Lebanon has ended its presidential deadlock by electing Joseph Aoun as its new head of state, but the former army commander faces many immediate decisions to address the country's multifaceted crises.
The challenges are pressing as the 60-day deadline for Israel to withdraw from Lebanon under a ceasefire agreement expires in a few weeks, while the new president also set out several ambitious aims during his inaugural speech to the 128-seat parliament.
His first task is to appoint a prime minister. This will follow consultations with all MPs and parliamentary blocs at the presidential palace in Baabda starting on Monday.
Current Prime Minister Najib Mikati, whose cabinet has held acting head of state powers during the presidential impasse of more than two years, said he was ready to be prime minister again if asked, but that he required a “period of rest”.
Mr Aoun said he asked Mr Mikati to continue in his role until a new prime minister is chosen. While Mr Mikati has boasted of enjoying good relations with Lebanon's new leader, the true strength of their ties is unknown.
There are no clear indications yet of who could fill the role but under Lebanon's confessional system, the prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim.
Presidential powers curtailed
The powers of the Lebanese president have evolved, particularly after the 1989 Taif Agreement, which redefined the balance of power in the country's political system.
Before the Taif Agreement, the president, traditionally a Maronite Christian, held extensive executive powers, including appointing the prime minister, forming governments and presiding over the Council of Ministers. However, the agreement, aimed at ending Lebanon's civil war and fostering sectarian balance, curtailed the president's authority by redistributing executive powers to the Council of Ministers collectively, led by a Sunni Muslim prime minister.
The president retained ceremonial roles, the ability to consult on government formation and limited veto powers but became more of a symbolic unifier than a dominant executive force. “The President of the Republic shall designate the prime minister in consultation with the President of the Chamber of Deputies based on binding parliamentary consultations, the content of which he shall formally disclose to the latter,” Article 53 of the constitution says.
Lebanon's parliament is made up of many factions and sects, highlighting the country's religious diversity. No bloc holds a majority, which is why Lebanon is no stranger to political vacuums. The plethora of political parties and religions will need to be accounted for when the horse trading over the make-up of the cabinet begins.
It is not an easy task. Mr Aoun's predecessor Michel Aoun, also a former army commander, was unable to agree on the make-up of the cabinet during his term.
A new prime minister means a fully empowered government which can ease the process of filling crucial senior state positions – such as the central bank governor and head of General Security.
With a government in place, Lebanon will stand on more stable ground when negotiating with Israel. A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah has halted more than a year of hostilities and three months of war in Lebanon. With the deal expiring on January 26, a new Lebanese cabinet could lead the talks, further undermining Hezbollah's role in the political scene.
Lofty ambitions but people are hopeful
Hezbollah is weakened by 15 months of war, with its senior leadership obliterated, but it is still a highly potent power. By going with a western-backed president, it is unclear if the heavily armed Shiite, Iran-backed group gained any concessions for positions in the next cabinet.
In his speech to parliament on Thursday, the new president said all arms should be in the hands of the state. Those comments were received positively by most MPs, but not Hezbollah, which has built its image on being a military resistance against Israel.
For the first time in nearly three decades, Lebanon's elected president falls outside the party’s sphere of influence, a major political shift.
But what separates the two former army commanders, Joseph Aoun and Michel Aoun, is that the former did not come from a political background while the latter did.
“He is the first one who did not come from a political background or was forced through by Syria,” said Beirut resident Mustafa Fayyad, walking through the capital's upmarket Achrafieh neighbourhood.
The Assad regime in Syria had a major influence on its neighbour, occupying Lebanon from 1976 to 2005. But that all changed when Bashar Al Assad was toppled last month.
“I trust him because he is the army commander,” said Maroun Kassis, offering cautious optimism that the new president could deliver on his speech. The army is highly respected in Lebanese society.
Under the US-brokered ceasefire deal, Israel has until the end of January to withdraw from southern Lebanon and Hezbollah must withdraw north of the Litani River. The Lebanese army is to bolster its numbers in south Lebanon and ensure Hezbollah has withdrawn.
Mr Aoun vowed to implement the ceasefire deal, promote independence in the judiciary and protect the assets of depositors – who lost their life savings in 2019 in a financial collapse blamed on decades of corruption and mismanagement by the ruling Lebanese elite.
Beirut resident Mr Fayyad was more cautious about financial future, saying: “For our bank savings, I'm not so sure.”
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
How to register as a donor
1) Organ donors can register on the Hayat app, run by the Ministry of Health and Prevention
2) There are about 11,000 patients in the country in need of organ transplants
3) People must be over 21. Emiratis and residents can register.
