Live updates: Follow the latest from Israel-Gaza
Israeli air strikes and shelling killed at least 45 Palestinians across Gaza on Wednesday evening, local authorities said, including 20 civilians killed in a “massacre” in the safe zone of Al Mawasi.
About 25 people were killed in Israeli strikes on three homes in Gaza city's Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, the official Wafa news agency reported, just hours before Israeli strikes and gunfire targeted Al Mawasi.
At least 20 people were killed in the attack, many of whom were burnt beyond recognition, according to Wafa, which said the air strikes targeted food stores and displaced people gathered in the area.
Al Mawasi, a narrow strip of coastal land near the southern city of Khan Younis, has been repeatedly attacked by Israeli troops despite its designation as a “safe zone”. Thousands of people fled to the area amid Israeli eviction orders elsewhere in the enclave.
Air strikes and shelling were also reported on Jabalia, Rafah and Al Bureij refugee camps, with at least 76 people killed in Wednesday's attacks across the enclave.
More than 44,500 Palestinians have now died in 14 months of endless Israeli air strikes and ground raids on Gaza, according to the Health Ministry.
The latest attacks came as the Israeli army said the body of an Israeli hostage was recovered from Gaza on Wednesday, almost a year after Hamas claimed he was killed in an Israeli air strike.
Itay Svirsky was found during a army and Shin Bet operation, army spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said. He said details of the recovery mission “cannot be expanded upon”.
Mr Svirsky's death was announced in January, days after Hamas released video footage of the Tel Aviv resident alongside hostages Yossi Sharabi and Noa Argamani. In the video, Ms Argamani said both men were killed in Israeli air strikes.
The army said Hamas guards likely killed Mr Svirsky, while Mr Sharabi was believed to have been “inadvertently” killed by Israeli bombardment.
He was kidnapped from Kibbutz Be'eri on October 7 last year during a Hamas attack which killed about 1,200 people and caused the current war in Gaza. About 250 people were taken hostage, with about 100 still held in captivity.
“Returning Itay's body for proper burial in Israel provides crucial closure for his family,” The Hostages Families Forum said on Wednesday night. “However, families are still waiting for their loved ones after 425 days in captivity.
“Many hostages remain alive but in grave danger … others must be returned for dignified burial. The time has come to bring all 100 hostages home.”
The hostage issue has galvanised public fury against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has repeatedly refused a ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza until his war goals are met.
Hostage families and supporters have held weekly rallies in Tel Aviv and nationwide shutdowns to urge a deal with Hamas.
On Thursday, the families forum welcomed the appointment of Adam Boehler as US envoy for Hostage Affairs, saying they will work closely with him to secure the release of their loved ones.
“We applaud president-elect Trump's commitment to making the release of hostages a top priority,” it said. “Time is running out – we must secure their immediate release through a deal before it's too late.”
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Wonka
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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
Other simple ideas for sushi rice dishes
Cheat’s nigiri
This is easier to make than sushi rolls. With damp hands, form the cooled rice into small tablet shapes. Place slices of fresh, raw salmon, mackerel or trout (or smoked salmon) lightly touched with wasabi, then press, wasabi side-down, onto the rice. Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger.
Easy omurice
This fusion dish combines Asian fried rice with a western omelette. To make, fry cooked and cooled sushi rice with chopped vegetables such as carrot and onion and lashings of sweet-tangy ketchup, then wrap in a soft egg omelette.
Deconstructed sushi salad platter
This makes a great, fuss-free sharing meal. Arrange sushi rice on a platter or board, then fill the space with all your favourite sushi ingredients (edamame beans, cooked prawns or tuna, tempura veggies, pickled ginger and chilli tofu), with a dressing or dipping sauce on the side.
The specs: 2019 BMW X4
Price, base / as tested: Dh276,675 / Dh346,800
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged in-line six-cylinder
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 354hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,550rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 9.0L / 100km
Match info
Costa Rica 0
Serbia 1
Kolarov (56')
Dhadak
Director: Shashank Khaitan
Starring: Janhvi Kapoor, Ishaan Khattar, Ashutosh Rana
Stars: 3
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
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Warlight,
Michael Ondaatje, Knopf
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz C200 Coupe
Price, base: Dh201,153
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Power: 204hp @ 5,800rpm
Torque: 300Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Price, base / as tested From Dh173,775 (base model)
Engine 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo, AWD
Power 249hp at 5,500rpm
Torque 365Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Gearbox Nine-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined 7.9L/100km
Ferrari
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