A journalist takes a selfie with French President Emmanuel Macron after a news conference at the Pine Residence, the official residence of the French ambassador to Lebanon, in Beirut, Lebanon. Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a news conference in Beirut, Lebanon. Bloomberg
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a news conference in Beirut, Lebanon. Bloomberg
French President Emmanuel Macron visits the Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut, Lebanon. EPA
French President Emmanuel Macron, flanked by French Health Minister Olivier Veran visit the Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut, Lebanon. EPA
French President Emmanuel Macron meets members of the military mobilised for the reconstruction of the port of Beirut, in Beirut, Lebanon. Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron meets members of the military mobilised for the reconstruction of the port of Beirut, in Beirut, Lebanon. Reuters
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and French President Emmanuel Macron meet members of the military mobilised for the reconstruction of the port, in Beirut, Lebanon. Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron flanked by French Health Minister Olivier Veran and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian listen to Arnaud Tranchant, commander of the Tonnerre helicopter carrier, off the port of Beirut. AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian meet with UN representatives and NGOs mobilised for the reconstruction of Beirut port. AFP
Alpha jets of the Patrouille de France release smoke in the colours of the Lebanese flag while flying over the Mohammad al-Amin mosque in the centre of Lebanon's capital Beirut, as the former French mandate marked its centenary while teetering on the brink of the abyss. AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron plants a cedar next to members of the NGO Jouzour Loubnan in Jaj, Lebanon. EPA
French President Emmanuel Macron hugs a blast victim, Tamara Tayah, while attending a ceremony to mark Lebanon's centenary in Jaj Cedars Reserve Forest, northeast of the capital Beirut. AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to victims of the blast as he arrives to a ceremony to plant a cedar next to members of the NGO Jouzour Loubnan in Jaj, near Beirut, Lebanon. EPA
French President Emmanuel Macron meets former Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri at the Pine Residence, the official residence of the French ambassador to Lebanon, in Beirut, Lebanon. EPA
Lebanese President Michel Aoun and French President Emmanuel Macron during a welcome ceremony at Beirut airport. AFP
Protesters walk outside the home of Fairouz, one of Arab world's most famed singers, as French president Emmanuel Macron visits her, in Rabieh, Lebanon. Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron, gives respect sign to anti government protesters as he leaves the house of Lebanon's diva Fairouz, one of the Arab world's most popular singers, in Rabieh, north Beirut, Lebanon. AP Photo
French President Emmanuel Macron, center, speaks with an anti government protester after his visit to the Lebanon's diva Fairouz, one of the Arab world's most popular singers, in Rabieh, north Beirut, Lebanon. AP Photo
French President Emmanuel Macron talks to journalists as he leaves the home of Fairouz, one of the Arab world's most famed singers, after visiting her in Rabieh, Lebanon. Reuters
Lebanese President Michel Aoun and French President Emmanuel Macron, both wearing face masks, during a welcome ceremony at Beirut international airport. AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron arrives at Beirut international airport, Lebanon. EPA
French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to reporters after his meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun at Beirut international airport. AP
On Sunday night, Lebanese President Michel Aoun made a speech on television to mark the establishment by France of Greater Lebanon on September 1, 1920. In the speech, Mr Aoun called for a “civil state”, declaring that Lebanon’s sectarian system “constitutes an obstacle to all progress and reforms and the fight against corruption”.
At any other moment, such radical remarks should have represented a stirring call to arms for change, with broader implications for Lebanese society. However, coming from a largely invisible President, it fell on a mostly indifferent public. It also does not help matters that Mr Aoun is perceived as covering for the corruption of his son-in-law, Gebran Bassil, who is also a politician.
Yet the antagonism directed against Mr Aoun has underlined how the Lebanese understand that their presidents have considerable influence, even if the constitution does not accord them very much formally. They can be the object of significant popular expectations or, alternatively, profound revulsion, despite the fact that they have little real power to implement decisions.
When Greater Lebanon was established in 1920, France put in place a presidential system that it very much controlled as mandatory power in the country. At the time, the competition between two presidential rivals, Bishara Al Khoury and Emile Eddeh, defined Lebanese politics to a great extent. Ultimately, both men would become presidents, though Al Khoury perhaps ultimately won out by holding the office at the time Lebanon became independent in 1943.