4) The campaign uses the hashtag #donate_hope
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Friday’s fixture
6.15pm: Al Wahda v Hatta
6.15pm: Al Dhafra v Ajman
9pm: Al Wasl v Baniyas
9pm: Fujairah v Sharjah
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Race card
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 (PA) US$100,000 (Dirt) 2,000m
7.05pm: Meydan Classic Listed (TB) $175,000 (Turf) 1,600m
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 2,000m
8.15pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (D) 1,600m
8.50pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy Group 2 (TB) $300,000 (T) 2,810m
9.25pm: Curlin Stakes Listed (TB) $175,000 (D) 2,000m
10pm: Handicap (TB) $135,000 (T) 2,000m
10.35pm: Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
The National selections
6.30pm: Shahm, 7.05pm: Well Of Wisdom, 7.40pm: Lucius Tiberius, 8.15pm: Captain Von Trapp, 8.50pm: Secret Advisor, 9.25pm: George Villiers, 10pm: American Graffiti, 10.35pm: On The Warpath
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SERIE A FIXTURES
Friday Sassuolo v Torino (Kick-off 10.45pm UAE)
Saturday Atalanta v Sampdoria (5pm),
Genoa v Inter Milan (8pm),
Lazio v Bologna (10.45pm)
Sunday Cagliari v Crotone (3.30pm)
Benevento v Napoli (6pm)
Parma v Spezia (6pm)
Fiorentina v Udinese (9pm)
Juventus v Hellas Verona (11.45pm)
Monday AC Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
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When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
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Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
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GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 268hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 380Nm at 4,800rpm
Transmission: CVT auto
Fuel consumption: 9.5L/100km
On sale: now
Price: from Dh195,000
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
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- Financial well-being incentives
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Jebel Ali results
2pm: Handicap (PA) Dh 50,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner: AF Al Moreeb, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
2.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Shamikh, Ryan Curatolo, Nicholas Bachalard
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 64,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: One Vision, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
3.30pm: Conditions (TB) Dh 100,000 (D) 1,600m
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4pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 96,000 (D) 1,800m
Winner: Just A Penny, Sam Hitchcock, Doug Watson
4.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh 60,000 (D) 1,600m
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5pm: Handicap (TB) Dh 76,000 (D) 1,950m
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SHOW COURTS ORDER OF PLAY
Wimbledon order of play on Saturday, July 8
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Centre Court (4pm)
Agnieszka Radwanska (9) v Timea Bacsinszky (19)
Ernests Gulbis v Novak Djokovic (2)
Mischa Zverev (27) v Roger Federer (3)
Court 1 (4pm)
Milos Raonic (6) v Albert Ramos-Vinolas (25)
Anett Kontaveit v Caroline Wozniacki (5)
Dominic Thiem (8) v Jared Donaldson
Court 2 (2.30pm)
Sorana Cirstea v Garbine Muguruza (14)
To finish: Sam Querrey (24) leads Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (12) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6, 1-6, 6-5
Angelique Kerber (1) v Shelby Rogers
Sebastian Ofner v Alexander Zverev (10)
Court 3 (2.30pm)
Grigor Dimitrov (13) v Dudi Sela
Alison Riske v Coco Vandeweghe (24)
David Ferrer v Tomas Berdych (11)
Court 12 (2.30pm)
Polona Hercog v Svetlana Kuznetsova (7)
Gael Monfils (15) v Adrian Mannarino
Court 18 (2.30pm)
Magdalena Rybarikova v Lesia Tsurenko
Petra Martic v Zarina Diyas
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UAE’s revised Cricket World Cup League Two schedule
August, 2021: Host - United States; Teams - UAE, United States and Scotland
Between September and November, 2021 (dates TBC): Host - Namibia; Teams - Namibia, Oman, UAE
December, 2021: Host - UAE; Teams - UAE, Namibia, Oman
February, 2022: Hosts - Nepal; Teams - UAE, Nepal, PNG
June, 2022: Hosts - Scotland; Teams - UAE, United States, Scotland
September, 2022: Hosts - PNG; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal
February, 2023: Hosts - UAE; Teams - UAE, PNG, Nepal
Citadel: Honey Bunny first episode
Directors: Raj & DK
Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon
Rating: 4/5
About Housecall
Date started: July 2020
Founders: Omar and Humaid Alzaabi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech
# of staff: 10
Funding to date: Self-funded
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
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In Search of Mary Shelley: The Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein
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Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed
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Price: Dh898,000
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- 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
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The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need
Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman
Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs
Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing
