Rasamny holds series of high-level meetings to bolster aviation safety, labor cooperation
In a key meeting dedicated to civil aviation, Minister Rasamny met with Middle East Airlines (MEA) Chairman Mohamad El Hout, Director General of Civil Aviation Engineer Amin Jaber, Head of the Civil Aviation Directorate Omar Qaddouha, and Airport President Kamal Nasreddine.
The meeting reportedly focused on enhancing safety procedures and improving coordination mechanisms at Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport.
Separately, the Minister received Japanese Ambassador to Lebanon, Magoshi Masayuki, for a wide-ranging discussion on local and international developments. Talks also explored avenues for strengthening bilateral cooperation, particularly in sectors under the Ministry's purview.
Minister Rasamny also convened with a delegation from the General Labor Confederation (GLC), headed by its President Bechara Asmar and accompanied by GLC officials Shadi El Sayed and Khalil Zaiter. The meeting, attended by Director General of Land and Maritime Transport Dr. Ahmed Tamer, addressed challenges facing workers in ports, airports, and ground transportation.
Rasamny underscored the importance of upgrading productive sectors, improving workplace safety, and fostering effective collaboration between the public and private sectors.
=======R.H.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
MTV Lebanon
a day ago
- MTV Lebanon
Japan Heads to Polls in Key Test for Prime Minister Ishiba
Japanese voters headed to the polls on Sunday in a tightly contested upper house election that could unleash political turmoil, with rising prices and immigration concerns threatening to weaken Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's grip on power. Voting ends at 8 p.m. (1100 GMT), when media are expected to project results based on exit polls. Opinion polls suggest Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party and coalition partner Komeito may fall short of the 50 seats needed to retain control of the 248-seat upper house of parliament in an election where half the seats are up for grabs. The polls show that smaller opposition parties pushing for tax cuts and increased public spending are set to gain, among them the right-wing Sanseito which has grabbed voters with slick online messaging about a 'silent invasion' of foreigners. "A lot of my friends are voting for Sanseito," said Rin Kuramoto, a 21-year-old college student. "I think their slogan of 'Japanese-first' is very powerful and easy to understand." Kuramoto, who declined to say which party got her vote, braved sweltering summer heat to cast her ballot at a packed polling station at the Setagaya ward in Tokyo, the capital. About a fifth of registered voters had already cast their ballot before election day, a sharp increase from the last upper house election three years ago, public broadcaster NHK said. That could signal higher turnout, which may not be a good sign for Ishiba's government, although the vote is being held over a bank holiday weekend. A poor showing by his coalition could shake investor confidence in the world's fourth-largest economy and disrupt critical trade talks with the United States, analysts said. Ishiba may have to choose between making way for a new LDP leader or scrambling to secure the backing of some opposition parties with policy compromises, said Rintaro Nishimura, an associate at the Asia Group in Japan. "Each scenario requires the LDP and Komeito to make certain concessions, and will be challenging, as any potential partner has leverage in the negotiations." After the election, Japan faces a deadline of August 1 to strike a trade deal with the United States or face punishing tariffs in its largest export market. These could squeeze the economy and further pressure the government to give financial relief to households already reeling from inflation, including a doubling of rice prices since last year. With an eye on a jittery government bond market, the LDP has called for fiscal restraint and rejected opposition calls for major tax cuts and welfare spending to soften the blow. Ishiba's administration lost its majority in the more powerful lower house in October. That was the LDP's worst showing in 15 years, roiling financial markets and leaving the prime minister vulnerable to no-confidence motions that could topple his administration and trigger a fresh general election. "The LDP has been running the government without resolving anything," said Kaoru Kawai, a 59-year-old novelist who voted for the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. Ruled by the LDP for most of the post-war period, Japan has so far largely avoided the social division and fracturing of politics seen in other industrialised democracies.
