that has halted fighting between Israel and Hamas. When asked if he was suggesting that as a long-term or short-term solution, Mr Trump said: “Could be either.” Jordan and Egypt rejected the idea, with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi calling it an “act of oppression”.

Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

Sinopharm vaccine explained

The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades. 

“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.

"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."

This is then injected into the body.

"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.

"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."

The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.

Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.

“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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Medicus AI

Started: 2016

Founder(s): Dr Baher Al Hakim, Dr Nadine Nehme and Makram Saleh

Based: Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai

Sector: Health Tech

Staff: 119

Funding: €7.7 million (Dh31m)

 

Paris Can Wait
Dir: Eleanor Coppola
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Diane Lane, Arnaud Viard
Two stars

Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
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UAE tour of the Netherlands

UAE squad: Rohan Mustafa (captain), Shaiman Anwar, Ghulam Shabber, Mohammed Qasim, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Chirag Suri, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Mohammed Naveed, Amjad Javed, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Fixtures:
Monday, 1st 50-over match
Wednesday, 2nd 50-over match
Thursday, 3rd 50-over match

Specs

Price, base: Dhs850,000
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 591bhp @ 7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.3L / 100km

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Updated: February 05, 2025, 4:17 AM