Lebanese brave badly polluted water to swim at public beaches

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By Imad Creidi BEIRUT (Reuters) - On a beach in northern Lebanon, men and women swim in the Mediterranean's warm blue waters close to a sewage outlet, while children play in sand that is strewn with litter. A sign warning against swimming because of pollution seems to have had little effect on this beach near the city of Tripoli, one of a declining number of public beaches in Lebanon. Poorer Lebanese have few good choices to enjoy the beach in the sweltering Middle Eastern summer. Drive down the coastal highway and the signs point to one expensive resort after another, with little space left for public access. "If people had money they wouldn't come here... If someone has four or five children, where could he take them? If his salary is $500 or $600 a month, where could he take them?" said 63-year-old Adnan Daouk at the only public beach in the capital Beirut.

Pollution spills into the sea along stretches of Lebanon's often dramatic, hilly coastline. In places, raw sewage sometimes washes into the water, according to a recent report on public beaches by the state-run National Centre for Marine Sciences. Lebanon also has a rubbish disposal problem. Landfill sites, some by the seashore, are overflowing and in recent years, winter storms have covered nearby beaches with plastic.

Even some private beaches are affected. A dirty coast may make it harder for badly indebted Lebanon to draw back tourists and revive its one-time image as an elite Mediterranean playground offering skiing, Roman ruins, beaches, wine and fresh seafood within its tiny borders. Fishermen dangle their lines each day off Beirut's seaside Corniche, either selling their catch or taking it home to eat. But the water there is washed with trash and little slicks of oil give a rainbow sheen to the waves. "The day will come when we certainly won't be eating fish anymore. We will be disgusted to eat fish," said one of them, Abou Mahmoud, 69.

In its report on public beaches, the marine sciences centre rated four near Beirut and another near Tripoli on a spectrum between dangerous and highly polluted because of the amount of fecal streptococci in water samples. At another beach near the pretty ancient fishing town of Batroun, there was highly dangerous chemical pollution, the centre said. Numerous other public beaches, while not as bad, were not in the safe range defined by the World Health Organisation. However, some in southern and central Lebanon were ranked as good. Public statistics on ownership are hard to come by in Lebanon, but one 1997 report showed that four fifths of the shore along the central coastline was privately owned. The marine sciences centre rates the long sandy public beaches between Naqoura and Tyre in the far south of Lebanon as the best in the country. They are a popular destination for day-trippers from Beirut and a nesting site for sea turtles.

But many people from Beirut or areas further north are loathe to spend the extra money on petrol or risk getting stuck in the long traffic jams each weekend. Youssef Kamoun, a 52-year-old nurse in Beirut who earns less than $1,000 a month, does not want to spend money on petrol and so he usually takes his children to the beach in Beirut even though he knows the Beirut coast is dirty and he fears for his children's health. "I wish it was cleaner. I wish the state would work more on it," he said, sitting on Beirut's Ramlet al-Bayda beach with his sons Andrew, 7, and Adam, 5. "We don't go very deep in the water. We choose the spots that are cleaner and I stay ahead of (the children)... I don't leave them alone, not even for a second," he said.

Lebanon's Hariri Signals Reservations Over IMF Proposals

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BEIRUT (REUTERS) - Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri on Tuesday signaled reservations about International Monetary Fund (IMF) proposals for Lebanon which he said included floating the Lebanese pound, which has been pegged at its current level for more than two decades. Hariri was speaking on the first day of a three-day parliamentary session that is expected to approve a state budget that aims to slash the deficit, as a step toward putting Lebanese state finances on a sustainable path. Lebanon has one of the heaviest public debt burdens in the world. The state's main expenditures are the public sector wage bill, paying interest on its debt, and subsidizing the loss-making state power company. The government aims to slash the deficit through measures including a 3% point increase in tax on interest and a plan to issue low-interest treasury bonds. Hariri was responding to criticism from MP George Adwan of the Lebanese Forces (LF) Party who noted reservations expressed by a recent IMF mission to Lebanon. The IMF mission, in the concluding statement of an Article IV mission, said earlier this month that buying the proposed low-interest debt would worsen the central bank's balance sheet and undermine its credibility. It also said there should also not be any pressure on private banks to purchase the low-interest debt.

Addressing the plan to issue low interest bonds, Hariri said that he, the finance minister and the central bank had agreed "this matter would be conducted in a voluntary way by banks". "I know the IMF has some reservations, but also if we want to adopt everything the IMF does ... (well then it also) proposes that we leave the Lebanese pound to float, that it go up and down as it wants," said Hariri, asking whether this is what the Lebanese Forces wanted. The LF is part of his cabinet, but plans to abstain from voting for the budget, saying it does not go far enough with reforms. The IMF had also requested an increase of fuel excise in addition to an increase in VAT, Hariri said. "I want to say that we always negotiate with the IMF in a way where we work for the interest of Lebanon, the interest of the Lebanese pound," Hariri said. The IMF, in its statement, said Lebanon should adopt revenue measures that include raising value-added tax (VAT) and increasing fuel excises as well as efforts to increase tax compliance. It said the draft budget together with a plan to reform the power sector were "very welcome first steps on a long road". But it said the 2019 budget deficit would likely be well above the government's target of 7.6% of gross domestic product (GDP). (Reporting by Laila Bassam; Writing by Tom Perry, Editing by William Maclean) Copyright 2019 Thomson Reuters.

