Thursday, March 6, 2025
Time Topic
11:00 am Cabinet session at the Presidential Palace to discuss items on the agenda.
11:00 am Press conference by Caritas to launch its annual fundraising campaign, at the organization's central headquarters in Jisr El Bacha, Sin El Fil.
11:00 am Session of the Parliamentary Committee on Public Works, Transport, Energy, and Water, chaired by MP Sajih Attieh, to review ministry projects and future plans with Minister of Public Works and Transport Fayez Rasamni. Venue: Committee Hall, MPs' Offices Building, 4th Floor.
3:00 pm Panel discussion hosted by the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) – Beirut on the occasion of International Women's Day, featuring actress Randa Kaadi and artist Georges Khabbaz in a conversation on art, society, and women's role in shaping cultural narratives. Venue: YWCA Cultural Center, Ain El Mreisseh.
5:00 pm Opening of the 42nd Lebanese Book Festival, organized by the Cultural Movement – Antelias, under the patronage of President Joseph Aoun. Venue: St. Elias Monastery, Antelias.
Ramadan Iftar hosted by Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea and MP Strida Geagea in Maarab.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
L'Orient-Le Jour
6 days ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Aoun chairs first meeting of committee tasked with Cyprus border negotiations
BEIRUT — Lebanese President Joseph Aoun chaired on Thursday the first meeting of the committee tasked with negotiating with Cyprus to demarcate the maritime borders of the exclusive economic zone between the two countries, according to a statement released by the Lebanese Presidency. The committee is headed by Public Works Minister Fayez Rasamni. According to the Presidency, the "principles to be adopted in the negotiations were presented with the aim of reaching an agreement." Talks on the Lebanon-Cyprus maritime border date back to 2007, when the two sides drafted an initial agreement setting their southern maritime tripoint with Israel at point 1, off Naqoura. But the Lebanese Parliament never ratified the agreement due to Turkish pressure. In 2011, Lebanon submitted Decree No. 6433 to the U.N., defining its EEZ unilaterally between point 23 (south) and point 7 (north). These key coordinates mark the EEZ boundaries with Israel and Syria. Point 23 is especially crucial — it defines Lebanon's southern maritime limit where its waters intersect with the Cypriot and Israeli EEZs. In June 2024, around three months before his assassination, Hezbollah's former Secretary-General, Hassan Nasrallah, attacked Cyprus, warning it against "opening Cypriot airports and bases to the Israeli enemy," in the event of a wider war between the group and Israel. The warnings issued by the secretary-general of the party provoked numerous reactions from the political class in Beirut and the Cypriot authorities. Despite this episode, ties between Lebanon and Cyprus have been growing recently. Last month, Joseph Aoun met in Nicosia with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides to discuss ways to deepen cooperation between the two countries across various sectors. In late April, Cypriot Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades announced the launch of a ferry line between Lebanon and Cyprus, expected to begin service soon. Moreover, Cyprus recently proposed to lay a submarine cable to supply electricity from Cyprus to Lebanon.
L'Orient-Le Jour
6 days ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
'Israel blew up the port,' says Zeaiter, points to 'responsibility' of Lebanese Army
MP and former Public Works Minister Ghazi Zeaiter on Wednesday rejected all accusations against him regarding the Beirut Port explosion on Aug. 4, 2020, saying that they were "above all political and media-related, not judicial," according to comments made during an interview and reported by the state-run National News Agency (NNA). A member of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's Amal Movement, Zeaiter stated in particular that "Israel blew up the port" and that "heavy responsibility lies with the Lebanese Army," referring to its role in authorizing the entry of dangerous materials into the port, notably ammonium nitrate, which would later cause the explosion. During the interview, Zeaiter said he remained convinced Israel was behind the port explosion. "Israel bombed the port," he insisted, claiming that "some people saw Israeli planes in the sky and the destruction is reminiscent of recent Israeli military operations." Residents had reported hearing the sound of planes seconds before the blast, others describing a whistling noise similar to that of a jet engine, but the director of Bellingcat, a Netherlands-based investigative journalism group, recently told L'Orient-Le Jour that while it is possible, no evidence supports this theory, with other experts pointing out that the fire preceding the explosion could have produced sounds similar to those of fighter jets. 'A military intelligence authorization' While refusing to name those responsible, "out of respect for the blood of the port's martyrs and the tears of their families," Zeaiter stated: "A great responsibility lies with the Lebanese Army," arguing that "the entry of ammonium nitrate or any dangerous material requires authorization from military intelligence." "Even the public works minister needs the permission of military intelligence and security agencies to visit and inspect the port," he added. Zeaiter has repeatedly refused to appear before investigative judge Tarek Bitar, who summoned him as a suspect in the investigation into the explosion. The magistrate was forced to suspend his investigations in January 2023, faced with hostility from much of the political class, particularly Hezbollah, and a series of complaints filed against him. He resumed his investigation at the beginning of 2025, questioning several former officials, including former Prime Minister Hassan Diab and former Interior Minister Nohad Mashnouq. The disaster, one of the most powerful non-nuclear explosions ever recorded, devastated much of the Lebanese capital, killing 235 people and injuring 7,500. The blast was preceded by a fire in a port warehouse where tons of ammonium nitrate had been improperly stored, despite numerous warnings addressed to the highest authorities, now accused of negligence. Zeaiter was serving as minister of public works and transport in 2014, at the time the ammonium nitrate was offloaded, apparently delivered by a ship sailing under a Russian flag. For the first time, he revealed documents received during his term, including "a letter from the Russian embassy on the poor conditions of Russian sailors aboard the ship," as well as another letter from the Ukrainian embassy questioning the non-execution of a judicial decision by Judge Jad Maalouf ordering the ship to be refloated. In both cases, he insisted that "the necessary measures had been taken." 