Sidon and other Lebanese cities enjoy tourism boom

by bytheeast.com -- Tina Abou Rizk-- Sidon is almost a six thousand year old city in Lebanon which reaped benefit this summer from the international tourism boom, whereby tourists flocked to the city rich with its historical links. The National News Agency reported that the “caretaker Tourism Minister Avedis Guidanian” commented that in 2018 Lebanon witnessed a rise in the number of tourists visiting the country, especially from Europe. According to Guidanian, the increment in international tourism seen in Lebanon is due to the tour packages offered by the tourism and travel companies in the U.K., Germany and France. Furthermore, it has been reported that tourists from India, Egypt, the U.K., France, and Thailand come to the city of Sidon drawn by its historic background which is now packed with restaurants, while “artisanal crafts and local sweets” are popular take aways.

In the words of Francois Gillier, a tourist from France: “Lebanon is beautiful and Beirut is vibrant, but Sidon is a history book itself”. Gillier visited Lebanon in a family vacation, whereby covering places like Jbeil, Sidon, Tyre and Beirut. In the first five months of 2018, nearly “656,444” tourists’ arrivals have been recorded, while the BankMed informed that the said number shows a one percent increment in the respective figures from the previous year. BankMed used the data provided by the Ministry of Tourism and revealed that more than “235,000 European tourists” visiting Lebanon, whereby marking a 12.3% increment compared to its last year’s respective figures which is also the “highest jump recorded between consecutive years in the first five months”.

In 2017, more than “1.8 million” tourists’ visit to Lebanon has been recorded which according to Guidanian is the “highest” over a span of fifty years. Meanwhile, Ahmad Abou Zohr, owner of a wooden handicrafts’ business, confirmed that there is a particular “rise” in the number of tourists in the region especially over the weekends. Moreover, tourists also get to wrap “keffiyehs around their heads” and don “traditional clothes” in the old Sidon market, while Abou Rami, a souvenir seller, remarked that the tourists purchase the local products and crafts and in turn contribute towards the regional economic growth. The city also witnessed “two sold-out concerts” of “artist Julia Boutros” wherein thousands of visitors attended over the weekend. For each of the shows that took place on Saturday and Sunday respectively, more than “10,000 tickets” were sold. And the “Deputy Mayor Salah Sabrawi” of Tyre remarked: “Because of the concert, all hotels and restaurants in the area are booked. There isn’t a single hotel room available. Even furnished apartments are all booked.”

UN General Assembly: Aoun accused the international community of a double standard with the Middle East

The president of Lebanon is accusing the international community of a double standard when dealing with the Middle East. In his address to world leaders at the U.N. Wednesday, President Michel Aoun criticized the Trump administration's decision to recognize Jerusalem and the capital of Israel while cutting aid to Palestinians and to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees. Aoun said that "history has taught us that injustice leads to war. ... Absence of justice can lead to violence and terrorism." He added that, "Unfortunately, international political approaches to the Middle East still lack justice and there are double standards in this regard. The Palestinian question is an example of that."

by naharnet -- President Michel Aoun stressed Wednesday that Lebanon rejects “any naturalization scheme” for the around two million Syrian and Palestinian refugees who live in the country. “We categorically reject any naturalization scheme for (Palestinian) refugees or the displaced (Syrians),” Aoun said in a speech at the annual U.N. General Assembly in New York. “I reiterate that my country is seeking a dignified, safe and sustainable return of the displaced to their homeland and we reject any procrastination or bargain over this existential file... It should not be linked to a political solution whose timing remains vague,” the president emphasized. Aoun noted that the Syrians who have fled to Lebanon “are not political refugees,” seeing as “most of them have fled due to security situations or economic motives.” “The largest part of Syrian territory has become safe and I have spoken of a safe return for Syrian refugees to their country, distinguishing between it and a voluntary return,” Aoun stated. 

Pope Francis takes responsibility for China deal

by catholicnewsagency.com -- Pope Francis took responsibility Tuesday for the agreement between the Holy See and the People's Republic of China, noting that in any such negotiation, “both sides lose something.” He was asked about the agreement Sept. 25 during the flight from Tallinn to Rome by Antonio Pelayo of Vida Nueva. The agreement on the appointment of bishops in mainland China was signed Sept. 22 in Beijing. It will allow for bishops who are in communion with the Holy Father and at the same time are recognized by the Chinese government. Francis said the agreement was the fruit of a dialogue that has taken several years. “The Vatican team worked a lot,” he said. He noted the efforts of Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, president emeritus of the Pontifical Council for social Communications; Fr. Rota Graziosi, an official of the Roman curia; and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State.

