Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
The UAE has delivered food supplies to help thousands of Palestinians affected by the Israel-Gaza war.
The Emirates Red Crescent, the humanitarian arm of the UAE government, distributed 1,679 food parcels to people in the Rafah Governorate in southern Gaza.
Relief teams distributed 500 parcels each to Al Tanour, Al Nasr and Khirbat Al Adas neighbourhoods. A further 179 parcels were distributed in the area around the UAE's field hospital in the Gaza Strip.
A total of 10,242 benefitted from the food parcels distributed by the ERC, news agency Wam reported.
In addition, 25 shelter tents were installed, benefitting 150 people.
The humanitarian support is being distributed as part of the Gallant Knight 3 humanitarian operation ordered by President Sheikh Mohamed.
The UAE has dispatched thousands of tonnes of essentials – including food and medical supplies – by land and air over recent weeks as part of the aid operation.
The UAE opened a field hospital in Gaza on December 2 to treat injured residents.
The 150-bed hospital has departments focused on caring for adults and children, with its intensive care unit handling significant cases in its first two weeks.
Dr Abdullah Al Naqbi, ICU consultant and doctor at the field hospital, said it has been handling complex cases, including some referred from established hospitals.
He said they receive more than 20 new patients a day, with medics prioritising the most complex injuries that require specialised care.
"Since we were limited with the number of beds, the acceptance in the hospital was restricted only to complicated cases to help as many people as possible who are really in need of our services," Dr Al Naqbi said.
"Daily we are receiving more than 20 complicated cases, which can be managed either immediately or can be admitted to have their surgery done or planned."
Ten female medics left the UAE on Sunday to join the Emirates team in the field hospital.
They met in Abu Dhabi on Friday for a workshop on what to do and what not to do. They were told to travel light, limit water and food intake and expect to work long hours.
Sheikh Mohamed has also pledged that the UAE will provide treatment for 1,000 injured Palestinian children and 1,000 cancer patients as part of the relief campaign.
Hundreds of Palestinians have already been flown to the UAE to undergo treatment.
Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
The view from The National
What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Awar Qalb
Director: Jamal Salem
Starring: Abdulla Zaid, Joma Ali, Neven Madi and Khadija Sleiman
Two stars
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
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.