'I exercised my legitimate right to defend myself' "Judge Sawan had raised suspicions concerning 12 ministers and four prime ministers, but he only sent a letter to the speaker to report suspicions against Diab, MPs Zeaiter and Ali Hassan Khalil, as well as former minister Youssef Fenianos," Zeaiter said. "That's when doubts arose about the politicization of the case. I exercised my legitimate right to defend myself." Zeaiter also stated that "Judge Tarek Bitar provided guarantees to Abbas Ibrahim (former director of General Security), Nohad Mashnouq and Hassan Diab, assuring them they would not be detained if they appeared before him. A similar offer was sent to me through a lawyer: to appear and present all the evidence and documents in my possession, without being arrested." Zeaiter said he "declined Bitar's offer, because it contradicts legal procedures," noting that he had already filed a request to recuse this judge and that his prosecution should fall under parliamentary jurisdiction. He also said that after the indictment decided by Judge Sawan, he visited Berri, who told him: "If I knew that you and MP Ali Hassan Khalil were responsible, I would have been the first to hold you accountable. I protect the Constitution, not individuals." Zeaiter stated that Berri requested a parliamentary session devoted to the issue of lifting immunity for sitting MPs, following a petition signed by 26 MPs. However, a quorum was not reached, as most parliamentary blocs were absent. Asked what he would do in the event of an official conviction, he replied: "We'll see when the time comes."
L'Orient-Le Jour
6 days ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Electoral law: Ongoing disputes in parliament subcommittee
BEIRUT — A subcommittee of Lebanon's joint parliamentary committees met Wednesday under the chairmanship of Parliament Vice President Elias Bou Saab to review seven proposed electoral laws, just months ahead of the 2026 legislative deadline. The debates, attended by Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar, Foreign Affairs Minister Joe Rajji, as well as member MPs, did not result in a vote due to "divergences within the committee," MP Saab explained after the meeting. "We have differences of opinion and I was keen that we should not proceed to a vote (...) These differences relate to whether we should limit the debate to amendments to the current law or examine all the laws proposed by MPs," he added, as quoted by the state-run National News Agency (NNA.) The 2017 electoral law, which has never been fully implemented, restricts the diaspora vote in the 2026 legislative elections to just six seats, as opposed to the 128 seats for which resident Lebanese vote. This is causing controversy. The diaspora vote in fact splits the political class into two camps: on one hand, those who want to confine its voters to the six seats, as specified by the 2017 law. The Aounist Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and the allied Hezbollah and Amal parties. Meanwhile, around 68 MPs from the Lebanese Forces (LF,) Kataeb, PSP, the Change Bloc, independents, and others want to amend the law. They aim to make permanent a special change used in the 2018 and 2022 elections, which was based on constituencies of origin. Their proposal, submitted on May 9, calls for the pure and simple elimination of the six-seat clause, to allow the diaspora to vote for all 128 MPs according to their constituency of origin. "There are different points of view, and none of the MPs who submitted proposals is ready to withdraw theirs, with everyone insisting that the proposals be discussed," Saab added. "At the same time, it was suggested that priorities be set and submitted to Parliament so that it can decide on the merits of this proposal, or that all the proposals be brought before the General Assembly if disagreement persists, as long as the discussion proceeds calmly and without tensions," continued the subcommittee chair. This meeting was held as the government, at the subcommittee's request, set up a ministerial committee to study any bill the government would send for presentation to the committee. According to Saab, the 2017 electoral law poses "several problems." "The interior and foreign affairs ministers made observations about the current law, particularly concerning the implementation of provisions related to the election of six diaspora MPs, the magnetic card, and the modalities of expenses," he said. On the issue of the magnetic card, the interior minister indicated it would not be possible to put the smart card system in place by the election date. Together with his foreign affairs counterpart, he also decided to consider, within a technical committee, the issue of the six diaspora MPs. "The committee submitted these observations to the prime minister, who will present them to the Council of Ministers. Once the government has adopted an official position on the matter, it will inform us and we will follow up accordingly," emphasized the subcommittee chair. Commenting on the meeting, LF MP Georges Adwan considered that, given the current disputes, it is no longer possible, just a few months ahead of the vote, to study new proposed laws: "We no longer have the luxury of being able to study new laws given the current differences. A roadmap needs to be established to resolve the six seats issue, while stressing the necessity of a vote by non-residents for all 128 MPs," he noted. "Lebanon needs to thoroughly study every aspect of the system after the weapons issue is resolved, in order to reach a new electoral law different from the previous one," he continued, urging people to "move away from politics of axes and aim for citizenship."
