Egypt on Tuesday expressed willingness to help Lebanon address the security situation in its southern region, which has faced repeated Israeli attacks despite a ceasefire agreed nearly a year ago with Hezbollah.
The offer came during a meeting in Beirut between President Joseph Aoun and the Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad, said Mr Aoun's office.
Mr Rashad “expressed his country's readiness to help stabilise the south and end the volatile security situation there. He also reiterated Egypt's support for Lebanon”. They also discussed “ways to leverage” the ceasefire in Gaza – which Cairo was instrumental in – and the Sharm El-Sheikh summit into Lebanon.
Mr Rashad, the US deputy envoy to the Middle East Morgan Ortagus and the Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit were all in the Lebanese capital on Tuesday amid heightened concerns over the recent increase in Israeli attacks, which killed five people in southern and eastern Lebanon a day earlier.
Ms Ortagus held meetings with Mr Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, in which they discussed Israel's repeated breaches of its ceasefire with Hezbollah.
She was also expected to attend a meeting of the ceasefire monitoring committee, headed by US Maj Gen Joseph Clearfield. She arrived in Beirut on Monday directly from Israel, where she visited the Lebanese border with Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz and the US ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee.
Mr Salam told Ms Ortagus a central goal of any negotiations was ending Israel's bombardment and the withdrawal of its military from Lebanese territory. He also demanded greater support for Lebanon's security forces to help bring all weapons under state control.
While Israel has carried out almost daily attacks since the ceasefire came into effect last November, their scope and intensity have increased in recent weeks. Lebanon wants to strengthen a US-led committee tasked with overseeing the ceasefire, while the US is seeking to encourage direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon.
“The return of the war is possible, but from my point of view, it is very unlikely, especially in light of the dialogue with the United States,” Mr Aboul Gheit said after a meeting with Mr Aoun, pointing to American efforts to persuade Israel to withdraw from Lebanon.
Under pressure from the US, the Lebanese government has moved to begin disarming Hezbollah, a plan fiercely opposed by the Iran-backed group and its allies. Israel has accused Hezbollah of seeking to strengthen after losing its top leadership and much of its arsenal in the war last year.
“There is only one message delivered to Lebanon – do your duties and we will help. Don’t do your duties and we will not be able to help,” said a source close to the Lebanese Foreign Ministry. “Obviously, things are not working at the speed it is supposed to go forward in Lebanon ... everybody wants to avoid further escalation”.
Ms Ortagus was noticeably muted after her meetings and did not make any statements. Lebanon's Deputy Speaker of parliament Elias Bou Saab said Ms Ortagus had discussed with Mr Berri “the issue of direct or indirect negotiations between Lebanon and Israel”.
Mr Aoun has called for indirect negotiations with Israel to demarcate the contested land border and to halt its attacks on Lebanon.
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How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
THE SPECS
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The specs
Engine: 1.6-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 217hp at 5,750rpm
Torque: 300Nm at 1,900rpm
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
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The specs: 2019 Chevrolet Bolt EV
Price, base: Dh138,000 (estimate)
Engine: 60kWh battery
Transmission: Single-speed Electronic Precision Shift
Power: 204hp
Torque: 360Nm
Range: 520km (claimed)
The Byblos iftar in numbers
29 or 30 days – the number of iftar services held during the holy month
50 staff members required to prepare an iftar
200 to 350 the number of people served iftar nightly
160 litres of the traditional Ramadan drink, jalab, is served in total
500 litres of soup is served during the holy month
200 kilograms of meat is used for various dishes
350 kilograms of onion is used in dishes
5 minutes – the average time that staff have to eat
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
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Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
Liverpool's all-time goalscorers
Ian Rush 346
Roger Hunt 285
Mohamed Salah 250
Gordon Hodgson 241
Billy Liddell 228
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
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About RuPay
A homegrown card payment scheme launched by the National Payments Corporation of India and backed by the Reserve Bank of India, the country’s central bank
RuPay process payments between banks and merchants for purchases made with credit or debit cards
It has grown rapidly in India and competes with global payment network firms like MasterCard and Visa.
In India, it can be used at ATMs, for online payments and variations of the card can be used to pay for bus, metro charges, road toll payments
The name blends two words rupee and payment
Some advantages of the network include lower processing fees and transaction costs
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The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
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Race results:
1. Thani Al Qemzi (UAE) Team Abu Dhabi: 46.44 min
2. Peter Morin (FRA) CTIC F1 Shenzhen China Team: 0.91sec
3. Sami Selio (FIN) Mad-Croc Baba Racing Team: 31.43sec
