Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf has urged Britain to call for a ceasefire between Israel and the Hamas militant group that controls the Gaza Strip, where his parents in-law are “trapped”.
The leader of the Scottish National Party piled pressure on Foreign Secretary James Cleverly to use positive British-Israeli relations to push for civilians in the densely populated Palestinian territory to be given safe passage out.
Gaza is under an Israeli air, sea and land blockade.
It is feared tens of thousands of civilians in Gaza could die if Israel’s army continues its bombing and launches a ground assault, which it is expected to do.
In a letter to Mr Cleverly on Tuesday, Mr Yousaf appealed to him to intervene in a bid to persuade Israel’s government to open a humanitarian corridor.
“Too many innocent people have already lost their lives as a consequence of these completely unjustifiable and illegitimate attacks by Hamas,” Mr Yousaf wrote.
“However, innocent men, women and children cannot, and should not, pay the price for the actions of a terrorist group.”
He spoke on Monday about how his wife's parents were stuck in Gaza after a visit to her 93-year-old grandmother.
“As a close friend and ally of Israel, I therefore ask the UK government to call on the government of Israel to ensure innocent civilians are protected, and to put in place an immediate ceasefire to allow the safe passage of civilians through the Rafah border,” he said in his letter.
Israeli air strikes and artillery hit the area near the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt on Tuesday, Egyptian officials said. It was the third in 24 hours.
Explosions on Monday forced authorities to suspend operations.
The crossing is the only one in Gaza not controlled by the Israeli authorities and the sole exit route for 2.3 million Palestinians living in the strip.
Mr Yousaf also called for essential supplies to be taken into Gaza, after Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant ordered a “complete siege” on the territory, saying Israeli authorities would cut electricity and block the entry of food, water and fuel.
The Scottish National Party leader, born in Glasgow to Pakistani immigrants, said Israel “should open a humanitarian corridor into Gaza to allow supplies, including food, fuel, water and medical supplies, for those civilians who are trapped, helpless and cannot leave.”
Mr Yousaf's wife said she feels like she is “just living in a nightmare” after her parents became trapped.
Nadia El-Nakla told the BBC that her parents, Elizabeth and Maged El-Nakla, “continually” tell her “they feel like they are going to die”.
“There is no electricity from 2pm their time, which was just a few hours ago," she said. "No electricity means no hospital supplies, it means no food. You can’t even preserve the food that you have.
“I don’t know what it means for them in the long-term, I don’t know what’s about to happen to them.
“For me, my number one is my family being safe.”
Hamas’s large-scale attack on Israel, launched in the early hours of Saturday, left more than 1,200 people dead, including about 260 young revellers at the Supernova music festival near the Gaza border.
Israel has responded by striking Hamas targets in Gaza, killing more than 1,000 people.
Mr Yousaf’s call came as Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar urged Israel to show “restraint” in its response to Hamas’s attacks.
“From Ireland’s point of view, we are saying to Israel that yes you have a right to defend yourself, you’re surrounded by enemies who want to end your existence, but any response must be proportionate,” Mr Varadkar told the Irish broadcaster RTE.
He said while there is “a lot of solidarity internationally for Israel at the moment”, there is a risk that this could “fall apart if Israel goes too far in terms of its actions in Gaza".
“There’s a risk then of violence flaring up in the West Bank, in Lebanon and other places so we’re very much calling for restraint,” Mr Varadkar said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the bombardment was “only the beginning” of his military’s response to the terrorist assault.
Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, is expected to visit Israel later on Wednesday.
Israel-Gaza war latest – in pictures
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
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Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 258hp at 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,550-4,400rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.4L/100km
Price, base: from D215,000 (Dh230,000 as tested)
On sale: now
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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
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
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Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 849Nm
Range: 456km
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Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Company profile
Name: Back to Games and Boardgame Space
Started: Back to Games (2015); Boardgame Space (Mark Azzam became co-founder in 2017)
Founder: Back to Games (Mr Azzam); Boardgame Space (Mr Azzam and Feras Al Bastaki)
Based: Dubai and Abu Dhabi
Industry: Back to Games (retail); Boardgame Space (wholesale and distribution)
Funding: Back to Games: self-funded by Mr Azzam with Dh1.3 million; Mr Azzam invested Dh250,000 in Boardgame Space
Growth: Back to Games: from 300 products in 2015 to 7,000 in 2019; Boardgame Space: from 34 games in 2017 to 3,500 in 2019
THE DEALS
Hamilton $60m x 2 = $120m
Vettel $45m x 2 = $90m
Ricciardo $35m x 2 = $70m
Verstappen $55m x 3 = $165m
Leclerc $20m x 2 = $40m
TOTAL $485m
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Letstango.com
Started: June 2013
Founder: Alex Tchablakian
Based: Dubai
Industry: e-commerce
Initial investment: Dh10 million
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
The%20specs
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The drill
Recharge as needed, says Mat Dryden: “We try to make it a rule that every two to three months, even if it’s for four days, we get away, get some time together, recharge, refresh.” The couple take an hour a day to check into their businesses and that’s it.
Stick to the schedule, says Mike Addo: “We have an entire wall known as ‘The Lab,’ covered with colour-coded Post-it notes dedicated to our joint weekly planner, content board, marketing strategy, trends, ideas and upcoming meetings.”
Be a team, suggests Addo: “When training together, you have to trust in each other’s abilities. Otherwise working out together very quickly becomes one person training the other.”
Pull your weight, says Thuymi Do: “To do what we do, there definitely can be no lazy member of the team.”
Neymar's bio
Total club appearances 411
Total goals scored 241
Appearances for Barca 186
Goals scored for Barca 105
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Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
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Friday
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Liverpool v Bayern Munich, midnight (Wednesday), BeIN Sports
Match info:
Burnley 0
Manchester United 2
Lukaku (22', 44')
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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)
