Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Wearing a parachute and altimeter, Maj Mohammed Bashabseh of the Jordanian Royal Special Forces’ Air Operations unit shouted instructions to his flight crew as their plane rumbled onwards 1,000 metres above the Mediterranean Sea – headed directly for the Gaza Strip.
“It says we’re over Beirut,” he said, pointing at his phone to explain how the Israeli military's scrambling technology being used in Gaza messes with its GPS.
“But no problem, everything is going to plan.”
There was a sense of relief in the major’s tone as the Air Force model C-130 approached the besieged enclave.
The aid drop carried out by the Jordanian air force on Wednesday was the first flight the Jordanians had managed in three days; the dismal weather had made executing a mission like this almost impossible.
After finally securing the right conditions, the plane set off from King Abdullah II Air Base in northern Jordan towards Gaza, cruising low along the coastline and over the tightly packed grids of what used to be apartment blocks.
From the hold’s peephole, the destruction of Israel’s military campaign was clear to see: The contents of residential buildings splayed out into empty streets; neighbourhoods scarred with track marks from Israeli tanks and bulldozers.
Over the past 24 weeks, the residents of northern Gaza have endured miserable conditions under a relentless Israeli bombardment carried out in support of the Israeli military's ground offensive in the area.
Most of the residents of northern Gaza, which includes Gaza city, have fled to the south of the enclave. The 300,000 or so who have remained have been cut off almost completely from aid since the outbreak of the war in October.
Two days after Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant announced that Gaza would be blockaded as Israel sought to retaliate against the militant group.
Since then, aid groups say that Israel has prevented food, fuel and other essential goods from reaching northern Gaza, which was the focus of the Israeli military's initial military offensive.
UN human rights chief Volker Turk warned last week that Israel’s “extensive restrictions” on aid entering Gaza, coupled with the continuing war against Hamas, could amount to using starvation as a “weapon of war”, which would be a “war crime”.
For its part, Israel blames the UN and aid agencies for the delays in the delivery of aid.
Conditions in northern Gaza have deteriorated as a result. Some residents have reportedly resorted to eating animal feed, and at least 27 children have now starved to death in Gaza, according to the enclave's Health Ministry.
A report released by the UN’s Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) last week warned that famine is imminent in the region, with 70 per cent of the population suffering from what the termed as “catastrophic” levels of hunger.
The report detailed that acute hunger and malnutrition had already “far exceeded” the threshold for famine in northern Gaza and anticipated a “major acceleration of death and malnutrition”.
This is the “highest number of people facing catastrophic hunger ever recorded anywhere, anytime,” said UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
Israel has exacerbated the situation by blocking food convoys from UNRWA, the main UN agency tasked with delivering aid to Palestinians, from entering northern Gaza.
The UN agency already had the majority of its funding cut in January after Israel accused 12 of its more than 30,000 staff of being Hamas members.
By air and sea
This dire situation has forced international actors and aid groups to find alternative ways to get aid into Gaza.
Aid drops by Jordan's air force, co-ordinated with the US and the UAE among other countries, have been part of the relief effort.
Since Jordan and the US began their aid drops at the beginning of March, Singapore, Belgium, France and the Netherlands have begun dropping aid, food, medicine and other essential goods.
Aid agencies have warned that these aerial deliveries are only a drop in the ocean of the aid that is needed to avert famine.
“Anything that gets more aid in is welcome but air drops are absolutely not the panacea that they are sometimes painted to be,” said Jonathan Fowler, senior communications manager at UNRWA.
“They are extremely expensive and it is impossible to monitor where the aid goes.”
According to the WFP, aid drops cost roughly seven times more than lorry deliveries and lack the channels of distribution to ensure that supplies get to the most vulnerable.
The US is also in the process of constructing an “aid jetty” on the site of Gaza’s old port, along with the NGO, World Central Kitchen, to allow aid to be delivered by sea from Cyprus.
However, that project is not expected to be ready until May 1.
Mr Fowler stressed that permitting aid lorries into Gaza was the only feasible and practical way to get enough aid in.
“In the context of Gaza, there is a much easier way to reach people in need and that is through the opening of more crossings by road, the regular and increased flow of humanitarian assistance into Gaza via Israel and Egypt, including through increasing working hours of current crossings and the increase of trucks.”
On March 13, under pressure from the US and other allies, Israel announced that it would flood Gaza with aid from several entry points.
But on the day that The National joined the Jordanian aid drop, only 181 lorries entered into Gaza, according to UN data – still significantly less than the 500 a day that entered the strip before the war, when the enclave needed far less aid.
With the rear door of the cargo compartment open, Maj Bashabseh watched as the eight one-tonne crates rolled along the tracks on the floor of the hold and out the back of the plane, with the fixed-line parachutes deploying immediately.
There is no celebration – only relief – when word gets around that all eight parachutes have deployed.
In early March, five Palestinians were crushed to death by falling aid when a parachute failed to open.
“It’s a success. We hit our target,” said the major. “Is it enough? No, but that is all we can do for today.”
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
UNpaid bills:
Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN budget in 2019
USA – $1.055 billion
Brazil – $143 million
Argentina – $52 million
Mexico – $36 million
Iran – $27 million
Israel – $18 million
Venezuela – $17 million
Korea – $10 million
Countries with largest unpaid bill for UN peacekeeping operations in 2019
USA – $2.38 billion
Brazil – $287 million
Spain – $110 million
France – $103 million
Ukraine – $100 million
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
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Young women have more “financial grit”, but fall behind on investing
In an October survey of young adults aged 16 to 25, Charles Schwab found young women are more driven to reach financial independence than young men (67 per cent versus. 58 per cent). They are more likely to take on extra work to make ends meet and see more value than men in creating a plan to achieve their financial goals. Yet, despite all these good ‘first’ measures, they are investing and saving less than young men – falling early into the financial gender gap.
While the women surveyed report spending 36 per cent less than men, they have far less savings than men ($1,267 versus $2,000) – a nearly 60 per cent difference.
In addition, twice as many young men as women say they would invest spare cash, and almost twice as many young men as women report having investment accounts (though most young adults do not invest at all).
“Despite their good intentions, young women start to fall behind their male counterparts in savings and investing early on in life,” said Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, senior vice president, Charles Schwab. “They start off showing a strong financial planning mindset, but there is still room for further education when it comes to managing their day-to-day finances.”
Ms Schwab-Pomerantz says parents should be conveying the same messages to boys and girls about money, but should tailor those conversations based on the individual and gender.
"Our study shows that while boys are spending more than girls, they also are saving more. Have open and honest conversations with your daughters about the wage and savings gap," she said. "Teach kids about the importance of investing – especially girls, who as we see in this study, aren’t investing as much. Part of being financially prepared is learning to make the most of your money, and that means investing early and consistently."
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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.”
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UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
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Six large-scale objects on show
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- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
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Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
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Second Test, Day 2:
South Africa 335 & 75/1 (22.0 ov)
England 205
South Africa lead by 205 runs with 9 wickets remaining
