Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Israel's conflict with Hezbollah escalated significantly on Monday, turning into an open-ended war after the military launched its most intensive air assault yet on Lebanon. The strikes killed hundreds in the country, while the Iran-backed group fired rockets as far as the occupied West Bank, where hundreds of thousands of Israelis live in illegal settlements.
Hezbollah extended its fire into areas it rarely strikes, such as Haifa, Tel Aviv and the West Bank, where hundreds of thousands of Israelis live in illegal settlements. Of the 165 rockets fired by Hezbollah on Monday, 10 reached the West Bank, Israel’s military said. Some struck "open areas", as sirens sounded in parts of the West Bank.
While no injuries were reported after the Hezbollah launches, the attack sparked fears of further escalation. The Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon and the eastern Bekaa Valley killed at least 492 people, including 35 children and 58 women, as well as injuring more than 1,645, Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad said.
Monday marked the deadliest day of Israeli strikes on Lebanon since cross-border violence with Hezbollah began in October last year. The latest attack raises the risk of further intensification in the conflict with the group, which has recently suffered significant security and military setbacks.
Lebanese media described Israel’s wave of attacks as the largest “air invasion” since its July 2006 war with Hezbollah.
The Israeli military said its air force struck more than 1,100 targets. Strikes hit deep into southern Lebanon, including in Ghaziyeh, about 37km from the Israeli border, specifying that they included "buildings, vehicles, and infrastructure where rockets, missiles, launchers and unmanned aerial vehicles posed a threat".
The Health Ministry ordered all hospitals in southern Lebanon to suspend non-urgent operations and prepare to treat those injured by “Israeli aggression”, while the Ministry of Education announced the closure of all public and private schools and universities in southern and eastern Lebanon, as well as in Beirut's southern suburb of Dahieh.
Later on Monday, the Israeli army said it launched a strike on Dahieh. Hezbollah senior commander Ali Karaki, third in line in the group's command, was the target of the strike, Israeli media reported. The strike hit the Bir El Abed neighbourhood, a Hezbollah source told The National.
Israel has said its wide assault is to enable tens of thousands of northern residents displaced by the conflict to return to their homes, despite Hezbollah's continued ability to launch hundreds of rockets at northern Israel.
The group launched hundreds of rockets and missiles amid the Israeli air assault, with rocket sirens sounding in Haifa on Monday afternoon. Israel’s military said five rockets were fired at the Haifa area and 30 were launched at Upper Galilee.
Residents of Beirut and southern Lebanon said they received warnings from the Israeli army to leave their homes and businesses near so-called Hezbollah sites. The latest warnings were issued to people in the Bekaa Valley amid what Israel called “extensive, precise strikes” across Lebanon.
“We advise civilians from Lebanese villages located in and next to buildings and areas used by Hezbollah for military purposes, such as those used to store weapons, to immediately move out of harm's way for their own safety,” Israeli army spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said. He also announced Israel's intent to launch a wave of attacks that aim to eradicate Hezbollah's “strategic weapons”.
After the barrage of strikes, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said people in Lebanon should take the eviction orders "seriously". "Once our operation is finished, you can come back safely to your homes," he said in a video statement.
Residents near Beirut reported heavy traffic as people in the south of the country fled towards the capital.
Mohamed Ghamloush, a resident of the southern city of Sidon, told The National that people were rushing to leave and roads were blocked. “Cars are going in every direction. I'm more afraid of accidents than air raids,” he said. “It's completely insane.”
One of the Israel military's warnings was received by the answering machine at the office of caretaker Information Minister Ziad Makary, instructing those inside the building to leave, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported. Mr Makary dismissed the calls as “part of the psychological warfare adopted by the enemy” and continued working at the ministry as usual.
Hezbollah, a political party and militia, is embedded in Lebanon’s government, institutions and society, leading many Lebanese to worry that Israeli strikes could lead to a high civilian death toll.
Last week, senior Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil was killed, along with 16 other members of the group, in an Israeli strike on Dahieh. The attack also claimed the lives of dozens of civilians. The death toll is expected to rise as search efforts continue for nine people missing under rubble.
The attack came after thousands of booby-trapped pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members exploded last week on two consecutive days, killing dozens of people, just after Israel announced a shift in focus from Gaza towards its conflict with Hezbollah.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
FIXTURES
UAE’s remaining fixtures in World Cup qualification R2
Oct 8: Malaysia (h)
Oct 13: Indonesia (a)
Nov 12: Thailand (h)
Nov 17: Vietnam (h)
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
RACE CARD
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
6pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 (PA) Listed Dh230,000 1,600m
6.30pm: HH The President’s Cup (PA) Group 1 Dh2.5million 2,200m
7pm: HH The President’s Cup (TB) Listed Dh380,000 1,400m
7.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap Dh70,000 1,200m.
