British journalist released from Hamas custody

GAZA CITY // A British journalist has been released from Hamas custody after a month's detention and is on his way out of the Gaza Strip. Paul Martin was arrested on February 14 in a court in Gaza where he had intended to testify on behalf of a Palestinian militant charged with collaborating with Israel. Hamas officials accused Mr Martin of being a security threat, but did not charge him. Mr Martin was the first foreigner to be arrested since Hamas seized Gaza in 2007.

Mr Martin was freed from a Hamas lock-up today and made his way to Gaza's Erez crossing into Israel. He was accompanied by British diplomats. Hamas says Mr Martin signed a pledge not to return to Gaza. Mr Martin has produced reports for the British Broadcasting Corp. and The Times of London. * AP

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

Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

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Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents

Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University

As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families

Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too

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Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.

Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.

Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.

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