Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
Gaza woke up to yet another devastating attack on a sanctuary for its internally displaced people, as the Israel-Gaza war entered its 14th day.
One of the oldest working churches in the Palestinian enclave, the Church of Saint Porphyrius was hit in the late hours of Thursday by an Israeli air strike, leaving at least 16 dead and dozens injured at the compound of the Greek Orthodox church. Many Gaza residents had taken refuge in the compound as the war raged in the enclave.
Witnesses told AFP the strike damaged the facade of the church and caused an adjacent building to collapse.
The Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem expressed its “strongest condemnation” of the strike at the oldest church still in use in Gaza.
“Targeting churches and their institutions, along with the shelter they provide to protect innocent citizens, especially children and women who have lost their homes due to Israeli air strikes on residential areas over the past 13 days, constitutes a war crime that cannot be ignored,” the Patriarchate said in a statement.
Gaza City’s ancient Greek Orthodox church is surrounded by crusader-era walls, which housed about 2,000 people, mainly women and children, who slept in the courtyard and corridors of the church during the 2014 war with Israel.
The church is named for a fifth-century bishop of Gaza, Bishop Porphyrius, who supposedly closed all pagan temples in Gaza and built the church’s original foundations in 425 AD.
It has been confirmed as the third oldest church in the world according to the church's official website. It was renovated in 1856.
The church is just metres from Al Ahli hospital, the site of an Israeli strike on Tuesday that resulted in the killing "of hundreds of innocent Palestinians”, said Ramzy Khoury, the head of the Higher Committee for Churches Affairs in Palestine.
It was converted into a mosque in the seventh century, but in the 12th century Christian forces restored its use as a church.
Some of the building's most notable features are its half-domed roof and its three entrances, which are supported by marble columns.
There are about 1,100 Christians left in Gaza, living alongside 1.9 million Muslims.
The hospital hit on Tuesday is one of the oldest operating hospitals, founded in 1882, according to the Jerusalem diocese’s website.
With Gaza so close to the birthplace of the world's three largest religions, it is no surprise this war-plagued region is rich with historically significant sites.
Here are a few sites recognised by the Unesco and regional archaeologists:
St Hilarion Monastery
On the 2012 World Monuments Watch list and Unesco's tentative list is Gaza’s oldest and largest known Christian monument, in an area called Tel Umm Amer in central Gaza. Hilarion was the founder of Palestinian monasticism about 300 AD and is said to have built the original site.
Over the centuries, from the late Roman era to the Umayyad empire, several different churches were built there. The various monasteries included mosaics and marbled floors, a baptism complex, a large crypt, and more than 120 rooms to house priests and visitors, in addition to bathrooms, a kitchen, dining hall, and a wheat and grapes press. The site is in Al Nusairat village on the coast, east of the shore rifts, and on the south bank of Wadi Gaza, 8.5km south of Gaza City.
Anthedon Harbour
Anthedon is the first known seaport of Gaza, mentioned in Islamic literature with the name Tida. The city was inhabited from 800 BC to 1100 AD, and housed a myriad different cultures from the Babylonian through to the early Islamic rules of the Umayyad and Fatimid empires. The archaeological site of the ancient harbour city of Anthedon is on the Mediterranean, in the north-west corner of the Gaza Strip.
According to Unesco, which has placed this site in its tentative list, the site consists of different elements spread over an area from the seashore, including underwater archaeology, and inland. Ruins of a Roman temple and a section of a wall have been uncovered, as well as Roman artisan and living quarters, including a series of villas. Mosaic floors, warehouses and fortified structures are found in the area.
Qasr Al Basha
This old fortress was converted into the only public archaeological museum in Gaza City. A 13th-century Mamluk Sultan supposedly built part of Qasr Al Basha, legend has it, as a home for one of his wives who he met in Gaza, while the fortress part dates from the 17th century after a Turkish Ottoman governor made it his home.
The British next used it as police headquarters and the Egyptians as a girl’s school. Most recently it opened as a museum run by the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiques with the help of international aid.
Hammam Al Sammara (the Samaritan bathhouse)
In Gaza City’s old Zaytoun quarter, the Turkish-style bath house bears the name of the Samaritan community, an ancient offshoot of Judaism, which used to run it.
A plaque on the ancient structure dates back to 1320AD. The hammam’s marble tiles, arched ceilings and stained-glass windows have fallen in and out of repair over the years.
Al Omari Mosque, or the Great Mosque of Gaza
The oldest mosque in the Gaza Strip, Al Omari is still used to this day to perform the Islam's five daily prayers. The site is believed to first have been a Philistine temple, followed by a Byzantine church, and then, after the Muslim conquest of Gaza in the seventh century, a mosque, renovated many times in the centuries since.
Wadi Gaza Coastal Wetlands
Unesco has identified this series of wadi banks as a strategic location for migratory birds.
The location of the Gaza Strip at the corner of the land bridge connecting the continents of Africa and Eurasia, makes it a passage for many migratory birds Thousands of ducks, herons, storks, cranes, flamingos, waders, raptors, quails, passerines and other birds have been reported passing through the Gaza Strip.
Unesco cites studies that show an urgent need to protect Wadi Gaza and it’s surrounding vegetation. The wadi faces many environmental problems because it is used as a sewage collection point for the middle area refugee camps and as a dumping ground for solid waste.
Many of Gaza’s ancient sites remain buried because of the limited international aid for excavation projects, such as that of a fourth-century Byzantine church in Jabalya in the north of the Gaza Strip.
Over the summer, a UN committee voted to list prehistoric ruins near the ancient city of Jericho in the occupied West Bank as a World Heritage Site in Palestine.
The decision, which has been criticised by Israel, was made at a meeting of the UN World Heritage Committee in Riyadh under the auspices of Unesco.
Israel captured the West Bank, along with Gaza and East Jerusalem, in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
Overview
What: The Arab Women’s Sports Tournament is a biennial multisport event exclusively for Arab women athletes.
When: From Sunday, February 2, to Wednesday, February 12.
Where: At 13 different centres across Sharjah.
Disciplines: Athletics, archery, basketball, fencing, Karate, table tennis, shooting (rifle and pistol), show jumping and volleyball.
Participating countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Qatar and UAE.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Essentials
The flights
Return flights from Dubai to Windhoek, with a combination of Emirates and Air Namibia, cost from US$790 (Dh2,902) via Johannesburg.
The trip
A 10-day self-drive in Namibia staying at a combination of the safari camps mentioned – Okonjima AfriCat, Little Kulala, Desert Rhino/Damaraland, Ongava – costs from $7,000 (Dh25,711) per person, including car hire (Toyota 4x4 or similar), but excluding international flights, with The Luxury Safari Company.
When to go
The cooler winter months, from June to September, are best, especially for game viewing.
The Written World: How Literature Shaped History
Martin Puchner
Granta
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.5-litre supercharged V6
Power: 416hp at 7,000rpm
Torque: 410Nm at 3,500rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Fuel consumption: 10.2 l/100km
Price: Dh375,000
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
The five pillars of Islam
Four-day collections of TOH
Day Indian Rs (Dh)
Thursday 500.75 million (25.23m)
Friday 280.25m (14.12m)
Saturday 220.75m (11.21m)
Sunday 170.25m (8.58m)
Total 1.19bn (59.15m)
(Figures in millions, approximate)
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
Dr Graham's three goals
Short term
Establish logistics and systems needed to globally deploy vaccines
Intermediate term
Build biomedical workforces in low- and middle-income nations
Long term
A prototype pathogen approach for pandemic preparedness
