Lebanon Daily News Brief 04/28/2022

Thursday, April 28, 2022
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DAILY NEWS

General Security Suspends Appointment Scheduling For Passport Processing
According to L’Orient Today, “General Security announced Thursday that as of Wednesday it has suspended scheduling appointments on its online platform for people wishing to obtain passports, citing the reason for the decision as “the company contracted was not paid its due money.” General Security did not offer any indication of how long the suspension is likely to remain in place. [L’Orient Today]

UAE Releases Lebanese National, Detained Over Tweet
According to AP News, “The United Arab Emirates released on Thursday a Lebanese physician after holding him for more than three weeks over a tweet he published years ago, a person familiar with the case said.” [AP News]

 

OPINION & ANALYSIS

A Love Story – Lebanon’s Revival
Jean AbiNader

AbiNader writes, “The facilities for the elderly occupy a large portion of the activities at Saint Joseph Monastery, with its state-of-the-art nursing home for up to 100 residents, fully serviced by the nuns at a cost significantly less  than other private facilities. The economic situation, the financial instability in the country, the devaluation of the Lebanese currency, the scarcity of job opportunities, and the massive proportion of people living below the poverty line all generate a daily line of folks seeking help and sustenance at the Monastery’s door. Saint Joseph Monastery, however, is also not immune to the economic crisis and yet, still strives to offer in-kind assistance with basic food, clothing, dairy products for children; tuition assistance to deserved and needy students; and financial assistance for medications, especially for chronic illnesses. Sister Raghida and her team continue to extend a helping hand to their less fortunate. One of her objectives is to continue to create job opportunities in the Monastery’s dairy farm and agricultural fields so people can become self-sufficient and partners in the charitable work of the Monastery,  reflecting the Gospel admonition that “whatsoever you do to the least of your brothers and sisters, you do unto me” (Matthew 25:40), as well as the quote that stuck with me from Sister Raghida, “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.”

Read More Here

The961
New Statistics Show Almost Half Of The Lebanese People Are Looking To Leave
Karine Keuchkerian

Keuchkerian writes, “The Arab Barometer, which is the largest repository of publicly available data on citizens’ opinions in the MENA region, released on Tuesday worrying data about the numbers of Lebanese people now seeking to leave their country for opportunities abroad. According to its new survey covering 15 countries between 2020 and the spring of 2021, the Lebanese people are today the most pessimistic about their economic future. One of the growing economic worries revolves around the increasing cost of living. ‘Unsurprisingly, about half of citizens (48%) are seeking to leave their homeland for better opportunities abroad.’ That’s about 1 in 2 people today in Lebanon.”

Read More Here

Oxfam Research Reports
Analyzing Voter Turnout and Behavior in Lebanon: Political Change In Times of Crisis
Dana Abed, Rihab Sawaya, Nadim Tabbal

Abed, Sawaya, and Tabbal write, “In May 2022, Lebanon is hosting its first parliamentary elections since the popular uprising of October 2019, when massive protests took place to denounce the current ruling elites. This research looks at voter turnout and behavior on the eve of the elections and examines the will for political change. It argues that in the current Lebanese context, there needs to be further political awareness-raising, and campaigns should be more inclusive of women and the queer community. Independent campaigns should focus on developing strong governing capacities that voters can trust, and create further space for civic and political engagement on the local and national levels.”

Read Full Study Here

 

 

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position of the American Task Force on Lebanon, a non-profit, nonpartisan leadership organization of Lebanese-Americans.