Listen to the latest podcast on the Beirut blast here
The Beirut Bar Association lifted the immunity of two lawyers and prominent politicians on Wednesday so they can be prosecuted in the Beirut blast investigation.
But former ministers Ghazi Zeaiter and Ali Hassan Khalil are still immune to prosecution because they are sitting legislators.
Their case is an example of how difficult it is for the judiciary to prosecute high-ranking officials in Lebanon, a country renowned for impunity.
“When a lawyer becomes a minister, his immunity is suspended because he cannot pursue both professions at the same time,” said Melhem Khalaf, who leads the association.
“We consider that immunity is lifted de facto in this case because the investigation has to do with their work as ministers.”
Last August a huge blast rocked Beirut killing more than 214 people, wounding 6,500 and destroying large parts of the city after flammable material stored at the port for years caught fire and exploded.
Nearly one year on, the investigation has yet to produce any results after the first judge leading it was replaced in February.
In Lebanon, lawyers enjoy immunity due to the nature of their profession. The bar association rules on requests to prosecute its members.
“Lawyers must be able to speak out against injustice freely. That is what their immunity is for,” Mr Khalaf said.
Judge Tarek Bitar requested that Parliament lift the immunity of legislators who are under investigation for the Beirut explosion.
Those include parliamentarians and former ministers Nohad Machnouk, Mr Hassan Khalil and Mr Zeaiter.
The investigative judge also asked to interrogate caretaker prime minister Hassan Diab and former minister Yousef Fenianos, as well as top security and military officials.
Mr Fenianos and Mr Hassan Khalil faced US sanctions last year for their ties to the Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Legislators are granted immunity when they are in session. Parliament has been in session for nearly a year because of a stalled government formation process, constitutional law expert Wissam Lahham told The National.
“When Parliament is out of session there is no need to request stripping immunity. They can be prosecuted. But they have been in session for months,” Mr Lahham said.
Lebanon’s entrenched political class has fought off attempts to interrogate its members about the explosion in the past year.
Judge Fadi Sawwan, Mr Bitar’s predecessor, was removed from his position in February after Mr Hassan Khalil and Mr Zeaiter, the two former ministers he had charged, requested his dismissal.
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
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Look north
BBC business reporters, like a new raft of government officials, are being removed from the national and international hub of London and surely the quality of their work must suffer.
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At a glance
- 20,000 new jobs for Emiratis over three years
- Dh300 million set aside to train 18,000 jobseekers in new skills
- Managerial jobs in government restricted to Emiratis
- Emiratis to get priority for 160 types of job in private sector
- Portion of VAT revenues will fund more graduate programmes
- 8,000 Emirati graduates to do 6-12 month replacements in public or private sector on a Dh10,000 monthly wage - 40 per cent of which will be paid by government
Titan Sports Academy:
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Iftar programme at the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding
Established in 1998, the Sheikh Mohammed Centre for Cultural Understanding was created with a vision to teach residents about the traditions and customs of the UAE. Its motto is ‘open doors, open minds’. All year-round, visitors can sign up for a traditional Emirati breakfast, lunch or dinner meal, as well as a range of walking tours, including ones to sites such as the Jumeirah Mosque or Al Fahidi Historical Neighbourhood.
Every year during Ramadan, an iftar programme is rolled out. This allows guests to break their fast with the centre’s presenters, visit a nearby mosque and observe their guides while they pray. These events last for about two hours and are open to the public, or can be booked for a private event.
Until the end of Ramadan, the iftar events take place from 7pm until 9pm, from Saturday to Thursday. Advanced booking is required.
For more details, email openminds@cultures.ae or visit www.cultures.ae
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
'Ashkal'
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