Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu separately said on Thursday that American troops would not be needed in Gaza, which was mentioned as a potential part of the US leader's much-criticised plan to redevelop the Palestinian enclave.
Mr Trump said Israel would hand over the Gaza Strip to the US after the fighting ends. By then, Palestinian residents would have already been resettled elsewhere in “far safer and more beautiful communities with new and modern homes in the region”.
“No soldiers by the US would be needed! Stability for the region would reign!” Mr Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. On Tuesday, he had said he would send US troops if it was necessary.
Mr Netanyahu, who is in Washington this week, visited the US Capitol on Thursday, where he, too, said US troops are not needed in Gaza.
Gathering with bipartisan members of the US Senate ahead of a meeting with Republican majority leader John Thune, Mr Netanyahu simply answered, “no”, when asked if he supported a US posting to the strip.
Mr Trump proposed at a Tuesday press conference with Mr Netanyahu that the US should take “long-term ownership” of Gaza. He also said he wanted to see the Gaza Strip redeveloped into the “Riviera of the Middle East”. The comments have drawn widespread condemnation in the Middle East and elsewhere.
Despite the apparent walk-back of comments regarding US troops being posted to Gaza, a US military contractor, UG Solutions, last week told Reuters that it is hiring nearly 100 special forces veterans to help run a checkpoint in the enclave during the initial phases of the Israel-Gaza ceasefire.
Mr Netanyahu was on Capitol Hill meeting with a new Republican majority that has promised to ramp-up Washington's support of Israel. Mr Thune delivered a message to Israelis after clinching party leadership in the Senate chamber: “Reinforcements are on the way.”
Among the senators posing for a photo-op with Mr Netanyahu was Republican Tom Cotton, who is leading legislation aimed at eliminating all official US references to the “West Bank” and refer to the occupied Palestinian territory as “Judea and Samaria” instead.
The Israeli Prime Minister was also due to meet Speaker of the House Mike Johnson.
Senate foreign relations committee ranking member Jeanne Shaheen said she had a “frank and productive” conversation with Mr Netanyahu.
“I also stressed to Prime Minister Netanyahu the importance to Israel’s long-term security of maintaining stability in the West Bank and the need to work with our partners in the region towards a negotiated two-state outcome with a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in equal measures of peace, security and mutual recognition,” Ms Shaheen said.
Mr Trump's Gaza comments prompted an immediate response from some members of his own Republican Party, who expressed confusion at the off-the-cuff reversal of US policy on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Alaska Republican senator Lisa Murkowski said she does not “even want to speculate to that question, because I think that is quite frightening”, she said.
Democratic senator Chris van Hollen, among the few senators to vocally condemn Israel's Gaza war and who has pledged to oppose all of Mr Trump's State Department nominations over the recent shuttering of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), called the plan “ethnic cleansing by any other name”.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Specs
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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.
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Australia tour of Pakistan
March 4-8: First Test, Rawalpindi
March 12-16: Second Test, Karachi
March 21-25: Third Test, Lahore
March 29: First ODI, Rawalpindi
March 31: Second ODI, Rawalpindi
April 2: Third ODI, Rawalpindi
April 5: T20I, Rawalpindi
more from Janine di Giovanni
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
UAE squad
Rohan Mustafa (captain), Ashfaq Ahmed, Ghulam Shabber, Rameez Shahzad, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Adnan Mufti, Shaiman Anwar, Ahmed Raza, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Mohammed Naveed, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
RESULTS - ELITE MEN
1. Henri Schoeman (RSA) 57:03
2. Mario Mola (ESP) 57:09
3. Vincent Luis (FRA) 57:25
4. Leo Bergere (FRA)57:34
5. Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS) 57:40
6. Joao Silva (POR) 57:45
7. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) 57:56
8. Adrien Briffod (SUI) 57:57
9. Gustav Iden (NOR) 57:58
10. Richard Murray (RSA) 57:59
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
