Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
At least four people have been killed and 29 injured in Israeli air strikes on the Yemeni city of Hodeidah, the Houthi-run health ministry said on Sunday, as aerial attacks on Lebanon over the weekend were revealed to have killed several high-ranking members of the Hezbollah militia.
Israel's military said dozens of its aircraft had attacked targets in Ras Isa and Hodeidah, both held by the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group, including power stations and oil infrastructure, in retaliation for recent Houthi attacks on Israel.
The dead in Hodeidah included a port worker and three engineers at the Al Hali electricity plant, the group said in a statement posted to Telegram.
Civil defence teams were battling blazes at Al Hali and Al Khateeb power stations, and witnesses told The National they could see plumes of black smoke billowing into the sky near the port of Hodeidah.
“Over the past year, the Houthis have been operating under the direction and funding of Iran, and in co-operation with Iraqi militias in order to attack the State of Israel, undermine regional stability, and disrupt global freedom of navigation,” the Israeli army said.
The Houthis last claimed strikes on Israel on Saturday, when they said they had launched a ballistic missile at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport. The missile was intercepted by Israeli air defences.
Since October last year, the Houthis have repeatedly fired missiles towards Israel in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians amid the Israeli military operation in the Gaza Strip.
The war in Gaza began on October 7, when Hamas and allied militant groups killed about 1,200 people and abducted about 240 during attacks on southern Israeli communities. Health authorities in Gaza say about 41,600 people have been killed in the enclave since the conflict broke out, while most of the territory's 2.3 million population has been displaced at least once.
Israel last struck Yemen in July, when its warplanes bombed a fuel depot in Hodeidah, a key supply line providing food and fuel for the population.
In Lebanon, where Israel continued its campaign of air strikes at the weekend, Hezbollah on Sunday announced the deaths of more of its senior members, just days after the Iran-backed militia's leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli strike in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahieh on Friday evening.
Israel had said that Ali Karaki, commander of Hezbollah's southern front, was killed in a strike on September 24. This was denied by Hezbollah, and Mr Karaki was the target of another assassination attempt earlier last week.
Hezbollah on Sunday confirmed Mr Karaki's death “great pride and honour” in the attack that killed Nasrallah, in a statement carried by Lebanon's state-run National News Agency.
Mr Karaki, a member of Hezbollah's jihad council, had overseen the militia's operations in southern Lebanon since 1982, and was responsible for launching attacks on Israel since October 8.
The Israeli army said more than 20 members of Hezbollah and allied militant groups were killed in the strike on Friday, including Ibrahim Hossein Jazini, head of Nasrallah’s security unit, Samir Toufik Dib, an adviser to Nasrallah, and Abdel Amir Muhammad Sablini, whom Israel accused of “building the strength” of Hezbollah. The army said the building was near a UN-run school, echoing allegations it has made that Hamas operates from schools in Gaza.
Mr Karaki's death is the latest in a string of high-level killings over the past two weeks, which have dealt a major blow to Hezbollah.
Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis form part of the “Axis of Resistance”, an Iran-led political and military coalition in the Middle East formed to oppose Israel. The coalition also includes armed groups in Syria and Iraq.
Ibrahim Aqil, also a member of Hezbollah's jihad council, was reported to have been promoted to Nasrallah's second in command after the July assassination of Fouad Shukr, but was killed in an air strike on Dahieh on September 20. Ibrahim Qubaisi, head of the group's missiles and rockets unit, was killed on September 24.
The confirmation of Mr Karaki's death came amid reports that Nasrallah's body was removed from the rubble in Dahieh, southern Beirut, on Sunday afternoon. His body had no direct wounds and it appeared the cause of death was blunt trauma from the force of the blast, sources told Reuters.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country had “settled a score” by killing Nasrallah.
“We settled the score with the one responsible for the murder of countless Israelis and many citizens of other countries, including hundreds of Americans and dozens of French,” Mr Netanyahu said on Saturday. “Nasrallah was not a terrorist, he was the terrorist.”
His comments alluded to 1983 bombings in Beirut that killed 63 people at the US embassy, along with 241 US marines and 58 French paratroopers at their barracks.
