Source: Lonely Planet
The official website of the Kataeb Party leader
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
Thursday 12 August 2021 14:07:35
Québec Is the First Province in Canada to Launch Vaccine Passports
Québec is the first province in Canada to announce the introduction of a vaccine passport. Similar to programs in New York City and Europe, the pass will allow individuals to prove they are fully vaccinated to access some non-essential services.
The pass is set to be introduced on September 1 as Québec faces an "inevitable" fourth wave. Rather than put the province under lockdown again and close non-essential businesses, Québec's health minister Christian Dubé said in a news conference on Tuesday that a vaccine passport would be implemented as a way of controlling the virus.
"The idea is for us to only allow people with the passport to access these services as of September 1, instead of closing them," Dubé said via the Montreal Gazette.
The pass will display a person's vaccination status and will be required at restaurants, bars, festivals, gyms and movie theaters. Cultural attractions and essential services like grocery stores are excluded from the program.
People will be able to access the vaccine passport through a free smartphone app, though Dubé said a paper version will also be accepted from people without access to phones. A pilot project will be launched today to test the system before the official launch in September.
"Taking into account the increase in cases, the fall coming up with the back-to-school and back-to-work and the expected prevalence of the Delta variant, the conditions are there to deploy the vaccination passport," Dubé said.
Like the rest of Canada, Québec has reported success in its vaccination campaign. According to the official tracker, 84% of the eligible population has received their first dose, while 70% is fully vaccinated. Despite the strong uptake though, the highly contagious Delta variant is driving up COVID-19 infections throughout the province —particularly among unvaccinated and partially vaccinated people.
Canada opened its borders to fully vaccinated US tourists on Monday, and is preparing to allow fully vaccinated visitors from the rest of the world in from September 7. It's expected that tourists in Québec will be required to participate in the province's health pass system. When visiting Canada, passengers are asked to input their vaccination status to the ArriveCan app before boarding their flight so it's possible that they will then be able to use this app to access spaces where the vaccine passport is required —but details have yet to be confirmed.