The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah urged supporters on Friday to stand firm in the face of US sanctions targeting the Iran-backed Shiite movement and brace for more pressure.
Hassan Nasrallah also vowed to mount a campaign against corruption in the Lebanese state and warned it would face financial collapse if it did not tackle waste.
In elections this month, Hezbollah along with parties and politicians that endorse its possession of arms gained sway in parliament.
Western-backed Sunni leader Saad Al Hariri will now form Lebanon's next coalition government to contain the main parties including Hezbollah.
Washington has sought to choke off Hezbollah funding, with sanctions among a slew of fresh measures against Tehran since US President Donald Trump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal.
The United States imposed sanctions last week on Hezbollah's representative to Iran, as well as a financier and five companies in Europe, West Africa and the Middle East. Washington and Gulf partners also announced more sanctions on Hezbollah leadership, including its top two officials, Mr Nasrallah and Naim Qassem.
Mr Nasrallah called the sanctions "part of the battle" and said they would not impact its leadership but could harm its backers.
"When they (sanction) Lebanese companies or organisations ... of course, this is very harmful, and so nobody should underestimate it," he said in a televised speech marking the anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from occupied parts of south Lebanon in 2000.
He said the sanctions would not affect the formation of a new government set to start next week.
After Lebanon's first legislative vote in nine years, the dire economic situation and unsustainable public debt levels are top priorities for the next government.
Mr Nasrallah pledged that Hezbollah would launch a "serious, strategic, and major" campaign to fight corruption. "We did not offer blood and liberate lands...for our country to go bankrupt and collapse."
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THE BIO
Favourite car: Koenigsegg Agera RS or Renault Trezor concept car.
Favourite book: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes or Red Notice by Bill Browder.
Biggest inspiration: My husband Nik. He really got me through a lot with his positivity.
Favourite holiday destination: Being at home in Australia, as I travel all over the world for work. It’s great to just hang out with my husband and family.
RESULT
Bayern Munich 0 AC Milan 4
Milan: Kessie (14'), Cutrone (25', 43'), Calhanoglu (85')
Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
The Gentlemen
Director: Guy Ritchie
Stars: Colin Farrell, Hugh Grant
Three out of five stars
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
