By Najia Houssari - arabnews.com -- Lebanese Forces leader describes Aoun as ‘weakest president in Lebanon’s history’ BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Ministry of Telecommunications requested a treasury advance from the Ministry of Finance to avoid the repercussions of its employees’ strike that began last week. The strike has resulted in interruptions to landlines, mobile phones and internet services for millions of Lebanese citizens. Key services at hospitals, security and military facilities were also disrupted.

Caretaker Communications Minister Johnny Korm has signed for a treasury advance of around 200 billion Lebanese pounds ($7.14 million) from the 2022 budget reserves. The process awaits the signature of the minister of finance and the prime minister. The fund request aims to meet the demands of the employees of the state-owned telecom company Ogero. According to Elie Zeitouni, head of Ogero’s union, the employees are asking for an increase in transportation allowance and social assistance. “We are on the people’s side and do not intend to harm them,” Zeitouni said. “However, we will not suspend the strike until we receive a response from the communications minister on Thursday about the legality of meeting our demand for an increase in wages.”

by lbcgroup.tv — Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai stressed on Sunday that putting forward a presidential vacancy is fundamentally unacceptable, stressing that the …

by thenationalnews.com -- Lebanese boats protesting against Israeli plans to drill for gas in a disputed area of sea were met by patrol vessels from Israel as they neared its waters on Sunday. Patrol boats from Lebanon were also seen in the area, AP reported. The protest comes before a new round of talks between Lebanese and Israeli delegations, mediated by the UN and, recently, the US. In June, the Israeli navy escorted a drilling rig operated by British company Energean to the Karish gas field, which is claimed by both countries and lies in an area of 860 square kilometres of disputed sea.

Maritime boundary dispute

Lebanon says its maritime border stretches further south than Israel’s claimed area of territorial waters. Israel says its maritime border lies further north of what Lebanon accepts. The US has released several optimistic statements hoping that the two countries can strike a compromise on the disputed energy resources. “We welcome the consultative and open spirit of the parties to reach a final decision with the potential to yield greater stability, security and prosperity for Lebanon as well as Israel,” US State Department spokesman Ned Price said in August. But Lebanese politicians have said the Israeli actions represent a violation of the country’s sovereignty.

By WILLIAM MULLALLY -- arabnews.com -- DUBAI: Ever since she was a little girl, Salma Hayek — actress, producer, philanthropist, and all-around global superstar — has felt a strong connection to her Arab roots. Though she grew up in Mexico, far from the small village of Baabdat, Lebanon, which her family left years earlier, her father and grandparents never let her forget where they came from, and the values that entails. “I was raised and I was educated, like all Lebanese people are educated, to give back to Lebanon, to be a brotherhood. We are raised so that when we encounter a Lebanese person in life, we immediately come together,” says Hayek. In her house growing up, she was raised on Arabic food, handed the writings of Khalil Gibran by her grandfather, and taught about what her Arab identity meant. “I probably had Kibbeh before I had tacos,” she jokes.

Her background was diverse, and she embraced the richness of what that meant, both in her Latin roots and her Middle Eastern ones, even as she moved to the US from Mexico to pursue a career in entertainment, eventually becoming a naturalized citizen. As much as the richness of her heritage made her who she was, that identity led her down a hard road in a town such as Hollywood, a town in which the faces that were most easily embraced were the ones that conformed to a different standard. “You have to understand, I am Mexican-Arab in America. It’s a tough one. I’m not British. I’m not Spanish. I’m Mexican-Arab,” she tells Arab News. In her house growing up, she was raised on Arabic food, handed the writings of Khalil Gibran by her grandfather, and taught about what her Arab identity meant. (Supplied) She has persevered, however, and made a significant contribution to a wider acceptance not only of ethnic diversity, but of women in roles traditionally held by men in the industry. Take her 2015 passion project “The Prophet,” an animation based on the famous work by Gibran that Hayek produced (as well as voicing one of the characters).