Following independence, the presidency would remain a source of competition between Maronite Christian politicians. According to an agreement known as the "national pact" between Al Khoury and a leading Sunni Muslim politician, Riad Al Solh, the president would always be a Maronite, the prime minister always a Sunni Muslim and the parliament speaker always a Shia Muslim.
At the time, the president had extensive powers, appointing prime ministers, dissolving governments and having a major voice over ministerial appointments. That changed in 1989, when constitutional amendments agreed at Taif, Saudi Arabia, led to a transformation of the system into one where executive power was vested in the council of ministers. The president's role was curtailed, even if he remained head of state "and the symbol of the nation's unity".
Many Christians, including Mr Aoun, regarded the transformation of the president’s role as a defeat for the Maronite community. Mr Aoun for many years was highly critical of Taif, even as he engineered, with the help of Hezbollah, his own ascension to the role in 2016. Evidently, Mr Aoun had grasped that, with or without Taif, in a sectarian system where a president also represents a major Lebanese religious community, he could play a role larger than what the constitution mandated.
A 2011 photo shows a poster in Beirut of Lebanese opposition leaders, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, left, then MP Michel Aoun, centre, and Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. AFP
Michel Aoun could have exploited the implicit powers of his office to his advantage since October 2019, when the Lebanese began denouncing the ineptitude and dishonesty of their political leaders
Yet what Mr Aoun has also shown since then is that he did not have the acumen to consolidate the powers of his office. Instead, the President has completely undermined his position by failing to take the lead in guiding Lebanon out of its profound economic and financial crisis. He is now seen as part of the problem, having used his office largely to benefit the personal and political interests of his family, particularly the widely reviled Mr Bassil.
Things could have been different. Mr Aoun could have exploited the implicit powers of his office to his advantage since October 2019, when hundreds of thousands of Lebanese began denouncing the ineptitude and dishonesty of their political leaders. He could have caught the wave to enhance his authority and speak for a nation united against politicians who had brought about financial collapse.
Instead, when appearing on television at the time, Mr Aoun looked disoriented and out of touch, in part perhaps because Mr Bassil was among those the protesters had denounced most vehemently. The President paid the price for being identified too closely with his son-in-law, when a more competent politician might have used the occasion to garner power at Mr Bassil's expense.
Fireworks thrown at riot police by anti-government protesters explode during clashes near the parliament building following last Tuesday's massive explosion in the seaport which devastated Beirut, Lebanon. AP Photo
Lebanese protesters, enraged by a deadly explosion, clash with security forces at Martyrs' Square in Beirut. Lebanon's Prime Minister Hassan Diab stepped down amid fury within and outside his government over the deadly Beirut port blast he blamed on the incompetence and corruption of a decades-old ruling class. AFP
Lebanese protesters, enraged by a deadly explosion, hurl stones at security forces amid clashes in central Beirut. Lebanon's Prime Minister Hassan Diab stepped down amid fury within and outside his government over the deadly Beirut port blast he blamed on the incompetence and corruption of a decades-old ruling class. AFP
Lebanese anti-government protesters throw stones at security forces at one of the roads leading to the parliament building in Beirut, Lebanon. EPA
Lebanese security forces clash with protesters near the parliament building in central Beirut following a huge chemical explosion that devastated large parts of the Lebanese capital. AFP
A demonstrator waves a Lebanese flag during anti-government protests that have been ignited by a massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon. Reuters
Protesters wave a Lebanese flag during demonstrations near the parliament building in Beirut, Lebanon. EPA
An anti-government protester uses a tennis racket to hit back a tear gas canister towards riot policemen during a protest following last Tuesday's massive explosion, which devastated Beirut, Lebanon. AP Photo
Lebanese security forces clash with protesters near the parliament in central Beirut following a huge chemical explosion that devastated large parts of the Lebanese capital. AFP
A member of Lebanese riot police fires a weapon during anti-government protests that have been ignited by a massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon. Reuters
Lebanese protesters try to storm the vicinity of the parliament in central Beirut following a huge chemical explosion that devastated large parts of the Lebanese capital. AFP
A demonstrator throws fireworks at riot police during anti-government protests that have been ignited by a massive explosion in Beirut, Lebanon. Reuters
Similarly, after the massive explosion in Beirut port on August 4, Mr Aoun should have gone down on the evening of the blast to commiserate with those who had just lost their homes and loved ones. However, the President only appeared the next day to survey the blast site, with not a moment wasted on the victims. Here was a golden opportunity to bolster his appeal, and instead, Mr Aoun came across as someone indifferent to those who had suffered terrible trauma.
