All concerned insist it is a “convergence”, not an agreement.
Lebanon's largest Christian parties, traditionally rivals, have come together in a rare, informal understanding to vote for International Monetary Fund official Jihad Azour to end a seven-month presidential vacuum.
This coming together of some of the country's largest and oldest Christian parties, as well as Christian and Muslim independents, resulted in key players announcing their backing for Mr Azour before parliament convenes for the 12th time to elect a president on Wednesday.
And while they normally might be at each other's throats in and outside parliament, they hold common ground on one thing – they do not want Suleiman Frangieh, who is supported by Iran-backed armed group and political party Hezbollah and its Shiite ally the Amal Movement, to succeed Michel Aoun as Lebanon's head of state.
“Nobody can succeed alone. So, they had to talk with us. Our political adversaries, who refused to talk, [then] accepted to talk. And on the contrary, they were proactive from their side, addressing us and talking to us,” said Gebran Bassil, the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement Christian party.
“They realised that nothing can be done without us, and we cannot do anything without the others,” he told The National.
The FPM, one Lebanon's largest political parties, is presenting itself as a third bloc, in between a grouping that includes two other Christian parties – the Lebanese Forces and Kataeb Party – and the Shiite duo of Hezbollah and Amal.
Mr Bassil says his support for Mr Azour did not mean the FPM was entrenched in its position, and that the priority should be on attaining parliamentary consensus.
“It's not an agreement. There was a convergence over the name of Mr Azour,” said a source from the LF, parliament's largest party and historically an opponent of the FPM.
“We don't have an agreement, because an agreement would be based on a working plan,” the source said, adding that the only agreement the sides had was on the phrase “convergence”.
Samy Gemayel, the leader of the Kataeb Party, which typically aligns with the LF, and a strident critic of Hezbollah, said: “It doesn't mean that this is an alliance. We are not on the same page politically with [the FPM] and I don't think in the near future we will be.
“But on the presidential issue, they found a common interest in joining the opposition to block Frangieh and we are happy to see this. And this is weakening Hezbollah,” he said.
However, this rare understanding between the FPM and LF, the two largest parties in parliament, is unlikely to get Mr Azour enough votes to be elected in the first round of voting on Wednesday.
But it redraws the battle lines in the presidential race in Lebanon's bitterly divided legislature, where no side holds a majority.
Michel Moawad won about a third of votes in previous electoral sessions, through support from opponents of Hezbollah and a handful of independents. He withdrew in favour of Mr Azour last Sunday.
The support for Mr Azour followed months of negotiations behind the scenes over a possible new name.
“It was not easy. Getting parties, groups and MPs that are in total opposition to each for years to agree on one candidate is not an easy task,” said Mr Gemayel.
“So, you have to do all the mediation to make sure that everyone understands that there's a common interest here.”
Although extended presidential vacuums are not uncommon in Lebanon, the latest one comes with the country in a precarious state, entrenched in an economic crisis that has been described as one of the worst in modern history.
It was two and a half years before Mr Aoun, the FPM's founder and a former army general, was elected to the post in 2016 with the backing of Hezbollah, his party's traditional ally, and after reaching an agreement with traditional foes including LF leader Samir Geagea – an opponent in the 1975-1990 civil war.
The LF increased its share of seats in elections last year while the FPM lost seats, but no bloc holds a majority in parliament.
The presidency is reserved for a Maronite Christian in Lebanon's confessional political system, which also reserves half of the seats of the 128-seat legislature for Christians.
Some see the Christian “convergence” as an indicator that the FPM-Hezbollah relationship is not as strong as it once was.
But Mr Bassil believes the FPM's support for Mr Azour, rather than Hezbollah's choice of Mr Frangieh, will not damage the relationship.
“I don't think it should, because they did this first. They had their choice for the president, regardless of our known position of refusing it. And still with that, they kept supporting him, knowing that we are a big bloc of the Christian community and their choice was for the small one,” said Mr Bassil, referring to the fact that hardly any Christian MPs are expected to vote for Mr Frangieh next Wednesday.
“They did not respect our sensitivity and they went with that choice. And despite this, we didn't say 'we break with [Hezbollah], we don't talk to them'.”
Mr Gemayel claimed that while the FPM and opposition blocs agreed on Mr Azour, their motivations were different.
“It's not us who went to Hezbollah, [Mr Bassil] defected from Hezbollah. I think that the main reason was that there is a jealousy between the two persons, between him and the candidate of Hezbollah. He didn't agree with Hezbollah on the nomination of Suleiman Frangieh.
“We are blocking Frangieh because of his political position. He is blocking Frangieh from a personal or partisan perspective. But it doesn't change anything for us as long as he is taking a stand, as long as he is accepting a candidate that is accepted by us. Why not?”
Mr Frangieh, the scion of a north Lebanon political dynasty, has long had good ties with Hezbollah and is childhood friends with Syria's Bashar Al Assad.
The LF source said that many uncertainties remained and repeated that Mr Azour had not been the party's first choice, but insisted that the IMF official was “a million times” better than Mr Frangieh.
“Now, of course, we still favour Michel Moawad, Dr Samir Geagea, Samy Gemayel, anyone within this camp. But we are pragmatic enough to know that right now, the only thing that will help us break this deadlock that was imposed on the Lebanese people [is] going to be a candidate who can represent a common space for several groups.”
