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 Business

Siniora: We must cut EDL deficit

BEIRUT: Former Prime Minister Fouad Siniora warned of grave consequences if Parliament passed the salary scale proposal without modifications, calling on authorities to cut waste at Electricite du Liban and other state institutions.

Addressing Parliament Tuesday, Siniora said he favored raising the value-added tax from 10 percent to 12 percent and increasing the working hours of government employees.

“We should make big cuts in the salary scale proposals and refuse the call for retroactive payments of the wage increases. This salary scale should be paid over the next three years instead of in one shot,” Siniora argued.

He even proposed cutting the wages of judges and Lebanese University professors who received a raise in 2011 without the government carrying out a decent study into the impact of the wage hike on the state’s finances and economy.

“We should also find proper revenues that will not cause a recession or high inflation. We can raise the VAT to 12 percent at least, but we can exempt some vital products from these taxes,” Siniora said.

He repeated his call to reduce the deficit at EDL, which costs the state more than $2 billion a year.

Siniora called for modest increases in electricity tariffs.

“If we apply these measures, then this will contribute to electricity conservation,” he said. “EDL’s deficit over the past years amounts to 40 percent of the total public debt.”

Siniora said that EDL’s problems would continue as long as most of the power plants relied on fuel oil, emphasizing the importance of switching to natural gas to cut the energy bill.

The former prime minister also raised the issue of the working hours of government employees.

“The public staff works 32 hours a week, and this average is far lower than most countries around the world. We need to increase the working hours to improve production and performance.”

Siniora pointed out that the GDP growth dropped to 1 percent during the past three years, from around 8.5 percent in 2007-11.

“The budget deficit exceeded a record figure of LL6.3 trillion [$4.2 billion] in 2013, which puts the financial and monetary stability in danger and places further burden on the coming generations,” he said.

He stressed that the primary deficit now amounted to LL370 billion, compared with a surplus that had been witnessed from the years 2002-2011.

“The balance of payments has also witnessed a major shift from surplus to a continuous deficit of $1 billion yearly, while foreign direct investments dropped to less than $4 billion yearly after it had reached $8 billion in the years 2007-2010 for three consecutive years,” the MP said.

He noted that the public debt had reached $64 billion with a debt-to-GDP ratio of 140 percent by the end of 2013, after it had dropped from 180 percent in 2007-2010 to 134 percent in 2011.

“Lebanon is now incapable of investing in its infrastructure, which is a prerequisite for achieving a minimum level of economic growth and development in certain areas. “

He warned that the treasury would come under increasing pressure when many of the public employees reach the retirement age.

“The number of beneficiaries from the retirement salary increased to 117,000 Lebanese retirees from only 25,000 in early 1990s,” Siniora said.

He cautioned that implementing the salary hike in its present form might induce the Finance Ministry to raise the interest rates on bonds and eurobonds to finance the wage hike, and said that this would ultimately cause the budget deficit to rise.

Source: The Daily Star

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 News

Election session set for next week, white smoke unlikely

MAARAB, Lebanon: Speaker Nabih Berri called on Parliament to convene on April 23 to elect a new president as Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea announced a broad campaign platform stressing the state’s monopoly on the use of force and universal health care for all Lebanese.

The parliamentary session, set for noon Wednesday, will likely fail to elect a president as no candidate appears ready to secure two-thirds of the vote by MPs, and the session may not achieve quorum.

Geagea, meanwhile, took another concrete step in his campaign by proposing a raft of political, economic, security and judicial reforms that he said would augment the state’s power, uphold the Constitution and rule of law, and secure Lebanon.

“Lebanon today has been robbed of its will and decision, and the state is undermined and paralyzed and close to becoming a failed state,” Geagea said in a speech before dozens of party cadres at his fortress-like residence in Maarab, north of Beirut. “National responsibility requires us to stand together to break the chains of fear, anxiety and chaos and hurry to save the republic.”

