Lebanon's Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam has called for a new chapter in the country "rooted in justice, security, progress and opportunities" in his maiden speech.
However, Mr Salam gave up his position as president of the International Court of Justice and arrived in Beirut on Tuesday morning, a day after being chosen by Parliament to head Lebanon's next government.
His appointment, after the election of Mr Aoun last week, has been met with joy in many parts of the country, with people celebrating in Martyrs' Square in Beirut on Monday night.
Both Mr Salam and Mr Aoun are being looked upon as beacons of hope who can deliver real change after Lebanon's myriad crises.
However, selecting a cabinet will be a challenging task for Mr Salam, like other prime ministers before him. The process can take many days, weeks or even months as parliament's many parties vie for representation at the ministerial level.
According to the Lebanese constitution, the cabinet must consider the country's array of religious sects. Hezbollah, although diminished by Israel's war on Lebanon and unable to get its favoured candidates into the posts of president or prime minister, remains powerful. Its parliamentary leader, Mohammad Raad, warned on Monday that the new government must take into account Lebanon's multi-confessional diversity.
Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal Movement, did not support Mr Salam’s nomination, withholding their backing for any candidate. Together, the two blocs hold all the parliamentary seats reserved for Shiites.
Although Mr Salam’s selection is constitutionally sound, the absence of support from any Shiite MP leaves the new government vulnerable to accusations of breaching Lebanon’s National Pact, a power-sharing arrangement that aims to ensure inclusivity and safeguard the rights of the country’s diverse religious sects.
Lebanon's new leaders must also oversee the implementation of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah. The initial 60-day truce period of that agreement comes to an end late this month.
Mr Salam's appointment has been welcomed by the international community but it is unclear how US president-elect Donald Trump may respond to his appointment.
As president of the International Court of Justice, based in The Hague, Mr Salam criticised Israel for its actions in Gaza. Last year, under his leadership, the ICJ held its first hearing on a case filed by South Africa accusing Israel of genocide in the Palestinian territory – a claim Israel dismissed as baseless. Mr Trump is a staunch supporter of Israel.
Opposition MPs rally round Mr Salam
Mr Salam is seen as a newcomer and a break from the traditional political system. His nomination could bring the country relief after Israel's war on Lebanon in which 4,000 people were killed, more than 16,000 wounded and destruction totalling billions of dollars caused.
To ensure Mr Salam reached the premiership, "Change" MPs – lawmakers who emerged after the October 2019 protests against Lebanon's ruling elite – held meetings on Sunday evening to consolidate support behind a single candidate, aiming to challenge the traditional political establishment.
What eventually transpired on Monday would have seemed extremely difficult to achieve even two days earlier.
A group of 31 MPs, comprising members of the Lebanese Forces, parliament’s largest party, Kataeb and a number of independents, announced on Saturday that they would back one of their own - Fouad Makhzoumi.
The “Change” bloc of MPs initially wanted one of their own: Ibrahim Mneimeh.
But there was a problem; even if the two blocs were able to converge on either name - having frequently agreed on other parliamentary matters previously - it would likely not be enough to win. The message coming from two key parties who had not formally declared their position - the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and the Druze Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) - was that neither name was acceptable to them.
“We needed support from the FPM, the PSP and the Sunni blocs, as the PM candidate needs Sunni support,” a Kataeb source told The National.
It is understood that Mr Makhzoumi withdrew from the race when he realised it would be difficult to win the FPM and PSP round.
"It was an honour to receive the support of opposition MPs," Mr Makhzoumi said upon withdrawing, emphasising the importance of unity among opposition forces.
“We had to go for an option that we thought could create a new momentum and drastically increase the winning chances, even though it’s not one of our members,” said a senior LF source.
“This is where Nawaf Salam came from,” the source added, pointing out that it was not the first time his name had been mentioned.
Both Kataeb and LF were keen to stress that Mr Salam was not a name that had come out of nowhere and that they had voiced support for him in previous years.
The move by the "Change" MPs and other opposition groups was intended to present a unified front against figures associated with Lebanon's long-standing political system, such as the outgoing prime minister Najib Mikati.
The Kataeb source said “the main objective was to beat Mikati”.
The LF source said they consulted with other groups like the FPM and PSP and discovered that “if we go with somebody who is independent enough, we have a really serious chance of winning”.
By rallying behind Mr Salam, "Change" and opposition MPs sought to increase the likelihood of his appointment and signal a shift towards reform and new leadership in Lebanon.
Negotiations over the choice of prime minister went on until 3am on Monday morning, the LF source said.
