Lebanon hits daily record of COVID-19 infections

People queue for PCR tests in the intensive care unit of the Rafic Hariri University Hospital in the Lebanese capital Beirut, on January 5, 2021. (AFP)
Short Url
Updated 06 January 2021
Follow

Lebanon hits daily record of COVID-19 infections

  • Health professionals have warned that the latest surge in cases risked causing catastrophe across Lebanon
  • The new peak came after authorities eased measures in December for the holiday season

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s health ministry confirmed a new daily record of 4,166 coronavirus infections Wednesday, as medics warn that the health care system is struggling to cope.
Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Lebanon has recorded nearly 200,000 cases including 1,537 deaths, according to health ministry figures. A total of 21 people died on Wednesday.
Health professionals have warned that the latest surge in cases risked causing catastrophe across Lebanon, which is already suffering from the aftermath of a devastating August explosion in Beirut and a dire economic crisis.
The new peak came after authorities eased measures in December for the holiday season.
New restrictions to stem the spread of the virus, including a 6:00 p.m. to 5:00 am curfew, begin Thursday and will last until the end of January.
Vaccines are weeks away from arriving.
Lebanon hopes to receive its first shipment of coronavirus jabs in mid-February.


Gaza’s reunited twins speak of loss and joy

Palestinian twins Mahmoud and Ibrahim Al-Atout sit amidst the rubble of their destroyed house after being reunited, in Jabalia.
Updated 1 min 13 sec ago
Follow

Gaza’s reunited twins speak of loss and joy

  • The two men, from the Jabalia area of northern Gaza, were split up early in the conflict that began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023

GAZA: The emotional reunion of twin brothers in Gaza after Israel allowed movement within the enclave as part of a ceasefire deal provided a visceral image of Palestinian survival after 15 gruelling months of death, separation and destruction.
Video of the twins’ ecstatic, tearful embrace amid the crowds of people trekking home a week ago from displacement camps was widely viewed around the world. But Ibrahim and Mahmoud Al-Atout had both endured loss and hardship that tinged the joy of their reunion.
“I didn’t want to let go of him. It’s like the soul returned to the chest, the soul returned to the heart,” said one of the 30-year-old twins, Mahmoud, speaking about their experience days later in a video obtained by Reuters.
The two men, from the Jabalia area of northern Gaza, were split up early in the conflict that began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and seizing about 250 hostages according to Israeli tallies.
The Israeli military campaign in Gaza killed more than 47,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities, and levelled much of the enclave.
Early on, Israel ordered civilians to leave the north, where its military operations were most intense, but not everybody did so. Those who did travel south were barred from returning until last week as part of the deal for a ceasefire and hostage release.
Ibrahim had ended up in the south, while Mahmoud stayed in the north.
When news came late one night that he could go back to Jabalia, Ibrahim phoned Mahmoud, who quickly dressed and rushed to a meeting point on a main road into northern Gaza.
“Imagine: I stood on my feet for six hours, standing around looking like this (and wondering) ‘where is Ibrahim? Where is Ibrahim?,’” said Mahmoud in the video obtained by Reuters.
People coming up from the south kept mistaking him for his brother, Mahmoud said, surprised he had come north so quickly. They then would tell him to wait longer because Ibrahim was traveling with his six young daughters and had to go slowly.
“He called out to me ‘Mahmoud’, and I couldn’t comprehend. I ran quickly and we hugged each other,” he said, describing their moment of reunion.
Together again
Now reunited, the two men and their families say they spend time picking through the ruins of their family home, destroyed in an Israeli airstrike in November 2023 that killed one of Ibrahim’s daughters and injured another in her head and legs.
Palestinians accuse Israel of indiscriminate bombardment. Israel says Hamas hides among the civilian population and it tries to hit the group while minimizing harm to civilians.
Ibrahim had not wanted to go south. But Israeli forces had moved toward north Gaza’s Indonesian Hospital while he was there with his family and the Red Crescent moved them all to a bigger hospital in the south where better treatment was available.
As each man spoke in the video obtained by Reuters, using big arm movements to illustrate their points, the other sat still and quiet, taking it in.
Things were hard for Ibrahim and his family in the south without home or possessions, and communications were cut off for about four months.
“I was devastated to the point where I lost weight,” said Mahmoud of that time.
Together again, they sat in the evening with a fire by the rubble of their home, cooking bread on a metal shelf, their small children gazing at them with delight.


Emir of Kuwait receives BlackRock CEO

Updated 6 sec ago
Follow

Emir of Kuwait receives BlackRock CEO

  • Larry Fink highlights importance of collaborating with Kuwait

LONDON: Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the emir of Kuwait, received Larry Fink, chairman and CEO of BlackRock, in the presence of Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

Fink and his accompanying delegation were received at Bayan Palace on Monday, the Kuwait News Agency reported.