Berri sent Amal MP Michel Moussa to attend Geagea’s rally, in a sign of cautious openness to his candidacy. Representatives of Future Movement leader and former premier Saad Hariri, former premier Fouad Siniora and Kataeb leader Amine Gemayel also attended, along with March 14 Secretary-General Fares Soueid.

But Geagea faces an uphill battle in gaining the support of his rivals, having been a staunch critic of Hezbollah and its intervention in Syria.

The March 14 leader has also not been endorsed by his own bloc, which has yet to throw its weight behind any candidate for the presidency.

Presidential nominees are also only likely to win the race on the back of a regional consensus agreement involving Saudi Arabia and Iran, political sources told The Daily Star. No signs of an imminent breakthrough on the issue have emerged.

Future MP Ahmad Fatfat, who attended the speech on behalf of Hariri, told The Daily Star that the bloc was in “intense discussions” but had not yet made a decision on which candidate to nominate. Hariri’s chief of staff, Nader Hariri, met early Wednesday with Druze leader Walid Jumblatt.

But Fatfat said March 14 would only nominate one candidate and would do so before the first Parliament session to elect a president, suggesting the decision could come as early as next week.

MP Strida Geagea told The Daily Star she was confident the alliance would back her husband in the race. “There should be a unified decision in the coming days but the atmosphere is positive toward nomination,” she said.

She said Geagea would meet with senior officials in all political blocs in Lebanon “without exception,” kicking off the tour Wednesday by meeting President Michel Sleiman and Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai and delivering a copy of his presidential campaign platform.

Sleiman and Rai will meet during the Easter holidays to discuss the election, likely stressing the need to hold it on time. They are also likely to discuss the presidency in upcoming meetings in the Vatican on the sidelines of a ceremony canonizing Pope John Paul II.

Sleiman’s six-year term ends in May. A two-month consultation period to elect a new president began last month.

Geagea has sought to portray his campaign, which carried the slogan “the strong republic,” as a triumph of state power, rule of law and the “primacy of the Constitution.”

“There will be no leniency in the principle of the state’s monopoly over weapons,” he told attendees, as he began outlining a sweeping set of campaign promises.

Geagea vowed to reform the judiciary by fighting corruption and patronage and appointing a large corps of judges to speed up trials, in addition to improving prison conditions. He said he would work to abolish the death penalty, bringing Lebanon in line with human rights conventions.

He called for reforms in the nation’s security services, criticizing them for failing to apprehend the culprits in attacks targeting members of the March 14 coalition and declaring his support for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.

The STL is tasked with investigating the Feb. 14, 2005, attack that killed former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 21 others.

Geagea pledged to improve the state’s infrastructure and to promote ecological and religious tourism to help combat rising unemployment and spiraling public debt. He also promised to transparently manage Lebanon’s offshore oil wealth and set up free trade zones including in the Bekaa Valley and the coastal regions.

Geagea also vowed to introduce mandatory universal health care for Lebanese citizens, subsidized by the state for the poor.

Geagea said he would uphold international resolutions, including 1701 which ended the 2006 war, and 1559, which called for the disarmament of all militias in Lebanon, a measure aimed at Hezbollah.

He also vowed to resolve the dispute over the Shebaa Farms in south Lebanon by negotiating an agreement with the “legitimate” Syrian government, declaring Lebanon’s sovereignty over the territory.

Hezbollah argues that the Shebaa Farms area must be liberated. Israel maintains that the land belongs to Syria and will only be given up as part of a comprehensive peace agreement with the regime there.

Ministerial sources told The Daily Star foreign diplomats in Lebanon had expressed their optimism that the presidential polls would be held on time and said they were no longer worried over the possibility of a vacuum in the state’s leadership because of the presence of the unity government led by Prime Minister Tammam Salam. – Additional reporting by Antoine Ghattas Saab

Source: The Daily Star

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 News

Schools face brunt of fresh salary bill strikes

BEIRUT: Public sector employees held a nationwide strike Wednesday and promised further protests over Parliament’s delay in endorsing a long-awaited salary raise, as Education Minister Elias Bou Saab warned that continuing unrest risked severely disrupting the school year.

