Two Lebanese Christians politicians have said in forthright terms that their community took the brunt of the destruction after the Beirut port explosion last week, raising sectarian stakes amid the upheaval engulfing the country.
Although Lebanon has been deeply divided since the establishment of the Second Republic in 1990, politicians rarely used naked references to their religion, after violence engulfed most the country’s 18 officially recognised sects in the civil war.
But the two politicians, Samir Geagea and Nadim Gemayel, directly referred in the last few days to Christian East Beirut as having taken most of the damage from the explosion at the port.
The explosion of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate on Tuesday killed 158 people and wounded 6,000. It occurred amid disintegration of the Hezbollah-aligned government and the collapse of the country.
Mr Geagea, head of the Lebanese Forces Movement and one of Hezbollah’s fiercest critics, on Saturday termed the port disaster as the “Achrafieh explosion”, after a Christian district where damage was among the heaviest.
Nadim Gemayel, one of at least six members of parliament who resigned in protest at the government’s failures, said “the explosion caused the biggest pain among the Christians.”
“The pain we are feeling is Christian first, Beiruti second and finally Lebanese,” he said on television.
Although Mr Gemayel expected the whole of Lebanon to show solidarity with the victims, he emphasised that the Christian districts were hardest hit.
Pro-Hezbollah politicians have been subdued, amid cabinet resignations that could bring down the most pro-Hezbollah administration since the end of the civil war.
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said that he “looks positively” at a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron last week. In Beirut for a day, Mr. Macron floated a vague political initiative for Lebanon to qualify for long-term aid.
The pro-Hezbollah Al Mayadeen Television criticised Mr Macron for meeting people in the Christian district of Gemayzeh, which is adjacent to the explosion site.
Al Mayadeen indicated that Mr Macron should have gone to Shiite districts, although the Shiite areas sustained far less damage.
Youssef Bazzi, a veteran Lebanese political commentator told The National that politicians trying to capitalise on sectarian sentiment after the explosion are unlikely to gain much.
Mr Bazzi pointed to Mr Geagea receiving a hostile reception when he visited Achrafieh after the explosion to show his solidarity with his coreligionists.
“No Christian politician can show his face on the streets, whether he is pro- or anti-government, because they are seen as having contributed to the nadir Lebanon has reached,” he said.
Mr Bazzi said Hezbollah has no interest in escalation, because French proposals are unlikely to significantly challenge its dominance over the state, and its status as the only officially-sanctioned armed group in Lebanon.
“Hezbollah is lying low,” Mr Bazzi said. “Playing the sectarian card would bring it little advantage now.”
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.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
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Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
Gender equality in the workplace still 200 years away
It will take centuries to achieve gender parity in workplaces around the globe, according to a December report from the World Economic Forum.
The WEF study said there had been some improvements in wage equality in 2018 compared to 2017, when the global gender gap widened for the first time in a decade.
But it warned that these were offset by declining representation of women in politics, coupled with greater inequality in their access to health and education.
At current rates, the global gender gap across a range of areas will not close for another 108 years, while it is expected to take 202 years to close the workplace gap, WEF found.
The Geneva-based organisation's annual report tracked disparities between the sexes in 149 countries across four areas: education, health, economic opportunity and political empowerment.
After years of advances in education, health and political representation, women registered setbacks in all three areas this year, WEF said.
Only in the area of economic opportunity did the gender gap narrow somewhat, although there is not much to celebrate, with the global wage gap narrowing to nearly 51 per cent.
And the number of women in leadership roles has risen to 34 per cent globally, WEF said.
At the same time, the report showed there are now proportionately fewer women than men participating in the workforce, suggesting that automation is having a disproportionate impact on jobs traditionally performed by women.
And women are significantly under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills, WEF said.
* Agence France Presse
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Keep it fun and engaging
Stuart Ritchie, director of wealth advice at AES International, says children cannot learn something overnight, so it helps to have a fun routine that keeps them engaged and interested.
“I explain to my daughter that the money I draw from an ATM or the money on my bank card doesn’t just magically appear – it’s money I have earned from my job. I show her how this works by giving her little chores around the house so she can earn pocket money,” says Mr Ritchie.
His daughter is allowed to spend half of her pocket money, while the other half goes into a bank account. When this money hits a certain milestone, Mr Ritchie rewards his daughter with a small lump sum.
He also recommends books that teach the importance of money management for children, such as The Squirrel Manifesto by Ric Edelman and Jean Edelman.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The specs
Engine: 2x201bhp AC Permanent-magnetic electric
Transmission: n/a
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 659Nm
Price estimate: Dh200,000
On sale: Q3 2022
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