Tension was high in Beirut on Wednesday evening as anti-government protesters were intimidated by scores of young men supporting former prime minister Saad Hariri, who is expected to be nominated as premier again on Thursday.
About 40 protesters who gathered in late afternoon in downtown Beirut planned to march to Mr Hariri’s house to protest against his return to power, demonstrator Cherine Zein said.
But his supporters organised a counter-protest, forcing the demonstrators to stay downtown. The army and riot police intervened to separate the two groups.
Resident Ali was sitting with friends smoking shisha on Martyrs' Square when he saw "about 150 young men" arrive on motorbikes and burn down a giant cut-out fist that had become a symbol of Lebanon's anti-government movement.
“They insulted the revolution and parked the motorbikes in the middle of the road," Ali said.
"One of them had a bottle of fuel that he poured on the fist and they set it alight.
"I tried to stop them but they attacked me. They were chanting 'God, Hariri and Tarik Jdideh'."
Tarik Jdideh is a neighbourhood of Beirut that is famous for supporting Mr Hariri’s political party, the Future Movement.
By 7pm Mr Hariri’s supporters, who also broke a giant phoenix built by Lebanese artist Hayat Nazer in late 2019 in Martyrs' Square, had left downtown Beirut.
The Internal Security Forces said it arrested four people and was conducting an investigation into the incident.
Mr Hariri is the only candidate for prime minister and is expected to be chosen by parliamentary blocs during binding consultations on Thursday.
Caretaker prime minister Hassan Diab stepped down after a devastating explosion in Beirut’s port that killed at least 190 people on August 4.
After the incident at Martyrs' Square, Mr Hariri’s Future Movement denied any involvement and urged its followers “adhere to the highest levels of restraint".
Early on Wednesday evening, a small group of protesters escorted by riot police and soldiers marched towards Mr Hariri’s house.
They sang “Rise up Beirut,” and chanted “Solidere is dirty, dirty, and Hariri is the same”.
Solidere is a private development company that rebuilt downtown Beirut after the 1975-1990 civil war and was founded by Mr hariri's assassinated father and former prime minister Rafik Hariri.
Protesters have criticised Solidere in the past for only catering to the rich.
“We don’t want Hariri to come back. He is part of this corruption,” said Ms Zein, echoing widespread anger at the corruption of successive Lebanese governments.
“It’s going to take time but we’ll keep fighting.”
Ali said the burnt fist in Martyrs' Square would be replaced.
“My eight-year-old son called me crying," he said. "He said, ‘Look Papa, the fist is burning'. But tomorrow we’ll build another one.
It was first burnt down by an unknown man on a motorbike in late November, after it had been attacked by supporters of Hezbollah and Amal, two Iran-backed political parties that criticised the anti-government movement.
The fist was immediately rebuilt but the protest movement has significantly weakened since.
Mr Hariri repeatedly supported the protests since his resignation on October 29, 2019, nearly two weeks after the anti-government movement started.
Protesters called for the resignation of the entire political class, but Mr Hariri was the only politician to step down.
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Real Madrid 2 (Benzema 13', Kroos 28')
Barcelona 1 (Mingueza 60')
Red card: Casemiro (Real Madrid)
Structural%20weaknesses%20facing%20Israel%20economy
%3Cp%3E1.%20Labour%20productivity%20is%20lower%20than%20the%20average%20of%20the%20developed%20economies%2C%20particularly%20in%20the%20non-tradable%20industries.%3Cbr%3E2.%20The%20low%20level%20of%20basic%20skills%20among%20workers%20and%20the%20high%20level%20of%20inequality%20between%20those%20with%20various%20skills.%3Cbr%3E3.%20Low%20employment%20rates%2C%20particularly%20among%20Arab%20women%20and%20Ultra-Othodox%20Jewish%20men.%3Cbr%3E4.%20A%20lack%20of%20basic%20knowledge%20required%20for%20integration%20into%20the%20labour%20force%2C%20due%20to%20the%20lack%20of%20core%20curriculum%20studies%20in%20schools%20for%20Ultra-Othodox%20Jews.%3Cbr%3E5.%20A%20need%20to%20upgrade%20and%20expand%20physical%20infrastructure%2C%20particularly%20mass%20transit%20infrastructure.%3Cbr%3E6.%20The%20poverty%20rate%20at%20more%20than%20double%20the%20OECD%20average.%3Cbr%3E7.%20Population%20growth%20of%20about%202%20per%20cent%20per%20year%2C%20compared%20to%200.6%20per%20cent%20OECD%20average%20posing%20challenge%20for%20fiscal%20policy%20and%20underpinning%20pressure%20on%20education%2C%20health%20care%2C%20welfare%20housing%20and%20physical%20infrastructure%2C%20which%20will%20increase%20in%20the%20coming%20years.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
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Marseille 0
Atletico Madrid 3
Greizmann (21', 49'), Gabi (89')
Tax authority targets shisha levy evasion
The Federal Tax Authority will track shisha imports with electronic markers to protect customers and ensure levies have been paid.
Khalid Ali Al Bustani, director of the tax authority, on Sunday said the move is to "prevent tax evasion and support the authority’s tax collection efforts".
The scheme’s first phase, which came into effect on 1st January, 2019, covers all types of imported and domestically produced and distributed cigarettes. As of May 1, importing any type of cigarettes without the digital marks will be prohibited.
He said the latest phase will see imported and locally produced shisha tobacco tracked by the final quarter of this year.
"The FTA also maintains ongoing communication with concerned companies, to help them adapt their systems to meet our requirements and coordinate between all parties involved," he said.
As with cigarettes, shisha was hit with a 100 per cent tax in October 2017, though manufacturers and cafes absorbed some of the costs to prevent prices doubling.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')
Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)