The Union Coordination Committee, which is spearheading the protests, threatened to go on strike again on April 29 if its demands for a pay hike were not met.

Public schools across the country closed as teachers and civil servants protested over the issue.

In a news conference at Riad al-Solh Square in Downtown Beirut, the UCC slammed the banking sector’s opposition to a proposal that would see a tax on deposit interest revenue increase from 5 to 7 percent in order to finance the wage hike.

“Only last year, banks made a profit of around $2.3 billion,” said Hanna Gharib, head of the UCC.

He said that only $2 billion was declared while the remaining $300 million was allocated for personal use by bank owners and managers.

“The proposal made by the Finance Ministry to raise taxes on banks … reduces the profits of banks by $250 million only,” Gharib said. “Where is the disaster?”

Parliament Tuesday formed yet another committee to study the draft law within a two-week deadline. The move angered the UCC, which has been waiting two years for a final decision on the proposal to be reached.

After being mulled by Cabinet, the draft law was passed to a parliamentary subcommittee and Parliament’s Joint Committees, who have been examining it for over a year.

Teachers and public sector employees are demanding a 121 percent salary raise that would be effective retroactively, and have rejected suggestions that the extra money could be paid in installments.

Many MPs argue that the wage hike, which is expected to cost around $2 billion, would have a grave impact on the ailing economy amid a drop in revenues.

Some voiced fears that the step would result in a strong depreciation in the pound, as happened in 1992 following the Civil War.

In a further escalation of tensions, Amal Movement MP Hani Qobeisi announced that he had decided to go ahead with a lawsuit against Francois Bassil, the head of the Association of Banks in Lebanon, for reportedly insulting MPs over the tax hike proposal.

Bassil denies the allegations.

“I am not afraid of the lawsuit, I am under the law and judiciary,” he said.

Later, a UCC delegation visited Education Minister Elias Bou Saab at the ministry.

“Official exams are in danger and the ability to finish the academic year is in danger if demands are not met,” Bou Saab said at a joint news conference.

Voicing his support for the demands of teachers, he added: “It is unacceptable to depict teachers as the enemies of the Lebanese economy and push them to take steps they don’t like.”

The minister said that while he agreed the salary raise required an in-depth examination, this should have happened before.

“I hope that studying the figures will be finalized within two weeks before April 29. I hope that schools will not be closed before that date.”

Gharib, who spoke at both news conferences, threatened to call further strikes and protests on April 29 if UCC’s demands were not met, even suggesting teachers might boycott marking official exams.

Many civil servants are justifying their demand for a salary raise by pointing to a pay hike judges received last year, prompting the Higher Judicial Council to release a statement Wednesday emphasizing that the sector had its own salary scale that should not be compared to the rest of the public sector.

Speaking at Baabda Palace, President Michel Sleiman said that while he supported the right of teachers and public sector employees to have a wage hike, he believed this should be fulfilled based on the available revenues.

The draft law to raise salaries was initially approved by the Cabinet of Prime Minister Najib Mikati and referred to Parliament in March 2013.

Speaking at the beginning of a Cabinet session in the palace, Sleiman said amendments introduced to the law by a parliamentary subcommittee that raised its cost could have a negative impact on economic stability.

Commenting on requests by some Lebanese that he return other recently passed laws to Parliament, Sleiman said he would make a decision in line with country’s best interests, national laws and the Constitution.

Longtime tenants have been holding protests urging him not to sign a rent law endorsed in the past two weeks, arguing that it is unfair.

Landlords have held several opposing demonstrations, urging Sleiman to sign. The president’s signature is necessary for the law to go into effect.

Sleiman said relevant departments in the presidential palace were studying the draft law.

Source: The Daily Star

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 News

Hale praises security plan successes in Tripoli, Bekaa

BEIRUT: The U.S. Ambassador in Lebanon David Hale welcomed Wednesday the government’s success in implementing security measures in Tripoli and the Bekaa Valley.

