Listen to the latest podcast on the Beirut blast here
August 4, 2020
A hangar in Beirut port in which 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate had been stored from 2014 explodes, killing at least 214 people and wounding 7,000.
August 10, 2020
The government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab resigns following public outcry.
August 14, 2020
The High Judicial Council appoints military investigative judge Fadi Sawan to lead the probe into the explosion.
August 17 – September 2, 2020
Mr Sawan orders the arrest of 25 port employees and mid to low-ranking officials. They are all issued blanket charges.
November 25, 2020
Mr Sawan asks Parliament to investigate 12 current and former ministers for their role in the explosion and then to refer them to a special court for the trial of presidents and ministers. Parliament speaker Nabih Berri refuses to act.
December 10, 2020
Mr Sawan charges caretaker Prime Minister Hassan Diab, former finance minister Ali Hassan Khalil, former public works ministers Ghazi Zeaiter and Youssef Fenianos with negligence.
Former prime ministers, Lebanon’s Grand Mufti, the highest Sunni Muslim cleric in the country, and Iran-backed political party Hezbollah support the charged politicians.
Mr Zeaiter and Mr Khalil file a lawsuit with the Court of Cassation to remove Mr Sawan from the investigation, claiming he was neither neutral nor objective. Mr Sawan pauses the investigation.
February 18, 2021
The Court of Cassation removes Mr Sawan from the probe.
February 19, 2021
The High Judicial Court replaces Mr Sawan with judge Tarek Bitar, the head of Beirut’s criminal court. Mr Bitar refused the post when he was offered it in August but did not provide further information at the time.
April 15, 2021
Mr Bitar orders the release of six detainees in pre-trial detention.
June 23, 2021
Mr Bitar orders the release of another two detainees, so 17 remain in pre-trial detention, which has no time limit.
July 2, 2021
Mr Bitar asks Parliament to lift the immunity of sitting MPs and former ministers Mr Khalil, Mr Zeaiter and former interior minister Nohad Machnouk. Parliament has not yet responded and asked for more proof from Mr Bitar. He refused.
Mr Bitar asks caretaker Interior Minister Mohammed Fehmi for the authorization to question Major General Abbas Ibrahim, the head of General Security.
Mr Bitar asks Mr Diab to interrogate the head of State Security, Tony Saliba. Mr Diab has not yet answered.
July 9, 2021
Mr Fehmi refuses Mr Bitar’s request to interrogate Maj Gen Ibrahim. Families protest outside his house. Cassation Attorney General Ghassan Khoury told Human Rights Watch he rejected Mr Bitar’s appeal.
July 14, 2021
President Michel Aoun says August 4 will be a national day of mourning.
July 15, 2021
Prime minister-designate Saad Hariri steps down, nine months after he was designated to form a government. Lebanon’s political crisis worsens.
July 19, 2021
At least 28 MPs from political parties Amal, Hezbollah and the Future Movement sign a petition that would allow Parliament to take over the investigation by referring suspects to a special court for the trial of presidents and ministers. Families of victims shame them online.
July 26, 2021
Billionaire and former prime minister Najib Mikati is designated as Lebanon’s new prime minister.
July 27, 2021
Former prime minister Saad Hariri says immunity from prosecution should be lifted from the country’s president, prime minister, ministers and judges. This would require an amendment of the Constitution. Mr Berri echoes his call two days later.
July 28, 2021
Following Mr Bitar’s request, the Beirut Bar Association lifts the immunities of Mr Zeaiter and Mr Khalil. The Tripoli Bar Association lifts the immunity of Mr Fenianos on July 29. This is not enough to allow their prosecution because they are sitting MPs and still protected by parliamentary immunity.
July 30, 2021
MPs from the Free Patriotic Movement say they will ask Mr Berri to lift parliamentary immunity.
An FBI report seen by Reuters estimates that the amount of ammonium nitrate that blew up at the port was 552 tonnes, much less than the 2,754 that arrived in 2013.
President Michel Aoun tells public prosecutor Ghassan Oueidate he is ready to give a statement about the port blast and says “no-one is above the law no matter how high up”.
The EU adopts a framework for sanctions on Lebanese politicians for undermining democracy or the rule of law.
