For Muslims around the world, the period spanning Ramadan and Eid Al Fitr is a time of deep spirituality and happy moments spent with family. But for prison inmates in the Muslim world, it is often also a time when forgiveness can change the course of their lives.
Authorities traditionally take the holiday period as an opportunity to release some prisoners who have been jailed for minor offences, giving them an opportunity to start anew. In many countries where detention centres have been vulnerable to the spread of coronavirus, this year’s pardons are of particular significance, as prisoners rely completely upon the state for their care and well-being.
Pardons and releases over the Muslim holiday period are therefore timely, but the practice should be extended beyond the Muslim world, too. In April, the UN recommended that governments around the world put additional measures in place to protect inmates, and release low-risk offenders as well as those who are particularly vulnerable to Covid-19. Authorities have also been called upon to avoid overcrowding in cells and to devote extra resources to preventing the spread of oubreaks.
The UK announced last month that it planned to release up to 4,000 prisoners while Afghanistan said it would set free 10,000 detainees in response to the UN’s plea. Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, has said it will release 30,000 inmates to take the pressure off its overcrowded prisons.
Sheikh Khalifa, President of the UAE, has ordered the release of 1,511 prisoners for Ramadan, in addition to more than a thousand releases and pardons carried out by the rulers of each emirate ahead of the holy month or Eid Al Fitr. Special precautions have also been implemented to prevent a Covid-19 outbreak in UAE prisons. In Dubai’s largest detention centre, visits, hearings and all other meetings are held by videoconference to minimise physical contact. Inmates and staff have all been tested for the virus, and the detention centre has reduced by up to 35 per cent its inmate population since the onset of the outbreak.
Our compassion must not run dry when it comes to prisoners who are in the process of paying their dues to society
These precautionary measures are necessary to prevent and contain potential outbreaks in the prison system. Such tragedies have unfortunately been reported elsewhere in the Gulf and beyond. Human Rights Watch recently warned that authorities failed to contain an outbreak in Qatar’s overcrowded prisons. Instead of tending to the sick’s needs and reducing the number of detainees, prison authorities there “further restricted prisoners’ limited access to basic medical care,” according to the NGO, leaving the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions particularly exposed.
The coronavirus pandemic has put to the test the world’s compassion and the ability of communities and countries to work together to tackle this borderless crisis. Essential and low-income workers, older people and those with underlying conditions are particularly at risk, and require special attention and increased protection. Much has been said about their invaluable contributions to society, and our shared responsibility towards them. Our compassion must not run dry when it comes to prisoners who are in the process of paying their dues to society. They also deserve to be protected from disease and, in time, to have a second chance at life.
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Final: Iran beat Spain 6-3.
Play-off 3rd: UAE beat Russia 2-1 (in extra time).
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Europe’s rearming plan
Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
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Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
A major shake-up of government-run schools was rolled out across the country in 2017. Known as the Emirati School Model, it placed more emphasis on maths and science while also adding practical skills to the curriculum.
It was accompanied by the promise of a Dh5 billion investment, over six years, to pay for state-of-the-art infrastructure improvements.
Recent developments have also included the introduction of moral education - which public and private schools both must teach - along with reform of the exams system and tougher teacher licensing requirements.
Avengers 3: Infinity War:an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.
Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.
Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.
