How much uber drivers really earn

by recode.net -- Half of U.S. Uber drivers make less than $10 an hour after vehicle expenses, according to a new study. Uber lures drivers with the idea of being your own boss and “making great money with your car.” The “great money” part is up for debate. The median hourly pay with tip for Uber drivers in the U.S. is $14.73, according to a new study conducted by Ridester, a publication that focuses on the ride-hail industry. That figure includes tips but doesn’t account for expenses like insurance, gas and car depreciation incurred while working. Using Ridester’s low-end estimate of $5 per hour in vehicle costs, drivers would bring in $9.73 per hour and potentially much less. That implies a driver working 40 hours per week would make an annual salary of almost $31,000 before vehicle expenses, and about $20,000 after expenses (but still before taxes). That’s below the poverty threshold for a family of three. It’s also a far cry from the $70,000 to $90,000 Uber once claimed its drivers made in major markets. This is important because online “gig economy” jobs, including driving for Uber, are a growing part of the U.S. workforce: About 5 percent of the working population has worked in the gig economy in the past year, up from 2 percent in 2013. So their labor is increasingly tied to overall prosperity. Additionally, these workers are still typically considered contractors, meaning that they aren’t required to receive employer healthcare or other employee benefits. Tech companies are also receiving increased scrutiny for how they pay their workers. Today, Amazon raised its minimum wage to $15 following criticism from politicians including Sen. Bernie Sanders.

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Athens, Beirut sign cooperation agreements to promote investment

by [Xinhua] --- Lebanon and Greece signed agreements on Wednesday to increase cooperation in the private sector, Lebanon’s Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture stated. “The agreements aim at facilitating communication between Lebanese and Greek businessmen in addition to exchanging information and increasing investment opportunities in the two countries,” the statement said. Mohamad Choucair, head of Lebanon’s Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, said that ties between the two countries are strong but more measures can be taken to create partnership on different levels. “For instance, trade between the two countries is low and nothing has been done to increase it yet,” he said. Choucair’s remarks came during his meeting with a Greek delegation that traveled to Lebanon to discuss ways of strengthening economic ties between the two countries. Choucair called upon Greek businessmen to take part in infrastructure projects in Lebanon. He argued that Greek businessmen can also take part in the oil and gas sector in Lebanon. Meanwhile, Greece’s Alternate Foreign Minister Giorgos Katrougalos said his country should cooperate with Lebanon in infrastructure projects as well as the tourism sector by creating a tourism route between Lebanon, Greece and Cyprus. [Xinhua]

Return of Syrian refugees not related to political solution: Lebanese president

BEIRUT, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Tuesday that the international community's stance towards the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland is not clear, the presidency's website reported. "Lebanon wants to separate between the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland and the agreement on a political solution in this regard," Aoun said during his meeting with visiting Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl at Baabda Palace. "Reaching a political agreement in this regard may take a lot of time while Lebanon's economic, social and security situation have been negatively impacted by the flow of Syrian refugees to the country," he added. Meanwhile, Kneissl thanked Lebanon for its support to Syrian refugees in the past few years. She called for a gradual solution to end this problem and limit repercussions on Lebanon. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Lebanon hosts 976,000 registered Syrian refugees, while the government estimates the true number of Syrian refugees in the country is 1.5 million.

Return of Syrian refugees not related to political solution: Lebanese president

BEIRUT, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Tuesday that the international community's stance towards the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland is not clear, the presidency's website reported. "Lebanon wants to separate between the return of Syrian refugees to their homeland and the agreement on a political solution in this regard," Aoun said during his meeting with visiting Austrian Foreign Minister Karin Kneissl at Baabda Palace. "Reaching a political agreement in this regard may take a lot of time while Lebanon's economic, social and security situation have been negatively impacted by the flow of Syrian refugees to the country," he added. Meanwhile, Kneissl thanked Lebanon for its support to Syrian refugees in the past few years. She called for a gradual solution to end this problem and limit repercussions on Lebanon. According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Lebanon hosts 976,000 registered Syrian refugees, while the government estimates the true number of Syrian refugees in the country is 1.5 million.

Maya Reaidy Miss Lebanon 2018 - 2019 #MissLebanon2018 MissLebanon2019

TV Host: Marcel Ghanem - Annabelle Hilal#missLebanon2018 #MAYAREAIDY #annabellahilal #marcelghanem

Our warmest congratulations to Maya Reaiydi as our new Miss Lebanon 2018 - 2019! She will definitely be an inspiration to all Lebanese with her inner beauty , strength and confidence shineMaya Reaidy is Miss Lebanon 2018. She won the crown against 29 other girls in the running to succeed Perla Helou. Maya Reaidy is 22 years old, she is studying pharmacy at the LAU. The first place winner of the pageant was Maya Reaidy, and the second place winner was Mira Toufaily.Due to Rima Fakih being the new president of the Miss Lebanon competition, the implementation of Representing a governorate or a city of Lebanon in the competition, giving out sashes every yearly competition^[2]. Miss Universe 2017 Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters attended the event as one of the jury members.

The election and crowing of Miss Lebanon - Guest pictures

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Social media star, a former 'Miss Baghdad,' shot dead

(CNN) Iraqi social media star and model Tara Fares has been shot dead in Baghdad, security officials confirmed to CNN. The death of Fares and other recent killings prompted Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to order an investigation on Friday. The former Miss Baghdad, and first runner-up for Miss Iraq, was killed on Thursday after gunmen opened fire on her in the capital's Camp Sarah neighborhood, according to a statement by Iraq's Interior Ministry, which is investigating the incident. Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Saad Maan told an Iraqi TV station that two motorcyclists shot Fares while she was inside a vehicle. The 22-year-old, a Christian whose father was Iraqi and mother Lebanese, was living in Erbil, but visited the capital occasionally. She was famous for her bold clothing and posts on social media. A black-and-white photo showing Fares pouting was shared with her nearly 3 million Instagram followers shortly after her death, along with the comment: "In a treacherous and cowardly incident, Tara Fares Chamoun, is with God. We asked God to accept her with His great mercy."

Fares' death comes just two days after a female human rights activist was killed in the southern city of Basra. Suaad al-Ali was shot and killed in an outdoor market by an unknown gunman, according to security sources. Officials said investigations were still underway. And last month, two well-known women in Baghdad's beauty industry also died. Rafeef al-Yaseri, known as the "Barbie of Iraq," was killed inside her Baghdad home on August 16. Al-Yaseri was a plastic surgeon and organized national programs specializing in medical affairs for women. One week later, Rasha al-Hassan, owner and manager of Viola Beauty Center in Baghdad, was found dead inside her home. Health Ministry spokesman Seif al-Badr said at the time that al-Hassan had died at her home, where preliminary investigations did not point to a reason for the death. Al-Abadi ordered the Interior Ministry and Iraq's intelligence department to investigate the assassinations and kidnappings in Basra, Baghdad and elsewhere, the ministry said in a statement.