BEIRUT // Facing a country as well as a political scene deeply divided by regional politics, Lebanon's new president yesterday convened a national reconciliation dialogue aimed at preventing the sectarian tensions that have frequently spilt over into violence in the past two years.
Michel Suleiman, the president, led the meeting of 14 representatives from Lebanon's fractious political and ethnic spheres to encourage the pro-western government to negotiate with the Hizbollah-led opposition over the right of the militant Shiite group to remain autonomous and armed. The talks are also designed to help keep a political and military ceasefire between the rival camps in place after widespread political violence broke out in May between the primarily Shiite opposition and Sunni government supporters.
"Agreeing to dialogue in and of itself means that all subjects are open to discussion," Mr Suleiman said as he opened the talks. "The only thing banned here is failure or a reaching a dead end."
Many Lebanese believe that keeping the peace between the Future Movement - a Sunni group led by Saad Hariri, son of Rafiq Hariri, the late prime minister - and the Hizbollah-dominated opposition continues to be the biggest challenge faced by Mr Suleiman in his first few months in office.
A former army commander, Mr Suleiman continues to be seen as a trusted broker between both sides, although his influence could be badly damaged by a failure in the dialogue attempts, according to most Lebanese political observers. With the government alliance of Sunnis, Druze and Christians closely aligned with the United States, and Hizbollah considered a close ally of Iran, the spat often takes on regional political elements.
"A faulty or incomplete approach to such a dialogue could backfire and pose a threat to Lebanon's stability. It might also mortally weaken the Lebanese presidency, which is a necessary unifying institution in today's polarized environment," wrote Paul Salem, a political analyst with the Carnegie Institute, in a local commentary piece.
Officials described yesterday's talks as a first organisational step towards discussing Lebanon's most difficult issue: whether Hizbollah should remain armed and able to conduct military operations autonomously from the Lebanese government.Walid Jumblatt, who heads the Druze-dominated Progressive Socialist Party and is a Hizbollah critic and opposed to any Syrian influence, met Hizbollah officials before the talks yesterday and offered an olive branch to his rivals after years of bombastic rhetoric.
"[Any] national defence strategy should employ Hizbollah's military capabilities. The defence strategy must make use of Hizbollah's military power, while stressing that the state is the sole authority when it comes to war and peace decisions," he said just before the meeting, which took place in the Presidential Palace complex outside Beirut. Mr Jumblatt typically calls the group illegal and says it is in need of disarming.
Sayyed Hashim Safieddine, a senior Hizbollah official, said the Lebanese should see the group's weapons as "an asset and not a liability. It would be a fatal mistake to go into dialogue with the concept that weapons are a burden on the Lebanese state."
As is often the case, the Lebanese seem unable to agree on what they should be discussing.
The pro-western government of Fouad Siniora, the prime minister - who is aligned with Mr Hariri - has repeatedly denounced Hizbollah for running a "state within a state" and argues the group should disarm or be integrated into the Lebanese army. Even organising a series of public discussions between the factions required weeks of definitions and arguments over the agenda, as the Future Movement and its Christian and Druze allies have pushed for a package of discussions that would define Lebanon's borders and relationship with Syria.
Although Hizbollah refuses to actually discuss disarming - knowing that the Lebanese government is not powerful enough to make them give up weapons - one key opposition ally said the talks should determine the need for an armed resistance in the south to protect against Israel.
Michel Aoun, a former army commander and leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, said: "The dialogue will determine if the resistance is necessary to protect Lebanon. It will also determine who would pull the trigger."
Even as the political elites of Lebanon met amid calls for unity, the country continues to be rattled by small outbursts of sectarian - mostly Sunni versus Shiite - violence. As the dialogue successfully ended with a call to reconvene on Nov 5 (after Mr Suleiman visits both the United Nations and the United States), a sniper opened fire on the funeral in the outlying Beqaa Valley of a man killed overnight in sectarian clashes.
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: BorrowMe (BorrowMe.com)
Date started: August 2021
Founder: Nour Sabri
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce / Marketplace
Size: Two employees
Funding stage: Seed investment
Initial investment: $200,000
Investors: Amr Manaa (director, PwC Middle East)
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
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RESULTS
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RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m, Winner SS Lamea, Saif Al Balushi (jockey), Ibrahim Al Hadhrami (trainer).
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,400m, Winner AF Makerah, Sean Kirrane, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m, Winner Maaly Al Reef, Brett Doyle, Abdallah Al Hammadi
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh90,000 1,600m, Winner AF Momtaz, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
7pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m, Winner Morjanah Al Reef, Brett Doyle, Abdallah Al Hammadi
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh100,000 2,200m, Winner Mudarrab, Jim Crowley, Erwan Charpy
Mercedes V250 Avantgarde specs
Engine: 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder turbo
Gearbox: 7-speed automatic
Power: 211hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 350Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.0 l/100 km
Price: Dh235,000
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Surianah's top five jazz artists
Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.
Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.
Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.
Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.
Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
The five pillars of Islam
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Specs
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Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
RESULTS
6.30pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-1 Group 1 (PA) Dh119,373 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: Brraq, Adrie de Vries (jockey), Jean-Claude Pecout (trainer)
7.05pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Taamol, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
7.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (Turf) 1,800m
Winner: Eqtiraan, Connor Beasley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe.
8.15pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial (TB) Dh183,650 (D) 1,400m
Winner: Soft Whisper, Pat Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
9.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,600m
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9.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (T) 1,000m
Winner: Etisalat, Sando Paiva, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
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THE SPECS
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE
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The specs
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Power: 300hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 520Nm at 1,500-3,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
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On sale: now
The view from The National
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
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Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Uefa Nations League
League A:
Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, France, England, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Iceland, Croatia, Netherlands
League B:
Austria, Wales, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Turkey
League C:
Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia, Greece, Serbia, Albania, Norway, Montenegro, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania
League D:
Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Malta, Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Gibraltar
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Wayne Rooney's career
Everton (2002-2004)
- Appearances: 48
- Goals: 17
Manchester United (2004-2017)
- Appearances: 496
- Goals: 253
England (2003-)
- Appearances: 119
- Goals: 53
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-finals, first leg
Liverpool v Roma
When: April 24, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Anfield, Liverpool
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
MATCH INFO
Liverpool 0
Stoke City 0
Man of the Match: Erik Pieters (Stoke)
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MATCH INFO
Barcelona 2
Suarez (10'), Messi (52')
Real Madrid 2
Ronaldo (14'), Bale (72')
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
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
