Obama told me so: 01/26/15

Monday, 26 January 2015

Kataeb urges anti-ISIS coalition to protect Lebanon

Kataeb Party deputy leader Sejaan Azzi called Tuesday on the U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS to protect Lebanon...

Future, Hezbollah vow full Army support in terror fight

BEIRUT: The Future Movement and Hezbollah agreed Monday to take “practical steps” aimed at bolstering stability as the country faces mounting threats from Syria-based jihadis holed up on the outskirts of the northeastern town of Arsal near the border with Syria.

The two rival influential parties also pledged full support for the Army and security forces in their battle against terrorism, in a clear allusion to ISIS and Nusra Front militants who have frequently attacked military outposts on Lebanon’s eastern frontier with Syria.

“The participants appreciated the positive development of the dialogue and its subsequent impact on the public opinion. They have agreed on some practical steps that will boost the climate of stability,” according to a statement issued after a fourth round of talks between senior officials from the Future Movement and Hezbollah held at Speaker Nabih Berri’s residence in Ain al-Tineh.

The terse statement did not say what steps the two parties, whose strained ties have heightened sectarian and political tensions and sometimes put the country on edge, would take to ease tensions and consolidate stability.

Referring to the Army’s open battle against terrorism, the statement said: “The participants reaffirmed the firm stance in backing the Army and security forces with all means to confront terrorism and protect Lebanon.”

Defusing Sunni-Shiite tensions is the main item on the dialogue agenda, which, according to officials from both sides, also includes finding a mechanism to allow the election of a president, boosting efforts to combat terrorism, promoting a new electoral law and energizing stagnant state institutions.

The statement did not say whether the two sides discussed the 8-month-old presidential deadlock during the meeting that lasted nearly four hours.

The meeting was held against the backdrop of last week’s fierce clashes between the Army and ISIS militants on the outskirts of the village of Ras Baalbek near Lebanon’s eastern border with Syria. Eight soldiers, including an officer, were killed and 22 others were wounded in the clashes, which flared up after ISIS militants attacked and briefly overran an Army post in Tallet al-Hamra on the outskirts of Ras Baalbek.

It also came more than a week after an Israeli helicopter airstrike targeted a Hezbollah convoy in Syria’s Golan Heights on Jan. 18, killing six Hezbollah fighters, including the son of slain military commander Imad Mughniyeh, and a senior Iranian general.As in past sessions, Future was represented by Nader Hariri, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s chief of staff, Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk and Future MP Samir Jisr.

Hezbollah was represented by Hussein Khalil, a political aide to Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, Industry Minister Hussein Hajj Hasan and MP Hasan Fadlallah. Finance Minister Ali Hasan Khalil, a political aide to Berri, also attended.

The Future-Hezbollah dialogue has won support from rival politicians, as well as from Saudi Arabia, Iran, Egypt, the U.S. and the European Union.

Meanwhile, Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi, who belongs to the Future Movement, accused Hezbollah of exploiting the Lebanese Army’s relentless fight against jihadi militants to revive the tripartite equation of “The Army, people and resistance,” which bestowed legitimacy to the party’s arsenal to fight Israeli occupation of Lebanese territory.

“We would like to remind Hezbollah that there is no going back in time, and that the party’s attempt to revive the wooden [intractable] equation of ‘the Army, people and resistance,’ which had been dropped from the government’s policy statement, is an attempt to outsmart us,” Rifi said.

The justice minister accused Hezbollah of hiding behind Lebanese military and security institutions, which, he said, were “paying the price of the party’s policy of adventures and subservience to Iranian influence that have led to involving Lebanon in the Syrian events.”

Rifi was responding to Hezbollah’s deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem, who stressed in a speech Sunday that combating rampant jihadi terrorism from Syria necessitated the combined efforts of the Army, Hezbollah’s armed resistance and backing of the Lebanese.

Rifi renewed Future’s call on Hezbollah to withdraw its fighters from Syria. “The nation is going through a crisis which requires full support for the Army and security institutions to enable them to protect Lebanon,” he said.

“As for the illegitimate weapons, which you are placing at the disposal of Iran’s regional agenda, it is utterly rejected,” Rifi said, adding: “Only the Army and the legitimate security forces can protect the nation and the citizens.”

Future MP Ammar Houri said there was nothing new in the presidential election issue, which, he said, hinged on the outcome of regional developments “after Hezbollah had linked it to Iran.”

“But we are trying through the dialogue [with Hezbollah] to find a hole in the issue, by trying to convince the party to make this issue a Lebanese option. But unfortunately, so far there has been nothing new in this respect,” Houri told Akhbar al-Yom news agency.

Hezbollah lawmakers pay condolences to Saudi envoy

BEIRUT: A Hezbollah delegation offered the party’s condolences to Lebanon’s Saudi ambassador Monday over the death of King Abdullah.

In parallel, Hezbollah’s Christian ally, the Free Patriotic Movement, announced in a statement Monday that a delegation led by the group’s chief MP Michel Aoun, and his son-in-law, Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, headed to Riyadh to offer their condolences.

MP Nawwar Sahili and MP Ali Moqdad headed Hezbollah’s delegation to the Mohammad al-Amine Mosque in Beirut, where Ambassador Ali Awad Asiri was receiving condolences, three days after Abdullah, 90, was announced dead.

The Hezbollah officials’ visit coincided with that of Future Movement lawmaker Bahia Hariri.

The relatively low-level delegation speaks to the tense relationship between the party and Saudi Arabia, which asked the United Nations in November to blacklist Hezbollah as a terrorist group.

Saudi-Hezbollah ties have sharply deteriorated since the outbreak of the Syrian war, with each side backing opposing forces.

Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah has repeatedly accused Saudi Arabia and its allies of funding jihadi groups fighting in Syria, where Hezbollah forces are also heavily deployed.

But Saudi Arabia has also said it backed dialogue between Hezbollah and the Future Movement.

Also Monday, and for the third day in a row, hundreds of political, diplomatic, social and religious figures headed to the Mohammad al-Amine Mosque to pay their respects.

Before heading to Riyadh Bassil visited Asiri for condolences. Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk, Education Minister Elias Bou Saab, Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi, Economy and Trade Minister Alain Hakim and Minister for the Displaced Alice Shabtini were also present.

Other dignitaries included United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Sigrid Kaag; British Ambassador Tom Fletcher; French Ambassador Patrice Paoli; Nader Hariri, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s chief of staff; a delegation from the Lebanese Forces headed by MP George Adwan; and a delegation from the FPM headed by MP Ibrahim Kanaan.

Also, Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh, the head of Military Intelligence Brig. Edmond Fadel and a military delegation offered condolences. Former MP Wi’am Wahhab also paid his respects.

Several Lebanese officials including Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Tammam Salam, Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblatt and Lebanese Army commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi traveled to Riyadh to offer condolences to the new Saudi leadership.

Asiri stressed that Saudi Arabia’s policy toward Lebanon would not change and support would continue with the new rule of King Salman bin Abdul-Aziz.

Army, ISF retirement age bill stuck in limbo

BEIRUT: A Cabinet draft law to raise the retirement age of senior officers in the Army and the Internal Security Forces is being held up due to political differences among the major parties, ministerial sources said Monday.

This comes despite confirmation by Prime Minister Tammam Salam during a meeting with visitors at his residence in Moseitbeh Sunday that he would address public administration appointments and draft laws relating to filling vacant posts in security and military institutions.

Defense Minister Samir Moqbel had presented the draft law to raise the retirement age of senior Army and ISF officers to the Cabinet’s Secretariat General two months ago, but the Cabinet has yet to discuss the issue.

Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun, who has three ministers in the 24-member Cabinet, opposes raising the retirement age, while Army commander Gen. Jean Kahwagi, who retires Sept. 23, also has reservations about the draft law, the sources said.

They added that the Future Movement may also oppose the draft law because it wants a successor appointed as soon as possible for Maj. Gen. Mohammad Khair, the secretary general of the Higher Defense Council, rather than allowing him to extend his term. Khair, who also heads the state-run Higher Relief Committee, plans to retire next month.

The post is reserved for a Sunni security official, which means the Future Movement retains a say in the matter.

Another major obstacle facing the bid to raise the retirement age in the military and police corps is that some political parties are demanding that the draft law should cover all state employees, including civilians in the public sector, the sources said. But such a step, they added, would incur a huge amount of money on the cash-strapped Treasury.

Under the proposed draft law, the retirement age of the Army commander would be raised from 60 to 63 years, a major general from 59 to 61 years, a brigadier from 58 to 61 years and a colonel from 56 to 59 years.

In addition to Khair’s retirement in February, Army Intelligence chief Brig. Edmond Fadel retires March 20, Police Chief Brig. Elias Saade on May 22, ISF chief Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Basbous on June 5, and Army Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Walid Salman on Aug. 7.

But even if the draft law is passed by the Cabinet, it cannot be approved by Parliament before the end of February because the legislature needs a decree, usually signed by the president, to open an extraordinary session.

Following Parliament’s repeated failure since May 2014 to elect a new president, the Cabinet, in addition exercising its executive powers, has also assumed the president’s prerogatives.

It has adopted a mechanism under which all decisions should be made unanimously and decrees signed by all 24 ministers.

The mechanism has significantly reduced the productivity of Salam’s government, which has been unable to make decisions on crucial issues over the past few months due to internal disagreements.

Amid opposition by the three Kataeb ministers to any Parliament activity before the election of a president and questions about the Cabinet’s ability to issue a decree opening an extraordinary session for Parliament, the draft law to raise the retirement age in the military and police sectors could remain in limbo until a new president is elected or an extraordinary parliamentary session is opened whereby relevant committees would study it, the sources said.

The imminent vacancies in the military and ISF sectors come as the Army and other security forces are locked in an open battle against terrorist groups seeking to destabilize the country.

Labor Ministry rejects proposed maid union

BEIRUT: The Labor Ministry flatly rejected Monday a proposal calling for the creation of a union for migrant domestic workers.

The ministry dismissed the proposal submitted by the National Federation of Labor Unions earlier this month, saying that it would not consider the formation of an “illegal” syndicate.

“Advanced laws would solve the problems that the [migrant worker] sector is suffering from, not the formation of groups under the guise of a syndicate,” it said in a statement.

Currently, the employment of migrant domestic workers in Lebanon is governed by a sponsorship or “kafala” system, which has been widely criticized by human rights groups that liken it to slavery.

Under the system, migrant workers must be sponsored by a Lebanese employer in order for them to work in the country. But since such workers are not protected under the labor law, the kafala system gives sponsors leeway to impose harsh working conditions with little fear of reprisal.

In its statement, the Labor Ministry said it was attempting to improve work conditions for migrant domestic workers through a draft law submitted to the Cabinet.

The bill, which is in accordance with International Labor Organization’s Domestic Worker Convention, requires a written contract between the employer and the employee.

The bill also prevents employers who have previously mistreated migrant domestic workers from hiring a new worker.

Other articles stipulate providing insurance, annual vacation, suitable living conditions, fair compensation, and the right to employee privacy.

The bill has not yet been ratified by Parliament.

