Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Wednesday barred UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres from entering the country for what he described as his failure to “unequivocally condemn” Iran's missile attack on Tuesday night.
“Today, I have declared UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres persona non grata in Israel and banned him from entering the country,” Mr Katz said on X.
Iran launched the largest direct attack on Israel since the war on Gaza started last October, firing what it said were 200 missiles including hypersonic weapons, and sending Israeli civilians into shelters. No casualties were reported in the attack.
“Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel, as nearly all the countries of the world have done, does not deserve to set foot on Israeli soil,” Mr Katz said. He accused Mr Guterres of providing support to “Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and now Iran, the mother ship of global terror”.
Mr Guterres issued a statement on Tuesday referencing only the “latest attacks in the Middle East” and condemning the conflict “with escalation after escalation”.
Israel, which put the number of missiles fired at its territory at 180, bombarded Lebanese strongholds of Iran's ally, Hezbollah, in south Lebanon with heavy strikes early on Wednesday. World leaders have urged Iran and Israel to step back from the brink after Tehran's attack.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards said Tuesday's attack was in response to Israel's killing last week of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, as well as the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a Tehran bombing in July, widely blamed on Israel.
The attack also sought to avenge Israel's killing of leading Iranian commander Abbas Nilforoushan of the Quds Force, the Revolutionary Guards' foreign operations arm, in the strikes that also killed Mr Nasrallah.
Israel said this week it had begun a ground invasion in Lebanon, while Hezbollah on Wednesday said it clashed with Israeli troops who tried to infiltrate a town in the south of the country, as their conflict gradually escalates into street fighting.
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Fasset%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2019%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Mohammad%20Raafi%20Hossain%2C%20Daniel%20Ahmed%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFinTech%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.45%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20number%20of%20staff%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2086%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Pre-series%20B%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Investcorp%2C%20Liberty%20City%20Ventures%2C%20Fatima%20Gobi%20Ventures%2C%20Primal%20Capital%2C%20Wealthwell%20Ventures%2C%20FHS%20Capital%2C%20VN2%20Capital%2C%20local%20family%20offices%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
Innotech Profile
Date started: 2013
Founder/CEO: Othman Al Mandhari
Based: Muscat, Oman
Sector: Additive manufacturing, 3D printing technologies
Size: 15 full-time employees
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Oman Technology Fund from 2017 to 2019, exited through an agreement with a new investor to secure new funding that it under negotiation right now.
