Khaled Nejmeh was just five years old when he drowned off the coast of Lebanon as his family made a desperate bid to reach Cyprus by boat this September.
Unlike Alan Kurdi, who sparked a global debate about the risks refugees take to reach Europe after his small lifeless body was photographed washed ashore on a Turkish beach in 2015, Khaled’s death went almost unnoticed and provoked no international outrage.
Most Lebanese media outlets reported his death but not his name, relying on a statement published by the army after the rescue of 40 Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian survivors.
Thousands have died making the perilous crossing from North Africa to Italy and from Turkey to Greece, but Khaled’s death sheds light on the long and deadly sea route which has long promised a direct escape from Lebanon.
In Lebanon, Syrian refugees live in desperate conditions. Nearly 1 million Syrian refugees are registered with UNHCR in the country, though local authorities argue that the number of Syrians is as high as 1.5 million. Over 70 per cent live under the poverty line, according to the latest UN reports. There’s a lack of work opportunities, donor fatigue and increasing intimidation by Lebanese security and local authorities pushing Syrians to return.
“Syrians are in a catch 22 situation,” says Nasser Yassin, Director of research at the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy at the American University of Beirut. “They can’t be integrated in Lebanon, many can’t go back to Syria and leaving by sea is dangerous.”
While some have returned to Syria, others risk their lives to leave a country where they struggle to get by day to day let alone think of long-term prospects.
The sea route is the only option for Syrians who can’t travel legally by plane and fear returning to Syria. Between January and October 19, 2018, some 442 Syrians arrived in Cyprus by boat, according to the UNHCR. They came “mainly from Turkish shores and a fewer from Lebanon,” said Emilia Strovolidou, a public information officer at UNHCR in Cyprus.
Sensitive to bad press, Lebanese authorities are reluctant provide estimates for how many refugees are fleeing their shores in this way.
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Lebanon in no mood to celebrate independence day
Activists mourn Raed Fares, 'one of the last free brave voices' in Syria
With two still missing in Syria, Jordanians wary of using Nassib crossing
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Samer had successfully made the illegal journey to Cyprus once before however. In July, he made the trip alone, but after several months work painting houses, returned and paid a Syrian smuggler $2,200 to make the trip again with his Palestinian-Lebanese wife Nivine, Khaled, and eight-year-old daughter Dalal.
The open boat left Lebanese shores north of Tripoli in the middle of the night. Shortly afterwards the heavily laden boat capsized in the waves. It wasn’t until dawn that Palestinian fishermen from the nearby camp of Nahr Al Bared spotted them and alerted rescuers. Khaled’s body was found trapped under the overturned boat.
Back in Tripoli, his corpse – still wearing a lifejacket – was taken to the morgue while his parents were imprisoned for several days. When they were finally able to retrieve his body, they had to bury him illegally. Cemetery plots for Syrians are increasingly hard to find in Lebanon.
Local authorities strongly discouraged the family from speaking to the media. This was to avoid harming Lebanon’s reputation, Khalid’s 33-year-old father, Samer said.
Lebanese General Security declined to discuss the case in detail.
Angered by what he sees as unfair at the hands of the Lebanese authorities, Samer has decided to speak out. “They say I’m making up stories,” about his detention and difficulty of burying his son, “but I’m just talking about what happened to me,” he says.
The family says that the attempt has left them penniless and harassment by the Lebanese authorities since has put them in a worse position than before they tried to leave. Unable to pay rent, they have become homeless and are moving between the homes of friends and family members.
When The National spoke to the family in October, they were staying with Samer's sister in the Palestinian camp of Baddawi, near Tripoli. Lebanon's Palestinian camps are beyond the reach of Lebanese authorities and Samer is trying to avoid being detained again. "They say they need to continue investigating my son's death. But I didn't do anything wrong", her said between drags on a cigarette.
Meanwhile, the family’s condition in Lebanon is increasingly perilous. Samer says he hasn’t received any help from UNHCR, even though he registered with them when he arrived from Syria in late 2011. A UNHCR representative in Beirut was unavailable to comment.
Samer says that going back to Syria is not an option, despite returns organised by Lebanese authorities in coordination with Damascus. His younger brother Ahmad says he was imprisoned for four months in 2012 by Syrian Military Intelligence's infamous Palestine Branch – one of the most feared detention facilities in Syria – after returning from Lebanon to Syria to sort out some paperwork. "We were tortured with electricity and beaten," says Ahmad, lifting his T-shirt to reveal a scarred torso.
