Beirut's suffering is a direct result of a failed political system in need of overhaul
The Lebanese government has been unable to provide security, electricity, a banking system or safety from life-terminating waste, writes Mina Al-Oraibi, yet it can muster force to suppress protests
For the Lebanese and those who love Lebanon, this has been a week of mourning and grief. No words can adequately describe the extent of pain and suffering that has been felt by those who lost family, friends, homes and memories. The explosion of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that tore through Beirut last Tuesday shattered lives and dreams. Lebanon and its people were already struggling before the blast, but somehow carrying on. Now, even coping seems like a stretch.
Among those who are mourned is Sahar Fares, a 25-year-old member of the Lebanese civil defence unit, which was the initial group of responders to arrive at the Beirut port to tackle the first fire, only to be killed by the explosion that followed.
Sahar symbolised the best of Lebanon: beautiful, bold and willing to put her life in danger in the pursuit of saving others. Her family have subsequently shared photos and videos of Sahar at her happiest, at work and at a party with her beloved fiance Gilbert. Instead of preparing for her wedding, she was laid to rest in a white casket. A life filled with beauty and potential was gone in an instant, extinguished by the sheer negligence and incompetence of others.
Sahar symbolises Lebanon, so filled with beauty and potential, but destroyed by negligence at best, but more likely by criminal corruption. Sahar's death and Beirut's suffering are a direct result of a failed political system.
While anger rages against the ruling class, borne out of this failed political system, it became quickly apparent that the government of Hassan Diab could not stay in power. Hugely unpopular, Mr Diab gave a speech on Saturday saying that he would oversee early elections and hand over power. The speech was contrite, lacking in empathy for his own countrymen and completely lacking in self-awareness. The idea that "early elections" would address the catastrophic situation exemplifies how removed Mr Diab is from the heart-breaking realities on the ground.
Protesters in Beirut have been clashing for days with police since last week's explosions. AFP
Firstly, everyone who suffered a loss from the Beirut attack expects some sort of accountability. “Voting out” politicians is not an acceptable form of accountability for an event of this magnitude. Secondly, elections would not bring about a solution. Elections without a complete system overhaul would reinforce the current system of patronage. Political parties playing on identity politics and long-held grievances would quickly swoop in to capitalise on divisions in Lebanon to perhaps bring in fresh faces with the same archaic approach to leadership based on narrow political interest and identity politics.
Successive coalition governments that have been formed from competing political groups have in effect been "veto-wielding", rather than working together. Hezbollah and its allies are the greatest culprits of political manoeuvres within government that have largely held Lebanon hostage as it lurched from one crisis to another.
One of the perpetual lies told about Lebanon is that it is a sectarian country. One that can only be ruled by a group of leaders each claiming to “protect” his or her own sect. There is nothing further from the truth. No single group has fared better in the country because of sectarian politics. On the other hand, a national protest movement has been calling for overarching reforms since last year.
Moreover, volunteers who have worked night and day in Beirut in the past seven days have not been moved based on sect or religion. Rather, active civic society action has been galvanised out of patriotism and a love of the country. That energy, despite the pain and loss, is what will propel Lebanon forward. But it will be destroyed if a sectarian system of rule is allowed to continue.
A photograph of the missing silo employee Ghassan Hasrouty pictured with his wife Ibtissam in the family home. Reuters
Elie Hasrouty and Tatiana Hasrouty pose for a photograph as they wait for news about their father Ghassan Hasrouty. Reuters
Tatiana Hasrouty uses her mobile phone next to the bed of her father Ghassan Hasrouty, a missing silo employee. Reuters
Elie Hasrouty talks on the phone as he waits for news about his father Ghassan Hasrouty, a missing silo employee. Reuters
A photograph shows a missing silo employee Ghassan Hasrouty posing with his family. Reuters
Introducing new laws to reform the voting and governing systems of the country would take time and would require buy-in from some of the current political actors. This is not likely to come in time. However, no shortcuts will work.
The aid conference for Lebanon hosted on Sunday by French President Emmanuel Macron and the UN said that relief would be distributed through global organisations. This is not a viable long-term solution. While acceptable for immediate aid distribution, it cannot be the mechanism for recovery and reconstruction. The state should be responsible for the rebuilding of Beirut. Undercutting the state by handing over responsibilities to the UN – or France – is not a solution.
The nation state is a concept we should protect. The fact that aid, the investigation into the explosion, the clean-up of the city are all bypassing normal channels represents the failure of this government, and deals a series of blows to Lebanon's state institutions. There are more than enough competent and able Lebanese who can lead their country – if given the chance.
