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Residents in Beirut and across Lebanon were startled at midnight by a 4.8 magnitude earthquake which struck Syria and Jordan and rattled their homes.
Many feared it was one of the almost-daily sonic booms from Israeli jets flying low above the Lebanese capital, or the widely anticipated Hezbollah response to the killing of senior commander Fouad Shukr in an Israeli air strike in Beirut last month.
“I didn't sleep all night, it was a nightmare. Now it is the time for earthquakes?” said Hamoudi, a 37-year-old shopkeeper originally from south Lebanon who is living in the suburbs of Beirut. In 2006, when Hezbollah and Israel last fought a full-on war, he fled to Syria to escape the fighting.
While south Lebanon has been entrenched in conflict since October – with nearly 100,000 people displaced from the border areas – the impact of the fighting has gradually crept towards the capital, which for two weeks has been on tenterhooks.
Hamoudi said he knew it was an earthquake but was still shaken by it. “Oh my god, the feeling – I am still scared until now,” he said.
In Turkey, Abu Hassan, a Syrian resident of Gaziantep in the south-east, said his family were reminded of the twin 7.8-intensity earthquakes last February, which killed more than 50,000 people in the two countries.
Hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who fled the war in their home country live in the region. Thousands of them were killed in last year’s quakes.
“We felt the quake last night – we are all OK, but my wife and three children were terrified,” said Abu Hassan, who did not want to give his full name for security reasons. “It brought back a lot of memories for them.”
Ali, a Syrian baker in Turkey’s Hatay province, among the worst-hit areas in last year’s quakes, said last night’s tremor “brought back painful, awful memories”, even though it did not cause any visible material damage. “We cannot sleep like other people, my children cannot sleep from fear and panic,” he said.
“What happened to us cannot be forgotten,” said Toqa Zarzori, a Syrian woman who lost her home in last year’s quake, and was recently relocated to temporary accommodation in a container in Hatay, on the road towards the Syrian border. She said people inside their homes felt the tremor last night. “People are scared,” she added.
Haluk Eyidogan, a Turkish seismologist, said the quake occurred in the active Dead Sea Fault Zone, which runs through Jordan, Israel, the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria.
Pressure in the zone had possibly increased after last February's earthquakes, he said.
It is not the first earthquake in the area, he said. “There were hundreds of such earthquakes in the past.” The probability of more quakes in Lebanon and Syria is high, he added.
The tremor's epicentre was recorded as near the city of Hama, in west-central Syria.
For Syrians in Turkey, already struggling against rising anti-immigrant sentiment and years of violent conflict in their country, last night's earthquake was another painful blow.
“Every possible calamity that could happen has happened to me,” said Abu Hassan in Gaziantep. “I’ve become tired of living. My situation has reached a stage where I want to die.”
Lebanon, on the surface, was largely spared by the February 2023 earthquakes. There was limited structural damage, but it did highlight how some buildings had been hastily or improperly built.
Last year's earthquakes also revived memories for people still traumatised by the 2020 Beirut blast, which killed more than 200 people, injured thousands and wreaked devastation across the Lebanese capital.
Following Monday's earthquake, the Lebanese Real Estate Authority warned that many buildings were prone to collapse because of the lack of restoration. The quake rattled nerves in a country already on edge.
“We are all tired from this situation. But what can we do? Nothing,” said Hamoudi.
The specs: 2018 Dodge Durango SRT
Price, base / as tested: Dh259,000
Engine: 6.4-litre V8
Power: 475hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 640Nm @ 4,300rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km
UAE’s revised Cricket World Cup League Two schedule
August, 2021: Host - United States; Teams - UAE, United States and Scotland
Between September and November, 2021 (dates TBC): Host - Namibia; Teams - Namibia, Oman, UAE
December, 2021: Host - UAE; Teams - UAE, Namibia, Oman
February, 2022: Hosts - Nepal; Teams - UAE, Nepal, PNG
June, 2022: Hosts - Scotland; Teams - UAE, United States, Scotland
September, 2022: Hosts - PNG; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal
February, 2023: Hosts - UAE; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Lupita%20Nyong'o%2C%20Joseph%20Quinn%2C%20Djimon%20Hounsou%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMichael%20Sarnoski%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
More on Quran memorisation:
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Tim Paine (captain), Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade, David Warner
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Bio
Favourite vegetable: “I really like the taste of the beetroot, the potatoes and the eggplant we are producing.”
Holiday destination: “I like Paris very much, it’s a city very close to my heart.”
Book: “Das Kapital, by Karl Marx. I am not a communist, but there are a lot of lessons for the capitalist system, if you let it get out of control, and humanity.”
Musician: “I like very much Fairuz, the Lebanese singer, and the other is Umm Kulthum. Fairuz is for listening to in the morning, Umm Kulthum for the night.”
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
HUNGARIAN GRAND PRIX RESULT
1. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 1:39:46.713
2. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 00:00.908
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes-GP 00:12.462
4. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-GP 00:12.885
5. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing 00:13.276
6. Fernando Alonso, McLaren 01:11.223
7. Carlos Sainz Jr, Toro Rosso 1 lap
8. Sergio Perez, Force India 1 lap
9. Esteban Ocon, Force India 1 lap
10. Stoffel Vandoorne, McLaren 1 lap
11. Daniil Kvyat, Toro Rosso 1 lap
12. Jolyon Palmer, Renault 1 lap
13. Kevin Magnussen, Haas 1 lap
14. Lance Stroll, Williams 1 lap
15. Pascal Wehrlein, Sauber 2 laps
16. Marcus Ericsson, Sauber 2 laps
17r. Nico Huelkenberg, Renault 3 laps
r. Paul Di Resta, Williams 10 laps
r. Romain Grosjean, Haas 50 laps
r. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing 70 laps
Match info
Manchester United 4
(Pogba 5', 33', Rashford 45', Lukaku 72')
Bournemouth 1
(Ake 45 2')
Red card: Eric Bailly (Manchester United)
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
The biog
Age: 59
From: Giza Governorate, Egypt
Family: A daughter, two sons and wife
Favourite tree: Ghaf
Runner up favourite tree: Frankincense
Favourite place on Sir Bani Yas Island: “I love all of Sir Bani Yas. Every spot of Sir Bani Yas, I love it.”