According to the ILO, Lebanon is home to more than 250,000 female migrant domestic workers, the majority of whom come from Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, the Philippines and Bangladesh to work as housemaids.

Rights groups have complained that employers often withhold pay, lock workers in their homes and confiscate their passports, among other abuses.

The harsh living conditions have pushed some migrant workers to commit suicide. Others have died or been seriously injured while trying to escape their employers’ homes.

In 2008, Human Rights Watch recorded one migrant domestic worker death per week from unnatural causes, including suicide.

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The CBO's Good News, Bad News Economic Report

Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas W. Elmendorf holds a briefing for reporters on the CBO's updated budget and economic outlook on Monday on Capitol Hill. J. Scott Applewhite/AP hide caption

itoggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/AP

Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas W. Elmendorf holds a briefing for reporters on the CBO's updated budget and economic outlook on Monday on Capitol Hill.

J. Scott Applewhite/AP

The federal deficit is on track to its lowest level as a percentage of the economy since 2007, and the economy is stronger than expected.

That's the good news from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office's new economic outlook released Monday. "Economic activity will expand at a solid pace in 2015 and over the next few years – reducing the amount of underused resources, or 'slack,' in the economy," the report said.

There is, though, the perennial bad news: huge deficits in later years, driven primarily by an aging population supported by fewer working age Americans. By 2025, the federal deficit will reach $1.1 trillion.

The forecast of expected revenues and outlays is used by Congress as it shapes its spending bills for the year that starts Oct. 1.

The report also found that the economy is stronger now than the CBO had expected it would be in its recent forecasts, but that it would be not as strong later in the 10-year forecast window than it predicted earlier. Unemployment, currently at 5.6 percent, is expected to fall to 5.3 percent by late summer of 2017.

The CBO also found that implementing the Affordable Care Act will not be as expensive as it originally predicted when the law was passed in 2010. Instead of costing $710 billion through 2019, the complex law will only cost $571 billion through its first decade.

CBO Director Doug Elmendorf attributed the lower cost partly to the 2012 Supreme Court decision ruling that states did not have to participate in the law's expansion of Medicaid. But Elmendorf said much of the savings comes from lower health insurance costs and lower health insurance premiums over the past several years.

Elmendorf also said the CBO would follow the House's instructions to include "dynamic scoring" in its analyses of some legislation, but would not offer a personal assessment of the idea. "We don't have a position about whether the House rule is a good idea or not," he said.

Many Republicans, particularly conservatives, have pushed for dynamic scoring of tax cut bills, because they believe such "macroeconomic" analyses would show that legislation would cost the Treasury less than traditional scoring methods show, or would even show that tax cuts actually increase tax revenue.

"We think it's natural for members of Congress to be interested in the macroeconomic consequences of major pieces of legislation. That's why CBO has, for many years, built models to estimate those macroeconomic consequences," Elmendorf said, adding that CBO reports on House legislation would now build that methodology into the final number, rather than providing it in a supplementary report. "It's up to the Congress to decide the format in which it wants to receive our analysis."

Killing of policeman ‘professional’

BEIRUT/MARYATA, Lebanon: Preliminary investigations into the case of a 47-year-old police officer who was shot dead in his car outside his home in a northern Zghorta village suggest that the killing was a targeted assassination carried out by professionals.

First Sgt. Maj. Ghassan Ajjaj, father of four and head of the Internal Security Forces Information Branch in the village of Maryata, was shot in the head with a single bullet late Sunday.

According to a security source, the assassin, who positioned himself in the victim’s garden – 10 meters away from the target – shot a single bullet that pierced through the windshield of his car, hit his left eye and exited through the back of his skull.

The gunman appeared to have carefully calculated his position, indicating that the killer had previous knowledge of where the victim parks his car. This detail led investigators to believe that the attack was premeditated, and that the killer had monitored the victim prior to firing the shot.

The accuracy of the assassin’s aim indicated that the perpetrator was a professionally trained assassin and not your everyday gunman, the source said.

The motive behind the murder has evaded investigators. But police are looking into the possibility that the crime was motivated by the Information Branch’s crackdown on terror suspects in Zghorta.

Investigators are looking into cases managed by Ajjaj in an attempt to identify the perpetrators.

Hamad Ajjaj, the victim’s cousin, told The Daily Star that the officer faced a number of indirect threats before his murder.

In an incident which occurred roughly two years ago, unknown perpetrators torched his car.

The victim’s cousin noted that Ajjaj’s position made him highly susceptible to threats and conflicts with a number of people. “Any arrest he made would disturb someone,” he said, adding that he believed the assassination was driven by a similar sentiment.

When asked if Ajjaj was working on a sensitive case before his death, the cousin said that investigations are singling out controversial files that could have prompted the attack. The cousin refused to disclose the exact nature of the files until investigations are concluded.

The cousin said the crime was “something new to the close-knit community in the village.”

“We thought these incidents were far from us,” he said.

Another relative, who was present at a funeral ceremony held in Maryata Monday, told The Daily Star that the assassination was a “political and security message.”

The relative, who did not want to be identified by name, said Ajjaj was responsible for overseeing the security of zones ranging from Tripoli’s Baddawi neighborhood to the nearby town of Dinnieh when political leaders made visits to the area.

In an outpouring of grief, the village of Maryata bid farewell to the ISF officer in a funeral ceremony held at the town’s mosque. The funeral was attended by crowds of the area’s residents, as well as representatives from the country’s security agencies.

