The Gazan prime minister Ismail Haniyeh, waving, rides a boat off Gaza City's coast yesterday in preparation for the flotilla's arrival.
The Gazan prime minister Ismail Haniyeh, waving, rides a boat off Gaza City's coast yesterday in preparation for the flotilla's arrival.
'Freedom flotilla' back on course for Gaza despite threats of interception
Aid mission was delayed after two boats were 'tampered with', forcing one to drop out and the other to pull into port in Turkish-held northern Cyprus for repairs.
RAMALLAH // A flotilla of boats carrying humanitarian aid and international activists was expected to try to reach Gaza last night, even as the Israeli navy was on standby to intercept and divert the eight vessels to the nearby port of Ashdod.
The flotilla's organiser at sea said its mission was delayed because their boats were "tampered with," and had to stop in the eastern Mediterranean. Elize Ernshire of the Free Gaza Movement said two of the seven boats in the humanitarian aid operation had been "tampered with", forcing one to drop out and the other to pull into port in Turkish-held northern Cyprus for repairs.
"These boats had no previous mechanical problems and had undergone full [mechanical] surveys," Ms Ernshire said. One of the damaged boats transferred its passengers at sea, while the other pulled into Famagusta in the Turkish-held sector of the divided island and was expected to head back out to rejoin the flotilla. She said the boats would head off toward the Palestinian territory aiming to arrive at around midday today.
Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas prime minister of Gaza, said yesterday that if Israel diverted the flotilla, which is carrying 10,000 tonnes of aid, it would be a victory for Palestinians.
"The flotilla's message is clear and it will reach the entire world," Mr Haniyeh said yesterday morning during a press conference at the port where the ships are meant to dock. "The meaning of the flotilla is that the entire world opposes the siege on the Gaza Strip, and if Israel behaves like pirates and sea-terrorists, we will win."
Israel has vowed to prevent the boats - carrying some 600 activists from a dozen different countries, including Israelis - from reaching Gaza, by intercepting them if they enter territorial waters outside Gaza and towing them to Ashdod. Israel controls Gaza's territorial waters and prevents any traffic to and from the impoverished strip of land.
For the past five years, the Israeli navy has also imposed strict limits on Gazan boats, which are now not permitted further out than 5.6km, in contravention of the Oslo Accords, which stipulate a 22km fishing zone for Gazan vessels.
On Friday, Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli foreign minister, denounced the so-called "freedom flotilla" as a threat to Israel's sovereignty, and said Israel would not allow the eight boats to enter Gaza.
"The aid convoy is violent propaganda against Israel, and Israel will not allow its sovereignty to be threatened in any way, in any place, land, air or sea," Mr Lieberman said.
He also denied that there was a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, saying that, "despite Hamas war crimes against Israeli citizens and the thousands of rockets fired at Israeli towns, Israel continues to respond in the most humane way possible."
Rocket fire from Gaza has all but stopped in recent months, as Hamas has tried to enforce an unofficial ceasefire with Israel.
Mr Lieberman's remarks rejecting a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, meanwhile, appear to be a new attempt by the Israeli government to manage international perceptions of the situation in Gaza.
Last week, the Israeli government's press office released a statement denying any humanitarian emergency in Gaza, citing the existence of a high-end restaurant in Gaza City with a menu that includes steak and fresh fish.
But the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is evident to anyone who has visited, and the Israeli government's new PR effort also flies in the face of international assessments of the situation.
The UN recently reported that some 60 per cent of Gazan households are "food insecure" as a direct consequence of the Israeli ban on all but the most basic humanitarian goods from entering Gaza.
okarmi@thenational.ae
* With additional reporting by Agence France-Presse
Are non-fungible tokens a currency, asset, or a licensing instrument? Arnab Das, global market strategist EMEA at Invesco, says they are mix of all of three.
You can buy, hold and use NFTs just like US dollars and Bitcoins. “They can appreciate in value and even produce cash flows.”
However, while money is fungible, NFTs are not. “One Bitcoin, dollar, euro or dirham is largely indistinguishable from the next. Nothing ties a dollar bill to a particular owner, for example. Nor does it tie you to to any goods, services or assets you bought with that currency. In contrast, NFTs confer specific ownership,” Mr Das says.
This makes NFTs closer to a piece of intellectual property such as a work of art or licence, as you can claim royalties or profit by exchanging it at a higher value later, Mr Das says. “They could provide a sustainable income stream.”
This income will depend on future demand and use, which makes NFTs difficult to value. “However, there is a credible use case for many forms of intellectual property, notably art, songs, videos,” Mr Das says.
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Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
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6. Secret Ambition
Phishing: Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
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Vishing: The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
SIM swap: Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
Identity theft: Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
Prize scams: Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
* Nada El Sawy
Dubai World Cup Carnival card
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 Group 1 (PA) US$75,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
7.05pm: Al Rashidiya Group 2 (TB) $250,000 (Turf) 1,800m
7.40pm: Meydan Cup Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,810m
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9.25pm: Al Shindagha Sprint Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
10pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 2,000m
The National selections:
6.30pm - Ziyadd; 7.05pm - Barney Roy; 7.40pm - Dee Ex Bee; 8.15pm - Dubai Legacy; 8.50pm - Good Fortune; 9.25pm - Drafted; 10pm - Simsir
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
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Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
For first two Test in India Joe Root (captain), Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, James Anderson , Dom Bess, Stuart Broad , Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes. Reserves James Bracey, Mason Crane, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Robinson, Amar Virdi.
Name: Peter Dicce
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
Anxiety and work stress major factors
Anxiety, work stress and social isolation are all factors in the recogised rise in mental health problems.
A study UAE Ministry of Health researchers published in the summer also cited struggles with weight and illnesses as major contributors.
One showed 28 per cent of female students at a Dubai university reported symptoms linked to depression. Another in Al Ain found 22.2 per cent of students had depressive symptoms - five times the global average.
It said the country has made strides to address mental health problems but said: “Our review highlights the overall prevalence of depressive symptoms and depression, which may long have been overlooked."
Prof Samir Al Adawi, of the department of behavioural medicine at Sultan Qaboos University in Oman, who was not involved in the study but is a recognised expert in the Gulf, said how mental health is discussed varies significantly between cultures and nationalities.
“The problem we have in the Gulf is the cross-cultural differences and how people articulate emotional distress," said Prof Al Adawi.
“Someone will say that I have physical complaints rather than emotional complaints. This is the major problem with any discussion around depression."
