Hamas informed its ally Hezbollah that it has agreed to a proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, a source within the Lebanese group told The National.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and top Hamas official Khalil Al Hayya met on Friday to discuss negotiations aimed at ending the nine-month Gaza war.
"They also discussed the latest developments in the ongoing negotiations these days, their atmosphere, and the proposals presented to reach an end to the treacherous aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip," Iran-backed Hezbollah said in a statement.
Mr Nasrallah has repeated that the group would stop its attacks on Israel only if the latter halts its bombardment of the Gaza Strip, where about 38,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7.
The Hamas-Hezbollah meeting comes hours after the Palestinian armed group delivered new "ideas" to reach a deal with Israel and softened its position regarding a permanent ceasefire in the ravaged coastal Strip.
Hamas's new positions include abandoning its demand for an Israeli commitment in writing to a permanent ceasefire at the end of the initial 45-day phase of a plan first announced by President Joe Biden on May 31 for a ceasefire and the release of about 120 Israeli hostages.
Sources told The National on Thursday that Hamas is now willing to accept international guarantees that talks on a permanent ceasefire, or a “sustained calm”, would begin at the start of the first phase and conclude before its end.
According to a Hamas statement, its political leader Ismail Haniyeh has “made contact about the ideas that the movement is discussing with them (Egyptian and Qatari mediators) with the aim of reaching an agreement”.
Turning point on the Lebanese front ?
These positive signals from Hamas regarding a possible new Gaza ceasefire deal might accelerate a resolution on the Lebanese front.
In case of a ceasefire in Gaza, "Hezbollah would not have any issue entering negotiations, "according to a western diplomatic source who spoke to The National on Friday.
Hezbollah opened a "pressure" front on October 8 at the Lebanon-Israel border, in support of its ally Hamas, to divert Israel's military focus from the Gaza strip. Since then, Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging daily fire.
The Lebanon-Israel front saw a new dangerous escalation after Hezbollah launched more than 200 rockets and a swarm of drones at 10 Israeli military sites in response to the assassination of a senior commander by an Israeli strike this week.
The diplomatic push has intensified in a bid to avert a full-scale war, including a meeting between US envoy Amos Hochstein and French special envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian in Paris on Wednesday.
"The discussions revolved around the possibility of entering negotiations for border de-escalation. This hinges on two things: a ceasefire in Gaza, and if not, whether the escalation of military operations in the coming weeks along the border might prompt Hezbollah to consider negotiations," the diplomatic source said.
The Lebanese front may be closer to a 'turning point' regarding a decision on whether the country will be drawn into a war with Israel, as the Gaza conflict enters a new phase, reportedly of lower intensity.
The source said that in the coming weeks, Israel could deploy a large number of troops along the Lebanon-Israel border with Israeli forces withdrawing massively from Gaza.
"In the event there is no ceasefire agreement, Israel could exert significant military pressure to compel Hezbollah to enter negotiations," the source added.
Israel has repeatedly threatened a full-scale war, if diplomatic efforts fail. The Israeli military has already approved operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said this week that Israeli forces would take any action necessary against Hezbollah but that they preferred a negotiated arrangement.
Months of negotiations
Mediators from the US and its Arab allies Egypt and Qatar have been trying for months without success to broker a Gaza ceasefire. The only truce in the war, also brokered by these mediators, lasted a week and ended on December 1 after it saw the release of about 100 hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
In the latest negotiations, Hamas has also stated its willingness to accept a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, dropping its previous demand that the pullout must be completed by the end of the first phase, according to the sources.
They said Hamas remains adamant that everyone on its list of Palestinian prisoners incarcerated in Israel who it wants to exchange for the hostages is allowed to walk free. However, said the sources, Hamas was now open to their release over the plan's three phases.
The group's release of the Israeli hostages will be contingent on the progress of the talks on a permanent ceasefire and Israel's withdrawal from Gaza.
The negotiations continued on Friday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent Mossad chief David Barnea to Doha to meet with the Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and other mediators.
US President Joe Biden welcomed the decision to send a delegation in a phone call with Mr Netanyahu on Thursday, the White House said. Mr Biden praised the decision to have Israeli negotiators “engage” with mediators, adding that the two leaders also discussed the response received from Hamas.
21 Lessons for the 21st Century
Yuval Noah Harari, Jonathan Cape
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The Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
- Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
- Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
PRISCILLA
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City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
Set-jetting on the Emerald Isle
Other shows filmed in Ireland include: Vikings (County Wicklow), The Fall (Belfast), Line of Duty (Belfast), Penny Dreadful (Dublin), Ripper Street (Dublin), Krypton (Belfast)
Blonde
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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.”
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
