The devastation in Gaza has grounded me in gratitude.
Gaza, Palestine, the Middle East, me. Nothing will ever be the same.
Since October 7, the Israel-Gaza war has killed more than 30,000 Palestinians and left 8,000 under rubble, isolated, cold and suffering slowly, or dead.
Covering the war for The National – as well as being aboard the Etihad plane that ferried cancer patients from Rafah to Abu Dhabi and forming close relationships with the people there – has shifted my perspective on everything I say, do and think.
I no longer use the word “freezing” to describe how I feel when the air conditioning is set at 21ºC. I no longer say I’m “starving” if I have to skip lunch.
The burden of not replying immediately to my mother’s voice notes on WhatsApp weighs more heavily because I am acutely aware that I still have a mum who cares about me – always telling me to eat, asking when she will see me, telling me to stay warm. It reminds me I still have family.
Before October 7, I was a picky eater. Seeing Gazans live on one meal, if you can even call bread made from animal fodder a meal, has made me more grateful for and comfortable with whatever is on my plate.
After isha, when men and women walk to the mosque, bellies full and children clutching an extended adult hand, Gazans will walk towards destroyed mosques and demolished homes
If the chicken is slightly overcooked, I stop myself mid-complaint and say alhamdulillah. At least I can have chicken. At least I can order food on my phone and it will arrive 30 minutes later. At least I have internet to stay in touch with my loved ones.
This Ramadan, too, will be different, in every single way.
It won’t be difficult in any way. The certainty that when the sun sets I’ll be able to eat, will help me breeze through the day.
Gazans won’t have that option. They will fast, even though many of them will not have much, if anything, to look forward to at the end of each day. They will not have the liberty of deciding which rice to cook or which type of protein to make the centre of their feast.
Ramadan is all about congregation, too – Islam is a social religion.
In Gaza, many families will have empty seats around makeshift tables, where mama once sat, where baba ate with his hands, where a little brother played with his food.
What about prayers? Will the sound of the athan, or call to prayer, be replaced by the sound of quadcopters and bombs?
After isha – the night prayer when men and women walk to the mosque with their bellies full and their children clutching an extended adult hand – what will Gazans walk towards? Destroyed mosques? Or demolished homes, where living rooms that once doubled as prayer halls have crumbled into themselves?
That walk won’t be difficult for me any more. At least I have both legs to carry me to mosques, near and far. At least I have a car that can cruise down the smooth tarmac in neighbourhoods where trees, not decimated dreams, line the streets.
I don’t see myself being able to attend lavish iftars, though. I won’t be able to look at the assortment of food without guilt. Yes, it’s survivor's guilt. But it’s what Gazans who fled the war feel, too.
One Gazan told me he has been feeding his children the herbs that had sprouted near their tent. They cried for real food.
Others will spend their fast sitting in the corridors of overcrowded hospitals, stepping over the thousands of displaced people who are making beds out of individual stairs.
The remnants of what Gazans are going through and the horrors they have witnessed became all too clear to me when I was aboard the flight evacuating cancer patients, and I noticed those patients rationing airline food.
“There will be more coming,” I tried to tell one of the women who was accompanying her husband, a prostate cancer patient.
“I’m not hungry. I ate,” she said.
“When did you last eat?”
“This morning,” she replied.
This conversation was taking place at least 12 hours after the woman's last meal – a simple sandwich her daughter made – and that she shared with her husband while waiting for a bus to take them from Rafah to Al Arish, where the plane was waiting to take them to the UAE.
If they could not shake off that feeling of imminent hunger, even while knowing full well they were now in safe hands, how can I let myself feast on all-you-can-eat iftar buffets? Or enjoy so many other hitherto trivial pleasures?
Sometimes, it’s unavoidable. And I know many would tell me that what I’m doing isn’t healthy. I can’t live the trauma of others.
But at least this Ramadan – when the lesson to be learnt is about minimalism, acceptance and charity – I will be most grateful that I can even make the choice to forgo something.
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Michael Ondaatje, Knopf
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
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It’ll be summer in the city as car show tries to move with the times
If 2008 was the year that rocked Detroit, 2019 will be when Motor City gives its annual car extravaganza a revamp that aims to move with the times.
A major change is that this week's North American International Auto Show will be the last to be held in January, after which the event will switch to June.
The new date, organisers said, will allow exhibitors to move vehicles and activities outside the Cobo Center's halls and into other city venues, unencumbered by cold January weather, exemplified this week by snow and ice.
In a market in which trends can easily be outpaced beyond one event, the need to do so was probably exacerbated by the decision of Germany's big three carmakers – BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Audi – to skip the auto show this year.
The show has long allowed car enthusiasts to sit behind the wheel of the latest models at the start of the calendar year but a more fluid car market in an online world has made sales less seasonal.
Similarly, everyday technology seems to be catching up on those whose job it is to get behind microphones and try and tempt the visiting public into making a purchase.
Although sparkly announcers clasp iPads and outline the technical gadgetry hidden beneath bonnets, people's obsession with their own smartphones often appeared to offer a more tempting distraction.
“It's maddening,” said one such worker at Nissan's stand.
The absence of some pizzazz, as well as top marques, was also noted by patrons.
“It looks like there are a few less cars this year,” one annual attendee said of this year's exhibitors.
“I can't help but think it's easier to stay at home than to brave the snow and come here.”
