On the third day of the Fifa World Cup, Fadi Alayan stared at a frozen phone screen in his Beirut home. In the next room, his son was experiencing the same disappointment.
This is not an unusual occurrence in the Lebanese capital, but the timing of this Wi-Fi cut — during the second half of the France-Australia group game — was crucial.
“By the time it came back, France was already up 2-1 and I’d missed the goal,” Mr Alayan said.
His options for watching the game with his son elsewhere were as unreliable as the Wi-Fi connection.
Despite Minister of Information Ziad Makari’s efforts, the games are not being broadcast by Lebanon’s public television station, Tele Liban, meaning fans have few options for watching free of charge.
“This year, it’s like the government is telling us, ‘every man for himself',” Mr Alayan said.
For three years, Lebanon’s population has weathered a financial collapse that has led to savings being trapped in banks, their salaries and pensions devalued to a fraction of what they were once worth, their basic needs — electricity, water, bread and medicine — becoming scarce and their future becoming uncertain.
Now, even the world's biggest football tournament is out of reach.
Political vacuum hits home
For once, it is not an issue of finances for the bankrupt nation: the money is there to pay the Qatari broadcaster, said Mr Makari.
“We had a very good deal,” he said. “It’s half of what we paid to broadcast the World Cup in 2018.
“But because we have a caretaker government who can't meet, we can’t pay the private broadcaster without approval from the Council of Ministers.”
For many, the failure to secure the rights to broadcast the World Cup to fans in Lebanon — what would usually be a routine undertaking — is a worrying symptom of Lebanon’s political dysfunction.
The country is operating without a president and its cabinet is considered resigned, operating only in a caretaker capacity since the May 15 parliamentary elections took place.
Constitutionally, a caretaker government has no prerogative to meet or make major decisions except during extenuating circumstances. And a new government line-up cannot be made without the appointment of a new president — no easy task for a deeply polarised parliament that has so far been unable to agree on a candidate.
The resulting government vacuum has left the country in a state of paralysis.
Mr Makari acknowledged the message of impotence conveyed by the absence of the World Cup on the nation’s TV screens.
“If we had a fully empowered government, this wouldn’t have happened,” he told The National.
“I am sorry. I wish everyone could watch it for free.”
Pay to watch or don't watch at all
Inside an online gaming cafe, a group of young men, all of whom paid a minimum charge to watch, observed the France-Australia game quietly.
In most Beirut neighbourhoods the vibe is muted — not what would typically be expected of a World Cup evening in an Arab country.
“This is pretty par for the course,” said Tawfic Amayrat, the 25-year-old manager of the cafe. “I’m not surprised.”
If previous World Cups are any indicator, under normal circumstances, the cafes would be teeming with rowdy customers and fans, with cheers and jeers heard throughout the capital.
But on the third day of the World Cup, the streets are eerily quiet.
“Football,” Mr Amayrat said gloomily as he stood outside the cafe. “They even want to take that away from us.”
He and his customers are lucky the gaming centre has a yearly subscription to beIN Sports, the Qatari sports channel broadcasting the World Cup.
Whereas in previous years, the football cafes would have a melee of paying and non-paying customers piling over each other in eager anticipation of a goal, this year, establishments throughout the capital are charging entry fees or imposing a minimum charge.
Entry to a cafe can cost anywhere between $3 to $15, depending on the establishment.
Hashem Zoghby, a 21-year-old motorcycle mechanic in the Beirut suburb of Choueifat, said he used to watch World Cup matches with his family at home and would only go to a cafe with friends for the bigger games.
On the first day, Mr Zoghby and his parents watched news coverage of the opening ceremony of the World Cup. But without a monthly subscription to beIN Sports, that was as close as they got.
“Even the poorest countries in the world are broadcasting the World Cup. Everyone except Lebanon — we can’t even do that,” he said. “It’s absurd.”
For individuals, the monthly charge for a subscription to beIN Sports is $95 — discounted from $125, but still out of reach for many. By contrast, the salary of the average Lebanese government employee is the equivalent of $50 to $100 a month.