Bahrain%20GP
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Spec%20sheet
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Company%20profile
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
THE%C2%A0SPECS
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Sanchez's club career
2005-2006: Cobreloa
2006-2011 Udinese
2006-2007 Colo-Colo (on loan)
2007-2008 River Plate (on loan)
2011-2014 Barcelona
2014–Present Arsenal
Greatest Royal Rumble match listing
50-man Royal Rumble - names entered so far include Braun Strowman, Daniel Bryan, Kurt Angle, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, The New Day and Elias
Universal Championship Brock Lesnar (champion) v Roman Reigns in a steel cage match
WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
Intercontinental Championship Seth Rollins (champion) v The Miz v Finn Balor v Samoa Joe
United States Championship Jeff Hardy (champion) v Jinder Mahal
SmackDown Tag Team Championship The Bludgeon Brothers (champions) v The Usos
Raw Tag Team Championship (currently vacant) Cesaro and Sheamus v Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt
Casket match The Undertaker v Rusev
Singles match John Cena v Triple H
Cruiserweight Championship Cedric Alexander v Kalisto
RESULTS
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The bio
Favourite vegetable: Broccoli
Favourite food: Seafood
Favourite thing to cook: Duck l'orange
Favourite book: Give and Take by Adam Grant, one of his professors at University of Pennsylvania
Favourite place to travel: Home in Kuwait.
Favourite place in the UAE: Al Qudra lakes
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five pillars of Islam
Match info:
Manchester City 2
Sterling (8'), Walker (52')
Newcastle United 1
Yedlin (30')
More coverage from the Future Forum
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.5-litre%204-cylinder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20101hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20135Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Six-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh79%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
TOURNAMENT INFO
Fixtures
Sunday January 5 - Oman v UAE
Monday January 6 - UAE v Namibia
Wednesday January 8 - Oman v Namibia
Thursday January 9 - Oman v UAE
Saturday January 11 - UAE v Namibia
Sunday January 12 – Oman v Namibia
UAE squad
Ahmed Raza (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid, Darius D’Silva, Karthik Meiyappan, Jonathan Figy, Vriitya Aravind, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Chirag Suri
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
The%C2%A0specs%20
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Three-day coronation
Royal purification
The entire coronation ceremony extends over three days from May 4-6, but Saturday is the one to watch. At the time of 10:09am the royal purification ceremony begins. Wearing a white robe, the king will enter a pavilion at the Grand Palace, where he will be doused in sacred water from five rivers and four ponds in Thailand. In the distant past water was collected from specific rivers in India, reflecting the influential blend of Hindu and Buddhist cosmology on the coronation. Hindu Brahmins and the country's most senior Buddhist monks will be present. Coronation practices can be traced back thousands of years to ancient India.
The crown
Not long after royal purification rites, the king proceeds to the Baisal Daksin Throne Hall where he receives sacred water from eight directions. Symbolically that means he has received legitimacy from all directions of the kingdom. He ascends the Bhadrapitha Throne, where in regal robes he sits under a Nine-Tiered Umbrella of State. Brahmins will hand the monarch the royal regalia, including a wooden sceptre inlaid with gold, a precious stone-encrusted sword believed to have been found in a lake in northern Cambodia, slippers, and a whisk made from yak's hair.
The Great Crown of Victory is the centrepiece. Tiered, gold and weighing 7.3 kilograms, it has a diamond from India at the top. Vajiralongkorn will personally place the crown on his own head and then issues his first royal command.
The audience
On Saturday afternoon, the newly-crowned king is set to grant a "grand audience" to members of the royal family, the privy council, the cabinet and senior officials. Two hours later the king will visit the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the most sacred space in Thailand, which on normal days is thronged with tourists. He then symbolically moves into the Royal Residence.
The procession
The main element of Sunday's ceremonies, streets across Bangkok's historic heart have been blocked off in preparation for this moment. The king will sit on a royal palanquin carried by soldiers dressed in colourful traditional garb. A 21-gun salute will start the procession. Some 200,000 people are expected to line the seven-kilometre route around the city.
Meet the people
On the last day of the ceremony Rama X will appear on the balcony of Suddhaisavarya Prasad Hall in the Grand Palace at 4:30pm "to receive the good wishes of the people". An hour later, diplomats will be given an audience at the Grand Palace. This is the only time during the ceremony that representatives of foreign governments will greet the king.
Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The specs
Engine: 5.0-litre supercharged V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 575bhp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: Dh554,000
On sale: now