The pro-Azour bloc insist his nomination was not “confrontational”, even if representatives of Hezbollah have described him as such and insisted he will not become president.
“We refused all the names that are considered confrontational or provocative by [Parliament Speaker and Amal Movement leader] Nabih Berri's side, Hezbollah's side, Frangieh's side, etc,” said Mr Bassil.
Mr Gemayel concurred that Mr Azour should not be seen as a confrontation candidate.
“Whoever we would have nominated, the reaction would have been the same.”
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
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.
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
The specs
Engine: 4-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed PDK
Power: 630bhp
Torque: 820Nm
Price: Dh683,200
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GOLF’S RAHMBO
- 5 wins in 22 months as pro
- Three wins in past 10 starts
- 45 pro starts worldwide: 5 wins, 17 top 5s
- Ranked 551th in world on debut, now No 4 (was No 2 earlier this year)
- 5th player in last 30 years to win 3 European Tour and 2 PGA Tour titles before age 24 (Woods, Garcia, McIlroy, Spieth)
ICC men's cricketer of the year
2004 - Rahul Dravid (IND) ; 2005 - Jacques Kallis (SA) and Andrew Flintoff (ENG); 2006 - Ricky Ponting (AUS); 2007 - Ricky Ponting; 2008 - Shivnarine Chanderpaul (WI); 2009 - Mitchell Johnson (AUS); 2010 - Sachin Tendulkar (IND); 2011 - Jonathan Trott (ENG); 2012 - Kumar Sangakkara (SL); 2013 - Michael Clarke (AUS); 2014 - Mitchell Johnson; 2015 - Steve Smith (AUS); 2016 - Ravichandran Ashwin (IND); 2017 - Virat Kohli (IND); 2018 - Virat Kohli; 2019 - Ben Stokes (ENG); 2021 - Shaheen Afridi
UAE%20ILT20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMarquee%20players%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMoeen%20Ali%2C%20Andre%20Russell%2C%20Dawid%20Malan%2C%20Wanindu%20Hasiranga%2C%20Sunil%20Narine%2C%20Evin%20Lewis%2C%20Colin%20Munro%2C%20Fabien%20Allen%2C%20Sam%20Billings%2C%20Tom%20Curran%2C%20Alex%20Hales%2C%20Dushmantha%20Chameera%2C%20Shimron%20Hetmyer%2C%20Akeal%20Hosein%2C%20Chris%20Jordan%2C%20Tom%20Banton%2C%20Sandeep%20Lamichhane%2C%20Chris%20Lynn%2C%20Rovman%20Powell%2C%20Bhanuka%20Rajapaksa%2C%20Mujeeb%20Ul%20Rahman%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInternational%20players%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ELahiru%20Kumara%2C%20Seekugge%20Prassanna%2C%20Charith%20Asalanka%2C%20Colin%20Ingram%2C%20Paul%20Stirling%2C%20Kennar%20Lewis%2C%20Ali%20Khan%2C%20Brandon%20Glover%2C%20Ravi%20Rampaul%2C%20Raymon%20Reifer%2C%20Isuru%20Udana%2C%20Blessing%20Muzarabani%2C%20Niroshan%20Dickwella%2C%20Hazaratullah%20Zazai%2C%20Frederick%20Klassen%2C%20Sikandar%20Raja%2C%20George%20Munsey%2C%20Dan%20Lawrence%2C%20Dominic%20Drakes%2C%20Jamie%20Overton%2C%20Liam%20Dawson%2C%20David%20Wiese%2C%20Qais%20Ahmed%2C%20Richard%20Gleeson%2C%20James%20Vince%2C%20Noor%20Ahmed%2C%20Rahmanullah%20Gurbaz%2C%20Navin%20Ul%20Haq%2C%20Sherfane%20Rutherford%2C%20Saqib%20Mahmood%2C%20Ben%20Duckett%2C%20Benny%20Howell%2C%20Ruben%20Trumpelman%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Sebastian Stefan, Sebastian Morar and Claudia Pacurar
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2014
Number of employees: 36
Sector: Logistics
Raised: $2.5 million
Investors: DP World, Prime Venture Partners and family offices in Saudi Arabia and the UAE
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Ukraine
Capital: Kiev
Population: 44.13 million
Armed conflict in Donbass
Russia-backed fighters control territory
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Mercedes V250 Avantgarde specs
Engine: 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder turbo
Gearbox: 7-speed automatic
Power: 211hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 350Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.0 l/100 km
Price: Dh235,000
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
Past winners of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
2016 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2015 Nico Rosberg (Mercedes-GP)
2014 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
2013 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2012 Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus)
2011 Lewis Hamilton (McLaren)
2010 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
2009 Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing)
Scores
Bournemouth 0-4 Liverpool
Arsenal 1-0 Huddersfield Town
Burnley 1-0 Brighton
Manchester United 4-1 Fulham
West Ham 3-2 Crystal Palace
Saturday fixtures:
Chelsea v Manchester City, 9.30pm (UAE)
Leicester City v Tottenham Hotspur, 11.45pm (UAE)
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
The specs
Engine: 8.0-litre, quad-turbo 16-cylinder
Transmission: 7-speed auto
0-100kmh 2.3 seconds
0-200kmh 5.5 seconds
0-300kmh 11.6 seconds
Power: 1500hp
Torque: 1600Nm
Price: Dh13,400,000
On sale: now
A cryptocurrency primer for beginners
Cryptocurrency Investing for Dummies – by Kiana Danial
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