Poacher
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Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Scores
Rajasthan Royals 160-8 (20 ov)
Kolkata Knight Riders 163-3 (18.5 ov)
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HOW TO WATCH
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Sarfira
Director: Sudha Kongara Prasad
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Radhika Madan, Paresh Rawal
Rating: 2/5
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Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The Details
Kabir Singh
Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series
Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa
Rating: 2.5/5
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The years Ramadan fell in May
HEADLINE HERE
- I would recommend writing out the text in the body
- And then copy into this box
- It can be as long as you link
- But I recommend you use the bullet point function (see red square)
- Or try to keep the word count down
- Be wary of other embeds lengthy fact boxes could crash into
- That's about it
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%3Cp%3EWhile%20the%20Lebanese%20government%20has%20deported%20a%20number%20of%20refugees%20back%20to%20Syria%20since%202011%2C%20the%20latest%20round%20is%20the%20first%20en-mass%20campaign%20of%20its%20kind%2C%20say%20the%20Access%20Center%20for%20Human%20Rights%2C%20a%20non-governmental%20organization%20which%20monitors%20the%20conditions%20of%20Syrian%20refugees%20in%20Lebanon.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%9CIn%20the%20past%2C%20the%20Lebanese%20General%20Security%20was%20responsible%20for%20the%20forced%20deportation%20operations%20of%20refugees%2C%20after%20forcing%20them%20to%20sign%20papers%20stating%20that%20they%20wished%20to%20return%20to%20Syria%20of%20their%20own%20free%20will.%20Now%2C%20the%20Lebanese%20army%2C%20specifically%20military%20intelligence%2C%20is%20responsible%20for%20the%20security%20operation%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20Mohammad%20Hasan%2C%20head%20of%20ACHR.%3Cbr%3EIn%20just%20the%20first%20four%20months%20of%202023%20the%20number%20of%20forced%20deportations%20is%20nearly%20double%20that%20of%20the%20entirety%20of%202022.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ESince%20the%20beginning%20of%202023%2C%20ACHR%20has%20reported%20407%20forced%20deportations%20%E2%80%93%20200%20of%20which%20occurred%20in%20April%20alone.%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EIn%20comparison%2C%20just%20154%20people%20were%20forcfully%20deported%20in%202022.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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%3Cp%3EInstances%20of%20violence%20against%20Syrian%20refugees%20are%20not%20uncommon.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EJust%20last%20month%2C%20security%20camera%20footage%20of%20men%20violently%20attacking%20and%20stabbing%20an%20employee%20at%20a%20mini-market%20went%20viral.%20The%20store%E2%80%99s%20employees%20had%20engaged%20in%20a%20verbal%20altercation%20with%20the%20men%20who%20had%20come%20to%20enforce%20an%20order%20to%20shutter%20shops%2C%20following%20the%20announcement%20of%20a%20municipal%20curfew%20for%20Syrian%20refugees.%3Cbr%3E%E2%80%9CThey%20thought%20they%20were%20Syrian%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20the%20mayor%20of%20the%20Nahr%20el%20Bared%20municipality%2C%20Charbel%20Bou%20Raad%2C%20of%20the%20attackers.%3Cbr%3EIt%20later%20emerged%20the%20beaten%20employees%20were%20Lebanese.%20But%20the%20video%20was%20an%20exemplary%20instance%20of%20violence%20at%20a%20time%20when%20anti-Syrian%20rhetoric%20is%20particularly%20heated%20as%20Lebanese%20politicians%20call%20for%20the%20return%20of%20Syrian%20refugees%20to%20Syria.%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Stage 2
1. Mathieu van der Poel (NED) Alpecin-Fenix 4:18:30
2. Tadej Pogacar (SLV) UAE Team Emirates 0:00:06
3. Primoz Roglic (SLV) Jumbo-Visma 0:00:06
4. Wilco Kelderman (NED) Bora-Hansgrohe 0:00:06
5. Julian Alaphilippe (FRA) Deceuninck-QuickStep 0:00:08
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
One-off T20 International: UAE v Australia
When: Monday, October 22, 2pm start
Where: Abu Dhabi Cricket, Oval 1
Tickets: Admission is free
Australia squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Darcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Peter Siddle
Results
Female 49kg: Mayssa Bastos (BRA) bt Thamires Aquino (BRA); points 0-0 (advantage points points 1-0).
Female 55kg: Bianca Basilio (BRA) bt Amal Amjahid (BEL); points 4-2.
Female 62kg: Beatriz Mesquita (BRA) v Ffion Davies (GBR); 10-2.
Female 70kg: Thamara Silva (BRA) bt Alessandra Moss (AUS); submission.
Female 90kg: Gabreili Passanha (BRA) bt Claire-France Thevenon (FRA); submission.
Male 56kg: Hiago George (BRA) bt Carlos Alberto da Silva (BRA); 2-2 (2-0)
Male 62kg: Gabriel de Sousa (BRA) bt Joao Miyao (BRA); 2-2 (2-1)
Male 69kg: Paulo Miyao (BRA) bt Isaac Doederlein (USA); 2-2 (2-2) Ref decision.
Male 77kg: Tommy Langarkar (NOR) by Oliver Lovell (GBR); submission.
Male 85kg: Rudson Mateus Teles (BRA) bt Faisal Al Ketbi (UAE); 2-2 (1-1) Ref decision.
Male 94kg: Kaynan Duarte (BRA) bt Adam Wardzinski (POL); submission.
Male 110kg: Joao Rocha (BRA) bt Yahia Mansoor Al Hammadi (UAE); submission.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The biog
Year of birth: 1988
Place of birth: Baghdad
Education: PhD student and co-researcher at Greifswald University, Germany
Hobbies: Ping Pong, swimming, reading
