Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Nicole Al Baba had mixed feelings as she waited to meet her cousin and grandmother who were arriving at London's Heathrow Airport from Beirut on Tuesday morning.
She was relieved that they will be coming home safely, but also devastated by the escalating situation in Lebanon, where Israel has mounted an offensive against the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah.
“I’m feeling anxious and scared. We’re worried about our friends, we’re worried about our family,” she said. Despite living in the UK “we still have to watch our country get destroyed”, she added.
Thousands are scrambling to leave Lebanon, with ticket prices soaring after many airlines cancelled flights. Middle East Airlines, the Lebanese carrier, is among the few airlines still operating from Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport.
The UK government secured places for 40 British nationals on the same Middle East Airlines flight as Ms Al Baba’s family, as it began evacuations out of Lebanon on Sunday. The UK will charter a commercial flight from Beirut to Birmingham on Wednesday, charging passengers £350 each ($465).
Further evacuations “may not be guaranteed”, said Foreign Secretary David Lammy. “The situation in Lebanon is volatile and has potential to deteriorate quickly. The safety of British nationals in Lebanon continues to be our utmost priority,” he said.
“That’s why the UK government is chartering a flight to help those wanting to leave. It is vital that you leave now as further evacuation may not be guaranteed”
Ms Al Baba said her family had booked their own tickets, and that they had not heard from the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office about these evacuations before yesterday, when they were offered a space on the flight to Birmingham.
“We only received the evacuation notice yesterday from the government, I believe the flight is tomorrow. So, there’s still people panicking and doing whatever they can do to get those Middle East Airlines flights,” she said.
Minutes after the Beirut plane had landed, Ms El Baba couldn’t wait to hug her grandmother, whom she calls “Nan”.
“I’m shaking just thinking about it. I’m so excited and just happy that she’s finally here and we can keep her safe,” she said.
Those critical of the UKs evacuation efforts point to the last Israel-Lebanon war in 2006, when more than 4,000 British nationals and dual nationals were evacuated on warships.
Solange, a London-based interpreter was waiting – clutching a Lebanese flag – for her daughter and grandmother to arrive. She compared this situation with the 2006 evacuation. “It was very well planned. There was a lot of compassion from the British government. On arrival to Cyprus, I can never forget, British soldiers were unpacking brand-new phones for people to call their families,” she said.
“Compared to today, it just feels like the British government is for the war.”
The UK government advice to “Leave Lebanon Now”, Solange said, was misplaced. “I don’t think they know where the airport is. People are dodging rockets on the way to leave Lebanon, as advised,” she said.
Also waiting at arrivals was Ammar, a Syrian refugee in the UK, who was waiting for his wife and two children.
His family, who lived in Lebanon as refugees, had just received their visas to come to the UK and be reunited with him, but he had just a few weeks to bring them here once the visa was issued.
This should have been a happy moment for Ammar, who came dressed in a suit, carrying a large bouquet of roses and gifts for the children.
But instead, it was tinged with sadness in the realisation that he and his wife were now displaced for a second time. “Just like it happened in Syria, it was destroyed and we fled. Now it is happening to the Lebanese people as well,” he said.
The overnight journey to the airport from the Bekaa valley, where his wife and children lived, had brought them close to Israeli targets. Ammar said he did not sleep all night, repeatedly texting them to make sure they were safe.
“They left at night, it was bombing and missiles and air strikes. It was dangerous, but we were forced to move, because the time on the visa was short and the dangers are growing. The airport could close at any minute.
The reunions were emotional. Ammar broke down in tears and couldn’t let go of his wife and children when they arrived.
Solange’s daughter Lara told The National she’d had to “mentally convince herself” to go to the airport, despite risks of being hit by a missile there or on the way. “What’s going on in Lebanon isn’t something people in the UK should be quiet about,” she said.
“This is the first time that I’ve left Lebanon, and people said goodbye to me in a way that they shouldn’t say goodbye to me. Like they might not see me ever again,” she said.
Lara was too young to remember being evacuated from Lebanon as a baby in 2006, but she warned that “history was repeating itself”.
Khaled Kallas, a Syrian living in Lebanon, came to London to see his daughter, and will go on to see his son in Canada, where he has citizenship. The past few days had been extremely difficult, he said, owing to the sounds of shelling and low-flying planes. Though they lived five kilometres from Beirut, their house shook last Friday when the Israeli military targeted Hezbollah’s headquarters, killing the group's leader Hassan Nasrallah.
“We are here now, so thank God. But the people in Lebanon are not safe. May God help them,” he said.
Mr Kallas hopes he can return to Lebanon next month.
