by aawsat.com -- Lebanon's Maronite Patriarch Beshara Al-Rai, stressed the importance of the country holding legislative elections next year as he delivered his Christmas sermon on Saturday. Al-Rai also called for the government to convene, saying that failing to do so sets a precedent that may hinder the function of future governments. Lebanon's cabinet, which is focused on restarting talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to unlock much-needed foreign aid, has not met since Oct. 12, due to a dispute over a probe into last year's deadly Beirut port blast. "We support your commitment to holding the legislative elections," said Al-Rai, directing his speech to President Michel Aoun who was attending the sermon. "The elections are the guarantee that presidential elections will be held on time and it is an opportunity for change."

Parliament had voted for the legislative election to take place on March 27 but Aoun has said he would only sign a decree for them to take place in May. Al-Rai also offered his condolences to the families of the victims of the port blast which killed more than 200 people in August last year. "Our thoughts today are with the families of the port blast victims who are in pain because the judiciary is hindered and the fate of investigation is uncertain," he said. The explosion was caused by a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely for years with the knowledge of top officials, but more than a year on, no one has been held accountable. Hezbollah and its allies have pushed to remove the lead investigator of the explosion, accusing him of political bias.

by theguardian.com -- In Lebanon’s year of loss and deprivation, simple pleasures have steadily drained away along with its fortunes. But amid a crisis renowned for breaking new ground, few Lebanese had thought their ability to stay in touch was at risk – until a pre-Christmas warning sent shudders through the country. The telecommunications minister, Johnny Corm, warned this week that a lack of funds and fuel could soon see Lebanon’s already struggling internet grind to a halt, making festive calls and messages even trickier than usual – and a financial and social disintegration like no other even more acute. As weary Lebanese approached another lacklustre Christmas, the warnings appeared to be bearing out. The internet was barely functioning in Tripoli on Tuesday. By the day after, Beirutis could barely communicate or open websites. Things were forecast to get worse in time for Christmas Day.

Where is Christmas? It should be full of lighting and life. We were praying for the end of 2020, but this year is worse for sure Miriam Sarhan, 31, who left Lebanon for Canada in July after losing faith in her homeland, says calling her family on messaging apps had helped settle her in and reassure her family back home. “I was speaking to them by video in November,” she says. “Now we can’t even manage a voice call. What else will my country take from me?” The crisis affecting the telecom sector mirrors that faced by all arms of government; bills to overseas providers need to be paid in US dollars and the cost of doing so has increased up to twentyfold since the country’s plunging currency lost parity in late 2020. Since then, the value of the lira has been in freefall, while costs of goods and services have skyrocketed. Through it all, staying in touch had been at least one salvation; as had a hope that somehow, someday, things would get better. But as a cruel winter sets in, after an arduous year, there is little sign of a brighter horizon. Resilience, once a buzzword used to describe the Lebanese, is now parodied by citizens themselves. “How much more can we be humiliated?” asks Mustafa Alloush, an expatriate living in London. “It seems something that outsiders wish upon us to make themselves feel better about our situation.”

Your Horoscope signs for the year 2022 and 2023 

BY SOPHIE SAINT THOMAS – Allure.com --

Aries (March 21 – April 19)

You're the first sign of the zodiac and love to get your way. Unfortunately, you experience financial frustrations early in the year when Venus is retrograde. You want to level up in life but feel stuck. Thankfully, when Venus, the planet of abundance, enters your sign in May, you're ready to make bank. Plus, the lucky planet Jupiter enters your sign, Aries, bringing blessings to your love life and career. 2022 is a great year to go first. Read your full 2022 horoscope here.

Taurus (April 20 – May 20)

Sure, darling Taurus, your ruling planet Venus is retrograde when 2022 begins, but don't let that get you down. Frankly, it would be best to focus on the eclipses that occur on the Taurus/Scorpio axis throughout the year. These will be times of significant change, but it's all pushing you towards your destiny. When the independent planet Uranus conjuncts the North Node in your sign, Taurus, you receive a major push from the universe to transform into a more evolved version of yourself. Read your full 2022 horoscope here. For 2023 & 2024 horoscope please click here

Opinions are my own - For my predictions for the previous year 2021 please click here

For the year of 2022 – 2023:

1-      Deep Learning models training will be king in 2022 in Machine Learning. The goal is to generate human-like semantic new data (Texts, Images and Code). In 2021 we have trained large ML models with billions of parameters (OpenAI GPT-3, Turing, codex etc). In 2022 we will continue training models with more parameters, but the difference now will be to reduce the bias/stereotypes in the new content that is created.

a.       One key trend is to allow users to fine tune their models, tailor to their specific domain this will lead higher quality outputs

b.       Another trend is the increase of data annotation/labeling tools and vendors to tag data with more inclusive labels.

c.       Finally, there will be much focus on digital signature to certify the new data that is being generated by the publisher to reduce propaganda