Ireland's Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar and Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson pose for a photograph at Thornton Manor Hotel, near Birkenhead, north-west England on October 10, 2019, as they met for Brexit talks. AFP
Ireland's Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar and Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson pose for a photograph at Thornton Manor Hotel, near Birkenhead, north-west England on October 10, 2019, as they met for Brexit talks. AFP
Ireland's Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar and Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson pose for a photograph at Thornton Manor Hotel, near Birkenhead, north-west England on October 10, 2019, as they met for Brexit talks. AFP
Ireland's Prime Minister, Leo Varadkar and Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson pose for a photograph at Thornton Manor Hotel, near Birkenhead, north-west England on October 10, 2019, as they met fo

Irish and British leaders seek pathway to Brexit deal by end October


Damien McElroy
  • English
  • Arabic

British and Irish leaders eased fears over the near collapse in Brexit talks on Thursday after they declared both saw a "path" to a deal before the October 31 deadline for exit from the EU.

After a three-hour meeting near the northern city of Liverpool, Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar issued a joint statement that indicated negotiations could be revived after coming to a standstill earlier in the week.

Sterling staged a modest rally rising half a percent to $1.2281 follow the statement.

It revealed there had been a detailed and constructive discussion at a hotel near the city.

"Both continue to believe that a deal is in everybody’s interest. They agreed that they could see a pathway to a possible deal," it said, adding the focus would shift to the Task Force 50 European negotiating team and its British interlocuters. "Following their discussions the Taoiseach will consult with the Taskforce 50 and the Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay will meet Michel Barnier tomorrow morning."

Mr Varadkar added the process was at a very sensitive stage and there remained issues to be resolved. "I had a very good meeting, very positive and very promising," he said.

There are two outstanding impediments to Britain's hopes to renegotiate the Withdrawal Agreement that its parliament has rejected three times. The first is how to keep Northern Ireland in a seamless trading relationship with the Republic of Ireland. The EU has said the British run territory must remain in a customs union while London wants a free trade arrangement.

The second is a means of ensure Northern Ireland can approve any special arrangements at the ballot box.

"Their discussion concentrated on the challenges of customs and consent," the statement added. "They agreed to reflect further on their discussions and that officials would continue to engage intensively on them."

The atmosphere surrounding the negotiations was soured as the two sides blamed each other for their failure to make progress.

Thus the joint statement from Johnson and Varadkar marked a positive shift in tone. But it also highlighted the difficulties the negotiators have faced, notably on agreeing arrangements for customs checks on goods crossing the Irish border and how the region’s community could give its consent to these plans.

As one of the smallest states in the EU and the only country that shares a land border with the UK, Ireland has sought to ensure that negotiations on exit are routed through Brussels.

The bilateral talks with Mr Johnson were described by Irish officials as "about the process for securing agreement for a Brexit deal” and not, Irish sources pointed out, about actually securing an agreement on the substance on how the UK leaves the EU." according to the Dublin media.

After Mr Barnier declared on Wednesday that the British proposals were "not acceptable", Mr Johnson was under pressure to provide a shift in Britain's position over the customs arrangements across Ireland following Brexit.

French President Emmanuel Macron voiced frustration on Thursday, saying: "Brexit is a British domestic crisis, not a European one."

He said what was important now was to finalise negotiations and see if there was "something that I hope could fly".

"At the very end this is a British responsibility" on whether it leaves the EU with or without a deal or even cancels the Brexit process outright, he added.

Meanwhile Britain's security minister Brandon Lewis warned EU citizens they must apply for settled status or risk being expelled from the UK if they failed to use a new scheme to establish residency. Asked about figures showing only a third of Germans living in Britain under EU freedom of movement regulations had so far applied to be registered and Lewis said "theoretically, yes,” when asked if they could be removed from the country if there’s a no-deal split.

ADCC AFC Women’s Champions League Group A fixtures

October 3: v Wuhan Jiangda Women’s FC
October 6: v Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women’s FC
October 9: v Sabah FA

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

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1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

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Japan

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Norway

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Canada

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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.
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  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
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  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
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Things Heard & Seen

Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton

2/5

What went into the film

25 visual effects (VFX) studios

2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots

1,000 VFX artists

3,000 technicians

10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers

New sound technology, named 4D SRL

 

if you go

The flights

Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.

The hotel

Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.

The tour

Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg

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5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions Dh90,000 2,200m

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Winner: Salima Al Reef, Jesus Rosales, Abdallah Al Hammadi.

6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige Dh100,000 1,600m

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8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1 Dh5,000,000 1,600m

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What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

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Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

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Abu Dhabi GP schedule

Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm

Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm

Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm

Types of policy

Term life insurance: this is the cheapest and most-popular form of life cover. You pay a regular monthly premium for a pre-agreed period, typically anything between five and 25 years, or possibly longer. If you die within that time, the policy will pay a cash lump sum, which is typically tax-free even outside the UAE. If you die after the policy ends, you do not get anything in return. There is no cash-in value at any time. Once you stop paying premiums, cover stops.

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India squad

Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, K.L. Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur.