The Beirut Bar Association called for a two-day strike in protest against what they described as the illegal arrest of lawyer Rami Ollaik on Thursday by unidentified men in civilian clothes.
Mr Ollaik was recently at the centre of a politicised court case seen as a proxy power struggle between judges who support prime minister-designate Saad Hariri and those who side with President Michel Aoun.
The two men have quarrelled openly for the past eight months over the formation of a new Cabinet.
The High Judicial Council, Lebanon's top court of 10 judges, advised public prosecutor Ghassan El Khoury to prosecute Mr Ollaik for slandering the High Judicial Council and state prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat, the National News Agency (NNA) reported on Wednesday.
The state-run agency did not specify which comments the High Judicial Council was referring to.
But Mr Ollaik refused to be questioned by the information division of the local police, or Internal Security Forces, and asked for a review of his case by the Beirut Bar Association.
The association said Mr Ollaik was arrested as he was walking to its offices near the Justice Ministry on Thursday.
“Unidentified civilians took him violently towards an unknown destination,” they said, calling for a two-day strike on Friday and Monday.
The arrest is illegal because Lebanese law stipulates that the public prosecutor must ask the Beirut Bar Association for authorisation before interrogating a lawyer, a source at the association told The National.
The Tripoli Bar Association declared a one-hour strike on Friday morning in rejection of “transgression or violation of legal norms”, in an apparent reference to Mr Ollaik’s arrest.
The NNA reported that Mr El Khoury interrogated Mr Ollaik at the Justice Palace on Friday morning during a “tumultuous session”.
Mr El Khoury then referred him to Beirut’s first investigative judge, Charbel Abu Samra, and charged him with “slander and disparagement of the judiciary”.
In a statement relayed by supporters, Mr Ollaik called himself a “prisoner of conscience” and denounced his “arbitrary and illegal arrest”.
Activists say that the Lebanese justice system has never been fully independent, because judges owe their jobs to politicians, who govern the country along sectarian lines.
Mr Oueidat was appointed by a government decree in late 2019, weeks before Mr Hariri resigned as prime minister in the face of nationwide anti-government protests.
But tensions within the judiciary have been increasing in the past weeks as Lebanon’s economic collapse accelerates. Politicians from all sides blame each other for corruption and for causing the country’s troubles. These divisions are reflected across Lebanese society.
Mr Ollaik is the legal representative of a group of activists called Scream of Depositors, which filed a lawsuit last month against central bank governor Riad Salameh, his top aides and one of the country’s biggest exchange offices, accusing them of money laundering and illicit enrichment.
The group’s efforts were supported by Judge Ghada Aoun, who is close to President Aoun. She has publicly defied Mr Oueidat, who has repeatedly stalled her investigation into financial crimes.
Mr Salameh, an ally of Mr Hariri, is the target of mounting public anger since Lebanese banks started running low on US dollars in 2019, restricted access to deposits and banned transfers abroad.
President Aoun has repeatedly criticised Mr Salameh and called for an audit of the central bank.
Mr Ollaik previously denied that the complaint filed against Mr Salameh was politicised. "We're just concerned about the rights of the people," he told The National in April.
On Wednesday, Mr Ollaik lambasted Mr Oueidat for arresting Charbel Razzouk, an activist in Mr Aoun’s political party, the Free Patriotic Movement.
Mr Razzouk had hung a giant banner printed with Mr Oueidat’s face that read “What have you done, Ghassan?” and “Protecting corruption files makes you a partner in crime”.
The banner also showed a picture of Beirut port's grain silos, destroyed by a deadly explosion last August that is still under investigation.
Lawyers affiliated to the Free Patriotic Movement condemned Mr Ollaik’s arrest on Thursday, saying it did not respect “basic human rights and laws”.
The High Judicial Council's decision this week to prosecute Mr Ollaik will probably be the last in a long time.
The mandate of seven of the 10 judges expired on Friday, and replacements suggested by the caretaker justice minister have not been approved because of political infighting.
In the meantime, the High Judicial Council cannot meet.