Lebanese parliament convenes on budget amid tight security

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BEIRUT (AP) — Under tight security, Lebanese lawmakers on Tuesday began discussing the draft 2019 state budget that aims to avert a financial crisis in the heavily indebted country by raising taxes and cutting public spending. The discussions were being held amid limited protests against proposed austerity measures. The proposed budget aims to reduce the projected deficit to 7.6% of the gross domestic product, from 11.5% last year. The corruption-plagued country's public debt is 150% of the GDP, among the largest in the world, and there have been serious concerns about an economic crash.

The budget was approved by the government in late May and is expected to pass in parliament later this week. However, critics say the proposed measures fail to introduce serious structural reforms needed to rescue the flagging economy. Civil servants have been protesting for weeks, fearing the measures to be adopted would lead to wage cuts for state employees. Roads leading to the parliament building in downtown Beirut were closed with roadblocks and checkpoints as the 128-member parliament convened Tuesday. Outside, a group of retired officers rallied against measures they fear would affect their end of service benefits. "They are badly managing our budget, our money. That's why we have this recession in our economy ... it is because of their management," said retired general, Ali Omar, 60, referring to the country's politicians. Lebanon is struggling not just with soaring debt, but rising unemployment and slow growth. The $85 billion debt and unemployment believed to be around 36% are compounding concerns that the country will finally cave in economically. Lebanon is also host to hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees who fled their country's war, putting a further strain on finances. Earlier this year, the ratings agency Moody's downgraded Lebanon's credit rating and outlook to negative, reflecting concerns that the country could default on its debts.

An International Monetary Fund mission that was in Lebanon earlier this month to report on the financial and monetary situation in the country said the government has an opportunity to implement fundamental reforms to rebalance Lebanon's economy. However it called for fundamental structural reforms in order to turn the tide. Later on Tuesday, hundreds of Palestinians held a protest in Beirut against the Labor Ministry's crackdown on foreign labor, targeting anyone found working without a permit. The campaign targets mainly Syrian laborers amid an outcry by Lebanese about what they say is unfair competition, but the move has angered Palestinian refugees in Lebanon who have lived in Lebanon for decades, unable to return to their homes, amid concerns they would also be targeted. After decades in Lebanon, the Palestinians' numbers have dwindled to about 175,000, living in squalid camps with no access to public services, limited employment opportunities and no rights to ownership or protections.

King Salman receives 3 former Lebanese premiers

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by saudigazette.com.sa --JEDDAH — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman received at the Al Salam Palace here Lebanese former prime ministers Najib Mikati, Fouad Siniora and Tammam Salam on Monday according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). During the meeting, they reviewed the bilateral relations between the two countries and highlighted the Kingdom’s keenness on Lebanon’s security and stability and the importance of preserving Lebanon within its Arab environment. Former Prime Minister Mikati, after meeting King Salman, said that Saudi Arabia will “extend a hand of support to Lebanon.” The King "stressed the necessity of preserving Lebanon and soon there will be Saudi steps towards the Lebanese state," Mikati told Lebanon's LBC TV. "Our concern is saving the country in light of the difficulties that we are going through," he said. Another former prime minister Siniora told Al Arabiya that Saudi Arabia has always stood by “all of Lebanon with all of its components.”

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Lebanon's PM vows to enhance Lebanese naval capabilities

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BEIRUT, (Xinhua) -- Prime Minister Saad Hariri vowed Monday to implement UN Resolution 2433 aimed at empowering Lebanon's maritime forces, a statement by the PM's office reported. "I am fully dedicated to further develop a plan to increase the Lebanese naval capabilities," he said. One of the steps that will be taken by the government for this purpose is the approval before August 31 of a strategy for empowering Lebanon's naval capabilities, a plan within Hariri's priority to strengthen state security institutions. "This strategy aims at preserving the country's sovereignty of maritime territories while fighting against terrorism, human trafficking, illegal immigration and smuggling of products," the prime minister was quoted as saying during his visit to the UNIFIL Maritime Task Force at Port of Beirut. Meanwhile, Stefano Del Col, UNIFIL chief, said that the common maritime trainings taking place between the Lebanese maritime forces and the UNIFIL aim at enabling Lebanese forces to control Lebanese sea lanes and territorial waters.

Here's the first job listing Jeff Bezos ever posted for Amazon 25 years ago and it's insane

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by Joe Sommerlad in tech -- Amazon, the all-conquering if lightly taxed online retailer, is celebrating its 25th birthday this month. The company was founded as "Cadabra" in Bellevue, Washington, by entrepreneur Jeff Bezos on 5 July 1994, initialling selling only books before branching out gradually into almost every other facet of commerce, shifting electronics, homeware and clothes, entering the streaming market with Prime Video and changing the high street forever.

Here's what he wrote:

Well-capitalized start-up seeks extremely talented C/C++/Unix developers to help pioneer commerce on the Internet. You must have experience designing and building large and complex (yet maintainable) systems, and you should be able to do so in about one-third the time that most competent people think possible. You should have a BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science or the equivalent. Top-notch communication skills are essential. Familiarity with web servers and HTML would be helpful but is not necessary. Expect talented, motivated, intense, and interesting co-workers. Must be willing to relocate to the Seattle area (we will help cover moving costs).

Imagine having gotten in on the ground floor with that one - Jeff would even have paid your moving expenses! The demand that you design and build interfaces "in about one-third the time that most competent people think possible" is telling, speaking to the fledgeling company's huge ambition even then. After giving an email, postal address and fax number (!), the ad closes with a quote from Alan Kay, a computer scientist who would go on to win the Alan Turing Award in 2003, declaring: It's easier to invent the future than to predict it. Bezos has certainly demonstrated that to be true. Soon after posting this, Bezos hired Shel Kaphan to take responsibility for developing the site's infrastructure and the company's explosive growth began in earnest. HT Business Insider