MP Ibrahim Kanaan said today after casting his vote in the Bar Association elections: ‘From the Palace of Justice and in Lebanon, there are elections according to their legal timing…There is no vacuum, no obstruction, no jurisprudence, and no pre-determined results. Rather, it is a democratic process par excellence and everyone congratulates the winners…Any lesson learned?!’
Source: National news agency – Lebanon
Former Progressive Socialist Party Chief and MP, Walid Jumblatt, called for solidarity and unity of position in these difficult circumstances, stressing the necessity of not being drawn into war and warning that the coming days are tough.
Referring to the ongoing war on Gaza, Jumblatt saluted the steadfastness of the Palestinian people who are facing the Israeli machine of killing and destruction, expressing at the same time his fear against the continuation and expansion of the war in the region.
“The situation today may be much more difficult than what we went through during the siege and invasion of Beirut, so we ask for solidarity and unity of voice and word,” Jumblatt reiterated.
He added: “Today, unlike in the past, we do not have any ability to change the decisions of countries, as they have their own calculations, and we see how an entire people is being sacrificed despite major demonstrations, especially in the West. Yet, the decision appears to be to complete the siege of Gaza and its destructio
n, and God knows what will be the fate of the Palestinian people in Gaza and the West Bank.”
“We hope today that we will not be dragged into war,” Jumblatt cautioned, stressing that “we should not be lured, and the matter is up to the resistance team and to Israel…”
“When we see the huge number of fleets, one has to think that something is coming. When war begins, no one can control its end…This is a historical rule!” Jumblatt asserted.
He went on to emphasize that at the internal scene, it would have been better if there had been a minimum level of national unity and a president…”Today, there is a dispute over the appointment of an army commander. Our army is steadfast, large, and necessary. But I do not understand the differences over a presidency that may or may not come,’ he underlined.
On another note, Jumblatt criticized the release of the suspect or the accused of killing the Irish soldier in the incident that occurred a year ago in the south, deeming it a “huge mistake”. He said, “If there i
s an entire people, with its leaders and politicians, that stand by the Palestinian and Arab cause, it is the Irish people…!’
Jumblatt’s words came during his visits today, accompanied by PSP Head, MP Taymour Jumblatt, Druze Judge Sheikh Gandhi Makarem, MPs Akram Chehayeb and Hadi Abu Al-Hassan, and senior partisans, to the towns of Choueit, Baalshmeih, and Abadieh, where he met with prominent figures and Druze religious clerics.
Source: National news agency – Lebanon
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has said that one person was killed and another one injured in an Israeli attack yesterday on an MSF convoy of staff members and their families who were attempting to evacuate from northern Gaza.
MSF condemned in the strongest terms the deliberate Israeli attack. It said the convoy was made up of 137 people-Palestinian MSF staff members and their families, including 65 children. Since November 11, they have been trapped in MSF’s guesthouse, office and outpatient clinic near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza as a result of the Israeli invasion.
MSF said its staff and families departed at 9:00 a.m. local time yesterday with five vehicles, all clearly marked with MSF identification, including on the roofs. It added that the convoy went through the itinerary indicated by the Israeli army and reached Salah Al Deen street, along with other civilians trying to leave the area.
The convoy reached the last checkpoint near Wadi Gaza, which was overcrowded at that time due to extensive screening
s of Palestinians by Israeli forces. ‘Despite the information shared with the Israeli army, they were not allowed to cross the checkpoint for hours. Shots were later heard by our staff, pushing them to turn back out of fear to return to MSF’s premises, located around seven kilometers [about four miles] from the checkpoint.’
‘On their way back, between 3:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. local time, the convoy was attacked in Al-Wehda street near the junction of Said Al A’as street, near the MSF office,’ MSF added. ‘Two of the MSF vehicles were deliberately hit, killing one MSF staff’s family member and injuring another.’
MSF called for an immediate ceasefire to ensure the safety of trapped civilians.
Source: Palestine news and Information Agency – WAFA
Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Beshara Boutros al-Rahi, on Sunday, criticized those who are obstructing the election of a president of the republic, saying they have no right to continue with their stalling and tampering with the military institution’s stability in a spirit of maliciousness, hatred, and revenge.
Presiding over this morning’s Mass service in Bkirki, the Patriarch supported Army Chief, Joseph Aoun’s remaining in office by extending his term which expires on January 10, considering that he ought not be be changed until the election of a new president.
“We affirm the call of the Council of Catholic Patriarchs and Bishops in Lebanon: In this delicate security situation, and as the war is raging on our southern borders, it is necessary not to tamper with the supreme leadership of the army until the election of a President of the Republic…The issue here is linked to the need to protect our people and to maintain security on all Lebanese lands and borders, especially in the south, in accordance wi
th Security Council Resolution 1701,” the Patriarch said.