“The United States stands with the government, the security forces, and the people as they work toward peace,” Hale said while on a tour in north Lebanon that included Tripoli and the town of Bnashi in Zghorta.

“This is why my country has given more than $1 billion in support to the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces, and why we will continue to support those seeking to ensure peace, stability and prosperity.”

Hale also highlighted the government’s capacity to take effective action when it stood united.

“When there is political will, the security services are demonstrating they have the means to bring stability. I would like to especially thank the soldiers and officers on the ground here, and note their courage and dedication to this cause,” he added, according to a statement issued by his embassy.

In the northern capital, Hale met with the Mufti of Tripoli and north Lebanon Sheikh Malek al-Shaar.

“It is good to come back to Tripoli, a city I first visited in 1992 during my initial tour in Lebanon. I have come back on many occasions since then and look forward to returning,” he said after the meeting.

“Being here reminds me of the great respect I have for the people of Tripoli, who, like the mufti, work hard every day to strengthen rule of law, as well as counter violence and terrorism,” he said.

I have great respect for the moderate and peaceful citizens of Tripoli who, for too long, have suffered violence, terrorism, neglect and economic challenges,” he added.

In Bnashi, Hale met with the head of the Marada Movement Sleiman Frangieh and discussed local and regional issues, according to a statement issued by Frangieh’s office.

Source: The Daily Star

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 News

Cabinet makes key appointment, addresses hospital issue

BEIRUT: The Cabinet Wednesday appointed a female head for the Civil Service Board and approved a plan to address the deteriorating Rafik Hariri University Hospital in Beirut.

Chaired by President Michel Sleiman at Baabda Palace, the Cabinet appointed Fatima Sayegh as the new head of the Civil Service Board for a six-year term.

Due to lack of consensus among the groups forming the government, Cabinet did not make further appointments to the many vacant posts in the public sector.

The government also approved a plan proposed by Health Minister Wael Abu Faour to tackle the mounting problems facing Rafik Hariri University Hospital.

Media reports emerged recently alleging corruption in the hospital, which was inaugurated in 2004.

There are also complaints about the hospital’s inability to provide medications to patients suffering from chronic diseases.

The facility is also witnessing a severe cash flow problem and operating way below its capacity of 400 to 450 beds.

The Cabinet tasked Abu Faour and Minister of State for Administrative Development Nabil de Freij, to come up with a method to appoint a new board of directors for the hospital.

The Cabinet decided to provide the hospital with a loan amounting to around LL 20 billion ($ 13.3 million) after the new board was formed.

Speaking to reporters after the session, Information Minister Ramzi Joreige said President Michel Sleiman had expressed his satisfaction with the ongoing plan carried out by the Army and Internal Security Forces to restore security in the Bekaa Valley and Tripoli, in his remarks made at the start of the meeting.

Sleiman described the plan as excellent, that saying it should continue and be accompanied by development plans in the Bekaa Valley and north Lebanon, and by combating extremism.

The president highlighted the need to assure tourists, particularly other Arabs, that the situation had been stabilized in Lebanon, as tourism season has already started.

Sleiman said that Tourism Minister Michel Pharoan should launch a swift plan for this purpose, accompanied by a media campaign.

The president expressed relief that residents of the Syrian Christian village of Maaloula had returned home and that priests had returned to their monasteries after the Syrian army drove out rebels from the area earlier this week.

Sleiman also called for the protection of minorities in Syria who were not taking part in the conflict.

The president said that Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk was in the midst of contacting relevant officials and political groups to secure a road to evacuate the Lebanese residing in the Lebanese village of Tfeil, close to Syria.

The village, located in east Lebanon, can only be accessed through Syria’s Qalamoun region, which has been witnessing fierce fighting between the Syrian army and Syrian rebels in recent weeks.

Sleiman called on relevant officials to consider ways to open a road in Lebanon connecting the village to the country.

The president highlighted the need for ministers to be productive and called on the Administrative Development Ministry to coordinate with relevant ministries to address any problems delaying appointments in vacant posts.