Cardinal Parolin, he said, “has a special devotion to the lens; he studies all of the documents down to the period, comma, notes, and this gives me a great assurance.” “You know that when you make a peace agreement or a negotiation, both sides lose something,” Pope Francis reflected. “This is the law. Both sides. And you move ahead.” The Bishop of Rome said that the dialogue which led to the agreement was a process of going two steps forward and one step back. “Then, months passed without speaking to each other and then the time of God, which appears to be [the time of the] Chinese. Slowly. This is wisdom, the wisdom of the Chinese.” He said that “the bishops who were in difficulty were studied case-by-case,” and that “dossiers came on to my desk about each one. And I was responsible for signing the case of the bishops.”

Following this, drafts of the agreement were put on his desk, Pope Francis said. They were discussed and “I gave my ideas.” “I think of the resistance, the Catholics who have suffered. It’s true. And they will suffer. Always, in an agreement, there is suffering. They have a great faith.” He said they have written him, saying that “what the Holy See, what Peter says, is that which Jesus says. The martyrial faith of these people today goes ahead. They are the great ones!” “I signed the agreement,” Pope Francis stated. “I am responsible.” “The others, whom I appointed, in all have worked for more than 10 years. It’s not an improvisation. It’s a path, a true path.” He noted that after a “famous communique of an ex-apostolic nuncio, the episcopates of the world wrote me, saying clearly that they felt close, that they were praying for me.” “The Chinese faithful wrote and the signature of this writ was from a bishop, let’s say it this way, of the traditional Catholic Church and from a bishop of the patriotic Church, together and faithful, both of them. For me, it was a sign from God,” Pope Francis stated.

The pope also recalled, saying “thanks be to God that this is over”, that in Latin America “for 350 years it was for the king of Portugal and of Spain to appoint the bishops, and the Pope only gave jurisdiction.” “We forget the case of the Austro-Hungarian Empire: Maria Teresa was tired of signing the appointments of bishops and gave jurisdiction to the Vatican. These were other times, and thanks be to God that they aren’t repeated.” He stated that under the agreement with China, the Chinese government will not appoint the bishops: “No, this is a dialogue about eventual candidates but Rome appoints, the Pope appoints.” “And let us pray for the suffering of some who don’t understand, and who have behind them so many years of being clandestine.” Announcing the deal on Saturday, the Holy See had said that “the shared hope is that this agreement may favor a fruitful and forward-looking process of institutional dialogue and may contribute positively to the life of the Catholic Church in China, to the common good of the Chinese people and to peace in the world.” Beijing established the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association in 1957 to regulate Catholics living in China, and Catholics in the country have been divided between members of the patriotic Church and the “underground Church”. The agreement between the Holy See and the People's Republic is meant to end the split between the patriotic and underground Churches. The Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association is under the day-to-day direct supervision of the Chinese Communist Party since a March 2018 decision by which the Chinese government shifted direct control of religious affairs to the Chinese Communist Party’s United Front Work Department. In recent years, Chinese authorities have cracked down on underground Christian churches, as well as on Muslims throughout western provinces.

Lebanese parliament approves 120-mln-USD World Bank loan for health sector

BEIRUT, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- Lebanon's parliament on Tuesday endorsed the 120-million-U.S.-dollar World Bank loan for the health sector after a heated debate. "We should benefit from these loans at low interest rates since our revenues are very limited," caretaker Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil was quoted as saying by the National News Agency. This loan is part of the World Bank's broader strategy to support the Lebanese government's efforts to reduce the social and economic impact of the Syrian crisis on vulnerable communities. Interest rate on the loan stands at only 0.25 percent and the health care projects will be implemented within 5 years. The services offered by the medical centers of the Health Ministry and public hospitals will improve thanks to the loan, local news agency Almarkazia reported. The Kataeb Party expressed its reservation about the loan, citing that it will contribute to the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Lebanon, as they will never think about returning to their homeland as long as favorable living conditions are provided to them in Lebanon. Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri said that the loan will mostly benefit Lebanese citizens. "Syrian refugees will also benefit from this program. We have absolutely no problem with that. We don't want these people to die in Lebanon and this issue is not political but purely economic," he said.

