Highlights & Selected Articles

• Refugees (26/83 articles) mostly highlighted the Human Rights Watch report stating that Lebanese security forces allegedly detained and tortured a 31-year-old Syrian refugee in February 2016 because of his sexual orientation. President Michel Aoun called on the general prosecution to investigate the claims in the report. On the other hand, this category showcased a report by UNHCR stating that on September 30^th 2016, the total number of Syrian refugees in Lebanon was equivalent to 1,017,433, among other related articles.
• Road Safety (10/83 articles) reported on activists and officials launching campaigns to minimize road fatalities during the holiday season. This section also covered stories of victims of road accidents and shed light on Dahr El Baydar highway considered to be dangerous and unsafe.
• Environment (10/83 articles) reported on Kfour town in the Nabatieh district. Kfour has accommodated a temporary dump site since 2012. An EU-funded Solid Waste Treatment Plant in the town was meant to sort and recycle up to 70 % of the area’s waste. However, claims of mismanagement at the site and a lack of a large sanitary landfill have left the facility unable to manage the region’s waste. This section also informed about the Ministry of Environment presenting its 3^rd report on climate change, among other related articles.
• Cancer (5/83 articles) reported on 4 patents for pharmaceutical substances to cure cancer in Syria. Moreover, this section shed light on Lebanese surgeon, Dr. Adnan Bakri, who invented a machine that operates using artificial intelligence to predict and cure kidney cancer, among other articles.

• Women Rights (4/83 articles) shed light on Burj Hammoud municipality who has taken action to integrate female officers into its municipal police forces. This category also informed about the Criminal Court of Mount Lebanon, headed by Judge Henri Khoury, issuing its verdict in the case of killer of Roqaya Monzer, Mohamad Hasan Monzer, punishing him with 22 years of hard labor, and the payment of victim’s restitution.
• Domestic Worker (4/83 articles) informed about, then, caretaker Minister of Labor, Sejaan Azzi, canceling the licenses of 181 domestic worker recruitment agencies. Also, after that the Lebanese authorities deported domestic worker rights organizer, Sujana Rana, a judicial decision was issued delaying the deportation of detained domestic worker and activist Roja Limbo for a period of two weeks until the court can decide on the request to allow her to assign a defense lawyer. 
• Other (6/83 articles) compiled different public health related stories such as the release of a new book on maternal deaths in Lebanon by Drs. Faysal El Kak and Walid Ammar. This section shed light on torture cases happening in Lebanese prisons as well as different events across the country to celebrate the holidays, among other issues.

• Child Protection (4/83 articles) mainly focused on the General Security warning employers against hiring underage workers, particularly in the agriculture sector. Moreover, the Ministry of Labor has established a team to oversee and control child labor in the country.
• Patient Safety (3/83 articles) shed light on the case of 5-year-old Lea Moukarzel who passed away before receiving the needed medical treatment for her illness.
• Zika Virus (2/83 articles) discussed that more than half of adult women of reproductive age in Brazil have actively tried to avoid pregnancy because of the Zika virus epidemic. Moreover, reports from Malaysia have shown that a 67-year-old man has been infected by Zika noting that he is the 8^th confirmed case in the country.
• Tobacco Related (2/83 articles) covered the state-run tobacco agency decorating a Christmas tree at Rmeich town, south of Lebanon. This section shed light on a new study suggesting that e-cigarettes are as equally damaging to gums and teeth as conventional cigarettes.
• Pharmaceutical Sector (2/83 articles) informed about the president of the Order of Pharmacists in Lebanon, Dr. Georges Silli, calling for the abolition of many pharmaceutical-related decisions taken in 2010 by the Ministry of Public Health.
• Hospitals (2/83 articles) reported on Hammoud Hospital in Sidon for refusing to admit a Palestinian man who had been injured in a traffic accident because he has no health coverage. This section also highlighted different complaints against the Ministry of Public Health over the status of public hospitals in Lebanon.
• Sexual Harassment (1/83 articles) shed light on different harassment cases which are happening at City Mall footbridge at Nahr el Mot. 
• Mental Health (1/83 articles) showcased a study by the Department of Psychiatry at AUB Medical Center and Embrace Fund, highlighting a remarkable 29% increase of deaths by suicide in Lebanon between 2013 and 2014.
• Human Trafficking and Sex Workers (1/83 articles) provided legal updates regarding the story of the bust of a crime ring enslaving girls, most of whom were Syrian in Jounieh area.