Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
The death toll from the walkie-talkie explosions in Lebanon on Wednesday has risen to 25, with at least 608 wounded, the Lebanese Health Ministry said, as fears mount of the war in Gaza expanding to Lebanon.
Those killed were all members of Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed group, which acknowledged the deaths in individual statements commemorating each person.
The attack came as Lebanon was reeling from pager explosions on Tuesday, which killed 12 people, including two children, and injured at least 2,750 others in a suspected Israeli attack on Hezbollah's communication devices. Hundreds suffered severe eye injuries or were blinded by the exploding pagers, western intelligence sources told The National.
In the span of two days, the two waves of device detonations killed 37 people and maimed countless others.
The walkie-talkie explosions were heard across Beirut and eastern and southern Lebanon as funerals of the pager blast victims were being held on Wednesday afternoon, sending mourners into panic.
The unprecedented attacks, which have not been officially claimed by Israel, dealt a major blow to Hezbollah and pushed fears of all-out war to the highest level since the group began exchanging cross-border attacks with Israel on October 8, spurred by the war in Gaza.
Lebanon's civil aviation authority has banned all walkie-talkies and pagers on flights out of the country. Airlines are instructed to inform all departing passengers that the devices are banned on-board and cannot be carried in hand luggage or cargo, according to a Thursday circular published by state media. Any pagers or walkie-talkies found at the airport will be immediately confiscated, the authority added, saying the decision will come into effect immediately.
Hours after the explosions on Wednesday, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the military's focus would turn to Lebanon as Israel enters a “new phase” of war.
“We are opening a new phase in the war – it requires courage, determination and perseverance from us,” he said in a visit to an air force base.
Gen Ori Gordin, who leads the Israeli military’s northern command, said the army is “determined to change the security situation in the north as soon as possible”, and that troops are at “peak readiness”.
“We still have many capabilities that we have not yet activated,” he said in a visit to troops holding drills simulating fighting in Lebanon, according to the army.
Cross-border fire continued on Thursday, with Israel striking several areas in southern Lebanon amid reports that eight Israelis were wounded in anti-tank missile fire. Hezbollah claimed it had targeted a military position in Misgav Am, causing deaths and injuries, though there was no immediate comment from the Israeli army.
In Lebanon, civil defence teams said they carried out 211 rescue and relief missions on Wednesday alone, with firefighters called to 25 different sites hit by Israeli attacks. Paramedics responded to 28 reports of people wounded in Israeli shelling, state media said.
The method used to carry out the pager and walkie-talkie attacks is still not clear. According to The New York Times, Israeli intelligence planted explosives in about 5,000 pagers some months ago. Hezbollah switched to pagers as their main form of communication in recent months amid fears mobile phones posed a security threat.
Schools in Lebanon were closed on Wednesday following the first wave of attacks and are expected to reopen on Thursday, according to Education Minister Abbas Al Halabi, who told people “not to listen to rumours on social media”.
Tuesday's attacks, which overwhelmed Beirut's hospitals and prompted Iraq, Iran and Egypt to send medical aid, saw thousands of Hezbollah pagers explode across Beirut, southern Lebanon, and also in Damascus.
Iran's envoy to Beirut, Mojtaba Amani, was among the wounded, and was reported by The New York Times to have lost an eye – a claim denied by the embassy.
A Taiwan-based firm, Gold Apollo, denied they manufactured the pagers, and said the devices were outsourced to BAC Consulting – a Budapest-based company with little online presence.
On Thursday, the Japanese company Icom, whose brand was seen on some of the walkie-talkies that exploded, said it had stopped manufacturing that model a decade ago.
“The IC-V82 is a hand-held radio that was produced and exported, including to the Middle East, from 2004 to October 2014. It was discontinued about 10 years ago and, since then, it has not been shipped from our company,” it said on its website.
“The production of the batteries needed to operate the main unit has also been discontinued, and a hologram seal to distinguish counterfeit products was not attached, so it is not possible to confirm whether the product shipped from our company.”
It also said it had “strict” export controls and used only authorised distributors.
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
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Engine 3.5L V6
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Power 410hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque 420Nm @ 3,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined 9.7L / 100km
Red Sparrow
Dir: Francis Lawrence
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Egerton, Charlotte Rampling, Jeremy Irons
Three stars
How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
MATCH INFO
Syria v Australia
2018 World Cup qualifying: Asia fourth round play-off first leg
Venue: Hang Jebat Stadium (Malacca, Malayisa)
Kick-off: Thursday, 4.30pm (UAE)
Watch: beIN Sports HD
* Second leg in Australia scheduled for October 10
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Lily Allen
(Parlophone)
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.”
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
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Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
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The more you save, the sooner you can retire. Tuan Phan, a board member of SimplyFI.com, says if you save just 5 per cent of your salary, you can expect to work for another 66 years before you are able to retire without too large a drop in income.
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