In Baabda Prison, women party to forget their woes

BAABDA, Lebanon: Ululating, gyrating, smoking – the crowd of dancing women could well be a party anywhere in Lebanon. But it’s not anywhere, it’s Baabda’s Women Prison, and these women are here on charges of murder, robbery and drug smuggling, among others, with little to do but hope that those on the outside will remember them.

“Generally it’s a lonely life here,” said Dana, not her real name, as she looked on at her fellow inmates jostling and pulling each other into the small clearing that had become a dance floor.

“When I first came here I missed things, like my duvet and so on. But now it’s people I miss.”

“Things like this are nice. It’s good to have a change of atmosphere and lose yourself a bit,” she added, raising her voice to be heard over the blaring electronic Arabic music. “You even forget your case – for a few hours.”

Dana is typical of about half of the 60 or so inmates in the prison, nearly all of whom gathered Monday on the prison’s top floor for a New Year’s celebration organized by non-governmental organization Dar al-Amal (House of Hope).

She holds herself upright, her head high, wears colorful, flattering clothes, and looks glamorous, with carefully kohl-lined eyes and a glossy sheen of pinkish lipstick.

Many of the women look like this, sporting bright makeup, tight-fitting clothes and smoking cigarettes as if they are film stars from the 1950s. They dance around with confidence, playfully engaging with the staff at Dar al-Amal, the prison officers and each other.

“We don’t often get to see men in here,” whispered Dana, her eyes fixed on the male singer hired for the event. She is among those visibly enjoying the chance for some attention, a rare opportunity to act as if they are normal women at a restaurant or cafe celebrating someone’s birthday.

But even those who stick quietly to the corners of the small, airy rooftop room have smiles on their faces. They comprise the other half of the prison’s population, but their faces are bare, their clothes plain and dowdy, and their enjoyment of the event much more contained. Most are from ethnic minorities: Ethiopians, Sri Lankans and so on.

“If you have money, you will survive in here,” Dana said. “It’s as simple as that.”

For both rich and poor, however, the party clearly offers much-needed respite from the daily grind of life in a Lebanese prison, where the walls are damp, the rooms crowded with twice as many people as intended, and the idea of a timely trial process a joke.

“Humans have a right not just to education and that sort of thing, but also to recreation and entertainment, to express themselves creatively,” said Hoda Kara, the director of Dar al-Amal.

“It allows them to feel as if they exist again, that they’re not just prisoners but have the right to dance and feel happy,” agreed Ghina Yaacoub, a psychologist with the organization. “Events like this are a distraction; it’s a way to relieve stress.”

Dar al-Amal is one of the few that works in the women’s prisons on a regular basis, sourcing everything from food and medicine to clothes and hygiene items.

The organization helped build the prison a kitchen, a sewing room, the sun-drenched rooftop area where the party was held, and a small health clinic, and also provides services such as legal assistance, vocational training, psychological counseling and post-release rehabilitation.

In short, anything and everything to help the women get back on their feet and live a dignified life, regardless of their alleged crimes.

“Sometimes people ask why we support these women,” Kara said. “We answer that you have to see behind their crimes and see what problems they were going though. Most of the women here were abused, exploited, beaten and so on.”

“It’s not about justifying it [their crimes], but understanding. Anyone could end up in their place.”

To donate to Dar al-Amal or for more information, please call 01-483-508.

Ras Beirut police show progress, but residents skeptical

BEIRUT: When policeman Jean Arbani was offered money by a man breaking the law on the corniche, the officer did something unheard of in the neighborhood: He arrested the criminal for bribery.

Arbani and two of his fellow policeman were honored Monday for reporting cases of corruption. The three officers are examples of what the Internal Security Forces says are the fruits of the Police Pilot Project, launched a year ago at the Ras Beirut police station.

Though the community project is not without its critics – including residents of the area who say it has had no impact – the ISF says it is having a positive effect on the community.The project was launched with the goal of modernizing the Ras Beirut station and building trust between the community and ISF officers. It has seen several key measures introduced, including the refurbishment of the police station, bicycle patrols on the corniche and an increased focus on stamping out corruption.

“[The Ras Beirut police station] is almost idealistic,” said Rabih al-Chaer, president of anti-corruption NGO Sakker El Dekkene. “[People are treated] as human beings, they have rights and we can collect data and we can fight crime including [rejecting] corruption and we saw that ... last year, the rate of crime decreased by 50 percent.”

The project was jointly funded by the American and British embassies.

The ISF gave a tour Monday of the Ras Beirut station – whose name was changed from Hobeish due to the notorious reputation of the former institution – to demonstrate the results of the project.

The facility is the first in Lebanon to have consultation rooms in which meetings are recorded by video and audio. It is modern and clean, with electronic keycards required to enter each section.

The only noticeableproblem within the facility is the cells. Upon opening the door that leads to them, a pungent stench instantly wafts out.

“This is only a holding cell and people shouldn’t be here for longer than 48 hours ... but due to a lack of space in prisons they often stay longer,” lamented Cpt. Mershed Habshe, who guided the tours.

“We don’t have the facilities to let people shower, because we’re not actually a prison,” he said.

During the tour, Sakker El Dekkene, an NGO, handed out the three certificates to the officers who had reported cases of corruption.

Arbani, who arrested the man who tried to give him a bribe, works as one of the new bicycle patrol officers on the corniche. Following training in Belfast, Northern Ireland by the British police, he was put to work patrolling the seaside stretch from Ramlet al-Baida to Mina al-Hosn.

“Our first job was to hunt down all the violations on the corniche,” Arbani told The Daily Star. “[One day] we stopped a few guys and one of them said he wanted to speak to me privately. He put his hand out to give me some money. I took the money and arrested him.

“We took him to the police station and he was tried by the judiciary.”

