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King Abdullah II of Jordan vowed on Monday to continue support for beleaguered Palestinians in Gaza as the war between Hamas and Israel raises political and economic pressures on the kingdom.
In a speech to what is mostly a staunchly loyalist parliament, which was elected in September, the king said Jordan will remain by the Palestinian people's side, having been among the first "to deliver aid by air and land to people in Gaza".
The kingdom of 11 million has a peace treaty with Israel and a defence pact with the US, on which it depends for financial and military assistance. King Abdullah, who has ruled Jordan since 1999, is the fourth monarch in the Hashemite dynasty since the kingdom was founded as a British protectorate in 1921. The monarchy has acted as a balancer between two main population components – descendants of Palestinian refugees and tribes that existed since the kingdom was founded – contributing to uninterrupted stability since the ousting of the Palestine Liberation Organisation from Jordan in a civil war in 1970.
At the beginning of the year, Jordan, along with allied countries, started delivering aid to Gaza by parachuting parcels into the strip from military planes. The kingdom has also received some wounded civilians and became an assembly point for donors and international organisations sending aid to Gaza by land. The aid is inspected for dual-purpose materials and contraband, although Israel has placed restrictions on the flows.
"Jordan has exerted tremendous efforts and Jordanians have valiantly been treating the wounded in the direst of circumstances," the king said.
In apparent reference to suggestions by ultranationalist Israeli politicians that Palestinians should be expelled from the occupied West Bank to the kingdom, thus altering the demographic balance in both areas, he said Jordan is a "state that does not risk its future" and has "a deep-rooted identity".
Jordan, he said, "will remain a country blessed with its people and land, an honest Arab homeland". A large proportion of its population are descendants of Palestinian refugees who fled their homeland when Israel was created in 1948 and when it expanded in 1967 by occupying the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
At the UN General Assembly in New York in September, King Abdullah said Jordan would not become an “alternative homeland” and any forced displacement of Palestinians would be a war crime.
He told parliament that a just peace "is the way to end the historical injustice against" Palestinians and that Jordan is committed to achieving it "despite the obstacles and the extremism of those who do not believe in peace".
The kingdom signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1994. Despite strong criticism by the king of Israel's war conduct in Gaza, Jordan has abided by the treaty and the security guarantees at its core, which obliges each country to prevent threats to each other's security.
Jordanian security forces have prevented people from mounting pro-Palestinian demonstrations near the border with Israel and have placed curbs on protests elsewhere in the country, particularly near western interests. This year, infiltration attempts into Israel from Jordan have increased, although most have failed. Last month, Israeli forces shot dead two members of the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood who had tried to mount a cross-border raid near the Dead Sea.
The International Monetary Fund expects economic growth this year to fall to 2.4 per cent, from 2.6 per cent in 2023, partly because the effects of the war have hit tourism, a main foreign currency earner.
The Gaza war is seen widely as a main factor behind gains by the religious opposition in the elections to the 138-seat parliament, although pro-government tribal deputies remain dominant. All significant power in Jordan lies with the king.
England's all-time record goalscorers:
Wayne Rooney 53
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Gary Lineker 48
Jimmy Greaves 44
Michael Owen 40
Tom Finney 30
Nat Lofthouse 30
Alan Shearer 30
Viv Woodward 29
Frank Lampard 29
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company Profile
Name: JustClean
Based: Kuwait with offices in other GCC countries
Launch year: 2016
Number of employees: 130
Sector: online laundry service
Funding: $12.9m from Kuwait-based Faith Capital Holding
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Results
6.30pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah Group Two (PA) US$55,000 (Dirt) 1,600m; Winner: Rasi, Harry Bentley (jockey), Sulaiman Al Ghunaimi (trainer).
7.05pm: Meydan Trophy (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,900m; Winner: Ya Hayati, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (D) 1,200m; Winner: Bochart, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.
8.15pm: Balanchine Group Two (TB) $250,000 (T) 1,800m; Winner: Magic Lily, William Buick, Charlie Appleby.
8.50pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,000m; Winner: Waady, Jim Crowley, Doug Watson.
9.25pm: Firebreak Stakes Group Three (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,600m; Winner: Capezzano, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer.
10pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m; Winner: Eynhallow, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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England Test squad
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, Alastair Cook, Sam Curran, Keaton Jennings, Dawid Malan, Jamie Porter, Adil Rashid, Ben Stokes.
Results
Stage three:
1. Stefan Bissegger (SUI) EF Education-EasyPost, in 9-43
2. Filippo Ganna (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7s
3. Tom Dumoulin (NED) Jumbo-Visma, at 14s
4. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE-Team Emirates, at 18s
5. Joao Almeida (POR) UAE-Team Emirates, at 22s
6. Mikkel Bjerg (DEN) UAE-Team Emirates, at 24s
General Classification:
1. Stefan Bissegger (SUI) EF Education-EasyPost, in 9-13-02
2. Filippo Ganna (ITA) Ineos Grenadiers, at 7s
3. Jasper Philipsen (BEL) Alpecin Fenix, at 12s
4. Tom Dumoulin (NED) Jumbo-Visma, at 14s
5. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE-Team Emirates, at 18s
6. Joao Almeida (POR) UAE-Team Emirates, at 22s
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
The years Ramadan fell in May
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
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UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
The five pillars of Islam
The five pillars of Islam
How the UAE gratuity payment is calculated now
Employees leaving an organisation are entitled to an end-of-service gratuity after completing at least one year of service.
The tenure is calculated on the number of days worked and does not include lengthy leave periods, such as a sabbatical. If you have worked for a company between one and five years, you are paid 21 days of pay based on your final basic salary. After five years, however, you are entitled to 30 days of pay. The total lump sum you receive is based on the duration of your employment.
1. For those who have worked between one and five years, on a basic salary of Dh10,000 (calculation based on 30 days):
a. Dh10,000 ÷ 30 = Dh333.33. Your daily wage is Dh333.33
b. Dh333.33 x 21 = Dh7,000. So 21 days salary equates to Dh7,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service. Multiply this figure for every year of service up to five years.
2. For those who have worked more than five years
c. 333.33 x 30 = Dh10,000. So 30 days’ salary is Dh10,000 in gratuity entitlement for each year of service.
Note: The maximum figure cannot exceed two years total salary figure.
The years Ramadan fell in May
