Live updates: Follow the latest news on Israel-Gaza
Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati visited Qatar on Sunday, where he met the Qatari Emir, Sheikh Tamim to discuss the Gaza war.
The discussions included the "most recent developments in the Palestinian territories and the region”, and “the enhancement of bilateral relations between Lebanon and Qatar,” according to Mr Mikati’s official website.
After the meeting, Mr Mikati held talks with Qatar's Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in the presence of Farah Berri, charge d'affaires of the Lebanese embassy in Qatar.
This visit took place in the context of the continuing border conflict between Iran-backed Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, and Israel.
Deadly clashes erupted at the Lebanese-Israeli frontier nearly three weeks ago, after the attack by Hamas on October 7 in Israeli territory, leading to a massive escalation of violence in Gaza.
Hezbollah has praised Hamas's attack and offered armed support but is yet to become fully engaged in the war.
The violence, so far confined to a few towns at the Israeli-Lebanese border, has killed at least 58 people in Lebanon, including civilians, and four people on the Israeli side.
There are concerns that the Israel-Hamas war will spill into the region, dragging Lebanon into a full-blown conflict.
The decision as to whether Lebanon, which is struggling with one of the worst economic crises in modern history, would enter the war is not in the government's control, as Mr Mikati said.
The country is experiencing a leadership crisis, with no president, and a government in its caretaker capacity that seems to have limited influence.
Despite the conflict at its border, Lebanon was not invited to the Cairo peace summit along with Jordan, France, Germany, Russia, China, the UK, the US, Qatar and South Africa, which was aimed at de-escalating the Israel-Gaza war.
The meeting ended without a breakthrough, without a joint statement and with no agreement towards containing the violence.
Hezbollah, a formidable militia said to be more powerful than the Lebanese army, and its sponsor Iran, are key players in deciding whether to join the Israel-Gaza war.
Details of the meeting between Mr Mikati and Sheikh Tamim have not been disclosed.
Doha has positioned itself as a mediator in the war, using its ties with Hamas, of which several leaders are based in Qatar, and its close relationship with the United States.
Qatar-led negotiations have already led to the release of four hostages taken during Hamas's attack on October 7.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
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What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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Call the hotline on 0502955999 or send "thenational" to the following numbers:
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Notable salonnières of the Middle East through history
Al Khasan (Okaz, Saudi Arabia)
Tamadir bint Amr Al Harith, known simply as Al Khasan, was a poet from Najd famed for elegies, earning great renown for the eulogy of her brothers Mu’awiyah and Sakhr, both killed in tribal wars. Although not a salonnière, this prestigious 7th century poet fostered a culture of literary criticism and could be found standing in the souq of Okaz and reciting her poetry, publicly pronouncing her views and inviting others to join in the debate on scholarship. She later converted to Islam.
Maryana Marrash (Aleppo)
A poet and writer, Marrash helped revive the tradition of the salon and was an active part of the Nadha movement, or Arab Renaissance. Born to an established family in Aleppo in Ottoman Syria in 1848, Marrash was educated at missionary schools in Aleppo and Beirut at a time when many women did not receive an education. After touring Europe, she began to host salons where writers played chess and cards, competed in the art of poetry, and discussed literature and politics. An accomplished singer and canon player, music and dancing were a part of these evenings.
Princess Nazil Fadil (Cairo)
Princess Nazil Fadil gathered religious, literary and political elite together at her Cairo palace, although she stopped short of inviting women. The princess, a niece of Khedive Ismail, believed that Egypt’s situation could only be solved through education and she donated her own property to help fund the first modern Egyptian University in Cairo.
Mayy Ziyadah (Cairo)
Ziyadah was the first to entertain both men and women at her Cairo salon, founded in 1913. The writer, poet, public speaker and critic, her writing explored language, religious identity, language, nationalism and hierarchy. Born in Nazareth, Palestine, to a Lebanese father and Palestinian mother, her salon was open to different social classes and earned comparisons with souq of where Al Khansa herself once recited.
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