At UN: Obama urges Israel, Palestinians to resume talks

US President Barack Obama warned Wednesday there was "no short cut" to Middle East peace. He was speaking amid the Palestinian drive for UN statehood recognition.

"I am convinced that there is no short cut to the end of a conflict that has endured for decades. Peace will not come through statements and resolutions at the UN -- if it were that easy, it would have been accomplished by now," Obama said in a speech to the United Nations General Assembly.

In a pro-Israeli speech the US leader appealed to the United Nations to recognize Israel’s security concerns in considering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “We believe that any lasting peace must acknowledge the very real security concerns that Israel faces every single day,” Obama said.

Saleh returns to Yemen and calls for truce

Yemen's recovering President Ali Abdullah Saleh has called for a cease-fire after returning surprisingly to the country, saying the only way out of the crisis is through negotiations.

The statement from Saleh's office was the first message since his unexpected return on Friday to the country from Saudi Arabia, where he has been for more than three months. Saleh was was treated in the kingdom after sustaining wounds in a rocket attack on his compound in Sanaa.

In his message, the veteran leader also urged political and military figures to commit to a truce. 

Egypt: General elections 'to begin in November'

     Egypt's ruling military council has proposed the date of 21 November for the start of the first parliamentary elections since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak, media say.

     A formal announcement is expected to be made next week.

     The elections are likely to be held in three stages, so the process will take more than a month.

     No date has been set for a presidential election, which is not expected to take place until March or April.

Minister sentenced

     Egyptian media quoted the election commission head, Abdel Moez Ibrahim, as saying voting for the lower house, the People's Assembly, would be in three stages, the first on 21 November and the last on 3 January.

Military council convenes elections meeting

    

CAIRO: The Egyptian ruling military council today called all political parties together for a meeting to discuss arrangements for the upcoming parliamentary elections.

      The Egyptian Minister of Information announced that judges from the High Constitutional Court will attend the meeting to discuss legal practicalities about the elections.

      The Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the political entity of the Muslim Brotherhood, announced that they had been called to the meeting. Chairman of the Party Mohamed Morssi will attend.

      The FJP will commit to the demands announced by the Democratic Coalition for Change, sources said.

New faces of Delma Island tourism

ABU DHABI // Just a few months ago, Yasmeen Al Hammadi had never sat on a bicycle or paddled a kayak.

Now she is leading tourists on winding bike tours, mountain hikes and wildlife safari excursions, pointing out little-known facts about the giraffes and cheetahs living on the small islands off the country's south-west coast. She tells curious visitors stories about the days of pearl diving and describes local traditions.

She is among the first group to graduate from a diploma course on Delma Island developed specifically for grooming Emiratis there to take over Abu Dhabi's burgeoning tourism industry.

Four of the first five graduates of an 11-month programme by the Desert Islands Education Centre (DIEC) have begun working at the government-owned luxury resort on Sir Bani Yas Island, while one will work full-time as an administrator for the education centre on Delma.