Lebanese officials named a little-known diplomat as the country’s new prime minister as French President French Emmanuel Macron travelled to Beirut on Monday.
Mustapha Adib, 48, has been given the task of dragging Lebanon back from the cliff face and persuading Mr Macron to provide much-needed financial support to the bankrupt country.
The name featured prominently in Google searches over the past 48 hours, with even seasoned political watchers rushing to familiarise themselves with the new leader.
Many of those supported Mr Adib had not heard of him until hours before the parliamentary session where he secured 90 votes, easily beating his nearest rival, Nawaf Salam.
The idea of a no-name leader being entrusted with saving the crisis-ridden country did not inspire confidence among many Lebanese.
They have been calling for an overhaul of a political class widely blamed for crises including the August 4 port blast that ravaged half of Beirut.
"I don’t believe in anyone any more,” said Rony Abdel Massih, 33.
“The government will do whatever Hezbollah wants it to do. This new guy will start with good intentions then after a few weeks he’ll fall under the influence of the corrupt.
"This is a never-ending cycle in Lebanon and it won’t stop until you remove the religious and the fanatics from it.”
Until yesterday, Mr Adib served as Lebanon's ambassador to Germany and previously worked as an aide to a former prime minister, the billionaire Najib Miqati, who is from the same city in North Lebanon, Tripoli.
Mr Adib, who was a political appointment as ambassador, owes his career to powerful patrons.
Analysts say he would be reluctant to turn on them now even as Lebanon lurches from one catastrophe to the next.
Bahaa Hariri, the eldest son of assassinated former prime minister Rafik, often disagrees with the policies and decisions of another former premier, his brother Saad.
Bahaa tweeted his opinion of the new leader earlier in the day.
"Adib is another proxy for Lebanon's old system," he said. "It is not acceptable for warlords and militias to run our country."
Rana, 32, from Tripoli, says she would have preferred to see Mr Salam, an acclaimed judge and former representative to the UN, become prime minister.
“Maybe if he took the lead then we’d see a novel way of running the country," Rana said.
"He’s an independent but that’s why the “sulta” (political class) will never give him a chance.
"I genuinely believe this Mustapha is another Hassan Diab [his predecessor] in a different wig.
"He’s been selected by the same folk who have been robbing us blind for over 30 years.”
Mr Adib will have to steer through a crippling crisis fuelled by years of mismanagement and corruption by the same leaders who appointed him.
Despite this, he is charged with pushing through structural reforms to stop widespread graft and resume negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
Mr Macron has also made it clear that France’s help relied on reforms that wind back the patronage networks that have run Lebanon since the end of the civil war in 1990, and from which all sects and their leaders have profited.
“Adib's appointment does not signal a new era in Lebanese politics but is merely a new face to a rotting regime and homework not well done by Macron,” said Daniella Daou, 23, a university graduate.
In his first televised speech, Mr Adib discussed “the difficult phase" that Lebanon is going through.
"After the destructive explosion that happened in the port that left many dead, injured and homeless, we do not have the time for promises or wishes," he said. "It is time to work."
Mr Adib's first act as prime minister-designate was to visit the site of the port blast, a gesture no other politician has made.
Lebanon’s other leaders were quick to deny responsibility for the devastating explosion that killed at least 190 people and injured 6,000.
TOUR RESULTS AND FIXTURES
June 3: NZ Provincial Barbarians 7 Lions 13
June 7: Blues 22 Lions 16
June 10: Crusaders 3 Lions 12
June 13: Highlanders 23 Lions 22
June 17: Maori All Blacks 10 Lions 32
June 20: Chiefs 6 Lions 34
June 24: New Zealand 30 Lions 15 (First Test)
June 27: Hurricanes 31 Lions 31
July 1: New Zealand 21 Lions 24 (Second Test)
July 8: New Zealand v Lions (Third Test) - kick-off 11.30am (UAE)
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”.
UAE squad
Ali Kashief, Salem Rashid, Khalifa Al Hammadi, Khalfan Mubarak, Ali Mabkhout, Omar Abdelrahman, Mohammed Al Attas (Al Jazira), Mohmmed Al Shamsi, Hamdan Al Kamali, Mohammad Barghash, Khalil Al Hammadi (Al Wahda), Khalid Eisa, Mohammed Shakir, Ahmed Barman, Bandar Al Ahbabi (Al Ain), Adel Al Hosani, Al Hassan Saleh, Majid Suroor (Sharjah), Waleed Abbas, Ismail Al Hammadi, Ahmed Khalil (Shabab Al Ahli Dubai) Habib Fardan, Tariq Ahmed, Mohammed Al Akbari (Al Nasr), Ali Saleh, Ali Salmeen (Al Wasl), Hassan Al Mahrami (Baniyas)
Company%20profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Letswork%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EOmar%20Almheiri%2C%20Hamza%20Khan%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20co-working%20spaces%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%242.1%20million%20in%20a%20seed%20round%20with%20investors%20including%20500%20Global%2C%20The%20Space%2C%20DTEC%20Ventures%20and%20other%20angel%20investors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20about%2020%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Klopp at the Kop
Matches 68; Wins 35; Draws 19; Losses 14; Goals For 133; Goals Against 82
- Eighth place in Premier League in 2015/16
- Runners-up in Europa League in 2016
- Runners-up in League Cup in 2016
- Fourth place in Premier League in 2016/17
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Earth under attack: Cosmic impacts throughout history
- 4.5 billion years ago: Mars-sized object smashes into the newly-formed Earth, creating debris that coalesces to form the Moon
- 66 million years ago: 10km-wide asteroid crashes into the Gulf of Mexico, wiping out over 70 per cent of living species – including the dinosaurs.
- 50,000 years ago: 50m-wide iron meteor crashes in Arizona with the violence of 10 megatonne hydrogen bomb, creating the famous 1.2km-wide Barringer Crater
- 1490: Meteor storm over Shansi Province, north-east China when large stones “fell like rain”, reportedly leading to thousands of deaths.
- 1908: 100-metre meteor from the Taurid Complex explodes near the Tunguska river in Siberia with the force of 1,000 Hiroshima-type bombs, devastating 2,000 square kilometres of forest.
- 1998: Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 breaks apart and crashes into Jupiter in series of impacts that would have annihilated life on Earth.
-2013: 10,000-tonne meteor burns up over the southern Urals region of Russia, releasing a pressure blast and flash that left over 1600 people injured.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only. Readers are encouraged to seek independent legal advice.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
The specs: Macan Turbo
Engine: Dual synchronous electric motors
Power: 639hp
Torque: 1,130Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Touring range: 591km
Price: From Dh412,500
On sale: Deliveries start in October
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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
