Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Hussein Dabajeh of Dearborn, Michigan, says he has lost six relatives in southern Lebanon over the past two weeks.
His grandmother, 98, has had to move three times since being forced from her home in the village of Bint Jbeil, and every day he anxiously awaits text messages from his cousins to make sure they are still alive.
In Dearborn, the capital of Arab America, it is difficult to find a family who has not been affected by the latest escalation, he says. “It's impacted just about everyone,” Mr Dabajeh tells The National. “It has hit home for all of us.”
Israel began a ground invasion of southern Lebanon on Tuesday, escalating the conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah. On Thursday, Israel ordered more residents to flee villages and towns in the area, and increased air strikes across the country, including in Beirut. Lebanon’s Health Minister said nearly 2,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks over the past year.
On Tuesday, an Israeli air strike killed Kamel Ahmad Jawad, 56, a father of four from Dearborn, his daughter, Nadine Jawad, said in a statement.
Mr Jawad was volunteering in his hometown of Nabatieh, the statement said, and in his final days, he chose to stay near a local hospital to help the elderly and disabled.
“Our father’s message was clear: stop arming, aiding and abetting our oppression and start caring for the people struggling for their freedom and dignity,” Ms Jawad said.
A National Security Council spokesman told The National: “We are deeply saddened by the death of Kamel Ahmad Jawad and our hearts go out to his family and friends. His death is a tragedy, as are the deaths of many civilians in Lebanon.”
On Friday, a State Department representative told The National the department was "aware and alarmed" over reports of Mr Jawad's death and extended condolences to the family.
"We are working to understand the circumstances of the incident. As we have noted repeatedly, it is a moral and strategic imperative that Israel take all feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm," it said. "Any loss of civilian life is a tragedy."
About 1.5 million people of Lebanese descent live in the US, representing a significant proportion of the Arab-American community.
Imad Hamad, director of the American Human Rights Council, an Arab-American organisation based in Michigan, says the vast majority of Lebanese people in Dearborn have strong connections to the south, with many spending summers and holidays there with family, and having homes and businesses there.
“People think it's a political position. It's not political – it's personal, people are impacted directly,” Mr Hamad, a Palestinian refugee who grew up in the south of Lebanon, tells The National. “People are not sleeping, people are glued to televisions. They're trying desperately to have news and help their loved ones.”
He says his sister has taken in relatives in her small home and has decided to stay put, unable to afford to move or to pay the high rental costs in safer areas.
Mr Hamad's organisation is trying to assist dozens of Lebanese Americans who are trapped in the country. Only one airline is still operating and getting a seat is exceedingly difficult, with tickets costing thousands of dollars.
The US State Department says about 7,000 US citizens in Lebanon have registered to leave, but it has not organised evacutions for all as yet. On Thursday, the State Department said two flights carrying a total of 250 American citizens and their immediate family members have been evacuated from Beirut to Istanbul.
US officials have been calling on the Biden administration to do more to get US citizens out of Lebanon. On Tuesday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer reportedly wrote to Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying it was “imperative” for everyone to work together “to bring Michiganders to safety and back with their families immediately”.
Rashida Tlaib, a Congresswoman from Michigan, says 148 residents from her district have been trying to leave Lebanon. The State Department “is leaving Americans behind and failing to protect their own citizens”, she wrote in a post on X.
Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said that “from very early on, the State Department has issued travel warnings against travelling to Lebanon, encouraging American citizens in Lebanon to get out via commercial options”.
“The US military is, of course, on the ready and has a whole wide range of plans," Ms Singh said. "Should we need to evacuate American citizens out of Lebanon, we absolutely can, and they can be implemented. We haven’t been called to do that.”
The administration of President Joe Biden has faced intense criticism, particularly from Arab Americans, for its support of Israel in the Gaza war, and now its expansion into Lebanon.
Israel's invasion of Lebanon comes after nearly a year of war in Gaza, which was started by a Hamas attack that killed about 1,200 people. More than 41,700 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in the past 12 months, and much of the coastal enclave has been reduced to rubble
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
'Peninsula'
Stars: Gang Dong-won, Lee Jung-hyun, Lee Ra
Director: Yeon Sang-ho
Rating: 2/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The specs
Engine: four-litre V6 and 3.5-litre V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: six-speed and 10-speed
Power: 271 and 409 horsepower
Torque: 385 and 650Nm
Price: from Dh229,900 to Dh355,000
EXPATS
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Read more from Johann Chacko
How will Gen Alpha invest?
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
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.”
England's Ashes squad
Joe Root (captain), Moeen Ali, Jimmy Anderson, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2)
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How to donate
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Rafael Nadal's record at the MWTC
2009 Finalist
2010 Champion
Jan 2011 Champion
Dec 2011 Semi-finalist
Dec 2012 Did not play
Dec 2013 Semi-finalist
2015 Semi-finalist
Jan 2016 Champion
Dec 2016 Champion
2017 Did not play
How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
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
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The Penguin
Starring: Colin Farrell, Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz
Creator: Lauren LeFranc
Rating: 4/5
Company%20profile
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