Opposition MPs in Lebanon condemned the latest blockage of the investigation into the deadly Beirut port blast, with one member telling The National he fears “the state is collapsing”.
Tensions are soaring in Lebanon, which is suffering from one of the worst economic meltdowns in modern history, amid the latest roadblock to justice over the 2020 explosion, which killed more than 215 people, injured thousands and destroyed many parts of Beirut.
On Wednesday, Lebanon's chief prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat ordered the release of all those detained in connection with the blast and filed charges against Tarek Bitar, the judge leading the investigation, in the latest legal tug of war among the country’s deeply politicised judiciary.
Mr Bitar had on Monday resumed the investigation into the port blast after 13 months of delays and legal challenges. He charged a number of officials — including Mr Oueidat, as well as the heads of two of Lebanon’s security agencies, the prime minister at the time of the blast, Hassan Diab, and other judicial officials.
But on Tuesday, he was told by Mr Oueidat that the highly sensitive investigation remained suspended.
On Thursday, opposition MPs — including a bloc of politicians linked to the 2019 protest movement against Lebanon’s ruling elite, as well as members of parties such as the Lebanese Forces and Kataeb — met Justice Minister Henri Khoury in a bid to resolve the impasse.
They met as protesters raged outside against the blockage of the investigation and the wider situation in Lebanon, with much of the country pushed into poverty and facing rising prices, frequent shortages and power cuts.
The same MPs met again in parliament on Friday and condemned the current situation
“Yesterday, we went to see the [justice] minister, and the MPs were requesting that he takes a position on what was happening and not to leave the situation as blurry as it is,” Nadim Gemayel, an MP from Kataeb, told The National.
“We were asking him first to clarify what exactly happened. And the second point was to take action to resolve the problem in the judicial system, because there is a major problem in the judicial system. He wasn't willing to take any decision or to take action in the end."
Another MP, Waddah Sadek, said Lebanon was witnessing an “assassination of justice”.
Mr Sadek on Thursday said he had been assaulted by Mr Khoury's bodyguards after telling him his comments were unacceptable and urging him to resign.
Mr Gemayel, whose father Bachir was assassinated in 1982, weeks after being elected president but before he could take office, said he was fearful that “the state is collapsing” and there was no justice in the country.
“The fact that we're not having justice is ruining Lebanon, day after day. And this is what happened, by not having justice, when they killed Bachir Gemayel, this is what happened when we didn't get justice when they killed [in 2005, Prime Minister] Rafic Hariri,” he said.
Mr Bitar has the backing of many families of the victims but he has also faced severe criticism from his opponents, including some of Lebanon’s most powerful factions. Among those who have called for his dismissal is Hezbollah, which has accused the judge of bias and a proneness to US influence.
The explosion was caused when a huge stock of ammonium nitrate — which had been stored at the port for years — caught fire.
The port blast is regarded as a damning symptom of decades of mismanagement and corruption in Lebanon, which have also been blamed for the devastating economic crisis.
The biog
Favourite book: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Favourite holiday destination: Spain
Favourite film: Bohemian Rhapsody
Favourite place to visit in the UAE: The beach or Satwa
Children: Stepdaughter Tyler 27, daughter Quito 22 and son Dali 19
The struggle is on for active managers
David Einhorn closed out 2018 with his biggest annual loss ever for the 22-year-old Greenlight Capital.
The firm’s main hedge fund fell 9 per cent in December, extending this year’s decline to 34 percent, according to an investor update viewed by Bloomberg.
Greenlight posted some of the industry’s best returns in its early years, but has stumbled since losing more than 20 per cent in 2015.
Other value-investing managers have also struggled, as a decade of historically low interest rates and the rise of passive investing and quant trading pushed growth stocks past their inexpensive brethren. Three Bays Capital and SPO Partners & Co., which sought to make wagers on undervalued stocks, closed in 2018. Mr Einhorn has repeatedly expressed his frustration with the poor performance this year, while remaining steadfast in his commitment to value investing.
Greenlight, which posted gains only in May and October, underperformed both the broader market and its peers in 2018. The S&P 500 Index dropped 4.4 per cent, including dividends, while the HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index, an early indicator of industry performance, fell 7 per cent through December. 28.
At the start of the year, Greenlight managed $6.3 billion in assets, according to a regulatory filing. By May, the firm was down to $5.5bn.
UAE Premiership
Results
Dubai Exiles 24-28 Jebel Ali Dragons
Abu Dhabi Harlequins 43-27 Dubai Hurricanes
Fixture
Friday, March 29, Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons, The Sevens, Dubai
MATCH INFO
Champions League quarter-final, first leg
Ajax v Juventus, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
Match on BeIN Sports
INDIA SQUAD
Virat Kohli (capt), Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, KL Rahul, Vijay Shankar, MS Dhoni (wk), Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami
Australia World Cup squad
Aaron Finch (capt), Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Jhye Richardson, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 5
Keita 1', Mane 23', 66', Salah 45' 1, 83'
Huddersfield 0
BRAZIL SQUAD
Alisson (Liverpool), Daniel Fuzato (Roma), Ederson (Man City); Alex Sandro (Juventus), Danilo (Juventus), Eder Militao (Real Madrid), Emerson (Real Betis), Felipe (Atletico Madrid), Marquinhos (PSG), Renan Lodi (Atletico Madrid), Thiago Silva (PSG); Arthur (Barcelona), Casemiro (Real Madrid), Douglas Luiz (Aston Villa), Fabinho (Liverpool), Lucas Paqueta (AC Milan), Philippe Coutinho (Bayern Munich); David Neres (Ajax), Gabriel Jesus (Man City), Richarlison (Everton), Roberto Firmino (Liverpool), Rodrygo (Real Madrid), Willian (Chelsea).
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup – Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
The National photo project
Chris Whiteoak, a photographer at The National, spent months taking some of Jacqui Allan's props around the UAE, positioning them perfectly in front of some of the country's most recognisable landmarks. He placed a pirate on Kite Beach, in front of the Burj Al Arab, the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland at the Burj Khalifa, and brought one of Allan's snails (Freddie, which represents her grandfather) to the Dubai Frame. In Abu Dhabi, a dinosaur went to Al Ain's Jebel Hafeet. And a flamingo was taken all the way to the Hatta Mountains. This special project suitably brings to life the quirky nature of Allan's prop shop (and Allan herself!).
Match info
Huddersfield Town 0
Chelsea 3
Kante (34'), Jorginho (45' pen), Pedro (80')
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The specs
Price: From Dh529,000
Engine: 5-litre V8
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Power: 520hp
Torque: 625Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.8L/100km
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RESULTS
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25%20Days%20to%20Aden
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