“Any change at the level of the army leadership requires wisdom and deliberation and must not be exploited for personal, political ends,” al-Rahi added while urging Lebanese officials to “elect a president and stop gambling with the state.”
“Let us pray to our Almighty Lord so that His mercy may be revealed, so that He may grant peace to the Holy Lands and stop the war,” the Patriarch concluded.
Source: National news agency – Lebanon
Time Subject
10:00 Lebanese Press Editors Syndicate is organizing a free, intensive training course for correspondents and journalists on safety measures during coverage of war battles, at the Editors’ Syndicate headquarters – Hazmieh – Lamartine Center – 4th Floor
11:00 Working meeting, with the participation of the Chairman of the Finance and Budget Committee, MP Ibrahim Kanaan, and the heads of economic and labor bodies, to discuss the issue of taxes in the draft budget law for 2024, and other draft tax laws referred to the Parliament, and their impact on the economic, social and living conditions, at the headquarters of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (to be followed by speeches by MP Kanaan and Council President Charles Arbid)
11:30 Solidarity stand with journalist Layal Al-Ikhtiyar, at the invitation of ‘Media Reporters for Freedom’ at Samir Kassir Square – downtown Beirut
13:00 Meeting of the coordination body of Lebanese national parties, forces and figures, at the headquarters of
the Secretary-General of the Union Party, MP Hassan Murad, Tallet Al-Khayyat – Beirut
14:00 ‘Raising the Lebanese Flag’ ceremony, held by the Businessmen Union for Support and Development ‘Irada’, under the patronage of the Governor of Beirut, Judge Marwan Abboud, and the Mayor of Beirut, Abdullah Darwish, at President Saeb Salam Square – Verdun Intersection – UNESCO
18:00 Roman Catholic Metropolitan of Beirut and Byblos, Bishop George Baqouni, presides over the Mass of the Feast of Our Lady’s Entry into the Temple, in the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help – Furn El Chebbak
Source: National news agency – Lebanon
In order to address the issues of high pollution and high fuel consumption associated with conventional diesel locomotives, China has unveiled its first high-power electric shunting locomotive, according to China Daily.
“With 1,500 kilowatts of maximum traction power, it’s the most powerful electric shunting locomotive in China,” said Kang Mingming, Deputy Director of the RD center, CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co Ltd.
Kang added that this locomotive uses a large-capacity lithium iron phosphate battery as its sole power source. It is also equipped with a 1,200 kW ultra-high-power liquid-cooled fast charging device. On a full charge, it can tow 1,200 tons of cargo for 128 kilometers effectively, meeting the transportation demands of steel enterprises and shunting operations.
Compared to traditional diesel locomotives, it boasts green and low-carbon technology, reducing carbon dioxide emissions per locomotive per year by approximately 150 tons, which is equivalent to planting 8,200 trees, according to the compan
y.
Under identical operating conditions, this locomotive can reduce energy costs by 1 million yuan ($138,000) per year, and its overall life cycle cost is 20 percent less, it said.
Source: Emirates News Agency (WAM)
Caretaker Minister of Economy and Trade, Amin Salam, held a meeting today with the Qatari Minister of Trade and Industry, Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Qassim Al Abdullah Al Thani, at the ministry’s headquarters in Doha.
During the meeting, bilateral relations between both countries and aspects of joint cooperation were reviewed, especially in the commercial, investment, and industrial fields.
Trade policies between the two countries were also discussed and it was agreed to activate the Lebanese-Qatari joint committee in preparation for holding a meeting early next year.
Source: National news agency – Lebanon
The head of the Lebanese Kataeb Party, MP Sami Gemayel, contacted this evening the head of the Progressive Socialist Party, MP Taymour Jumblatt, thanking him for PSP’s support for the Kataeb candidate, the elected Syndicate Dean Fadi Al-Masry, in the Bar Association elections that were held on Sunday.
Source: National news agency – Lebanon
National News Agency correspondent in Tyre reported that at 4:45 p.m. on Sunday, an Israeli enemy warplane raided the residence of the mayor of the town of Al-Jabayn in the western sector.
Source: National news agency – Lebanon
The Islamic Resistance issued the following communique: ‘In support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and their honorable resistance, the Mujahideen of the Islamic Resistance targeted with appropriate weapons this Sunday afternoon, 11/19/2023, multiple gatherings of Israeli occupation soldiers near the Al-Marj site, in the Ramim Horsh, and in the vicinity of the occupied Lebanese Houneen Barracks, causing confirmed casualties.”
Source: National news agency – Lebanon
