Politicians in Beirut rushed on Wednesday to form a new government to satisfy western powers wary of providing bailout funds despite the risk of Lebanon becoming a failed state.
With the official death toll rising to 171, residents of the capital are licking their wounds.
The port explosion a week ago, shown below from a Beirut hospital, exposed staggering ineptitude in a state that defaulted on its foreign debt in March and whose currency had lost enormous value since last year.
German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, during a trip to Beirut on Tuesday, spoke in business terms about any bailout.
“The international community is ready to invest but needs securities for these investments. It is important to have a government that fights the corruption," Mr Maas said.
He said that whoever took over responsibility in Lebanon had to deliver economic reforms and good government.
But most of the Lebanese elite have made it clear that any political change will not go beyond replacing the short-lived government, which resigned on Monday.
Hezbollah representatives met this week with their main political allies, parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri and former foreign minister Gebran Bassil.
Mr Bassil heads the Free Patriotic Movement, which commands the largest bloc in Parliament.
Hezbollah has indicated that it is not opposed to the return of Saad Hariri, the prime minister forced by the street protest movement to resign last year. The authorities crushed the uprising by January.
Under Lebanon’s sectarian political system, the prime minister has to be Sunni and the Speaker Shiite.
Mr Berri, who was installed by the Syrian regime almost three decades ago, is Shiite, and President Michel Aoun is Maronite Christian.
Mr Hariri became prime minister in 2016 in a deal under which Mr Aoun, one of Hezbollah's main Christian allies, became president.
Possible challenger to old guard emerges
With typical pragmatism, the pro-Iranian militia Hezbollah has not flatly come out against another possible candidate who regarded as acceptable to the protest movement.
Nawaf Salam is a rare figure without party affiliations who serves as an international judge in the Hague and has good ties with Washington.
But a source close to Mr Salam told The National that if he were offered the premiership, he might not accept it.
“Nawaf knows well that with Aoun as president, the premiership is hugely undermined,” the source said.
Parliament will meet on Thursday to question the departing government about the explosion.
Mr Berri will convene the legislature away from the parliament building in downtown Beirut, where mass demonstrations have revived by the blast.
After the explosion, Hezbollah was quick to indicate that Mr Diab had become politically expendable, sealing his fate despite his loyalty to the group.
Hezbollah also distanced itself from the corruption and patronage that defined the port's operations.
The once world-class port deteriorated after Syrian troops entered the country in 1976, the start of decades of Assad family tutelage over Lebanon.
Veteran lawyer Ghassan Moukheiber told The National that there was some strong support for the return of Mr Hariri, but Mr Salam or "someone like him" might be the only figures western powers would feel confident in dealing with.
Mr Moukheiber, a former parliamentarian, said Mr Hariri was too controversial because of his falling popularity with Saudi Arabia and a record of failing to halt Lebanon’s slide to disaster.
“Hariri is seen as part of the oligarchy responsible not only for the corruption of the country but also for the Beirut port explosion,” he said.
“Without a government that can be effective and inspire confidence, no one will know where things will go."
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
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
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
Opening weekend Premier League fixtures
Weekend of August 10-13
Arsenal v Manchester City
Bournemouth v Cardiff City
Fulham v Crystal Palace
Huddersfield Town v Chelsea
Liverpool v West Ham United
Manchester United v Leicester City
Newcastle United v Tottenham Hotspur
Southampton v Burnley
Watford v Brighton & Hove Albion
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Everton
If%20you%20go
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Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
THE%C2%A0SPECS
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Company%20profile
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon
Don't get fined
The UAE FTA requires following to be kept:
- Records of all supplies and imports of goods and services
- All tax invoices and tax credit notes
- Alternative documents related to receiving goods or services
- All tax invoices and tax credit notes
- Alternative documents issued
- Records of goods and services that have been disposed of or used for matters not related to business
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place playoff
General%20Classification
%3Cp%3E1.%20Elisa%20Longo%20Borghini%20(ITA)%20Trek-Segafredo%3Cbr%3E2.%20Gaia%20Realini%20(ITA)%20Trek-Segafredo%207%20secs%3Cbr%3E3.%20Silvia%20Persico%20(ITA)%20UAE%20Team%20ADQ%201%20min%2018%20secs%3C%2Fp%3E%0A