Trending Middle East brings you the latest social media and search trends from the region and around the world. Here are today's headlines.
At least 10 strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs at dawn on Friday, Lebanon's National News Agency reported. Footage showed explosions in the area, a Hezbollah stronghold, after the Israeli army ordered residents of several buildings to leave.
The attacks caused “massive destruction”, levelling dozens of buildings and causing fires to break out in the area, the agency added.
Germany on Thursday announced the closure of three Iranian consulates in the country. The move came after German-Iranian activist Jamshid Sharmahd was executed in Iran.
The Iranian consulates in Hamburg, Frankfurt and Munich are to shut, with diplomatic relations between the countries at “more than a low point”, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said. The main Iranian embassy in Berlin will remain open and German representatives remain in Tehran.
Senior US officials arrived in Israel and Egypt as they lead efforts to negotiate ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon. CIA chief William Burns met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi in Cairo and reviewed ceasefire efforts in Gaza and a potential deal to exchange hostages in the enclave for Palestinian detainees in Israel, a statement from Mr El Sisi's office said.
US Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein arrived in Israel on Thursday, with Mr McGurk set to discuss a Gaza ceasefire. Their arrival in the region marks the latest efforts by the US, alongside Egypt and Qatar, to bring Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon to an end.
MATCH INFO
What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany
Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
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