BEIRUT // A Kuwaiti man freed by gunmen who abducted him last week in east Lebanon said his kidnappers accused him wrongfully of being a rebel commander in the Free Syrian Army.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said that Issam Al Houti was released yesterday at the home of Bassam Tleyss, a high-ranking member of the Shiite movement Amal of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
Describing his ordeal, Houti said he was seized in the Bekaa Valley, where he lives, by unknown gunmen who accused him of involvement in the armed opposition against Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.
"They accused me of terrorism and that I am a commander of the terrorist Free [Syrian] Army. I told them I have nothing to do with politics," he said.
Mr Tleyss, meanwhile, denied that he had been commissioned to pay a ransom to secure Houti's release, adding he was freed thanks to popular pressure and the work of the Lebanese security forces.
A Lebanese security official said the kidnapping was likely motivated by money and not politics.
Mr Houti lived in Lebanon and was seized from his car in the town of Howsh Al Ghanam in the Bekaa Valley, according to security officials.
Abductions have fuelled fears of Syria-related violence spilling over into Lebanon, where a Shiite clan kidnapped around 20 Syrians earlier this month in retaliation for the abduction of a family member by a Syrian rebel group.
The UAE and several other Arabian Gulf states ordered their nationals — who often holiday in Lebanon — to leave the country and not to travel this month in the face of threats.
Lebanon's political parties are deeply divided over the Syrian crisis, with the Western-backed opposition supporting the uprising and the Shiite militant group Hezbollah, an ally of the Amal Movement, backing the Assad government.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
STAY%2C%20DAUGHTER
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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.
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 – 1923
Editor Ze’ev Rosenkranz
Princeton
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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CONFIRMED%20LINE-UP
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VEZEETA PROFILE
Date started: 2012
Founder: Amir Barsoum
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: HealthTech / MedTech
Size: 300 employees
Funding: $22.6 million (as of September 2018)
Investors: Technology Development Fund, Silicon Badia, Beco Capital, Vostok New Ventures, Endeavour Catalyst, Crescent Enterprises’ CE-Ventures, Saudi Technology Ventures and IFC
About Okadoc
Date started: Okadoc, 2018
Founder/CEO: Fodhil Benturquia
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Healthcare
Size: (employees/revenue) 40 staff; undisclosed revenues recording “double-digit” monthly growth
Funding stage: Series B fundraising round to conclude in February
Investors: Undisclosed
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
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
