News

The recently appointed mayor of the southern town of Khiyam, Ali Abdallah, has banned, based on religious beliefs, all women and girls in the town of partaking in the projected Haramoon Marathon, An Nahar daily reported last Saturday. The event, to recall, is organized in “Suk el Khan” in Hasbayya under the sponsorship and presence of the Minister of Youth and Sports, Abdel Mottaleb Henaoui. Ironically, the newspaper analyzed, Abdallah’s instructions ruled out the registration of females, only males were allowed, despite the reservation of a number of the 21-member municipal board. Remarkable in the decision, An Nahar noted, is that the mayor, while banning females from running the mixed marathon, has approved the participation of young men in the same event. No objection to Abdallah’s decision has been detected, the newspaper stated, mentioning that “the municipality’s administrative affairs are being regulated through a political and sectarian authority”, in allusion to Hezbollah Party, and this in coordination with Amal Movement. Similar other restrictive decisions were taken in the past which act to undermine diversity. (An Nahar, July 25, 2016)

 

Under the sponsorship of the Minister of Social Affairs, Rasheed Derbas, the Social Women of Kefrayya Association inaugurated last Saturday its annual fair at Kefrayya Public School in the presence of the president of the Association Nada Murad Samrut, women members and a group of concerned people. On the occasion, Tina Hanna, speaking on behalf of the Association, pointed out that the exhibition has become a yearly event looked-for by the town women to showcase and sell their creations. For his part, Sheikh Mahdi Shalak, lauding the diverse assortment of handcrafts, underlined the inspiring collective spirit which united together women from Kefrayya, Rasin7hash and Bta3bura. Likewise, Mohamad al Ahdab representing Minister Derbas, boasted the different activities run by the above association, particularly in the domain of development and women empowerment. The exposition which opened Saturday and Sunday displayed various artisan and handmade items, traditional mooneh products, jewelry, accessories, gadgets, gifts and paintings. The proceeds are earmarked for underprivileged and poor families as well as to help women become productive and build their potentials. (Al Diyar, July 24, 2016)

 

In its first move, and under the slogan ‘Together for the formation of the Lebanese Committee for Food Safety’, the Legal Agenda, Consumer Protection Society, Farah Al 3ata2 and Wa7hdatuna Khalasuna associations held a sit-in yesterday in front of the Grand Serail during the meeting of the Cabinet. At the start of the protest, attended by some 262 civil groups under the umbrella of the Civil Alliance for Food Safety, the security forces prevented demonstrators from blocking the way of the ministers’ cars. This led to the closure of the road and change in the course of the convoy. Later, the Alliance handed the council of ministers general director a copy of the judicial report which contains the results of laboratory tests of flour samples. The results, it should be noted, have indicated the presence of 2050 defects in every 50 grams, which is inconsistent with the internationally-approved specifications. During the sit-in, Zuheir Berro, head of the Consumer Society, warned that the situation has reached an unprecedented level in corruption, mentioning the pollution of the Litani river and the Qar3un lake, added to the garbage and mills of Lebanon corruption files. Berro pledged to keep to the streets every time the Cabinet convenes until after the government fulfills its obligations. 

As for the latest in the government’s food safety campaign, health ministry inspectors shut down yesterday a number of commercial institutions and shops in Saida, Kfarmilki, Dhur Chweir, Zahleh, Aley, Nabatiyeh, Khirbit Silm, Dikwaneh, Furn al Chebak, Burj al Barajneh and the Airport Road. For the names of the closed establishments, kindly visit the following link: http://www.almustaqbal.com/v4/Article.aspx?Type=NP&ArticleID=711064  (Al Akhbar, An Nahar, Al Mustaqbal, July 22, 2016)

 

As part of the first centenary of the Beirut Hippodrome under the title ‘a park of all colors’, the governor of Beirut, Ziad Shbeeb inaugurated yesterday the food fair, “Flavor lounge” (Salon des Saveurs) http://www.salon-des-saveurs.com, which will extend from 20 to 23 July 2016, from 6 pm until 11 pm, in the presence of a number of foreign ambassadors and dignitaries. On the occasion, Judge Shbeeb stressed the significance of the exhibition which showcases the Lebanese cuisine that has earned an international repute, while hosting cookeries of various world nations. Shbeeb quoted the famous Lebanese novelist Amin Maaluf who compared the globe to a “titanic kitchen in which millions of meals are being prepared by millions of people across the world to be served to families and households.” He pointed out that no industry or business boasts this nature of continuity, expansion and inclusiveness. Cooking and food serving, Shbeeb noted, bring people together, “particularly when strangers of different ethnicities and races sit at one table to enjoy the chipping in of bread and salt, thus transcending all external barriers and differences.” (Al Mustaqbal, July 22, 2016)

 

Over the past few days, circulated a news about reducing the official minimum daily wage of laborers and employees subject to the Labor Law from LBP 30 thousand to LBP 26 thousand, with no popular protest whatsoever. In the details, that during the Cabinet meeting on June 22, 2016, a decree was released which carried an amendment of Article 2 of the Decree No. 7426/ 2012 which sets the daily wage at LBP 30 thousand as advised by then labor minister, Charbel Nahas, to LBP 26 thousand, in response to present labor minister, Saj3an Azzi, request in 2014, the latter decision has won the approval of various political parties, according to Al-Akhbar newspaper. In this respect, Azzi denied any adjustment of the set minimum wage (LBP 675 thousand), making clear that the decree came to correct a mathematical error (in 2012) in calculating the month and days (!?). Accordingly, by dividing the full minimum wage over 26 working days of a month, excluding Sundays, the correct figure would be LBP 26 thousand, alleged Azzi. Commenting on this, Nahas, while disproving of the above calculation method adopted by Azzi, categorically denied any error on his part, and explained  that dividing the entire wage by the actual number of working is incorrect.  Apart from numbers and computations, Nahas warned that the recent decree will have social repercussions on the daily worker who now suffers from the losses accrued due to deduction of holidays, Sundays and unpaid leave (amounting to 90 days every year). Likewise, the Independent Trade Union Current of Lebanon supported Nahas viewpoint, describing the present labor minister’s move as ambiguous and unprecedented, because, it argued, the wage of the daily worker is not structurally linked to the minimum wage because of different working conditions. According to 2009 data of Central Statistics Department, more than 10.2 % of the local workforce of the he country represents daily laborers. (Al Akhbar, Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, July 22, 2016)

