• Firefighters and security forces inspect damage at a house in Yehud, near Tel Aviv, after rockets were launched towards Israel from the Gaza Strip. Hamas said on May 12, 2021, it had fired more than 200 rockets into Israel in retaliation for strikes on a tower block in Gaza. AFP
    Firefighters and security forces inspect damage at a house in Yehud, near Tel Aviv, after rockets were launched towards Israel from the Gaza Strip. Hamas said on May 12, 2021, it had fired more than 200 rockets into Israel in retaliation for strikes on a tower block in Gaza. AFP
  • Rescuers move Israelis from their homes in Yehud, near Tel Aviv, after rockets were launched towards Israel from the Gaza Strip. AFP
    Rescuers move Israelis from their homes in Yehud, near Tel Aviv, after rockets were launched towards Israel from the Gaza Strip. AFP
  • Sirens blared across Israeli coastal cities and people were moved as a barrage of rockets was launched from Gaza. AFP
    Sirens blared across Israeli coastal cities and people were moved as a barrage of rockets was launched from Gaza. AFP
  • An Israeli security officer inspects damage at a house in Yehud. AFP
    An Israeli security officer inspects damage at a house in Yehud. AFP
  • A member of the Israeli security forces stationed in Lod, near Tel Aviv. AFP
    A member of the Israeli security forces stationed in Lod, near Tel Aviv. AFP
  • Israeli security forces stationed on a street in Lod. AFP
    Israeli security forces stationed on a street in Lod. AFP
  • Rockets are launched from Gaza city towards Tel Aviv. AFP
    Rockets are launched from Gaza city towards Tel Aviv. AFP
  • Smoke rises from a burning building, after it was destroyed by Israeli air strikes on Gaza. Reuters
    Smoke rises from a burning building, after it was destroyed by Israeli air strikes on Gaza. Reuters
  • Smoke billows from buildings hit during the Israeli air strikes on Gaza. AFP
    Smoke billows from buildings hit during the Israeli air strikes on Gaza. AFP
  • Fire engulfs a building hit during an Israeli air strike in Gaza on May 11, 2021. AFP
    Fire engulfs a building hit during an Israeli air strike in Gaza on May 11, 2021. AFP
  • Smoke rises from buildings hit during an Israeli air strike in Gaza city. AFP
    Smoke rises from buildings hit during an Israeli air strike in Gaza city. AFP
  • A crowd gathers at the site of a collapsed building in the aftermath of Israeli air strikes on Gaza on May 11, 2021. AFP
    A crowd gathers at the site of a collapsed building in the aftermath of Israeli air strikes on Gaza on May 11, 2021. AFP
  • A burnt car and trees in Holon, near Tel Aviv. AFP
    A burnt car and trees in Holon, near Tel Aviv. AFP
  • The debris of a house in Ashkelon, Israel, following a rocket strike that killed a 29-year-old Indian caregiver. Rosie Scammell / The National
    The debris of a house in Ashkelon, Israel, following a rocket strike that killed a 29-year-old Indian caregiver. Rosie Scammell / The National
  • Two people were reported killed in rocket strikes on Ashkelon. Rosie Scammell / The National
    Two people were reported killed in rocket strikes on Ashkelon. Rosie Scammell / The National
  • An Israeli police officer holds his weapon as he stands in front of an injured driver moments after witnesses said his car crashed into a Palestinian on a pavement during clashes near Lion's Gate, outside Jerusalem's Old City. Reuters
    An Israeli police officer holds his weapon as he stands in front of an injured driver moments after witnesses said his car crashed into a Palestinian on a pavement during clashes near Lion's Gate, outside Jerusalem's Old City. Reuters
  • Palestinians gather behind a barricade amid clashes with Israeli security forces at Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque compound. AFP
    Palestinians gather behind a barricade amid clashes with Israeli security forces at Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque compound. AFP
  • Palestinians clash with Israeli security forces at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City. AP Photo
    Palestinians clash with Israeli security forces at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City. AP Photo
  • Palestinians clash with Israeli security forces at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City. AP Photo
    Palestinians clash with Israeli security forces at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City. AP Photo
