RAMALLAH // Glimmers of progress in John Kerry's efforts to revive the Middle East peace process emerged yesterday after meetings in Jordan with Palestinian and Arab League officials.
The US secretary of state said his latest proposals had been able to "narrow those gaps" between the Palestinian and Israeli positions on resuming peace talks.
Arab delegates said they supported Mr Kerry's initiative, "especially the new and important political, economic and security elements".
Palestinian officials said he had unveiled his plan to the Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas during a five-hour discussion in Amman on Tuesday.
Mr Abbas will present details of the proposal to the leadership of the Palestine Liberation Organisation in Ramallah today.
Mr Kerry held talks again yesterday with Mr Abbas and was also expected to meet King Abdullah of Jordan.
A Palestinian official said Mr Kerry was determined to announce a resumption of talks before he leaves the region at the end of the week.
But another senior official said Mr Abbas and his colleagues were sceptical of returning to the negotiating table with Israel. He cautioned that the Palestinian leader "was under tremendous pressure to go back to peace talks from the US".
The official doubted the PLO executive would support a return to negotiations, primarily because Israel refuses to stop constructing settler homes in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. That has been Mr Abbas's key demand for resuming talks, but Israel's right-wing prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has consistently refused to do this.
Mr Kerry yesterday also urged Israel to consider carefully a 2002 Arab League peace initiative that it has rejected so far.
"Israel needs to look hard at this initiative, which promises Israel peace with 22 Arab nations and 35 Muslim nations - a total of 57 nations that are standing and waiting for the possibility of making peace," he said.
The Arab League offered Israel normal relations in return for withdrawing from the territories it captured during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
Mr Kerry convinced them to revive the proposal in April with an extra sweetener that would allow Israel to retain some Jewish settlements in return for exchanging portions of its own land to Palestinians for their own state.
But Mr Netanyahu reacted coolly to the renewed offer, and demanded instead that both Palestinians and the Arab world recognise Israel as a Jewish state - which the Palestinians refuse to do.
Mr Kerry is not scheduled visit Israel on this trip, his sixth visit to the region in as many months..
Both US and Palestinian officials have disclosed few details of the discussion between Mr Abbas and Mr Kerry.
A state department official said their meeting on Tuesday touched on a number of issues, including a US$4 billion (Dh14.7bn) economic development scheme proposed by Mr Kerry in May.
To be funded by private investors, the plan offers to help develop the Palestinian territories as an incentive to persuade Mr Abbas to return to peace talks.
Mr Kerry's visit to the region comes as Israeli officials grapple with new European Union guidelines that restrict cooperation with and funding for institutions involved with Jewish settlements.
hnaylor@thenational.ae
* Additional reporting by the Associated Press and Reuters
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More coverage from the Future Forum
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The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
RESULTS
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Brief scores
Toss India, chose to bat
India 281-7 in 50 ov (Pandya 83, Dhoni 79; Coulter-Nile 3-44)
Australia 137-9 in 21 ov (Maxwell 39, Warner 25; Chahal 3-30)
India won by 26 runs on Duckworth-Lewis Method
Everton 1 Stoke City 0
Everton (Rooney 45 1')
Man of the Match Phil Jagielka (Everton)
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
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What is an ETF?
An exchange traded fund is a type of investment fund that can be traded quickly and easily, just like stocks and shares. They come with no upfront costs aside from your brokerage's dealing charges and annual fees, which are far lower than on traditional mutual investment funds. Charges are as low as 0.03 per cent on one of the very cheapest (and most popular), Vanguard S&P 500 ETF, with the maximum around 0.75 per cent.
There is no fund manager deciding which stocks and other assets to invest in, instead they passively track their chosen index, country, region or commodity, regardless of whether it goes up or down.
The first ETF was launched as recently as 1993, but the sector boasted $5.78 billion in assets under management at the end of September as inflows hit record highs, according to the latest figures from ETFGI, a leading independent research and consultancy firm.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five largest providers BlackRock’s iShares, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisers, Deutsche Bank X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
While the best-known track major indices such as MSCI World, the S&P 500 and FTSE 100, you can also invest in specific countries or regions, large, medium or small companies, government bonds, gold, crude oil, cocoa, water, carbon, cattle, corn futures, currency shifts or even a stock market crash.
Points about the fast fashion industry Celine Hajjar wants everyone to know
- Fast fashion is responsible for up to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions
- Fast fashion is responsible for 24 per cent of the world's insecticides
- Synthetic fibres that make up the average garment can take hundreds of years to biodegrade
- Fast fashion labour workers make 80 per cent less than the required salary to live
- 27 million fast fashion workers worldwide suffer from work-related illnesses and diseases
- Hundreds of thousands of fast fashion labourers work without rights or protection and 80 per cent of them are women
Results
5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions Dh90,000 2,200m
Winner: Mudaarab, Jim Crowley (jockey), Erwan Charpy (trainer).
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap Dh70,000 1,400m
Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Richard Mullen, Hassan Al Hammadi.
6pm: UAE Matyrs Trophy (PA) Maiden Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Salima Al Reef, Jesus Rosales, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige Dh100,000 1,600m
Winner: Bainoona, Ricardo Iacopini, Eric Lemartinel.
7pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Ladies World Championship (PA) Prestige Dh125,000 1,600m
Winner: Assyad, Victoria Larsen, Eric Lemartinel.
8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1 Dh5,000,000 1,600m
Winner: Mashhur Al Khalediah, Jean-Bernard Eyquem, Phillip Collington.
Tips to stay safe during hot weather
- Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
- Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
- Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
- Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
- Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
- Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
- Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
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