“I don't think anyone could afford this unless they owned a cafe,” Mr Zoghby said. “For normal people like me, it’s impossible to get this subscription. If they did, it would mean no food for the next month.
“Meanwhile our politicians are probably in Qatar, watching the games live.”
Inside the cafes
But even some cafes and bars that would normally broadcast the World Cup could not afford to this year due to sliding rates — depending on location and capacity — set by the Qatari sports channel.
A bar owner in the Hamra neighbourhood told The National that the company licensed to distribute beIN Sports was charging his two establishments $7,000 and $4,000 for subscriptions, respectively.
The rate would have been sustainable in previous years, he said, but with fewer customers able to afford a night out, the broadcast is no longer profitable.
“The generator bill alone is enough to worry about,” he said, referring to the costly generator subscriptions that the vast majority of people and establishments rely on in the absence of state electricity.
Outside a large, glitzy cafe in the centre of the capital, a small group of customers watch the match on big-screen TVs — a boon for the handful of valets standing across the street who have a clear line of sight to the game. They watch avidly from the sidelines.
“It’s good, at least we have these TVs to watch it on,” said valet Hassan Saffeye.
Mr Saffeye’s son, meanwhile, does not have the same luck.
“I feel bad. I can’t afford to give him an allowance to watch in a cafe every time there’s a match,” Mr Saffeye said dejectedly.
Despite this, his outlook is more pragmatic compared to that of younger football fans who spoke to The National: “We adapt. There’s no other option.”
But Mr Amayrat, the cafe manager, is angrier.
“This failed country is our problem. Football was our only outlet for forgetting and even watching it has become our problem. Soon they’ll make something as simple as breathing our problem, too.”
Mr Zoghby takes it further, tying the state’s failure to broadcast matches on public television to the future prospects of Lebanese youth.
“Lebanon took everything from us. We can’t live comfortably. We can’t afford to get married or furnish a house. And now we’re forbidden from the World Cup — the smallest entertainment — unless we can pay.”
PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Tuesday (UAE kick-off times)
Leicester City v Brighton (9pm)
Tottenham Hotspur v West Ham United (11.15pm)
Wednesday
Manchester United v Sheffield United (9pm)
Newcastle United v Aston Villa (9pm)
Norwich City v Everton (9pm)
Wolves v Bournemouth (9pm)
Liverpool v Crystal Palace (11.15pm)
Thursday
Burnley v Watford (9pm)
Southampton v Arsenal (9pm)
Chelsea v Manchester City (11.15pm)
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Farage on Muslim Brotherhood
Nigel Farage told Reform's annual conference that the party will proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood if he becomes Prime Minister.
"We will stop dangerous organisations with links to terrorism operating in our country," he said. "Quite why we've been so gutless about this – both Labour and Conservative – I don't know.
“All across the Middle East, countries have banned and proscribed the Muslim Brotherhood as a dangerous organisation. We will do the very same.”
It is 10 years since a ground-breaking report into the Muslim Brotherhood by Sir John Jenkins.
Among the former diplomat's findings was an assessment that “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” has “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
The prime minister at the time, David Cameron, who commissioned the report, said membership or association with the Muslim Brotherhood was a "possible indicator of extremism" but it would not be banned.
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
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Sreesanth's India bowling career
Tests 27, Wickets 87, Average 37.59, Best 5-40
ODIs 53, Wickets 75, Average 33.44, Best 6-55
T20Is 10, Wickets 7, Average 41.14, Best 2-12
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
Where to donate in the UAE
The Emirates Charity Portal
You can donate to several registered charities through a “donation catalogue”. The use of the donation is quite specific, such as buying a fan for a poor family in Niger for Dh130.
The General Authority of Islamic Affairs & Endowments
The site has an e-donation service accepting debit card, credit card or e-Dirham, an electronic payment tool developed by the Ministry of Finance and First Abu Dhabi Bank.
Al Noor Special Needs Centre
You can donate online or order Smiles n’ Stuff products handcrafted by Al Noor students. The centre publishes a wish list of extras needed, starting at Dh500.
