President Donald Trump has signed an order for the US to prepare to hold tens of thousands of the “worst criminal illegal aliens” at Guantanamo Bay.
Here is a look at the notorious US naval base in Cuba, best known for its high-security prison holding terrorism suspects:
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.
What role does Guantanamo have in detaining migrants?
The New York Times reported in September 2024 that the Guantanamo military base had also been used for decades by the US to detain migrants intercepted at sea, mostly from Haiti and Cuba, but in an area separate from that used to hold those accused of terrorism.
A relatively small number of migrants have been detained at the facility – the Times reported that just 37 migrants were held there from 2020 to 2023 – but that could increase dramatically after Mr Trump's announcement, in which he said the migrant centre had “30,000 beds”.
US military bases have been used repeatedly since the 1970s to accommodate the resettlement of waves of immigrants fleeing Vietnam, Cuba, Haiti, Kosovo and Afghanistan.
Mr Trump has launched what his second administration is casting as a major crackdown on illegal migration, trumpeting immigration raids and arrests and deportations on military aircraft.
The non-profit International Refugee Assistance Project said in a report last year that the migrants are held in “prison-like” conditions. It said they were “trapped in a punitive system” indefinitely, with no accountability for the officials running it.
How many terrorism suspects remain at Guantanamo Bay?
Of the about 800 people detained on suspicion of militant activity or terrorism-related offences who have been held at Guantanamo since early 2002, only 15 inmates remain, after the release of some towards the end of former president Joe Biden's administration.
Three of the 15 are eligible for transfer, three are eligible for a review for possible release, seven are facing charges and two have been convicted and sentenced, the Defence Department said this month when it announced the release of 11 Yemenis who had been held there.
Guantanamo houses several accused plotters of the September 11, 2001 attacks, among them self-proclaimed mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
The 117-square-kilometre base had ample space and was not technically part of the US, but rather an “island outside the law”.
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Places to go for free coffee
- Cherish Cafe Dubai, Dubai Investment Park, are giving away free coffees all day.
- La Terrace, Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai, are serving their first 50 guests one coffee and four bite-sized cakes
- Wild & The Moon will be giving away a free espresso with every purchase on International Coffee Day
- Orange Wheels welcome parents are to sit, relax and enjoy goodies at ‘Café O’ along with a free coffee
