Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
Hundreds of Israelis took to the streets of Tel Aviv on Saturday after the Israeli army said it had mistakenly killed three hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
Protesters, among them relatives of the hostages, gathered outside the military headquarters to demanding a ceasefire deal that would lead to the release of the remaining hostages.
The deaths were announced as US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan visited Israel to persuade Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reduce military operations in Gaza “sooner rather than later.”
“Time is running out Bring them home now!” the protesters chanted using megaphones.
Meanwhile, on Saturday morning, at least 14 Palestinians died from air strikes that hit two houses on Old Gaza Street in Jabaliya and dozens more were killed in a separate air strike that hit another home in Jabaliya, the official Palestinian WAFA news agency reported.
It also said a large number of civilians were trapped under rubble.
Since the war began, close to 19,000 people have been killed in Gaza, sparking international demands for a ceasefire.
Also, a prolonged communications blackout that severed telephone and internet connections compounded the misery in Gaza on Saturday.
Internet and telephone lines had gone down on Thursday evening and were still inaccessible on Saturday morning, AP reported, citing internet access advocacy group NetBlocks.org.
Blocking traffic
In Tel Aviv, the protesters had begun gathering late on Friday and continued marching and blocking traffic into Saturday.
The Israeli military identified the dead as Yotam Haim and Shamriz, who were kidnapped from Kibbutz Kfar Aza by Hamas on October 7, and Samer Talalka, who was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Am.
The army said on Friday that its forces in Gaza mistook the hostages as a threat during combat in Shejaiya, and “fired toward them”.
“During searches and checks in the area in which the incident occurred, a suspicion arose over the identities of the deceased,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
“Their bodies were transferred to Israeli territory for examination, after which it was confirmed that they were three Israeli hostages.”
The Israeli military said that the area where the incident took place is “an active combat zone in which continuing fighting over the last few days has occurred”, adding that “immediate lessons from the event have been learnt”.
Citing an initial probe, local Israeli media reported on Saturday that the three Israeli hostages who were mistakenly shot dead were shirtless and waving a white flag.
A senior Israeli officer in the Southern Command said a soldier stationed in the Shejaiya neighbourhood saw three shirtless men - one was carrying a stick with a makeshift white flag.
The soldier who fired at them mistakenly believed that the men were members of Hamas, and were moving towards them as part of a trap.
Two men were killed on the spot, according to the reports, while the third was wounded and fled into a building.
When the third hostage came back outside, he was shot by another soldier.
Remaining hostages
Some 130 hostages remain in Gaza amid Israel’s intensified ground operations and bombing campaign against Hamas.
A total of 110 hostages, taken prisoners during the 7 October attacks on Israel, were earlier released as part of a Qatar-negotiated prisoner exchange deal.
Under the deal between Hamas and Israel, 180 Palestinians were released from Israeli jails and a six-day ceasefire also allowed humanitarian aid into the besieged Gaza.
Netanyahu says 'Unbearable tragedy'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the mistaken killing of hostages by Israeli troops an “unbearable tragedy”.
“Together with the entire people of Israel, I bow my head in deep sorrow and mourn the death of three of our hostages, including Yotam Haim and Samer Fouad Talalka,” he said on X.
“This is an unbearable tragedy and all of Israel is grieving their loss this evening. My heart goes out to the bereaved families at this difficult time.
“Today, on this painful evening, we will dress our wounds, learn the lessons and continue the most important effort of bringing all the hostages home,” the Prime Minister said.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum also expressed its sorrow at the loss of the three hostages killed.
According to the forum, Mr Talalka, 25, had been the eldest of 10 children and was reportedly wounded by Hamas gunfire when he was initially kidnapped in early October.
The forum added that Mr Haim, a lifelong drummer, had been in his home during Hamas's attack on southern Israel when the terrorists set it on fire. After he opened the window to escape the smoke, he was abducted.
Israel army had earlier recovered the bodies of hostages CPL Nik Beizer, 19, and Sgt Ron Sherman, 19, who were abducted by Hamas.
The body of 28-year-old Elia Toledano, who was taken hostage, has also been recovered by the special forces in an operation in Gaza and taken to Israel this week.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
info-box
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Happy Tenant
Started: January 2019
Co-founders: Joe Moufarrej and Umar Rana
Based: Dubai
Sector: Technology, real-estate
Initial investment: Dh2.5 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 4,000
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Under 19 Cricket World Cup, Asia Qualifier
Fixtures
Friday, April 12, Malaysia v UAE
Saturday, April 13, UAE v Nepal
Monday, April 15, UAE v Kuwait
Tuesday, April 16, UAE v Singapore
Thursday, April 18, UAE v Oman
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Aaron Benjamin, Akasha Mohammed, Alishan Sharafu, Anand Kumar, Ansh Tandon, Ashwanth Valthapa, Karthik Meiyappan, Mohammed Faraazuddin, Rishab Mukherjee, Niel Lobo, Osama Hassan, Vritya Aravind, Wasi Shah
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday, February 8 v Kenya; Friday, February 9 v Canada; Sunday, February 11 v Nepal; Monday, February 12 v Oman; Wednesday, February 14 v Namibia; Thursday, February 15 final
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
Company%C2%A0profile
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FINAL SCORES
Fujairah 130 for 8 in 20 overs
(Sandy Sandeep 29, Hamdan Tahir 26 no, Umair Ali 2-15)
Sharjah 131 for 8 in 19.3 overs
(Kashif Daud 51, Umair Ali 20, Rohan Mustafa 2-17, Sabir Rao 2-26)
%20Ramez%20Gab%20Min%20El%20Akher
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
