Beirut Traffic Controllers Overworked, Untrained and Underpaid, So Watch Out!

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by albawaba.com -- The next time you fly into or out of Beirut, take a moment to think about the air traffic controllers monitoring the skies and runways to make sure you’re safe. Or don’t – they’re overworked, undertrained and underpaid, representatives say. “It is a safety problem,” said Ali Hammoud, the head of the executive committee of the Lebanese Air Traffic Controllers Association, or LebATCA. “If you have somebody working more than he should, that’s a problem.” Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport has just 19 certified air traffic controllers, Hammoud said. Along with six or seven retiree holdovers and 19 uncertified assistants, they make sure some 350 flights take off and land safely and efficiently every day. “In order to work normally, we need 65,” Hammoud said. Under the law, there should be 106, according to another air traffic controller, who asked to remain anonymous since he is not authorized to speak to the press. “We need staff, we need training, we need ... intensive care,” the controller said.

That was the primary grievance behind their one-hour strike on May 16. Air traffic controllers were trying to pressure Cabinet – then in its last week before lapsing into caretaker status – to take swift action. Cabinet came through on that count, with Prime Minister Saad Hariri signing decrees to hire 25 new trainees and promote 17 current controllers, Hammoud said. Those decrees, however, still need President Michel Aoun’s signature. A representative of Baabda Palace told The Daily Star that the decree for hiring trainees was before the president’s legal committee. Cabinet also extended the contracts for the retiree holdovers – a necessary stopgap measure, according to Hammoud. Brought on two years ago to allow time to bring new trainees up to speed, the retirees got another one-year extension, he said. A separate matter concerns pay. Hammoud argues that the government is misconstruing an article specific to air traffic controllers in the 2017 salary scale law, essentially slashing their raise by half. He wanted Cabinet to issue a clarifying directive before it went into caretaker status, but that did not happen. Pay appears to be a secondary concern – the anonymous controller told The Daily Star that they only cared about recruiting new staff. Even if Aoun signs the decrees tomorrow, new recruits “need at least three years of theory and on-the-job training,” the controller said. “This is a long-term procedure.” And if Aoun fails to sign the decrees? Hammoud didn’t rule out another strike, but said any such decision would be taken with a heavy heart. “We know [the airport] is the only gate” into and out of Lebanon. But at the same time, he said, this is an issue that can’t be ignored, because it affects the safety of passengers and air crews.

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Lebanon’s spearfishers fight to preserve stocks

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news.kuwaittimes.net -- TRIPOLI, Lebanon: Hunting fish with spear guns may seem like a counterintuitive way to save Lebanon’s dwindling marine life, but a growing community of freedivers argues it is a potent awareness-raising tool. At 5:00 am, three men park their car in the northern port of Qalamun. Grabbing their fins, masks and spear guns, they board a boat and set out to sea. Wrapped in tight camouflage wetsuits as they skim across the silvered water, these amateur underwater hunters resemble their counterparts the world over. Rachid Zock and his friends say that by promoting regulated spearfishing, they are also defending Lebanon’s fast-depleting aquatic wildlife. Zock, 38, a freediving and spearfishing instructor, says he has seen Lebanon’s fish populations drop in the three decades he has been exploring its waters. “I started fishing underwater aged seven, and I used to see so many fish of different shapes and sizes. But they’ve diminished over the years,” he says. The divers float, head down on the water like tree leaves. Suddenly, one of them duck dives, piercing the surface as he heads vertically into the blue. Others watch through their masks to make sure he is safe, as he fins a dozen metres down, clutching his spear gun. He can stay down for more than two minutes on a single breath.

Overfishing

The fish populations living off Lebanon’s northern coastline have shrunk in recent years, fishermen say. And the European Commission estimates that 90 percent of fish species surveyed in the Mediterranean are overfished, it said in April 2017 following a study. The EC launched an initiative with non European Union countries – dubbed MedFish4Ever – to address the issue after a ministerial conference last year. But Lebanon, which had 7,000 fishermen in 2014 and where fishing only makes up a tiny part of the economy, has not signed up. Faysal Tawokji, 25, says he has been diving to set up underwater fish traps every day for 12 years. “I was catching 40 kilos (just over 88 pounds) of fish a day in 2016 but that decreased to half the next year,” he says. His income has not improved since. “I’ve lost hope and decided to leave Lebanon – because of the small catches and the competition from imported fish at half the price,” says the young fisherman.

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PSYCHOLOGICAL WAR’: PHOTO OF ISRAELI JET OVER BEIRUT DRAWS LEBANESE ANGER

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BY JASON LEMON  -- newsweek.com -- A photo of an Israeli fighter jet flying over Beirut has drawn angry reactions and criticism within Lebanon. "This is Israel playing a psychological side of the war,” General Mouawad Tannous, a former Lebanese military intelligence officer and former defense attaché with Lebanon's Embassy in Washington D.C. told The Independent. “Israel is flaunting its power, and showing to all its high military superiority.” Israeli air force commander Major General Amikam Norkin showed the high-quality photo of a U.S.-made F-35 hovering over Beirut during a presentation at an international security conference last week. During the presentation, he said he believed Israel is "the first to attack with the F-35 in the Middle East." Since then, the image has circulated on social media.

