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Syrian human rights lawyer faces charges over activism

Sat, 01/08/2009 - 9:43am — wafa

DAMASCUS: Syrian authorities have charged a leading human rights lawyer of making statements that “weaken national morale” after he led calls for the release of political prisoners, rights defenders said on Friday. Mohannad al-Hussani, who has been overseeing defense of Syria’s most prominent opposition figures, was arrested on Tuesday by State Security, a intelligence agency in Syria.

An investigative judge later questioned Hussani, 43, about statements he made in public and in court in defense of his clients, the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights said.

Cayman court freezes $9.2b of Saudi Saad assets

Sat, 01/08/2009 - 9:40am — wafa

LONDON: A Cayman Islands court has frozen $9.2 billion of assets belonging to Saad Group, the Saudi Arabian investment firm at the center of a financial scandal, including some of its equity stakes outside the Gulf. The ruling was in response to a complaint filed by indebted Saudi family conglomerate Ahmad Hamad Algosaibi and Brothers Company (AHAB), which is locked in a legal tussle in the United States with the billionaire owner of Saad Group [SAADG.UL], Maan al-Sanea.

Companies included in the Cayman court ruling, seen by Reuters, include Cayman Islands registered Saad Investments Company Limited (SICL), owner of many of Saad’s equity investments outside the Gulf.

Bank lenders to SICL, owed up to $2.8 billion, are considering making a claim, Reuters reported last week.

Private sector rejects NSSF proposal to hike subscriptions Industrialists association president demands to see reforms first

Fri, 31/07/2009 - 10:40am — wafa

BEIRUT: A proposal by the National Social Security Fund’s (NSSF) )administration to raise the monthly subscriptions on both employers and employees was rejected by the private sector, which bluntly accuses the fund of squandering financial resources and thereby contributing to the huge deficit in the NSSF.

The NSSF has been running into a deep deficit since the previous government of late former Premier Rafik Hariri decided to reduce the subscriptions on the private sector in 2001.

Le Maroc en liesse pendant quatre jours pour les 10 ans de règne de Mohammad VI

Fri, 31/07/2009 - 9:06am — wafa

Anniversaire Shows aériens, émission de timbres-poste, numéros spéciaux des journaux et fantasias au programme des festivités.

Le Maroc fêtait hier le 10e anniversaire du règne de Mohammad VI. Le souverain, monté sur le trône alaouite à la mort de son père Hassan II le 23 juillet 1999 à l'âge de 35 ans, recevra cet après-midi l'hommage de tous les dignitaires du royaume au cours d'une cérémonie d'allégeance remontant à la nuit des temps, la bey'a. La cérémonie d'allégeance - moment fort de cette fête du Trône - sera retransmise en direct, exclusivement par la SNRT (Société nationale de radiotélévision). Les photographes du palais immortaliseront l'événement.

Prêt saoudien de 50 millions de dollars

Fri, 31/07/2009 - 9:06am — wafa

Liban - Coopération
L'ambassadeur d'Arabie saoudite, Ali Awad Osseiri, a informé le ministre des Finances, Mohammad Chatah, que le gouvernement saoudien a accepté de consentir un prêt de 50 millions de dollars pour financer la poursuite du chantier d'aménagement de l'autoroute reliant Beyrouth à Damas.

À quand le Broadband au Liban ?

Fri, 31/07/2009 - 9:05am — wafa

Liban - Télécoms Professionnels et associations continuent de s'insurger contre le retard dans l'installation d'une technologie aux nombreux avantages économiques.

Depuis sa création en octobre dernier, le Lebanese Broadband Stakeholders Group (LBSG), un groupe de professionnels représentant plusieurs secteurs économiques, ne cesse de lancer des appels pressants en faveur de l'installation au Liban du Broadband, une technologie indispensable à l'essor économique du pays. Hier même, une table ronde réunissant plusieurs membres du groupe ainsi que des responsables du secteur privé a été organisée afin de débattre du sujet et de mettre l'accent sur l'importance cruciale de cette technologie pour le développement économique et social du pays.

African Nile states delay pact on water sharing

Thu, 30/07/2009 - 10:58am — wafa

CAIRO: Ministers from the 10 African countries on the Nile river agreed Tuesday to delay the drafting of a new water sharing agreement for six months, a process that has been hampered by Egypt’s refusal to reduce its share of the world’s longest river. The ministers formed committees to review points of contention over the next six months with the hope of reconciling their differences, the official Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported. Egypt enjoys the largest share of any country along the river according to a 50-year old pact. It has resisted an amendment to its share and demanded a veto over any future upstream projects.

Participants in the meeting in Alexandria had hoped to establish a permanent body to oversee water allocation.

Sudanese woman takes on law against wearing slacks

Thu, 30/07/2009 - 10:56am — wafa

KHARTOUM, Sudan: A Sudanese woman facing 40 lashes for wearing trousers in public made her first appearance in a court packed with supporters on Wednesday, in what her lawyer described as a test case in Sudan’s decency laws. There were chaotic scenes as Lubna Hussein, a former journalist who works for the United Nations, attended the hearing wearing the same green slacks that got her arrested for immodest dress.

Indecency cases are not uncommon in Sudan. But Hussein has attracted attention by publicizing her case, inviting journalists to hearings and using it to campaign against dress codes sporadically im­posed in the capital.

The case was adjourned on Wednesday as lawyers discussed whether her status as a UN employee gave her the protection of legal immunity.

Lebanese civil society must set a common agenda to shape policy

Thu, 30/07/2009 - 10:49am — wafa

There comes a moment in the routine of any Lebanese activist to examine with a critical eye whether civil society is present on the national-policy map in any meaningful way. Do non-governmental organizations have a common agenda, without centralizing control, to influence policy-makers?

One such moment will come this Friday, July 31. In response to a recent invitation by Nahwa al-Muwatiniya, a non-governmental organization, Lebanese civil society groups will meet to begin developing a concise, high-priority agenda. There is more to the discussion than meets the eye.

Riyad ne reconnaîtra Israël qu’après son retrait des territoires arabes occupés

Thu, 30/07/2009 - 10:13am — wafa

Proche-Orient Le ministère saoudien des Affaires étrangères qualifie la politique israélienne de « schizophrénique », estimant qu'elle mine le processus de paix visant à la création d'un État palestinien.