Maj Edward Akakpo looked up at the sky as a black Israeli drone flew over the UN peacekeeper base near the village of Ramyah in southern Lebanon.
“They send those whenever there are new visitors,” he said jokingly.
The presence of the drone, which quickly moved away in a flawless straight line, was yet another Israeli violation of Lebanese airspace. “It’s being reported right now as we speak,” Maj Akakpo said. This is far from an isolated incident – members of the 10,000-strong UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) soldiers posted in southern Lebanon have become used to them.
The Ghanaian battalion, made of 865 soldiers who patrol the western part of the border area, has documented many Israeli violations of the US-brokered ceasefire agreed between Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israel in November to end 14 months of conflict, including two months of intensive Israeli bombardment. These include Israeli tanks entering Lebanese territory, drones hovering in the skies and sporadic air strikes.
Earlier this month, the Ghanaian peacekeepers helped to rescue a shepherd who was injured in an Israeli drone strike that killed 13 of his sheep. Maj Akakpo said there was no explanation for the strike’s target. He added that his battalion has not recorded Lebanese violations in his area of operations, which would include, for instance, Hezbollah weapons caches.
Unifil, which has been posted in southern Lebanon since 2006 following a truce that ended a 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah, has been tasked with monitoring violations from both sides of the border. The National joined the Ghanaian Unifil battalion on Wednesday as it carried its routine activities, which had been disrupted during the recent conflict.
Despite the truce, the situation at the border remains unstable. “This situation is not calm,” said another officer of the Ghanaian contingent, Maj Amidu, speaking to The National its base, UNP 4-42, which is less than 50 metres from the border and directly opposite an Israeli military position. “The whole unit is level 2 and some random firing and shelling, it’s unpredictable for now,” he added. Level 3 is the highest level of alert, when soldiers have to shelter in bunkers.
Unifil representative Andrea Tenenti told The National that since November peacekeepers have recorded more than 1,600 air violations and more than 600 rocket or missile trajectories from Israel, as well as about two dozen air strikes within their area of operations, which extends from the Blue Line – the UN-delineated border between Lebanon and Israel – to the Litani River, about 30km from the border.
Peacekeepers have also reported more than 1,000 Israeli ground activities, such as Israeli tanks crossing the border.
Unifil also found Hezbollah weapons caches and rocket launchers almost on a daily basis, he said.
On Saturday, the fragile state of the ceasefire agreement was once again highlighted when an unknown armed faction fired three rockets into Israel. Israel retaliated with more than a dozen strikes in south Lebanon, killing at least seven people – its most intense attacks since the November ceasefire. Hezbollah denied any involvement.
The peacekeeping force holds regular meetings with the ceasefire monitoring committee, which is led by the US and includes France, the Israeli military and the Lebanese army. Mr Tenenti said Unifil reports violations of UN Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 conflict, not the latest truce on which it is based.
Israel and Lebanon accuse each other of violating the ceasefire. Israel says that Hezbollah still maintains infrastructure in the south, while Lebanese authorities have reported hundreds of Israeli violations that have claimed dozens of lives. Lebanon has also denounced Israel's decision not to remove its troops from five hilltop positions that it has occupied since a ground invasion in October.
Bunkers, crossfire and destruction
Because of its proximity to the Israeli border, the UNP 4-42 base was frequently caught in the crossfire during the war and “suffered a lot”, Maj Amidu said.
But the peacekeepers remained there despite the risk, sometimes spending days in their bunkers when the shelling intensified. Maj Amidu said they were in the bunkers when two Israeli tanks destroyed the main gate and entered the base in October.
According to Unifil, the Israeli soldiers insisted that the base turn out its lights, but left after 45 minutes when it lodged a protest. At the start of the escalation, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the UN to remove its peacekeepers from Lebanon, accusing them of providing Hezbollah with human shields.
A month later, the base was hit, injuring four Ghanaian peacekeepers, some seriously. “We can’t tell if it was intended or not, but the suspicion is that the target was the Israeli base next to us,” Maj Amidu said. Unifil said that the base was probably fired upon by a “non-state actors within Lebanon”.