Even if they are not arrested upon their return, the brothers would likely be conscripted into the army. “If I’m not considered a terrorist, I’ll have to show my loyalty to the regime by fighting on the frontline where I will be killed,” Samer said.
Even as the weather changes and the sea gets rougher, refugees are continuing trying to reach Cyprus. In early November, Lebanese police intercepted a boat leaving Tripoli and arrested 32 Syrians, including children, as well as several identified as smugglers.
Despite Khaled’s death, Samer is again saving money to smuggle his family out of Lebanon.
“People say I’m mad to take such a risk,” he says. “If I were happy here, of course I wouldn’t do this.”
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Medicus AI
Started: 2016
Founder(s): Dr Baher Al Hakim, Dr Nadine Nehme and Makram Saleh
Based: Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai
Sector: Health Tech
Staff: 119
Funding: €7.7 million (Dh31m)
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Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The Uefa Awards winners
Uefa Men's Player of the Year: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Uefa Women's Player of the Year: Lucy Bronze (Lyon)
Best players of the 2018/19 Uefa Champions League
Goalkeeper: Alisson (Liverpool)
Defender: Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool)
Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong (Ajax)
Forward: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
Uefa President's Award: Eric Cantona
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
WRESTLING HIGHLIGHTS
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
RESULTS - ELITE MEN
1. Henri Schoeman (RSA) 57:03
2. Mario Mola (ESP) 57:09
3. Vincent Luis (FRA) 57:25
4. Leo Bergere (FRA)57:34
5. Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS) 57:40
6. Joao Silva (POR) 57:45
7. Jonathan Brownlee (GBR) 57:56
8. Adrien Briffod (SUI) 57:57
9. Gustav Iden (NOR) 57:58
10. Richard Murray (RSA) 57:59
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
MORE ON CORONAVIRUS & THE ECONOMY
Email sent to Uber team from chief executive Dara Khosrowshahi
From: Dara
To: Team@
Date: March 25, 2019 at 11:45pm PT
Subj: Accelerating in the Middle East
Five years ago, Uber launched in the Middle East. It was the start of an incredible journey, with millions of riders and drivers finding new ways to move and work in a dynamic region that’s become so important to Uber. Now Pakistan is one of our fastest-growing markets in the world, women are driving with Uber across Saudi Arabia, and we chose Cairo to launch our first Uber Bus product late last year.
Today we are taking the next step in this journey—well, it’s more like a leap, and a big one: in a few minutes, we’ll announce that we’ve agreed to acquire Careem. Importantly, we intend to operate Careem independently, under the leadership of co-founder and current CEO Mudassir Sheikha. I’ve gotten to know both co-founders, Mudassir and Magnus Olsson, and what they have built is truly extraordinary. They are first-class entrepreneurs who share our platform vision and, like us, have launched a wide range of products—from digital payments to food delivery—to serve consumers.
I expect many of you will ask how we arrived at this structure, meaning allowing Careem to maintain an independent brand and operate separately. After careful consideration, we decided that this framework has the advantage of letting us build new products and try new ideas across not one, but two, strong brands, with strong operators within each. Over time, by integrating parts of our networks, we can operate more efficiently, achieve even lower wait times, expand new products like high-capacity vehicles and payments, and quicken the already remarkable pace of innovation in the region.
This acquisition is subject to regulatory approval in various countries, which we don’t expect before Q1 2020. Until then, nothing changes. And since both companies will continue to largely operate separately after the acquisition, very little will change in either teams’ day-to-day operations post-close. Today’s news is a testament to the incredible business our team has worked so hard to build.
It’s a great day for the Middle East, for the region’s thriving tech sector, for Careem, and for Uber.
Uber on,
Dara
New schools in Dubai
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Results
2pm: Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,200m, Winner: Mouheeb, Tom Marquand (jockey), Nicholas Bachalard (trainer)
2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Honourable Justice, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Dahawi, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
3.30pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Dark Silver, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
4pm: Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Dark Of Night. Antonio Fresu, Al Muhairi.
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Habah, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.8-litre%204-cyl%20turbo%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E190hp%20at%205%2C200rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20320Nm%20from%201%2C800-5%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeven-speed%20dual-clutch%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%206.7L%2F100km%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh111%2C195%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)
Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 52', Carvajal 69')
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Hot%20Seat
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Profile of MoneyFellows
Founder: Ahmed Wadi
Launched: 2016
Employees: 76
Financing stage: Series A ($4 million)
Investors: Partech, Sawari Ventures, 500 Startups, Dubai Angel Investors, Phoenician Fund
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