Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa said on Friday night that the war in Gaza is an “intolerable situation” as he called on Hamas to release Israeli hostages.
Israel has laid siege to the Gaza Strip in retaliation for the Hamas attacks of October 7, which killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and saw about 240 people taken hostage.
Prince Salman said hostages held by Hamas must be released immediately in exchange for prisoners held in Israel. Bahrain, which signed the Abraham Accords with Israel three years ago, said “we must do everything in our power to solve it”.
“I don't think any Arab leader has called on Hamas to do this,” he added. “So it is a time for straight talking.”
Speaking ahead of the annual Manama Dialogue security summit, the Crown Prince said that the Gaza Strip must get “a few days or weeks or months or maybe years of peace and calm”.
Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip has killed at least 11,500 people, mostly civilians. Aid groups have said that Gazans are facing starvation, as food and water have become practically non-existent.
The Crown Prince said the Quran and the Torah “both prohibit the killing of civilians”.
Prince Salman added that Bahrain has red lines for both sides in the conflict.
It must be “extremely clear what matters is there must be no forced displacement of Palestinians now or ever”, he said.
“There must be no reoccupation, there must be no reduction in Gaza and on the other side, there must be no terrorism directed from Gaza against the Israelis.
“We need to break this cycle of violence between both sides, the Palestinians and Israelis.”
The Crown Prince warned that the Russian invasion of Afghanistan created Al Qaeda and that the US invasion of Iraq created ISIS.
“Think about what this will create in the age of social media. I think we will be looking at a far more difficult next 20 years,” he said.
Prince Salman called for a two-state solution, calling it the only way that the decades-long conflict can end.
“The United States is indispensable in leading this process,” he said in reference to the two-state solution.
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
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F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
The biog
Place of birth: Kalba
Family: Mother of eight children and has 10 grandchildren
Favourite traditional dish: Al Harees, a slow cooked porridge-like dish made from boiled cracked or coarsely ground wheat mixed with meat or chicken
Favourite book: My early life by Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, the Ruler of Sharjah
Favourite quote: By Sheikh Zayed, the UAE's Founding Father, “Those who have no past will have no present or future.”
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
THE SCORES
Ireland 125 all out
(20 overs; Stirling 72, Mustafa 4-18)
UAE 125 for 5
(17 overs, Mustafa 39, D’Silva 29, Usman 29)
UAE won by five wickets
The figures behind the event
1) More than 300 in-house cleaning crew
2) 165 staff assigned to sanitise public areas throughout the show
3) 1,000 social distancing stickers
4) 809 hand sanitiser dispensers placed throughout the venue
Company Profile
Company name: Big Farm Brothers
Started: September 2020
Founders: Vishal Mahajan and Navneet Kaur
Based: Dubai Investment Park 1
Industry: food and agriculture
Initial investment: $205,000
Current staff: eight to 10
Future plan: to expand to other GCC markets
Gulf Under 19s final
Dubai College A 50-12 Dubai College B
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Karnatake Tuskers 114-1 (10 ovs)
Charles 57, Amla 47
Bangla Tigers 117-5 (8.5 ovs)
Fletcher 40, Moores 28 no, Lamichhane 2-9
Bangla Tiger win by five wickets
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
