A Turkish air strike has killed nine members of one family in an area controlled by the mostly Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces in north-eastern Syria, the US-backed group has said.
The drone attack on a farm in Komaji village on Monday all but wiped out the Abdo family, the SDF said. It undermined last week's agreement between SDF chief Mazlum Abdi and Syria's leader Ahmad Al Shara to end hostilities in the north-east and integrate into the central government.
“Targeting a farmer and his children is a crime against humanity,” Mr Abdi said in a statement. “Our condolences go to the innocent victims who perished in the Turkish strike on a whole family.”
Large swathes of the area, which is inhabited by Arabs and Kurds, have been dominated by the SDF since the group and other Kurdish militants mounted US-backed territory grabs in the past decade while fighting the terrorist group ISIS.
Mr Abdi said the Turkish-backed government led by Mr Shara should prevent “killing of its citizens by other countries”. There was no immediate comment from Ankara. In late January, A Turkish Defence Ministry spokesman said that Turkey will continue "decisive measures" against the PKK and other "terrorist groups" in Syria.
Those killed in Monday's attack were the father and mother, six sisters and one son, sources said. The village is in the countryside of Ain Al Arab, which Kurds call Kobani, its original name before a wave of Arabisation that displaced thousands of Kurds in the 1950s.
Mohannad Kattee, a Syrian researcher and fierce critic of the SDF, said that if the deaths were confirmed, “Turkey bears responsibility for this operation, which resulted in civilian victims”.
Mr Kattee said the presence in Syria of Turkish Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighters, who are SDF allies, has given Turkey the excuse for its military intervention in Syria since 2016 and for the subsequent attacks.
Dozens of Kurdish civilians have been killed in intensified Turkish strikes in support of an offensive by Syrian militias supported by Ankara to advance in the area. It was launched shortly after the downfall of Bashar Al Assad's regime in December. Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), the group led by Mr Al Shara, which controls the post-Assad government, has largely stayed away from participating in the offensive. HTS was formerly linked with Al Qaeda, while the SDF is influenced by the Marxist-Leninist ideology of the PKK.
The deal last week with the Syrian presidency is supposed to result in the integration of all civil and military institutions in north-eastern Syria into the state, by the end of the year, including “border crossings, the airport, and oil and gasfields”. The region is the reservoir of Syria's commodities production, as well as gas, oil, and electricity.
Kurdish groups, which later became the SDF, helped the Assad regime crush a peaceful protest movement in 2011, and later capture rebel-held eastern parts of Aleppo city along with other areas. Their remaining ally since the regime was overthrown has been the US. The SDF has been the ground component in the US's fight against ISIS in Syria.
However, US-backed Kurdish territorial acquisitions have contributed to ethnic violence with Arabs, who comprise the overwhelming majority of the population of the country. After Mr Al Assad's fall, several thousand Arab militia deserted the SDF and joined the Turkish-backed offensive on SDF-held areas.
By the end of 2011 the revolt had become an armed struggle and Syria was embroiled in civil war. The country fragmented into Russian, Iranian, Turkish and US zones of influence. Only the US and Turkish zones remain, along with a newly carved Israeli zone near the Golan Heights.
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
Other simple ideas for sushi rice dishes
Cheat’s nigiri
This is easier to make than sushi rolls. With damp hands, form the cooled rice into small tablet shapes. Place slices of fresh, raw salmon, mackerel or trout (or smoked salmon) lightly touched with wasabi, then press, wasabi side-down, onto the rice. Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger.
Easy omurice
This fusion dish combines Asian fried rice with a western omelette. To make, fry cooked and cooled sushi rice with chopped vegetables such as carrot and onion and lashings of sweet-tangy ketchup, then wrap in a soft egg omelette.
Deconstructed sushi salad platter
This makes a great, fuss-free sharing meal. Arrange sushi rice on a platter or board, then fill the space with all your favourite sushi ingredients (edamame beans, cooked prawns or tuna, tempura veggies, pickled ginger and chilli tofu), with a dressing or dipping sauce on the side.
Last 10 winners of African Footballer of the Year
2006: Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast)
2007: Frederic Kanoute (Sevilla and Mali)
2008: Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal and Togo)
2009: Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Ivory Coast)
2010: Samuel Eto’o (Inter Milan and Cameroon)
2011: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2012: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2013: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2014: Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast)
2015: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Borussia Dortmund and Gabon)
2016: Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City and Algeria)
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if you go
The flights
Emirates offer flights to Buenos Aires from Dubai, via Rio De Janeiro from around Dh6,300. emirates.com
Seeing the games
Tangol sell experiences across South America and generally have good access to tickets for most of the big teams in Buenos Aires: Boca Juniors, River Plate, and Independiente. Prices from Dh550 and include pick up and drop off from your hotel in the city. tangol.com
Staying there
Tangol will pick up tourists from any hotel in Buenos Aires, but after the intensity of the game, the Faena makes for tranquil, upmarket accommodation. Doubles from Dh1,110. faena.com
THE BIO
Ms Davison came to Dubai from Kerala after her marriage in 1996 when she was 21-years-old
Since 2001, Ms Davison has worked at many affordable schools such as Our Own English High School in Sharjah, and The Apple International School and Amled School in Dubai
Favourite Book: The Alchemist
Favourite quote: Failing to prepare is preparing to fail
Favourite place to Travel to: Vienna
Favourite cuisine: Italian food
Favourite Movie : Scent of a Woman
Results
4pm: Maiden; Dh165,000 (Dirt); 1,400m
Winner: Solar Shower; William Lee (jockey); Helal Al Alawi (trainer)
4.35pm: Handicap; Dh165,000 (D); 2,000m
Winner: Thaaqib; Antonio Fresu; Erwan Charpy.
5.10pm: Maiden; Dh165,000 (Turf); 1,800m
Winner: Bila Shak; Adrie de Vries; Fawzi Nass
5.45pm: Handicap; Dh175,000 (D); 1,200m
Winner: Beachcomber Bay; Richard Mullen; Satish Seemar
6.20pm: Handicap; Dh205,000 (T); 1,800m
Winner: Muzdawaj; Jim Crowley; Musabah Al Muhairi
6.55pm: Handicap; Dh185,000 (D); 1,600m
Winner: Mazeed; Tadhg O’Shea; Satish Seemar
7.30pm: Handicap; Dh205,000 (T); 1,200m
Winner: Riflescope; Tadhg O’Shea; Satish Seemar.
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.”
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
