Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
Canada has reiterated its call for its citizens to leave Lebanon due to the deteriorating security situation, as Israel and Hezbollah trade daily exchanges of fire.
“Security situation in Lebanon is becoming increasingly volatile and unpredictable due to sustained and escalating violence between Hezbollah and Israel and could deteriorate further without warning,” Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said.
“My message to Canadians has been clear since the beginning of the crisis in the Middle East: it is not the time to travel to Lebanon. And for Canadians currently in Lebanon it is time to leave, while commercial flights remain available.”
Since October, when the clashes broke out in parallel to the Israel-Gaza war, many countries have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon.
While the exchanges of fire have been generally contained to the Israel-Lebanon border region, increasingly they have expanded further into both countries.
Israel has hit as far as Hermel in Lebanon's north-eastern border region with Syria.
“If the armed conflict intensifies, it could impact your ability to leave the country and our ability to provide you with consular services,” Ms Joly added.
“Canada is not currently offering assisted departures or evacuations for Canadians in Lebanon and these are not guaranteed.”
2006 evacuations
In 2006, the last time Hezbollah and Israel engaged in an all-out war, Canada leased seven ships to evacuate a possible 50,000 Canadians. Ultimately, about 15,000 people were evacuated in what was known as Operation Lion, although not all were Canadians. Many Lebanese hold dual citizenships, including from Canada.
Tens of thousands of people have been displaced either side of the Lebanese-Israel border due to the conflict, which shows no sign of abating.
On a visit to Beirut on Wednesday, Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin urged parties in the Middle East to accept peace proposals, saying the region, including Lebanon, “doesn't need war”.
“The Middle East is going through a critical moment,” Mr Parolin said.
The Holy See “asks for peace proposals to be welcomed, so that fighting stops on each side, so hostages in Gaza are released, so that the necessary aid arrives unhindered to the Palestinian population”, he said.
“Lebanon, the Middle East, the whole world certainly doesn't need war.”
Israel has repeatedly threatened to launch a ground incursion into south Lebanon, while Hezbollah has said it will not end its attacks until Israel stops its brutal bombardment of the Gaza Strip.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, who visited Israel and Lebanon this week, said any “miscalculation” could trigger all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, and called for caution.
“With every rocket across the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel, the danger grows that a miscalculation could trigger a hot war,” she wrote on X during her stop in Beirut on Tuesday, referring to the demarcation line separating the neighbouring countries.
“All who bear responsibility must exercise extreme restraint.”
Also on Tuesday, the UN's Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) said three contractors returning home from the peacekeepers' base in the south Lebanon village of Shamaa “had their vehicle hit by gunfire”, reporting “no serious injuries”.
“We reiterate our condemnation of any attack on civilians, or any action that puts civilian lives in danger,” Unifil deputy spokeswoman Kandice Ardiel said, without indicating the source of the fire.
“This includes the locals who continue to reside in their villages and provide essential services to support peacekeepers in their work.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Turkey stood in solidarity with Lebanon in light of the growing tensions and called on regional countries to also support Beirut.
“Israel, which has destroyed Gaza, has now set its sight on Lebanon,” Mr Erdogan said in parliament. “[Israeli President Benjamin] Netanyahu’s plans to spread the war to the region, with the consent of the West, will lead to a great disaster.”
He said Western support for Israel was “pitiful”.
Israel's military said last week that plans for an offensive in Lebanon were “approved and validated”, prompting fresh threats from Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.
Mr Netanyahu said on Monday that some forces involved in the campaign against Hamas in Gaza would be redeployed to the northern border with Lebanon.
The US, Israel's key ally, warned of the risk of a major conflict against Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran.
“Hezbollah’s provocations threaten to drag the Israeli and Lebanese people into a war that they do not want, and such a war would be a catastrophe for Lebanon, and it would be devastating for innocent Israeli and Lebanese civilians,” US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told his visiting Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant on Tuesday.
“Another war between Israel and Hezbollah could easily become a regional war, with terrible consequences for the Middle East.”
2006 Israel-Lebanon war – in pictures
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
More from our neighbourhood series:
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South Africa v India schedule
Tests: 1st Test Jan 5-9, Cape Town; 2nd Test Jan 13-17, Centurion; 3rd Test Jan 24-28, Johannesburg
ODIs: 1st ODI Feb 1, Durban; 2nd ODI Feb 4, Centurion; 3rd ODI Feb 7, Cape Town; 4th ODI Feb 10, Johannesburg; 5th ODI Feb 13, Port Elizabeth; 6th ODI Feb 16, Centurion
T20Is: 1st T20I Feb 18, Johannesburg; 2nd T20I Feb 21, Centurion; 3rd T20I Feb 24, Cape Town
Friday's schedule at the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
GP3 qualifying, 10:15am
Formula 2, practice 11:30am
Formula 1, first practice, 1pm
GP3 qualifying session, 3.10pm
Formula 1 second practice, 5pm
Formula 2 qualifying, 7pm
Bharat
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar
Starring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Sunil Grover
Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh810,000
Abu Dhabi race card
5pm Abu Dhabi Fillies Classic Prestige | Dh110,000 | 1,400m
5.30pm Abu Dhabi Colts Classic Prestige | Dh110,000 | 1,400m
6pm Abu Dhabi Championship Listed | Dh180,000 | 1,600m
6.30pm Maiden | Dh80,000 | 1,600m
7pm Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap | Dh80,000 | 1,400m
7.30pm Handicap (TB) |Dh100,000 | 2,400m
THE SPECS
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
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Friday (UAE kick-off times)
Cologne v Hoffenheim (11.30pm)
Saturday
Hertha Berlin v RB Leipzig (6.30pm)
Schalke v Fortuna Dusseldof (6.30pm)
Mainz v Union Berlin (6.30pm)
Paderborn v Augsburg (6.30pm)
Bayern Munich v Borussia Dortmund (9.30pm)
Sunday
Borussia Monchengladbach v Werder Bremen (4.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Bayer Leverkusen (6.30pm)
SC Freiburg v Eintracht Frankfurt (9on)
The%20specs
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
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
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Vaccine Progress in the Middle East
At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17
At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
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)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
