Source: L'Orient Today
Security & Justice
State Action Signals Change in Tackling Longstanding Illegal Land Grabs in Jbeil District
For years, the serene villages of Jbeil's highlands have been far from peaceful. Ghabat, a Maronite village nestled between the predominantly Shiite towns of Afqa and Lassa, has become a focal point of growing tensions due to territorial disputes.
Friday, December 20, 2024
Mawlawi Ensures Strict Monitoring for Wanted Syrian Regime Figures at Beirut Airport
Caretaker Minister of Interior, Bassam Mawlawi, conducted an inspection tour of Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut to review the security arrangements and measures implemented by the Airport Security Apparatus ahead of the holiday season.
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Opinion
Lebanon After the Assads
The United States has important equities in Lebanon, including a desire for a generally friendly government’s economic and political stability; security cooperation; long-standing relations with the large Christian community in Lebanon and Lebanese diaspora in the United States; and ultimately peace between Israel and Lebanon within a broader regional settlement. Achieving these objectives will require navigating a tumultuous period in the country’s history following a war between Hezbollah and Israel that has devastated a large part of the country, exacerbating Lebanon’s already challenging economic conditions. But perhaps the most important dynamic will be how a likely Sunni-dominated state of uncertain composition in Syria will differ in its intentions toward Lebanon from the previous Alawite-led minoritarian Assad regime.
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Europe’s Syrian Dilemma
The news of the sudden and unexpected demise of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria has met a mixed response in Europe. The jubilation that a murderous dictator and close ally of Russia and Iran has fallen is not just good for the Syrian people but serves as a morale booster for Eastern Europeans wondering whether Russia can be defeated
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Sports
Cristiano Ronaldo Unveils New Private Jet Worth $73 Million
Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the richest global athletes, has unveiled his upgraded private jet reportedly worth $73 million. With its top-notch design, exceptional speed and range of 7500 nautical miles, the Gulfstream G650 is among the fastest jets in the world.
Monday, December 16, 2024
Guardiola Accepts Man City May Need to Sign More Players to Cope with Schedule
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes he will need a bigger squad to handle soccer’s ever-expanding fixture schedule.
Saturday, December 14, 2024
Sunday 20 March 2022 18:05:52
Abou Chakra: Some Gas Stations Likely to Close Monday Due to Lack of Fuel Ahead of Distributors' Strike
A number of gas stations in Lebanon are likely to close Monday due to a lack of fuel on the eve of a general strike by fuel distributors.
Here is what we know:
• Local TV channel MTV quoted Fadi Abou Chakra, spokesperson for the fuel distributors, as saying Sunday that “several stations will not be able to deliver fuel tomorrow” ahead of more widespread disruption in the sector on Tuesday.
• “Only some distributors will be able to deliver their goods, but on Tuesday, the whole sector will comply with the strike," he explained.
• The prospect of gas station closures has sown, once again, panic among motorists. On Sunday evening lines of cars again formed in front of some stations.
• Reacting to this announcement, gas station owners’ syndicate member Georges Brax defended his sector against criticism, saying that “the fuel sector is not a scapegoat and is not responsible for the monetary, economic and financial crisis in Lebanon and the current disorder.” In a statement reported by our correspondent Hoda Chedid, Brax continued, “It is up to state officials to give the stations, tanks, import and distribution companies the rights that are due to them, so that citizens can have access to fuel. We can no longer bear the losses. Neither the stations, nor the tanks, nor the companies want to close and stop work.”
• Last Thursday, the union of tanker owners and fuel distributors announced a strike for Tuesday throughout the country in tandem with a rally in front of the headquarters of the Energy Ministry.
• Since the end of 2019, the ministry’s Petroleum Directorate has been demanding that the tanks of these vehicles be standardized for safety reasons. Drivers oppose this measure, saying it creates additional costs that they cannot sustain.
• After a hike in fuel prices following the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the surge in world oil prices, prices in Lebanon were revised downwards earlier this week.
• On Monday and Tuesday, the country’s banks will also be on strike, to contest legal proceedings launched against commercial banks.