Lebanon’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants on Thursday recalled its ambassador to France, Rami Adwan, following the opening of an official investigation into the diplomat over accusations of sexual assault and violence.
“Following up on the circumstances surrounding the case of the Lebanese ambassador … it was decided to summon ambassador Rami Adwan to the central administration,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry added that it would replace Mr Adwan with Ziad Taan, who has been given the role of chargé d'affaires of the diplomatic mission.
France opened an investigation into Mr Adwan after two former embassy employees lodged complaints against him.
French investigative newspaper Mediapart reported that the complaints against Mr Adwan include graphic details of alleged instances of sexual assault and violence against the former employees.
One of the employees, 31, who filed a complaint in June of last year, said Mr Adwan sexually assaulted her in May 2020 in his private apartment.
She also told police he had struck her on the head with a marble paperweight, resulting in several injuries that were documented in hospital reports.
The complaint states the plaintiff had a relationship with the ambassador, who employed “psychological and physical violence with daily humiliations” throughout their time together.
A second woman, 28, said the ambassador attacked her after she rejected his advances. She said he had dragged her on the ground by her hair and attempted to suffocate her on a mattress.
Mr Adwan also tried to hit her with his car after an argument at the Normandy World Peace Forum, the complaint states.
The French government last week demanded that Lebanese authorities lift Mr Adwan's diplomatic immunity “in order to facilitate the work of the French judicial authorities”, according to a French foreign ministry statement.
The ambassador's lawyer, Karim Beylouni, has denied the claims made in the complaints, saying that his client “contests all accusations of aggression in any shape or form: verbal, moral, sexual”.
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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Wales v France, 11.15am
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Job: Coder, website designer and chief executive, Trinet solutions
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What is Diwali?
The Hindu festival is at once a celebration of the autumn harvest and the triumph of good over evil, as outlined in the Ramayana.
According to the Sanskrit epic, penned by the sage Valmiki, Diwali marks the time that the exiled king Rama – a mortal with superhuman powers – returned home to the city of Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman, after vanquishing the 10-headed demon Ravana and conquering his kingdom of Lanka. The people of Ayodhya are believed to have lit thousands of earthen lamps to illuminate the city and to guide the royal family home.
In its current iteration, Diwali is celebrated with a puja to welcome the goodness of prosperity Lakshmi (an incarnation of Sita) into the home, which is decorated with diyas (oil lamps) or fairy lights and rangoli designs with coloured powder. Fireworks light up the sky in some parts of the word, and sweetmeats are made (or bought) by most households. It is customary to get new clothes stitched, and visit friends and family to exchange gifts and greetings.
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Building boom turning to bust as Turkey's economy slows
Deep in a provincial region of northwestern Turkey, it looks like a mirage - hundreds of luxury houses built in neat rows, their pointed towers somewhere between French chateau and Disney castle.
Meant to provide luxurious accommodations for foreign buyers, the houses are however standing empty in what is anything but a fairytale for their investors.
The ambitious development has been hit by regional turmoil as well as the slump in the Turkish construction industry - a key sector - as the country's economy heads towards what could be a hard landing in an intensifying downturn.
After a long period of solid growth, Turkey's economy contracted 1.1 per cent in the third quarter, and many economists expect it will enter into recession this year.
The country has been hit by high inflation and a currency crisis in August. The lira lost 28 per cent of its value against the dollar in 2018 and markets are still unconvinced by the readiness of the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to tackle underlying economic issues.
The villas close to the town centre of Mudurnu in the Bolu region are intended to resemble European architecture and are part of the Sarot Group's Burj Al Babas project.
But the development of 732 villas and a shopping centre - which began in 2014 - is now in limbo as Sarot Group has sought bankruptcy protection.
It is one of hundreds of Turkish companies that have done so as they seek cover from creditors and to restructure their debts.
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