The true scale of destruction from Beirut's August 4 explosion is hard to comprehend: whole districts have been severely damaged by the blast, scores killed and hundreds of thousands of people have lost homes and businesses.
This small, vibrant city is famous for its creative spirit, with designers' workshops and ateliers packed into the districts in and around Gemmayze, Mar Mikhael, Charles Helou Avenue and Saifi Village.
Designers and creatives have been drawn to these areas for their central location and plethora of old, light-filled buildings with gloriously high ceilings. Situated close to the sea and port, all were near the epicentre of the explosion.
Fashion designer and couturier Zuhair Murad's office and atelier on Charles Helou Avenue have both been left in ruins. Talking on social media, the designer wrote: "my heart is broken. Can't stop crying. The efforts of years went in a moment."
Purpose-built over several floors, the designer's headquarters faced the sea, and had little protection against the force of the explosion.
A few blocks behind, the buzzing areas of Mar Mikhael and Gemmayzeh have also been severely damaged, as documented by Rebuild Beirut, a social media site that has sprung up to help mobilise clean-up efforts.
Filled with bars, nightclubs, cafes, shops, boutiques and second-hand stores, the narrow streets are now a mass of rubble and destruction. They once unearthed tiny delights, such as Margarita’s, a sliver of a restaurant serving delicious pizzas straight from the oven, as well as second-hand stores piled high with old radio sets and bakelite telephones.
Meanwhile, on one of Gemmayzeh's main streets, Rue Gouraud, there was Aaliyas Books, which took "quite a beating" its owner has pronounced on social media.
"As much as I love the shop, it is only bricks, mortar and (now twisted) metal and (shattered) glass. Aaliya's true essence is none of those material things; it is you, who came to us as customers."
These narrow, winding streets, crammed with tiny shops, capture Beirut's passion for art, beauty and style.
Across the road from the Mohammad Al-Amin Mosque sits Saifi Village, formerly a bustling labyrinth of streets filled with countless independent young designers and boutiques, selling fashion, jewellery and accessories, alongside niche cafes and artisan metal workshops. It is also home to the important Starch Foundation, which acts as an incubator for emerging design talent.
The moment the blast swept through this area was caught on film by a videographer capturing Dr Israa Seblani's wedding day. The footage shows Seblani, in a gown and veil, posing for the camera, before she is knocked sideways by the force of the explosion.
Across Martyr's Square in the upscale Beirut Souqs, the arched walkways are now filled with debris and glass, the shop windows all smashed by the force of the explosion. A historic part of the city, it was severely damaged during Lebanon's civil war, and completely rebuilt in the years since.
Home to high-end brands that have rubberstamped Beirut's position among the world's most fashionable cities, it is filled with rubble once again.
As this dynamic, beautiful and creative city lies in tatters, anyone lucky enough to have visited will already know that it will rebuild.
Although Lebanon is crippled by a collapsing economic system and lacks even the electricity needed to support the clean-up, Beirut and its people are resilient.
While it's hard to imagine right now, as a former resident I am confident that this dazzling gem on the Mediterranean will rise again.
And its creative scene will flourish once more because the minds behind the city's countless designs are both tenacious and passionate.
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
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THE BIO: Martin Van Almsick
Hometown: Cologne, Germany
Family: Wife Hanan Ahmed and their three children, Marrah (23), Tibijan (19), Amon (13)
Favourite dessert: Umm Ali with dark camel milk chocolate flakes
Favourite hobby: Football
Breakfast routine: a tall glass of camel milk
The bio
Favourite vegetable: Broccoli
Favourite food: Seafood
Favourite thing to cook: Duck l'orange
Favourite book: Give and Take by Adam Grant, one of his professors at University of Pennsylvania
Favourite place to travel: Home in Kuwait.
Favourite place in the UAE: Al Qudra lakes
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
Its authors analysed a dozen separate UAE studies between 2007 and 2017. Prevalence was often higher in university students, women and in people on low incomes.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
Daniel Bardsley
MATCH INFO
Manchester United v Manchester City, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match is on BeIN Sports
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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The distance learning plan
Spring break will be from March 8 - 19
Public school pupils will undergo distance learning from March 22 - April 2. School hours will be 8.30am to 1.30pm
Staff will be trained in distance learning programmes from March 15 - 19
Teaching hours will be 8am to 2pm during distance learning
Pupils will return to school for normal lessons from April 5
Landfill in numbers
• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
PSL FINAL
Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi
8pm, Thursday
Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Why seagrass matters
- Carbon sink: Seagrass sequesters carbon up to 35X faster than tropical rainforests
- Marine nursery: Crucial habitat for juvenile fish, crustations, and invertebrates
- Biodiversity: Support species like sea turtles, dugongs, and seabirds
- Coastal protection: Reduce erosion and improve water quality
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
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U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
- Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs
- Thursday 20 January: v England
- Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad:
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith
