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In its edition of Friday, Al Diyar newspaper drew attention to emerging voices, with religious extremist background, faultfinding the ongoing touristic festivals organized by the diverse municipalities, establishments and associations in the northern regions of Akar, Minyeh and Tripoli. Such positions, the newspaper mentioned, sometimes reached the level of justifying the killing of the promoters of similar events. Al Diyar pointed out to some hardline statements signed by spiritual figures officially affiliated with Dar al Fatwa, which, the newspaper added, question the stand of the seat of Dar al Fatwa. On the other hand, many clerics known for their religious tolerance and moderation have denounced that “touristic festivities do not infringe on or threaten the northern society as long as they observe public manners and stay within the framework of morality while not affecting the essence of religion.  In Saida as well, opposing voices emerged, while groups of Sidon residents launched a campaign entitled: “Saida will not dance”, which called for the cancellation of these festivals. Similarly, the “Jama3a Islamiya” organisation also affirmed that "these festivals are not the best and only way to stimulate the economy". Despite these objections, organizers in Saida, underscore that the city will not cancel the planned festivals. On the latest festival updates, the Annual Festival Committee of Habariyeh in the South launched its two-day fiesta on Saturday, including a play, magic show and musical concerts. On the same day, the minister of tourism, Michel Pharaon, inaugurated the 3-day Baruk Touristic Festivals under the heading ‘Shuf Lebnan bil Baruk’ (Lebanon in the eye of Baruk). The event hosted an exhibition for rural products and showcased paintings and shows by artists. Likewise, the municipality of Beyt Malat kicked off its first summer festivals with the screening of a documentary on the village followed by a display of fireworks. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, August 26, 27 and 28, 2016)

 

In its edition of August 19, the Daily Star newspaper highlighted the industry of tobacco in Lebanon which flourished markedly with the beginning of the war in neighboring Syria and the resultant shutdown of many tobacco businesses in the country. To shed more light on the subject, the Daily Star spoke to George Hobeika, senior board member of the state-owned Regie Libanaise des Tabacs et Tombac, better known as Regie, who stressed that the presence of Syrian refugees in Lebanon has more than tripled the consumption of made-in-Lebanon tobacco in five years. Cedars, Hobeika mentioned, was particularly boosted because it is similar to the widely smoked Hamra cigarettes of Syria, adding that Regie sales were estimated at USD 1 billion in 2012. Hobeika also revealed that a technical team from Italy is currently installing state-of-the-art equipment that is expected to speed up production up to nearly 12,000 cigarettes per week. On the other hand, Hobeika explained to the Daily Star reporter that domestic demand on Cedars has outweighed the size of its production, which temporarily weakens plans for exports.

In parallel, Al Mustaqbal newspaper reported that the tobacco industry in Akkar is regressing on a yearly basis due to the high cost of production and to the impact of the climate change. Despite this, the newspaper wrote, this agriculture remains the most viable among similar subsidized agricultures particularly when the harvest is abundant and the prices set by the Regie were equivalent to the cost of production. In this respect, tobacco farmers who kicked off the harvest season, have all agreed that the exceptional efforts they exert hardly correspond to the current prices set by the Regie. The current prices are estimated at LBP 3.5 million per each single mandatory license. )The Daily Star, Al Mustaqbal, August 19, 21, 2016(

 

The northern capital is polarizing private and public sectors, civil and foreign organisations, and mobilizing efforts, in an attempt to boost the economy, through providing a number of facilities and incentives in order to attract investments. On the subject, Raya Al-Hassan, president of the General Authority Board of the Special Economic Zone for Tripoli, represent a zone “free of all customary public sector regulations”, that will play an important role in attracting investments in Lebanon and outside Lebanon and particularly in the Diaspora”, she told a delegation of the campaign ‘no matter what happens’) law shu ma sar).

In the same spirit, Tawfic Dabbusi, president of the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Tripoli and the North, stressed, during a meeting with members of the Civil Movement Board-the North, the cooperation between the two sides across all areas. He pressed the need to adopt the principles of planning and training from a socio-economic perspective.

