An image taken from the official Facebook media page of Libya’s prime minister on March 30, 2016, shows UN-backed prime Mpinister-designate, Fayez al-Sarraj being greeted by upon his arrival in Tripoli. Agence France-Presse, handout
An image taken from the official Facebook media page of Libya’s prime minister on March 30, 2016, shows UN-backed prime Mpinister-designate, Fayez al-Sarraj being greeted by upon his arrival in TripolShow more

Who Libya’s new prime minister-designate Fayez Al Sarraj?



TRIPOLI // Fayez Al Sarraj, who is tasked of uniting a country ravaged by divisions, is a novice politician, but comes from a family with deep political roots.

Since arriving in Tripoli last week, Libya’s prime minister-designate, has been struggling to assert his government’s authority, suffering a setback on Wednesday as the head of a rival Tripolitan administration refused to cede power.

Described by childhood friends as warm and engaging but firm when needed, the 56-year-old was born into a wealthy and prominent family that owned a book and stationary store in central Tripoli, as well as swathes of land around the capital.

A trained architect, Mr Al Sarraj had a long career in the public sector and was also a businessman.

He worked for the social security administration, the public works department, and served as a commissioner in charge of supervising public projects.

He did not enter politics until his 50s, following in the footsteps of his father, Mostafa, who was a member of parliament and cabinet minister under Libya’s deposed King Idriss.

Mr Al Sarraj was elected to parliament in June 2014 but he and fellow lawmakers fled to Tobruk, east Libya, after an alliance of militias overran the capital and established a rival administration.

Two years later and after months of arduous negotiations, the United Nations brokered a power-sharing deal between rival Libyan politicians under which Mr Al Sarraj was designated prime minister.

The international community pressed reluctant Libyans to endorse the deal, seen as vital to stemming a conflict that has seen ISIL establish a foothold in the country.

“His political stature is still very fragile,” said Silvia Colombo, a Libya expert with the Rome-based Institute of International Affairs.

She noted, however, that Mr Al Sarraj took everyone by surprise when he travelled with cabinet ministers to Tripoli last week from self-exile in Tunis.

“He sent a very, very strong message, more than what had been expected of him, by landing in Tripoli. This was an unexpected gesture ... from a man who until then had never been a leader,” she said.

Mr Al Sarraj arrived at a naval base in Tripoli last Wednesday amid hope that his administration will end the chaos that has plagued the country since Muammar Qadaffi’s removal from power in 2011.

Friends of Mr Al Sarraj describe a charismatic figure who should be able to rally support.

“Fayez is an extremely kind man who is always willing to listen to others. He is patient and respectful, but this does not stop him from being firm and speaking his mind,” said Salim Ben Hemeda, a childhood friend, fellow architect and neighbour.

Another friend, Rida Al Gontrari, described him as “calm and level-headed”.

Mr Al Sarraj’s father was a member of the nationalist Hizb Al Motamar party and had close ties with Bashir Al Saadawi, a key figure of Libya’s 1951 independence from Italy.

The prime minister-designate is married to an architect and has three daughters.

* Agence France-Presse

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

Pox that threatens the Middle East's native species

Camelpox

Caused by a virus related to the one that causes human smallpox, camelpox typically causes fever, swelling of lymph nodes and skin lesions in camels aged over three, but the animal usually recovers after a month or so. Younger animals may develop a more acute form that causes internal lesions and diarrhoea, and is often fatal, especially when secondary infections result. It is found across the Middle East as well as in parts of Asia, Africa, Russia and India.

Falconpox

Falconpox can cause a variety of types of lesions, which can affect, for example, the eyelids, feet and the areas above and below the beak. It is a problem among captive falcons and is one of many types of avian pox or avipox diseases that together affect dozens of bird species across the world. Among the other forms are pigeonpox, turkeypox, starlingpox and canarypox. Avipox viruses are spread by mosquitoes and direct bird-to-bird contact.

Houbarapox

Houbarapox is, like falconpox, one of the many forms of avipox diseases. It exists in various forms, with a type that causes skin lesions being least likely to result in death. Other forms cause more severe lesions, including internal lesions, and are more likely to kill the bird, often because secondary infections develop. This summer the CVRL reported an outbreak of pox in houbaras after rains in spring led to an increase in mosquito numbers.

The Africa Institute 101

Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction. 

Sheikh Zayed's poem

When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.

Your love is ruling over my heart

Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it

Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home

You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness

Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins

You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge

You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm

Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you

You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it

Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by. 

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Directors: Raj & DK

Stars: Varun Dhawan, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Kashvi Majmundar, Kay Kay Menon

Rating: 4/5

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Engine: 1.5-litre 4-cylinder petrol

Power: 154bhp

Torque: 250Nm

Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option 

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2pm: Maiden Dh 60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m. Winner: Masaali, Pat Dobbs (jockey), Doug Watson (trainer).

2.30pm: Handicap Dh 76,000 (D) 1,400m. Winner: Almoreb, Dane O’Neill, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.

3pm: Handicap Dh 64,000 (D) 1,200m. Winner: Imprison, Fabrice Veron, Rashed Bouresly.

3.30pm: Shadwell Farm Conditions Dh 100,000 (D) 1,000m. Winner: Raahy, Adrie de Vries, Jaber Ramadhan.

4pm: Maiden Dh 60,000 (D) 1,000m. Winner: Cross The Ocean, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar.

4.30pm: Handicap 64,000 (D) 1,950m. Winner: Sa’Ada, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash.

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The specs: 2018 Dodge Durango SRT

Price, base / as tested: Dh259,000

Engine: 6.4-litre V8

Power: 475hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque: 640Nm @ 4,300rpm

Transmission: Eight-speed automatic

Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
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Avengers 3: Infinity War: an American superhero film released in 2018 and based on the Marvel Comics story.  

Sholay: a 1975 Indian action-adventure film. It follows the adventures of two criminals hired by police to catch a vagabond. The film was panned on release but is now considered a classic.

Lucifer: is a 2019 Malayalam-language action film. It dives into the gritty world of Kerala’s politics and has become one of the highest-grossing Malayalam films of all time.

How to turn your property into a holiday home
  1. Ensure decoration and styling – and portal photography – quality is high to achieve maximum rates.
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  4. Factor in costs when working out if holiday letting is beneficial. The annual DCTM fee runs from Dh370 for a one-bedroom flat to Dh1,200. Tourism tax is Dh10-15 per bedroom, per night.
  5. Check your management company has a physical office, a valid DTCM licence and is licencing your property and paying tourism taxes. For transparency, regularly view your booking calendar.
What to watch out for:

Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways

The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof

The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history

Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure

Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding