LONDON // Tortuous negotiations in the search for a deal to give the UK a new government continued late into the night yesterday.
After Thursday's election ended inconclusively, with the Conservatives the largest party but with not enough seats for a parliamentary majority, the 57 Liberal Democrat MPs remained the key to forming a new government.
Nick Clegg, their leader, spent most of the day locked away with his MPs and senior party figures, discussing whether they should enter into a formal or, perhaps, informal coalition with David Cameron, the Tory leader.
Meanwhile, figures in the Labour Party - which is still technically in charge of the country, even though it now has only 258 MPs to the Conservatives' 306 - continued to promise immediate moves towards an electoral system based on proportional representation, the Liberal Democrats' most cherished ambition.
For his part, Mr Cameron has only offered an all-party inquiry into electoral reform: a carrot not regarded as tempting enough for most Liberal Democrats.
The prime minister, Gordon Brown, had a 30-minute telephone conversation with Mr Clegg overnight but party officials insisted it was not a discussion on a possible Labour-Liberal Democratic Party coalition but, rather, on constitutional procedure regarding a hung parliament.
Mr Clegg's MPs remain deeply divided over whom they should support. On one hand, they represent a left-of-centre party that would feel deeply uneasy in an alliance with the right-of-centre Conservatives.
On the other hand, few would thank them for backing Mr Brown's Labour Party, which got a drubbing at the polls and received two million fewer votes than the Conservatives.
And a Labour-Liberal Democratic Party coalition would still not command enough seats in the House of Commons to reach the 326 figure required for an overall majority.
It would mean that, to keep Labour in power, the coalition would have to include other groupings, such as the Scottish and Welsh nationalists - a mixture unlikely to make for stable government for long.
Liam Fox, the Conservatives' defence spokesman, warned Mr Clegg yesterday "not to hold the country to ransom" with demands for electoral reform.
He said the Tories had won the right to see "the larger part of our manifesto" implemented, adding: "I don't think that it's reasonable, given the result of the election, where we did come clearly ahead of any other party, that an agenda would be applied that was very much against what a very large proportion voted for."
But Mr Clegg responded that, while he would approach Mr Cameron's offer to join the Conservatives in government in a constructive spirit, he would be "very much making the case for the four big priorities" identified by the Liberal Democrats - fairer taxes, help for disadvantaged children, a green economy and "fundamental political reform". Simon Hughes, one of the Liberal Democratic Party's most senior figures, also warned that his party was not prepared to "betray our principles" and that the Conservatives were far from natural allies.
"A radical party to its DNA is not going to stop being radical just because we have the best chance in 35 years of influencing and implementing what we believe in," he said, adding that he believed a deal might not be done until the Commons reconvened on Wednesday.
However, Nick Robinson, the political editor of the BBC, said he felt a deal would be done in the next day or so.
"My hunch is that a Tory-Lib Dem arrangement can be formed but not a coalition, which both parties would find too hard to stomach," he said.
"The reason is that both parties' leadership's have a shared interest in avoiding an early second election. The Liberal Democrats are shell shocked by the extent to which their dreams of an electoral breakthrough were smashed and have no money for another campaign.
"The Tories are surprised by Labour's electoral resilience and do not fancy getting to grips with the deficit whilst constantly looking over their shoulders at the electorate."
All three leaders of the main political parties did get together yesterday in a gathering close to the prime minister's residence in Downing Street.
But this was no show of unity amid the political turmoil. It was at a ceremony to mark the 65th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.
@Email:dsapsted@thenational.ae
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
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Company%20Profile
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THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
Is it worth it? We put cheesecake frap to the test.
The verdict from the nutritionists is damning. But does a cheesecake frappuccino taste good enough to merit the indulgence?
My advice is to only go there if you have unusually sweet tooth. I like my puddings, but this was a bit much even for me. The first hit is a winner, but it's downhill, slowly, from there. Each sip is a little less satisfying than the last, and maybe it was just all that sugar, but it isn't long before the rush is replaced by a creeping remorse. And half of the thing is still left.
The caramel version is far superior to the blueberry, too. If someone put a full caramel cheesecake through a liquidiser and scooped out the contents, it would probably taste something like this. Blueberry, on the other hand, has more of an artificial taste. It's like someone has tried to invent this drink in a lab, and while early results were promising, they're still in the testing phase. It isn't terrible, but something isn't quite right either.
So if you want an experience, go for a small, and opt for the caramel. But if you want a cheesecake, it's probably more satisfying, and not quite as unhealthy, to just order the real thing.
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Recent winners
2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)
2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)
2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)
2007 Grace Bijjani (Mexico)
2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)
2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)
2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)
2011 Maria Farah (Canada)
2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)
2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)
2014 Lia Saad (UAE)
2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)
2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)
2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)
2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Other simple ideas for sushi rice dishes
Cheat’s nigiri
This is easier to make than sushi rolls. With damp hands, form the cooled rice into small tablet shapes. Place slices of fresh, raw salmon, mackerel or trout (or smoked salmon) lightly touched with wasabi, then press, wasabi side-down, onto the rice. Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger.
Easy omurice
This fusion dish combines Asian fried rice with a western omelette. To make, fry cooked and cooled sushi rice with chopped vegetables such as carrot and onion and lashings of sweet-tangy ketchup, then wrap in a soft egg omelette.
Deconstructed sushi salad platter
This makes a great, fuss-free sharing meal. Arrange sushi rice on a platter or board, then fill the space with all your favourite sushi ingredients (edamame beans, cooked prawns or tuna, tempura veggies, pickled ginger and chilli tofu), with a dressing or dipping sauce on the side.
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HWJN
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Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
Voices: How A Great Singer Can Change Your Life
Nick Coleman
Jonathan Cape