For his part, the president of the Civil Movement, Fadi Obeid, underscored the common interests between the Chamber and the organization, adding that both parties are planning to work together on environmentally-friendly projects, particularly on alternative energy projects, such as tapping solar energy to illuminate the streets in the cities of Al-Fay7a2.

Meanwhile, on the sidelines of a tour by UNIDO to Harb Center for Artisan Industries in the northern city, the general superintendent of Al Azm Association, Abdel Ilah Mikati, encouraged the introduction of modern and state of the art designs to the products, underscoring the role of training and empowerment of the local youth on the use of hi-tech equipment, which he pointed will increase the opportunities of their employment. In a related vein, al Azm association launched in Tripoli and al Mina district, a campaign entitled, ‘the city resembles a rose’ .The activity covered street cleaning and restoration, planting trees in the parks and renovation of heritage mosques and old internal markets. (Al Mustaqbal, Al Diyar, August 20, 23, 24, 2016)

 

In its edition of August 22, L’Orient Le Jour published a special feature on pistachios, a basic ingredient of many traditional dishes in Lebanon, particularly desserts and sweets. The cultivation of pistachios, the newspaper wrote, kept on dwindling since the eruption of the civil warm with imports growing from Iran, Syria and Turkey.  Indeed, pistachios have become a delicacy smartly blended into an assortment of local cookeries. To know more, the newspaper spoke to a number of sweets business owners who boasted the special fusion effect of the pistachio added product. Ranim Hallab, the marketing manager at Qasr al Helu-Hallab, mentioned that they use nearly 60 tons of pistachios every year for the making of maamoul, baklava and ice cream, as well as for decorative purposes. Similarly, Mussa Rifai, general manager of Rifai Roastery, told L’Orient Le Jour reporter that salted pistachios top their sales. Lebanon, the newspaper went on to say, has imported around 3.122 tons of the product in 2015 at USD 20 million, mainly from Iran (86%), Syria (4%) and Turkey (3%); the Iranian pistachios being among the best, according to Castania Roastery manager. The share of pistachios coming from the US, a major world producer of the crop, remains meagre, as Lebanese consumers do not favor it much. And while 30% to 40% of the pistachios is used in the making of desserts, the rest is being sold as a roasted, salted or flavored product. Meanwhile, though it is hard to estimate the total size of Lebanon’s export of pistachios, L’Orient Le Jour, citing customs figures, said exports of pistachios did not exceed 108 tons (worth of USD 323 thousand) and were destined to Jordan. (L’Orient Le Jour, August 22, 2016)

 

While labor minister, Sajaan Azzi, continuously refer to the galloping unemployment in the country, member of the Change and Reform Coalition, Simon Abi Ramya, pointed, albeit unintentionally, to both government's inability to address the issue of unemployment and to the failures of the civil service system, when he indicated that 17 thousand vacancies are currently across ministries and public departments. Abu Ramya, who was speaking during a meeting yesterday of the Parliamentary Youth and Sports Committee, disclosed that only 7 thousand of the 24 thousand public posts Yesterday’s session discussed Decree No. 319 regulating the ministry of youth and sports and maintaining its need to fill a number of vacancies. In this respect, a study completed by the ministry has revealed a shortage in commissioners (176 persons required against only 48 current employed), which explains the deterioration in the ministry’s services. (Al Diyar, Al Akhbar, August 24, 2016)

 

The minister of industry, Hussein Haj Hassan disclosed yesterday that he will re-issue a pre-existing memo banning any industrial establishment that does not observe the environmental standards from receiving or benefiting from the certificate of industry, urging any party having difficulties in disposal of its solid waste to seek the help of competent authorities. Haj Hassan was speaking during a workshop organized by the ministry, in cooperation with the involved state ministries and Beqaa municipalities, on the projected clean up of the polluted Litani River and the adjacent Qaraooan Lake, as well the reduction of industrial pollutants. Haj Hassan underlined the role of industrialists as the pillar of domestic economy, in terms of job creation, production, exports and the balance of payments and trade. (Al Diyar, An Nahar, August 23, 2016)

 

