A Cairo terrorism court on Sunday sentenced six men to death by hanging, and another to life imprisonment, for their involvement in a terrorist cell affiliated with the Egyptian branch of ISIS.
Five of the men were referred to the country’s Grand Mufti in November for approval of their executions, a necessary legal procedure.
Their sentencing was postponed to late December and again to Sunday.
Two were charged with forming a terrorist unit known as the Heliopolis cell, an ISIS-affiliated local group that between 2014 and 2021 operated in Cairo, Giza and Luxor, court officials said.
They were charged with leading the organisation. State prosecutors accused them of forming it to incite public disorder, compromise national security and endanger the Egyptian people.
The other men were accused of joining the group with full knowledge of its intention to commit terrorist acts and incite disorder.
State prosecutors told state media that two of the men had served as leaders in the Sinai Province branch of the ISIS, which continues to operate north of the Sinai Peninsula.
All of the defendants were convicted of funding terrorism through their continued dealing with the Sinai group, which prosecutors said repeatedly received weapons, funds and other supplies from the Heliopolis cell.
On New Year's Eve, three Egyptian police officers were killed by two gunmen in the Suez Canal city of Ismailia. The attack was claimed the next day by ISIS.
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Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
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Rating: 4/5
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Dubai works towards better air quality by 2021
Dubai is on a mission to record good air quality for 90 per cent of the year – up from 86 per cent annually today – by 2021.
The municipality plans to have seven mobile air-monitoring stations by 2020 to capture more accurate data in hourly and daily trends of pollution.
These will be on the Palm Jumeirah, Al Qusais, Muhaisnah, Rashidiyah, Al Wasl, Al Quoz and Dubai Investment Park.
“It will allow real-time responding for emergency cases,” said Khaldoon Al Daraji, first environment safety officer at the municipality.
“We’re in a good position except for the cases that are out of our hands, such as sandstorms.
“Sandstorms are our main concern because the UAE is just a receiver.
“The hotspots are Iran, Saudi Arabia and southern Iraq, but we’re working hard with the region to reduce the cycle of sandstorm generation.”
Mr Al Daraji said monitoring as it stood covered 47 per cent of Dubai.
There are 12 fixed stations in the emirate, but Dubai also receives information from monitors belonging to other entities.
“There are 25 stations in total,” Mr Al Daraji said.
“We added new technology and equipment used for the first time for the detection of heavy metals.
“A hundred parameters can be detected but we want to expand it to make sure that the data captured can allow a baseline study in some areas to ensure they are well positioned.”
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Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
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Favourite colour: silver
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Date of launch: November 2016
Founder: David Tobias
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers
Sector: Technology
Size: 18 employees
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