A series of strikes in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, all believed to involve Israel, have heightened tensions in the region, with the Syrian regime, Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah and Iran-backed militias in Iraq all threatening retaliation, some of them denouncing the attacks as "declarations of war".
Here is a dated breakdown of the escalatory moves since July by the different sides involved in the recent crisis that threatens a new outbreak of conflict in the Middle East:
July 19 - Unidentified bombs fall on Iran-backed militia base north of Baghdad
July 30 - Strikes on Camp Ashraf in Iraq's Diyala Province
August 12 - Drone strike at Al Saqr military base in Iraq
August 20 - Strike on Popular Mobilisation Forces base near Balad, Iraq
August 21 - Iran-backed militias blame US and Israel for a series of attacks on their bases
August 24 - Israel strikes Iran's Quds Force in Syria to stop "killer drone" attack, killing five. Syrian anti-aircraft defences fire at "enemy targets" over Damascus.
August 25 - Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah says Israeli drone falls in its stronghold in south Beirut, second drone explodes after crashing.
August 25 - Lebanese PM Saad Hariri says Israeli drones threaten country's sovereignty. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah says group will shoot down any more Israeli drones flying over Lebanese territory.
August 25 - Two Iraqi paramilitaries killed in drone attack near Iraq's western border with Syria, militias blame Israel for attack
August 26 - Israel strikes Palestinian faction the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine - General Command, loyal to Syrian government in eastern Lebanon
August 26 - Iraq coalition calls Israeli strikes a "declaration of war" and calls for withdrawal of US forces
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How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
Company profile
Company name: Fasset
Started: 2019
Founders: Mohammad Raafi Hossain, Daniel Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $2.45 million
Current number of staff: 86
Investment stage: Pre-series B
Investors: Investcorp, Liberty City Ventures, Fatima Gobi Ventures, Primal Capital, Wealthwell Ventures, FHS Capital, VN2 Capital, local family offices
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
Palestine and Israel - live updates
SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
Tomb Raider I–III Remastered
Developer: Aspyr
Publisher: Aspyr
Console: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4&5, PC and Xbox series X/S
Rating: 3/5
MORE ON THE US DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Almouneer
Started: 2017
Founders: Dr Noha Khater and Rania Kadry
Based: Egypt
Number of staff: 120
Investment: Bootstrapped, with support from Insead and Egyptian government, seed round of
$3.6 million led by Global Ventures
COMPANY PROFILE
Company: Eco Way
Started: December 2023
Founder: Ivan Kroshnyi
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Electric vehicles
Investors: Bootstrapped with undisclosed funding. Looking to raise funds from outside
Stan Lee
Director: David Gelb
Rating: 3/5
