The investigation into Beirut’s deadly port blast is still going ahead despite numerous legal hurdles and street clashes that left seven people dead last week.
The Lebanese Parliament reconvened on Tuesday for the first time since giving its vote of confidence to new Prime Minister Najib Mikati on September 20. This enhances the legal protection of sitting MPs, but lawyers say that investigative judge Tarek Bitar can continue procedures launched against several officials in the past month.
Mr Bitar has evidence implicating some of the most prominent former ministers and sitting MPs in the explosion that killed more than 215 people on August 4, 2020, allegedly caused by the improper storage of thousands of tonnes of ammonium nitrate for seven years.
Here's what we know.
Former prime minister Hassan Diab
Mr Diab was sworn in in January 2020 and resigned on August 10, following the Beirut blast, but remained caretaker prime minister for more than a year until Lebanon’s political class agreed on his successor, Najib Mikati, on September 10.
Mr Bitar’s predecessor, Fadi Sawan, charged Mr Diab on December 10, 2020, as well as two former public works ministers, Ghazi Zeaiter and Youssef Fenianos, and former finance minister Ali Hassan Khalil.
Mr Sawan was removed in February following a complaint by Mr Zeaiter and Mr Khalil, who belong to the same political party, the Amal Movement. They are both sitting MPs.
Mr Bitar summoned Mr Diab for questioning on August 26, which the former prime minister ignored. Mr Bitar issued a subpoena for him to appear on September 20.
Mr Diab failed again to appear for questioning because he left the country for what he said was a personal visit to the US on September 14. Mr Bitar issued a second subpoena, following Mr Diab’s change of address, and postponed the interrogation first to October 4 and then to October 28.
A subpoena is not the same as an arrest warrant.
“A subpoena requires the person to comply with a court request and may lead to civil and or criminal penalties being applied if the person does not," said Aya Majzoub, Lebanon and Bahrain Human Rights Watch researcher. "An arrest warrant may be an outcome of failing to abide by the subpoena and show up to questioning."
Mr Diab returned to Lebanon on October 12, according to a former advisor. The former prime minister currently has no known employer.
Ali Hassan Khalil
Mr Bitar issued an arrest warrant against Mr Khalil on October 12 after he failed to appear for interrogation. Mr Khalil is charged with homicide with probable intent, negligence, injury and arson.
Mr Khalil, Mr Zeaiter and former interior minister Nohad Machnouk filed a complaint against Mr Bitar at Beirut’s court of appeals, which it rejected on October 4.
Mr Khalil and Mr Zeaiter also filed two lawsuits at the court of cassation, which were turned down on October 11 and October 14.
All complaints were rejected for lack of jurisdiction, said Ghida Frangieh, a lawyer with NGO Legal Agenda. The court of appeal fined the three men the maximum possible amount of 800,000 Lebanese pounds.
"It proves they're abusing their right to litigate," said Ms Frangieh.
Mr Khalil cannot be arrested while Parliament is in session. It started Tuesday and will last until the end of the year.
But there is a loophole – article 97 of the House of Representatives' bylaw states MPs can continue being interrogated during a parliamentary session without asking for Parliament’s authorisation unless parliamentarians hold a meeting and decide against it, said Wissam Lahham, a constitutional expert at Beirut’s Universite Saint Joseph.
It remains highly unlikely that Parliament would allow Mr Bitar to question additional sitting MPs while it is in session, said Mr Youssef Lahoud, a lawyer who represents more than 1,200 victims of the blast.
Youssef Fenianos
Mr Bitar issued an arrest warrant against Mr Fenianos on September 16, after he failed to appear for questioning.
So far, only Mr Fenianos and Mr Khalil are subject to arrest warrants. Unlike Mr Khalil, Mr Fenianos is not a sitting MP and is thus not protected by parliamentary immunity.
Mr Fenianos, a lawyer, is also charged with homicide with probable intent, negligence, injury and arson.
He has not yet been arrested.
An army representative said it was up to the police to arrest Mr Fenianos. The police were not immediately available for comment.
“The prosecution and the police are responsible to execute the arrest warrant. The Minister of Interior declared he instructed the police not to execute the warrant,” said Ms Frangieh.
Nohad Machnouk
Scheduled interrogations of Mr Machnouk, a sitting MP, on September 30 and October 13 were postponed because the probe was suspended at the time.
Mr Machnouk currently enjoys the same parliamentary protection as Mr Khalil.
Local television Al Jadeed reported on Tuesday that Mr Machnouk and Mr Zeiater are expected to appear for interrogation on October 29.
Two lawsuits, which requested the judge's transfer for legitimate suspicion, remain pending at the court cassation. They were filed by Mr Machnouk and Mr Fenianos. They are similar to the lawsuit that removed Mr Sawan from the case, said Ms Frangieh.
HIJRA
Starring: Lamar Faden, Khairiah Nathmy, Nawaf Al-Dhufairy
Director: Shahad Ameen
Rating: 3/5
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
'THE WORST THING YOU CAN EAT'
Trans fat is typically found in fried and baked goods, but you may be consuming more than you think.
Powdered coffee creamer, microwave popcorn and virtually anything processed with a crust is likely to contain it, as this guide from Mayo Clinic outlines:
Baked goods - Most cakes, cookies, pie crusts and crackers contain shortening, which is usually made from partially hydrogenated vegetable oil. Ready-made frosting is another source of trans fat.
Snacks - Potato, corn and tortilla chips often contain trans fat. And while popcorn can be a healthy snack, many types of packaged or microwave popcorn use trans fat to help cook or flavour the popcorn.
Fried food - Foods that require deep frying — french fries, doughnuts and fried chicken — can contain trans fat from the oil used in the cooking process.
Refrigerator dough - Products such as canned biscuits and cinnamon rolls often contain trans fat, as do frozen pizza crusts.
Creamer and margarine - Nondairy coffee creamer and stick margarines also may contain partially hydrogenated vegetable oils.
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
The five pillars of Islam
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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
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
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
The story of Edge
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, established Edge in 2019.
It brought together 25 state-owned and independent companies specialising in weapons systems, cyber protection and electronic warfare.
Edge has an annual revenue of $5 billion and employs more than 12,000 people.
Some of the companies include Nimr, a maker of armoured vehicles, Caracal, which manufactures guns and ammunitions company, Lahab
Who is Allegra Stratton?
- Previously worked at The Guardian, BBC’s Newsnight programme and ITV News
- Took up a public relations role for Chancellor Rishi Sunak in April 2020
- In October 2020 she was hired to lead No 10’s planned daily televised press briefings
- The idea was later scrapped and she was appointed spokeswoman for Cop26
- Ms Stratton, 41, is married to James Forsyth, the political editor of The Spectator
- She has strong connections to the Conservative establishment
- Mr Sunak served as best man at her 2011 wedding to Mr Forsyth