A Lebanese youth hugs French President Emmanuel Macron during a visit to the Gemmayzeh neighbourhood, which has suffered extensive damage due to a massive explosion in the Lebanese capital. AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron (C) visiting the devastated site of the explosion at the port of Beirut, Lebanon. Macron arrived to Lebanon to show support after a massive explosion on 04 August
French President Emmanuel Macron listens to a resident as he visits a devastated street of Beirut. AP Photo
French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as he visits the devastated site of the explosion at the port of Beirut. EPA
French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as he visits a devastated street of Beirut. AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron surrounded by Lebanese servicemen, visits the devastated site of the explosion at the port of Beirut. AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron, speaks with a woman as he visits the Gemayzeh neighborhood, which suffered extensive damage from an explosion on Tuesday. AP Photo
French President Emmanuel Macron visits the Gemayzeh neighborhood, which suffered extensive damage from an explosion on Tuesday that hit the seaport of Beirut. AP Photo
French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as he arrives at the devastated site of the explosion at the port of Beirut. REUTERS
French President Emmanuel Macron visits the devastated site of the explosion at the port of Beirut. REUTERS
French President Emmanuel Macron greets people during a visit to the Gemmayzeh neighbourhood, which has suffered extensive damage due to a massive explosion in the Lebanese capital. AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron wears a protective face mask as he meets Lebanon's President Michel Aoun following Tuesday's blast in Beirut's port area, at the presidential palace in Baabda, Lebanon. Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron greets people during a visit to the Gemmayzeh neighbourhood, which has suffered extensive damage due to a massive explosion in the Lebanese capital, on August 6, 2020. French President Emmanuel Macron visited shell-shocked Beirut, pledging support and urging change after a massive explosion devastated the Lebanese capital in a disaster that has sparked grief and fury. / AFP / ANWAR AMRO
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to the crowd during a visit to the Gemmayzeh neighbourhood, which has suffered extensive damage due to a massive explosion in the Lebanese capital, on August 6, 2020. French President Emmanuel Macron visited shell-shocked Beirut, pledging support and urging change after a massive explosion devastated the Lebanese capital in a disaster that has sparked grief and fury. / AFP / ANWAR AMRO
French President Emmanuel Macron, center, gestures as he visits the Gemayzeh neighborhood, which suffered extensive damage from an explosion on Tuesday that hit the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)
French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as he visits a devastated street of Beirut, Lebanon, on August 6, 2020 a day after a massive explosion devastated the Lebanese capital in a disaster that has sparked grief and fury. French President Emmanuel Macron visited shell-shocked Beirut Thursday, pledging support and urging change after a massive explosion devastated the Lebanese capital in a disaster that has sparked grief and fury. / AFP / POOL / Thibault Camus
A video grab shows French President Emmmanuel Macron, left, speaking with a member of a French rescue team which arrived overnight to support relief efforts at the port of Lebanon's capital Beirut. AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron visits the site of Tuesday's blast in Beirut. Tele Liban / Reuters
Lebanon's President Michel Aoun meets French President Emmanuel Macron on his arrival at the airport in Beirut. Dalati Nohra/Reuters
Lebanon's President Michel Aoun welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron on his arrival at the airport in Beirut. Dalati Nohra/Reuters
"Lebanon is not alone," Mr Macron tweeted shortly after landing. Dalati Nohra/Reuters
The French president is the first foreign leader to visit the Lebanese capital since an explosion on Tuesday killed at least 137 people. Dalati Nohra / Reuters
Mr Macron said Lebanon was facing a political and economic crisis, and that it would continue to suffer unless it enacted reforms. Reuters
The nation state is a concept we should protect. The fact that aid, the investigation into the explosion, the clean-up of the city are all bypassing normal channels represents the failure of this government
Soon after images of Mr Macron visiting the streets of Beirut were broadcast around the world, an online petition began to circulate calling for the return of the French mandate to Lebanon. Angry voices called for a return to "foreign rule" due to the failure of Lebanon's ruling elite. And yet, these are voices speaking largely from anger and an overwhelming sense of disappointment, not conviction.
Over 60,000 people have signed the petition stating that “Lebanon’s officials have clearly shown a total inability to secure and manage the country. With a failing system, corruption, terrorism and militia, the country just reached its last breath. We believe Lebanon should go back under the French mandate in order to establish a clean and durable governance”.
What greater insult could be given to national leaders than to say that a country prefers foreign rule to that of its own rulers. Consecutive Lebanese governments have failed to provide security, electricity, a banking system or safety from life-terminating waste. But, unsurprisingly, it can muster up its force against protesters with the might of a "strong state".
That too is not a solution. There is no shortcut to the need for structural reform and an overhaul of a political system that has passed it use by date.
Mina Al-Oraibi is editor-in-chief of The National
Thor: Ragnarok
Dir: Taika Waititi
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Jeff Goldblum, Mark Ruffalo, Tessa Thompson
Four stars
Liverpool's all-time goalscorers
Ian Rush 346 Roger Hunt 285 Mohamed Salah 250 Gordon Hodgson 241 Billy Liddell 228
Abu Dhabi racecard
5pm: Maiden (Purebred Arabians); Dh80,000; 1,400m. 5.30pm: Maiden (PA); Dh80,00; 1,400m. 6pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup (PA); Group 3; Dh500,000; 1,600m. 6.30pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan National Day Cup (Thoroughbred); Listed; Dh380,000; 1,600m 7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup for Private Owners Handicap (PA); Dh70,000; 1,400m. 7.30pm: Handicap (PA); Dh80,000; 1,600m
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened. He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia. Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”. Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
The biog
Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents
Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University
As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families
Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too
Last 10 NBA champions
2017: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-1
2016: Cleveland bt Golden State 4-3
2015: Golden State bt Cleveland 4-2
2014: San Antonio bt Miami 4-1
2013: Miami bt San Antonio 4-3
2012: Miami bt Oklahoma City 4-1
2011: Dallas bt Miami 4-2
2010: Los Angeles Lakers bt Boston 4-3
2009: Los Angeles Lakers bt Orlando 4-1
2008: Boston bt Los Angeles Lakers 4-2
A UK report on youth social media habits commissioned by advocacy group Volteface found a quarter of young people were exposed to illegal drug dealers on social media.
