Live updates: Follow the latest news on Cop28
Protesters called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza as they marched at Cop28 in Dubai to support Palestinian civilians facing a humanitarian crisis after the death toll in the enclave passed 17,000.
Hundreds of people turned out in support of the two-hour march that moved peacefully through the UN-run Blue Zone at Expo City on Saturday.
Those draped in the Palestinian keffiyeh led chants of “ceasefire now”, while others held banners calling for climate action and financial support in the form of loans, not grants for nations impacted by climate change.
We are demonstrating here as a climate justice movement to stand up for human rights, and for the rights of a life in dignity overall
Gina Cortes Valderrama,
activist
One of the organisers Asad Rehman, from London-based anti-poverty charity War on Want, said the march was the result of days of negotiations with United Nations officials.
“It was very challenging to organise, we’ve had a week of threats to de-badge us if we raised the issue of Palestine here,” said Mr Rehman.
“We have had keffiyehs confiscated, along with boards calling for a ceasefire. People with lanyards in the colours of Palestine were not allowed into buildings, or into the UN space.”
Under UN rules, flags are prohibited from protests as are chants and slogans that target certain nations.
As such, Saturday's march went ahead with no Palestinian nor Israeli flags, though keffiyehs were widely worn and Palestinian colours appeared on the fringes.
Organisers were told that chants such as “from the river to the sea” were off-limits.
Mr Rehman added: “And let's be clear, it has not been the UAE presidency that has been restricting our space.
“This has been the United States and other countries pressuring the UN to deny us the right to be able to march on Palestine in this space.”
It was the second demonstration in support of Palestine at Cop28, but supported in much greater numbers than the previous event on Sunday.
This latest public display was announced in advance, calling on people to join the global march for climate justice. Many linked the humanitarian crisis in Gaza with the need for climate equity in some of the world’s poorest nations.
Gina Cortes Valderrama, from Colombia, was out in support of indigenous people, as well as those in Gaza.
“We are demonstrating here as a climate justice movement to stand up for human rights, and for the rights of a life in dignity overall,” said Ms Valderrama.
“We are people from Philippines, we are people from Asia, from Sudan, from Congo, from every single region because we are coming from different regions where oppression has been made where ethnic reasons have been made on other territories.”
Uniformed personnel from the UN Department for Safety and Security, including armed officers, flanked protesters on either side, though the march was peaceful throughout.
Global protests
Similar rallies have taken place across the world, as many look to condemn the high number of civilian casualties in the Gaza-Israel conflict.
“We believe that climate, the struggle for climate justice is essentially the struggle for human rights,” said Zaighum Abbas, a Pakistani protester from the Climate Equity Reference Project in Canada.
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
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
T20 World Cup Qualifier, Muscat
UAE FIXTURES
Friday February 18: v Ireland
Saturday February 19: v Germany
Monday February 21: v Philippines
Tuesday February 22: semi-finals
Thursday February 24: final
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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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
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
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
T20 World Cup Qualifier
October 18 – November 2
Opening fixtures
Friday, October 18
ICC Academy: 10am, Scotland v Singapore, 2.10pm, Netherlands v Kenya
Zayed Cricket Stadium: 2.10pm, Hong Kong v Ireland, 7.30pm, Oman v UAE
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Darius D’Silva, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Junaid Siddique, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Waheed Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Zahoor Khan
Players out: Mohammed Naveed, Shaiman Anwar, Qadeer Ahmed
Players in: Junaid Siddique, Darius D’Silva, Waheed Ahmed
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl
Power: 153hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 200Nm at 4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Price: Dh99,000
On sale: now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
