Standing under a ripped picture of Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Omar Ahlab was selling coffee to Tripoli’s protestors on Tuesday night.
Tens of thousands gathered in festive anti-government protest for the sixth consecutive day.
In Tripoli, all respect for the Prime Minister, who is also the leader of Lebanon’s Sunni community, is gone. The “capital of the North” is the country’s second-biggest city and has a sizable Sunni majority.
“Hariri said he would fix the country, but he destroyed everything,” complained Mr Ahlab. “We want all politicians to go.”
Still discernible at the bottom of Mr Hariri’s poster was the sentence “we are all with you”.
This was printed on thousands of pictures all over the country as a gesture of support to the Prime Minister when he made a surprise resignation in November 2017, before rescinding it.
When Mr Hariri formed his cabinet earlier this year, after nine months of political infighting, he vowed to “work, work, work,” to implement much-needed economic reforms. But the Lebanese are disappointed with the apparent lack of result.
“We do not want Hariri, [President Michel] Aoun, or [Hezbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah. Excuse my language, but they are all dogs. Dogs. Dogs,” repeated 50-year old carpenter, Ahmad al Amouri, who attended the protests with his family. “Before, in the north, people liked Hariri, but now nobody wants him anymore, whatever he does.”
A father of six children, Mr Al Amouri said he struggles to pay his monthly $400 rent. “There is no work and no money in Tripoli. Politicians buy votes with $50. This is an indication of how hungry our people are.”
Like many other protestors, Mr Al Amouri said he wanted the government to resign and be replaced by “technocrats”.
“I want a new government that looks after people who are dying of hunger,” he said, raising his voice to be heard above the music, chanting and fireworks.
Local media reported on Wednesday that politicians have been discussing a cabinet reshuffle or the resignation of the government.
“You can see from their decisions that they are scared and do not know what to do. Yesterday, the education minister announced that universities would open on Wednesday, before backtracking half an hour later,” said a demonstrator who wished to remain anonymous because his employer asked him not to speak to the media.
Commercial activity had ground to a halt in Lebanon on Tuesday as roads, banks, shops and universities remained closed. The drive from Beirut to Tripoli, which normally takes a little over an hour, took four hours because of roadblocks.
Protestors said they had grown tired of politicians’ promises and stand united in their rejection of the ruling elite that has governed the country since the end of the civil war in 1990.
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Lebanese army clears streets as politicians talk resignations
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The figure of 80,000 protestors on Tuesday night in Tripoli was widely relayed among locals, though no official figures have been released.
Lebanese media previously reported that posters of several politicians had been taken down last week in Tripoli, including ex-prime minister and millionaire Najib Mikati.
A local ex-MP was attacked on Friday when he tried to join protests. His security guards opened fire, wounding four people.
Amal El Jamal, a 38-year old teacher who was out protesting on Tuesday evening, said she was not surprised that politician’s posters had been ripped down.
“We were promised many things, and nothing happened. We do not have electricity, water or social security,” she said. “You cannot blame people who hung the posters in the first place, they are poor and need [political support] to put their kids in schools and hospitals. But it is our right also to not have posters of politicians up.”
Other protestors nuanced their criticism of Mr Hariri, but none said they would vote for him.
“His father [Rafiq Hariri], may his soul rest in peace, did a lot. But in my opinion, Saad Hariri is not a politician. He was a businessman, and they told him that because he is Sunni Muslim he must be like his father and replace him,” said 35-year old English teacher Maya Fawad.
The younger Hariri succeeded to his father after the former prime minister was assassinated in 2005. Fingers pointed to Damascus, which had occupied Lebanon for 29 years, prompting massive protests that pushed Syrian troops out of the country.
Though many have compared the current uprising to the 2005 events, protestors in Tripoli said that this time, they are more significant.
“In 2005, the Lebanese protested for sheikh Rafiq Hariri. Now, all the Lebanese are doing this for themselves, for our passport, for our future, for our kids,” said 25-year old photographer Omar El Imady, standing on a rooftop overlooking the protests in Al Nour square.
Facing him, some activists were drawing a giant Lebanese flag on an eight-floor building, under which they had written in red and white, the country’s colours: “Thanks to the army, the security forces and Tripoli’s municipality. Tripoli is the city of freedom and coexistence. The people’s revolution.”
Mr El Imady said he felt immense pride in the positive image that the protests have brought to Tripoli.
“This is really great. It’s the real image of Tripolitans. Tripoli has been known as ‘Kandahar city’, and now it is showing it is peaceful. They are shouting in one voice and one heart.”
In June, Tripoli witnessed its worst terrorist attack in years, when a man with previous links to ISIS threw grenades and opened fire on the police and army, killing two policemen and two soldiers.
In recent years, it has been rocked by communal violence linked to the Syrian conflict.
Residents complain about lack of investment in the city’s infrastructure, army brutality and a slow judicial system.
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Read more about the coronavirus
Visa changes give families fresh hope
Foreign workers can sponsor family members based solely on their income
Male residents employed in the UAE can sponsor immediate family members, such as wife and children, subject to conditions that include a minimum salary of Dh 4,000 or Dh 3,000 plus accommodation.
Attested original marriage certificate, birth certificate of the child, ejari or rental contract, labour contract, salary certificate must be submitted to the government authorised typing centre to complete the sponsorship process
In Abu Dhabi, a woman can sponsor her husband and children if she holds a residence permit stating she is an engineer, teacher, doctor, nurse or any profession related to the medical sector and her monthly salary is at least Dh 10,000 or Dh 8,000 plus accommodation.
In Dubai, if a woman is not employed in the above categories she can get approval to sponsor her family if her monthly salary is more than Dh 10,000 and with a special permission from the Department of Naturalization and Residency Dubai.
To sponsor parents, a worker should earn Dh20,000 or Dh19,000 a month, plus a two-bedroom accommodation
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT
On sale: now
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
AI traffic lights to ease congestion at seven points to Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Street
The seven points are:
Shakhbout bin Sultan Street
Dhafeer Street
Hadbat Al Ghubainah Street (outbound)
Salama bint Butti Street
Al Dhafra Street
Rabdan Street
Umm Yifina Street exit (inbound)
The five pillars of Islam
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Match info
Manchester United 4
(Pogba 5', 33', Rashford 45', Lukaku 72')
Bournemouth 1
(Ake 45 2')
Red card: Eric Bailly (Manchester United)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
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Fight card
- Aliu Bamidele Lasisi (Nigeria) beat Artid Vamrungauea (Thailand) POINTS
- Julaidah Abdulfatah (Saudi Arabia) beat Martin Kabrhel (Czech Rep) POINTS
- Kem Ljungquist (Denmark) beat Mourad Omar (Egypt) TKO
- Michael Lawal (UK) beat Tamas Kozma (Hungary) KO
- Zuhayr Al Qahtani (Saudi Arabia) beat Mohammed Mahmoud (UK) POINTS
- Darren Surtees (UK) beat Kane Baker (UK) KO
- Chris Eubank Jr (UK) beat JJ McDonagh (Ireland) TKO
- Callum Smith (UK) beat George Groves (UK) KO
Company%20profile
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
