African nations have reacted angrily after Donald Trump reportedly referred to them as "s***hole countries", with many accusing the US president of racism and ignorance.
The 55-nation African Union condemned the remarks on Friday, while a statement from ambassadors of all countries from the continent at the United Nations demanded a retraction and apology.
The African Group of UN ambassadors said it was "extremely appalled at, and strongly condemns the outrageous, racist and xenophobic remarks by the president of the United States of America as widely reported by the media".
Ambassadors unanimously agreed the resolution after an emergency session to discuss Mr Trump's remarks.
The comment was "clearly" racist, said Ebba Kalondo, spokeswoman for AU chief Moussa Faki.
"This is even more hurtful given the historical reality of just how many Africans arrived in the United States as slaves, and also terribly surprising as the United States remains a massively positive example as just how migration can give birth to a nation," Ms Kalondo said.
She stressed that the US was "much stronger than the sum total of one man".
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Mr Trump reportedly demanded to know why the United States should accept immigrants from "s***hole countries", after lawmakers raised the issue of protections for immigrants from African nations, Haiti and El Salvador.
He later tweeted, "this was not the language used" but privately defended his remarks, according to a source who spoke to Associated Press.
Mr Trump said on Friday that he was only expressing what many people think but won't say about immigrants from economically depressed countries, said the source.
The president spent Thursday evening making a flurry of calls to friends and outside advisers to judge their reaction to the tempest. The confidant told AP that Mr Trump wasn't apologetic about his inflammatory remarks and denied he was racist, instead blaming the media for distorting his meaning.
The United Nations has meanwhile slammed the reported remarks as "shocking and shameful" and "racist".
"You cannot dismiss entire countries and continents as 's***holes' whose entire populations, who are not white, are therefore not welcome," said Rupert Colville, spokesman for the UN human rights office.
Botswana summoned the US ambassador to the country to "clarify if Botswana is regarded as a 's***hole' country", according to a foreign ministry statement calling Mr Trump's comments "irresponsible, reprehensible and racist".
Senegal followed suit with foreign minister Sidiki Kaba saying the government "firmly condemned the unacceptable remarks which undermine human dignity, especially of Africa and her diaspora".
Mr Trump was widely derided last year after twice referring to Namibia as "Nambia".
Social media users across the continent posted images of modern skylines and beautiful nature from their countries with the hashtag "s***hole".
Many Africans reminded the US of its historic role in the continent's woes.
"President Trump, One day, I'll take you to a 's***hole' country called Ghana," wrote Ghanaian Edmond Prime Sarpong on Facebook.
"First stop would be Osu Castle, Elmina Castle, and the over 40 Forts that detained about 30 million slaves, beaten and shipped out like sardine cans and then I will tell you the history of Africa and why people like you made that a 's***hole' continent."
Prominent Kenyan commentator Patrick Gathara said Mr Trump's words were nothing new.
"This is no different from what Hollywood and Western media have been saying about Africa for decades. We have consistently been portrayed as shitty people from shitty countries."
Some acknowledged problems in their countries, but blamed this on their poor leaders as well as western nations.
"Please don't confuse the #s***hole leaders we Africans elect with our beautiful continent … Our motherland is the most blessed continent that has been raped by imperialists in collaboration with our s***ty misleaders for generations," wrote Kenyan activist Boniface Mwangi on Twitter.
In South Africa, the ruling African National Congress party declared "ours is not a s***hole country" and described Mr Trump as "extremely offensive".
Even war-torn South Sudan weighed in, with president Salva Kiir's spokesman, Ateny Wek Ateny, slamming the comments as "outrageous".
But Juba businesswoman Jenny Jore, 31, said Mr Trump's remarks were "on point".
"It is thanks to our African leaders that we are insulted that way," she said.
Many Nigerians on Twitter agreed that their country was a "s***hole", but said it was "our s***hole" to criticise.
In Senegal's capital, Dakar, meanwhile, administrator Idrissa Fall said "we cannot really say that he (Mr Trump) is wrong".
"African countries, and sometimes our leaders, do not exactly deal with the problems of the worst-off, that's what makes people immigrate".
The 54-nation UN African Group, which does not include Western Sahara, demanded a "retraction and an apology" from Mr Trump, while thanking Americans "from all walks of life who have condemned the remarks".
Mr Trump's latest comments provided ample fodder for talk-show hosts.
South African comedian Trevor Noah, star of America's The Daily Show, described himself as an offended citizen of "South Shithole" and also criticised Mr Trump's preferred choice of Norway for immigrants.
"He didn't just name a white country, he named the whitest — so white they wear moon-screen," he said.
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Name: Direct Debit System
Started: Sept 2017
Based: UAE with a subsidiary in the UK
Industry: FinTech
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Investors: Elaine Jones
Number of employees: 8
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Based: Dubai
Number of staff: 30
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Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
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Sunday, January 20
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6pm: Thailand v China at Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
9pm: Iran v Oman at Mohamed bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Monday, January 21
3pm: Japan v Saudi Arabia at Sharjah Stadium
6pm: Australia v Uzbekistan at Khalifa bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
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Tuesday, January 22
5pm: South Korea v Bahrain at Rashid Stadium, Dubai
8pm: Qatar v Iraq at Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Company profile
Company name: Fasset
Started: 2019
Founders: Mohammad Raafi Hossain, Daniel Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $2.45 million
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Investment stage: Pre-series B
Investors: Investcorp, Liberty City Ventures, Fatima Gobi Ventures, Primal Capital, Wealthwell Ventures, FHS Capital, VN2 Capital, local family offices
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Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
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Date started: May 2022
Founder: Husam Aboul Hosn
Based: DIFC
Sector: FinTech — Innovation Hub
Employees: eight
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Investors: pre-seed funding raised from family and friends earlier this year
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Company: Wafeq
Started: January 2019
Founder: Nadim Alameddine
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: software as a service
Funds raised: $3 million
Investors: Raed Ventures and Wamda, among others
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Started: 2023
Co-founders: Arto Bendiken and Talal Thabet
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Industry: AI
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
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Based: Egypt
Founders: Karim Khashaba, Sherief El-Feky and Yasser AbdelGawad
Sector: HealthTech
Total funding: $24.5 million
Investors: Algebra Ventures, Global Ventures, MEVP and Delivery Hero Ventures, among others
Number of employees: 500
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Company name: Klipit
Started: 2022
Founders: Venkat Reddy, Mohammed Al Bulooki, Bilal Merchant, Asif Ahmed, Ovais Merchant
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Digital receipts, finance, blockchain
Funding: $4 million
Investors: Privately/self-funded
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Name: DarDoc
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founders: Samer Masri, Keswin Suresh
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Number of employees: 10
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