Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
Dozens of Syrian soldiers and Hezbollah members were killed in an Israeli air strike on north-western Aleppo province on Friday, in one of the biggest attacks against Syria and the Iranian-backed group since the start of the war in Gaza.
The attack came as Israel intensified its strikes on Hezbollah and pro-Hamas militant groups in neighboring Lebanon, raising fears that the recent escalation might widen the regioal conflict.
The strike hit an area "close to rockets depots belonging to Lebanese group Hezbollah" near Aleppo's international airport, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
At least 42 Syrian army soldiers and six members of Hezbollah were killed, the highest death toll from an Israeli attack on Syria in three years, the Observatory reported.
Israel didn't comment on the attack.
A Syrian military source in Aleppo told The National that the Israeli planes fired several missiles "towards the Jibreen area, which contains a number of factories, the most important of which is the grain factory, which was directly targeted".
Eyewitnesses said that many residents fled their homes, and that the sound of the explosions made them think that the entire city was being bombed.
Sources said it took more than five hours to put the fire out, especially at the Syrian army's grain factory and ammunition depots.
A source close to Hezbollah said that the Israeli strikes "are not separate from the escalation approach followed by the Netanyahu government, especially in recent days, in Lebanon and other parts of Syria".
The Observatory also reported strikes targeting "defence factories" controlled by pro-Iran groups elsewhere in Aleppo province.
Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani said the strikes were a "violation of Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and are a serious threat to regional and international peace and security". He called the attacks "a blatant and desperate attempt to continue and expand the crisis in the region".
Iran's embassy in Damascus said Israel had killed "innocent civilians" and members of the Syrian army, while destroying residential areas of Aleppo.
According to Syria's Defence Ministry, dozens of civilians and military personnel were killed and injured in the strike that happened at about 1.45am local time.
The ministry said that the Israeli strike hit "a number of points in the Aleppo countryside, coinciding with a drone attack carried out by terrorist organisations from Idlib and the western Aleppo countryside, in an attempt to target civilians in the city of Aleppo and its surrounding areas".
Meanwhile the Israeli military said on Friday it had killed Ali Abed Akhsan Naim, deputy commander of Hezbollah's rocket and missiles unit, in an air strike in the area of Bazouriye in Lebanon.
Hezbollah confirmed his death without revealing his rank.
Israel said he was one of the Iranian-backed militia's leaders in heavy-warhead rocket fire and responsible for planning and conducting attacks against Israeli civilians.
Israel has launched hundreds of air strikes on Syria since the country's civil war began in 2011. The frequency of the attacks has increased since the start of the conflict in Gaza on October 7.
On Thursday, two people were killed in an Israeli air strike on a residential building near Damascus, Syrian state media reported. Sana news agency also said "material damage was caused as a result of an Israeli aggression".
Fighters with Iran-backed groups, including Hezbollah, control vast areas of eastern, southern, and north-western Syria and several areas near the capital.
Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire across the Israel-Lebanon border since the war erupted in Gaza. The clashes are the biggest escalation in tensions since they fought a deadly month-long conflict in 2006.
The escalation in hostilities has led to increased fears of a full-on conflict between Hezbollah and Israel. Ten paramedics were among 16 civilians killed in Lebanon in three separate attacks on Wednesday, marking the highest civilian death toll for one day since the cross-border conflict between Hezbollah and Israel erupted nearly six months ago.
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
What drives subscription retailing?
Once the domain of newspaper home deliveries, subscription model retailing has combined with e-commerce to permeate myriad products and services.
The concept has grown tremendously around the world and is forecast to thrive further, according to UnivDatos Market Insights’ report on recent and predicted trends in the sector.
The global subscription e-commerce market was valued at $13.2 billion (Dh48.5bn) in 2018. It is forecast to touch $478.2bn in 2025, and include the entertainment, fitness, food, cosmetics, baby care and fashion sectors.
The report says subscription-based services currently constitute “a small trend within e-commerce”. The US hosts almost 70 per cent of recurring plan firms, including leaders Dollar Shave Club, Hello Fresh and Netflix. Walmart and Sephora are among longer established retailers entering the space.
UnivDatos cites younger and affluent urbanites as prime subscription targets, with women currently the largest share of end-users.
That’s expected to remain unchanged until 2025, when women will represent a $246.6bn market share, owing to increasing numbers of start-ups targeting women.
Personal care and beauty occupy the largest chunk of the worldwide subscription e-commerce market, with changing lifestyles, work schedules, customisation and convenience among the chief future drivers.
Who is Tim-Berners Lee?
Sir Tim Berners-Lee was born in London in a household of mathematicians and computer scientists. Both his mother, Mary Lee, and father, Conway, were early computer scientists who worked on the Ferranti 1 - the world's first commercially-available, general purpose digital computer. Sir Tim studied Physics at the University of Oxford and held a series of roles developing code and building software before moving to Switzerland to work for Cern, the European Particle Physics laboratory. He developed the worldwide web code as a side project in 1989 as a global information-sharing system. After releasing the first web code in 1991, Cern made it open and free for all to use. Sir Tim now campaigns for initiatives to make sure the web remains open and accessible to all.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
From Europe to the Middle East, economic success brings wealth - and lifestyle diseases
A rise in obesity figures and the need for more public spending is a familiar trend in the developing world as western lifestyles are adopted.
One in five deaths around the world is now caused by bad diet, with obesity the fastest growing global risk. A high body mass index is also the top cause of metabolic diseases relating to death and disability in Kuwait, Qatar and Oman – and second on the list in Bahrain.
In Britain, heart disease, lung cancer and Alzheimer’s remain among the leading causes of death, and people there are spending more time suffering from health problems.
The UK is expected to spend $421.4 billion on healthcare by 2040, up from $239.3 billion in 2014.
And development assistance for health is talking about the financial aid given to governments to support social, environmental development of developing countries.
Profile
Company name: Marefa Digital
Based: Dubai Multi Commodities Centre
Number of employees: seven
Sector: e-learning
Funding stage: Pre-seed funding of Dh1.5m in 2017 and an initial seed round of Dh2m in 2019
Investors: Friends and family
More from UAE Human Development Report:
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Kingfisher Secret
Anonymous, Penguin Books
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Full Party in the Park line-up
2pm – Andreah
3pm – Supernovas
4.30pm – The Boxtones
5.30pm – Lighthouse Family
7pm – Step On DJs
8pm – Richard Ashcroft
9.30pm – Chris Wright
10pm – Fatboy Slim
11pm – Hollaphonic
As You Were
Liam Gallagher
(Warner Bros)