Despite the ceasefire, border towns have yet to return to normality: destruction is everywhere, roads are barely passable, and water and electricity supplies remain cut off. Residents have not returned to the villages neighbouring the UNP 4-42 base.
“There is no human activity within the area of responsibility,” Maj Amidu said.
With the Israeli military still holding positions inside Lebanon, Mr Tenenti told reporters on Wednesday that Israel needed to withdraw from the area it currently occupies and for “the Lebanese army to fully redeploy there”.
One of these positions is near another Ghanaian battalion base close to the town of Marwahin. The peacekeepers said they observed Israeli troops moving fortifications and defensive concrete to the position after Israel began launching intense air strikes across Lebanon in late September. They said the position was formerly occupied by the Lebanese Army.
“We're not allowed to go near there; it's hard to tell if they built something temporary or not,” Maj Amidu said.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
Polarised public
31% in UK say BBC is biased to left-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is biased to right-wing views
19% in UK say BBC is not biased at all
Source: YouGov
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20front-axle%20electric%20motor%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E218hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E330Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20automatic%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EMax%20touring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E402km%20(claimed)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh215%2C000%20(estimate)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeptember%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Bloomberg Billionaire Index in full
1 Jeff Bezos $140 billion
2 Bill Gates $98.3 billion
3 Bernard Arnault $83.1 billion
4 Warren Buffett $83 billion
5 Amancio Ortega $67.9 billion
6 Mark Zuckerberg $67.3 billion
7 Larry Page $56.8 billion
8 Larry Ellison $56.1 billion
9 Sergey Brin $55.2 billion
10 Carlos Slim $55.2 billion
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.”
Results:
5pm: Conditions (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m | Winner: AF Tahoonah, Richard Mullen (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,400m | Winner: Ajwad, Gerald Avranche, Rashed Bouresly
6pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m | Winner: RB Lam Tara, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m | Winner: Duc De Faust, Szczepan Mazur, Younis Al Kalbani
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Dh70,000 2,200m | Winner: Shareef KB, Fabrice Veron, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 1,500m | Winner: Bainoona, Pat Cosgrave, Eric Lemartinel
Abu Dhabi GP starting grid
1 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2 Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)
3 Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
4 Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
5 Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull)
6 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
7 Romain Grosjean (Haas)
8 Charles Leclerc (Sauber)
9 Esteban Ocon (Force India)
10 Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
11 Carlos Sainz (Renault)
12 Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)
13 Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
14 Sergio Perez (Force India)
15 Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
16 Brendon Hartley (Toro Rosso)
17 Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)
18 Stoffe Vandoorne (McLaren)
19 Sergey Sirotkin (Williams)
20 Lance Stroll (Williams)
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
DUBAI WORLD CUP RACE CARD
6.30pm Meydan Classic Trial US$100,000 (Turf) 1,400m
7.05pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,400m
7.40pm UAE 2000 Guineas Group Three $250,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
8.15pm Dubai Sprint Listed Handicap $175,000 (T) 1,200m
8.50pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 Group Two $450,000 (D) 1,900m
9.25pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,800m
10pm Handicap $135,000 (T) 1,400m
The National selections
6.30pm Well Of Wisdom
7.05pm Summrghand
7.40pm Laser Show
8.15pm Angel Alexander
8.50pm Benbatl
9.25pm Art Du Val
10pm: Beyond Reason
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
The specs: 2018 BMW R nineT Scrambler
Price, base / as tested Dh57,000
Engine 1,170cc air/oil-cooled flat twin four-stroke engine
Transmission Six-speed gearbox
Power 110hp) @ 7,750rpm
Torque 116Nm @ 6,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 5.3L / 100km
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Specs
Engine: 3.0L twin-turbo V6
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 405hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 562Nm at 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 11.2L/100km
Price: From Dh292,845 (Reserve); from Dh320,145 (Presidential)
On sale: Now
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