As long as Nasrallah was alive, he “would quickly restore the capabilities we had eroded from Hezbollah”, Mr Netanyahu said. Nasrallah's death “changes the balance of power in the region for years to come”, he added.
“So, I gave the order – and Nasrallah is no longer with us.”
Many Israelis have celebrated Nasrallah’s killing, while protests against his death have been held across the region, including in Iraq, Yemen and Iran.
Mr Netanyahu also said his country was on the cusp of “what appears to be a historic turning point” in the fight against its enemies.
Meanwhile, in Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Israel “did not achieve victory” by killing Nasrallah.
In comments carried by Iranian state media, Mr Khamenei said Nasrallah had been killed “while he was engaged in planning to defend the homeless people of Beirut suburbs and their destroyed houses and their loved ones, just as he had been planning and fighting for decades to defend the oppressed people of Palestine”.
Hezbollah has lost “an unparalleled leader”, Mr Khamenei said, but his demise will not be in vain, as Iran-backed groups “will gain strength” from his killing and intensify attacks on Israel.
“The blows of the resistance front against the weary and decaying body of the Zionist regime will, with the help of God, be more crushing,” he added, declaring five days of mourning in Iran.
Israeli attacks on Lebanon continued into Sunday, with strikes reported in the Baalbek-Hermel province and in the south. Six bodies were recovered from the rubble of a house in the Bekaa Valley, state media reported, with five others also believed to have been killed in the strike.
At least 24 people were killed and 29 injured in Israeli strikes on two buildings near the southern city of Sidon, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.
The ministry reported that 33 people were killed on Saturday, bringing the total number of deaths over the past two weeks above 1,000 people. At least 6,000 have been injured.
Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Sunday that Israeli attacks may have displaced up to a million Lebanese, about a sixth of the country's population.
“Lebanon is experiencing the largest wave of displacement in its history,” Mr Mikati said after a meeting of the government's emergency committee in Beirut. “Our priority is to halt the Israeli aggression through diplomatic efforts. We have no other choice.”
The violence is expected to intensify amid reports that Israeli troops may have already crossed the border. Photographs appear to show tanks on the Israeli side of the frontier, while US officials told ABC that cross-border operations have either begun or are imminent.
Israel does not yet appear to have decided whether to launch a ground operation, but is prepared for one, the officials said. If a ground operation does take place, its scope will be limited, they added.
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
HAEMOGLOBIN DISORDERS EXPLAINED
Thalassaemia is part of a family of genetic conditions affecting the blood known as haemoglobin disorders.
Haemoglobin is a substance in the red blood cells that carries oxygen and a lack of it triggers anemia, leaving patients very weak, short of breath and pale.
The most severe type of the condition is typically inherited when both parents are carriers. Those patients often require regular blood transfusions - about 450 of the UAE's 2,000 thalassaemia patients - though frequent transfusions can lead to too much iron in the body and heart and liver problems.
The condition mainly affects people of Mediterranean, South Asian, South-East Asian and Middle Eastern origin. Saudi Arabia recorded 45,892 cases of carriers between 2004 and 2014.
A World Health Organisation study estimated that globally there are at least 950,000 'new carrier couples' every year and annually there are 1.33 million at-risk pregnancies.
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Tips on buying property during a pandemic
Islay Robinson, group chief executive of mortgage broker Enness Global, offers his advice on buying property in today's market.
While many have been quick to call a market collapse, this simply isn’t what we’re seeing on the ground. Many pockets of the global property market, including London and the UAE, continue to be compelling locations to invest in real estate.
While an air of uncertainty remains, the outlook is far better than anyone could have predicted. However, it is still important to consider the wider threat posed by Covid-19 when buying bricks and mortar.
Anything with outside space, gardens and private entrances is a must and these property features will see your investment keep its value should the pandemic drag on. In contrast, flats and particularly high-rise developments are falling in popularity and investors should avoid them at all costs.
Attractive investment property can be hard to find amid strong demand and heightened buyer activity. When you do find one, be prepared to move hard and fast to secure it. If you have your finances in order, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Lenders continue to lend and rates remain at an all-time low, so utilise this. There is no point in tying up cash when you can keep this liquidity to maximise other opportunities.
