According to protesters interviewed by the LBCI channel, the bodyguards of Education Minister Akram Chehayeb opened fire before forcing their passage among the demonstrators who threw objects against the vehicles of the convoy. One of the protesters showed empty sockets to the cameras. Several bursts of automatic weapons were heard.
The protesters, who have occupied the areas of Saïfi, the Weygan Street, the Ring Highway, or Ghobeiri, came screaming their ras-le bowl by launching slogans against the political class. "The people want the fall of the regime", "Revolution", chanted some of them. Meetings were also held in Saida, South Lebanon.
Lebanese Minister of Information Jamal Jarrah confirmed on Thursday that the government has approved a new tax on the use of instant messaging applications like Whatsapp, Skype or Viber.
"A tax of 20 cents a day on calls via messaging services such as Whatsapp and Viber has been approved and we will begin to apply this measure from 1 January 2020," Jarrah said upon his arrival. to the Council of Ministers. He later said that this increase would generate about $ 200 million in revenue a year.
According to Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil, this tax is not a measure included in the draft budget for the year 2020, but a decision of the Minister of Telecommunications, Mohammad Choucair.
In mid-September, Mohammad Choucair had denied information circulating on social networks about "the presence in Lebanon of foreign experts to study the terms of a removal of the call function on WhatsApp instant messaging." "The ministry wants to continue to provide this important service to all users of Lebanon's mobile networks," he said.
The 2020 budget, which Prime Minister Saad Hariri's government has been examining for weeks, is awaited by both the donors of the Paris Conference (CEDRE) and the rating agencies. The prime objective of Lebanese leaders is to accelerate the reform process in order to reduce the public deficit. .
For memory
Key reforms of 2020 budget still pending
Budget 2020: the possible abolition of the Human Rights Council is controversial