Go deeper: The details of Facebook's launch into the datingsphere

By Marisa Fernandez - Axios Facebook rolled out its new dating vertical, called Facebook Dating, in Colombia on Thursday. Why it matters: Its potential is huge — Facebook says 200 million users identify as single on their profiles, per Recode.

The details: CEO Mark Zuckerberg wants the dating service to be for meaningful relationships, not hookups, and a majority of Facebook users polled said they would be interested in such a service. The system is centered around an algorithm-powered home screen of suggested romantic matches based on everything Facebook knows about users that other apps don’t, per TechCrunch. Users 18 and older will be able to create dating profiles and, once those reach a critical mass, find some matches, according to Wired. There won’t be any swiping to match with profiles, unlike Tinder and Bumble. The service doesn’t require downloading an additional application to your phone. Facebook restricts potential matches to people located less than 100 kilometers (62 miles) away. The company plans to expand the service to other countries, including the U.S., in the future. Yes, but privacy concerns still loom over Facebook following the Cambridge Analytica scandal, and the company will need to manipulate its data to run this service.

The bottom line: Facebook's service is currently free, but there is a potential market for subscriptions. Tinder, a subscription-based dating app that launched in 2012, will make more than $800 million in revenue in 2018, per Recode.

Sisi meets Lebanese president, U.S. figures in New York

Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun has blamed Israel for attempts to split the Middle East along social and religious lines. “In the Middle East Israel is trying to carve up the region into a patchwork of secular and religious entities, quasi-states, in a bid to put together a sectarian puzzle,” Aoun said in an interview with French daily newspaper Le Figaro. He urged Europe to “support Lebanon’s effort to ensure the safe return of Syrian refugees to their homes,” and to “contribute more to the UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees. With Daesh terrorists effectively routed in Syria and Iraq, the emphasis now is on a political settlement, reconstruction of Syria and ensuring the return of Syrian refugees, including from Lebanon.

by egypttoday.com -- CAIRO - President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi met Monday with his Lebanese counterpart Michel Aoun on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly, currently held in New York. The two presidents discussed means of boosting bilateral relations, as well as the latest developments in the Middle East region. The talks focused on how to end regional crises and alleviate the suffering of the peoples of brotherly countries. Sisi also met the Prime Minister Bojko Borisov and Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg as well as a number of US figures at his residence in New York this evening after his summit with US President Donald Trump. In the same context, for the fifth time within only 24 months, Sisi will meet with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump in New York, on Monday, within the few coming hours. On the sidelines of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 73), the two leaders will set together to discuss the current political situation in the Middle East, the Arab-Qatari dispute, and other issues of mutual interest to both countries.

Egypt is one of Washington’s closest allies in the Middle East, receiving US$1.3 billion in US military aid annually. Sisi’s first meeting with Trump was held on September 20, 2016, during Trump’s presidential campaign in New York, also on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly then. In an interview with CNN’s Erin Burnett, Sisi said he had “no doubt” that Republican presidential nominee Trump would make a strong leader. In April 2017, President Trump welcomed Sisi to the White House for the first time in eight years, pledging close cooperation with the Egyptian leader on counterterrorism operations and praising his leadership of the Middle Eastern nation. “I just want to let everybody know, in case there was any doubt, that we are very much behind President al-Sissi,” Trump said, sitting next to his counterpart in the Oval Office. “He’s done a fantastic job in a very difficult situation. We are very much behind Egypt and the people of Egypt. . . . We have strong backing,” he added.

Trump and Sisi appeared focused on security, and they sought to demonstrate warmth, shaking hands during their brief remarks to reporters. This meeting represented an end to the coldness with which Egypt was treated by former U.S. President Barack Obama, who never invited Sisi to Washington. “Since we met last September I have had a deep appreciation and admiration of your {Trump’s} unique personality, especially since you are standing so strong against terrorism,” said Sisi. “Very strongly and openly you will find Egypt beside you,” he added. In September 2017, Sisi flew to New York to participate in the 72nd session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 72). On the sidelines of the UNGA, President Sisi met Trump and discussed Egypt's efforts to achieve inter-Palestinian reconciliation as an essential preliminary step to resume negotiations between the Palestinian and Israeli sides. Trump praised Egyptian President’s efforts in reviving the Middle East peace process between the Palestinian and Israeli peoples.