DAILY NEWS
Prime Minister-designate Miqati Begins Efforts to Form New Government
Today Prime Minister-designate Najib Miqati said that he would hold continuous meetings with President Michel Aoun until a new government is formed. [Naharnet] Sources say that the two have not yet gone into details regarding the cabinet line-up. [Naharnet] Miqait’s team members said that he is considering using the potential $900 million from the IMF for the building of two power plants in Deir Amar and al-Zahrani to help Lebanon’s electricity problem. [France 24]
The British Museum Will Restore Artifacts Damaged by Beirut Blast
The British Museum said it will help restore ancient glass artifacts from Lebanon that were damaged in the August 4 Beirut Port blast. The artifacts were stored in a display case at the American University of Beirut’s Archaeological Museum when the explosion shattered them into hundreds of pieces, mixed in with broken window glass. Out of 74 glass vessels, only 15 can be salvaged and only eight are deemed safe to travel to London. [Al Arabiya]
New Online Platform for the National Social Security Fund
Lebanon’s National Social Security Fund (NSSF) is creating a new website for the country’s social security services. The new platform is meant to create a more efficient process and allow Lebanese to take care of their inquiries online instead of needing to personally visit NSSF centers. The project is funded with help from the European Union. [The 961]
OPINION & ANALYSIS
Drowning in Corruption, Lebanon’s Water Supply Dribbles to a Halt
Jean AbiNader
AbiNader writes, “The availability of water for 1.7 million residents dropped in 2020 by 80% from 43.6 to 9 gallons of potable water a day. This has resulted in an increase of 35% in the price of private sector bulk water supplies, while the cost of bottled water has doubled. And where does the blame lay? There are no dollars to buy chlorine or spare parts for the municipal water systems – suppliers insist on being paid in real money, not Lebanese lira. Hard to blame them. Then there are the intermittent power supplies and blackouts interrupting the treatment, pumping, and distribution of water. That’s the government’s responsibility since it controls contracting and maintenance of the public water supply. And, about 40% of the safe water supply is wasted through faulty, corroded pipes and water being illegally diverted. Bad luck maybe, but more likely negligence on the part of the municipal and regional water authorities for ignoring or avoiding these issues for the past 20 years…Will 40 of Lebanon’s million/billionaires each please transfer $1 million to UNICEF, which is not a Lebanese entity, to enable UNICEF to carry out its commitment ‘to support, particularly as the global pandemic evolves, to ensure that the most basic right to clean water is met for children and families at this critical time for Lebanon?'”
The Lebanese Center for Policy Studies
Lebanon’s National Vaccination Plan: Public and Private Perspectives
Following LCPS’ recent Government Monitor focusing on Lebanon’s COVID-19 response and the national vaccination plan, LCPS researcher Ali Taha interviews Dr. Abdul Rahman Bizri and Dr. Georges Ghanem to investigate different aspects of the vaccination campaign from two perspectives: the public and private sectors.
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.