As the Arab League’s fourth Economic and Social Development Summit officially kicked off Saturday amidst a disappointing turn out, Syria’s absence from the summit was the main topic of conversation, eclipsing the 29 articles on the agenda such as poverty, the role of women, food security and trade.
Since Syrian President Bashar Al Assad regained control of most of the country after an eight-year-long civil war, several Lebanese politicians, including Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, are calling for Syria’s reintegration into the Arab League. Syria’s membership was suspended in late 2011 after bloodshed sparked by anti-government protests.
“Syria is the biggest absentee in our conference ... Syria should be in our arms rather than throwing it in the arms of terrorism,” Mr Bassil said in his speech Friday. “We should not wait to get permission for its return so that we don’t commit a historic shame by suspending a member because of external orders.” Last week, Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohamed Alhakim also said he supported Syria’s return to the Arab League.
Lebanese newspaper Al Joumhouria reported on Friday that Mr Bassil invited the Syrian ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdul Karim, to attend the summit but he declined, saying that the Arab League's position regarding Syria was "not correct".
The Arab League has resisted Lebanon’s lobbying so far. In a joint press conference with Mr Bassil on Friday afternoon, Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheith explained that Arab states still disagree on whether Syria should be reinstated or not.
However, in an earlier, separate press conference, assistant secretary general of the Arab League, Hossam Zaki, seemed to be more open the idea. “The return is inevitable. Syria has not lost its seat," he said, pointing out that Syria had only been suspended, not expelled.
Several Lebanese commentators have already called the summit a “failure” because several heads of state, particularly from the Gulf, pulled out at the last minute.
At least eight heads of state were originally expected in Beirut, but only two presidents, from Mauritania and Somalia, had confirmed their presence by Friday.
In a surprise move, Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim Al Thani confirmed on Saturday that he would arrive in Lebanon the next day to head his country’s delegation.
The UAE delegation is headed by its Economy Minister, Sultan Al Mansouri.
What has become known as “the flag incident” discouraged many heads of state from attending.
Reviving a 40-year old dispute, Hezbollah’s ally Amal removed a Libyan flag to replace it with a party flag a few days before the summit, sparking outrage in Libya which decided to boycott the event.
Amal accuses Libya of being uncooperative about solving the mysterious disappearance of party founder and cleric Musa Sader in Libya back in 1978.
The Lebanese deputy speaker of Parliament, Elie Ferzli, defended Amal’s leader Nabih Berri – also speaker of parliament – on Saturday, arguing that the low turnout was because of the absence of government in Lebanon and not because of the dispute with Libya.
Lebanon has not been able to form a cabinet since the May 2018 parliamentary elections.
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Read More:
Assad’s allies in Lebanon are pushing for Syria's return to the Arab League
Analysis: Return of UAE mission to Damascus suggests Gulf states want a say in Syria's future
Musa Sadr and the 40-year disappearance that landed Gaddafi’s son in prison
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The fact that the summit was finally held is a small victory, said Jean Tawile, economic adviser to the Kataeb, a political party hostile to Hezbollah. “Even though the level of representation of Arab States does not live up to expectations, it’s positive that the summit was be held at all considering Hezbollah and its allies’ efforts to derail it."
Lebanon also hopes that the Arab League will support its efforts to encourage Syrian refugees to return to their home country. The small country’s weak infrastructure has been severely tested by the presence of nearly 1.5 million Syrians over several years. However, Arab states disagree on how these returns should take place. Mr Bassil said on Friday that it would be discussed further during the summit and called for “real Arab solidarity to share the burden”.
Europe and the US still refuse to support such a return, arguing that a political solution to the conflict must be found first. Russia has stepped in and offered to help, albeit with little tangible result. Refugee return is considered to represent the first step towards Syrian reconstruction.
This topic is not on the summit’s agenda, although the Lebanese caretaker economy minister, Raed Khoury, said that President Michel Aoun would announce the creation of a “structure to finance the reconstruction of destroyed Arab countries” on the summit’s final day on Sunday.
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.
What is cyberbullying?
Cyberbullying or online bullying could take many forms such as sending unkind or rude messages to someone, socially isolating people from groups, sharing embarrassing pictures of them, or spreading rumors about them.
Cyberbullying can take place on various platforms such as messages, on social media, on group chats, or games.
Parents should watch out for behavioural changes in their children.
When children are being bullied they they may be feel embarrassed and isolated, so parents should watch out for signs of signs of depression and anxiety
Company%20Profile
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The five types of long-term residential visas
Obed Suhail of ServiceMarket, an online home services marketplace, outlines the five types of long-term residential visas:
Investors:
A 10-year residency visa can be obtained by investors who invest Dh10 million, out of which 60 per cent should not be in real estate. It can be a public investment through a deposit or in a business. Those who invest Dh5 million or more in property are eligible for a five-year residency visa. The invested amount should be completely owned by the investors, not loaned, and retained for at least three years.
Entrepreneurs:
A five-year multiple entry visa is available to entrepreneurs with a previous project worth Dh0.5m or those with the approval of an accredited business incubator in the UAE.
Specialists
Expats with specialised talents, including doctors, specialists, scientists, inventors, and creative individuals working in the field of culture and art are eligible for a 10-year visa, given that they have a valid employment contract in one of these fields in the country.
Outstanding students:
A five-year visa will be granted to outstanding students who have a grade of 95 per cent or higher in a secondary school, or those who graduate with a GPA of 3.75 from a university.
Retirees:
Expats who are at least 55 years old can obtain a five-year retirement visa if they invest Dh2m in property, have savings of Dh1m or more, or have a monthly income of at least Dh20,000.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
ASHES SCHEDULE
First Test
November 23-27 (The Gabba, Brisbane)
Second Test
December 2-6 (Adelaide Oval, Adelaide)
Third Test
December 14-18 (Waca Ground, Perth)
Fourth Test
December 26-30 (Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne)
Fifth Test
January 4-8, 2018 (Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney)
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol
Power: 154bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option
Price: From Dh79,600
On sale: Now
RESULT
Manchester United 2 Tottenham Hotspur 1
Man United: Sanchez (24' ), Herrera (62')
Spurs: Alli (11')
57%20Seconds
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The five pillars of Islam
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
