For more than 400 nights, Lebanese MP Melhem Khalaf has slept in the same place. Not at his home but in the country's Parliament, in a protest aimed at his fellow MPs over their failure to end the presidential vacuum that began on November 1, 2022.
The bitterly divided 128-seat legislature, comprised mainly of MPs from historic parties long accused of protecting their own interests, has failed on 12 occasions to elect a successor to Michel Aoun.
The impasse is such that the assembly has not even met to vote since last June, with no resolution in sight.
"It's against our national dignity, it's against our people who made trust in our decisions," Mr Khalaf said from the parliament building in Beirut. "It's our duty, it's our responsibility."
A lawyer and former head of the Beirut Bar Association, Mr Khalaf has argued that – according to Article 74 of the Lebanese constitution – parliament should be convened immediately to elect a president in the event of a vacuum. And yet, more than 500 days on, while some parliamentary business has continued, the presidential palace in Baabda remains vacant.
"We don't have a state, it's a coup d'etat. We have made a suspension of the constitution. Nobody asked about the constitution," he said in an increasingly exasperated tone.
"How can you manage the state when you have no legal reference?"
In the event of a presidential vacuum, the government is meant to take on the powers of the head of state. But Prime Minister Najib Mikati's government is in caretaker status and so is severely deprived of powers.
Further complicating the situation is a war in the south of the country between Lebanese armed groups, mainly Iran-backed Hezbollah, and Israel.
Typically, presidential elections in Lebanon are long, drawn-out affairs, ended only by a series of backdoor deals between the main parties.
In Lebanon's unique confessional system, the role of president is reserved for a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni and the parliamentary speaker a Shiite.
The impasse over the presidential election is not without precedent – it took 46 sessions for Mr Aoun to eventually take office in 2016 – but the situation today is far more severe.
While Lebanese and international efforts continue in a bid to end the stand-off, Mr Khalaf points out that the constitution says parliament should be meeting in a singular open-ended immediate session until a president is elected.
Mr Khalaf is part of a new generation of MPs, some of whom have joined his sit-in, who were elected in 2022 and are affiliated with the 2019 protest movement against Lebanon’s ruling classes that led to the collapse of the government.
And while his mission is for Lebanon, it is also one of personal conscience.
"It's a cause, it's something for me and why the people elected me," he said. "It's how to serve my people. What is my duty? What I have to do, I have to do from my conscience.
"My principal activity is to save the country, to save my people, to save democracy in Lebanon. We are losing our democracy. For this reason I'm fighting, I'm here inside the parliament to say, 'No, we have to have this is a state of law, to respect the rule of law'."
Against the old elite
Mr Khalaf and his allies are challenging an entrenched system that has effectively held power for decades and been held responsible for a succession of crises to afflict Lebanon.
An economic crisis stemming from 2019, one of the worst in modern history, has been blamed on decades of corruption and mismanagement by the ruling elite.
Those same echelons have also been held responsible for the deadly 2020 Beirut blast that killed more than 200 people, injured thousands and destroyed a large part of the Lebanese capital, through gross negligence after several thousand tonnes of highly volatile fertiliser was poorly stored in port depots.
"What we are seeing is people who are in power and they manage their own interest," Mr Khalaf said. "Nobody asked about the national interest. This is the real problem.
"All of these traditional politicians ... they make a silent agreement. They are here just to share power, not to build a nation. When you are an MP, you are an MP of the nation.
"Article 27 of the constitution says the MP is a representative of all the nation. How many of them understand this article?"
But despite the dire situation in Lebanon and the presidential vacancy, Mr Khalaf insists he still has hope.
"Of course, to make hope for our future generations. I am here because I have a hope, I have to create. We have the responsibility for the new generation to give them hope.
"I am fighting for democracy, for human rights, for freedom, justice. I am doing what the constitution imposed on me. All the MPs should be here. All of them should be here since November 1, 2022. They should be here to elect a president."
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
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What's in the deal?
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
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
The bio:
Favourite film:
Declan: It was The Commitments but now it’s Bohemian Rhapsody.
Heidi: The Long Kiss Goodnight.
Favourite holiday destination:
Declan: Las Vegas but I also love getting home to Ireland and seeing everyone back home.
Heidi: Australia but my dream destination would be to go to Cuba.
Favourite pastime:
Declan: I love brunching and socializing. Just basically having the craic.
Heidi: Paddleboarding and swimming.
Personal motto:
Declan: Take chances.
Heidi: Live, love, laugh and have no regrets.
SPECS
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Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
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8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21
- Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
- Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
- Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
- Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
- Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
- Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
- Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
- Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
The biog
Name: Fareed Lafta
Age: 40
From: Baghdad, Iraq
Mission: Promote world peace
Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi
Role models: His parents
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final (first-leg score):
Juventus (1) v Ajax (1), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Match will be shown on BeIN Sports
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Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
FIGHT%20CARD
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Famous left-handers
- Marie Curie
- Jimi Hendrix
- Leonardo Di Vinci
- David Bowie
- Paul McCartney
- Albert Einstein
- Jack the Ripper
- Barack Obama
- Helen Keller
- Joan of Arc
Blue%20Beetle
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The%20Last%20White%20Man
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Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
