The head of Lebanon's Maronite Church called for state control over weapons on Sunday, days after a deadly skirmish between residents of a Christian village and members of the heavily armed Hezbollah militia.
A member of the Shiite group and a Christian resident were killed in a brief exchange of fire on Wednesday after a Hezbollah lorry carrying ammunition overturned while passing through the village of Kahaleh, near Beirut.
In his sermon on Sunday, cleric Patriarch Bechara Al Rai called for "all parties" and other elements of the country "to unite under the banner of the state, especially regarding the use of weapons".
Hezbollah, founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982, is the only Lebanese militia to continue bearing arms after the end of the country's 1975-1990 civil war.
"It is impossible to live on one land with two states, two armies, two authorities and two sovereignties," Lebanon's National News Agency quoted the Patriarch as saying.
Hezbollah, founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982, is the only Lebanese militia to retain its weapons after the end of the country's 1975-1990 civil war. Its arsenal has long been a point of conflict in Lebanon, where its opponents accuse the group of undermining the state.
The shooting in Kahaleh, the deadliest confrontation between the Hezbollah and Lebanese who oppose it since clashes in Beirut two years ago, raised the fear of wider violence in a country already struggling with a crippling economic crisis and a political vacuum.
Cardinal Al Rai, who regularly speaks out about Lebanon's problems, also touched on the parliament's failure to elect a successor to former president Michel Aoun nearly 10 months after his term ended.
"The failure to elect a president since last September is unjustified, seeing as he is the guarantor of state institutions' revival and the preserver of the coexistence formula," the Patriarch said.
Under Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system, the presidency is held by a Christian, while the prime minister must be a Sunni and the Speaker of Parliament a Shiite.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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WEST ASIA RUGBY 2017/18 SEASON ROLL OF HONOUR
Western Clubs Champions League
Winners: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
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Dubai Rugby Sevens
Winners: Dubai Exiles
Runners up: Jebel Ali Dragons
West Asia Premiership
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UAE Premiership Cup
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UAE Premiership
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Runners up: Abu Dhabi Harlequins
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THURSDAY FIXTURES
4.15pm: Italy v Spain (Group A)
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6.45pm: UAE v Japan (Group A)
8pm: Iran v Russia (Group B)
'Skin'
Dir: Guy Nattiv
Starring: Jamie Bell, Danielle McDonald, Bill Camp, Vera Farmiga
Rating: 3.5/5 stars
England World Cup squad
Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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