Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met Jordan's King Abdullah in Amman on Friday who warned him that the Gaza war is likely to ignite a new Palestinian refugee crisis.
The king cautioned against "any attempt to expel Palestinians from any of the Palestinian lands or cause them to flee”, Jordan's official news agency Petra reported.
The king “affirmed that the crisis should not be moved to neighbouring countries and compound the refugee issue".
He called for the “opening [of] urgent humanitarian corridors”, as well as "protecting civilians, de-escalating, and ending the war on Gaza", Petra reported.
Mr Blinken, who arrived in Amman from Israel, said that he understood "as a Jew, as a husband and a father" the enormity of the Hamas attack.
After meeting King Abdullah, Mr Blinken met Mahmoud Abbas at the Palestinian president's residence in Amman.
Mr Abbas "affirmed ... the total refusal to uproot our people in Gaza", the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
Such a scenario would be akin to a second Palestinian "catastrophe", Mr Abbas said.
The Palestinians consider the 1948 creation of Israel and the upheaval it caused as their national Nakba, or catastrophe.
US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the US was talking with allies in the Middle East "to prevent the conflict from widening".
He said Mr Blinken told Mr Abbas that "Hamas does not stand for the Palestinian people’s legitimate right to dignity, freedom, justice and self-determination".
Late on Friday Mr Blinken will travel to Qatar, the Arab country that is the most well connected to Hamas after Iran.
Hamas, which is supported by Iran, took scores of hostages in its attack on Israel at the weekend, including American citizens.
Jordan has the longest borders with Israel.
A large proportion of the kingdom's population are of Palestinian origin, descendants of the refugees who fled Israel's creation in 1948 and its expansion in the 1967 Middle East war.
The latest war in Gaza poses a challenge to authorities in Amman, which seeks to maintain a strong alliance with the US and keep a 1994 peace treaty with Israel, while placating pro-Palestinian sentiment in the kingdom.
Pros%20and%20cons%20of%20BNPL
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What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
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The%20specs%3A%20Taycan%20Turbo%20GT
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2019 BMW i8 Roadster
Price, base: Dh708,750
Engine: 1.5L three-cylinder petrol, plus 11.6 kWh lithium-ion battery
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power: 374hp (total)
Torque: 570Nm (total)
Fuel economy, combined: 2.0L / 100km
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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Favourite Movie: Resident Evil
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Favourite food: Pizza
Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon
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Fixtures All matches start at 9.30am, at ICC Academy, Dubai. Admission is free
Thursday UAE v Ireland; Saturday UAE v Ireland; Jan 21 UAE v Scotland; Jan 23 UAE v Scotland
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Timeline
2012-2015
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September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
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May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
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August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
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Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
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Company%20profile
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.