BASSIL From Washington: Lebanese System a Need for Humanity 18 Jul 2019 WASHINGTON - Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil on Thursday maintained that the Lebanese system in a need for the humanity as it is based upon the freedom of religion and belief, highlighting the necessity to preserve it. "Lebanon is the country of coexistence and the only country in the region where religions take equal part in power," he stressed.  "Lebanon would not be the same if any of its components was absent," he said. Bassil made these remarks during the inauguration of the Second Annual Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom in Washington. "I invite you to help Lebanon preserve its pluralism and system," he said. "The Lebanese system based on the freedom of religion is a need for the humanity," he concluded.  PRESIDENT AOUN Highlights State's Responsibility Towards People With Special Needs 18 Jul 2019 Lebanon - President Michel Aoun on Thursday highlighted the state's responsibility towards people with special needs and the institutions that provide care for them. "The state must assume its responsibility of supporting those with special needs and their institutions," he stressed. "This category is an essential part of the Lebanese social fabric, and we must work together to ensure their vital and efficient participation in the track of development," he said. Aoun made these remarks during his meeting at Baabda palace with a delegation of representatives of the social and humanitarian care institutions.  Gulf, Jordan, Egypt Ministers meeting Gulf, Jordan, Egypt agree on power grid with Europe 18/07/2019 AMMAN-- Jordan, Egypt and the power grid authority of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) agreed on Thursday to form a joint technical committee to set up time frames and draft a memorandum of understanding that would lay the foundation for the implementation of the electricity grid project between the Gulf power grid and Europe. via Jordan and Egypt. This came during meetings in the capital Amman, which included officials in the energy sector in Jordan and the Gulf Electricity Interconnection Authority and Egypt to discuss the power grid project between the Gulf electricity network with Europe through Jordan and Egypt in the presence of Undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity and Water of Kuwait, Engineer Mohammed Bushehri. For her part, Jordan's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Eng. Hala Zwati, asserted in a speech the importance of the interconnection project in enhancing the stability of the Arab electrical system and achieving energy integration. Zwati considered the project to be the nucleus of the Arab Electricity Market (the Arab Common Electricity Market) based on the principle of operating electrical systems in a competitive manner covering all Arab countries. As for the benefits of the project to Jordan, Zwati has confirmed its positive and economic effects by providing a minimum installed capacity and operational reserve as well as handling fluctuations and minimizing programmed interruptions that can be used in some cases. She pointed out the need to take practical steps to accelerate the implementation of the project through a plan of action and practical procedures for the importance of the project in serving the Arab countries and realizing the interests of their peoples. On her part, CEO of the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company Eng. Sabah Mashali said in a similar speech that the linking project is a "historic opportunity" to strengthen the link with the GCC countries and strengthen the existing ties with Jordan, confirming her country's support for the project. The National Electricity Company of Jordan held a technical meeting with its Director General Amjad Al-Rawashdeh, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company Sabah Mashali and the Executive Chairman of the Electricity Authority in Bahrain Sheikh Nawaf Al Khalifa, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Electricity and Water of Kuwait Mohammad Bushehri and Undersecretary of the Saudi Ministry of Energy Dr. Nayef Al-Abbadi and others. Al-Rawashdeh said in a speech at the opening of the meeting that Jordan is welcomes the Arab linking projects due to their economic, technical and political importance in enhancing cooperation and achieving Arab integration and stability of electricity systems in the Arab world.  ABOU SLEIMAN Confirms Lebanese Labor Law Protects Palestinian Workers From Arbitrary Expulsion 18 Jul 2019 Lebanon - Labor Minister, Kamil Abou Sleiman, on Thursday said that he had given the necessary instructions to concerned sides to facilitate the process of swiftly granting work permits to applicants. "All we’ve been doing at the Ministry of Labor is to enforce the law, and we want to treat Palestinian workers according to the law, just the way we treat Lebanese workers,” the Minister said in a press conference he held today at the House of Parliament. Calling for an immediate halt of street riots, the Minister also confirmed that the Lebanese Labor Law protected Palestinian workers from arbitrary expulsion. "We continue to implement the law, and there are no decision against Palestinian nationals. We are implementing laws that facilitate their work conditions; I fail to understand what’s the point behind the ongoing protests!” Abou Sleiman exclaimed. He pointed out that there were universities and big companies that did not allow anyone to work without a permit because they were simply applying the law. “I have explained to the Palestinian parties the truth about what we’re doing and explained to them that employment contracts actually helped Palestinian workers,” he concluded.  Dutton stands firm on Australia's deportation policy 19/07/2019 Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton is standing firm on Australia's deportation policies, as the New Zealand Prime Minister prepares to raise the controversial laws with Scott Morrison at a meeting on Friday. An estimated 800 New Zealand criminals were deported from Australia to New Zealand last year, with most convicted of violent offenses or offenses against children. Jacinda Ardern says the policy is having a corrosive effect on her country’s relationship with Australia. Prime Minister Ardern says she is most concerned by cases involving people with tenuous links to New Zealand.  Netherlands to implement burka ban on August 1 The Netherlands will implement its burka ban, officially called the Partial Ban On Face Covering Clothing Act, on August 1st. From that day on no face covering clothing may be worn in education, in government buildings, in healthcare and on public transit, AD reports. The ban was scheduled to be implemented on July 1st, but because a number of educational institutions indicated that they would find it difficult to enforce if the ban comes into effect in the middle of the school year, Minister Kasja Ollongren of Home Affairs pushed it back by a month. The Eerste Kamer, the Dutch Senate, passed the law in June last year, after the lower house of Dutch parliament agreed too it in 2016. The Council of State was critical of the ban. According to the advisory body, the usefulness and necessity of the measure were not sufficiently demonstrated. In 2015 the Council of State said that the law does not "provide for such an urgent need that this can justify an restriction on the right to freedom of religion". Mayor Femke Halsema of Amsterdam is also critical of the ban, previously saying that it will not be given priority in the Dutch capital. Rotterdam and Utrecht similarly said that they have no intention of actively imposing fines for violations of the ban. In response Prime Minister Mark Rutte said that the ban applies to everyone, including the large cities. Public transit companies are also concerned. They do not want to halt a vehicle if someone in a burka gets on and fear that the police will not respond if asked.  Sydney Sugarcube apartment tower abandoned after toxic land concerns 19 Jul 2019, An owner of an inner-city Sydney apartment tower built and then abandoned over toxic land concerns says he has "no power" after buying a $1 million home. Nick Rehac, who is on a pension, bought his home in the $46.5 million "Sugarcube" apartment development in the inner-west suburb of Erskineville more than a year ago. But he is yet to live in his home, after the City of Sydney refused to allow owners to move in over concerns the developer has not clean up toxic land underneath it. Neighbours living next door to the Sugarcube development have also raised concerns over potential contamination of their groundwater, with one telling the ABC she has been disappointed over the lack of information available.  Oman supports Unicef safe learning initiative 18/07/2019 NEW YORK: Sayyedah Dr Mona bint Fahd al Said, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) for International Cooperation, Chairperson of Children First Association, participated in the Safe Learning Environment event. It was organised by the Ending Violence Council in New York on the sideline of the Sultanate’s participation in the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. The event, which was held under the auspices of Henrietta Fore, Unicef Executive Director, discussed several issues, raising awareness on issues related to combating abuse, exploitation and violence against children, celebrating the progress made by international organisations in this regard, introducing new commitments, including the approval of global organisations on the Council’s call for action and financial pledges for safe learning and changes in policies and programmes that make schools safer for children. Speaking at the event, Sayyedah Dr Mona said that protecting children from all forms of violence is one of the fundamental rights of children, stressing the need to support the campaign in line with the sustainable development goals (SDGs). She announced the initiative of the Sultanate to open the way for all programmers and developers to find technical solutions to reduce violence in schools, noting that three projects and innovations will be adopted for implementation and the possibility of exporting these technical solutions to a developing country.  Govt pledges $3.9 billion to drive agriculture industry 19/07/2019 Scott Morrison has pledged $3.9 billion to set up a new parliamentary committee to drive jobs in the agriculture, fisheries and forestry sectors. The commitment to 'back the bush' follows a Bush Summit in Dubbo on Thursday, where the country's leaders came together to discuss the drought and its affect on Australia's regions. Opposition leader Anthony Albanese says Labor will support any measure the government takes to support farmers, as long as funding doesn’t get taken out of any other portfolio.  Iran seizes foreign tanker and 12 crew in Gulf 19/07/2019 Iran has seized a foreign tanker with 12 crew accused of smuggling oil in the Persian Gulf, the country's state media says. The seized vessel has not been identified but is said to have been intercepted on Sunday, South of Iran's Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Reports say the 12 crew on board the tanker were involved in smuggling around one million litres of fuel from Iranian smugglers to foreign customers and have been detained. The seizure comes as tensions between the Tehran and world powers over the unraveling 2015 nuclear accords continue to mount.  Sultanate’s positive role in ME hailed 18/07/2019 NEW YORK: Dr Ali bin Masoud al Sunaidy, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Council for Planning (SCP) on Thursday met with Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, President of the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly. The two sides discussed the latest political developments in the region, especially with regard to the political and humanitarian situation in the Middle East. The President of the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly praised the positive and active role played by the Sultanate towards these situations. The meeting was attended by Sayyedah Dr Mona bint Fahd al Said, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Sultan Qaboos University (SQU) for International Cooperation, Chairperson of the First Children Association. MEETS NORWAY MINISTER: Meanwhile, Dr Sunaidy also met with Dag-Inge Ulstein, Minister of International Development. The meeting came on the sidelines of the Sultanate’s participation in the High Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development in New York. The two sides discussed means of promoting economic and trade cooperation between the Sultanate and the Kingdom of Norway, as well as encouraging investments in several fields. The meeting also reviewed mechanism of developing relationship among the small and medium enterprises in the Kingdom of Norway and the efforts of the competent authorities to encourage SME owners to market their products locally and internationally. The Norwegian International Development Minister praised the cooperation between the Sultanate and his country. He hoped this cooperation would witness further prosperity in the near future. The trade balance between the Sultanate and the Kingdom of Norway has grown rapidly over the past years.  David Jones set to slash 120 jobs July 19, 2019 David Jones is cutting 120 jobs from its head office and suburban store network as the department chain refocuses its investment on digital and online retail. The upmarket retail giant confirmed on Friday it will slash 30 jobs from its Melbourne head office, and another 90 from its regional and suburban stores as it seeks to slim down amid a changing retail landscape. No jobs are scheduled to be cut from David Jones stores in the Sydney or Melbourne CBD. A spokesperson said the redundancies were a small percentage of the company's 14,000-strong workforce. 
Housing ministers announce task force to tackle Australia's building crisis 18/07/2019 State and federal housing ministers have struck a deal for a national response to tackle failures in Australia's building sector. After meeting in Sydney on Thursday, the ministers agreed to pursue nationally consistent building standards and fund a task force to carry out recommendations from a recent report. The task force will tackle issues such as combustible cladding, defective buildings and rising insurance premiums. |
