Photojournalist Hussein Baydoun often takes pictures he shouldn’t.
Some of his images, which have gained widespread attention online, have got him into trouble. For example, his candid shot of Saad Al Hariri, former prime minster of Lebanon, biting his finger, caused him to be banned from that office for a month.
“I want to break taboos,” Baydoun tells The National. “In Lebanon, there are still subjects you don’t cross, but I want to play on them, show the different levels, the diversity in our society.”
People run away from these things, but I run towards them. You have to show people the truth
Hussein Baydoun
With a career in photojournalism spanning more than a decade, Baydoun is now venturing into film. His first documentary, titled Before I Leave, centres on families who lost relatives in the Beirut port explosion last year.
“I’m trying to put my 15 years of experience into this documentary,” he says. Now in its editing stage, the film is expected to be completed by November.
In Baydoun’s photography, the complexity of Lebanese society can reveal itself in unexpected moments. Take an image of a young blonde waitress walking past a group of Salafists at an international conference – another one of Baydoun’s photos that did the rounds online – or his picture of a man and a woman exchanging pecks on the cheek as a woman in full niqab passes by.
In another, two female protesters, a generation or two apart, hold on to each other as nearby fires burn.
Other photographs demonstrate levity or beauty. In one of his more popular images, a flooded Beirut street is the site of tenderness as a man carries his partner in the pouring rain while she holds an umbrella over his head.
Baydoun, 34, started his career in news young. At 17, after completing a photography course, he took on photography jobs and started working full time at a newspaper two years later.
Even as a child he kept a close eye on the front pages. Baydoun was born in Germany to Lebanese parents who fled to the country during the Lebanese Civil War. He returned to Lebanon with his family when he was 10. Unable to speak Arabic, his grandmother would bring him the newspaper every day, helping him to read along. But it was the photographs that mostly caught his attention.
“I would remember the name of the photographer under the picture, and I would follow their work on the newspaper,” he recalls.
He has also completed projects for charities, including a photo book with the International Committee of the Red Cross.
His subjects range from defiant protesters during the Lebanese uprising of October 2019 to Syrian refugees escaping their own dire situations to enter into a country rife with them, and the families of Lebanese people who went missing during the Civil War and whose fates remain unknown.
Over the course of his career, Baydoun says he has learnt how Lebanon’s Civil War continues to inflict its wounds.
“We’re still at war, not with weapons, but with ideas,” he says. “To build a country, we need closure from the Civil War. A lot of people died, a lot of people are missing, but there has been no apology, no accountability.”
All this, Baydoun acknowledges, can weigh heavily on the psyche. “We have a lot of issues here in Lebanon, with women’s rights, human rights, refugee rights. It’s very hard … We’re seeing the hardest things in life. Sometimes I think I don’t want to bring any children into this world because of it,” he says.
Baydoun also turns his camera to the economic disparities evident on Beirut’s streets – homeless people asleep, with an aspirational advert for Byblos Bank as their backdrop.
“People run away from these things, but I run towards them,” he says. “You have to show people the truth.”
As Lebanon’s crises continue to deepen – fuel, water and medicine shortages, power outages, a crumbling currency and the ongoing trauma in the aftermath of the Beirut explosion – Baydoun knows he has work to do. Though the country’s difficult conditions are pushing some to leave, he is committed to staying.
“I have a disease. If I go outside of Lebanon for more than 10 days, I get sick, homesick,” he says.
During what was meant to be a week-long trip in October 2019, Baydoun flew back on the third day when he heard of the outbreak of the revolution. “As journalists, we’re making an archive of things that happen. It’s history,” he explains.
In the wake of the Beirut blast last year, despite injuries and damage to his home, he took to the streets to photograph the bloodied and shaken. That day, he says, he took more than 1,200 photos, of which only 20 have been published. The rest, some of which he deems too sensitive to be made public, now join his growing archive.
While his works have gained some attention, he is focused on the news as it comes.
“I’m always thinking about my next photo,” he says. Along with the thousands of images in his collection are the many varied and complex stories of Lebanon.
The Kingfisher Secret
Anonymous, Penguin Books
Meydan card
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 (PA) Group 1 US$65,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.05pm: Conditions (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,400m
7.40pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Trial (TB) $100,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,200m
8.50pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 (TB) Group 2 $350,000 (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
10pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 1,600m
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
MAIN CARD
Bantamweight 56.4kg
Abrorbek Madiminbekov v Mehdi El Jamari
Super heavyweight 94 kg
Adnan Mohammad v Mohammed Ajaraam
Lightweight 60kg
Zakaria Eljamari v Faridoon Alik Zai
Light heavyweight 81.4kg
Mahmood Amin v Taha Marrouni
Light welterweight 64.5kg
Siyovush Gulmamadov v Nouredine Samir
Light heavyweight 81.4kg
Ilyass Habibali v Haroun Baka
Baby Driver
Director: Edgar Wright
Starring: Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Jamie Foxx, Lily James
Three and a half stars
Company Profile
Founder: Omar Onsi
Launched: 2018
Employees: 35
Financing stage: Seed round ($12 million)
Investors: B&Y, Phoenician Funds, M1 Group, Shorooq Partners
CREW
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Inside%20Out%202
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EKelsey%20Mann%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%C2%A0Amy%20Poehler%2C%20Maya%20Hawke%2C%20Ayo%20Edebiri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mica
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
McIlroy's recent struggles
Last six stroke-play events (First round score in brackets)
Arnold Palmer Invitational Tied for 4th (74)
The US Masters Tied for 7th (72)
The Players Championship Tied for 35th (73)
US Open Missed the cut (78)
Travellers Championship Tied for 17th (67)
Irish Open Missed the cut (72)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Mental%20health%20support%20in%20the%20UAE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
'Gehraiyaan'
Director:Shakun Batra
Stars:Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa
Rating: 4/5
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The rules of the road keeping cyclists safe
Cyclists must wear a helmet, arm and knee pads
Have a white front-light and a back red-light on their bike
They must place a number plate with reflective light to the back of the bike to alert road-users
Avoid carrying weights that could cause the bike to lose balance
They must cycle on designated lanes and areas and ride safe on pavements to avoid bumping into pedestrians
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
Countries offering golden visas
UK
Innovator Founder Visa is aimed at those who can demonstrate relevant experience in business and sufficient investment funds to set up and scale up a new business in the UK. It offers permanent residence after three years.
Germany
Investing or establishing a business in Germany offers you a residence permit, which eventually leads to citizenship. The investment must meet an economic need and you have to have lived in Germany for five years to become a citizen.
Italy
The scheme is designed for foreign investors committed to making a significant contribution to the economy. Requires a minimum investment of €250,000 which can rise to €2 million.
Switzerland
Residence Programme offers residence to applicants and their families through economic contributions. The applicant must agree to pay an annual lump sum in tax.
Canada
Start-Up Visa Programme allows foreign entrepreneurs the opportunity to create a business in Canada and apply for permanent residence.
