A young girl places a note among flowers left in tribute to victims in Christchurch, on March 17, 2019. AFP
A young girl places a note among flowers left in tribute to victims in Christchurch, on March 17, 2019. AFP
A young girl places a note among flowers left in tribute to victims in Christchurch, on March 17, 2019. AFP
A young girl places a note among flowers left in tribute to victims in Christchurch, on March 17, 2019. AFP

Syrian refugee family among Christchurch victims who fled war


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A Syrian family who fled war in their country thought they had found safety in New Zealand before getting caught in the terrorist attack at the Al Noor Mosque in Christchurch on Friday.

Khaled Mustafa and his son Hamza, 15, were shot by a gunman who opened fire on Muslim worshippers in two mosques, killing 50 people and injuring another 50. Two people remain in critical conditions.

According to reports by the New Zealand Herald and Facebook posts by the Syrian Solidarity New Zealand, the two have been confirmed dead.

A younger son Zaid, 13, is recovering from a six-hour operation on his wounds at Christchurch Hospital. He does not yet know that his father and brother were killed in the attack, reported the local newspaper.

A spokesman for the family, Ali Akil, said Mr Mustafa's wife and daughter, who were not at the mosque on Friday, were in "total shock, devastated and in horror".

"They survived atrocities and arrived here in a safe haven, only to be killed in the most atrocious way,” he said.

"They were just looking for a safe place. Unfortunately, we can't claim that New Zealand is a safe place anymore," said Mr Akil.

Mr Mustafa had arrived in New Zealand with his wife and three children in 2018.

Another man who had sought refuge from war in New Zealand more than 40 years ago was reported to be among the victims. Daoud Nabi fled Afghanistan with his two sons and arrived in Christchurch in 1977.

Authorities have not yet released details and information on the victims, but his son, Yama Nabi, confirmed his death.

Abdul Aziz, 48, has been hailed as a hero for potentially having saved lives by confronting the gunman. Mr Aziz, whose four sons were also in the mosque at the time of the attack, is said to have picked up the first object he could find, a credit card machine, before running outside screaming at the gunman, “Come here,” Associated Press reported.

Originally from Kabul, Mr Aziz left Afghanistan as a refugee when he was a boy. He grabbed one of the empty weapons discarded by the attacker and smashed it into one of the windows of the car where the gunman was fetching another weapon.

The brother of a Pakistani victim told the BBC he was proud of his brother, who was killed alongside his son and had also tried to tackle the gunman. "I wish I could die like him," Khursheed Alam said.

Other victims include Sayyad Milne, 14, who wanted to be a footballer when he grew up, and Hosne Ara, 42, killed while looking for her disabled husband.

The attacker, identified as Brenton Tarrant, opened fire on two mosques on Friday afternoon.

He has been named as responsible for both the shootings. He appeared before a judge at Christchurch District Court on Saturday morning, handcuffed and wearing a white prison robe.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

RACE CARD

6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 – Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m

7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m

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9.25pm: Meydan Challenge – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m

Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
match details

Wales v Hungary

Cardiff City Stadium, kick-off 11.45pm

23-man shortlist for next six Hall of Fame inductees

Tony Adams, David Beckham, Dennis Bergkamp, Sol Campbell, Eric Cantona, Andrew Cole, Ashley Cole, Didier Drogba, Les Ferdinand, Rio Ferdinand, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Roy Keane, Frank Lampard, Matt Le Tissier, Michael Owen, Peter Schmeichel, Paul Scholes, John Terry, Robin van Persie, Nemanja Vidic, Patrick Viera, Ian Wright.

The Bio

Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village

What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft

Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans

Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface

SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%202-litre%20direct%20injection%20turbo%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%207-speed%20automatic%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20261hp%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20400Nm%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20From%20Dh134%2C999%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi

Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)

Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)

Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)

Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).

Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)

Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)

Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)

Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)

Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia

Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)

Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)

The results of the first round are as follows:

Qais Saied (Independent): 18.4 per cent

Nabil Karoui (Qalb Tounes): 15.58 per cent

Abdelfattah Mourou (Ennahdha party): 12.88 per cent

Abdelkarim Zbidi (two-time defence minister backed by Nidaa Tounes party): 10.7 per cent

Youssef Chahed (former prime minister, leader of Long Live Tunisia): 7.3 per cent

While you're here
THE BIO

Age: 33

Favourite quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill

Favourite breed of dog: All of them. I can’t possibly pick a favourite.

Favourite place in the UAE: The Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain. It sounds predictable, but it honestly is my favourite place to spend time. Surrounded by hundreds of dogs that love you - what could possibly be better than that?

Favourite colour: All the colours that dogs come in

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

 

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
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  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
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Final round

25 under -  Antoine Rozner (FRA)

23 - Francesco Laporta (ITA), Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA), Andy Sullivan (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG)

21 - Grant Forrest (SCO)

20 - Ross Fisher (ENG)

19 - Steven Brown (ENG), Joakim Lagergren (SWE), Niklas Lemke (SWE), Marc Warren (SCO), Bernd Wiesberger (AUT)

MATCH INFO

Alaves 1 (Perez 65' pen)

Real Madrid 2 (Ramos 52', Carvajal 69')

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ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

UAE v IRELAND

All matches start at 10am, and will be played in Abu Dhabi

1st ODI, Friday, January 8

2nd ODI, Sunday, January 10

3rd ODI, Tuesday, January 12

4th ODI, Thursday, January 14

Biography

Favourite book: Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Holiday choice: Anything Disney-related

Proudest achievement: Receiving a presidential award for foreign services.

Family: Wife and three children.

Like motto: You always get what you ask for, the universe listens.

MATCH INFO

Fixture: Ukraine v Portugal, Monday, 10.45pm (UAE)

TV: BeIN Sports