More attempts have been made to flee Lebanon by dangerous boat trips across the Mediterranean to Cyprus in a recent 16-day period than the whole of last year, the UN’s refugee agency said.
The sharp increase in the number of attempted crossings reflected the increasing level of desperation in the crisis-hit country.
With an economic collapse, poverty, the coronavirus pandemic and the trauma of the August explosion that levelled parts of Beirut, dozens of Lebanese have risked their lives to reach Cyprus, about 160 kilometres away.
According to the UN refugee agency, more than 270 people, most of them Syrian, tried to reach the island from Lebanon in 2019 using 17 boats.
The UNHCR said that of the 22 attempted crossings recorded so far this year, 18 were made between August 29 and September 14.
It said Lebanese made up a "substantial portion" of those trying to flee, compared with "a small minority in previous years".
The UNHCR said only eight crossings succeeded this year. Two more boats were reported to have reached Cyprus but this has not yet been verified.
Five boats were intercepted by Lebanese forces before leaving territorial waters, while others were turned back by Cypriot authorities.
"A number of individuals who had already disembarked in Cyprus have also been returned and readmitted to Lebanon," a UNHCR official said.
Lebanon and Cyprus, an EU member, have an agreement to stop the route between the two countries being used for illegal migration.
The UNHCR said that as of last week, an estimated 266 people had been returned to Lebanon after unsuccessful crossings this year.
One recent attempt ended in tragedy when the boat was lost at sea and went around in circles until it ran out of fuel, AP reported.
The trip, which should have taken 40 hours, lasted eight days.
Four adults and two children on the boat died before a group of men jumped into the sea to swim for help.
The boat was rescued by a UN peacekeeping warship and those on board were handed to Lebanese authorities.
On Lebanese TV, a Lebanese woman who was on the boat described holding on to the body of her son, who died of hunger, for three days before dropping it into the sea.
Six people from that boat are still missing.
On Monday, the Lebanese Civil Defence said that since Friday they had retrieved four bodies, including a child, after they tried to flee the country by sea on an overloaded dinghy.
Two of the dead were Lebanese, with the others a young Indian man and a Syrian man.
It is not clear whether they were from the six people missing from the boat that got lost, or from other crossing attempts.
“This incident is a tragic reminder of the desperation that an increasing number of people in Lebanon are feeling as they see no way of survival,” the UNHCR said.
“The impact of the deep economic and financial crisis, the Covid-19 pandemic and most recently the Beirut blast are pushing many to the brink.”
The number of attempted crossings is expected to increase.
In previous years most of the boats left between August and November, before the sea became too dangerous.
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ETHE%20SPECS%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EEngine%3A%203.5-litre%20V6%0D%3Cbr%3ETransmission%3A%209-speed%20automatc%0D%3Cbr%3EPower%3A%20279hp%0D%3Cbr%3ETorque%3A%20350Nm%0D%3Cbr%3EPrice%3A%20From%20Dh250%2C000%0D%3Cbr%3EOn%20sale%3A%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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
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.
Kill%20Bill%20Volume%201
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Stage result
1. Pascal Ackermann (GER) Bora-Hansgrohe, in 3:29.09
2. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto-Soudal
3. Rudy Barbier (FRA) Israel Start-Up Nation
4. Dylan Groenewegen (NED) Jumbo-Visma
5. Luka Mezgec (SLO) Mitchelton-Scott
6. Alberto Dainese (ITA) Sunweb
7. Jakub Mareczko (ITA) CCC
8. Max Walscheid (GER) NTT
9. José Rojas (ESP) Movistar
10. Andrea Vendrame (ITA) Ag2r La Mondiale, all at same time
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Kerb weight: 1580kg
Price: From Dh750k
On sale: via special order
Specs
Engine: 2-litre
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 255hp
Torque: 273Nm
Price: Dh240,000
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Sweet%20Tooth
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How Sputnik V works
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
Al Jazira's foreign quartet for 2017/18
Romarinho, Brazil
Lassana Diarra, France
Sardor Rashidov, Uzbekistan
Mbark Boussoufa, Morocco
TO%20CATCH%20A%20KILLER
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The view from The National
more from Janine di Giovanni
UAE SQUAD
Ali Khaseif, Mohammed Al Shamsi, Fahad Al Dhanhani, Khalid Essa, Bandar Al Ahbabi, Salem Rashid, Shaheen Abdulrahman, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Mohammed Al Attas, Walid Abbas, Hassan Al Mahrami, Mahmoud Khamis, Alhassan Saleh, Ali Salmeen, Yahia Nader, Abdullah Ramadan, Majed Hassan, Abdullah Al Naqbi, Fabio De Lima, Khalil Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Tahnoun Al Zaabi, Muhammed Jumah, Yahya Al Ghassani, Caio Canedo, Ali Mabkhout, Sebastian Tagliabue, Zayed Al Ameri
Other promotions
- Deliveroo will team up with Pineapple Express to offer customers near JLT a special treat: free banana caramel dessert with all orders on January 26
- Jones the Grocer will have their limited edition Australia Day menu available until the end of the month (January 31)
- Australian Vet in Abu Dhabi (with locations in Khalifa City A and Reem Island) will have a 15 per cent off all store items (excluding medications)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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1.
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United States
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2.
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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7.
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Singapore
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8.
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Australia
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9.
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Saudi Arabia
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10.
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South Korea
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