The poll of 2,006 people aged 16-24 assessed their exposure to drug dealers online in a nationally representative survey.
Of those admitting to seeing drugs for sale online, 56 per cent saw them advertised on Snapchat, 55 per cent on Instagram and 47 per cent on Facebook.
Cannabis was the drug most pushed by online dealers, with 63 per cent of survey respondents claiming to have seen adverts on social media for the drug, followed by cocaine (26 per cent) and MDMA/ecstasy, with 24 per cent of people.
RESULT
Esperance de Tunis 1 Guadalajara 1
(Esperance won 6-5 on penalties) Esperance: Belaili 38’ Guadalajara: Sandoval 5’
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples. Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts. Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
One in four Americans don't plan to retire
Nearly a quarter of Americans say they never plan to retire, according to a poll that suggests a disconnection between individuals' retirement plans and the realities of ageing in the workforce.
Experts say illness, injury, layoffs and caregiving responsibilities often force older workers to leave their jobs sooner than they'd like.
According to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Centre for Public Affairs Research, 23 per cent of workers, including nearly two in 10 of those over 50, don't expect to stop working. Roughly another quarter of Americans say they will continue working beyond their 65th birthday.
According to government data, about one in five people 65 and older was working or actively looking for a job in June. The study surveyed 1,423 adults in February this year.
For many, money has a lot to do with the decision to keep working.
"The average retirement age that we see in the data has gone up a little bit, but it hasn't gone up that much," says Anqi Chen, assistant director of savings research at the Centre for Retirement Research at Boston College. "So people have to live in retirement much longer, and they may not have enough assets to support themselves in retirement."
When asked how financially comfortable they feel about retirement, 14 per cent of Americans under the age of 50 and 29 per cent over 50 say they feel extremely or very prepared, according to the poll. About another four in 10 older adults say they do feel somewhat prepared, while just about one-third feel unprepared.
"One of the things about thinking about never retiring is that you didn't save a whole lot of money," says Ronni Bennett, 78, who was pushed out of her job as a New York City-based website editor at 63.
She searched for work in the immediate aftermath of her layoff, a process she describes as akin to "banging my head against a wall." Finding Manhattan too expensive without a steady stream of income, she eventually moved to Portland, Maine. A few years later, she moved again, to Lake Oswego, Oregon. "Sometimes I fantasise that if I win the lottery, I'd go back to New York," says Ms Bennett.
match info
Maratha Arabians 138-2
C Lynn 91*, A Lyth 20, B Laughlin 1-15
Team Abu Dhabi 114-3
L Wright 40*, L Malinga 0-13, M McClenaghan 1-17
Maratha Arabians won by 24 runs
The specs
Engine: 2-litre or 3-litre 4Motion all-wheel-drive Power: 250Nm (2-litre); 340 (3-litre) Torque: 450Nm Transmission: 8-speed automatic Starting price: From Dh212,000 On sale: Now
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.
The hotels
Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.
The tours
A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages.
Other ways to buy used products in the UAE
UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.
Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.
Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.
For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.
Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.
At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.
First Test, Galle International Stadium
July 26-30 Second Test, Sinhalese Sports Club Ground
August 3-7 Third Test, Pallekele International Stadium
August 12-16 First ODI, Rangiri Dambulla Stadium
August 20 Second ODI, Pallekele International Stadium
August 24 Third ODI, Pallekele International Stadium
August 27 Fourth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
August 31 Fifth ODI, R Premadasa Stadium
September 3 T20, R Premadasa Stadium
September 6
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
PREMIER LEAGUE RESULTS
Bournemouth 1 Manchester City 2
Watford 0 Brighton and Hove Albion 0
Newcastle United 3 West Ham United 0
Huddersfield Town 0 Southampton 0
Crystal Palace 0 Swansea City 2
Manchester United 2 Leicester City 0
West Bromwich Albion 1 Stoke City 1
Chelsea 2 Everton 0
Tottenham Hotspur 1 Burnley 1
Liverpool 4 Arsenal 0
All matches in Bulawayo Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
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
If you go
The flights Etihad (www.etihad.com) and Spice Jet (www.spicejet.com) fly direct from Abu Dhabi and Dubai to Pune respectively from Dh1,000 return including taxes. Pune airport is 90 minutes away by road.
The hotels A stay at Atmantan Wellness Resort (www.atmantan.com) costs from Rs24,000 (Dh1,235) per night, including taxes, consultations, meals and a treatment package.