August 3, 2021
Free Patriotic Movement leader Gebran Bassil, who is also the son-in-law of Mr Aoun, says MPs' parliamentary immunity should be lifted.
Our Time Has Come
Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
More coverage from the Future Forum
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Anti-semitic attacks
The annual report by the Community Security Trust, which advises the Jewish community on security , warned on Thursday that anti-Semitic incidents in Britain had reached a record high.
It found there had been 2,255 anti-Semitic incidents reported in 2021, a rise of 34 per cent from the previous year.
The report detailed the convictions of a number of people for anti-Semitic crimes, including one man who was jailed for setting up a neo-Nazi group which had encouraged “the eradication of Jewish people” and another who had posted anti-Semitic homemade videos on social media.
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Jordan cabinet changes
In
- Raed Mozafar Abu Al Saoud, Minister of Water and Irrigation
- Dr Bassam Samir Al Talhouni, Minister of Justice
- Majd Mohamed Shoueikeh, State Minister of Development of Foundation Performance
- Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research
- Falah Abdalla Al Ammoush, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Basma Moussa Ishakat, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Ghazi Monawar Al Zein, Minister of Health
- Ibrahim Sobhi Alshahahede, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Environment
- Dr Mohamed Suleiman Aburamman, Minister of Culture and Minister of Youth
Out
- Dr Adel Issa Al Tawissi, Minister of High Education and Scientific Research
- Hala Noaman “Basiso Lattouf”, Minister of Social Development
- Dr Mahmud Yassin Al Sheyab, Minister of Health
- Yahya Moussa Kasbi, Minister of Public Works and Housing
- Nayef Hamidi Al Fayez, Minister of Environment
- Majd Mohamed Shoueika, Minister of Public Sector Development
- Khalid Moussa Al Huneifat, Minister of Agriculture
- Dr Awad Abu Jarad Al Mushakiba, Minister of Justice
- Mounir Moussa Ouwais, Minister of Water and Agriculture
- Dr Azmi Mahmud Mohafaza, Minister of Education
- Mokarram Mustafa Al Kaysi, Minister of Youth
- Basma Mohamed Al Nousour, Minister of Culture
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Developer: Ubisoft Montreal / Ubisoft Toronto
Publisher: Ubisoft
Platforms: Playstation 4, Xbox One, Windows
Release Date: April 10
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Top tips
Create and maintain a strong bond between yourself and your child, through sensitivity, responsiveness, touch, talk and play. “The bond you have with your kids is the blueprint for the relationships they will have later on in life,” says Dr Sarah Rasmi, a psychologist.
Set a good example. Practise what you preach, so if you want to raise kind children, they need to see you being kind and hear you explaining to them what kindness is. So, “narrate your behaviour”.
Praise the positive rather than focusing on the negative. Catch them when they’re being good and acknowledge it.
Show empathy towards your child’s needs as well as your own. Take care of yourself so that you can be calm, loving and respectful, rather than angry and frustrated.
Be open to communication, goal-setting and problem-solving, says Dr Thoraiya Kanafani. “It is important to recognise that there is a fine line between positive parenting and becoming parents who overanalyse their children and provide more emotional context than what is in the child’s emotional development to understand.”
Key features of new policy
Pupils to learn coding and other vocational skills from Grade 6
Exams to test critical thinking and application of knowledge
A new National Assessment Centre, PARAKH (Performance, Assessment, Review and Analysis for Holistic Development) will form the standard for schools
Schools to implement online system to encouraging transparency and accountability
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic
Power: 169bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh54,500
On sale: now
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
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
Other promotions
- Deliveroo will team up with Pineapple Express to offer customers near JLT a special treat: free banana caramel dessert with all orders on January 26
- Jones the Grocer will have their limited edition Australia Day menu available until the end of the month (January 31)
- Australian Vet in Abu Dhabi (with locations in Khalifa City A and Reem Island) will have a 15 per cent off all store items (excluding medications)
HEADLINE HERE
- I would recommend writing out the text in the body
- And then copy into this box
- It can be as long as you link
- But I recommend you use the bullet point function (see red square)
- Or try to keep the word count down
- Be wary of other embeds lengthy fact boxes could crash into
- That's about it
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
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