  

 

In its edition of today, An Nahar newspaper shed light on Junyeh city readiness to remove some of the troubles affecting its tourism sector, and this by the construction of two harbors, one already existing and located near the Navy Barracks but not operational, and the second is massive and will be built next to Portemilio Resort with an anticipated capacity to accommodate ships sailing in the Mediterranean. In this regard, An Nahar spoke to Fadi Fayyad, general director of the ‘Friends of the City” association, who confirmed that the new facility, designed by the Directorate General of Land and Maritime Transport, is intended to become one of the best touristic docklands in the Mediterranean basin, while generating about a thousand jobs. The new seaport that is expected to cost  USD 80 million, will be able to put Lebanon on the sea cruising touristic map, according to Fayyad, who disclosed that the Association of Mediterranean Cruise Ports has mentioned that it will contribute a USD 40 million in donation, if the Lebanese government settles the remaining balance. Similarly, the president of the Maritime Firms Lebanon, Jean Bayruti, revealed that the would-be seaport is 100% profitable and will bring back Lebanon on the world touristic map. (An Nahar, July 21, 2016)

 

The harsh economic and security conditions afflicting neighboring Syria, have pushed Syrian women to venture into once inaccessible domains. In a bold and unprecedented move, ten women nationals received driving licenses to drive public buses in the country. This step has set off a series of reactions on social media, particularly that the profession requires toil and vigor and is normally restricted to men. Hala Assi, the administrative supervisor at Dar Al Farah school, is among those who received the driving permit. She explained that driving a bus is part of her responsibility as a mother to protect the children and keep them safe, both physically and psychologically, in case of emergency, particularly in the current circumstances. “The idea was brought up collectively as a means to promote the culture of initiative, participation and to bring about a genuine positive change in society,” Assi said, adding that the situation in Syria has forced a recognition of the need for women in society at parity with their men peers. Driving vans is one of many occupations the Syrian woman has had the guts to enter and excel in despite the enormous difficulties. Likewise, Safaa Arafat, another daring driver, from the same school, boasted that the initiative has won the government’s backing and cooperation. For his part, the Syrian Deputy Transport Minister, Ammar Kamaleddine, while commending the female drivers’ distinction in the theoretical and traffic safety related tests, noted that they underwent a special training program on the transport of school children and the driving of buses and microbuses intended for public transport. It should be noted, that the whole team of women above are certified supervisors at Dar Al Farah school. With this venture, Syrian women would have challenged the stereotype patterns of the male dominant society. (As Safir, July 19, 2016)

 

Despite financial difficulties afflicting the national economy and continuing political disagreement over the national budget, which has not been approved since 11 years (http://lkdg.org/ar/node/15382), the health ministry decided to launch yesterday the draft law on full hospitalization for citizens over 64 years of age. The program if approved will raise the financial coverage of hospitalization services from 85% to 100% at a cost of nearly LBP 17 billion (i.e: $11.3 million).For his part, the finance minister Ali Hassan Khalil expressed concern that the new free health bill could rise the demand for hospitalization and subsequently rise the weight of covering these additional costs on public finance. Khalil refused to make further comments awaiting the actual implementation of the above scheme. For his part, the President of the Syndicate of Owners of Private Hospitals, Suleiman Harun, described the health minister’s plan as a bold step that requires concerted efforts to make it a success, but reminded the government to first settle its debts to hospitals that have accrued since 2000. 

In his response, health minister, Wael Abu Fa3ur admitted the concerns of the Minister of Finance, while pointing out to clear admission criteria that were developed to distinguish between patients who need to be admitted to hospital and those who don’t, and in order to regulate the transfer of patients from the Social Security Fund to the new scheme. On funds, Abu Fa3ur disclosed that theses will be secured from the annual budgetary allocations of his ministry, which are yearly increased in order to keep up with additional needs and population growth. (Al Akhbar, As Safir, An Nahar, Al Diyar, July 20, 2016)

 

Following the ultimatum issued by Beqaa wheat farmers that ended on June 25, regarding the marketing of the wheat crop of 2016 (http://bit.ly/29Ln9iW), the president of wheat farmers in the Beqaa region, Khaled Shuman, warned the government of any further delay on the pretext of inadequate warehouses. This new warning was issued after that wheat farmers were notified of the new conditions for storage which were set by the health minister, and which are difficult to meet. According to the new storage criteria, the harvested wheat should be stacked in ginkgo bags and placed one meter away from the walls of the hayloft to leave enough room for ventilation. In this respect, Abu Fa3ur, after meeting with Shuman last Saturday, insisted that the above conditions are viable, whereas, Shuman noted that the import of the gingko bags from India requires at least 5 months at a time when the farmers have already harvested their crops. As for storage, the wheat farmers’ president maintained that the present capacity of warehouses located in Beqaa is insufficient to store the total wheat production, while reminding the government of its responsibility in finding sufficient facilities for storing. Shuman finally expressed his concern that the present situation may only a prelude to lift the wheat subsidies and to replace them with compensation payments to farmers. (An Nahar, July 19, 2016)