Once again, Lebanon is at the heart of regional geopolitical changes



There are those in Lebanon who thought that the new cabinet – ­finally formed two weeks ago ­after 11 months of waiting – would put an end, or at least limit, the acts of terrorism that have swept the country in recent months. But instead it shows Lebanon’s crisis runs too deep and is closely linked to the Syrian crisis.

Hence, it would be inconceivable to look at the factors that will be involved in the solution for Lebanon separately from the ongoing events in Syria, suggested the columnist Khalil Hassan in the Sharjah-based daily Al Khaleej.

It has long been expected that the war in Syria would spill over the border into Lebanon and it did, in the form of car bombs that started during the first days of Al Qusair battle.

Soon after, the situation escalated with the opening of the Qalamoun front and as the Geneva negotiations ended in a gridlock.

In the meantime, other world events have directly and indirectly affected events in Syria and consequently in Lebanon. Hostility between Russia and the US is running high in Ukraine, Egypt and elsewhere.

The Iran and P5+1 talks also seem to have taken a new turn as the issue of Iran’s ballistic missiles came into play, making it seem like a restructuring and a reshuffling of the cards is being carried out in the region.

“The Syrian crisis and its related sub-issues, including the Lebanese crisis, is undergoing a restructuring process too these days,” the writer said.

A third Geneva conference is needed and it looks as if the South Syrian and Lebanese fronts will have an essential role in the next phase of negotiations.

“This entails additional political and security burdens on Lebanon, which translates at present into additional pressure via car bombs in various regions,” he added.

“Lebanon was purposely and directly thrown into the cauldron of terrorism in anticipation of changes that may affect its current political system. Acts of terrorism on the Lebanese scene have a function as they help in forging the new regional order that has yet to materialise,” he suggested.

In the 1980s, at the time of major regional and international shifts, Lebanon was subjected to internal warring that was orchestrated outside its borders to serve foreign interests. Today, once again, Lebanon finds itself in the same situation.

“Once could say that Lebanon’s destiny, even before its real birth date in 1920, is closely tied to power balances and settlements in the region and in the world. It is prone to change swiftly at any junction,” the writer added.

Until the shape of the new order in the region is clearly defined, Lebanon will have to gear up for a wave of arbitrary violence and terrorist attacks.

No change, but still plenty of firsts for Algerian elections

Three years after the Arab people rose up against their tyrants, while Ukrainians and Venezuelans are revolting against their governments and at a time when Italy’s new prime minister is in his 30s, Algeria’s 77-year-old president – partially paralysed and practically absent from public life for two years – has announced he will run for a fourth term, remarked Taoufik Rabbahi in the London-based newspaper Al Quds Al Arabi.

Despite reports about change in Algeria, the announcement came as no surprise to people with knowledge of the country’s upper echelons. They knew that the announcement would be made either by the president himself or by the powers that be on his behalf.

Despite this, the elections due to be held in April will involve several firsts: a president who will run for another term while he is absent due to a force majeure and his candidacy is made by proxy; a president running without the approval of the intelligence service, and with divisions about his presidency echoing through the corridors of power.

While another El Sisi emerging in Algeria will not be hopeful news, the future relies on Algeria’s independent elite, at home and abroad – the intelligentsia, the artists and the labour unions, whose hands have not been stained with dirty politics, must ignore their ideological differences and fight for change in Algeria, the writer said.

Parsing Saudi’s stand on the Syrian conflict

The Syrian crisis could lead any observer to lose their sanity, wrote columnist Mashari Al ­Thiyadi in Asharq El Awsat.

Barrel bombs are the latest invention devised by Bashar Al Assad’s regime, the Revolutionary Guard and Hizbollah – criminals who decided to kill children and entire families with sarin gas and to create images of hell on Earth. All this has turned the situation into a global tragedy.

Saudi Arabia continues to advocate a peaceful solution, and it only cut ties with the Assad regime until several months into the uprising, at a time when Mr Al Assad showed he was ready to create a bloodbath and to make the conflict a sectarian one.

Saudi Arabia knew its security would be affected if Syria turned into a magnet for extremists and Islamists, and was among the first to stand with the Syrian people, against the regime, Iran’s intentions for Syria and against Al Qaeda and its factions.

Saudi officials believe the Isil and Al Qaeda members now fighting in Syria are part of a greater plan to target Saudi Arabia, stressed Al Thiyadi.

Saudi Arabia faces the same enemies both within its borders and in Syria. The kingdom’s ­humanitarian and political motives lead it to fight against both, taking a stand with the Syrian people, the writer concluded.