“[This is] the first time we saw that, not only did the policeman refuse a bribe but he reported it,” Chaer said. “So the judges are following up all those who try to corrupt a policeman.”

But many shop owners and employees who work on Bliss Street near the police station expressed mixed feelings over the PPP.

While one employee told The Daily Star that he had seen an increased police presence and felt safer, many others said they had not noticed a change, nor did they feel a closer connection to officers – which was one of the goals of the project.

Mohammad, an employee at a takeaway shop who did not wish to use his real name, said that the ISF had confiscated his motorcycle as he was changing his oil in October for no apparent reason.

“I went [into the Ras Beirut police station] every day for three days and [the officers] would just be sitting there smoking cigarettes and they’d tell me, ‘Come back tomorrow,’ with no reason why,” he recalled.

“Nothing’s changed, they’re exactly the same.”

Chief of the ISF’s Public Relations Department Joseph Musallem conceded that while there were improvements the initiative was not yet perfect.

“The statistics show we’re doing very well,” he told The Daily Star. “[But] we are not angels; maybe there will be some mistakes.”

Prescriptions reform delayed as hurdles deter implementation

BEIRUT: An amendment to the bylaws of the National Social Security Fund is required in order to secure the proper adoption of the unified medical prescription form, the head of Beirut’s Order of Physicians said Monday.

Addressing a news conference at the headquarters of the Order, Antoine al-Boustani said that the delay in adopting the unified prescription form resulted “from the emergence of obstacles in implementation which if we don’t resolve before printing [the forms], we will end up in a crisis.”

“The patient and the order will be the scapegoats,” he added.

Under the law approved by Parliament in March 2010, the patient, pharmacist and health care provider should all have copies of the same prescription form, which would include the doctor’s name, number, and his or her registration number with the Order of Physicians.

Printed by the Order of Physicians, the new forms aim to better monitor medications and prevent their sale without a prescription from a doctor.

The prescription would also serve as a legal document for consent between the doctor and the patient when they agree to switch to generic medications, which are cheaper than original medications.

Medicines in Lebanon are among the most expensive in the region.

But Boustani said that under the bylaws of the NSSF, a pharmacist is not allowed to sell the patient a substitute for the medicine mentioned on the prescription, which effectively prevents the patient from switching to generic drugs.

“We were promised by officials that this article will be amended ... but the board of the National Social Security Fund has yet to make a decision in this regard,” Boustani said.

The NSSF would not cover the cost of the substituted medicine.

“The boards of the orders in Beirut and Tripoli urge all sides involved in the unified prescription to work together to remove all obstacles, allay all concerns and start implementing it as soon as possible,” Boustani added.

According to the Lebanese labor law, all Lebanese working in the public or private sector are entitled to public health care, along with their families. The bulk of the expenses are covered by the NSSF and a small portion by other state health care providers.

The Health Ministry pays for uninsured patients but there’s a limit for how much it can pay. The rest of the Lebanese resort to private insurance companies.

Commenting on another issue, Boustani criticized a decision made by Health Minister Wael Abu Faour earlier this month which stopped the separate payment of doctors’ fees and hospital fees.

The system was introduced to make it easier and quicker for doctors to get their fees.

At Koch Summit, A Freewheeling Debate Among GOP Hopefuls

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., center, meets with members of the Londonderry Fish and Game Club, on Jan. 14 in Litchfield, N.H. Paul was one of three GOP presidential hopefuls who attended Sunday's semi-annual gathering of David and Charles Koch's donor network in California. Jim Cole/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Jim Cole/AP

Jim Cole/AP

Three Republican presidential hopefuls declined Sunday night to insult some of the Republican party's biggest donors.

Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Marco Rubio of Florida and Ted Cruz of Texas, asked by debate moderator Jonathan Karl of ABC News if billionaires now have too much influence in both major parties, agreed that it wasn't a problem. They all said no, if not exactly for the same reasons.

The senators spoke at a semi-annual gathering of billionaires David and Charles Koch's donor network, which underwrites a powerful array of secretly funded political groups. As the GOP presidential competition accelerates, the network is giving signals that it might get involved in presidential primaries for the first time.

Cruz brought up Democratic Sen. Harry Reid's harsh attacks on the Koch brothers in Senate floor speeches last year. Reid, then the majority leader, had called the brothers "un-American." Cruz said Reid's speeches were "grotesque and offensive." As audience members applauded, Cruz said the Kochs "have stood up for free enterprise principles and endured vilification with equanimity and grace."

Paul called for additional limits on lobbying by government contractors; he didn't say if that also would cover government employee unions. His conclusion: "I haven't met one person since I've been here or as I travel around the country who's come up to me saying, 'Oh, I want a contract.' They simply want to be left alone. So I don't fault anybody for that."

Rubio said political spending "is a form of political speech protected under the Constitution," and echoed Paul's view of big donors: "I don't know a single person in this room who's ever been to my office... asking from government any special access. By and large what they want is to be left alone."

The question of political influence came at the end of a freewheeling debate. Paul supported the administration's decision to lift the Cuban trade embargo; Cruz and Rubio, who fiercely oppose the Castro regime, said the embargo should stay. There was a similar split on Middle East policy: Paul advocated diplomacy, while Rubio and Cruz took more aggressive stands. They all said the economy either isn't recovering or is recovering despite Obama administration policies. And they all ranked the income gap as a crucial issue for the Republican agenda.

The forum capped an active weekend of campaigning by GOP presidential hopefuls, none of whom has officially declared. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush gave a major speech. A platoon of possible candidates addressed a conference in Iowa, where the first presidential balloting will take place next January. Cruz was the only potential candidate to speak in Iowa and at the Koch event in Palm Springs, Calif.

Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, a hub of the Koch network, webcast the debate to news organizations – a break from the tight security that kept reporters away from previous Koch gatherings.

GOP Says Obama Must Act First On New ISIS Resolution

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

In his State of the Union address, President Obama asked Congress to pass a resolution to show national unity in the war on ISIS. GOP lawmakers say Obama must draft that resolution, even as they sue him for acting alone on immigration.

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India Rolls Out Red Carpet — And Camels — For Obama's Second Visit

Audio for this story from All Things Considered will be available at approximately 7:00 p.m. ET.

Camels, dancers, military hardware and marching bands — all are on display in India before an American president trying to open a new chapter in U.S.-Indian relations.

Watch All of the 2015 Super Bowl Ads Here

Super Bowl advertisments have always sold at a premium on the promise of reaching a worldwide, captive audience. Captive, in the sense that the game is a one-night-only event, and it behooves you to watch the ads in real time. At least, that's how it used to be.

Over the past few years, most Super Bowl advertisers have focused on tangible, objective virality with coordinated early releases on the web. This year, it seems like there will hardly be a surprise left come game night, with more Super Bowl ads streaming on YouTube each day. Here is a round-up of everything we've seen so far. We'll update this post daily over the next week.

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16 Cardinal Rules for Snow Shoveling

1. Stretch first

Don't be in a hurry to get outside. Stretch thoroughly using the same sorts of moves that runners, mountain bikers and other athletes use. Stretch your hamstrings, stretch your back, and stretch your shoulders. Then dress in removable layers, grab your shovel and resist the urge to fly at the white stuff just to get the job done. Pace yourself. Start slowly and ramp up to speed.

2. Don't move snow twice

Before you even take your first scoop, decide where you're going to dump the snow. Drop the first shovelful farther away from where you are standing, then dump remaining snow closer and closer to where you are. That way, the last scoops that you shovel are moved the shortest distance. Don't block access to snow that needs to be removed by piling it up in a way that will force you to move it twice.

3. Move snow the shortest distance possible

Consider that everything from a driveway to a patio to a walkway is really a rectangle, and rectangles have a center point. Move the snow from the center of the rectangle to the nearest edge.

4. Clear cars first

Brush snow off cars then clear around the cars.

5. Do the foreground then the background

For example, to clear snow from a rectangle, first shovel a strip clear along the perimeter of the rectangle. Then, moving from the center to the edge, push the snow into the cleared area. Next, lift and throw the snow out of the area.

6. Maintain proper posture:

A. Use your leg muscles as much as possible - push snow when you can and use your legs to lift when you can't push it.

B. Keep your back straight as you move from the squat position to the upright position.

C. Use your shoulder muscles as much as possible.

D. Hold the snow shovel as close to your upper body as possible.

E. Keep one hand close to the shovel blade for better leverage.

F. Don't twist your upper body as you throw snow.

7. Keep hydrated

Take bottles of water out with you and keep them accessible, either in the car or on the front stoop or somewhere else convenient.

8. Rest frequently

Clearing an area by hand means that you may lift and carry anywhere from hundreds of pounds to tons of snow.

9. Be thorough but not fussy

The sun is relatively strong this time of year. Clear an area, spread de-icer if necessary and then let the sun do the rest. The fact is, any surface color that you expose in shoveling (gray, green, brown or black) will be far less reflective than a thick blanket of snow, and remaining snow will melt more easily from that darker surface.

10. Don't overdress

You need to stay warm, but if you overdress you're going to be soaked in sweat in no time. Dress in loose-fitting layers that you can peel off as you heat up.

11. Whenever possible, team up

Shoveling with a friend or neighbor is inherently more enjoyable than shoveling on your own. Plus, it's quicker to get the job done with two or three sets of hands.

12. Go easy on the de-icer

Once the area is clear, all you need is a thin scattering of de-icer to keep it that way. If you're scattering by hand, throw the salt, pellets or granules low along the ground so they bounce and roll into a uniform layer.

13. Whenever possible, get a head start

It's easier to remove snow in thin layers than wait until all the snow is down to have at it. If it looks like your area is going to get dumped on, try to get out there and shovel it in several passes.

14. Maintain your equipment

The front edge of a snow shovel takes a beating. If it's metal, hammer it straight when it gets bent; if it's plastic use a utility knife to carve off the burr that forms on its end. Tighten a loose handle by driving a large hex head sheet metal screw through the blade socket and into the handle.

15. Stretch when you're done

Stretch gently when you're done and use an ice pack and ibuprofen to take care of inflamed muscles. Rest and remain hydrated.

How to Use a Snow Thrower

In case all that stretching sounds like too much work, here are some tips for using a snow-throwing machine.

1. Test run the machine before the storm.

2. Keep necessary spare parts on hand: drive belts, spark plugs and shear pins.

3. Keep a wire brush, a scrap piece of wood and spray de-icer handy. You may well need any number of tools to keep the machine's auger and other moving parts cleared of ice and compacted snow. Never clear a clogged auger with the engine running.

4. Don't forget the newspaper that's been thrown into the driveway or onto the sidewalk. A frozen newspaper can clog a snow thrower like nobody's business. If you spot the paper or circular's outline under the snow when you come home (let's say) just remember to go out there and pick it up.

5. Keep a can of spray lubricant handy. Moving parts that worked fine in the garage can suddenly get cranky when exposed to cold, wet conditions.

