Palestinian factions at three refugee camps in southern Lebanon handed over weapons to the army on Thursday as part of the government's drive to disarm all non-state actors in the country.
The Lebanese Armed Forces said it "received a quantity of Palestinian weapons" from the Rashidieh, Al Bass and Burj Al Shamali camps in Tyre.
The weapons handed over included machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and hand grenades, Lebanon's National News Agency said. Seven lorries took the weapons to an army barracks in the Shawakir area of Tyre city.
The Palestinian ambassador to Beirut, Ramez Dimashkieh, who is also head of the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee that was tasked with implementing the disarmament process, told reporters that more Palestinian camps in Beirut will hand over their weapons to the army on Friday.
Disarming the camps comes under a broader initiative by Lebanese leaders to limit and disarm all non-state forces, including the Iran-backed Lebanese paramilitary group Hezbollah.
The issue is a sensitive one as Israel carries out regular strikes on Lebanon, with Hezbollah accusing ministers of bowing to US and Israeli pressure. Two Lebanese troops were killed on Thursday while inspecting a crashed Israeli drone in the south of the country, the army said.
The handover of weapons in Lebanon's 12 Palestinian refugee camps began on August 21 at the Burj Al Barajneh camp in Beirut. Only factions affiliated to the Palestine Liberation Organisation are taking part, including the Fatah faction of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
Palestinian factions opposed to Mr Abbas, including Hamas and its ally, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, have rejected the plan as "unilateral".
While it is not clear exactly which factions are handing over their weapons, there has also been resistance to disarmament from some members of the PLO, which contains representatives of a diverse array of Palestinian factions with varying ideologies.
Mr Dimashkieh told Associated Press that his group had held “initial talks” with Hamas and that he was “quite optimistic that we will make headway” with bringing them on board.
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Hales' batting career
Tests 11; Runs 573; 100s 0; 50s 5; Avg 27.38; Best 94
ODIs 58; Runs 1,957; 100s 5; 50s 11; Avg 36.24; Best 171
T20s 52; Runs 1,456; 100s 1; 50s 7; Avg 31.65; Best 116 not out
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IF YOU GO
The flights
FlyDubai flies direct from Dubai to Skopje in five hours from Dh1,314 return including taxes. Hourly buses from Skopje to Ohrid take three hours.
The tours
English-speaking guided tours of Ohrid town and the surrounding area are organised by Cultura 365; these cost €90 (Dh386) for a one-day trip including driver and guide and €100 a day (Dh429) for two people.
The hotels
Villa St Sofija in the old town of Ohrid, twin room from $54 (Dh198) a night.
St Naum Monastery, on the lake 30km south of Ohrid town, has updated its pilgrims' quarters into a modern 3-star hotel, with rooms overlooking the monastery courtyard and lake. Double room from $60 (Dh 220) a night.
Smart words at Make Smart Cool
Make Smart Cool is not your usual festival. Dubbed “edutainment” by organisers Najahi Events, Make Smart Cool aims to inspire its youthful target audience through a mix of interactive presentation by social media influencers and a concert finale featuring Example with DJ Wire. Here are some of the speakers sharing their inspiration and experiences on the night.
Prince Ea
With his social media videos accumulating more half a billion views, the American motivational speaker is hot on the college circuit in the US, with talks that focus on the many ways to generate passion and motivation when it comes to learning.
Khalid Al Ameri
The Emirati columnist and presenter is much loved by local youth, with writings and presentations about education, entrepreneurship and family balance. His lectures on career and personal development are sought after by the education and business sector.
Ben Ouattara
Born to an Ivorian father and German mother, the Dubai-based fitness instructor and motivational speaker is all about conquering fears and insecurities. His talk focuses on the need to gain emotional and physical fitness when facing life’s challenges. As well managing his film production company, Ouattara is one of the official ambassadors of Dubai Expo2020.
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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
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