Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
US special envoy to Lebanon Amos Hochstein, who arrived to Beirut yesterday in the latest effort towards achieving a ceasefire, said that UN Resolution 1701 which ended the 2006 Israel and Hezbollah war was the basis to end the conflict between the two sides, but that “simply committing” was not enough.
The conflict between the two started more than a year ago, a day after Hamas waged its surprise October 7 attack on Israel, killing 1,200 people and kidnapping 240. It escalated into a full-blown war following the assassination of Hezbollah's leader Hasan Nasrallah last month and Israel's invasion of the country and constant bombings.
The UN Security Council's resolution was agreed to end the last war, but it has never been fully implemented. It states that only the Lebanese army and UN peacekeepers should be stationed in southern Lebanon, while demanding the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory.
Senior Lebanese officials have said they want to put it into effect, but Israel, whose warplanes have entered Lebanese airspace thousands of times without permission, has signalled that even if UNSC 1701 was fully implemented, the terms were no longer tenable.
“The commitment that we have is to resolve this conflict based on [UN Resolution] 1701 – that is what the solution is going to have to look like,” Mr Hochstein said.
“Resolution 1701 was successful at ending the war in 2006 but we must be honest that no one did anything to implement it,” he added, saying: “Both sides simply committing to 1701 is just not enough.”
Mr Hochstein said the aim was ensuring lasting peace and that conflict would not flare up again. “We have to put things in place that would allow for confidence that it will be implemented for everyone.
“We have to know this is not just going to another round of conflict in a month or a year or two years,” he said.
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said there was no alternative to 1701, but that “new understandings” could be reached to put it into effect.
Washington said yesterday that Secretary of State Antony Blinken will make his 11th trip to the Middle East this week, visiting Israel and several Arab nations in a week-long tour.
Israel has reportedly demanded that its forces be allowed to engage in “active enforcement” to ensure Hezbollah does not rearm and rebuild its military infrastructure close to the border. Israel also demanded its air force have freedom of operation in Lebanese air space, according to reports.
Israel, armed and supported by the US, has said it wants to ensure that Iran-backed Hezbollah can never be a threat to its citizens in the north of the country again. Israel continued its aerial bombardment of Lebanon, hitting numerous Hezbollah-linked financial institutions across the country on Sunday.
Mr Hochstein met Mr Mikati, army commander Gen Joseph Aoun and Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri yesterday. Mr Berri is a key figure and has close ties with Hezbollah.
Both Mr Mikati and Mr Berri have called for the implementation of UNSC 1701.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf was reported as saying last week that his government was ready to negotiate the implementation of the resolution, prompting Mr Mikati to accuse Tehran of interfering in Lebanon's internal affairs.
An Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman said on Monday that there had been a “misunderstanding”.
“Iran has never had any intention or action that could be suspected of interfering in the internal affairs of Lebanon,” Esmaeil Baghaei said during a weekly news conference.
Last month, Hezbollah was under the impression it had agreed to a ceasefire with Israel to end the fighting. However, that was torn up by Israel the day after when it assassinated Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a bombardment of Beirut.
Mr Hochstein, who has served in the Israeli military, is a regular visitor to Israel and Lebanon as the US seeks to find a ceasefire. He helped mediate the landmark maritime border deal between Lebanon and Israel in 2022. The two countries are technically in a state of war and do not have diplomatic relations.
Israel's bombardment of Lebanon has killed about 2,500 people and displaced more than 1.2 million.
On Sunday, an Israeli attack on a Lebanese army vehicle in south Lebanon killed three soldiers. Israel claimed that it thought the vehicle belonged to Hezbollah. The Lebanese army has not been involved in the clashes with Israel.
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Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
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You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
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
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Three ways to boost your credit score
Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
The studios taking part (so far)
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Alison Jean Lester
John Murray
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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.
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