  • A camera operator falls as an Israeli police officer runs after him during clashes with Palestinians at the compound that houses Al Aqsa Mosque. Reuters
    A camera operator falls as an Israeli police officer runs after him during clashes with Palestinians at the compound that houses Al Aqsa Mosque. Reuters
  • Palestinian medics carry a wounded protester amid clashes with Israeli security forces at Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque compound. AFP
    Palestinian medics carry a wounded protester amid clashes with Israeli security forces at Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque compound. AFP
  • A Palestinian man helps a wounded protester amid clashes with Israeli security forces at Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque compound on May 10, 2021. AFP
    A Palestinian man helps a wounded protester amid clashes with Israeli security forces at Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque compound on May 10, 2021. AFP
  • Palestinians run for cover during clashes with Israeli police at the compound that houses Al Aqsa Mosque. Reuters
    Palestinians run for cover during clashes with Israeli police at the compound that houses Al Aqsa Mosque. Reuters
  • Israeli security forces detain a Palestinian protester near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City on May 10, 2021. AFP
    Israeli security forces detain a Palestinian protester near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City on May 10, 2021. AFP
  • Israeli police take position during clashes with Palestinians at the compound that houses Al Aqsa Mosque. Reuters
    Israeli police take position during clashes with Palestinians at the compound that houses Al Aqsa Mosque. Reuters
  • Israeli security forces storm Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque compound on May 10, 2021. AFP
    Israeli security forces storm Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque compound on May 10, 2021. AFP
  • Palestinians carry a wounded protester at the Lions' Gate in Jerusalem's Old City, on Monday, May 10, 2021. AP
    Palestinians carry a wounded protester at the Lions' Gate in Jerusalem's Old City, on Monday, May 10, 2021. AP
  • Israeli police stand in front of the Dome of the Rock during clashes with Palestinians at the compound that houses Al Aqsa Mosque. Reuters
    Israeli police stand in front of the Dome of the Rock during clashes with Palestinians at the compound that houses Al Aqsa Mosque. Reuters
  • Palestinian medics carry a wounded protester at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City on May 10, 2021. AFP
    Palestinian medics carry a wounded protester at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City on May 10, 2021. AFP
  • Palestinians rescue a wounded protester at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City on May 10, 2021. AFP
    Palestinians rescue a wounded protester at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City on May 10, 2021. AFP
  • Palestinian protesters flee attack by Israeli security forces in Jerusalem's Old City on May 10, 2021. AFP
    Palestinian protesters flee attack by Israeli security forces in Jerusalem's Old City on May 10, 2021. AFP
  • Israeli security forces detain a Palestinian protester amid clashes in Jerusalem's Old City on May 10, 2021. AFP
    Israeli security forces detain a Palestinian protester amid clashes in Jerusalem's Old City on May 10, 2021. AFP
  • Israeli security forces storm Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque compound on May 10, 2021. AFP
    Israeli security forces storm Jerusalem's Al Aqsa Mosque compound on May 10, 2021. AFP
  • A Palestinian protester stands atop Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on May 10, 2021. AFP
    A Palestinian protester stands atop Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem on May 10, 2021. AFP
  • A wounded Palestinian is carried during clashes with Israeli police at the compound that houses Al Aqsa Mosque. Reuters
    A wounded Palestinian is carried during clashes with Israeli police at the compound that houses Al Aqsa Mosque. Reuters
  • A Palestinian gestures as he confronts Israeli police during clashes at the compound that houses Al Aqsa Mosque on May 10. Reuters
    A Palestinian gestures as he confronts Israeli police during clashes at the compound that houses Al Aqsa Mosque on May 10. Reuters

