Jordan’s King Abdullah on Wednesday become the first Arab leader to visit London’s Downing Street since Boris Johnson became Britain's prime minister last month.
Mr Johnson welcomed Jordan’s economic reforms and urged for continued momentum, a Downing Street spokesperson said. He also thanked King Abdullah for his country’s support and hosting of Syrian refugees, and Jordan’s role in “maintaining regional stability.”
The two men had a working lunch and held talks.
The Jordanian economy has been struggling and the country suffers from high unemployment but officials have sought to find a way through the problem.
“The Prime Minister welcomed the King’s progress in delivering economic reforms and urged continued momentum,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.
Mr Johnson is looking for new trading partners outside of Europe as his new government ramps up preparations for a no-deal Brexit on October 31. Critics say this would devastate the economy, lead to huge job losses and a recession.
Mr Johnson has repeatedly insisted the UK will leave the European Union with or without a withdrawal agreement on October 31 despite many in parliament deriding this.
Eurosceptics such as Mr Johnson argue that Brexit will bring about a wealth of opportunities to do more business with countries across the globe, rather than being rigidly kept by EU legislation.
The UK has become embroiled in tensions in the Arabian Gulf with Iran after a British-flagged ship was seized by Iran revolutionary guards last month. It came only weeks after an Iranian oil tanker was detained by UK troops off Gibraltar.
It has now joined a US-led maritime mission to ensure freedom of navigation in the Gulf and to escort merchant vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
Britain has so far failed to convince other European allies to also partake in the naval coalition.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The leaders also acknowledged Jordan’s important role in maintaining regional stability and the Prime Minister thanked the King for the part Jordan continues to play in hosting Syrian refugees.”
King Abdullah, who trained in his younger days at the British Army’s officer college, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, will spend Eid Al Adha in the UK and US.
“King Abdullah’s meeting with Prime Minister Johnson will cover the deep-rooted, strategic relations between Jordan and the UK, and current regional developments,” the Jordan News Agency had said earlier in the day.
The King, a long-time friend of the UK, was in London in February at a conference dedicated to bolstering Jordan’s economic opportunities. He emphasised the burden Jordan felt after taking in well over one million Syrian refugees but said its young population and location meant it was ripe for economic development.
“Jordan and the UK are like old friends who have learnt over the years they can count on each other whatever the weather. Our countries have been friends through sunshine and storm,” King Abdullah said in February.
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The Sky Is Pink
Director: Shonali Bose
Cast: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Farhan Akhtar, Zaira Wasim, Rohit Saraf
Three stars
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From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Recycle Reuse Repurpose
New central waste facility on site at expo Dubai South area to handle estimated 173 tonne of waste generated daily by millions of visitors
Recyclables such as plastic, paper, glass will be collected from bins on the expo site and taken to the new expo Central Waste Facility on site
Organic waste will be processed at the new onsite Central Waste Facility, treated and converted into compost to be re-used to green the expo area
Of 173 tonnes of waste daily, an estimated 39 per cent will be recyclables, 48 per cent organic waste and 13 per cent general waste.
About 147 tonnes will be recycled and converted to new products at another existing facility in Ras Al Khor
Recycling at Ras Al Khor unit:
Plastic items to be converted to plastic bags and recycled
Paper pulp moulded products such as cup carriers, egg trays, seed pots, and food packaging trays
Glass waste into bowls, lights, candle holders, serving trays and coasters
Aim is for 85 per cent of waste from the site to be diverted from landfill
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England squads for Test and T20 series against New Zealand
Test squad: Joe Root (capt), Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Dominic Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes
T20 squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Pat Brown, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Lewis Gregory, Chris Jordan, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, James Vince
The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch
St Andrew's Church Al Ain branch
St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais
Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
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Transmission: 10-speed auto
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Abaya trends
The utilitarian robe held dear by Arab women is undergoing a change that reveals it as an elegant and graceful garment available in a range of colours and fabrics, while retaining its traditional appeal.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Family reunited
Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was born and raised in Tehran and studied English literature before working as a translator in the relief effort for the Japanese International Co-operation Agency in 2003.
She moved to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies before moving to the World Health Organisation as a communications officer.
She came to the UK in 2007 after securing a scholarship at London Metropolitan University to study a master's in communication management and met her future husband through mutual friends a month later.
The couple were married in August 2009 in Winchester and their daughter was born in June 2014.
She was held in her native country a year later.
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
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