#boutros_harb

#World_Cup: The company that made the Lebanese state kneel
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/node/20213

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Lebanese shopping for flags during the 2014 World Cup in #Lebanon on June 6, 2014. (Photo: Haitham Moussawi) Lebanese shopping for flags during the 2014 World Cup in #Lebanon on June 6, 2014. (Photo: Haitham Moussawi)

The recent deal with the company #Sama, allowing the Lebanese to watch World Cup games for free, is not unique. It is similar to the many monopolies protected and supported by the state, which only intervened this time to save the company from losing money, even if it meant sacrificing #Télé_Liban and squandering public money.

Mouhamad Wehbe

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#Abdel-Mottaleb_Hinnawi #Articles #beIN_SPORTS #Boutros_Harb #Communications_Ministry #OGERO #Ramzi_Jreij #Tammam_Salam

Is the telecom minister preparing to privatize the sector?
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/telecom-minister-preparing-privatize-sector

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Minister of Telecommunications #Boutros_Harb. (Photo: Haitham Moussawi) Minister of Telecommunications Boutros Harb. (Photo: Haitham Moussawi)

The cabinet is set to discuss today a number of draft decrees prepared by Telecommunications Minister Boutros Harb, which would cut landline, Internet, and mobile phone tariffs. The position of the Finance Ministry is not yet clear, as the reduction of mobile phone rates alone would cut the treasury’s revenues by about $212 million annually. Meanwhile, it is feared that these cuts may be part of a cynical plan to privatize the telecom sector.

Bassam Alkantar

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#Lebanon #Alfa #Articles #Charbel_Nahas #Fouad_Siniora #gebran_bassil #Ministry_of_Telecommunications #Nicolas_Sehnaoui #OGERO #Touch

The surveillance state: No privacy for the Lebanese
►http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/surveillance-state-no-privacy-lebanese

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Two men at work at #Lebanon's main surveillance center. (Photo: Haitham Moussawi) Two men at work at Lebanon’s main surveillance center. (Photo: Haitham Moussawi)

One of the accomplishments of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) was institutionalizing the violation of the Lebanese people’s privacy. A futile political debate with security-related implications over so-called “telecommunications data” has taken center stage in Lebanon. However, the point of departure should be the fact that today, the Lebanese and their right to privacy has been completely violated by their security services, in breach of the constitution and the law.

Mohamed Nazzal

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#Culture_&_Society #Articles #Boutros_Harb #Charbel_Nahas #Court_of_Audits #France #information_branch #ISF #Najib_Mikati #Nicolas_Sehnaoui #Shukri_Sader #State_Shura_Council #STL #Telecom_Data

Has the race for Baabda begun ?
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/has-race-baabda-started

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Who will succeed President #Michel_Suleiman? (Photo: Marwan Tahtah) Who will succeed President Michel Suleiman? (Photo: Marwan Tahtah)

As Al-Akhbar predicted, Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri has chosen Wednesday, April 23 as the date for the first session for parliament to elect a new president for #Lebanon. Some have seen the move as a knee-jerk reaction to parliament’s about-face regarding the wage hike for public sector employees on Tuesday. However, sources close to Berri confirm that it is indeed the first round in the presidential face-off.

Jean Aziz

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#Opinion #Amine_Gemayel #Articles #Bandar_bin_Sultan #Boutros_Harb #Fouad_Siniora #Future_Movement #Lebanese_presidential_elections #Michel_Aoun #Robert_Ghanem #Samir_Geagea

Will the #Future_Movement abandon its favored candidates once again?
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/will-future-movement-abandon-its-favored-candidates-once-again

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A handout picture distributed by the Lebanese Forces on April 4, 2014 shows Lebanese Christian leader #Samir_Geagea (C) and his wife and Parliament Member Setrida Geagea (C-L) attending a press conference in Maarab, northeast of Beirut. (Photo: AFP-Lebanese Forces/Ayoub) A handout picture distributed by the Lebanese Forces on April 4, 2014 shows Lebanese Christian leader Samir Geagea (C) and his wife and Parliament Member Setrida Geagea (C-L) attending a press conference in Maarab, northeast of Beirut. (Photo: AFP-Lebanese Forces/Aldo Ayoub)

Almost all Lebanese political factions agree that none of the current presidential candidates will win in the first round of voting, which requires a two-thirds majority of MPs, (...)

