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Palestinian student Mahmoud Khalil has described himself as a political prisoner in his first public remarks since his detention by US immigration authorities, who are seeking to deport him for his role in pro-Palestinian protests.
In a letter made public on Tuesday, he said his arrest was a “direct consequence of exercising my right to free speech as I advocated for a free Palestine and an end to the genocide in Gaza”.
“My name is Mahmoud Khalil and I am a political prisoner,” he said, claiming his detention was indicative of anti-Palestinian racism.
The arrest of Mr Khalil, a US permanent resident and graduate of Columbia University, has been condemned by rights groups as an assault on free speech and due process. More than 100 Democratic legislators from the US House of Representatives questioned the legality of his detention in a letter to the administration of US President Donald Trump.
Justice Department lawyers say Mr Khalil, 30, was subject to deportation because Secretary of State Marco Rubio determined his US presence could have “adverse foreign policy consequences”.
“I am writing to you from a detention facility in Louisiana where I wake to cold mornings and spend long days bearing witness to the quiet injustices under way against a great many people precluded from the protections of the law,” Mr Khalil said in the letter, which was dictated over the phone.
He said his arrest on March 8 had seen agents from the Department of Homeland Security take him into custody without a warrant, handcuff him and force him into an unmarked car.
He drew parallels between his detention and what he called “Israel’s use of administrative detention – imprisonment without trial or charge – to strip Palestinians of their rights”.
“For Palestinians, imprisonment without due process is commonplace,” he said.
He also railed against US foreign policy on the Gaza war. “The US has continued to supply Israel with weapons to kill Palestinians and prevented international intervention. For decades, anti-Palestinian racism has driven efforts to expand US laws and practices that are used to violently repress Palestinians, Arab Americans and other communities. That is precisely why I am being targeted,” he said.
Mr Khalil added that it was his “moral imperative to persist in the struggle” for the freedom of Palestinians.
He also criticised officials at Columbia University who he said “enabled” his arrest. They “laid the groundwork for the US government to target me by arbitrarily disciplining pro-Palestinian students and allowing viral doxing – based on racism and disinformation – to go unchecked”, he said.
Mr Khalil's lawyers have called for his immediate release. He became a US permanent resident last year and his wife is eight months pregnant.
His arrest has sparked protests in the US, including in New York on Tuesday when hundreds gathered at Times Square demanding his release.
Mr Trump has vowed to deport pro-Palestinian activists who have taken part in protests on US college campuses against Israel's war in Gaza. He has alleged the protesters are anti-Semitic and support Hamas militants.
Pro-Palestinian advocates, including some Jewish groups, say their criticism of Israel's assault on Gaza is wrongly conflated with anti-Semitism by their critics while their support for Palestinian rights is also falsely conflated with support for Hamas militants.
The US government has not elaborated on how Mr Khalil could harm US foreign policy. Mr Trump, without evidence, has accused him of supporting Hamas. Mr Khalil's legal team says he has no links to Hamas.
“The Trump administration is targeting me as part of a broader strategy to suppress dissent,” Mr Khalil said. “Visa holders, green-card carriers and citizens alike will all be targeted for their political beliefs.”
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The biog
Siblings: five brothers and one sister
Education: Bachelors in Political Science at the University of Minnesota
Interests: Swimming, tennis and the gym
Favourite place: UAE
Favourite packet food on the trip: pasta primavera
What he did to pass the time during the trip: listen to audio books
Allardyce's management career
Clubs (10) - Limerick (1991-1992), Perston North End (1992), Blackpool (1994-1996), Notts County (1997-1999), Bolton Wanderers (1999-2007), Newcastle United (2007-2008), Blackburn Rovers (2008-2010), West Ham United (2011-2015), Sunderland (2016), Crystal Palace (2016-2017)
Countries (1) - England (2016)
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.
BRIEF SCORES
England 353 and 313-8 dec
(B Stokes 112, A Cook 88; M Morkel 3-70, K Rabada 3-85)
(J Bairstow 63, T Westley 59, J Root 50; K Maharaj 3-50)
South Africa 175 and 252
(T Bavuma 52; T Roland-Jones 5-57, J Anderson 3-25)
(D Elgar 136; M Ali 4-45, T Roland-Jones 3-72)
Result: England won by 239 runs
England lead four-match series 2-1
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
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Expert advice
“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
Stewart Howison, co-founder of Cycle Safe Dubai and owner of Revolution Cycles
“When you sweat a lot, you lose a lot of salt and other electrolytes from your body. If your electrolytes drop enough, you will be at risk of cramping. To prevent salt deficiency, simply add an electrolyte mix to your water.”
Cornelia Gloor, head of RAK Hospital’s Rehabilitation and Physiotherapy Centre
“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can ride as fast or as far during the summer as you do in cooler weather. The heat will make you expend more energy to maintain a speed that might normally be comfortable, so pace yourself when riding during the hotter parts of the day.”
Chandrashekar Nandi, physiotherapist at Burjeel Hospital in Dubai
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The Disaster Artist
Director: James Franco
Starring: James Franco, Dave Franco, Seth Rogan
Four stars
How Sputnik V works
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
