Several killed after Israeli forces fire towards Palestinians gathered at aid distribution sites
Over the past few weeks, there have been several attacks near aid distribution sites in Gaza
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The National
3 hours ago
- The National
Former Lebanese economy minister Amin Salam arrested over corruption allegations
Former Lebanese economy minister Amin Salam was arrested on Wednesday following an investigation into alleged financial crimes, a senior judicial source has told The National. Mr Salam was arrested by order of Judge Jamal Hajjar, Lebanon's top prosecutor at the Court of Cassation. The former minister is being investigated for alleged falsification, embezzlement of public funds and blackmailing insurance companies. He was questioned several times in May by Judge Hajjar and has been placed under house arrest and issued with a travel ban. The investigation also involves Mr Salam's brother and business partner, Karim Salam, who has been in detention since April, the judicial source said. The former minister's arrest follows a complaint filed two months ago by Lebanese MP Farid Boustany, who chairs the parliamentary economy committee, over allegations of 'embezzlement, extortion and waste of public funds'. The committee alleges Mr Salam awarded overpriced contracts to foreign firms for services that did not justify the costs, and misappropriated funds from the Insurance Companies Contribution Fund, which is overseen by the Economy Ministry. At a press conference in March, Mr Salam denied any wrongdoing and slammed what he described as 'attacks' against him. He denounced entrenched 'mafias' who opposed reforms, and accused Mr Boustany of having personal motives behind the complaint. In an interview with The National in January, weeks before a new government was installed, Mr Salam called for an end to the old corrupt political class, which he described as 'a virus in the body, fighting back in every way possible'. 'They see [government] as a deal where they want the biggest share and profit,' he said. On June 2, the acting head of the State Litigation Department, Judge Claude Ghanem, filed a complaint against Mr Salam with Judge Hajjar, following a request from current Economy Minister Amer Bsat, Lebanese daily L'Orient-Le Jour reported.
The National
6 hours ago
- The National
Stolen Syrian antiquities flood online marketplace after Assad fall
The illegal trafficking of Syrian antiquities has spiked dramatically since December, according to findings by the Antiquities Trafficking and Heritage Anthropology Research Project (Athar). 'The last three to four months has been the biggest flood of antiquities trafficking I have ever seen, from any country, ever,' Katie Paul, Athar's co-director, told The Guardian. Nearly a third of the 1,500 Syrian antiquities trafficking cases documented by the group since 2012 have taken place in the months after Bashar Al Assad was toppled. The treasures are being sold online, primarily through Facebook Marketplace. 'When the regime fell, we saw a huge spike on the ground,' Amr al-Azm, co-director of Athar, told The Guardian. 'It was a complete breakdown of any constraints that might have existed in the regime periods that controlled looting.' Syria is still recovering from the blight of Baathist rule. The dismantlement of the regime's security network, which was a source of terror for citizens, as well as pervasive poverty are the driving forces behind the looting. Both professionals and amateurs are involved in the trafficking. Individuals have been digging heritage sites, such as in Palmyra, with metal detectors and shovels. Criminal networks, meanwhile, are making use of heavy machinery to extract entire mosaics and statues from archeological sites. Facebook currently hosts dozens of groups with members buying and selling metal detectors, posting pictures of pottery, coins, mosaics and manuscripts, and trying to get them appraised. Given Syria's rich history and the region's location at the crossroads of empires, the antiquities date back to several civilisations, including Assyrian, Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek and Roman. Thwarting the trafficking is a monumental task. The new Syrian government is attempting to curtail looting, proposing financial incentives for returning finds and threatening up to 15 years in prison. However, given the lack of government resources and the fact that 90 per cent of Syrian society is living under the poverty line, the looting is still widespread. The responsibility to put an end to the trafficking could fall on the West, which is where most of the stolen antiquities are being sold to. 'How do we stop this? Stop the demand in the West,' al-Azm, who is a professor of Middle East history and anthropology at Shawnee State University in Ohio, said. 'Until the security issue improves, you won't see an improvement. We focus on the supply side to abrogate the responsibility of the West.'
Khaleej Times
9 hours ago
- Khaleej Times
UAE sets new Emiratisation goal: 50%-60% quota for insurance sector by 2030
A new Emiratisation strategy for the years 2027–2030 targets Emiratisation rates of 50 per cent to 60 per cent at insurance companies, depending on company size. It also mandates the employment of at least one Emirati annually in occupations with two to 19 employees, as well as a 30 per cent localisation rate in occupations with 20 or more employees, 45 per cent in critical roles, and 30 per cent in direct leadership positions such as CEOs or general managers. The announcement by UAE Minister of State for Financial Affairs Mohamed Al Husaini was made during the Federal National Council (FNC) session on Wednesday, in response to a question raised by FNC member Adnan Al Hammadi on the role of the Central Bank in enforcing Emiratisation compliance in the insurance sector. The minister confirmed a noticeable improvement in Emiratisation within the insurance sector. As of June 1, 2025, Emiratis comprised 2,159 out of a total of 9,773 employees, representing 22.09 per cent. This marks an increase from 13.34 per cent in 2022 and 21.64 per cent in 2024. "The 2022–2026 strategy aims to raise the localisation rate to 30 per cent by 2026, with an annual increase of around 3 per cent,' said the minister in a statement. To ensure compliance and prevent fraudulent Emiratisation practices, the Central Bank established a dedicated Supervision and Inspection Unit. The unit is authorised to impose fines of Dh60,000 against companies found missing Emirati employees, calculated at Dh20,000 per point. The statement also highlighted the Central Bank's investments in human capital development. A total of 6,138 Emiratis have participated in advanced professional training programmes in collaboration with prestigious international educational institutions. These programmes covered areas such as accounting, finance, auditing, anti-money laundering, artificial intelligence, and data science. In 2023, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the Ministry of Presidential Affairs and the Emirates Institute of Finance to offer 100 annual scholarships in actuarial science. So far, nine Emiratis have been selected to pursue their studies in the United States and Australia under this initiative. Further collaborations are underway with national and international universities, he added, including the Higher Colleges of Technology, Zayed University, and the American University in Dubai, to launch a bachelor's degree programme in actuarial science. Scheduled to begin in September 2025, the programme will be supported by insurance companies to cover tuition fees for 25 to 30 students each year.
