A Palestinian policeman speaks with a driver at a checkpoint in Rafah in southern Gaza. AFP
A Palestinian policeman speaks with a driver at a checkpoint in Rafah in southern Gaza. AFP
A Palestinian policeman speaks with a driver at a checkpoint in Rafah in southern Gaza. AFP
A Palestinian policeman speaks with a driver at a checkpoint in Rafah in southern Gaza. AFP

Hamas in Gaza 'strikes deal to reduce violence'


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Hamas in Gaza has announced it has reached a deal to end the latest escalation in violence with Israel.

"An understanding was reached to rein in the latest escalation and end aggression against our people," the office of the Palestinian territory's Gaza leader, Yahya Sinwar, is quoted as saying by the Agence France-Presse.

Israel has been attacking Gaza in recent days after incendiary balloons and kites were launched across the border.

A Hamas source said there had been "a total halt" to balloon and other attacks against Israel, in agreement with other factions in the coastal strip, which is home to about two million people.

"Fuel supplies will return and the power station will be restarted from Tuesday," the source said.

An Egyptian delegation had been moving between the two sides to try to broker a renewal of an informal truce under which Israel committed to ease its 13-year blockade of Gaza in return for calm on the border.

It was joined by Mohammed Al Emadi, the Qatari envoy to Gaza, who also held talks with Israeli officials in Tel Aviv.

Cogat, Israel's liaison agency to the Palestinian territories, confirmed that Gaza's main goods crossing would reopen and fishermen would be allowed back to work, up to 15 nautical miles from the shore.

The developments were "subject to the continuation of the calm and the security stability" but Cogat warned that if Hamas failed to deliver, Israel would "act accordingly".

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Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

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What is blockchain?

Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.

The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.

Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.

However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.

Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.

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The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

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Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

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1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

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5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

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The National Archives, Abu Dhabi

Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.

Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en