Doctors on Monday were working to save the lives of multiple people who were gravely injured in a devastating New York City apartment fire that left 17 dead, including eight children.
Sunday's fire in the Bronx left dozens of people hospitalised. New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Monday that several people were still in critical condition. Mr Adams revised an earlier death toll that had put fatalities at 19.
"We pray to God that they’ll be able to pull through," he told CNN.
The mayor announced on Monday the city has started an investigation into the deadly fire and that the White House expressed both support and condolences in a call.
"Just a few moments ago, I received a call from President Biden and he has made it clear that whatever we need, the White House is going to be there for us," Mr Adams said. "He has just sent a very strong message that this is on the radar of the entire globe."
Mr Adams described the event as a "tragedy beyond measure" in a tweet on Sunday.
Pope Francis offered his condolences on Monday to the victims of the "devastating" apartment fire.
His message noted the loss of so many children, and said the pope “entrusts the victims and their families to the merciful love of Almighty God and invokes upon all consolation and strength in the Lord.”
“This is a global tragedy because the Bronx in NYC is representative of the ethnicities and cultures across the globe, and so everyone is feeling the pain of what we are experiencing," Mr Adams said of international support.
Investigators determined that a malfunctioning electric space heater, plugged in to give extra heat on a cold morning, started the fire in the 19-storey building.
In a preliminary investigation, Mr Adams said the city had found two outstanding building violations, but that neither was related to insufficient heat that might prompt residents to rely on space heaters for warmth.
He also said the investigation would focus on complaints from building residents that said smoke alarms went off frequently, leading some residents to stay in their units because they didn’t realise it was a real fire.
About 200 firefighters responded to the scene on Sunday at the Twin Park apartment building on East 181st Street.
Mr Adams said the firefighters continued their rescue efforts even after running out of their oxygen supply.
“Their oxygen tanks were empty and they still pushed through the smoke,” he said.
Photos online showed a rescue ladder extended up to an eighth-floor window.
Most of the victims suffered from severe smoke inhalation, New York fire commissioner Daniel Nigro said.
Firefighters “found victims on every floor and were taking them out in cardiac and respiratory arrest", Mr Nigro said. “That is unprecedented in our city.”
He compared the severity of the fire to the Happy Land social club blaze, which killed 87 people in 1990.
A man set fire to that building after getting into an argument with his former girlfriend and being thrown out of the club.
Mr Nigro said Sunday’s fire began in a duplex apartment spanning the second and third floors.
Firefighters found the door to the apartment open, which apparently allowed the fire to accelerate and spread smoke upwards quickly, he said.
The building is owned by Bronx Park Phase III Preservation LLC, a consortium of investing groups in the city.
“We are devastated by the unimaginable loss of life caused by this profound tragedy,” the group said in a statement. “We are co-operating fully with the fire department and other city agencies as they investigate its cause, and we are doing all we can to assist our residents.”
Sunday’s fire comes days after a house fire in Philadelphia killed 12 people, including eight children.
Agencies contributed to this report.
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
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.”
Results
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStage%203%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E1.%20Einer%20Rubio%20(COL)%20Movistar%20Team%20-%204h51%E2%80%9924%E2%80%9D%3Cbr%3E2.%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%20-%2014%22%3Cbr%3E3.%20Adam%20Yates%20(GBR)%20UAE%20Team%20Emirates%20-%2015%22%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EGeneral%20classifications%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3E1.%20Remco%20Evenepoel%20(BEL)%20Soudal%20Quick-Step%3Cbr%3E2.%20Lucas%20Plapp%20(AUS)%20Ineos%20Grenaders)%20-%207%22%3Cbr%3E3.%20Pello%20Bilbao%20(ESP)%20Bahrain%20Victorious%20-%2011%22%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
