Syria replaces controversial justice minister as it forms new government


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Mazhar Al Wais has been appointed Syria’s Justice Minister, replacing the controversial figure Shadi Al Waisi in the announcement of the country’s newly formed government late on Saturday.

Mr Al Waisi, who was a religious official in Al Nusra Front, is alleged to have condemned two women to death for prostitution and adultery in January 2015, in executions purportedly caught on footage shared on social media in early January.

It was reported that the women were killed in Idlib, which was controlled by Al Nusra Front at the time. Mr Al Waisi, formerly head of general intelligence, was a judge for the Al Qaeda affiliate in the northern Syrian province.

A still image from video footage purporting to show Shadi Al Waisi overseeing executions in Idlib in 2015
A still image from video footage purporting to show Shadi Al Waisi overseeing executions in Idlib in 2015

The development comes as the country announced a 23-member, religiously and ethnically mixed Cabinet to lead a five-year transitional period, replacing the interim government that was formed shortly after Bashar Al Assad was removed from power in early December.

Mr Al Wais pledged on Saturday to “consolidate the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary”. He added: “We will work to empower justice and work to reform the legislative structure and achieve transitional justice to bring justice to victims,” he said in a speech after his appointment.

He has a background in Islamic jurisprudence, having contributed to the establishment of the Ministry of Justice in northern Syria, and has been a member of the Supreme Judicial Council since 2017, reported Sana, the state news agency.

He was sentenced to six years in Syria's notorious Sednaya Prison in 2008 by the Assad regime, Sana said.

The new government was announced ahead of Eid Al Fitr, the feast that marks the end of the Ramadan, that starts in Syria on Monday.

The formation of the cabinet comes at a critical time for Syria, amid continuing Israeli raids and strikes, and in the aftermath of a brutal campaign against Assad loyalists marked by sectarian and revenge killings that claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians, many from minority communities.

Nepotism is the name of the game

Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad. 

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Something of a fashion anomaly, normcore is essentially a celebration of the unremarkable. The term was first popularised by an article in New York magazine in 2014 and has been dubbed “ugly”, “bland’ and "anti-style" by fashion writers. It’s hallmarks are comfort, a lack of pretentiousness and neutrality – it is a trend for those who would rather not stand out from the crowd. For the most part, the style is unisex, favouring loose silhouettes, thrift-shop threads, baseball caps and boyish trainers. It is important to note that normcore is not synonymous with cheapness or low quality; there are high-fashion brands, including Parisian label Vetements, that specialise in this style. Embraced by fashion-forward street-style stars around the globe, it’s uptake in the UAE has been relatively slow.

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

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Premier League, kick off 7.30pm (UAE)

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Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo

Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm

Transmission: eight-speed auto

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2.0

Director: S Shankar

Producer: Lyca Productions; presented by Dharma Films

Cast: Rajnikanth, Akshay Kumar, Amy Jackson, Sudhanshu Pandey

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

The Programme

Saturday, October 26: ‘The Time That Remains’ (2009) by Elia Suleiman
Saturday, November 2: ‘Beginners’ (2010) by Mike Mills
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Saturday, December 7: ‘Timbuktu’ (2014) by Abderrahmane Sissako
Saturday, December 21: ‘Rams’ (2015) by Grimur Hakonarson

The Voice of Hind Rajab

Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees

Director: Kaouther Ben Hania

Rating: 4/5

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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOutsized%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2016%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAzeem%20Zainulbhai%2C%20Niclas%20Thelander%2C%20Anurag%20Bhalla%20and%20Johann%20van%20Niekerk%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EIndia%2C%20South%20Africa%2C%20South-East%20Asia%2C%20Mena%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Recruitment%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20raised%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%241%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECurrent%20staff%20count%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2040%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESeed%20and%20angel%20investors%0D%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Engine 3.6-litre V6

Gearbox Eight-speed automatic

Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm

Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm

Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km

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Updated: March 30, 2025, 10:52 AM`