What is so difficult to grasp is why Mr Aoun, who effectively fought a war to become president in 1988-1990, and who helped create a ruinous presidential vacuum in 2014-2016 in order to take office, has proven to be such an inert, mediocre president. He has not brought a single original idea or programme that he has sought to implement.
If there is one enduring message among many others on Lebanon’s centennial, it is that the country’s political system creates many informal spaces for the exercise of constructive power. Even if the presidency is no longer what it once was, a capable president who wants to make a difference can do so if he tries.
Michael Young is a senior editor at the Carnegie Middle East Centre in Beirut and a columnist for The National
Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics
Favourite sport: soccer
Favourite team: Bayern Munich
Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer
Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates
European arms
Known EU weapons transfers to Ukraine since the war began: Germany 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. Luxembourg 100 NLAW anti-tank weapons, jeeps and 15 military tents as well as air transport capacity. Belgium 2,000 machine guns, 3,800 tons of fuel. Netherlands 200 Stinger missiles. Poland 100 mortars, 8 drones, Javelin anti-tank weapons, Grot assault rifles, munitions. Slovakia 12,000 pieces of artillery ammunition, 10 million litres of fuel, 2.4 million litres of aviation fuel and 2 Bozena de-mining systems. Estonia Javelin anti-tank weapons. Latvia Stinger surface to air missiles. Czech Republic machine guns, assault rifles, other light weapons and ammunition worth $8.57 million.
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
Francesco Totti's bio
Born September 27, 1976
Position Attacking midifelder
Clubs played for (1) - Roma
Total seasons 24
First season 1992/93
Last season 2016/17
Appearances 786
Goals 307
Titles (5) -Serie A 1; Italian Cup 2; Italian Supercup 2
Mark Chahwan, co-founder and chief executive of robo-advisory firm Sarwa, forecasts that Generation Alpha (born between 2010 and 2024) will start investing in their teenage years and therefore benefit from compound interest.
“Technology and education should be the main drivers to make this happen, whether it’s investing in a few clicks or their schools/parents stepping up their personal finance education skills,” he adds.
Mr Chahwan says younger generations have a higher capacity to take on risk, but for some their appetite can be more cautious because they are investing for the first time. “Schools still do not teach personal finance and stock market investing, so a lot of the learning journey can feel daunting and intimidating,” he says.
He advises millennials to not always start with an aggressive portfolio even if they can afford to take risks. “We always advise to work your way up to your risk capacity, that way you experience volatility and get used to it. Given the higher risk capacity for the younger generations, stocks are a favourite,” says Mr Chahwan.
Highlighting the role technology has played in encouraging millennials and Gen Z to invest, he says: “They were often excluded, but with lower account minimums ... a customer with $1,000 [Dh3,672] in their account has their money working for them just as hard as the portfolio of a high get-worth individual.”
THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
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.
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors Power: 659hp Torque: 1075Nm On sale: Available for pre-order now Price: On request
The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Health Valley
Founded in 2002 and set up as a foundation in 2006, Health Valley has been an innovation in healthcare for more than 10 years in Nijmegen, the Netherlands.
It serves as a place where companies, businesses, universities, healthcare providers and government agencies can collaborate, offering a platform where they can connect and work together on healthcare innovation.
Its partners work on technological innovation, new forms of diagnostics and other methods to make a difference in healthcare.
Its agency consists of eight people, four innovation managers and office managers, two communication advisers and one director. It gives innovation support to businesses and other parties in its network like a broker, connecting people with the right organisation to help them further
