Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, right, met with Hamas's Khalil Al Hayya and Osama Hamdan. @MonitorX / X
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, right, met with Hamas's Khalil Al Hayya and Osama Hamdan. @MonitorX / X
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, right, met with Hamas's Khalil Al Hayya and Osama Hamdan. @MonitorX / X
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, right, met with Hamas's Khalil Al Hayya and Osama Hamdan. @MonitorX / X

Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah meets senior Hamas official in Beirut


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Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah held talks with a Hamas delegation in Beirut, including the group's deputy chief in the Gaza Strip, Khalil Al Hayya.

The two men discussed the situation in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, as well as negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, Hezbollah said in a statement. Hamas's representative in Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, also attended the meeting.

It's the most high profile public meeting between Mr Nasrallah and Hamas officials since the assassination on January 2 of Hamas deputy Saleh Al Arouri in an Israeli drone attack on southern Beirut.

Mr Al Arouri is the most senior Hamas official to be killed since October 7, and had operated as a go-between between the two Iran-backed groups.

The meeting between Mr Nasrallah and Hamas representatives comes after international efforts to secure a truce in Gaza before Ramadan failed to find agreement between Israel and Hamas.

Hezbollah has repeatedly said it would only agree to a ceasefire on the Lebanon-Israel border once Israel halted its military offensive in Gaza.

Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, has been engaged in near daily cross-border exchanges since October 8.

According to the powerful Lebanese group, part of its rationale is to ease the pressure on Hamas, who are battling Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. More than 200 Hezbollah fighters have been killed by Israel in the border violence.

A woman walks next to a Palestinian flag painted on the wall at the Palestinian refugee camp of Mar Elias in Beirut, Lebanon. EPA
A woman walks next to a Palestinian flag painted on the wall at the Palestinian refugee camp of Mar Elias in Beirut, Lebanon. EPA

Hamas launched a deadly incursion into southern Israel on October 7, killing more than 1,110 people and taking more than 200 hostages back into Gaza.

Israel has besieged the Palestinian enclave in response, killing more than 31,000 people there.

While clashes in Lebanon were initially contained to the border areas, they have gradually increased in their scope and intensity. There are fears they could spill over into a much wider war.

On Tuesday, for the second day in a row, Israeli warplanes struck deep into Lebanon, with alleged Hezbollah positions in the Bekaa Valley the targets.

The Israeli military said its fighter jets “struck two Hezbollah military command centres” in the Baalbek area, in response to Hezbollah rocket launches towards northern Israel earlier in the day.

Hezbollah said it fired more than 100 Katyusha rockets at 7am local time, aiming to hit several Israeli military posts, in response to Israeli shelling of the Bekaa Valley on Monday night that killed at least one civilian.

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

Dust and sand storms compared

Sand storm

  • Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
  • Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

  • Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
  • Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
  • Duration: Can linger for days
  • Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
  • Source: Can be carried from distant regions
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPros%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EEasy%20to%20use%20and%20require%20less%20rigorous%20credit%20checks%20than%20traditional%20credit%20options%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EOffers%20the%20ability%20to%20spread%20the%20cost%20of%20purchases%20over%20time%2C%20often%20interest-free%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EConvenient%20and%20can%20be%20integrated%20directly%20into%20the%20checkout%20process%2C%20useful%20for%20online%20shopping%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHelps%20facilitate%20cash%20flow%20planning%20when%20used%20wisely%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECons%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EThe%20ease%20of%20making%20purchases%20can%20lead%20to%20overspending%20and%20accumulation%20of%20debt%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EMissing%20payments%20can%20result%20in%20hefty%20fees%20and%2C%20in%20some%20cases%2C%20high%20interest%20rates%20after%20an%20initial%20interest-free%20period%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EFailure%20to%20make%20payments%20can%20impact%20credit%20score%20negatively%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ERefunds%20can%20be%20complicated%20and%20delayed%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ECourtesy%3A%20Carol%20Glynn%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Where to buy art books in the UAE

There are a number of speciality art bookshops in the UAE.

In Dubai, The Lighthouse at Dubai Design District has a wonderfully curated selection of art and design books. Alserkal Avenue runs a pop-up shop at their A4 space, and host the art-book fair Fully Booked during Art Week in March. The Third Line, also in Alserkal Avenue, has a strong book-publishing arm and sells copies at its gallery. Kinokuniya, at Dubai Mall, has some good offerings within its broad selection, and you never know what you will find at the House of Prose in Jumeirah. Finally, all of Gulf Photo Plus’s photo books are available for sale at their show. 

In Abu Dhabi, Louvre Abu Dhabi has a beautiful selection of catalogues and art books, and Magrudy’s – across the Emirates, but particularly at their NYU Abu Dhabi site – has a great selection in art, fiction and cultural theory.

In Sharjah, the Sharjah Art Museum sells catalogues and art books at its museum shop, and the Sharjah Art Foundation has a bookshop that offers reads on art, theory and cultural history.

Various Artists 
Habibi Funk: An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World (Habibi Funk)
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  • Rational thinking: Breathe and avoid emotional decision-making; let logic and planning guide your actions.
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UAE v Ireland

1st ODI, UAE win by 6 wickets

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The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

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4. Shahada

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MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING

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Thisara Perera (captain), Dilshan Munaweera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Ashan Priyanjan, Mahela Udawatte, Dasun Shanaka, Sachith Pathirana, Vikum Sanjaya, Lahiru Gamage, Seekkuge Prasanna, Vishwa Fernando, Isuru Udana, Jeffrey Vandersay and Chathuranga de Silva.

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Which honey takes your fancy?

Al Ghaf Honey

The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year

Sidr Honey

The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest

Samar Honey

The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments

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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

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5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

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Updated: April 08, 2024, 9:52 AM