Rockets target Tel Aviv after residential tower flattened in Gaza


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Follow the latest updates as violence escalates in Israel and Palestine

Israel and Gaza's rulers Hamas on Tuesday threatened further violence after 35 people were killed in the fiercest cross-border fire in years, and the UN's Middle East peace envoy warned of a risk of "full-scale war".

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said militants in the Gaza Strip will "pay a very heavy price" after three people in Israel were killed by rockets fired from the Palestinian coastal enclave.

"We are at the height of a weighty campaign," Mr Netanyahu said in televised remarks alongside Israel's defence minister and military chief.

The premier was speaking after an Israeli air strike destroyed a 13-storey residential tower in Gaza City.

Residents of the building and their neighbours were warned to evacuate the area about an hour before the strike, which wounded one person and left dozens homeless.

Shortly after, sirens blared across Israeli coastal cities as a barrage of rockets was launched from Gaza.

Israeli medics confirmed the death of a woman, 50, in Rishon Lezion, a city south of Tel Aviv.

At least one rocket hit in nearby Holon, where a bus was gutted by flames on a shopping street. Departures were temporarily halted at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport.

Hamas said it launched about 130 rockets in response to the apartment block being destroyed, in its most intensive fire since the conflict broke out on Monday evening.

The Israeli military had earlier said about 600 rockets had been fired from Gaza.

At least 32 Palestinians, including 10 children, have been killed in Gaza since Monday evening, most as a result of air strikes, the Palestinian Health Ministry said.

The Israeli military said 16 of the dead in Gaza were combatants and the militant group Islamic Jihad confirmed three senior figures had been killed.

Earlier on Tuesday, an Israeli and an Indian resident were killed in separate rocket strikes on their homes in the southern Israeli citizen of Ashkelon.

"The situation is very volatile," Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus told The National.

"There are intentions by Hamas and the Islamic Jihad to escalate in terms of the range of rockets and intensity of the rocket fire. That is something we will not tolerate."

Smoke rises from a building after it was destroyed by an Israeli air strike. Reuters
Smoke rises from a building after it was destroyed by an Israeli air strike. Reuters

Mr Netanyahu said Israel planned to increase "both the might of the attacks and the frequency".

Israel said it sent 80 fighter jets to destroy 150 Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets.

The prospect of further military action has raised international alarm, with Middle East foreign ministers holding an emergency meeting on Tuesday and the UN Security Council said to meet privately to discuss the crisis on Wednesday.

"The current situation in Palestine is not sustainable," Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said.

Tor Wennesland, the UN's Middle East peace envoy, warned of a dire outcome if all sides failed to pull back.

"We’re escalating towards a full-scale war," Mr Wennesland said on Twitter.

Dr Anwar Gargash, diplomatic adviser to UAE President Sheikh Khalifa, condemned the violence against Palestinians.

"The UAE stands with the Palestinian rights, with the end of the Israeli occupation, with the two-state solution and with an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital,” Dr Gargash wrote on Twitter.

  • A Palestinian man is detained by undercover and uniformed Israeli security force members as Israelis mark 'Jerusalem Day', near Damascus Gate, just outside Jerusalem's Old City. Reuters
    A Palestinian man is detained by undercover and uniformed Israeli security force members as Israelis mark 'Jerusalem Day', near Damascus Gate, just outside Jerusalem's Old City. Reuters
  • Israelis gather at the Western Wall as a blaze is seen in the background at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City. Reuters
    Israelis gather at the Western Wall as a blaze is seen in the background at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City. Reuters
  • A Palestinian man, left, argues with Israeli Knesset member and head of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party Itamar Ben-Gvir, in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem. AFP
    A Palestinian man, left, argues with Israeli Knesset member and head of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party Itamar Ben-Gvir, in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood of East Jerusalem. AFP
  • Israeli security forces in the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, in Jerusalem's Old City. A planned march by Israelis marking 'Jerusalem Day' has increased tensions with Palestinians. AFP
    Israeli security forces in the Al Aqsa Mosque compound, in Jerusalem's Old City. A planned march by Israelis marking 'Jerusalem Day' has increased tensions with Palestinians. AFP
  • Palestinians evacuate a wounded man during clashes with Israeli security forces at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound. Palestinian medics said at least 180 Palestinians have been were hurt in violence there, including 80 who were hospitalised. AP Photo
    Palestinians evacuate a wounded man during clashes with Israeli security forces at the Al Aqsa Mosque compound. Palestinian medics said at least 180 Palestinians have been were hurt in violence there, including 80 who were hospitalised. AP Photo
  • A man waves an Israeli flag during a parade marking 'Jerusalem Day', amid high Israeli-Palestinian tension, in Jerusalem. Reuters
    A man waves an Israeli flag during a parade marking 'Jerusalem Day', amid high Israeli-Palestinian tension, in Jerusalem. Reuters
  • A Palestinian woman runs close to Israeli security force members during violence at the Damascus Gate, just outside Jerusalem's Old City. Reuters
    A Palestinian woman runs close to Israeli security force members during violence at the Damascus Gate, just outside Jerusalem's Old City. Reuters
  • Israelis run to shelters as air raid sirens go off during a 'Jerusalem Day' march, in Jerusalem. Explosions were heard in Jerusalem after air raid sirens sounded. AP Photo
    Israelis run to shelters as air raid sirens go off during a 'Jerusalem Day' march, in Jerusalem. Explosions were heard in Jerusalem after air raid sirens sounded. AP Photo

Mr Netanyahu said Gaza militants on Monday had crossed a "red line" with rocket fire in the Jerusalem area for the first time since 2014.