Beit Al Khair Society
Beit Al Khair Society has the motto “From – and to – the UAE,” with donations going towards the neediest in the country. Its website has a list of physical donation sites, but people can also contribute money by SMS, bank transfer and through the hotline 800-22554.
Dar Al Ber Society
Dar Al Ber Society, which has charity projects in 39 countries, accept cash payments, money transfers or SMS donations. Its donation hotline is 800-79.
Dubai Cares
Dubai Cares provides several options for individuals and companies to donate, including online, through banks, at retail outlets, via phone and by purchasing Dubai Cares branded merchandise. It is currently running a campaign called Bookings 2030, which allows people to help change the future of six underprivileged children and young people.
Emirates Airline Foundation
Those who travel on Emirates have undoubtedly seen the little donation envelopes in the seat pockets. But the foundation also accepts donations online and in the form of Skywards Miles. Donated miles are used to sponsor travel for doctors, surgeons, engineers and other professionals volunteering on humanitarian missions around the world.
Emirates Red Crescent
On the Emirates Red Crescent website you can choose between 35 different purposes for your donation, such as providing food for fasters, supporting debtors and contributing to a refugee women fund. It also has a list of bank accounts for each donation type.
Gulf for Good
Gulf for Good raises funds for partner charity projects through challenges, like climbing Kilimanjaro and cycling through Thailand. This year’s projects are in partnership with Street Child Nepal, Larchfield Kids, the Foundation for African Empowerment and SOS Children's Villages. Since 2001, the organisation has raised more than $3.5 million (Dh12.8m) in support of over 50 children’s charities.
Noor Dubai Foundation
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum launched the Noor Dubai Foundation a decade ago with the aim of eliminating all forms of preventable blindness globally. You can donate Dh50 to support mobile eye camps by texting the word “Noor” to 4565 (Etisalat) or 4849 (du).
Manchester United v Liverpool
Premier League, kick off 7.30pm (UAE)
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Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FIXTURES
All kick-off times 10.45pm UAE ( 4 GMT) unless stated
Tuesday
Sevilla v Maribor
Spartak Moscow v Liverpool
Manchester City v Shakhtar Donetsk
Napoli v Feyenoord
Besiktas v RB Leipzig
Monaco v Porto
Apoel Nicosia v Tottenham Hotspur
Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid
Wednesday
Basel v Benfica
CSKA Moscow Manchester United
Paris Saint-Germain v Bayern Munich
Anderlecht v Celtic
Qarabag v Roma (8pm)
Atletico Madrid v Chelsea
Juventus v Olympiakos
Sporting Lisbon v Barcelona
Mica
Director: Ismael Ferroukhi
Stars: Zakaria Inan, Sabrina Ouazani
3 stars
SERIE A FIXTURES
Saturday (All UAE kick-off times)
Cagliari v AC Milan (6pm)
Lazio v Napoli (9pm)
Inter Milan v Atalanta (11.45pm)
Sunday
Udinese v Sassuolo (3.30pm)
Sampdoria v Brescia (6pm)
Fiorentina v SPAL (6pm)
Torino v Bologna (6pm)
Verona v Genoa (9pm)
Roma V Juventus (11.45pm)
Parma v Lecce (11.45pm)
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Teams
Punjabi Legends Owners: Inzamam-ul-Haq and Intizar-ul-Haq; Key player: Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakhtoons Owners: Habib Khan and Tajuddin Khan; Key player: Shahid Afridi
Maratha Arabians Owners: Sohail Khan, Ali Tumbi, Parvez Khan; Key player: Virender Sehwag
Bangla Tigers Owners: Shirajuddin Alam, Yasin Choudhary, Neelesh Bhatnager, Anis and Rizwan Sajan; Key player: TBC
Colombo Lions Owners: Sri Lanka Cricket; Key player: TBC
Kerala Kings Owners: Hussain Adam Ali and Shafi Ul Mulk; Key player: Eoin Morgan
Venue Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Format 10 overs per side, matches last for 90 minutes
Timeline October 25: Around 120 players to be entered into a draft, to be held in Dubai; December 21: Matches start; December 24: Finals
The Case For Trump
By Victor Davis Hanson
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