#Lebanon #Articles #Boutros_Harb #Hezbollah #Lebanese_presidential_elections #Michel_Aoun #Michel_Suleiman #Nabih_Berri #Robert_Ghanem #Sayed_Hassan_Nassrallah

#Lebanon: #MARCH_14 Christians on Shaky Ground With Hariri
▻http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/lebanon-march-14-christians-shaky-ground-hariri

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Hariri is not very pleased with his alliance with Geagea and Gemayel. Even though they all shared a common political position in 2005.(Photo: Marwan Tahtah). Hariri is not very pleased with his alliance with Geagea and Gemayel. Even though they all shared a common political position in 2005.(Photo: Marwan Tahtah).

#Lebanon’s March 14 Christians are banding together in an attempt to pressure former Prime Minister #Saad_Hariri about the government. However, their game will be over very soon. According to March 14 sources, “March 14 Christians are used by Hariri to fuel his battles then sacrificed when a settlement is reached.”

Maysam Rizk

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#Articles #Boutros_Harb #Kataeb #Lebanese_Forces #Sami_Gemayel #Samir_Geagea

Vraiment honte de rien. Le Figaro, au lendemain de l’attentat contre l’église copte en Égypte, titre l’article de #Sibylle_Rizk : « Les chrétiens du Liban se sentent menacés »
►http://www.lefigaro.fr/international/2011/01/03/01003-20110103ARTFIG00633-les-chretiens-du-liban-se-sentent-menaces.php
Avec les mots-clés subtilement choisis : « #Chrétiens, Coptes, Islam, #Liban ».

Et pour parler de quoi, s’il vous plaît, après l’introduction sur « l’attentat dont ont été victimes les coptes d’Alexandrie » ?

En filigrane de l’initiative du ministre du Travail, #Boutros_Harb, apparaît la volonté de contrer la politique d’expansion territoriale de la communauté chiite, emmenée par le Hezbollah, qui se traduit par des « achats massifs dans des zones stratégiques », explique-t-on dans son entourage. Cette nouvelle vague d’appropriations accompagne un autre mouvement d’investissements immobiliers réalisés par des Arabes du Golfe dans les montagnes libanaises, qui a conduit le législateur à imposer des quotas en la matière. Le patriarcat maronite avait déjà alerté dans un rapport dénonçant le contournement de la loi et le dépassement de ces quotas.

OK, le Figaro vient donc d’établir un lien entre un attentat contre des coptes en Égypte et des achats de terrain au Liban par des chiites du Hezbollah. Bravo l’artiste.

Évidemment, comme #Boutros_Harb est un 14 Mars néolibéral, très à droite, et chrétien, les journaux français ne vont même pas relever : projet de loi pour interdire les ventes immobilières entre chrétiens et musulmans au #Liban
►http://www.lecommercedulevant.com/node/17865

Le ministre du Travail, Boutros Harb, a proposé jeudi un projet de loi visant à interdire pour une durée de 15 ans « les ventes de biens immobiliers au Liban, bâtis et non bâtis, entre individus de confessions différentes n’appartenant pas à une même religion ». 
 
[...]
 
Le projet prévoit une peine de 5 à 10 ans de prison et une amende équivalente au double du prix du bien concerné, en cas d’infraction.

À mon avis, cette mesure de pur apartheid n’est pas destinée à être votée, mais uniquement à faire du bruit pour faire passer un autre message paranoïaque typiquement 14 Mars :

Dans l’entourage du ministre, on explique que « des milliers de mètres carrés ont été récemment achetés par des membres d’une confession donnée (NDLR : des chiites du Hezbollah) à des propriétaires d’une autre confession (NDLR : des chrétiens), grâce à des fonds étrangers, dans un but politique clair, d’où la nécessité de réagir ».

Commentaire dans Al-Akhbar :
►http://www.al-akhbar.com/node/957

لكنّ النفاق لا يتوقّف هنا. فمشروع حرب يثبت أنّ المتشدّقين بالليبراليّة الاقتصاديّة في لبنان مستعدّون لطلب تدخّل الدولة في السوق، ومنع عمليّات بيع وشراء، إذا ما ارتأوا لأنفسهم مصلحة في ذلك. لكنّهم، في الوقت نفسه، يروّجون لأبشع عمليّات الخصخصة بحجّة ضرورة كفّ يد الدولة عن القطاعات الاقتصاديّة.