A crucial session in the Lebanese parliament that could help resolve a potential vacuum at the head of the army was adjourned on Thursday night without a vote being held on extending the tenure of General Joseph Aoun.
Speaker Nabih Berri had called the 128-seat parliament for a session starting at 11am to vote on a series of laws, including extending Gen Aoun's tenure by a year. But the latter was not discussed and is instead more likely to be voted on when the legislature will next meet on Friday afternoon at 3pm - after the cabinet will convene to discuss the matter.
The caretaker government had seemingly dragged its feet over the issue for months, but it has since been revealed that the Council of Ministers will also meet on Friday.
“There can be no vacuum at the head of the military institution,” said Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah on Thursday.
Gen Aoun's term is set to end on January 10. In the event of a vacancy at the top of the army, the Chief of Staff would step in – but that role has also been empty for a year.
The head of state is responsible for appointing significant positions, including the army commander, but Lebanon has been without a president since October 2022, as the bitterly divided parliament has failed agree on a successors to Michel Aoun. The former president is not related to the current army commander.
While the Council of Ministers typically takes on head of state powers in the event of a presidential vacuum – common in Lebanon – the cabinet is in a caretaker status and thus severely restricted in its powers as the country faces an unprecedented governance vacuum.
Some political blocs, particularly the Free Patriotic Movement, remain deeply opposed to extending the term of Gen Aoun. They argue it would be unconstitutional to do so and that a senior officer could step in to fill the void.
Supporters of extending Gen Aoun's term accuse of FPM leader Gebran Bassil of being motivated by personal disagreements with the army commander, something that Mr Bassil denies.
He has previously accused the general of financial irregularities during his tenure at the top of the army.
Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
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Key recommendations
- Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
- Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
- Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
- More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
Draw:
Group A: Egypt, DR Congo, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Group B: Nigeria, Guinea, Madagascar, Burundi
Group C: Senegal, Algeria, Kenya, Tanzania
Group D: Morocco, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Namibia
Group E: Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, Angola
Group F: Cameroon, Ghana, Benin, Guinea-Bissau
More on Quran memorisation:
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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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
Getting there
Flydubai flies direct from Dubai to Tbilisi from Dh1,025 return including taxes
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
