Headed home to #Christchurch to run the marathon in honour of 51 people who can never run again.

I’ve designed my kit to reflect the love sent from Dubai (spot the neighbourhood mosque!) & some incredible Arabic calligraphy from the mother of a victim of the terror attacks
The calligraphy pieces are by renowned artist Janna Adnan Ezat. Janna's son Hussein Al-Umari was a victim of the massacre at Deans Ave; he died saving others. The family moved to #Christchurch from the UAE, where Janna was a famed artist - even designing a watch for Sheikh Zayed
In Arabic, this piece says: "Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un", which means: "We belong to Allah and to Allah we shall return."
This is said upon hearing the news of the death of someone.
I’ve simply got the words “love” and “peace” in Arabic in the middle

#Christchurch
People have used this calligraphy of Janna's a lot, putting a picture of their loved ones in the middle.

The Al-Umari family used this too, with a picture of Hussein, to break the news of his death.
I’ll be running in good company on Sunday for the #ChristchurchMarathon - on the back of my kit, I’ve got the names of the 51 people who died in the terror attacks.

Above that list are the words "peace and love" in Arabic.
And finally, on the front we have the Bismillah.

This is another piece from Janna.

It’s an illustration of the phrase "Bismillah Rahman Rahim", a significant phrase in Arabic, which literally translates to " In the name of Allah, the gracious, the merciful"
This is the first sentence in the Quran, and is also recited by Muslims in many situations - usually before a person embarks on something significant, to receive a blessing from God.

#Bismillahirrahmanirrahim #Christchurch #ChristchurchMarathon
So if you see me running/ struggling on Sunday (the latter is most likely) please say hi and gimme a wave! Lets do it for them, those who lost their lives on March 15.

Shukran 🙏🏻
BIG thanks to @EtihadAirways, @adidasrunning and @inkmash for helping me with this.

These guys are the MVPs
Humbled and privileged to spend last night having iftar with the Al Umari family, whose son and brother Hussein died protecting others in the Masjid Al Noor on March 15.

Also an opportunity for Janna to see her AMAZING repurposed designs in the flesh

#Ramadan #Christchurch

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More from @Ash_Stewart_

Nov 27, 2021
🚨The UAE’s “largest legal reform in its history”:

The UAE govt says it is changing 40 laws in January. Some are new & some previously reported.

Major changes concern:
- out-of-wedlock relationships
- commercial companies
- online security
- trade
- residency
- narcotics

🧵
Some major changes previously reported (a year ago) that will become law in Jan:

- decriminalising premarital sex
- decriminalising alcohol consumption
- decriminalising suicide
- decriminalising living with a member of the opposite sex
- stronger penalties for "honour killings”
One important clarification here:
- Children can be legally born out of wedlock

Parents “will be required to marry or singly or jointly acknowledge the child & provide identification papers”

I reported this last year on a tip but the govt was hush-hush: thetimes.co.uk/article/unmarr…
Read 10 tweets
Nov 3, 2021
Friend in Dubai recently lost his job due to having mental health issues. A deplorable reason - but this kind of thing happens often because employees have little rights.

I wish this was spoken about. But also, when it happened to me, I was quiet

Want to rectify that now (🧵)
I was fired in the middle of the pandemic without warning, without reason, from The National. They were advertising 45 other jobs at the time.

A week or so earlier, I'd tweeted a story a colleague had written on delivery drivers being treated poorly in the UAE. I'd said...
...that we needed to treat these people better. That, like the story said, hosing the ground with water so they couldn't sit down etc and yelling at them to move was a horrible way to treat people. This was a great story and was highlighting a hugely important issue.
Read 20 tweets
Oct 12, 2021
As promised, an #Expo2020 thread on pavilions to visit, food, where to find alcohol etc etc

I barely scraped the surface of this place in my 4 days of exploring but here’s what I found… ImageImageImageImage
TIPS:
- Avoid the heat of the day. It's still disgusting outside. Come after 4pm or wait a couple weeks.
- This place is HUGE - 1,083 acres. Pre-plan what you want to see & note it on a map.
- Wear comfy shoes. You'll be getting your steps up.
- Bring a re-fillable water bottle
- I made it to 37 pavilions over 4 days - a fraction on what's on offer. I'd say aim for 6/7 per day if you think your brain & feet can handle it.
- There are plenty of other pavilions other than country ones. United Nations, for example, and the thematic ones (which are huge)
Read 20 tweets
Feb 14, 2021
Breaking: New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern announces Level 3 lockdown for Auckland for 3 days from midnight - the rest of NZ goes to Level 2

Comes after 3 members of an Auckland family tested positive for #Covid19 under unknown circumstances

'We are going hard and early'
For Auckland:
- Border will be put in place around Akl
- People should work from home unless it's not possible
- Children should stay at home, schools will open for parents that need to be at work
- Supermarkets and pharmacies will stay open
- Businesses that interact with customers face-to-face will close
- Gatherings outside of a person's bubble are prohibited, except for events including tangihanga and funerals
- Mask wearing on public transport is required
Read 7 tweets
Nov 7, 2020
🚨Law reforms in the UAE 🚨: The Government has just announced a huge raft of legal reforms in the United Arab Emirates.

The biggest takeaways (a thread):

- Alcohol decriminalised
- Suicide decriminalised
- Male relatives no longer get a lighter sentence for assaulting females
- Drinking, possessing or selling alcohol in authorised areas without an alcohol licence is no longer illegal
- Unmarried couples can now live together
- Tougher punishments for men who harass women
- BIG changes to divorce/ separation & divisions of assets & wills & inheritance
I can't overstate how huge these changes are - will now break each down below:
Read 13 tweets
Oct 11, 2020
The economic fallout of #Covid19 means many blue collar workers in Dubai have been left destitute - no job, visa or money for a flight home

Large groups are now sleeping in parks in Satwa as they await repatriation

A thread & my @Telegraph story below:

telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/10/0…
Dozens of Sri Lankan expats are the latest to congregate in a Satwa park. Most are on a 3-month visit visa and came to Dubai earlier this year to seek work. Some had jobs but lost them due to the pandemic.

Some have been sleeping in the park for as long as 2 weeks
More than 480,000 Indians, 60,000 Pakistanis & 40,000 Filipinos have been repatriated since March, according to their consulates. There are no estimates on how many expats are out of work, but the consulate of the Philippines says about 30,000 Filipinos had lost their jobs
Read 21 tweets

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