Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
An Israeli airstrike on a municipal building in Gaza city on Friday killed at least five people, including four workers, and caused significant destruction, a municipality spokesman told The National.
Civil defence teams are searching for bodies in the rubble after the Gaza Municipality garage was destroyed in a strike as employees were preparing to begin work on wells to supply water to locals, according to spokesman Hosni Mhanna.
The strike on the building on Al Wahda street, in the centre of the city, was not the first time the municipality had been targeted by Israeli bombardment, said Mr Mhanna.
The municipality is responsible for services such as rubbish removal, supplying clean water and repairing sewers, Mr Mhanna said, stressing the importance of this work at a time of deteriorating living conditions and the collapse of basic services in the war-ravaged enclave.
The continued attack on personnel and facilities “threatens a major catastrophe and jeopardises the municipality's ability to continue its minimal operations to meet the people's needs”, he warned.
“The municipality has lost more than 60 employees during the war, most of whom were killed in Israeli attacks while on duty,” Mr Mhanna said.
Since October 7, Israel has also destroyed 125 municipality vehicles, he said, but “the most significant losses have been human lives”.
Gaza was already struggling to dispose of about 2,000 tonnes of waste generated each day before the war. Now a lack of rubbish collection vehicles and the fuel to operate them has made the problem worse, according to humanitarian agencies.
In addition to displacement, destruction of medical facilities and scarcity of food, Gazans are now having to deal with the stench from rotting rubbish, which has become a breeding ground for disease-spreading pests.
Attacks on municipality workers and facilities make it even more difficult to address the issue.
“The municipality demands an immediate investigation into this crime committed against relief workers who are protected under international law,” Mr Mhanna said.
He also called “for international intervention to protect the teams and their life-saving work”.
Israeli strikes targeted multiple areas of Gaza on Friday, with heavy fighting reported in Rafah.
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Starring: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav
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Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
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
Result
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 – Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m; Winner: Brraq, Ryan Curatolo (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m; Winner: Bright Melody, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
7.40pm: Meydan Classic – Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Naval Crown, Mickael Barzalona, Charlie Appleby
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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3.
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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Global institutions: BlackRock and KKR
US-based BlackRock is the world's largest asset manager, with $5.98 trillion of assets under management as of the end of last year. The New York firm run by Larry Fink provides investment management services to institutional clients and retail investors including governments, sovereign wealth funds, corporations, banks and charitable foundations around the world, through a variety of investment vehicles.
KKR & Co, or Kohlberg Kravis Roberts, is a global private equity and investment firm with around $195 billion of assets as of the end of last year. The New York-based firm, founded by Henry Kravis and George Roberts, invests in multiple alternative asset classes through direct or fund-to-fund investments with a particular focus on infrastructure, technology, healthcare, real estate and energy.
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
