Lebanon's most senior judge said meddling by the political leadership in the work of the judiciary had led to a chaotic situation that required a "revolution in approaches" to resolve, in a rare public rebuke of the ruling elites.
"The judicial situation is difficult and delicate. Several factors have led to this, including the lack of a law that enshrines the independence of the judiciary, and the determination of all to take control of the judiciary," said Suhail Abboud, head of Lebanon's Supreme Judicial Council.
"By all, I mean all factions and sides and political parties," he said in televised comments made during a graduation ceremony for judges at Beirut's courthouse.
Lebanon's judiciary has been one of the many victims of a three-year financial implosion, the country's most serious crisis since the 1975-90 civil war, which has led to a wave of emigration and pushed most of the population into poverty.
The value of judges' wages have plummeted from several thousand US dollars before the crisis, in 2019, to a few hundred today.
Several senior judges have resigned over the past year, citing living conditions and demoralisation over the obstruction of high-profile cases, including the probe into the August 2020 Beirut port blast that left more than 215 people dead.
The investigation into the blast has faced pushback from a political system where impunity has become entrenched since the end of the civil war.
"There is no independent judiciary without activating the work of the courts and prosecution, and without completing the investigation into the Beirut port explosion," Mr Abboud said.
A law that would bolster judicial independence has been transferred between parliament and government for years without being approved as politicians seek to maintain control of the power to name judges to key positions.
Changes to key positions suggested by the council Mr Abboud heads have been ignored.
"It is the time to bring about the required change, the time to proceed with reform, which requires a revolution in approaches, ideas, performance and judicial unity," he said.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
DMZ facts
- The DMZ was created as a buffer after the 1950-53 Korean War.
- It runs 248 kilometers across the Korean Peninsula and is 4km wide.
- The zone is jointly overseen by the US-led United Nations Command and North Korea.
- It is littered with an estimated 2 million mines, tank traps, razor wire fences and guard posts.
- Donald Trump and Kim Jong-Un met at a building in Panmunjom, where an armistice was signed to stop the Korean War.
- Panmunjom is 52km north of the Korean capital Seoul and 147km south of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.
- Former US president Bill Clinton visited Panmunjom in 1993, while Ronald Reagan visited the DMZ in 1983, George W. Bush in 2002 and Barack Obama visited a nearby military camp in 2012.
- Mr Trump planned to visit in November 2017, but heavy fog that prevented his helicopter from landing.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct to Kolkata from Dh1,504 and Dh1,450 return including taxes, respectively. The flight takes four hours 30 minutes outbound and 5 hours 30 minute returning.
The trains
Numerous trains link Kolkata and Murshidabad but the daily early morning Hazarduari Express (3’ 52”) is the fastest and most convenient; this service also stops in Plassey. The return train departs Murshidabad late afternoon. Though just about feasible as a day trip, staying overnight is recommended.
The hotels
Mursidabad’s hotels are less than modest but Berhampore, 11km south, offers more accommodation and facilities (and the Hazarduari Express also pauses here). Try Hotel The Fame, with an array of rooms from doubles at Rs1,596/Dh90 to a ‘grand presidential suite’ at Rs7,854/Dh443.
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