CAIRO // When thousands of anti-government protesters took control of central Cairo's Tahrir square on January 28, they faced an immediate logistical problem. How would they keep it, what would they eat and where would they sleep during the chilly winter nights?
As the occupation of Tahrir completed its 11th day yesterday, many of those questions have been answered. Through a combination of ingenuity, co-operation and sheer stubbornness, the demonstrators have transformed the square.
What exists there now is a tight-knit and self-policing community of battle-hardened optimists who show every sign of digging in for the long haul.
After a chaotic period marked by breathless daily developments, the stalemate with President Hosni Mubarak's government seems to have settled into a longer game.
Last week's violent attempts by pro-Mubarak forces to dislodge the Tahrir crowds failed, as did efforts by those same pro-regime groups to choke off the protesters' supply lines.
Now the focal point seems to be shifting to back room politics, as Mr Mubarak's new government reaches out for negotiations with any opposition forces willing to pick up the phone.
But the reduced attention to daily street action has not diminished the determination of the crowds in Tahrir to stay in place until all their demands are met.
Multiple visits to Tahrir over the past few days show a group physically capable of meeting that challenge. The pro-Mubarak crowds have largely melted away, and for the opposition supplies new protesters are flowing in.
Tent cities have sprung up throughout the square, as have makeshift medical clinics stocked with supplies.
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EGYPT'S TWO WEEKS OF TURMOIL
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Electricity is being drawn from street lamps and local offices to recharge cell phone batteries. A stage has been assembled, and a projection screen alternates between Arabic news channels and movies at night.
The physical fortifications are formidable as well. The Tahrir protesters were caught by surprise on Wednesday by the day-long assault on the square launched by the pro-Mubarak forces.
Their numbers had dwindled a bit at that point, and they struggled to defend all of the multiple entry points into Tahrir. They were also perilously short on medical supplies to treat the hundreds of wounded returning from the front lines of the conflict.
Now corrugated metal sheets - apparently scavenged from two large construction sites - block off most entrances to the square. Piles of rocks and cement chunks sit ready for throwing. On Kasr el Nil street downtown, an enterprising group of protesters has constructed a medieval trebuchet to hurl large rocks or flaming debris over the barricades.
On Sunday, when the army forces patrolling the square attempted to dismantle some of those barricades, protesters resisted. Dozens of people now sleep in front of the tanks to hinder their movement.
That physical readiness reflects a similar psychological mindset on the part of many of the Tahrir square protesters.
A number of the demonstrators seem perfectly willing to simply live there, out in the open, until President Hosni Mubarak leaves the stage.
One of the factors fuelling that determination is the widespread belief that things have simply gone too far to turn back now.
Despite feeling that momentum is on their side, many acknowledge that their backs are against the wall. As one female protester told the Jazeera news channel last week, "We know that if we leave now, they'll just hunt us down one by one."
There's another reason for the refusal to leave. As rumours circulate about different opposition forces said to be negotiating with the government, the protesters seek to make sure that nobody cuts an unacceptable back room deal that falls short of their bottom-line demand: Mr Mubarak's immediate departure.
Their continued presence in Tahrir, the protesters say, ensures that anybody willing to negotiate keeps the demands of Tahrir Street in mind.
At times, the protesters seem determined to create something not only sustainable and self-reliant but borderline utopian.
On Friday, when the largest crowds yet flooded into the square, entrants had to endure multiple redundant ID checks and (extremely polite) pat-downs.
Where they finally made it through the last inspection point, they were greeted by a cheering and clapping welcome line and told "Welcome to liberated ground."
foreign.desk@thenational.ae
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UAE SQUAD
Omar Abdulrahman (Al Hilal), Ali Khaseif, Ali Mabkhout, Salem Rashed, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Zayed Al Ameri, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Khalid Essa, Ahmed Barman, Ryan Yaslam, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmin (Al Wasl), Adel Al Hosani, Ali Hassan Saleh, Majed Suroor (Sharjah), Ahmed Khalil, Walid Abbas, Majed Hassan, Ismail Al Hammadi (Shabab Al Ahli), Hassan Al Muharrami, Fahad Al Dhahani (Bani Yas), Mohammed Al Shaker (Ajman)
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPECS
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The biog
Born: near Sialkot, Pakistan, 1981
Profession: Driver
Family: wife, son (11), daughter (8)
Favourite drink: chai karak
Favourite place in Dubai: The neighbourhood of Khawaneej. “When I see the old houses over there, near the date palms, I can be reminded of my old times. If I don’t go down I cannot recall my old times.”
The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
The past Palme d'Or winners
2018 Shoplifters, Hirokazu Kore-eda
2017 The Square, Ruben Ostlund
2016 I, Daniel Blake, Ken Loach
2015 Dheepan, Jacques Audiard
2014 Winter Sleep (Kış Uykusu), Nuri Bilge Ceylan
2013 Blue is the Warmest Colour (La Vie d'Adèle: Chapitres 1 et 2), Abdellatif Kechiche, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux
2012 Amour, Michael Haneke
2011 The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
2010 Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Lung Bunmi Raluek Chat), Apichatpong Weerasethakul
2009 The White Ribbon (Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte), Michael Haneke
2008 The Class (Entre les murs), Laurent Cantet
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
Sly%20Cooper%20and%20the%20Thievius%20Raccoonus
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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ENGLAND SQUAD
Joe Root (captain), Dom Sibley, Rory Burns, Dan Lawrence, Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Ben Foakes (wicketkeeper), Moeen Ali, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Jack Leach, Stuart Broad
Company%20Profile
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US tops drug cost charts
The study of 13 essential drugs showed costs in the United States were about 300 per cent higher than the global average, followed by Germany at 126 per cent and 122 per cent in the UAE.
Thailand, Kenya and Malaysia were rated as nations with the lowest costs, about 90 per cent cheaper.
In the case of insulin, diabetic patients in the US paid five and a half times the global average, while in the UAE the costs are about 50 per cent higher than the median price of branded and generic drugs.
Some of the costliest drugs worldwide include Lipitor for high cholesterol.
The study’s price index placed the US at an exorbitant 2,170 per cent higher for Lipitor than the average global price and the UAE at the eighth spot globally with costs 252 per cent higher.
High blood pressure medication Zestril was also more than 2,680 per cent higher in the US and the UAE price was 187 per cent higher than the global price.
'Tell the Machine Goodnight' by Katie Williams
Penguin Randomhouse
EMIRATES'S%20REVISED%20A350%20DEPLOYMENT%20SCHEDULE
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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
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
'The Lost Daughter'
Director: Maggie Gyllenhaal
Starring: Olivia Colman, Jessie Buckley, Dakota Johnson
Rating: 4/5
In the Restaurant: Society in Four Courses
Christoph Ribbat
Translated by Jamie Searle Romanelli
Pushkin Press
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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The Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
- Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
- Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
The%20specs
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The biog
Age: 23
Occupation: Founder of the Studio, formerly an analyst at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Education: Bachelor of science in industrial engineering
Favourite hobby: playing the piano
Favourite quote: "There is a key to every door and a dawn to every dark night"
Family: Married and with a daughter
ROUTE%20TO%20TITLE
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