Lebanon's parliament again failed to agree on a new president at the 12th attempt, highlighting the bitter divisions among politicians in a country entrenched in economic crisis.
The house sessions to elect a head of state resumed on Wednesday after a five-month hiatus.
International Monetary Fund official Jihad Azour, backed by most of the country's Christian parties, received 59 votes while Suleiman Frangieh, supported by the Shiite pairing of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, garnered 51 votes.
Both men fell short of the two-thirds majority required in the first round of voting in a 128-seat parliament where no side holds the majority.
There was no second round after some MPs, mainly Hezbollah and Amal, left the room and the quorum was lost. The second round would have required an absolute majority of 65 votes.
All 128 MPs were present. There were a handful of protest votes and ballots for other candidates.
It was the first time that some major parties, including Iran-backed Hezbollah and its ally Amal, stopped casting blank ballots and formalised their support for a specific candidate.
Nabih Berri, speaker of parliament and leader of Amal, said enough was enough as he urged MPs to stop blaming rival factions for the presidential vacuum, adding that "spinning in this vicious circle" would achieve nothing.
Speaking before the session, Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said the group’s hand was “extended for dialogue” and that a president could be elected “by consensus”.
It also led the Free Patriotic Movement, one of parliament's largest parties, to form a rare convergence with its traditional Christian rival and back Mr Azour. The FPM, whose alliance with Hezbollah has waned in strength, had previously been casting blank ballots.
The IMF official was also backed by the main Druze bloc, led by the Progressive Socialist Party.
Speaking after the session ended, Mr Frangieh thanked those who voted for him while saying he respected the choice of those who had not.
Mr Frangieh is the scion of an influential north Lebanon Maronite family, and is a close friend of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.
Supporters of Mr Azour, a former finance minister, insist that he is not a confrontational candidate – a claim strongly rejected by Hezbollah, whose representatives and supporters have launched a series of verbal attacks against him.
Opponents of Mr Azour's candidacy say nothing unites his backers other than their desire to block the candidacy of Mr Frangieh.
Some supporters of the IMF official described Wednesday's outcome as positive. Georges Adwan, a senior member of parliament's largest party, the Lebanese Forces, said it proved how close Mr Azour was to obtaining 65 votes.
The country has been without a president since the term of former army chief and FPM founder Michel Aoun ended at the end of October. He came to power in 2016 after a two-and-a-half-year vacuum that ended only after he hammered out a deal with traditional rivals, including foes dating back to the 1975-1990 civil war.
In Lebanon's confessional system, the parliament speaker must be a Shiite Muslim, the prime minister a Sunni and the president a Maronite Christian.
The lack of a president comes as Lebanon grapples with one of the worst economic crises in modern history.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati's cabinet is in caretaker status – and thus severely stripped of its powers – after he failed to agree on its make-up with Mr Aoun before the latter's term ended.
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg result:
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Tottenham advance on away goals rule after tie ends 3-3 on aggregate
Final: June 1, Madrid
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Serie A
Juventus v Fiorentina, Saturday, 8pm (UAE)
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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
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Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative
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Hydrogen: Market potential
Hydrogen has an estimated $11 trillion market potential, according to Bank of America Securities and is expected to generate $2.5tn in direct revenues and $11tn of indirect infrastructure by 2050 as its production increases six-fold.
"We believe we are reaching the point of harnessing the element that comprises 90 per cent of the universe, effectively and economically,” the bank said in a recent report.
Falling costs of renewable energy and electrolysers used in green hydrogen production is one of the main catalysts for the increasingly bullish sentiment over the element.
The cost of electrolysers used in green hydrogen production has halved over the last five years and will fall to 60 to 90 per cent by the end of the decade, acceding to Haim Israel, equity strategist at Merrill Lynch. A global focus on decarbonisation and sustainability is also a big driver in its development.
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School uniforms report
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88 Video's most popular rentals
Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.
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SPECS
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
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In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
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The national orchestra
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The specs
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Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
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EA Sports FC 25
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Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
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
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Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
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Agreement aims to boost trade by £25.5bn a year in the long run, compared with a total of £42.6bn in 2024
India will slash levies on medical devices, machinery, cosmetics, soft drinks and lamb.
India will also cut automotive tariffs to 10% under a quota from over 100% currently.
Indian employees in the UK will receive three years exemption from social security payments
India expects 99% of exports to benefit from zero duty, raising opportunities for textiles, marine products, footwear and jewellery
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Jetour T1 specs
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Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
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Vidaamuyarchi
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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
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About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: N2 Technology
Founded: 2018
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Startups
Size: 14
Funding: $1.7m from HNIs
Neil Thomson – THE BIO
Family: I am happily married to my wife Liz and we have two children together.
Favourite music: Rock music. I started at a young age due to my father’s influence. He played in an Indian rock band The Flintstones who were once asked by Apple Records to fly over to England to perform there.
Favourite book: I constantly find myself reading The Bible.
Favourite film: The Greatest Showman.
Favourite holiday destination: I love visiting Melbourne as I have family there and it’s a wonderful place. New York at Christmas is also magical.
Favourite food: I went to boarding school so I like any cuisine really.
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Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
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Mina Al Oraibi: Air strike casts a long shadow over the decade ahead
Jack Moore: Why the assassination is such a monumental gamble
Matthew Levitt: Iran retains its ability to launch terror attacks
Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
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Director: Christopher McQuarrie
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SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
