Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Nine people were killed in a series of Israeli strikes across southern Lebanon and the northeastern Bekaa Valley, marking a new escalation as ceasefire talks for Gaza, closely linked to a truce with the powerful Hezbollah group, continue to stall.
Two Syrian nationals were killed in air strikes on the villages of Al Wazzani and Khiam in the Nabatieh Governorate, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry, and one Lebanese national was killed overnight in strikes in the Baalbek district in Bekaa where 20 people were injured. The Lebanese group Hezbollah announced the death of five of its fighters following Israel’s attacks.
A prominent commander in the Fatah-affiliated armed group Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades was also killed in the rash of escalated Israeli strikes. Khalil Al Maqdah was killed in an Israeli strike on his car in the southern Lebanese city of Saida Wednesday afternoon, the group said.
"The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades praises the central role of the martyr Khalil Al Maqdah in supporting the Palestinian people and their resistance during the Battle of the Flood of Al Aqsa," the armed Fatah-affiliated faction said. The group added Mr Maqdah was active in "supporting the resistance cells" in the West Bank throughout the years.
The Israeli army acknowledged the assassination and said Mr Maqdah was operating "on behalf of the Hezbollah terrorist organisation and the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC]." Israel also accused Mr Maqdah and his brother Mounir, who is the head of the Al Aqsa Martyr’s Brigade in Lebanon, of working with Iran to smuggle weapons and funds to Palestinian factions in the West Bank.
Mr Maqdah is the first Fatah official in Lebanon to be assassinated by Israel since the beginning of the Gaza war, when Hezbollah and allied armed groups announcement they would join the conflict against Israel.
The Al Aqsa Brigades are coalition of Fatah-associated Palestinian armed groups operating from the West Bank, Gaza, and Lebanon, and often wrongly attributed as Fatah's official military wing. The group publicly joined Hamas in attacking Israel on October 7 and has since confronted Israel's subsequent invasion of the Gaza strip, taking part in several operations.
Mr Maqdah was also a member of Fatah's Palestinian National Security Forces in Saida's Ain al Hilweh refugee camp, the biggest camp for Palestinians in Lebanon.
Israel overnight struck “a number of Hezbollah weapons storage facilities” in the Bekaa and “a compound that was used by Hezbollah's Aerial Defense system” the Israeli army said.
Hezbollah responded Wednesday morning with a barrage of over 50 rockets into the Israel-occupied Golan heights, causing heavy damage to homes and injuring at least one person in the occupied town of Katzrin, Israeli media reported.
Israeli raids on Lebanon have escalated as Gaza ceasefire talks – tied directly to a truce with Lebanon’s powerful Hezbollah group – continue to stall. It has increased pre-emptive offensive attacks ahead of the group’s promised retribution for the assassination of its senior commander Fouad Shukr, in a strike in Beirut in late July.
Hezbollah initiated attacks on Israel in October in support of its Gaza-based ally Hamas and has consistently conditioned the end of its cross-border conflict with Israel on a lasting truce in Gaza. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has said that the group does not want war and would take “measured decisions" rather than retaliate impulsively to Mr Shukr’s assassination. He also promised to make Israel “weep” with its response.
The Iran-backed group has yet however to initiate a major attack on Israel.
More than 550 people have been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon since the cross-border conflict broke out in October 8 a day after Israel's war on Gaza began. While most deaths have been Hezbollah members or allied fighters, dozens of civilians have also been killed. On the Israeli side, the army has acknowledged the deaths of 22 soldiers and 26 civilians.
Israel and Hezbollah last fought a major conflict in 2006 – a 34-day war that devastated parts of Beirut and killed about 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and about 160 in Israel, mostly soldiers.
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
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The stats
Ship name: MSC Bellissima
Ship class: Meraviglia Class
Delivery date: February 27, 2019
Gross tonnage: 171,598 GT
Passenger capacity: 5,686
Crew members: 1,536
Number of cabins: 2,217
Length: 315.3 metres
Maximum speed: 22.7 knots (42kph)
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202-litre%204-cylinder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E153hp%20at%206%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E200Nm%20at%204%2C000rpm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFuel%20consumption%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E6.3L%2F100km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDh106%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Enow%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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.
About%20My%20Father
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ELaura%20Terruso%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ERobert%20De%20Niro%2C%20Sebastian%20Maniscalco%2C%20Kim%20Cattrall%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202%2F5%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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.”
Tips to avoid getting scammed
1) Beware of cheques presented late on Thursday
2) Visit an RTA centre to change registration only after receiving payment
3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
4) Try not to close the sale at night
5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Origin
Dan Brown
Doubleday
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Essentials
The flights: You can fly from the UAE to Iceland with one stop in Europe with a variety of airlines. Return flights with Emirates from Dubai to Stockholm, then Icelandair to Reykjavik, cost from Dh4,153 return. The whole trip takes 11 hours. British Airways flies from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Reykjavik, via London, with return flights taking 12 hours and costing from Dh2,490 return, including taxes.
The activities: A half-day Silfra snorkelling trip costs 14,990 Icelandic kronur (Dh544) with Dive.is. Inside the Volcano also takes half a day and costs 42,000 kronur (Dh1,524). The Jokulsarlon small-boat cruise lasts about an hour and costs 9,800 kronur (Dh356). Into the Glacier costs 19,500 kronur (Dh708). It lasts three to four hours.
The tours: It’s often better to book a tailor-made trip through a specialist operator. UK-based Discover the World offers seven nights, self-driving, across the island from £892 (Dh4,505) per person. This includes three nights’ accommodation at Hotel Husafell near Into the Glacier, two nights at Hotel Ranga and two nights at the Icelandair Hotel Klaustur. It includes car rental, plus an iPad with itinerary and tourist information pre-loaded onto it, while activities can be booked as optional extras. More information inspiredbyiceland.com