Brief scores:
Day 1
Toss: South Africa, field first
Pakistan (1st innings) 177: Sarfraz 56, Masood 44; Olivier 4-48
South Africa (1st innings) 123-2: Markram 78; Masood 1-4
The BIO:
He became the first Emirati to climb Mount Everest in 2011, from the south section in Nepal
He ascended Mount Everest the next year from the more treacherous north Tibetan side
By 2015, he had completed the Explorers Grand Slam
Last year, he conquered K2, the world’s second-highest mountain located on the Pakistan-Chinese border
He carries dried camel meat, dried dates and a wheat mixture for the final summit push
His new goal is to climb 14 peaks that are more than 8,000 metres above sea level
MATCH INFO
Inter Milan 2 (Vecino 65', Barella 83')
Verona 1 (Verre 19' pen)
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Ultra processed foods
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
Get inspired
Here are a couple of Valentine’s Day food products that may or may not go the distance (but have got the internet talking anyway).
Sourdough sentiments: Marks & Spencer in the United Kingdom has introduced a slow-baked sourdough loaf dusted with flour to spell out I (heart) you, at £2 (Dh9.5). While it’s not available in the UAE, there’s nothing to stop you taking the idea and creating your own message of love, stencilled on breakfast-inbed toast.
Crisps playing cupid: Crisp company Tyrells has added a spicy addition to its range for Valentine’s Day. The brand describes the new honey and chilli flavour on Twitter as: “A tenderly bracing duo of the tantalising tingle of chilli with sweet and sticky honey. A helping hand to get your heart racing.” Again, not on sale here, but if you’re tempted you could certainly fashion your own flavour mix (spicy Cheetos and caramel popcorn, anyone?).
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Scotland v Ireland:
Scotland (15-1): Stuart Hogg; Tommy Seymour, Huw Jones, Sam Johnson, Sean Maitland; Finn Russell, Greig Laidlaw (capt); Josh Strauss, James Ritchie, Ryan Wilson; Jonny Gray, Grant Gilchrist; Simon Berghan, Stuart McInally, Allan Dell
Replacements: Fraser Brown, Jamie Bhatti, D'arcy Rae, Ben Toolis, Rob Harley, Ali Price, Pete Horne, Blair Kinghorn
Coach: Gregor Townsend (SCO)
Ireland (15-1): Rob Kearney; Keith Earls, Chris Farrell, Bundee Aki, Jacob Stockdale; Jonathan Sexton, Conor Murray; Jack Conan, Sean O'Brien, Peter O'Mahony; James Ryan, Quinn Roux; Tadhg Furlong, Rory Best (capt), Cian Healy
Replacements: Sean Cronin, Dave Kilcoyne, Andrew Porter, Ultan Dillane, Josh van der Flier, John Cooney, Joey Carbery, Jordan Larmour
Coach: Joe Schmidt (NZL)
Tightening the screw on rogue recruiters
The UAE overhauled the procedure to recruit housemaids and domestic workers with a law in 2017 to protect low-income labour from being exploited.
Only recruitment companies authorised by the government are permitted as part of Tadbeer, a network of labour ministry-regulated centres.
A contract must be drawn up for domestic workers, the wages and job offer clearly stating the nature of work.
The contract stating the wages, work entailed and accommodation must be sent to the employee in their home country before they depart for the UAE.
The contract will be signed by the employer and employee when the domestic worker arrives in the UAE.
Only recruitment agencies registered with the ministry can undertake recruitment and employment applications for domestic workers.
Penalties for illegal recruitment in the UAE include fines of up to Dh100,000 and imprisonment
But agents not authorised by the government sidestep the law by illegally getting women into the country on visit visas.
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
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Day 1 at Mount Maunganui
England 241-4
Denly 74, Stokes 67 not out, De Grandhomme 2-28
New Zealand
Yet to bat
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Things Heard & Seen
Directed by: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, James Norton
2/5
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. RESULTS FOR STAGE 4
Stage 4 Dubai to Hatta, 197 km, Road race.
Overall leader Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
Stage winners: 1. Caleb Ewan AUS (Lotto - Soudal) 2. Matteo Moschetti ITA (Trek - Segafredo) 3. Primoz Roglic SLO (Team Jumbo - Visma)
CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
MATCH INFO
World Cup 2022 qualifier
UAE v Indonesia, Thursday, 8pm
Venue: Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
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.
ASHES FIXTURES
1st Test: Brisbane, Nov 23-27
2nd Test: Adelaide, Dec 2-6
3rd Test: Perth, Dec 14-18
4th Test: Melbourne, Dec 26-30
5th Test: Sydney, Jan 4-8
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Winners
Best Men's Player of the Year: Kylian Mbappe (PSG)
Maradona Award for Best Goal Scorer of the Year: Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
TikTok Fans’ Player of the Year: Robert Lewandowski
Top Goal Scorer of All Time: Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)
Best Women's Player of the Year: Alexia Putellas (Barcelona)
Best Men's Club of the Year: Chelsea
Best Women's Club of the Year: Barcelona
Best Defender of the Year: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus/Italy)
Best Goalkeeper of the Year: Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG/Italy)
Best Coach of the Year: Roberto Mancini (Italy)
Best National Team of the Year: Italy
Best Agent of the Year: Federico Pastorello
Best Sporting Director of the Year: Txiki Begiristain (Manchester City)
Player Career Award: Ronaldinho