Keep your head and, as always when investing, take the long-term view. External factors such as coronavirus or Brexit will present challenges in the short-term, but the long-term outlook remains strong.
Finally, keep an eye on your currency. Whenever currency fluctuations favour foreign buyers, you can bet that demand will increase, as they act to secure what is essentially a discounted property.
ETFs explained
Exhchange traded funds are bought and sold like shares, but operate as index-tracking funds, passively following their chosen indices, such as the S&P 500, FTSE 100 and the FTSE All World, plus a vast range of smaller exchanges and commodities, such as gold, silver, copper sugar, coffee and oil.
ETFs have zero upfront fees and annual charges as low as 0.07 per cent a year, which means you get to keep more of your returns, as actively managed funds can charge as much as 1.5 per cent a year.
There are thousands to choose from, with the five biggest providers BlackRock’s iShares range, Vanguard, State Street Global Advisors SPDR ETFs, Deutsche Bank AWM X-trackers and Invesco PowerShares.
The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo
Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000
Engine: 5.6-litre V8
Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
Company%20profile
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The biog
Title: General Practitioner with a speciality in cardiology
Previous jobs: Worked in well-known hospitals Jaslok and Breach Candy in Mumbai, India
Education: Medical degree from the Government Medical College in Nagpur
How it all began: opened his first clinic in Ajman in 1993
Family: a 90-year-old mother, wife and two daughters
Remembers a time when medicines from India were purchased per kilo
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
The years Ramadan fell in May
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MATCH INFO
League Cup, last 16
Manchester City v Southampton, Tuesday, 11.45pm (UAE)
About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
Day 4, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Not much was expected – on Sunday or ever – of Hasan Ali as a batsman. And yet he lit up the late overs of the Pakistan innings with a happy cameo of 29 from 25 balls. The highlight was when he launched a six right on top of the netting above the Pakistan players’ viewing area. He was out next ball.
Stat of the day – 1,358 There were 1,358 days between Haris Sohail’s previous first-class match and his Test debut for Pakistan. The lack of practice in the multi-day format did not show, though, as the left-hander made an assured half-century to guide his side through a potentially damaging collapse.
The verdict As is the fashion of Test matches in this country, the draw feels like a dead-cert, before a clatter of wickets on the fourth afternoon puts either side on red alert. With Yasir Shah finding prodigious turn now, Pakistan will be confident of bowling Sri Lanka out. Whether they have enough time to do so and chase the runs required remains to be seen.
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.”
Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
Who is Mohammed Al Halbousi?
The new speaker of Iraq’s parliament Mohammed Al Halbousi is the youngest person ever to serve in the role.
The 37-year-old was born in Al Garmah in Anbar and studied civil engineering in Baghdad before going into business. His development company Al Hadeed undertook reconstruction contracts rebuilding parts of Fallujah’s infrastructure.
He entered parliament in 2014 and served as a member of the human rights and finance committees until 2017. In August last year he was appointed governor of Anbar, a role in which he has struggled to secure funding to provide services in the war-damaged province and to secure the withdrawal of Shia militias. He relinquished the post when he was sworn in as a member of parliament on September 3.
He is a member of the Al Hal Sunni-based political party and the Sunni-led Coalition of Iraqi Forces, which is Iraq’s largest Sunni alliance with 37 seats from the May 12 election.
He maintains good relations with former Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki’s State of Law Coaliton, Hadi Al Amiri’s Badr Organisation and Iranian officials.
Opening Rugby Championship fixtures:Games can be watched on OSN Sports
Saturday: Australia v New Zealand, Sydney, 1pm (UAE)
Sunday: South Africa v Argentina, Port Elizabeth, 11pm (UAE)
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
Army of the Dead
Director: Zack Snyder
Stars: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera
Three stars
BRIEF SCORES
England 228-7, 50 overs
N Sciver 51; J Goswami 3-23
India 219, 48.4 overs
P Raut 86, H Kaur 51; A Shrubsole 6-46
England won by nine runs
Dengue%20fever%20symptoms
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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
Uefa Champions League play-off
First leg: Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Ajax v Dynamo Kiev
Second leg: Tuesday, August 28, 11pm (UAE)
Dynamo Kiev v Ajax
