Lebanon's state security forces on Wednesday raided a home belonging to central bank governor Riad Salameh after an overnight stakeout.
Judge Ghada Aoun, the Mount Lebanon state prosecutor who has charged the central bank governor, along with his brother Raja Salameh, with illicit enrichment, also participated in Wednesday's raid by state security forces.
Ms Aoun, who personally oversaw the search of Mr Salameh's property, was accompanied by a treasury expert with equipment used to break into safes, local media reported.
Wednesday marks the first successful raid on the governor's property. Mr Salameh, the subject of two separate corruption investigations in Lebanon, has failed to appear at several hearings.
During the stakeout, a judicial source had called Mr Salameh's reluctance to co-operate with the judiciary a “provocation” and told The National further action would be taken soon.
“We have to do our work. We will take all legal measures to ensure our work is done,” the source said.
Mr Salameh was reportedly not at the property in the town of Rabieh, on the northern edge of Greater Beirut, at the time of the raid.
Earlier this year, Ms Aoun issued a subpoena after Mr Salameh failed to appear for questioning three times.
State security failed to locate him in February when they tried to raid his Rabieh home, sparking a controversy with another security agency that is accused of protecting him.
Mr Salameh has come under intense scrutiny since the country’s financial collapse in 2019, which has pushed more than three quarters of the country into poverty.
The raid comes at a time of heightened tension between Mr Salameh and the Lebanese judiciary.
Lebanese media reported in early June that prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat had issued charges against Mr Salameh and his younger brother, Raja, for misappropriation of funds, money laundering and tax evasion, among other charges.
This came two days after the brothers filed a lawsuit against Mr Oueidat for gross misconduct.
Raja Salameh was released on May 22 after spending nearly a month in detention on a record bail of 100 billion Lebanese pounds ($3.7 million).
Ms Aoun ordered him to be detained after questioning him over apartments bought in Paris, charging the brothers with illicit enrichment.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
THE CLOWN OF GAZA
Director: Abdulrahman Sabbah
Starring: Alaa Meqdad
Rating: 4/5
EXPATS
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Avengers: Endgame
Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin
4/5 stars
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
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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
THREE
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New schools in Dubai
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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Basquiat in Abu Dhabi
One of Basquiat’s paintings, the vibrant Cabra (1981–82), now hangs in Louvre Abu Dhabi temporarily, on loan from the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
The latter museum is not open physically, but has assembled a collection and puts together a series of events called Talking Art, such as this discussion, moderated by writer Chaedria LaBouvier.
It's something of a Basquiat season in Abu Dhabi at the moment. Last week, The Radiant Child, a documentary on Basquiat was shown at Manarat Al Saadiyat, and tonight (April 18) the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi is throwing the re-creation of a party tonight, of the legendary Canal Zone party thrown in 1979, which epitomised the collaborative scene of the time. It was at Canal Zone that Basquiat met prominent members of the art world and moved from unknown graffiti artist into someone in the spotlight.
“We’ve invited local resident arists, we’ll have spray cans at the ready,” says curator Maisa Al Qassemi of the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Guggenheim Abu Dhabi's Canal Zone Remix is at Manarat Al Saadiyat, Thursday April 18, from 8pm. Free entry to all. Basquiat's Cabra is on view at Louvre Abu Dhabi until October
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
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Transmission: 6-speed auto
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Engine: Duel electric motors
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Price: On request
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
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Transmission: 8-speed auto
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Learn more about Qasr Al Hosn
In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Brief scores:
Pakistan (1st innings) 181: Babar 71; Olivier 6-37
South Africa (1st innings) 223: Bavuma 53; Amir 4-62
Pakistan (2nd innings) 190: Masood 65, Imam 57; Olivier 5-59
Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
French Touch
Carla Bruni
(Verve)
