Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy is visiting Bahrain and Jordan on Wednesday, where he will push calls for de-escalation in the Gaza war that is threatening to also engulf Lebanon.
His visit comes just after the one-year anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, and amid fears that Israel’s military is expanding its ground operation in Lebanon.
He will stress the importance of working with regional partners and demand that Iran and its proxies stop attacks which are causing chaos and destruction for the region and its people.
“The situation is incredibly dangerous and further escalation or miscalculation in the region is in no one’s interests,” Mr Lammy said.
“I am pleased to be back in the region to meet with our key partners in Bahrain and Jordan and see first-hand our combined efforts towards building long-term security and stability in the Middle East.
“We must not waver at this critical period to achieve ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon, to get more desperately needed aid into Gaza, and secure the release of all hostages.
“Our nations share deep-rooted partnerships across defence, trade, and security, which I look forward to building upon.”
Mr Lammy is expected to discuss efforts to bring security and stability to the Middle East and reiterate the UK’s call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.
The UK Government has repeatedly called for a ceasefire and de-escalation as the Gaza war spread to include greater Israeli operations in Lebanon and attacks by Iran. While in Bahrain, Mr Lammy will meet British armed forces personnel who are helping to maintain security in the Gulf, including commercial shipping in the Red Sea which has come under fire from Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. In Jordan, he will meet senior leaders, including Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, and express the UK’s support for the country’s role in delivering much needed humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza.
On Monday, Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned Iran’s latest ballistic missile attack on Israel and urged the region to “step back from the brink” and find a political solution to the crisis.
Mr Lammy is also expected to discuss trade with his regional counterparts as the government prepares to host a major international investment summit on October 14. In Bahrain he will tour HMS Lancaster, which has been operating in the region since 2022.
Bahrain hosts a permanent support base for the Royal Navy, known as HMS Juffair, which was opened in 2018.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
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Florence and the Machine – High as Hope
Three stars
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
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You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
Guide to intelligent investing
Investing success often hinges on discipline and perspective. As markets fluctuate, remember these guiding principles:
- Stay invested: Time in the market, not timing the market, is critical to long-term gains.
- Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
- Strategic patience: Understand why you’re investing and allow time for your strategies to unfold.
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
