Lebanon’s prime minister-designate Najib Mikati met the president for the second consecutive day and for the sixth time since his designation, but signalled no progress in negotiations over the government’s make-up despite a worsening economic crisis and rising tensions with Israel.
“Silence speaks louder than words,” Mr Mikati said on Friday after his meeting with President Michel Aoun.
The billionaire businessman is the third prime minister to attempt to form a Cabinet in less than a year.
“I didn’t want to speak today with regards to the government … what matters is the outcome, God willing,” he said.. His statement came hours after Iran-backed Hezbollah launched a rocket attack on Israel in response to the first air strikes to hit Lebanon since the 2006 war. The Israeli air strikes were in retaliation for several unclaimed rocket attacks that hit Israel from Lebanon in recent weeks.
Mr Mikati said he discussed the security developments with the president.
The prime minister-designate has been negotiating with Mr Aoun over the allocation of several portfolios among the country’s major parties and whether to maintain the same arrangement adopted in Hassan’s Diab caretaker government.
Mr Mikati indicated that an agreement has yet to be reached over each party’s share in the Cabinet.
A source close to the president said negotiations were still focused on the allocation of key portfolios, including the finance, interior and justice ministries.
Mr Mikati said he will be co-ordinating with the president to schedule another meeting to pursue discussions.
The source said the meeting is likely to take place after the Hijri New Year.
Mr Mikati was appointed after former prime minister-designate Saad Hariri, the country’s top Sunni politician, failed to reach an agreement with the president over the government’s make-up after nine months of bickering.
Mr Hariri, who accused the president of blocking the formation of a government where he lacks veto power, has backed Mr Mikati for the post on condition that he upholds the same principles in negotiations.
Mr Aoun had accused Mr Hariri of seeking to dictate the line-up, in breach of the constitution. The Future Movement leader had argued that the president was blocking the formation of a Cabinet of non-partisan experts in line with a French initiative.
The international community, led by the US and France, has been urging Lebanon to quickly form a Cabinet that enacts reforms in exchange for financial support.
But its calls have fallen on deaf ears, prompting the EU to threaten Lebanese officials with sanctions for blocking reforms.
Lebanon has been without a functioning government since the Beirut blast that toppled Mr Diab’s government after killing more than 214 people and injuring thousands over a year ago.
The blast, one of the world’s most powerful non-nuclear explosions, destroyed thousands of properties in the capital and compounded the country’s financial woes.
Since the crisis unfolded in late 2019, the national currency has lost more than 90 per cent of its value, plunging more than half the population into poverty.
An aid conference organised by the UN and France on the anniversary of the blast pledged $370 million in humanitarian aid that will be channelled to Lebanon’s most vulnerable communities.
French President Emanuel Macron told the conference “there won’t be any blank cheques” for Lebanon’s political elite.
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
What is blockchain?
Blockchain is a form of distributed ledger technology, a digital system in which data is recorded across multiple places at the same time. Unlike traditional databases, DLTs have no central administrator or centralised data storage. They are transparent because the data is visible and, because they are automatically replicated and impossible to be tampered with, they are secure.
The main difference between blockchain and other forms of DLT is the way data is stored as ‘blocks’ – new transactions are added to the existing ‘chain’ of past transactions, hence the name ‘blockchain’. It is impossible to delete or modify information on the chain due to the replication of blocks across various locations.
Blockchain is mostly associated with cryptocurrency Bitcoin. Due to the inability to tamper with transactions, advocates say this makes the currency more secure and safer than traditional systems. It is maintained by a network of people referred to as ‘miners’, who receive rewards for solving complex mathematical equations that enable transactions to go through.
However, one of the major problems that has come to light has been the presence of illicit material buried in the Bitcoin blockchain, linking it to the dark web.
Other blockchain platforms can offer things like smart contracts, which are automatically implemented when specific conditions from all interested parties are reached, cutting the time involved and the risk of mistakes. Another use could be storing medical records, as patients can be confident their information cannot be changed. The technology can also be used in supply chains, voting and has the potential to used for storing property records.
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WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
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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
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
'The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey'
Rating: 3/5
Directors: Ramin Bahrani, Debbie Allen, Hanelle Culpepper, Guillermo Navarro
Writers: Walter Mosley
Stars: Samuel L Jackson, Dominique Fishback, Walton Goggins
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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The five pillars of Islam
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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