Gagandeep Singh holds up a picture of his cousin Hardeep Singh, who died in the blast. Also pictured is his second cousin Gurprit Singh. Ruel Pableo / The National
Gagandeep Singh holds up a picture of his cousin Hardeep Singh, who died in the blast. Also pictured is his second cousin Gurprit Singh. Ruel Pableo / The National
Gagandeep Singh holds up a picture of his cousin Hardeep Singh, who died in the blast. Also pictured is his second cousin Gurprit Singh. Ruel Pableo / The National
Gagandeep Singh holds up a picture of his cousin Hardeep Singh, who died in the blast. Also pictured is his second cousin Gurprit Singh. Ruel Pableo / The National

Victims of Abu Dhabi's deadly Houthi attack named


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Hardeep Singh, 29, and fellow Indian Hardev Singh were two of the three men killed in a deadly explosion in Abu Dhabi on Monday.

The Pakistan embassy confirmed on Friday that Mamoor Khan was the third man who died in the strike, and that his body reached Peshawar airport on Wednesday.

An Indian embassy spokeswoman said the remains of two victims had been repatriated on Thursday.

Projectiles struck Adnoc's oil terminal in Mussaffah and a building site at Abu Dhabi International Airport in attacks by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen.

Speaking to The National, Hardeep's relative Gagandeep Singh, 33, said that his cousin's nickname among the family was “ladla” – meaning “loved one".

He had a short life but he achieved so much in this short time
Gagandeep Singh

“We were more than brothers. He was the youngest in the family and we all loved him. He is a very nice man. An honest man,” he said through tears.

“Till now we feel that he would call us. We do accept it and it is in God’s hands but this is very hard.”

Hardeep was one of three drivers killed in the blast. He had been working for Adnoc for two years when the explosion happened.

The attack on the civilian facility injured six and killed three. It was condemned by world leaders and diplomatic efforts are under way to add Yemen's Houthi group to the US list of terrorist groups.

  • Relatives mourn near the coffin of Hardeep Singh, who was killed in the January 17 drone attack in Abu Dhabi. All photos: AFP
    Relatives mourn near the coffin of Hardeep Singh, who was killed in the January 17 drone attack in Abu Dhabi. All photos: AFP
  • Punjab police officers and relatives stand near the coffins of Hardev Singh and Hardeep Singh, which were repatriated to India on Thursday.
    Punjab police officers and relatives stand near the coffins of Hardev Singh and Hardeep Singh, which were repatriated to India on Thursday.
  • Relatives of Hardeep mourn over the coffin at the Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport on the outskirts of Amritsar.
    Relatives of Hardeep mourn over the coffin at the Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport on the outskirts of Amritsar.
  • Two Indians and one Pakistani were killed in the blast on Monday. Six more people were injured.
    Two Indians and one Pakistani were killed in the blast on Monday. Six more people were injured.
  • Workers carry the coffin of Hardev Singh.
    Workers carry the coffin of Hardev Singh.
  • Relatives pay tribute in front of the coffin of Hardeep, a driver who was 29 years old.
    Relatives pay tribute in front of the coffin of Hardeep, a driver who was 29 years old.

Hardeep was one of the youngest killed in the blast. He was from Amritsar, Punjab. He married 10 months ago and was an only child. His father passed away two years ago. “His mother had no one but him,” Gagandeep said.

“There is no one she has in the world other than Hardeep. There is now no one. He used to support his mum.”

The UAE Government and leadership have offered their support for the families of the victims. Hardeep’s mother and family will now be provided for by the UAE Government and Adnoc.

Hardeep was an active and vibrant young man who loved sports and activities, and had celebrated his birthday last month.

“He was like a hero. He was very fit and tall. Back home he was captain of the Kabaddi team”

Hardeep celebrated his birthday on December 29, less than three weeks before the incident.

“I can’t believe that he died a month after his birthday.

“He had a short life but he achieved so much in this short time,” he said.

The last time Gagandeep spoke to his cousin, he said Hardeep wished him a happy holiday at the Indian festival of Lohri, which fell on January 14.

“I will never forget these words,” he said.

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Sui Dhaaga: Made in India

Director: Sharat Katariya

Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav

3.5/5

Jeff Buckley: From Hallelujah To The Last Goodbye
By Dave Lory with Jim Irvin

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes
Key changes

Commission caps

For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:

• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term). 

• On the protection component, there is a cap  of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).

• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated. 

• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.

• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.

Disclosure

Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.

“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”

Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.

Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.

“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.

Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.

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.

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Updated: January 28, 2022, 6:40 AM