A senior British minister has refused to say whether she thought the Israeli government listened to UK complaints over its actions in Gaza and its ban on the UN agency for Palestinian refugees.
Anneliese Dodds, the International Development Minister, told MPs she had raised concerns with Israeli ministers about the ban on UNRWA to be introduced at the end of this month, but could not say if the UK government had been heard.
Her comments followed those of Middle East minister Hamish Falconer, who told parliament there was now disagreement between the two countries over Israel's actions in Gaza, where about 45,900 civilians have been killed, Palestinian health authorities estimate.
After a vote in the Israeli Knesset last year, all contact will be banned with UNRWA. The UN body provides the vast majority of aid to Gaza but Israel claims its staff have links to Hamas.
Ms Dodds told MPs she had raised the issue in long conversations with Israeli government figures that the ban “must not be implemented”.
“It goes against the UN mandate ... we are deeply concerned about this situation,” as there was no alternative to UNRWA, she told a hearing of the international development committee.
She was then asked three times by committee chairwoman Sarah Champion if she thought the Israeli government was listening to the UK government.
Ms Dodds answered “we must see a change in position” and said there was “considerable concern” in Israel over the ban but would not say if she thought the government had listened to her position.
During an urgent question on the continuing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Mr Falconer was asked if he thought Israel’s actions in Gaza merited Britain expelling the country’s ambassador.
“It is tempting to think that if only we had representatives more to our taste politically, then things would be easier,” Mr Falconer responded. “Clearly, there is a disagreement between the British and Israeli governments about the conduct of the war in Gaza and the humanitarian implications that flow from it.”
Tzipi Hotovely, the right-wing Israeli ambassador in London, has made several controversial comments since the October 7 attacks, allegedly using genocidal language and ruling out a two-state solution.
An urgent question on Gaza was requested by Layla Moran, an MP with a Palestinian mother, who made an impassioned speech about the situation, quoting a British-based medic and family friends in Gaza.
Ms Moran raised an incident in which the doctor’s brother and son had gone 10 metres from their home en route to an aid centre when they were struck by a bomb from a drone, killing the youngster.
“It feels like they're living in The Hunger Games, dodging drones, scavenging for the basics. Even if they wanted to leave, how can they?” she said.
“People in Gaza are trapped in a doom-loop of hell. Hospitals decimated, ceasefires promised and never delivered. And so I press the government again, is this really everything the UK has got? Have we deployed everything to make this stop?”
Other MPs lamented that it was clear whatever was said in the British parliament, and indeed in Washington, had little impact or influence on the Israeli government’s actions. “Thoughts and prayers are just not enough,” lamented one MP.
Kit Malthouse, the former Conservative cabinet minister, called on the ministers to resign in protest. “If he is ashamed … why aren’t they standing down and compelling the government to actually do something?” he said.
Mr Falconer said he would not take “lessons about shame“ from the previous government.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Zayed Sustainability Prize
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Company%20profile
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
FIRST TEST SCORES
England 458
South Africa 361 & 119 (36.4 overs)
England won by 211 runs and lead series 1-0
Player of the match: Moeen Ali (England)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Specs
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Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
3%20Body%20Problem
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreators%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20David%20Benioff%2C%20D%20B%20Weiss%2C%20Alexander%20Woo%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBenedict%20Wong%2C%20Jess%20Hong%2C%20Jovan%20Adepo%2C%20Eiza%20Gonzalez%2C%20John%20Bradley%2C%20Alex%20Sharp%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Glossary of a stock market revolution
Reddit
A discussion website
Redditor
The users of Reddit
Robinhood
A smartphone app for buying and selling shares
Short seller
Selling a stock today in the belief its price will fall in the future
Short squeeze
Traders forced to buy a stock they are shorting
Naked short
An illegal practice
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
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Disability on screen
Empire — neuromuscular disease myasthenia gravis; bipolar disorder; post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Rosewood and Transparent — heart issues
24: Legacy — PTSD;
Superstore and NCIS: New Orleans — wheelchair-bound
Taken and This Is Us — cancer
Trial & Error — cognitive disorder prosopagnosia (facial blindness and dyslexia)
Grey’s Anatomy — prosthetic leg
Scorpion — obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety
Switched at Birth — deafness
One Mississippi, Wentworth and Transparent — double mastectomy
Dragons — double amputee
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
