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A British doctor who was sent back to Gaza from the Egyptian border has been failed by the Foreign Office and returns to a “death trap”, his daughter and MP say.
Dr Ahmed Sabra, who works in Swansea, had been visiting Gaza with his wife and three children when the conflict broke out.
But unlike his family, the cardiologist's name was not put on the list to cross the border into Egypt at Rafah.
Despite being allowed on a bus to the border, he was then kept at the checkpoint for days, waiting for the British authorities to help him. After negotiations failed he was returned to Gaza on Wednesday.
His daughter, Haya Sabra, told of her heartache at the family being separated. She is among thousands who have signed an online petition to bring her father home.
“The horror [is] knowing my dad has been sent back to a death trap,” she said.
“My dad spent his life doing everything for me and my siblings. Being forced to leave him at the Egyptian Rafah border, I will always regret that moment.
“The moment my family split up is when I felt my heartache. I really miss him and am scared for him. I want him to come back safe.
“To the British government: you need to take responsibility. Your first duty is to protect all British citizens. You cannot fail again. This is a life-or-death situation, not a game.
“We demand that Dr Ahmed Sabra comes back safe. This is the bare minimum.”
Politician Geraint Davies, the independent MP for Swansea West, has been fighting to get Dr Sabra and his family out of Gaza for more than two weeks.
He told The National Dr Sabra is being failed by the Foreign Office and is calling on the British authorities to rise to the challenge and help him and others trapped in Gaza.
“I have contacted the Prime Minister's office to step in,” he said.
“If he was a US citizen he would be home. It is extraordinary that people are being moved from war-torn Gaza to Egypt and the British embassy has not got the power to help them and are dancing to the tune of others.
“The British authorities need to step in and demand that all British nationals are released to our custody and allowed to come home.
“More than 10,000 people a day can cross the Rafah crossing and it is unacceptable that more British people have not been able to cross. It is completely unnecessary for families to be spilt up at the border, for all their names not to be on the list.
“The government should be demanding their return without delay and not allow them to be treated in this appalling way.
“This family have moved from house to house and [were] being bombed. They have all suffered enough trauma without being separated like this.”
Mr Davies said Dr Sabra was sent back with nowhere to go and only 5 per cent phone battery charge, and told to fend for himself.
“It is absolutely disgraceful an NHS consultant who saves lives on a daily basis is being treated like this,” he said.
"The US were prepared to ensure their citizens not on the transfer lists, but part of a family, would return home together and were. Their consular officials were an ongoing presence. UK citizens deserve the same service.
“This is a desperate situation for Dr Sabra and other British nationals and I plead with the government to rise to the challenge and escalate their efforts to help everyone.”
The Foreign Office has not responded to The National's request for a comment on Dr Sabra's case.
However, it said it is working around the clock to ensure all British nationals in Gaza who want to leave are able to.
“This involves submitting all details of British nationals and eligible dependents to the Israeli and Egyptian authorities. The authorities then review all cases and give permissions to cross,” it said.
“We remain in regular contact with British nationals in Gaza to provide them with the latest information, and UK teams are forward-deployed to the border to receive anyone leaving.”
A petition set up by Dr Sabra's colleagues to urge the Foreign Office to help him has more than 3,200 signatories.
“Our dear friend and esteemed colleague, Dr Ahmed Sabra, is currently trapped in Gaza amidst escalating conflict. He had travelled there with his family to visit relatives when the war with Israel began, and now they have been waiting for a month to leave this dangerous situation,” his colleague Sara Gretton wrote.
“Dr Sabra has described his predicament as being sent to a 'death sentence', accusing the UK government of failing to provide necessary assistance.
“This is not just about one man's life but also about upholding our commitment towards our citizens who dedicate their lives serving others in the healthcare sector.
“Dr Sabra is not just any citizen; he is a respected member of our community, known for his modesty, kindness, and gentle demeanour.
“His desperation resonates with us all as he seeks help for evacuation out of Gaza. We call upon the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office and British embassy to expedite their efforts in prioritising Dr Sabra's evacuation along with his family out of Gaza immediately.
“It's time we stand up for those who have always stood by us during tough times. Please sign this petition urging immediate action on behalf of Dr Ahmed Sabra – because every second counts!”
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.”
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
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Premier League
Wednesday, June 17 (Kick-offs uae times) Aston Villa v Sheffield United 9pm; Manchester City v Arsenal 11pm
Friday, June 19 Norwich v Southampton 9pm; Tottenham v Manchester United 11pm
Saturday, June 20 Watford v Leicester 3.30pm; Brighton v Arsenal 6pm; West Ham v Wolves 8.30pm; Bournemouth v Crystal Palace 10.45pm
Sunday, June 21 Newcastle v Sheffield United 2pm; Aston Villa v Chelsea 7.30pm; Everton v Liverpool 10pm
Monday, June 22 Manchester City v Burnley 11pm (Sky)
Tuesday, June 23 Southampton v Arsenal 9pm; Tottenham v West Ham 11.15pm
Wednesday, June 24 Manchester United v Sheffield United 9pm; Newcastle v Aston Villa 9pm; Norwich v Everton 9pm; Liverpool v Crystal Palace 11.15pm
Thursday, June 25 Burnley v Watford 9pm; Leicester v Brighton 9pm; Chelsea v Manchester City 11.15pm; Wolves v Bournemouth 11.15pm
Sunday June 28 Aston Villa vs Wolves 3pm; Watford vs Southampton 7.30pm
Monday June 29 Crystal Palace vs Burnley 11pm
Tuesday June 30 Brighton vs Manchester United 9pm; Sheffield United vs Tottenham 11.15pm
Wednesday July 1 Bournemouth vs Newcastle 9pm; Everton vs Leicester 9pm; West Ham vs Chelsea 11.15pm
Thursday July 2 Arsenal vs Norwich 9pm; Manchester City vs Liverpool 11.15pm
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