Tensions between Israel and Lebanon occasionally run high along the border between the two nations. The Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah, which the United States classifies as a terrorist organization, and Israeli officials regularly exchange fiery rhetoric and threats. Tensions sometimes escalate, with Iran-backed Hezbollah firing rockets across the border and Israel responding militarily. Tannous said that Norkin has "taken heat for revealing the F-35 in such a clear photo, showing four radars, with two reflectors on each side." This means the aircraft was not flying in stealth mode. Although it's unclear when the photo was taken, Lebanon has accused Israel's military of violating its airspace on multiple occasions, as have U.N. peacekeeping forces stationed at the border between the two countries. On Monday, in what The Times of Israel called "a rare face-off," Russian jets reportedly challenged Israeli jets flying over Lebanon. Neither side has officially confirmed the reports. In recent months, Israel has launched several airstrikes in Syria, attacking Hezbollah, Iranian and regime targets. Following some of these attacks, Lebanese officials claimed Israel illegally used its airspace. Last September, Lebanon said it would officially complain to the U.N. over such violations, Reuters reported. At the time, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said his country would issue a complaint “against Israel for planting spy devices on Lebanese land and continuously breaching” its airspace.

Lebanese Deputy Speaker to Asharq Al-Awsat: Return of Syrian Refugees Priority After Government Lineup

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by aawsat.com -- Lebanese Deputy Speaker Elie Ferzli told Asharq Al-Awsat on Friday Lebanese politicians will start working on the return of Syrian refugees to safe areas inside their country, directly following the government lineup. “We will refuse that 24 hours pass after the birth of the new cabinet without the presence of serious talks for the return of Syrian refugees to their country,” he said, adding that Lebanon would not mind demanding the help of the international community to speed up their arrival to Syria. General Security chief Abbas Ibrahim uncovered Thursday the presence of ongoing contacts with the Syrian regime in order to repatriate the Syrian refugees. “Contacts with Syrian authorities are underway to secure the return of thousands of refugees back to their homes. The issue is imminent,” he said

His comments came after Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai said he had asked French President Emmanuel Macron to encourage Syrians return to their country, during a meeting between the two men this week in Paris. Ferzli criticized officials who refuse to negotiate with the Syrian regime on the issue of Syrian refugees. “Those people announce they are against the presence of Syrian refugees in Lebanon. But, this position is not enough to assure their return home. What is important is to work for that end,” he said. There are more than one million Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Their presence drove division among political forces: The Free Patriotic Movement and Hezbollah do not mind holding contacts with the Syrian regime to secure their return to Syrian safe areas. However, the Mustaqbal Movement reject any coordinating with Bashar Assad’s regime, saying their safe and secure return should be realized through the United Nations.

Lebanon: Aoun Signs Controversial Naturalization Decree

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Beirut - Asharq Al-Awsat --Lebanese President Michel Aoun signed a decree to naturalize dozens of personalities, including Syrian businessmen, stirring a wave of controversial reactions amid fears of resettlement plans. A Lebanese minister, who declined to be identified, said the decree included the names of businessmen of Syrian, Syrian-Palestinian, Western and Gulf nationalities, noting that the Lebanese authorities had considered individual and collective requests for businessmen facing problems and obstacles in their work. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the minister said that the largest batch of names came from the Maronite Foundation in the World, and only 10 Syrians were included in the new decree. The decree gave citizenship to around 300 people, including Syrians, Palestinians, Iraqis, Jordanians, Yemenis, Tunisians, Egyptians, Saudis, Germans, French, British, Iranians, Chileans, Americans and Indians.

The Central News Agency quoted well-informed sources as saying that those benefiting from the new decree included businessmen whose naturalization might contribute to stimulating the economy through the creation of investments and employment opportunities. Kataeb parliamentary bloc member, MP Nadim Gemayel, said: “This is the start of a nationalization project at the national level which is categorically rejected,” pointing out that “the naturalization decree is a real threat to the balance between the communities.” “The president usually takes this step at the end of his term, but when the naturalization scandal is to compensate for election expenses and other expenses, it becomes totally unacceptable,” he stressed. “We have to know who has been given citizenship, and this subject will not pass unnoticed; we will examine the possibility of appeal before the Shura Council immediately after it is published in the Official Gazette,” Gemayel also said.MP Neemat Frem expressed his support to the naturalization of expatriates of Lebanese origins, meaning giving citizenship to those who are entitled to it. “But if what is said about the naturalization of others is true, then it would be a surprise and questions must be raised about the background” of such decision, he added.

Lebanese man sets World Record for fastest crossing of Lebanon on foot

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by lebaneseexaminer.com -- A Lebanese man set a Guinness World Record for the fastest crossing of Lebanon on foot — in just 1 day, 15 hours and 49 minutes! Ali Wehbi set the record in the town of Naqoura, one of the southernmost points on the Lebanese coast. The avid runner started the run on March 31 and ended on April 2, which is World Autism Awareness Day. “This run is dedicated to all persons with autism, all families dealing with it,” Wehbi said. “It’s also dedicated to all autism organizations offering support, research and treatments, each and every person is touched by it directly and indirectly.” Wehbi ran through some of Lebanon’s most iconic landmarks, including the Tropoli Castle, Raouche Rock, Saida Castle and Sour Old Heritage, the Guinness World Records reports. The landmarks were lit in blue for the #LightItUpBlue campaign to raise awareness for autism.