George Kordahi said he intended to resign from Lebanon's Cabinet. AP Photo
George Kordahi said he intended to resign from Lebanon's Cabinet. AP Photo
George Kordahi said he intended to resign from Lebanon's Cabinet. AP Photo
George Kordahi said he intended to resign from Lebanon's Cabinet. AP Photo

Lebanese minister George Kordahi resigns after row with Gulf states


Sunniva Rose
  • English
  • Arabic

Lebanon's Information Minister George Kordahi resigned on Friday weeks after comments he made about the war in Yemen caused a diplomatic crisis with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states, citing French diplomatic pressure to step down.

"I decided to give up my ministerial position because Lebanon is more important than I am," he said during a live press conference.

Saudi Arabia reacted with outrage to Mr Kordahi's comments aired in late October in which he said that the Iran-backed Houthi rebel group in Yemen was acting in self defence. The interview had been recorded in August, before Mr Kordahi was appointed minister.

Saudi Arabia called Mr Kordahi's comments insulting, recalled its ambassador and banned all Lebanese imports. The UAE, Bahrain and Kuwait made similar moves.

Mr Kordahi initially resisted calls to step down over his comments, prolonging the crisis. He said on Friday that France had requested his resignation, which comes ahead of President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Riyadh.

"Today, we are facing new developments," he said. "I understand that the French want me to resign before Macron's visit to Saudi Arabia in order to help open a dialogue with Saudi officials about Lebanon."

France, a former colonial power, is heavily involved in the small Mediterranean country, which is suffering from an unprecedented economic crisis. Lebanon's financial meltdown, coupled with multiple other crises, has plunged more than three quarters of the nation’s population of 6 million, including a million Syrian refugees, into poverty.

Mr Kordahi said that he hoped that his resignation would lead to "better relations with Gulf states."

A French diplomatic source told The National that Mr Kordahi's resignation was "a guarantee that would probably facilitate discussions about Lebanon and its relations with Gulf countries during Mr Macron's meetings today and tomorrow".

A press statement issued by Mr Macron's office said that during his visit to Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar, he would "continue his efforts towards regional stability, in the face of tensions in the Gulf, Iran, and the crises situations in Iraq, Libya as well as Lebanon."

Mr Kordahi said that he had discussed his resignation with Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and denied rumours that he had taken orders from Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah. The former minister is supported by a Hezbollah ally, a small Christian party called the Marada.

Yemen’s war began with the 2014 takeover of the capital Sanaa by the Houthi rebels, who control much of the country’s north. The Saudi-led coalition entered the war the following year at the request of the Yemeni government.

The Saudi measures have caused anxiety, particularly among the many Lebanese who work in Gulf countries, and added to the country's economic woes. Lebanese exports to Saudi Arabia used to bring in about $240 million a year.

Saudi Arabia has been a traditional backer of Lebanon but ties deteriorated steadily with the increasing influence of Hezbollah, another Iran-backed group, in the small Mediterranean country.

Notable Yas events in 2017/18

October 13-14 KartZone (complimentary trials)

December 14-16 The Gulf 12 Hours Endurance race

March 5 Yas Marina Circuit Karting Enduro event

March 8-9 UAE Rotax Max Challenge

57%20Seconds
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Results

UAE beat Saudi Arabia by 12 runs

Kuwait beat Iran by eight wickets

Oman beat Maldives by 10 wickets

Bahrain beat Qatar by six wickets

Semi-finals

UAE v Qatar

Bahrain v Kuwait

 

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Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash

Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.

Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.

Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.

Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.

Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.

How to donate

Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
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Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana

Rating: 4.5/5

Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

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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)

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Sand storm

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  • Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
  • Travel distance: Limited 
  • Source: Open desert areas with strong winds

Dust storm

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  • 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
'Brazen'

Director: Monika Mitchell

Starring: Alyssa Milano, Sam Page, Colleen Wheeler

Rating: 3/5

WWE TLC results

Asuka won the SmackDown Women's title in a TLC triple threat with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair

Dean Ambrose won the Intercontinental title against Seth Rollins

Daniel Bryan retained the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against AJ Styles

Ronda Rousey retained the Raw Women's Championship against Nia Jax

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Finn Balor defeated Drew McIntyre

Natalya beat Ruby Riott in a tables match

Braun Strowman beat Baron Corbin in a TLC match

Sheamus and Cesaro retained the SmackDown Tag Titles against The Usos and New Day

R-Truth and Carmella won the Mixed Match Challenge by beating Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox

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Director: Jesse Armstrong

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United: Rashford (2', 20'), Fellaini (26'), Mkhitaryan (67'), Martial (72')

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1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

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Results
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Updated: December 04, 2021, 11:29 AM