* Digest compiled by Translation Desk

Translation@thenational.ae

Kill

Director: Nikhil Nagesh Bhat

Starring: Lakshya, Tanya Maniktala, Ashish Vidyarthi, Harsh Chhaya, Raghav Juyal

Rating: 4.5/5

The specs: 2018 Nissan Patrol Nismo

Price: base / as tested: Dh382,000

Engine: 5.6-litre V8

Gearbox: Seven-speed automatic

Power: 428hp @ 5,800rpm

Torque: 560Nm @ 3,600rpm

Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km

Getting there

The flights

Flydubai operates up to seven flights a week to Helsinki. Return fares to Helsinki from Dubai start from Dh1,545 in Economy and Dh7,560 in Business Class.

The stay

Golden Crown Igloos in Levi offer stays from Dh1,215 per person per night for a superior igloo; www.leviniglut.net 

Panorama Hotel in Levi is conveniently located at the top of Levi fell, a short walk from the gondola. Stays start from Dh292 per night based on two people sharing; www. golevi.fi/en/accommodation/hotel-levi-panorama

Arctic Treehouse Hotel in Rovaniemi offers stays from Dh1,379 per night based on two people sharing; www.arctictreehousehotel.com

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 190hp at 5,600rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.9L/100km
Price: From Dh119,900
On sale: Now

Three ways to limit your social media use

Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.

1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.

2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information. 

3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.

Company Profile

Name: Raha
Started: 2022
Based: Kuwait/Saudi
Industry: Tech Logistics
Funding: $14 million
Investors: Soor Capital, eWTP Arabia Capital, Aujan Enterprises, Nox Management, Cedar Mundi Ventures
Number of employees: 166

MATHC INFO

England 19 (Try: Tuilagi; Cons: Farrell; Pens: Ford (4)

New Zealand 7 (Try: Savea; Con: Mo'unga)

if you go

The flights
Fly direct to Kutaisi with Flydubai from Dh925 return, including taxes. The flight takes 3.5 hours. From there, Svaneti is a four-hour drive. The driving time from Tbilisi is eight hours.
The trip
The cost of the Svaneti trip is US$2,000 (Dh7,345) for 10 days, including food, guiding, accommodation and transfers from and to ­Tbilisi or Kutaisi. This summer the TCT is also offering a 5-day hike in Armenia for $1,200 (Dh4,407) per person. For further information, visit www.transcaucasiantrail.org/en/hike/

THE BIO:

Favourite holiday destination: Thailand. I go every year and I’m obsessed with the fitness camps there.

Favourite book: Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It’s an amazing story about barefoot running.

Favourite film: A League of their Own. I used to love watching it in my granny’s house when I was seven.

Personal motto: Believe it and you can achieve it.

Coming soon

Torno Subito by Massimo Bottura

When the W Dubai – The Palm hotel opens at the end of this year, one of the highlights will be Massimo Bottura’s new restaurant, Torno Subito, which promises “to take guests on a journey back to 1960s Italy”. It is the three Michelinstarred chef’s first venture in Dubai and should be every bit as ambitious as you would expect from the man whose restaurant in Italy, Osteria Francescana, was crowned number one in this year’s list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

Akira Back Dubai

Another exciting opening at the W Dubai – The Palm hotel is South Korean chef Akira Back’s new restaurant, which will continue to showcase some of the finest Asian food in the world. Back, whose Seoul restaurant, Dosa, won a Michelin star last year, describes his menu as,  “an innovative Japanese cuisine prepared with a Korean accent”.

Dinner by Heston Blumenthal

The highly experimental chef, whose dishes are as much about spectacle as taste, opens his first restaurant in Dubai next year. Housed at The Royal Atlantis Resort & Residences, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal will feature contemporary twists on recipes that date back to the 1300s, including goats’ milk cheesecake. Always remember with a Blumenthal dish: nothing is quite as it seems. 

A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars

Meatless Days
Sara Suleri, with an introduction by Kamila Shamsie
​​​​​​​Penguin 

START-UPS IN BATCH 4 OF SANABIL 500'S ACCELERATOR PROGRAMME

Saudi Arabia

Joy: Delivers car services with affordable prices

Karaz: Helps diabetics with gamification, IoT and real-time data

Medicarri: Medical marketplace that connects clinics with suppliers

Mod5r: Makes automated and recurring investments to grow wealth

Stuck: Live, on-demand language support to boost writing

Walzay: Helps in recruitment while reducing hiring time

UAE

Eighty6: Marketplace for restaurant and supplier procurements

FarmUnboxed: Helps digitise international food supply chain

NutriCal: Helps F&B businesses and governments with nutritional analysis

Wellxai: Provides insurance that enables and rewards user habits

Egypt

Amwal: A Shariah-compliant crowd-lending platform

Deben: Helps CFOs manage cash efficiently

Egab: Connects media outlets to journalists in hard-to-reach areas for exclusives

Neqabty: Digitises financial and medical services of labour unions

Oman

Monak: Provides financial inclusion and life services to migrants

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin

Director: Shawn Levy

Rating: 3/5

Herc's Adventures

Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5