GAZIANTEP, TURKEY // Lebanon was hit with its latest spillover from Syria's civil war yesterday as Hizbollah fighters clashed with rebels in its eastern border region.
At least 12 rebels were killed in the fighting east of the Bekaa Valley town of Baalbek, Lebanese security forces said, but added that the exact toll would not be clear until bodies were retrieved from the remote and rugged border area. At least one Hizbollah fighter also died.
Syria's two-year-old war has increasingly sucked in its smaller neighbour. There have been deadly battles in the Lebanese city of Tripoli, and rockets have hit the Bekaa Valley and southern Beirut.
Farther north from Baalbek, along the border on the Syrian side, rebel fighters in Qusayr prepared to face a fresh assault by regime troops after calls by the United Nations and the Red Cross for urgent humanitarian access were rejected by Syrian officials.
More than a dozen air strikes by regime jets were reported by opposition activists in Qusayr, while at least 6,000 troops loyal to the president, Bashar Al Assad, and backed by Hizbollah fighters, continued their two-week-long battle to retake the town.
"We have already requested access to Qusayr," said Robert Mardini, the head of operations in the Middle East for the International Committee for the Red Cross.
"We are prepared to enter the city immediately to deliver aid to the civilian population, provided we are able to operate in an impartial manner without preconditions of any kind."
The response from the Syrian regime, which typically takes days to make public statements on such issues, if at all, was swift.
"Syrian authorities will allow the Red Cross, in cooperation with the Syrian Red Crescent, access to the area immediately after the end of military operations," Walid Moallem, the Syrian foreign minister, told the UN secretary general, Ban Ki Moon, according to Syria's state news agency Sana.
Approximately 1,000 wounded people are trapped in Qusayr, according to activists and rights groups.
Many of them are non-combatants, opposition groups say, with thousands of civilians remaining in the town, unable to leave. Food, water and medical supplies are running low.
Recent evacuation efforts failed when a convoy of wounded was shot at by regime forces, activists said, killing at least nine people and forcing the wounded to turn back.
"Civilians and the wounded are at risk of paying an even heavier price as the fighting continues," said Mr Mardini. "We call upon all parties to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law and to take constant care to spare at all times the lives of civilians and of those no longer taking part in hostilities."
On Saturday, Britain drafted a UN security council resolution expressing alarm about the deteriorating situation in Qusayr, and urged both the regime and armed rebel factions to avoid inflicting civilian casualties.
It also called for the UN to be given immediate access to the combat zone to help evacuate civilians.
The draft was blocked by veto-wielding Russia before it was even voted upon.
Moscow has consistently protected the Syrian regime from censure within the security council.
Since the start of the uprising, the Syrian authorities have blocked access for independent humanitarian aid to key areas of conflict, starting with Deraa in 2011 when the uprising began.
Amir Abdullah, the deputy director of the UN World Food Programme, this week said it had not been given permission by the regime to access to all areas of Syria to distribute aid.
"We have had some difficulties with getting permits to go to every location that we have needed," he said. "However, more recently we have had assurances from the government of Syria to ensure that we are able to reach these locations.
"We recognise with the conflict that we can't always get that but we have to be able to try to reach people."
Aid agencies say rebel factions have in some cases also blocked or held up humanitarian efforts.
Qusayr has become a strategically and symbolically important battlefield for the regime and rebels.
Both sides have thrown reinforcements into the battle there, with opposition fighters from as far afield as the rebel-held eastern desert province of Deir Ezzor reported to be on the way yesterday.
It has also become a lightening rod for growing sectarian tensions in Syria and the wider Middle East because of the open involvement of Shiite militants from Hizbollah, a crucial ally to Mr Al Assad.
Also yesterday a car bomb exploded in Jobar, east of Damascus, killing eight security personnel, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war.
Jobar is another key battleground, with regime troops and rebels just a few hundred metres apart on the edge of the Syrian capital.
The timetable for a diplomatic initiative to solve the Syria crisis also seems to be slipping.
Russia and the US, the main powers behind what is being called the Geneva 2 proposal, had hoped to hold negations between the regime and opposition in May.
Yesterday, the French foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, who described it as the "last chance conference" said he expected it would now happen no sooner than July.
psands@thenational.ae
Company%20profile
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
THE APPRENTICE
Director: Ali Abbasi
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Maria Bakalova, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 3/5
How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Power: 110 horsepower
Torque: 147Nm
Price: From Dh59,700
On sale: now
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 611bhp
Torque: 620Nm
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Price: upon application
On sale: now
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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.”
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
Company%20profile
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Results:
Men's wheelchair 800m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 1.44.79; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 1.45.88; 3. Isaac Towers (GBR) 1.46.46.
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
The six points:
1. Ministers should be in the field, instead of always at conferences
2. Foreign diplomacy must be left to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation
3. Emiratisation is a top priority that will have a renewed push behind it
4. The UAE's economy must continue to thrive and grow
5. Complaints from the public must be addressed, not avoided
6. Have hope for the future, what is yet to come is bigger and better than before
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
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.
Teams in the EHL
White Bears, Al Ain Theebs, Dubai Mighty Camels, Abu Dhabi Storms, Abu Dhabi Scorpions and Vipers
The bio
Academics: Phd in strategic management in University of Wales
Number one caps: His best-seller caps are in shades of grey, blue, black and yellow
Reading: Is immersed in books on colours to understand more about the usage of different shades
Sport: Started playing polo two years ago. Helps him relax, plus he enjoys the speed and focus
Cars: Loves exotic cars and currently drives a Bentley Bentayga
Holiday: Favourite travel destinations are London and St Tropez
Abu Dhabi GP weekend schedule
Friday
First practice, 1pm
Second practice, 5pm
Saturday
Final practice, 2pm
Qualifying, 5pm
Sunday
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps), 5.10pm
RESULT
Arsenal 0 Chelsea 3
Chelsea: Willian (40'), Batshuayi (42', 49')
Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Thor: Ragnarok
Dir: Taika Waititi
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson
Four stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