During the meeting, Sheikh Meshal highlighted the importance of fostering investment in Kuwait and enhancing cooperation with foreign companies.

He highlighted the significance of attracting capital to support the national economy and create job opportunities for youth to advance the country’s development.

Fink, the CEO of the US-based multinational investment company established in 1988, highlighted the importance of enhancing collaboration with Kuwait and supporting the country’s Vision 2035.

Minister of Finance Noora Al-Fassam and the Director-General of the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority Sheikh Meshaal Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah attended the meeting.


Oman to host Indian Ocean conference on Feb. 16

Updated 32 min 55 sec ago
Follow

Oman to host Indian Ocean conference on Feb. 16

  • Omani FM says event is a key platform for discussing the sea economy, ocean governance
  • It is expected to attract people from more than 60 countries

LONDON: The Omani Foreign Ministry will host the 18th Indian Ocean Conference on Feb. 16 to discuss maritime security and trade issues.

The two-day conference will be held under the theme “Voyage to New Horizons of Maritime Partnership,” the ministry said, highlighting Muscat’s commitment to enhancing maritime security and sustainable freight shipping, as well as developing international cooperation.

Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al-Busaidi said that the conference is a key platform for discussing the sea economy and ocean governance.

The event is expected to attract people from more than 60 countries to discuss maritime partnerships, including trade links, maritime security, freedom of navigation, and the use of modern technology to enhance port security and control.

It aims to improve regional cooperation and tackle the challenges confronting the Indian Ocean region, the Oman News Agency reported.


Hamas officials say ‘ready’ for negotiations on phase two of Gaza truce

Palestinians transport aid supplies on an animal-drawn cart, amid a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, in Gaza City, February 3
Updated 03 February 2025
Follow

Hamas officials say ‘ready’ for negotiations on phase two of Gaza truce

  • “Hamas has informed the mediators … that we are ready to start the negotiations for the second phase,” an official said

CAIRO: Hamas is ready to begin talks on the details of a second phase of the ongoing truce in Gaza, two officials from the Palestinian militant group told AFP on Monday.
“Hamas has informed the mediators, during ongoing communications and meetings held with Egyptian mediators last week in Cairo, that we are ready to start the negotiations for the second phase,” one official said on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the talks.
“We call on the mediators to ensure that the occupation adheres to the agreement and does not stall,” they added.
A second official said the group was “waiting for the mediators to initiate the next round.”
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel — the first phase of which came into effect on January 19 — indirect talks to hammer out the details of phase two were due to start Monday.
The 42-day phase one revolves around the release of 33 Israeli hostages in exchange for around 1,900 prisoners, most of them Palestinian, being held in Israeli jails.
The second phase is expected to cover the release of the remaining hostages and include discussions on a more permanent end to the war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has said he will begin discussions about the second phase with US President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Monday.
The Israeli premier is currently in Washington, and is due to meet Trump on Tuesday.


Queen Rania calls for protecting children at Vatican summit

Updated 03 February 2025
Follow

Queen Rania calls for protecting children at Vatican summit

  • Queen Rania explained that one in six children globally lives in conflict-affected areas
  • Around 96% of vulnerable children in the Gaza Strip feel their death is imminent

LONDON: Queen Rania Abdullah of Jordan called on Monday for respecting and protecting children’s rights during the World Summit on Children’s Rights held by the Holy See at the Vatican.

The queen spoke at “The Rights of the Child in Today’s World” panel, following the opening remarks of Pope Francis at the international summit.

“Whether they are missing their two front teeth or have lost limbs to war wounds, every child has an equal claim to our protection and care,” Queen Rania said, according to Petra agency.

She explained that one in six children globally lives in conflict-affected areas, where dozens are killed or injured each day, Petra added.

Queen Rania highlighted shocking findings from a December study showing that 96 percent of vulnerable children in the Gaza Strip feel their death is imminent following more than a year of Israeli bombardment.

“Almost half said they wanted to die,” she added. “Not to become astronauts or firefighters like other children, they wanted to be dead. How did we let our humanity come to this?”

At least 47,000 Palestinians have died as a result of the Israeli war on the Gaza Strip since October 2023, with the majority being women and children.

“From Palestine to Sudan, Yemen to Myanmar, and beyond, this ‘un-childing’ creates chasms in our compassion,” she said.

“It stifles urgency in favor of complacency. It allows politicians to sidestep blame, and put narrow agendas above collective obligations.”

The Pontifical Committee for World Children’s Day initiated the World Summit on Children’s Rights to further the Roman Catholic Church’s mission of advocating for the rights of children.

The summit was attended by Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani; former Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi; Climate Reality Project founder and chairman, Al Gore; and Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, among others.