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Beirut airport sees busy season amid rising regional tensions

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      China

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      Beirut airport sees busy season amid rising regional tensions

      2024-08-07 11:41 Last Updated At:12:07

      The Beirut International Airport, the only international airport in Lebanon, has been busy handling passengers in recent days amid rising regional tensions.

      At least 15 countries, including the United States and France, have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon and avoid traveling to the country.

      Crowds of people are seen waiting at the departure hall for check in to leave the country, while there are still some coming back from abroad to get together with their family members in the turbulent time.

      "I come back to Lebanon [from Dubai] for a holiday. All people around me told me not to go back to Lebanon, but this is my hometown, and I want to come back as I miss my parents. The flights have been adjusted frequently. I was supposed to come back yesterday, but it's postponed to today," said Rebacca, a passenger returning to Beirut.

      Confrontations between the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and Israel rose recently after the latter accused Hezbollah of attacking a football pitch in the town of Majdal Shams in the occupied Golan Heights, killing a dozen people. Israel retaliated by launching three missiles last Tuesday evening in Beirut's southern suburbs, killing Fouad Shokor, Hezbollah's top military commander, and seven civilians.

      According to Lebanon's national news agency, the Israeli army launched multiple rounds of attacks on the Lebanese side of the temporary Lebanon-Israel border on Tuesday, causing many casualties.

      On the same day, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that the Israeli side of the temporary border was attacked by rockets and drones from the Lebanese side, which triggered air defense alarms in many places and caused many injuries, and the Israeli army hit Lebanese Hezbollah weapons depots and other targets.

      Hezbollah Leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Tuesday vowed a strong and impactful retaliation to the assassination of its senior military commander, Fouad Shokor, Al-Manar local TV channel reported.

      Nasrallah also threatened to attack factories in northern Israel, each according to Nasrallah, worth billions of U.S. dollars.

      Beirut airport sees busy season amid rising regional tensions

      Beirut airport sees busy season amid rising regional tensions

      An official with the World Economic Forum (WEF) has stressed the importance of establishing an adaptable mechanism for dialogue and cooperation that allows the global economy to fully benefit from the development potential of new technologies while managing the associated risks.

      Mirek Dusek, one of WEF's managing directors, was speaking on the sidelines of the 2025 WEF Annual Meeting, which commenced in Davos, Switzerland on Monday.

      The five-day event has gathered around 3,000 participants from various regions and industries around the world under the theme "Collaboration for the Intelligent Age," highlighting the need for greater collaboration against a backdrop of rapid technological advancements and global divisions.

      In an interview with the China Global Television Network (CGTN) on Tuesday, Dusek said WEF is monitoring "two big forces" they believe are changing the world economy.

      "On one hand, we are living through quite a unique time in terms of technological advancement and innovation. But on the other hand, of course, we are also tracking forces of fragmentation. We are seeing a more competitive geopolitical landscape, shifting value chains and supply chains, and of course, also social polarization in certain societies around the world," he said.

      With the current uncertainties in the world, Dusek stressed the importance of building a suitable platform for dialogue, and ensuring that such a mechanisms is adaptable to respond to the various challenges.

      "Given the trends that we are seeing in the global economy, in international relations, that function of bridging and dialogue could not be more important. It's very important that we have mechanisms where we can have dialogue and cooperation, and of course,  we also need to be on the front foot of thinking, 'Okay, how do we make sure that the collaborative mechanisms are fit for the 21st century?'" he said, adding that this will be one of the focuses of the current Davos meeting.

       Dusek also emphasized China's vital role in promoting global economic growth and technological development, describing the country as a "key actor" in helping the world transition to a new era of tech-driven development.

      "Everyone understands that we need to be on our front foot, really thinking creatively around how do we relaunch growth that is inclusive, sustainable. But how do we relaunch growth in this new situation for the world economy? And China plays a very important role in that endeavor, on development, on trade, of course, as well. On technology, I mentioned the theme, 'The Intelligent Age'. What we are trying to communicate with that is that there is a huge opportunity around some of these technologies. What is quite special is that it's not only one technology, but we are seeing, at this moment, whole sets of technologies that are going to market and exponentially changing industry and economy. If we have this huge opportunity around these technologies, how do we design [not only] our dialogue mechanisms, but also our collaborative mechanisms to be able to harness these technologies for the benefit of the world economy while taking care of the risks," he said.

      WEF official calls for mechanisms to foster dialogue in new tech era, boost world economy

      WEF official calls for mechanisms to foster dialogue in new tech era, boost world economy

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