“Some blocs waited until the last minute to endorse Mr Salam,” independent MP Michel Douaihy told The National. “They chose to back him after seeing the momentum building in his favour and recognising he was securing significant support. We believe he is, at this moment, the right candidate to address and work on the key issues highlighted in the president’s inaugural address."
Mr Salam ended up securing the support of 84 out of 128 lawmakers, highlighting a shift in Lebanon's political dynamics.
“At this stage, it’s very important that we all unite around the President’s inaugural speech,” said Mr Douaihy. “The time will come later for us to compete as political parties and blocs on issues related to politics, economics and social priorities. For now, unity is essential.”
THE DETAILS
Kaala
Dir: Pa. Ranjith
Starring: Rajinikanth, Huma Qureshi, Easwari Rao, Nana Patekar
Rating: 1.5/5
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Heavily-sugared soft drinks slip through the tax net
Some popular drinks with high levels of sugar and caffeine have slipped through the fizz drink tax loophole, as they are not carbonated or classed as an energy drink.
Arizona Iced Tea with lemon is one of those beverages, with one 240 millilitre serving offering up 23 grams of sugar - about six teaspoons.
A 680ml can of Arizona Iced Tea costs just Dh6.
Most sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, five teaspoons of sugar in a 500ml bottle.
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
About Karol Nawrocki
• Supports military aid for Ukraine, unlike other eurosceptic leaders, but he will oppose its membership in western alliances.
• A nationalist, his campaign slogan was Poland First. "Let's help others, but let's take care of our own citizens first," he said on social media in April.
• Cultivates tough-guy image, posting videos of himself at shooting ranges and in boxing rings.
• Met Donald Trump at the White House and received his backing.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
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
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How being social media savvy can improve your well being
Next time when procastinating online remember that you can save thousands on paying for a personal trainer and a gym membership simply by watching YouTube videos and keeping up with the latest health tips and trends.
As social media apps are becoming more and more consumed by health experts and nutritionists who are using it to awareness and encourage patients to engage in physical activity.
Elizabeth Watson, a personal trainer from Stay Fit gym in Abu Dhabi suggests that “individuals can use social media as a means of keeping fit, there are a lot of great exercises you can do and train from experts at home just by watching videos on YouTube”.
Norlyn Torrena, a clinical nutritionist from Burjeel Hospital advises her clients to be more technologically active “most of my clients are so engaged with their phones that I advise them to download applications that offer health related services”.
Torrena said that “most people believe that dieting and keeping fit is boring”.
However, by using social media apps keeping fit means that people are “modern and are kept up to date with the latest heath tips and trends”.
“It can be a guide to a healthy lifestyle and exercise if used in the correct way, so I really encourage my clients to download health applications” said Mrs Torrena.
People can also connect with each other and exchange “tips and notes, it’s extremely healthy and fun”.
In 2018, the ICRC received 27,756 trace requests in the Middle East alone. The global total was 45,507.
There are 139,018 global trace requests that have not been resolved yet, 55,672 of these are in the Middle East region.
More than 540,000 individuals approached the ICRC in the Middle East asking to be reunited with missing loved ones in 2018.
The total figure for the entire world was 654,000 in 2018.
Crime%20Wave
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Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
The 12 Syrian entities delisted by UK
Ministry of Interior
Ministry of Defence
General Intelligence Directorate
Air Force Intelligence Agency
Political Security Directorate
Syrian National Security Bureau
Military Intelligence Directorate
Army Supply Bureau
General Organisation of Radio and TV
Al Watan newspaper
Cham Press TV
Sama TV
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Zayed Sustainability Prize
More on Quran memorisation:
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
UK's plans to cut net migration
Under the UK government’s proposals, migrants will have to spend 10 years in the UK before being able to apply for citizenship.
Skilled worker visas will require a university degree, and there will be tighter restrictions on recruitment for jobs with skills shortages.
But what are described as "high-contributing" individuals such as doctors and nurses could be fast-tracked through the system.
Language requirements will be increased for all immigration routes to ensure a higher level of English.
Rules will also be laid out for adult dependants, meaning they will have to demonstrate a basic understanding of the language.
The plans also call for stricter tests for colleges and universities offering places to foreign students and a reduction in the time graduates can remain in the UK after their studies from two years to 18 months.
HEADLINE HERE
- I would recommend writing out the text in the body
- And then copy into this box
- It can be as long as you link
- But I recommend you use the bullet point function (see red square)
- Or try to keep the word count down
- Be wary of other embeds lengthy fact boxes could crash into
- That's about it
GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
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
