The Lebanese army has seized 28 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, a fertiliser also used in making explosives, in a town near the Syrian border.
Hundreds of tonnes of the substance, improperly stored in Beirut, caused a huge blast in August last year which killed more than 200 people, injured at least 6,500 and destroyed large parts of the capital.
The quantities seized on Monday sparked fears among Lebanese that dangerous chemicals continue to be improperly stored, putting the country at risk of another incident at a time of economic crisis.
“Following information about the presence of ammonium nitrate in the town of Arsal, on October 4, an army patrol and military intelligence raided a gas station in the town, and seized 28,275 kilogrammes of ammonium nitrate” the Lebanese army said in a statement on Tuesday.
Soldiers arrested a Lebanese citizen and three Syrian men believed to have stored the ammonium nitrate inside a petrol station.
The bags indicated a nitrogen content of 26 per cent, the army said, adding that they were testing samples to check if the percentage was accurate.
Importing ammonium nitrate with more than 33.5 per cent nitrogen requires official permission from the Economy Ministry with the approval of Defence Ministry and the Council of Ministers. Anything with a higher nitrogen concentration is considered an explosive rather than a fertiliser.
Last month security forces raided a warehouse in the Bekaa Valley bordering Syria, where they found 20 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored inside a lorry.
The chemicals were moved to a safe place, according to Lebanon’s National News Agency.
It is unclear whether the substance seized on Monday in Arsal, an arid region where residents also farm cherries, was meant to be used as fertiliser.
Arsal has become notorious in Lebanon after extremists from Syria briefly took over the small border town and engaged in deadly clashes with the Lebanese army in 2014.
Days of fighting between the army, Al Nusra Front and ISIS killed at least 19 soldiers, dozens of civilians and 60 militants.
Hezbollah is also active on Lebanon’s porous border with Syria. Arsal is a Sunni majority town but the Shiite group Hezbollah wields great influence in the governorate where it is located.
The Iran-backed group is also allied with Syrian President Bashar Al Assad on the other side of the border and has militarily backed the Syrian army since the onset of the civil war.
Lebanese broadcaster Al Jadeed found links between the Syrian regime and the ammonium nitrate shipment that exploded in Beirut.
The TV channel found links between three Syrian businessmen with close ties to Damascus and Savaro Limited, the company that bought the explosive chemical.
More than a year after the Beirut explosion, no one has been held accountable. The families of the victims have repeatedly decried a culture of impunity in Lebanon.
Earlier this year, politicians succeeded in removing the first investigative judge in charge of the blast case after he summoned them for interrogation.
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
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
The%20specs
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
ARSENAL IN 1977
Feb 05 Arsenal 0-0 Sunderland
Feb 12 Manchester City 1-0 Arsenal
Feb 15 Middlesbrough 3-0 Arsenal
Feb 19 Arsenal 2-3 West Ham
Feb 26 Middlesbrough 4-1 Arsenal (FA Cup)
Mar 01 Everton 2-1 Arsenal
Mar 05 Arsenal 1-4 ipswich
March 08 Arsenal 1-2 West Brom
Mar 12 QPR 2-1 Arsenal
Mar 23 Stoke 1-1 Arsenal
Apr 02 Arsenal 3-0 Leicester
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Brief scores:
Toss: Pakhtunkhwa Zalmi, chose to field
Environment Agency: 193-3 (20 ov)
Ikhlaq 76 not out, Khaliya 58, Ahsan 55
Pakhtunkhwa Zalmi: 194-2 (18.3 ov)
Afridi 95 not out, Sajid 55, Rizwan 36 not out
Result: Pakhtunkhwa won by 8 wickets
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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
