Listen to the latest podcast on the Beirut blast here
August 4, 2020
A hangar in Beirut port in which 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate had been stored from 2014 explodes, killing at least 214 people and wounding 7,000.
August 10, 2020
The government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab resigns following public outcry.
August 14, 2020
The High Judicial Council appoints military investigative judge Fadi Sawan to lead the probe into the explosion.
August 17 – September 2, 2020
Mr Sawan orders the arrest of 25 port employees and mid to low-ranking officials. They are all issued blanket charges.
November 25, 2020
Mr Sawan asks Parliament to investigate 12 current and former ministers for their role in the explosion and then to refer them to a special court for the trial of presidents and ministers. Parliament speaker Nabih Berri refuses to act.
December 10, 2020
Mr Sawan charges caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab, former finance minister Ali Hassan Khalil, former public works ministers Ghazi Zeaiter and Youssef Fenianos with negligence.
Former prime ministers, Lebanon’s Grand Mufti, the highest Sunni Muslim cleric in the country, and Iran-backed political party Hezbollah support the charged politicians.
Mr Zeaiter and Mr Khalil file a lawsuit with the Court of Cassation to remove Mr Sawan from the investigation, claiming he was neither neutral nor objective. Mr Sawan pauses the investigation.
February 18, 2021
The Court of Cassation removes Mr Sawan from the probe.
February 19, 2021
The High Judicial Court replaces Mr Sawan with judge Tarek Bitar, the head of Beirut’s criminal court. Mr Bitar refused the post when he was offered it in August but did not provide further information at the time.
April 15, 2021
Mr Bitar orders the release of six detainees in pre-trial detention.
June 23, 2021
Mr Bitar orders the release of another two detainees, so 17 remain in pre-trial detention, which has no time limit.
July 2, 2021
Mr Bitar asks Parliament to lift the immunity of sitting MPs and former ministers Mr Khalil, Mr Zeaiter and former interior minister Nohad Machnouk. Parliament has not yet responded and asked for more proof from Mr Bitar. He refused.
Mr Bitar asks caretaker Interior Minister Mohammed Fehmi for the authorization to question Major General Abbas Ibrahim, the head of General Security.
Mr Bitar asks Mr Diab to interrogate the head of State Security, Tony Saliba. Mr Diab has not yet answered.
July 9, 2021
Mr Fehmi refuses Mr Bitar’s request to interrogate Maj Gen Ibrahim. Families protest outside his house. Cassation Attorney General Ghassan Khoury told Human Rights Watch he rejected Mr Bitar’s appeal.
July 14, 2021
President Michel Aoun says August 4 will be a national day of mourning.
July 15, 2021
Prime minister-designate Saad Hariri steps down, nine months after he was designated to form a government. Lebanon’s political crisis worsens.
July 19, 2021
At least 28 MPs from political parties Amal, Hezbollah and the Future Movement sign a petition that would allow Parliament to take over the investigation by referring suspects to a special court for the trial of presidents and ministers. Families of victims shame them online.
July 26, 2021
Billionaire and former prime minister Najib Mikati is designated as Lebanon’s new prime minister.
July 27, 2021
Former prime minister Saad Hariri says immunity from prosecution should be lifted from the country’s president, prime minister, ministers and judges. This would require an amendment of the Constitution. Mr Berri echoes his call two days later.
July 28, 2021
Following Mr Bitar’s request, the Beirut Bar Association lifts the immunities of Mr Zeaiter and Mr Khalil. The Tripoli Bar Association lifts the immunity of Mr Fenianos on July 29. This is not enough to allow their prosecution because they are sitting MPs and still protected by parliamentary immunity.
July 30, 2021
MPs from the Free Patriotic Movement say they will ask Mr Berri to lift parliamentary immunity.
An FBI report seen by Reuters estimates that the amount of ammonium nitrate that blew up at the port was 552 tonnes, much less than the 2,754 that arrived in 2013.
President Michel Aoun tells public prosecutor Ghassan Oueidate he is ready to give a statement about the port blast and says “no-one is above the law no matter how high up”.
The EU adopts a framework for sanctions on Lebanese politicians for undermining democracy or the rule of law.
August 3, 2021
Free Patriotic Movement leader Gebran Bassil, who is also the son-in-law of Mr Aoun, says MPs' parliamentary immunity should be lifted.
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TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
The Al Barzakh Festival takes place on Wednesday and Thursday at 7.30pm in the Red Theatre, NYUAD, Saadiyat Island. Tickets cost Dh105 for adults from platinumlist.net
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
RACE CARD
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 – Group 1 (PA) $65,000 (Dirt) 2,000m
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) $65,000 (Turf) 1,800m
7.40pm: Meydan Classic – Listed (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,600m
8.15pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy – Group 3 (TB) $195,000 (T) 2,810m
8.50pm: Dubai Millennium Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $130,000 (T) 2,000m
9.25pm: Meydan Challenge – Listed Handicap (TB) $88,000 (T) 1,400m
UAE squad to face Ireland
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri (vice-captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind
HOW TO WATCH
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match info
Southampton 2 (Ings 32' & pen 89') Tottenham Hotspur 5 (Son 45', 47', 64', & 73', Kane 82')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
The%20specs
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Navdeep Suri, India's Ambassador to the UAE
There has been a longstanding need from the Indian community to have a religious premises where they can practise their beliefs. Currently there is a very, very small temple in Bur Dubai and the community has outgrown this. So this will be a major temple and open to all denominations and a place should reflect India’s diversity.
It fits so well into the UAE’s own commitment to tolerance and pluralism and coming in the year of tolerance gives it that extra dimension.
What we will see on April 20 is the foundation ceremony and we expect a pretty broad cross section of the Indian community to be present, both from the UAE and abroad. The Hindu group that is building the temple will have their holiest leader attending – and we expect very senior representation from the leadership of the UAE.
When the designs were taken to the leadership, there were two clear options. There was a New Jersey model with a rectangular structure with the temple recessed inside so it was not too visible from the outside and another was the Neasden temple in London with the spires in its classical shape. And they said: look we said we wanted a temple so it should look like a temple. So this should be a classical style temple in all its glory.
It is beautifully located - 30 minutes outside of Abu Dhabi and barely 45 minutes to Dubai so it serves the needs of both communities.
This is going to be the big temple where I expect people to come from across the country at major festivals and occasions.
It is hugely important – it will take a couple of years to complete given the scale. It is going to be remarkable and will contribute something not just to the landscape in terms of visual architecture but also to the ethos. Here will be a real representation of UAE’s pluralism.
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How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