House-hunting
Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
- Edinburgh, Scotland
- Westminster, London
- Camden, London
- Glasgow, Scotland
- Islington, London
- Kensington and Chelsea, London
- Highlands, Scotland
- Argyll and Bute, Scotland
- Fife, Scotland
- Tower Hamlets, London
If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
UAE%20medallists%20at%20Asian%20Games%202023
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EGold%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMagomedomar%20Magomedomarov%20%E2%80%93%20Judo%20%E2%80%93%20Men%E2%80%99s%20%2B100kg%0D%3Cbr%3EKhaled%20Al%20Shehi%20%E2%80%93%20Jiu-jitsu%20%E2%80%93%20Men%E2%80%99s%20-62kg%0D%3Cbr%3EFaisal%20Al%20Ketbi%20%E2%80%93%20Jiu-jitsu%20%E2%80%93%20Men%E2%80%99s%20-85kg%0D%3Cbr%3EAsma%20Al%20Hosani%20%E2%80%93%20Jiu-jitsu%20%E2%80%93%20Women%E2%80%99s%20-52kg%0D%3Cbr%3EShamma%20Al%20Kalbani%20%E2%80%93%20Jiu-jitsu%20%E2%80%93%20Women%E2%80%99s%20-63kg%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESilver%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EOmar%20Al%20Marzooqi%20%E2%80%93%20Equestrian%20%E2%80%93%20Individual%20showjumping%0D%3Cbr%3EBishrelt%20Khorloodoi%20%E2%80%93%20Judo%20%E2%80%93%20Women%E2%80%99s%20-52kg%0D%3Cbr%3EKhalid%20Al%20Blooshi%20%E2%80%93%20Jiu-jitsu%20%E2%80%93%20Men%E2%80%99s%20-62kg%0D%3Cbr%3EMohamed%20Al%20Suwaidi%20%E2%80%93%20Jiu-jitsu%20%E2%80%93%20Men%E2%80%99s%20-69kg%0D%3Cbr%3EBalqees%20Abdulla%20%E2%80%93%20Jiu-jitsu%20%E2%80%93%20Women%E2%80%99s%20-48kg%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBronze%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EHawraa%20Alajmi%20%E2%80%93%20Karate%20%E2%80%93%20Women%E2%80%99s%20kumite%20-50kg%0D%3Cbr%3EAhmed%20Al%20Mansoori%20%E2%80%93%20Cycling%20%E2%80%93%20Men%E2%80%99s%20omnium%0D%3Cbr%3EAbdullah%20Al%20Marri%20%E2%80%93%20Equestrian%20%E2%80%93%20Individual%20showjumping%0D%3Cbr%3ETeam%20UAE%20%E2%80%93%20Equestrian%20%E2%80%93%20Team%20showjumping%0D%3Cbr%3EDzhafar%20Kostoev%20%E2%80%93%20Judo%20%E2%80%93%20Men%E2%80%99s%20-100kg%0D%3Cbr%3ENarmandakh%20Bayanmunkh%20%E2%80%93%20Judo%20%E2%80%93%20Men%E2%80%99s%20-66kg%0D%3Cbr%3EGrigorian%20Aram%20%E2%80%93%20Judo%20%E2%80%93%20Men%E2%80%99s%20-90kg%0D%3Cbr%3EMahdi%20Al%20Awlaqi%20%E2%80%93%20Jiu-jitsu%20%E2%80%93%20Men%E2%80%99s%20-77kg%0D%3Cbr%3ESaeed%20Al%20Kubaisi%20%E2%80%93%20Jiu-jitsu%20%E2%80%93%20Men%E2%80%99s%20-85kg%0D%3Cbr%3EShamsa%20Al%20Ameri%20%E2%80%93%20Jiu-jitsu%20%E2%80%93%20Women%E2%80%99s%20-57kg%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Why are asylum seekers being housed in hotels?
The number of asylum applications in the UK has reached a new record high, driven by those illegally entering the country in small boats crossing the English Channel.
A total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.
Asylum seekers and their families can be housed in temporary accommodation while their claim is assessed.
The Home Office provides the accommodation, meaning asylum seekers cannot choose where they live.
When there is not enough housing, the Home Office can move people to hotels or large sites like former military bases.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Brief scoreline
Switzerland 0
England 0
Result: England win 6-5 on penalties
Man of the Match: Trent Alexander-Arnold (England)
Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
The biog:
From: Wimbledon, London, UK
Education: Medical doctor
Hobbies: Travelling, meeting new people and cultures
Favourite animals: All of them
