Yaser Murtaja was a young, enthusiastic photojournalist dedicated to shedding truth and light in the toughest of circumstances. Despite wearing a flak jacket clearly marked "press", he was shot down while trying to do his job, reporting on protests near the Gaza border. The coldblooded killing of Murtaja, with a bullet aimed at a part of his body not covered by his protection gear, was just one of 29 murders of Palestinians by Israeli soldiers in a week of escalating violence and brutality.
If any further evidence was needed of the oppressive force with which Israeli forces are attempting to stamp out any opposition, it was the disturbing footage last week of a Palestinian teenager being shot in the back by an Israeli sniper while running away from the Gaza buffer zone. More than 400 Palestinians were taken to hospital on Friday and a 16-year-old was killed.
The Israeli army is murdering Palestinian fighting for their rights while the world panders to the architects of a US-backed illegal occupation. With a seven-year war in Syria and a three-year war engulfing Yemen, it is all too easy to forget that for the past 70 years, Israel has been a relentless aggressor and brutalising force, determined to eradicate Palestinians' right to a homeland. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is just one in a long line of Israeli leaders buoyed by the impunity afforded them by an international community which fails to hold them accountable. So lacking is his moral compass that when, in a rare glimpse of something resembling humanitarianism, he offered to relocate about 37,000 African migrants trapped in Israel, he almost immediately bowed to pressure from the far right and scrapped the deal with the UN Refugee Agency because it would involve some of them being rehomed within Israel. So toxic and entitled has the Israeli political system become that a rare hint of any humanity sparks a public outcry. In this skewed version of morality, those in power instead heap praise on Israeli snipers who shoot at the innocent and vulnerable. Stone-throwing protesters are met with searing tear gas and live ammunition. Yet despite a week of relentless violence, world powers have failed to act. Expressing shock and revulsion at the deaths of the likes of Murtaja is not enough. Actions speak louder than mere words posted on social media. There are currently 350 Palestinian children in detention, according to Amnesty International, as Israel plummets to new lows to degrade Palestinians and punish the defenceless.
The latest murderous escalation comes a month before the anniversary of Al Nakba, when Israel's creation in 1948 forced more than 700,000 Palestinians from their homes. That anniversary will be marked by US President Donald Trump acting on his vow to relocate the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Last week the same Trump administration blocked a call by Kuwait for an independent investigation into the Gaza murders at the UN Security Council. As long as Israel has those who kowtow to its mercenary behaviour, its persecution of innocents will never stop.
Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Match info
Manchester United 0-0 Crystal Palace
Man of the match: Cheikhou Kouyate (Crystal Palace)
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Company%20Profile
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Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
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Kamindu Mendis bio
Full name: Pasqual Handi Kamindu Dilanka Mendis
Born: September 30, 1998
Age: 20 years and 26 days
Nationality: Sri Lankan
Major teams Sri Lanka's Under 19 team
Batting style: Left-hander
Bowling style: Right-arm off-spin and slow left-arm orthodox (that's right!)
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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.
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.75-litre twin-turbocharged V12 petrol engine
Power: 420kW
Torque: 780Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh1,350,000
On sale: Available for preorder now
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
