Hong Kong pro-democracy activists arrested
Police in Hong Kong carried out a sweeping operation against high-profile democracy campaigners on Saturday, arresting 15 activists on charges related to massive protests that rocked the Asian financial hub last year.
Among those targeted was media tycoon Jimmy Lai, 72, founder of the anti-establishment newspaper Apple Daily, who was arrested at his home.
Also arrested was Martin Lee, 81, a barrister and founding chairman of the Hong Kong's first political party, along with several other former legislators and incumbent legislator Leung Yiu-chung.
They are accused of organising and taking part in unlawful assemblies in August and October, according to the police. Five were arrested under suspicion of publicising unauthorised public meetings in September and October.
All 15 are due to appear in court mid-May.
"Eventually I've become a defendant. How do I feel? I'm very much relieved," Mr Lee said after he was bailed. "For so many years, so many months, so many good youngsters were arrested and charged, while I was not arrested."
The youth-led protest movement in China's semi-autonomous region was sparked by a proposed law to allow extraditions to the mainland before expanding its demands to include greater democratic representation.
Lesotho PM calls out army amid murder scandal
Lesotho's embattled prime minister said he had ordered the military on to the streets to "restore order", accusing law enforcement institutions, which he did not name, of undermining democracy.
Prime Minister Thomas Thabane is under pressure to step down after police said they suspected him of having a hand in the murder of his estranged wife in 2017.
In a televised address on Saturday, the 80-year-old premier said his decision was to "avoid putting the nation in danger".
Mr Thaban's order came a day after the constitutional court set aside his suspension of parliament last month after the national assembly passed a bill barring him from calling fresh elections in the event he losses a no-confidence vote hanging over his head.
A government source said police commissioner Holomo Molibeli, his deputy Paseka Mokete and another senior police officer, have been arrested by the army.
Ukraine's capital chokes on smoke from Chernobyl fires
Smoke from wildfires in the contaminated evacuation zone around the wrecked Chernobyl nuclear power plant has engulfed Kiev, placing the Ukrainian capital near the top of the global air pollution index.
Authorities said radiation levels in Kiev remained normal on Friday, but they advised residents to stay home and close their windows. About 1,000 firefighters backed by aircraft have been deployed to battle the forest blazes near the site of the world’s worst nuclear accident, which took place 34 years ago.
Wildfires erupted in the forests around Chernobyl on April 4, accidentally sparked by residents who were burning rubbish. Firefighting teams managed to contain the initial blazes, but new fires erupted on Thursday, sweeping into wider areas thanks to strong winds.
Live air quality data on iqair.com placed the Ukrainian capital right behind several cities in China in air pollution on Friday.
Nasa to resume manned space launches next month
The US space agency has set a launch date of May 27 for its first astronaut mission from American soil in nearly 10 years.
NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted that billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk's space company, SpaceX, will send two astronauts to the International Space Station aboard its Falcon 9 rocket from Florida - marking the company's first mission carrying humans aboard.
"BREAKING: On May 27, @NASA will once again launch American astronauts on American rockets from American soil!" Mr Bridenstine wrote on Twitter.
Nasa has relied on Russian rockets to ferry astronauts to the space station since it retired its space shuttle programme in 2011.
The US space agency had previously said that mission, in which astronauts Bob Behnken, 48, and Doug Hurley, 52, will ride SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule to the space station, would launch sometime in May.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
RESULT
West Brom 2 Liverpool 2
West Brom: Livermore (79'), Rondón (88' )
Liverpool: Ings (4'), Salah (72')
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Spider-Man: No Way Home
Director: Jon Watts
Stars: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon
Rating:*****
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
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
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
More coverage from the Future Forum
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs: 2019 Subaru Forester
Price, base: Dh105,900 (Premium); Dh115,900 (Sport)
Engine: 2.5-litre four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 182hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 239Nm @ 4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.1L / 100km (estimated)
Generational responses to the pandemic
Devesh Mamtani from Century Financial believes the cash-hoarding tendency of each generation is influenced by what stage of the employment cycle they are in. He offers the following insights:
Baby boomers (those born before 1964): Owing to market uncertainty and the need to survive amid competition, many in this generation are looking for options to hoard more cash and increase their overall savings/investments towards risk-free assets.
Generation X (born between 1965 and 1980): Gen X is currently in its prime working years. With their personal and family finances taking a hit, Generation X is looking at multiple options, including taking out short-term loan facilities with competitive interest rates instead of dipping into their savings account.
Millennials (born between 1981 and 1996): This market situation is giving them a valuable lesson about investing early. Many millennials who had previously not saved or invested are looking to start doing so now.
Company%20Profile
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