Originally published by Popular Mechanics

Abortion Vote Shows How Much Democrats' World Has Changed

Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich., announces he will vote to pass the health care reform bill after President Obama agreed to sign an executive order reaffirming the ban on the use of federal funds to provide abortions, March 21, 2010. Alex Brandon/AP hide caption

itoggle caption Alex Brandon/AP

Alex Brandon/AP

This week, Congress returns with House leaders vowing to revisit the anti-abortion bill they pulled off the floor last week. The ban on abortions after 20 weeks was withdrawn when it appeared there weren't enough Republican votes to pass it.

Why did it need quite so many Republican votes? Because the GOP can no longer count on a contingent of Democrats to help out on abortion-related votes.

That was obvious last week, on Thursday, when the leaders brought out a backup bill relating to federal funding for abortion (which is already illegal). It was the 42nd anniversary of the abortion-permitting Roe v. Wade decision, and it looked bad not to mark the occasion.

The backup bill did pass, but it had to do so with only three Democrats supporting it out of the current 188 in the House. And that speaks volumes about how the House has changed since President Obama was inaugurated.

When Obama took office, there were scores of Democrats in Congress who were anti-abortion and who regularly voted with the Republicans on abortion-related matters — especially abortion funding.

The most visible example in recent years came on Nov. 7, 2009, during floor consideration of the bill that would become the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (better known as Obamacare).

The Democrats' anti-abortion faction then was led by Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak. After weeks of negotiating with House leaders and the White House, Stupak still insisted on a separate roll call vote regarding the impact the bill would have on abortion. He wanted it to be explicit that nothing in the new law would pay for abortions or pay for health insurance plans that covered abortions.

It was a sticky issue, and if not resolved it threatened to deny the House leaders and the Obama administration the health care law that was within their grasp.

When Stupak's amendment came to the floor, every one of the 176 Republicans in the chamber voted for it. But that would not have been enough to adopt the amendment. The amendment only prevailed because 64 Democrats voted for it, almost exactly one-quarter of what was then Speaker Nancy Pelosi's majority.

Of those 64 Democrats casting anti-abortion votes that day, only 12 remain in the House today.

Obviously, much has changed in the past five years and three months. And the thinning of the ranks of anti-abortion Democrats is even more dramatic than the overall dwindling of the Democratic caucus from 258 seats to just 188.

The winnowing began early. In the month after the vote on the Stupak amendment, Democratic Rep. Parker Griffith of Alabama switched parties. The following year he would lose in his new party's primary to Republican Mo Brooks.

Five other pro-Stupak Democrats lost in primaries or in statewide races in 2010. Five more retired voluntarily, including Stupak himself. Veteran John Murtha of Pennsylvania died.

And in November of that year, 23 more anti-abortion Democrats lost to Republicans. While they had represented a fourth of the Democratic caucus, they accounted for nearly half the incumbent defeats in that election.

The losses continued in 2012 and 2014, when the GOP victories of 2010 were largely protected by new district maps drawn by new Republican majorities in the state legislatures and governors' mansions.

Another dozen pro-Stupak voters who had survived in 2010 retired or met defeat in primaries or the general election in 2012. Five more went down in 2014.

The 2010 route may have been a protest against the liberal program of the Obama administration and its congressional allies, but it wreaked its havoc primarily among Democrats who had not been the administration's loyalists.

The 64 Democrats who stood with Stupak came from outer suburban and rural districts — about half of them in Southern or border states. All but two of the 64 were men; all but a handful were Anglos. In the current House, white males make up less than half the Democratic vaucus.

Most of Stupak's supporters were members of the Blue Dog Coalition, a group of Democrats who considered themselves to the right of their party on fiscal issues (and often others as well).

At one time, there had been more than 80 Blue Dogs in the House. In 2009, there were still more than 50 members of the formal group. But 26 were defeated in the fall of 2010 and half a dozen others did not seek re-election. In the current House, they number just 14 (six of whom are also surviving members of the Stupak coalition from 2009).

The great irony here is that the predominantly white, male and moderate-leaning members who voted with Stupak in 2009 felt they were doing it for their districts. Whatever their personal feelings on abortion or its funding by taxpayer money, they knew their districts were against it.

But their vote on this issue, and others, was not enough to dissociate them from their party when the day of reckoning came with a vengeance in 2010. And that election's results are still resonating today.

Lebanon cow truck collides with fuel tanker, 2 dead

Israel fires flares over south Lebanon

Israeli forces fired Monday several flares south Lebanon as Israeli jets were seen violating Lebanese airspace, a...

Israel fires flares over south Lebanon

BEIRUT: Israeli forces fired Monday several flares south Lebanon as Israeli jets were seen violating Lebanese airspace, a security source said.

According to the source, several flares were launched towards the border town of Naqoura. Israeli aircraft were seen violating Lebanese airspace at low altitudes.

Israeli forces have been on high alert after launching an airstrike on a Hezbollah convoy in Syria’s Golan Heights over a week ago, killing six Hezbollah fighters, an Iranian Revolutionary Guard General and two Syrians allied to the party.

Fears of retaliation by Hezbollah or other groups have risen since Sunday's attack, prompting Israel to move troops and equipment towards the borders with Lebanon and Syria.

Israel warned Lebanon and Syria on Friday not to allow any attacks on Israel from their soil, hoping to avoid reprisals for the airstrike.

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The Faces of Health Care: Loren C.

"I want to THANK YOU for legitimately improving the quality of life for me, and I'm sure thousands of others across America."

This past October, Loren C. wrote the President simply to thank him for making health care affordable.

Prior to the Affordable Care Act, Loren, a self-employed woman from Kihei, Hawaii, had a difficult time getting quality, affordable health coverage. Now, she has the highest level of coverage for less than $250 a month.

