US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted Saudi Foreign Affairs Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan in Washington on Thursday to discuss a range of issues, including Iran and the war in Yemen.
“We have a strong partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia,” Mr Blinken said before the meeting. “We are committed to the defence of the kingdom.
“We have a lot of work that we’re doing together on a variety of very significant issues, from climate to energy to Yemen to Iran.”
Prince Faisal said: “We’re going to talk about regional security, how we can work together on that, but also … climate change, energy recovery, Covid-19.”
On Wednesday, Mr Blinken met Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation, and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid.
The Saudi-led coalition supporting the internationally recognised government in Yemen said it launched air strikes this week that killed Iran-backed Houthi rebels and destroyed explosive-laden boats in the Red Sea.
US President Joe Biden’s administration has sought to broker a ceasefire between the coalition and the rebels.
The Houthis have so far refused to accept the Saudi-proposed ceasefire and have continued the offensive on Yemen’s oil-rich Marib province, the last northern stronghold of the government.
Mr Biden said this year that he was ending US support for the Saudi-led campaign against the Houthis.
This included the suspension of a major arms sale to Saudi Arabia negotiated under the Trump administration, which involved precision-guided munitions.
And while Mr Biden has begun to remove US troops and anti-missile batteries that Mr Trump stationed in Saudi Arabia, he has also pledged to continue supporting the Saudi military's defensive operations.
The Biden administration notified Congress last month of a $500 million contract with Saudi Arabia to service and maintain US-made attack helicopters already owned by the kingdom.
Meanwhile, Mr Biden’s special envoy for Iran, Robert Malley, is due to visit the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar in the near future.
Mr Malley said he would co-ordinate with US security partners in the region on Iran to prepare for all contingencies, as the indirect talks to revive the nuclear accord remain at a standstill.
He said that included a possible future where the US and Iran could not reach an agreement to restore the 2015 nuclear deal.
Mr Blinken reaffirmed on Wednesday that the US still preferred the diplomatic option, but warned: “We are prepared to turn to other options if Iran doesn't change course.”
Company profile
Name: Tratok Portal
Founded: 2017
Based: UAE
Sector: Travel & tourism
Size: 36 employees
Funding: Privately funded
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
Brief scores:
Juventus 3
Dybala 6', Bonucci 17', Ronaldo 63'
Frosinone 0
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
PROFILE OF STARZPLAY
Date started: 2014
Founders: Maaz Sheikh, Danny Bates
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment/Streaming Video On Demand
Number of employees: 125
Investors/Investment amount: $125 million. Major investors include Starz/Lionsgate, State Street, SEQ and Delta Partners
RACE CARD
6.30pm Maiden (TB) Dh82.500 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
7.40pm Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (Turf) 2,410m
8.15pm Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,900m
8.50pm UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm Dubai Trophy (TB) Conditions Dh183,650 (T) 1,200m
10pm Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,400m
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
EA Sports FC 26
Publisher: EA Sports
Consoles: PC, PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series X/S
Rating: 3/5
