When did Guantanamo Bay open?
The detention site at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba opened on January 11, 2002, when the first inmates from America’s “war on terror" arrived.
They were kept in chain-link cages in a secluded part of the US Naval Station Guantanamo Bay. The original prison, known as Camp X-ray, was assembled in less than 96 hours.
While the prison was first used in 2002, the US has maintained a naval base in Cuba since 1903.
Why did the US choose Guantanamo Bay?
In the months after the US launched the war on terror, its response to the September 11, 2001 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, the administration of George W Bush rounded up almost 800 terror suspects.
They needed a place to keep them away from prying eyes and outside of the US, so they would not be entitled to the rights afforded by the US justice system. While several locations were considered, the US settled on Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The 117-square-kilometre base had ample space and was not technically part of the US, but rather an "island outside the law".
Was torture used there?
Inmates and human rights groups have reported mistreatment, abuse and torture at the hands of CIA interrogators and guards.
“The Guantanamo Bay military prison is a catastrophic legal, moral and ethical failure," said Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU’s National Security Project, about the prison's birthday.
"It is a global symbol of American injustice, torture, and abuse of power.
"It’s a national disgrace that our government has for 20 years indefinitely detained Muslim men at Guantanamo, and persists with unconstitutional and secretive military trials.
"President [Joe] Biden needs to finally put an end to this extralegal and abhorrent prison and system."
Mohamedou Ould Slahi spent 14 years at Guantanamo Bay where he was kept in isolation and subjected to sleep deprivation tactics – blasted with heavy-metal music and strobe lights, and drenched in ice water – he told The New York Times.
His experiences at Guantanamo Bay were recently turned into the Hollywood film The Mauritanian.
Lawyers for detainees say their clients have suffered irreparable physical and emotional trauma while at Guantanamo.
Who is being held there?
There are still 39 inmates at Guantanamo Bay. The accused mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and accomplices are the most high-profile among them. They have been waiting for a military commission trial postponed several times.
High-profile inmates who have been released include Canadian Omar Khadr, who was the youngest suspect held there when he was captured by US troops at the age of 15.
Mr Khadr, who admitted to killing a US soldier during a gunfight, was deported to Canada in 2012.
The war in Afghanistan is over, so why is Guantanamo still open?
President Barack Obama tried and failed to close the prison, going as far as to issue an executive order calling for prison’s closure his third day in office. But after 8 years of Republican obstructionism, his hopes to close the facility were dashed.
President Joe Biden has also pledged to close the prison, but has so far made no meaningful moves.
Since Mr Biden took office only one prisoner, Abdul Latif Nasser, has left the base. Granted a release under the Obama administration in 2016, paperwork problems and former president Donald Trump halting all releases delayed Mr Nasser's return to Morocco for five years.
How much does it cost the US to operate the prison?
It costs the US government $540 million a year to operate the detention centre. That means it is now costing US taxpayers about $13 million for each prisoner, making Guantanamo probably the most expensive prison in the world.
The average cost for each person in prison in the US is between 14,000 and $70,000 Vera says.
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
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Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
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LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
How to get exposure to gold
Although you can buy gold easily on the Dubai markets, the problem with buying physical bars, coins or jewellery is that you then have storage, security and insurance issues.
A far easier option is to invest in a low-cost exchange traded fund (ETF) that invests in the precious metal instead, for example, ETFS Physical Gold (PHAU) and iShares Physical Gold (SGLN) both track physical gold. The VanEck Vectors Gold Miners ETF invests directly in mining companies.
Alternatively, BlackRock Gold & General seeks to achieve long-term capital growth primarily through an actively managed portfolio of gold mining, commodity and precious-metal related shares. Its largest portfolio holdings include gold miners Newcrest Mining, Barrick Gold Corp, Agnico Eagle Mines and the NewMont Goldcorp.
Brave investors could take on the added risk of buying individual gold mining stocks, many of which have performed wonderfully well lately.
London-listed Centamin is up more than 70 per cent in just three months, although in a sign of its volatility, it is down 5 per cent on two years ago. Trans-Siberian Gold, listed on London's alternative investment market (AIM) for small stocks, has seen its share price almost quadruple from 34p to 124p over the same period, but do not assume this kind of runaway growth can continue for long
However, buying individual equities like these is highly risky, as their share prices can crash just as quickly, which isn't what what you want from a supposedly safe haven.
THREE POSSIBLE REPLACEMENTS
Khalfan Mubarak
The Al Jazira playmaker has for some time been tipped for stardom within UAE football, with Quique Sanchez Flores, his former manager at Al Ahli, once labelling him a “genius”. He was only 17. Now 23, Mubarak has developed into a crafty supplier of chances, evidenced by his seven assists in six league matches this season. Still to display his class at international level, though.
Rayan Yaslam
The Al Ain attacking midfielder has become a regular starter for his club in the past 15 months. Yaslam, 23, is a tidy and intelligent player, technically proficient with an eye for opening up defences. Developed while alongside Abdulrahman in the Al Ain first-team and has progressed well since manager Zoran Mamic’s arrival. However, made his UAE debut only last December.
Ismail Matar
The Al Wahda forward is revered by teammates and a key contributor to the squad. At 35, his best days are behind him, but Matar is incredibly experienced and an example to his colleagues. His ability to cope with tournament football is a concern, though, despite Matar beginning the season well. Not a like-for-like replacement, although the system could be adjusted to suit.