The EU said rocket fire aimed at civilians in Israel "is totally unacceptable and feeds escalatory dynamics".

"The significant upsurge in violence in the occupied West Bank, including in East Jerusalem, as well as in and around Gaza needs to stop immediately," the European Commission said late on Monday.

Former US president Donald Trump said that Joe Biden's "lack of support for Israel is leading to new attacks on our allies".

The deadly strikes were preceded by weeks of violence around Jerusalem's Old City.

More than 900 Palestinians were wounded in days, according to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, along with dozens of Israeli police officers.

The rocket fire from Gaza followed a warning to Israel to withdraw its security troops from Al Aqsa Mosque compound in the Old City, the third holiest site in Islam.

Israeli police fired tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets at worshippers, while Palestinians hurled chairs and stones. At times, police fired stun grenades inside Al Aqsa Mosque.

The worst violence came Monday, as Israelis celebrated Jerusalem Day, which marks their military's capture of the eastern part of the city in 1967.

“Many patients have received head, chest or eye injuries from rubber bullets," said Dr Natalie Thurtle, medical co-ordinator in Palestine for the charity Doctors Without Borders.

"We have seen many children injured, including a 12-year-old with a femur injury and a 14-year-old with an eye injury."

On Monday night, crowds of Israelis gathered near the Western Wall – Judaism’s holiest prayer site at the base of Al Aqsa compound – waving Israeli flags and chanting nationalist slogans.

Ayman Odeh, an Arab-Israeli legislator, shared a video on Twitter showing people chanting religious verse that has become popular among far-right groups.

After criticism of heavy-handed police tactics, the Israeli government defended its handling of tension in Jerusalem.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Israel’s Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi on Tuesday to express his "concerns regarding rocket attacks on Israel and his condolences for the lives lost as a result", State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

"The Secretary reiterated his call on all parties to de-escalate tensions and bring a halt to the violence," Mr Price said.

Palestinian protests initially broke out at the start of Ramadan in mid-April, when police banned people from gathering at the city's Damascus Gate, where Muslims traditionally meet after evening prayers.

Another flashpoint was the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah, where dozens of Palestinians are under threat of eviction by Jewish settlers.

Palestinians mourn loved ones killed by Israeli air strikes

  • The brother of Palestinian boy Hussien Hamad, who was killed during recent Palestinian-Israeli violence, cries during his funeral in northern Gaza. Reuters
    The brother of Palestinian boy Hussien Hamad, who was killed during recent Palestinian-Israeli violence, cries during his funeral in northern Gaza. Reuters
  • Relatives of Palestinian man Ahmed Al Shenbari mourn during his funeral in the northern Gaza Strip. Reuters
    Relatives of Palestinian man Ahmed Al Shenbari mourn during his funeral in the northern Gaza Strip. Reuters
  • Palestinians mourn during a funeral in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip. AFP
    Palestinians mourn during a funeral in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip. AFP
  • The mother of Palestinian boy Hussien Hamad, 11, is comforted by mourners during his funeral in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza. AFP
    The mother of Palestinian boy Hussien Hamad, 11, is comforted by mourners during his funeral in Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza. AFP
  • Relatives of Palestinian Hussien Hamad, 11, mourn during his funeral in Beit Hanoun, Gaza. AFP
    Relatives of Palestinian Hussien Hamad, 11, mourn during his funeral in Beit Hanoun, Gaza. AFP
  • Mourners carry the body of Palestinian boy Hussien Hamad during his funeral in the northern Gaza Strip. Reuters
    Mourners carry the body of Palestinian boy Hussien Hamad during his funeral in the northern Gaza Strip. Reuters
  • A relative of Palestinian man Ahmed Al Shenbari mourns during his funeral in northern Gaza. Reuters
    A relative of Palestinian man Ahmed Al Shenbari mourns during his funeral in northern Gaza. Reuters
  • Mourners carry the body of Palestinian man Ahmed Al Shenbari during his funeral in the northern Gaza Strip. Reuters
    Mourners carry the body of Palestinian man Ahmed Al Shenbari during his funeral in the northern Gaza Strip. Reuters
  • Relatives of Palestinian man Ahmed Al Shenbari, who was killed during recent Palestinian-Israeli violence, react during his funeral in northern Gaza. Reuters
    Relatives of Palestinian man Ahmed Al Shenbari, who was killed during recent Palestinian-Israeli violence, react during his funeral in northern Gaza. Reuters
  • Mourners carry the body of Ahmed Al Shenbari, a Palestinian, during his funeral in the northern Gaza Strip. Reuters
    Mourners carry the body of Ahmed Al Shenbari, a Palestinian, during his funeral in the northern Gaza Strip. Reuters

Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

The Birkin bag is made by Hermès. 
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.

Top 10 most polluted cities
  1. Bhiwadi, India
  2. Ghaziabad, India
  3. Hotan, China
  4. Delhi, India
  5. Jaunpur, India
  6. Faisalabad, Pakistan
  7. Noida, India
  8. Bahawalpur, Pakistan
  9. Peshawar, Pakistan
  10. Bagpat, India
FFP EXPLAINED

What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.

What the rules dictate? 
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.

What are the penalties? 
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.

Miguel Cotto world titles:

WBO Light Welterweight champion - 2004-06
WBA Welterweight champion – 2006-08
WBO Welterweight champion – Feb 2009-Nov 2009
WBA Light Middleweight champion – 2010-12
WBC Middleweight champion – 2014-15
WBO Light Middleweight champion – Aug 2017-Dec 2017

Five famous companies founded by teens

There are numerous success stories of teen businesses that were created in college dorm rooms and other modest circumstances. Below are some of the most recognisable names in the industry:

  1. Facebook: Mark Zuckerberg and his friends started Facebook when he was a 19-year-old Harvard undergraduate. 
  2. Dell: When Michael Dell was an undergraduate student at Texas University in 1984, he started upgrading computers for profit. He starting working full-time on his business when he was 19. Eventually, his company became the Dell Computer Corporation and then Dell Inc. 
  3. Subway: Fred DeLuca opened the first Subway restaurant when he was 17. In 1965, Mr DeLuca needed extra money for college, so he decided to open his own business. Peter Buck, a family friend, lent him $1,000 and together, they opened Pete’s Super Submarines. A few years later, the company was rebranded and called Subway. 
  4. Mashable: In 2005, Pete Cashmore created Mashable in Scotland when he was a teenager. The site was then a technology blog. Over the next few decades, Mr Cashmore has turned Mashable into a global media company.
  5. Oculus VR: Palmer Luckey founded Oculus VR in June 2012, when he was 19. In August that year, Oculus launched its Kickstarter campaign and raised more than $1 million in three days. Facebook bought Oculus for $2 billion two years later.
The biog

Name: Sari Al Zubaidi

Occupation: co-founder of Cafe di Rosati

Age: 42

Marital status: single

Favourite drink: drip coffee V60

Favourite destination: Bali, Indonesia 

Favourite book: 100 Years of Solitude 

Women & Power: A Manifesto

Mary Beard

Profile Books and London Review of Books 

VERSTAPPEN'S FIRSTS

Youngest F1 driver (17 years 3 days Japan 2014)
Youngest driver to start an F1 race (17 years 166 days – Australia 2015)
Youngest F1 driver to score points (17 years 180 days - Malaysia 2015)
Youngest driver to lead an F1 race (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest driver to set an F1 fastest lap (19 years 44 days – Brazil 2016)
Youngest on F1 podium finish (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest F1 winner (18 years 228 days – Spain 2016)
Youngest multiple F1 race winner (Mexico 2017/18)
Youngest F1 driver to win the same race (Mexico 2017/18)

Name: Brendalle Belaza

From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines

Arrived in the UAE: 2007

Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus

Favourite photography style: Street photography

Favourite book: Harry Potter