Summer festivals are flourishing across Lebanon with the efforts of the local community and thanks to foreign funding despite a relative slackness on the part of the government, as reported by L’Orient Le Jour last Saturday. The newspaper shed light on municipal efforts to generate additional resources for their limited budgets and to seek foreign funding to similar undertakings. On the subject, Yahya Fattal, head of the tourism committee for Tripoli, disclosed that in the absence of a clear and systematic official plan, his municipality is looking for the support of the international community and local politicians. Similarly, Ehden municipality member, Shafik Ghazali, referred to a joint campaign with the ministry of tourism to attract foreign tourists, pointing to a long list of projects planned for the city. Regarding funding issues, Ghazali said the municipality is still on the lookout for resources. L’Orient Le Jour brought out a good example of a fruitful team effort with a foreign agency in the domain of tourism. In Hadath al Jibbeh, Kadisha, the newspaper wrote, USAID supported the renovation of a local hotel and the construction of 10 long walking trails all over the village, which contributed to increasing the number of tourists by 20% in 2015.

On the festivals front, yesterday saw the opening of the Maghdoosheh touristic festivities for 2016 organized by the Green Rabyeh Club in collaboration with the town’s municipality and the sponsorship of the ministry of culture. The festival is expected to continue till September 7 and will include various cultural, traditional, sports, recreational and musical activities to be held at the town’s public square. In parallel, Ehmej inaugurated its sixth touristic festivities in the presence of tourism minister Michel Pharaon and public figures. (An Nahar, Al Diyar, Al Mustaqbal, L’Orient Le Jour, August 22, 2016)

 

The summer season is not very promising to employees or people on the lookout for jobs in Middle East and North Africa, according to the ‘Summer in the MENA Workplace’ survey conducted by the leading job portal in the area, Bayt.com. The survey which targeted some 7024 people from 16 different Arab states has shown that employees consider the summer as one of the most draining seasons. Nearly 35.2% of respondents pointed to a buildup of assignments and working hours during that period, with 34.5% saying their employers do not show flexibility in this regard. However, the job portal mentioned a positive aspect related to an upsurge in productivity during the summer (42.5% of respondents). On the other hand, half of the job seekers covered by the survey, stated that the summer is not the ideal time to search for a job in the region. The main reason is that human resources managers tend to take their vacations in the summer, as explained by Suhail Masri, vice president of recruiting solutions at Bayt.com. Masri said that about 72.4% of professionals in the MENA region plan their annual vacations in the summer, with 44.1% preferring to spend their annual leave resting at home and 55.9% outdoors (32.4% with family or visiting friends; 28.4% at the beach….). (Al Akhbar, August 20, 2016)

 

The program of the Saida International Festival, planned for the forthcoming September, and launched two days ago, will include several musical concerts, the organisation of a one day touristic tour of the city and its port, and sport activities on the Saida seafront under the slogan “Saida in colors”. On a similar note, the Traders of Batroon and the Caza launched in a press conference yesterday the September shopping festival and the Guinness World Records event for the biggest seafood display scheduled on September fourth at the fisherfolks port. The event is supported by the municipality of Batroon, in addition to the ministries of trade and tourism, the Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Tripoli and the North, Credit Libanais, Touch company and Burger King. The association President, Rock Atiyeh, disclosed that around 2700 kg of seafood delicacies and products will be displayed to break the present world record won by the Netherlands back in 2011, naming the products and projected quantities to be showcased. “At first, we thought of distributing free seafood at the end of the display,” Atiyeh said, adding, “we finally decided to allocate the contributions to support the local fisherfolks who will prepare and sell the food to customers.” Atiyeh also added that the local Batroon breweries and wineries will partake in the event as well. (Al Diyar, August 19, 2016)

 

The Lebanese capital, Beirut, ranked first globally as the best city for food, according to a survey on Travel & Leisure portal on the best world cities in terms of quality of food. The survey was based on the views of readers about the best cities, islands, recreation resorts, airlines and cruise lines around the world. Beirut was selected due to its distinct features, particularly its unique cuisine and food delicacies. The Spanish city of San Sebastian came second, Paris third, followed respectively by the three Italian cities of Florence, Bologna and Rome. The Mexican city of San Miguel ranked seventh, followed by Chiang Mai in Thailand, Barcelona in Spain and the French city of Bordeaux in the tenth place. (Al Mustaqbal, An Nahar August 18 and 19, 2016)