Latest news with #AliAli
News.com.au
21-05-2025
- Business
- News.com.au
Melbourne businessman Ali Ali's Shrublands mansion in Canterbury gets $6m price cut
Melbourne businessman Ali Ali is making a fourth attempt to sell the Shrublands mansion and estate, after a $6m price cut. A low-key, but successful company director, Mr Ali made headlines when he bought the historic residence at 16 Balwyn Rd, Canterbury, for the then suburb record of $29m in 2021. He's since put it back onto the market in 2022, 2023 and again last year, with a neighbouring property included in the listing for a combined $48.8m. The 6500sq m property with 10 bedrooms and even more bathrooms returned to online listings via Marshall White top-end specialist Marcus Chiminello on Tuesday this week. It is now priced at $31m-$34m — about $6m below what it was listed for in 2023, without the neighbouring address. The 1863-built property is being marketed as one of Australia's finest homes, and is surrounded by manicured gardens, a tennis court, water fountain, a pool set into its own pavilion and a caretaker's apartment. The mansion also has sheltered parking for 10 cars, and a sprawling three-level floorplan with a dizzying array of features. In the basement there is a billiards room, wine cellar, gym and home cinema — with black and white photography from old movies, and a shot of Marilyn Monroe, adorning the exposed brick walls. The ground level hosts formal dining room with its own butler's pantry, living and sitting rooms, a family room, central kitchen with its own walk-in pantry, and a grand dining hall that opens to a heated courtyard and to a further living room with its own commercial kitchen. A home office, and a boardroom wrap up the floor where rooms are adorned with gilt ceiling ornamentation and chandeliers. Upstairs, a there are five bedrooms, most with ensuites or walk-in wardrobes, complemented by a library, another living area, and a balcony. There's also a guest wing with its own lobby, a further two bedrooms to either side of an additional living zone, two more bathrooms and a sauna. And, with two staircases to access it, a further sprawling main suite comes with its own sitting room, living area, dining zone, dressing room, bathroom and a massage room. As the listing puts it: 'very few original mansions of this calibre still exist in Australia'. Mr Chiminello has the home listed for private inspection.
Middle East Eye
20-05-2025
- Business
- Middle East Eye
Mercenary firm set to oversee Gaza aid for Israel goes on LinkedIn hiring spree
The US private military contracting firm set to oversee Gaza aid distribution on Israel's behalf is actively hiring for positions on LinkedIn, according to job postings shared with Middle East Eye by current and former US officials. The firm, Safe Reach Solutions, or SRS, says it is actively looking for 'Humanitarian Liaison Officers' who will 'serve as vital connectors between our operational teams and the broader humanitarian community,' according to one job description. Another position on offer a week ago but has since closed is for a 'Team Deputy/Manager' to support 'day-to-day management, planning, and mission execution'. A liaison officer position appears to be analytically focused. It says that hires will 'advise on best practices for engaging with affected populations, local authorities, and community-based organizations' while monitoring developments that could impact 'operational posture'. The team deputy position is geared towards recruits with a background in operations. One of the requirements is 'field experience in the Middle East, especially in conflict-affected or post-crisis settings'. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters The positions want applicants with at least seven years of experience. They require applicants to be US citizens and say fluency in Arabic is preferred. Ironically, SRS is seeking people with UN experience, but the plan to take over aid distribution seeks to supplant the United Nations, which is already capable of delivering aid in Gaza. "These mid- to senior-career professionals will help bridge communication, coordination, and trust with NGOs, international agencies, and UN bodies operating in complex environments." Demand for the positions appears to be high. According to LinkedIn, more than 100 people applied for the humanitarian liaison officer position within two weeks. The team deputy position also drew comments from interested users directed to "Ali Ali," SRS's recruiting consultant. 'Hi Ali I worked in Gaza last summer with the US army. I was in charge of the humanitarian aid delivery through the trident pier. Please reach out to me at your best convenience to talk more,' a LinkedIn user wrote. The former Biden administration floated a costly pier project to bring aid into the Gaza Strip last year, but it was widely considered a failure. American private military contractors have already started arriving in Israel, according to photos shared on social media of khaki-clad and bearded men at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. MEE couldn't independently verify the photos. Who is Phil Reilly and his firm SRS? MEE couldn't identify the recruiter, Ali Ali, who has 13 LinkedIn connections and no profile photo. However, SRS is headed by former CIA paramilitary officer Phil Reilly, who has served in Asia, Afghanistan and Iraq. Two former US officials told MEE that Reilly had won the trust of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several Israeli businessmen close to him. Exclusive: Jordan profited up to $400,000 per Gaza aid airdrop, sources say Read More » His firm has long been the favourite to secure humanitarian aid into Gaza in a project that one Israeli businessman briefed on the plans said could amount to a contract worth 'hundreds of millions of dollars". SRS was one of the private military contractors responsible for securing Gaza's Netzarim Corridor during a short-lived truce. Fighting in Gaza briefly stopped in January but resumed in March when Israel unilaterally resumed attacking the enclave. According to a January Reuters report, US contractors were paid $1,100 a day to work in Gaza, with a $10,000 advance for veterans. SRS's work during the first ceasefire was paid for mainly by the US and Gulf states, one US official told MEE. The private military contractors' weapons and supplies are likely to be supplied by the US. One US official told MEE that the salary range exceeds what the former US security firm Blackwater once paid veterans. SRS makes no secret of its connection to Gaza on LinkedIn. It posted a glowing article from ABC News in April, titled, 'How a team of 'suburban dads' secured a key checkpoint in Gaza's 'death corridor'". UN says no aid distributed in Gaza SRS stepped up recruitment on LinkedIn just as the US was lobbying the UN and European states earlier in May to approve the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, to oversee aid distribution. The foundation would largely supplant the UN's role in distributing Gaza aid. It says it plans to be active by the end of May. The SRS's job applications page reveals how Israel and the US are rapidly moving towards privatising and militarising aid distribution in Gaza. Jordan's king warned US against assassinating Syria's Sharaa before Trump meeting Read More » Another position SRS is actively hiring for is an imagery systems technician, who can analyse full-motion video. Israel says it plans to create 'hubs' to distribute aid. In the past, it has used checkpoints to separate Palestinian men and women. Earlier this month, the Israeli cabinet approved a plan that would require facial recognition technology to be applied to Palestinians before they receive any aid. It is seeking foreign funding for the plan. The operation has been slammed by aid groups across the aisle, and the UN says it will not take part in the foundation's work. Israel announced on Monday that it would allow some humanitarian aid into the enclave. The UN said on Tuesday that Israel had allowed four trucks with baby food to enter the enclave, and a few dozen other trucks with flour, medicine, and nutrition supplies. However, the UN has not been able to distribute the supplies. "Israeli authorities are requiring us to offload supplies on the Palestinian side of Kerem Shalom crossing and reload them separately once they secure our team's access from inside the Gaza Strip,' UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said. "Today, one of our teams waited several hours for the Israeli green light to access the Kerem Shalom area and collect the nutrition supplies. Unfortunately, they were not able to bring those supplies into our warehouse," he said. Humanitarian experts say Gaza is on the brink of mass starvation. UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said on Tuesday that 14,000 babies could die in the next 48 hours if aid did not reach them in time.
