43 outrageous desserts you need to eat before you die

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Ryanair launches flights from Beirut to Pafos

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by thenational.ae -Hayley Skirka-- Low-cost airline Ryanair has announced new direct flights from Beirut to Pafos. Commencing on October 30, the service will fly three times a week from the Lebanese capital to the southwestern city in Cyprus. Fares are currently on sale from just Dh90 one-way, with flights departing Lebanon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The 300-kilometre route will be served by a Boeing 737 and the new route cuts travel times for passengers who will be able to fly direct to Pafos in just over one hour. Previously, the fastest journey for this route took over four hours with travellers having to connect in either Larnaca, Amman or Istanbul. Some airlines also fly passengers travelling between Beirut and Pathos as far out as Warsaw or London, before shuttling them back to Pafos. Ryanair representative Chiara Ravara said: “We’re pleased to announce Ryanair’s low fares have arrived at Beirut, our newest airport and our first in Lebanon. Our new route to Pafos, Cyprus commences in October 2019 and will operate three times weekly for Winter 2019, ensuring customers in Lebanon can book low fare flights to Pafosas far out as March 2020.”

Home to Cyprus’s second-largest international airport, Pafos offers holidaymakers gorgeous coastlines and unspoilt beaches like Coral Bay in the Pegeia region or the ever-popular Aphrodite's Beach with its famous rock. There’s also plenty for history lovers to explore with many remains from buildings, palaces, fortresses and tombs from as far back as the neolithic period. Ryanair offers low-cost base fares for flights with extra charges for things like reserving seats, large cabin baggage, hold luggage and checking in at the airport.

Anchor Confronts Boris Johnson Over Trump Attacks on U.K. Ambassador: Will You Be This Craven as Prime Minister?

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By Aidan McLaughlin mediaite.com --- Boris Johnson, the mop-haired politician most likely to succeed Theresa May as U.K. prime minister, faced intense questioning from a BBC anchor over his response to President Donald Trump’s harsh words for a British ambassador. Trump leveled a brutal attack at Sir Kim Darroch, the U.K. ambassador in Washington, after cables were leaked showing Darroch criticizing the president. Johnson declined to speak out in support of Darroch, who resigned this week amidst the feud. “The president called him ‘wacky’, ‘pompous’, a ‘fool’, ‘stupid.’ You didn’t have a word of criticism of the president,” BBC anchor Andrew Neil said to Johnson in a tough interview. “I’m on record as saying plenty of critical things of the president in the past,” Johnson replied. “Not on this,” Neil shot back. “People worry, will you be as craven if you were prime minister?” “Don’t be ridiculous,” Johnson protested.

The former London mayor went on to note that he “fired back” at Trump after he claimed London had been radicalized and proposed a Muslim ban in 2015. Johnson at the time said Trump was “clearly out of his mind”, “stupefyingly ignorant”, “unfit to be president” and “playing the game of terrorists”. “Is he still stupefyingly ignorant?” Neil asked Johnson. Johnson dodged. Watch above, via BBC.

News Analysis: Lebanese analysts hold different views on U.S. sanctions against Hezbollah officials

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by Dana Halawi BEIRUT, (Xinhua) -- Lebanese analysts have voiced different views about the reasons behind the sanctions imposed earlier this week by the United States against Hezbollah officials and the impact of this move on Lebanon and its economy. "This move must be put in the context of the escalation taking place between Washington and Tehran and it should not be tackled as a pure Lebanese issue," Sami Nader, director of Levant Institute for Strategic Affairs in Lebanon, told Xinhua. Nader explained that U.S. sanctions against Hezbollah's officials are mainly caused by the radical change in the American administration's policy towards Iran and the Middle East in general. "The U.S. administration has stopped distinguishing between the political and military arms of Iran while pushing the Europeans to stop this contradictory position of standing against Iranian's policies in the region while dealing with it economically," Nader explained. "This also applies to Hezbollah," he added. Meanwhile, Hilal Khashan, chair of the Political Studies Department at the American University of Beirut (AUB), believes that the U.S. sanctions against Hezbollah's officials aim at applying pressure on the government and its relation with Hezbollah. Likewise, Makram Rabah, a lecturer at AUB's Department of History, said the U.S. wants to convey a message to Prime Minister Saad Hariri that it is necessary to distance the government from Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. The U.S. Treasury announced on Tuesday that it has slapped sanctions on three key Hezbollah figures, including two members of Lebanese parliament. The Treasury said in a statement that the designated individuals are Amin Sherri and Muhammad Hasan Ra'd, both members of the country's parliament, and Hezbollah security official Wafiq Safa.

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Armed attack negatively impacts Lebanese tourism: minister

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BEIRUT, (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Tourism Minister Avedis Guidanian said on Saturday that the armed attack late in June in Mount Lebanon had a negative impact on tourism. "We did not witness any cancellations for reservations already made by tourists but we also did not see any new reservations after the security incident," Guidanian was quoted as saying by Elnashra, an online independent newspaper. On June 30, the convoy of Lebanese Minister of State for the Displaced Saleh Gharib came under attack while he was heading to the mountain village of Qabr Shamoun, which killed two of his guards. Lebanon is currently going through a very tough economic situation and officials hope to attract tourists to increase the state revenues and make up for losses in other sectors.

Treasury targets 2 Lebanese lawmakers, Hezbollah official

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Treasury Department on Tuesday targeted a Hezbollah security official and two members of Lebanon's parliament suspected of using their positions to further the aims of the Tehran-backed militia and "bolster Iran's malign activities." It's the first time that the U.S. has targeted lawmakers currently seated in Lebanon's parliament. Trump administration officials said Treasury's action makes clear that there is no dividing line between Hezbollah's political and militant wings. The U.S. designated lawmakers Amin Sherri and Mohammad Raad as well as Hezbollah security official Wafiq Safa under a U.S. executive order, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism. "Hezbollah uses its operatives in Lebanon's parliament to manipulate institutions in support of the terrorist group's financial and security interests, and to bolster Iran's malign activities," said Sigal Mandelker, undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.

Lebanon's finance minister, Ali Hassan Khalil, denounced the sanctions and said they did nothing to foster financial stability in the country. "There is no justification whatsoever for escalating these sanctions," he tweeted. Hezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad described the U.S. move as "an insult for all the Lebanese people." He told reporters the Lebanese government must take a stand against the sanctions because they infringe on Lebanese sovereignty. Hezbollah, whose Arabic name translates into "Party of God," was established by Iran's Revolutionary Guard during Lebanon's civil war in the 1980s.

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