Lebanon PM Salam bemoans cabinet bickering

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Lebanon Labor Ministry rejects maids union proposal

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Labor Ministry flatly rejected Monday a proposal calling for the creation of a union for migrant domestic workers.

The Labor Ministry dismissed the proposal submitted by the National Federation of Labor Unions earlier this month, saying that it would not consider the formation of the “illegal” syndicate.

“Advanced laws would solve the problems that the [migrant worker] sector is suffering from, not the formation of groups under the guise of a syndicate,” the statement read.

Currently, the employment of migrant domestic workers in Lebanon is governed by a sponsorship, or "kafala" system, which has been widely criticized by human rights groups who liken it to slavery.

Under the system, migrant workers must be sponsored by a Lebanese employer in order for them to work in the country.

But since they are not protected under the labor law, the kafala system gives sponsors leeway to impose harsh working conditions with little fear of reprimand.

In its statement Monday, the Labor Ministry said that it was attempting to improve work conditions for migrant domestic workers through a draft law submitted to the Cabinet.

The bill, which is in accordance with International Labor Organization’s Domestic Worker Convention, dictates the necessity of a written contract between the employer and the employee.

The law also prevents employers who have previously mistreated migrant domestic workers from hiring a new worker.

Other articles of the law stipulate the necessity of providing insurance, annual vacation, suitable living conditions, fair compensation, and the right to employee privacy.

The law has not yet been ratified by Parliament.

According to the ILO, Lebanon is home to over 250,000 female migrant domestic workers, the majority of whom come from Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, the Philippines and Bangladesh to work as housemaids.

Rights groups have complained that employers often withhold pay, lock workers in their homes and confiscate their passports, among other abuses.

The harsh living conditions have pushed some migrant workers to commit suicide. Others have died or been seriously injured while trying to escape the employers’ residences.

In 2008, Human Rights Watch recorded one migrant domestic worker death per week from unnatural causes, including suicide.

Israel aimed to kill Hezbollah member in Qunaitra strike: Assad

BEIRUT: An Israeli airstrike that hit a Hezbollah convoy in Syria’s Golan Heights over a week ago intended to assassinate a party member, Syrian President Bashar Assad said Monday, denying speculation that Hezbollah was planning an attack on the Jewish state.

In an interview with Foreign Affairs Magazine, Assad noted that not a single operation against Israel had taken place through the Golan Heights since a cease-fire agreement was brokered in 1974.

“It has never happened. So for Israel to allege that there was a plan for an operation - that’s a far cry from reality,” he said.

Israel has not commented on the airsrike, which killed six Hezbollah members and an Iranian general, but some have speculated that it was carried out to stop Hezbollah from planning an attack from Syrian territory.

Assad said the Israeli suggestion is “just an excuse, because they wanted to assassinate somebody from Hezbollah.”

The strike targeted a Hezbollah convoy in the Golan Heights town of Qunaitra. Among those killed were Jihad Mughniyeh, the son of slain Hezbollah commander Imad Mughniyeh, and field commander Mohammad Issa.

A Lebanese security source told the Daily Star that two Syrian fighters affiliated with Hezbollah were also killed in the strike, in addition to the Iranian general.

Assad also dismissed rumors that Israel’s attacks on Syrian territory are motivated by its drive to stop Iranian weapons transfers to Lebanon through Iraq and Syria.

“They attacked army positions. What is the relation between Hezbollah and the army?” he said.

Assad said that Israel’s agenda involves “very clear” support for Syrian rebels - a notion that is also shared by Hezbollah’s leadership.

“Whenever we make advances in some place, they make an attack in order to undermine the army,” Assad said. “That’s why some in Syria joke: “How can you say that Al-Qaeda doesn’t have an air force? They have the Israeli air force.”

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Possible GOP Presidential Candidates Woo Iowa

Audio for this story from Morning Edition will be available at approximately 9:00 a.m. ET.

The 2016 Iowa caucuses are a year away. On Saturday, a long list of potential candidates showed up at a political forum in Des Moines to begin courting the state's most conservative GOP activists.

Hezbollah exploiting Army's anti-jihad campaign: Rifi

BEIRUT: Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi accused Hezbollah of exploiting the Lebanese Army’s relentless fight against jihadi militants to revive the three-way equation of “army, people and resistance," which bestowed legitimacy to Hezbollah’s military wing.

“We would like to remind Hezbollah that there is no going back in time, and that the party’s attempt to revive the wooden (non-flexible) equation of army, people and resistance, which had been dropped from the government’s policy statement, is an attempt to outsmart us,” Rifi, who belongs to the Future Movement, said in a statement Monday.

Rifi accused Hezbollah of hiding behind security institutions which he said were “paying the price of the party’s political adventures and subordination to Iran.”

“You’d better stop exposing Lebanon to danger by pulling out from Syria,” Rifi said.

“The nation is going through a crisis which requires giving all possible support to the Army and security institutions to enable them to protect Lebanon.”

“As for the illegitimate (Hezbollah) weapons, which you are placing at the disposal of Iran’s regional agenda, it is utterly unacceptable,” Rifi added.

The Future Movement official was responding to Hezbollah’s deputy chief Sheikh Naim Qassem who underlined in a speech Sunday that combating rampant jihadi terrorism from Syria necessitated the combined efforts of the Army, Hezbollah’s armed resistance and backing of the Lebanese.

Qassem was speaking at a ceremony one week after the deaths of six Hezbollah fighters in an Israeli attack on their convoy in Syria’s Golan Heights.

“Only the Army and the legitimate security forces can protect the nation and the citizens,” Rifi added.