Bethany Beyond the Jordan, Jordan // Rowan Williams, the archbishop of Canterbury, laid the cornerstone of an Anglican church yesterday on the eastern bank of the Jordan river as part of a four-day pilgrimage tour to the Holy land.
"This place is set apart for prayers for honouring the name of John the Baptist, the prophet of Bethany and for the praise of the most holy name of our Lord," he said in prayers as a congregation of around 600 Anglican worshippers in Jordan gathered around him.
Once built, John the Baptist church will be one of eight different Christian churches and monasteries under construction at the site, which was discovered in 1996. The site already boasts remnants of more than 20 churches, caves and baptismal pools dating from the Byzantine period.
Jordan hopes to turn the site - at which John the Baptist baptised Jesus Christ - into a global pilgrimage destination.
The land where the Anglican church will be built was donated by King Abdullah two years ago. Prince Charles approved the design of the church last month: It will be built in the gothic style similar to ancient Anglican churches in the Britain, with a high altar facing east and the main doors in the west.
This is the archbishop's second visit to Jordan since 2004 and the fifth to the region.
He arrived here on Friday, accompanied by the Rev Michael Jackson of Ireland. He is expected in Jerusalem this afternoon where he will lead an evening mass at the Cathedral Church of St George the Martyr.
His itinerary includes a visit to Ramallah tomorrow and then Gaza on Tuesday where he will stop at the Ahli Hospital, is run by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem.
During the Israeli onslaught on Gaza Strip more than a year ago, the hospital provided emergency care for dozens of residents who were injured.
Overlooking the eastern bank of the Jordan River - once wide and flowing, but now slow and reduced in size - the archbishop compared the waters of the river to the hearts of the people.
"As we gather by the side of the Jordan, we can think of the waters of the river as the sign of our own hearts - sometimes turbulent, sometimes sluggish and loaded with mud and debris, flowing slowly towards the unknown expanses of the sea," he said in a sermon.
"Into these waters of our confusion and muddy turbulence, God enters, and immerses himself completely."
While his visit to the region comes at a time of turmoil and escalating violence, he urged people not to lose hope.
"It's the same world as the one into which Jesus came - in so many ways a place that can drive us to despair or rage, and yet now and forever a world in which God is real, so that neither rage and despair can be the only or the ultimate option for us," he said.
"May the God who has called us his beloved sons and daughters in baptism give us the courage to be faithful to this gift of presence - the courage always to begin again, day after day, to be a Christian."
In his previous visits to the region, the archbishop condemned Israel for the separation wall, and condemned the violence in the Middle East.
Israel has refused to allow the accompanying priests and bishops to enter Gaza, save for the archbishop and a driver. Therefore Suhail Dawwani, the bishop of Jerusalem, will be driving him," said Ghazi Musharbash, an active member of the Anglican Church in Jordan.
"His visit here comes in support to the Palestinian cause," he said.
The Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem has a presence in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the Palestinian Territories and Israel.
It has an estimated 7,000 followers and supports 33 institutions including hospitals, clinics, kindergartens, schools and vocational training programmes, as well as institutions for the deaf, the disabled and the elderly.
Yesterday, the archbishop expressed concern about the dwindling presence of Christians in the Middle East.
"We worry deeply about the dwindling of numbers here. I believe it's the first importance that we keep that solidarity, friendship and presence. It's a joy for me be here."
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The specs
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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India cancels school-leaving examinations
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Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Premier League results
Saturday
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Arsenal 1
Bournemouth 0 Manchester City 1
Brighton & Hove Albion 1 Huddersfield Town 0
Burnley 1 Crystal Palace 3
Manchester United 3 Southampton 2
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West Ham United 2 Newcastle United 0
Sunday
Watford 2 Leicester City 1
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the pledge
I pledge to uphold the duty of tolerance
I pledge to take a first stand against hate and injustice
I pledge to respect and accept people whose abilities, beliefs and culture are different from my own
I pledge to wish for others what I wish for myself
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I pledge to always be open to dialogue and forgiveness
I pledge to do my part to create peace for all
I pledge to exercise benevolence and choose kindness in all my dealings with my community
I pledge to always stand up for these values: Zayed's values for tolerance and human fraternity
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m, Winner SS Lamea, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer).
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,400m, Winner AF Makerah, Sean Kirrane, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m, Winner Maaly Al Reef, Brett Doyle, Abdallah Al Hammadi
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7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m, Winner Morjanah Al Reef, Brett Doyle, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 2,200m, Winner Mudarrab, Jim Crowley, Erwan Charpy
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Starring: Pedro Pascal, Karen Gillian, Aaron Taylor-Johnson
4/5
Results
6.30pm: Madjani Stakes Group 2 (PA) Dh97,500 (Dirt) 1,900m, Winner: RB Frynchh Dude, Pat Cosgrave (jockey), Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
7.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,400m, Winner: Mnasek, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
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Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
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