LBCI
3 days ago
- LBCI
From cargo to connectivity: Tripoli Port poised for regional role with strategic development projects
Report by Ghida Fayad, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi Tripoli Port, Lebanon's second-largest commercial port after Beirut, receives around 900 ships annually carrying a wide range of cargo, including timber, iron, grains, oils, and passengers. Yet its actual value lies beyond volume; it is its geographic proximity to the Syrian border crossings that makes it a critical strategic asset. Now, Lebanon's Public Works and Transport Ministry sees a rare opportunity: positioning Tripoli Port as a vital transit hub between East and West, on par with major regional ports. To achieve that, the ministry is advancing four major development projects currently underway at the port. First is the construction of grain silos, a move that would transform Tripoli into a key hub for grain imports and generate additional revenue. Second, a new floating dock for ship repairs is being built to establish Tripoli as a regional center for maritime maintenance. Third, the expansion of container storage yards is underway, which will boost storage capacity and, in turn, increase port revenues. Lastly, customs inspection areas and three warehouses for diverse container cargo are being prepared to enhance security, curb smuggling, and modernize cargo services. However, the government's ambitions do not end at the port gates. The vision includes connecting Tripoli Port with the nearby Qlayaat Airport project and improving road infrastructure that links both facilities to Lebanon's northern border with Syria. Two key bridges—Aarida and Aabboudiye—were damaged by Israeli strikes during the last war and are now being considered for rehabilitation. A strategic location, ongoing projects, and a broader regional outlook could make Tripoli Port a pivotal player in Lebanon's recovery. Will the government seize this opportunity?
Nahar Net
3 days ago
- Nahar Net
Zoaiter and Oueidat refuse to appear before Bitar in port case
Former public works and transport minister Ghazi Zoaiter on Friday failed to appear before Beirut port blast investigator Judge Tarek Bitar, the National News Agency said. Zoaiter's lawyer Samer al-Hajj, however, attended the session, NNA added. 'In light of Zoaiter's failure to show up, the judicial investigator postponed taking a decision against him until the issuance of the indictment,' the agency said. Former state prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat had on Thursday refused to receive a subpoena summoning him to interrogation before Bitar on July 21, calling the later 'ineligible and lacking jurisdiction.' In a written response, Oueidat considered the subpoena as null and void and said Bitar lacks 'legitimacy.' During his term as state prosecutor, Oueidat had charged Bitar for "rebelling against the judiciary" and slapped him with a travel ban. Oueidat said that he charged Bitar in order to "prevent sedition." He also summoned Bitar for questioning. Moreover, Oueidat ordered the release of all suspects detained in connection with the deadly 2020 port blast. "Security forces' enforcement of the state prosecutor's order to release the detainees will be a coup against the law," Bitar told al-Jadeed at the time. The detainees did walk free after Oueidat's decision. "Only the judicial investigator has the right to issue release orders and accordingly Stat Prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat's decision has no legal value," Bitar added. Bitar had resumed work on the port blast investigation after a 13-month hiatus, charging several high-level officials, including Oueidat, over the blast. The August 4, 2020 explosion, one of history's biggest non-nuclear blasts, killed more than 220 people, injured thousands and devastated swathes of the Lebanese capital. The explosion was caused by the detonation of hundreds of tons of poorly-stored ammonium nitrate fertilizer following a blaze. Security sources initially suggested welding work could have started the fire that triggered the blast, but experts have since dismissed the theory as unlikely and an attempt to shift the blame off high-level failings. The probe stalled two years ago after Hezbollah accused Bitar of bias and demanded his dismissal, and after officials named in the investigation filed a flurry of lawsuits against him. The resumption of work comes with Hezbollah's influence weakened after its recent war with Israel and follows the election of a Lebanese president after a more than two-year vacancy. President Joseph Aoun on Thursday told a delegation from the families of the Beirut port blast victims that he has a 'clear commitment' to 'unveil the full truth' and 'hold accountable all those who caused this tragedy.' 'This is the path to pull our country out of the darkness of corruption and negligence,' Aoun added. 'From now on, the judiciary will take its course, the guilty will be put on trial and the innocent will be acquitted,' Aoun pledged.
