Sudan's military and protest leaders on Monday offered differing proposals for a joint ruling body to guide the nation through a transition after this month's removal of president Omar Al Bashir.
Monday's talks marked the third round between the two sides, with little evidence of progress. But they continue to be optimistic that an agreement will be reached soon.
A spokesman for the military, Lt Gen Shamsedeen Al Kabashy, said the transitional military council wanted the body to be made up of seven military representatives and three civilians.
But protest leaders wanted a 15-seat council with eight civilians and seven military men.
Gen Al Kabashy said Monday's talks ended with both sides agreeing to further study each other's proposals and to meet again on Tuesday.
The protest leaders are representatives of the Alliance for Freedom and Change, an umbrella body of political parties, trade unions and other groups behind four months of deadly street protests against Mr Al Bashir's 29-year rule.
The alliance later on Monday said that no agreement was reached over the council and that the two sides were also discussing formation of a government and parliament.
The alliance wants a four-year transitional period before elections. The military initially said the period would be up to two years, but has not publicly responded to the proposal for a longer time.
Also under discussion are the powers and mandate of the three proposed bodies.
Meanwhile, a mass sit-in is continuing outside the armed forces' headquarters in central Khartoum.
The protest began on April 6 to force the military to move against Mr Al Bashir, a former general who seized power in a coup in 1989.
The number of protesters at the sit-in swells to hundreds of thousands in the evenings when festivities and political debate take place.
The proposed ruling council would replace the 10-man military council that took power after Mr Al Bashir's removal.
Gen Al Kabashy also said on Monday that the two sides agreed on measures to normalise life in the country, such as reopening roads and bridges leading to or near the military headquarters.
Without directly blaming the protesters, he said crime had spread, including theft, looting and building barricades that hindered traffic in the capital.
The alliance said it would only accept responsibility for what took place at the sit-in site, Gen Al Kabashy said.
But he denied that the military intended to break up the protest.
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
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How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
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Four stars
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Director: Ayan Mukerji
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Rating: 2/5
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
UAE squad
Humaira Tasneem (c), Chamani Senevirathne (vc), Subha Srinivasan, NIsha Ali, Udeni Kuruppuarachchi, Chaya Mughal, Roopa Nagraj, Esha Oza, Ishani Senevirathne, Heena Hotchandani, Keveesha Kumari, Judith Cleetus, Chavi Bhatt, Namita D’Souza.
