DAILY NEWS
Seven People Detained Over the Beirut Blast are Released
Today a Lebanese prosecutor ordered the release of seven people who were detained following the August 4 explosion at the Port of Beirut. Most are junior port employees. Those who have been detained for almost a year have not been granted due process. [AP] Human Rights Watch recently called for an international investigative mission in the Beirut blast. [HRW]
Head of Health Committee Warns of Serious Health Crisis
Today the head of Lebanon’s Parliamentary Health Committee said that the country is on the verge of a serious health crisis. MP Assem Araji warned of severe medicine supply shortages and that doctors and nurses are leaving the country. He urged for the formation of a government in order to work on reforms. [Naharnet]
New Enforcements Along the Syrian Border to Prevent Smuggling
Earlier this week demonstrators protested the customs authority’s announcement regarding smuggling along the Syrian border by blocking a highway that connects Lebanon and Syria with burned tires and metal bars. The announcement stated that authorities will strictly enforce permit requirements for vehicles going into Syria. [AP] On Monday, security forces seized a large amount of fuel that was about to leave Lebanon for Syria. [The 961]
OPINION & ANALYSIS
People – Still at the Center of Lebanese Society
Jean AbiNader
AbiNader writes: “Time and time again, as I spent more time in workforce development, the same negative images of Arabs were repeated: lazy, hard to motivate, careless, unconcerned. I found that this was not the case at all for the Lebanese, who along with their Palestinian counterparts provided the skilled and professional workers for the first two generations working on development in the GCC. In banking, construction, computers, services, and myriad other jobs, the Lebanese excelled at building systems that would carry the GCC countries until their own citizens, educated and trained at home and abroad, stepped up to take responsibility for their national development outcomes, a process still ongoing. These negative stereotypes thrive in states where personal initiative, merit-based hiring, and achievement are subject to the whims of government employees who are paid no matter the outcomes. One only has to look at the success of expatriate Arabs to appreciate the profound and important contributions they continue to make to their countries’ development – from the outside. In Lebanon, the biggest concern today, as a result of its multiple crises, is the loss of its most valuable resource – its skilled workforce.”
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.