Lebanese Red Cross volunteer paramedics speak to a patient with Covid-19 in a Beirut suburb. Tom Nicholson for The National
Lebanese Red Cross volunteer paramedics speak to a patient with Covid-19 in a Beirut suburb. Tom Nicholson for The National
Lebanese Red Cross volunteer paramedics speak to a patient with Covid-19 in a Beirut suburb. Tom Nicholson for The National
Lebanese Red Cross volunteer paramedics speak to a patient with Covid-19 in a Beirut suburb. Tom Nicholson for The National

Lebanon records highest number of new Covid-19 cases since April


Aya Iskandarani
  • English
  • Arabic

Daily Covid-19 cases in Lebanon climbed to more than 1,000 on Tuesday for the first time since April, the Health Ministry said.

It said it recorded 1,502 cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours, up from 341 on Sunday, with one further death.

Experts said the increase could indicate a new wave of infections, as the healthcare system continues to suffer from the country’s economic collapse.

Dr Jade Khalife, a specialist in health systems and epidemiology, said the latest data suggested a new trend of increasing infections with the Delta variant.

He said the 18-month economic crisis and worsening power cuts will make it more difficult for hospitals to deal with a possible surge in patient numbers.

“We can be quite confident that this steep increase is mainly due to the Delta variant,” Dr Khalife told The National.

But the lack of a robust monitoring system in the country makes it difficult to build “a good picture of the spread of the new variant”, he said.

Lebanese health officials estimate that as many as 80 per cent of Covid-19 cases in Lebanon are of the Delta variant.

The variant first emerged in India and has now spread around the world and is driving severe outbreaks of the virus in South-East Asia.

Lebanon recorded its first nine cases of the highly infectious variant at the beginning of July.

The relatively low vaccination rate in Lebanon and the lack of border restrictions during the summer – the country’s busiest tourist season – have fuelled rising infections, Dr Khalife said.

Nearly two Lebanese residents in six have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine since the launch of an immunisation drive in February, Health Ministry data showed.

“Most of the population is susceptible to the Delta variant because of low vaccination rates,” Dr Khalife said.

Stricter quarantine measures on incoming passengers could halt the spread of the variant, he said.

Living conditions and healthcare quality have sharply deteriorated in Lebanon since the onset of a severe economic crisis in late 2019, which has pushed more than half of the population into poverty.

Beirut was once a medical centre for the region but its hospitals now have only a few hours of electricity per day, medicines are in short supply and medical staff are migrating en masse.

The financial collapse was partially triggered by a lack of foreign currency, creating shortages of products imported in dollars, including medicine and fuel.

“Unless there is another lockdown soon, it is very likely that a new wave is coming,” Dr Khalife said

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
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 specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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 

Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital

The smuggler

Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple. 
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.

Khouli conviction

Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.

For sale

A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.

- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico

- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000

- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950

Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest

Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.

Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.

Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.

Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.

Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.

Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia

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Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?

The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.

A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.

Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.

The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.

When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.

What sanctions would be reimposed?

Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:

  • An arms embargo
  • A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
  • A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
  • A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
  • Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Updated: July 27, 2021, 6:47 PM`