Sleiman called on Defense Minister Samir Moqbel and Machnouk to give instructions to boost security measures around places of worship during Good Friday and Easter mass, set to take place this weekend, in order to prevent any possible security incidents.

Source: The Daily Star

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 Middle East

Jordanian warplanes destroy vehicles trying to cross from Syria

AMMAN/BEIRUT: Jordanian warplanes hit and destroyed several vehicles trying to cross the border from Syria, a government spokesman said Wednesday, underlining Amman’s concern about incursions from areas controlled by Syrian rebels.

A Jordanian security source said the targets appeared to have been Syrian rebels with machine guns mounted on civilian vehicles who were seeking refuge from fighting with government forces in southern Syria.

The Syrian state news agency SANA said no Syrian military vehicles were involved in the incident. “What was targeted by the Jordanian air force does not belong to the Syrian army,” a military source was quoted by SANA as saying.

“There was an attempt to infiltrate across the border from Syria by a number of vehicles,” said Jordanian government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani, also a Cabinet minister.

A Jordanian army statement said the incident took place at around 10:30 a.m. when several camouflaged vehicles attempted to traverse rugged frontier terrain and disregarded warnings not to proceed.

“After repeated warnings that [we] would not allow a violation of the border, a number of air force planes sent warning shots toward the vehicles, but they did not heed these warnings and continued,” it added.

“This forced the army to apply known engagement rules and to destroy the vehicles,” it said.

Photos taken from the air that appeared on several Jordanian news websites showed at least one civilian Chevrolet pickup damaged and another similar vehicle on fire in an unspecified desolate desert area.

No bodies appeared in the photos that a security source said had been released to the outlets by the military.

There was no identification on the vehicles. Such pickups are often used by smugglers in the border area.

Amman has tightened controls along the 370-km border to try to prevent Jordanian Islamist militants who have joined the rebels from crossing back into Jordan. They are seen as a domestic security threat.

Momani said the kingdom was increasingly worried about incursions from Syria. “We are worried about cases of infiltration … and reports that talk about armed groups that are close to the border and the absence of security there.”

Western diplomats say Jordan has been granted hundreds of millions of dollars from Washington in the past two years to beef up its boundaries with Syria. Amman has constructed scores of observation towers with the latest surveillance equipment.

Meanwhile, opposition activists accused President Bashar Assad’s forces of a new poison gas attack near the Syrian capital, posting footage of four men being treated by medics.

They said the attack, the fourth the opposition has reported this month, was in the suburb of Harasta. Reuters could not independently verify the footage or the allegation due to restrictions on reporting in Syria.

Activists posted a video on YouTube of four men being treated with oxygen. A voice off-screen gave the date and said Assad’s forces used “poison gas in Harasta.” It did not say if there were fatalities.

The face of one of the men appeared to be covered in vomit. He was shown shaking and moaning as doctors treated him. The voice off screen said chemical weapons were also used in Harasta Friday.

A U.N. inquiry found in December that sarin gas had likely been used in Jobar in August and in several other locations, including in the rebel-held Damascus suburb of Ghouta, where hundreds of people were killed.

When opposition activists reported that helicopters had dropped chlorine gas on the rebel-held village of Kfar Zeita Friday and Saturday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power told ABC’s “This Week” the attack was so far “unsubstantiated.”

Source: Reuters

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 Entertainment

Jounieh Festival shows to go on despite political tensions

BEIRUT: Another season of long-anticipated concerts will kick off this summer, despite the political tension.

Neemat Frem, founder of Phellipolis, which sponsors the Jounieh International Festival, expressed the event organizers’ determination to hold the annual festival despite the fact that the security situation in the country remains uneasy.

The program for this year’s festival was announced at a press conference Tuesday and the line-up promises a few surprises.

“Every year it gets more difficult,” said Joe Beano, head of the festival’s marketing committee. “We have to take risks every time.”

Beano added that it had been more difficult to generate the required funding this year in comparison to previous editions of the festival, but said the support of several local banks and insurance companies had made it possible for the event to go ahead.

As in previous years, the festival will kick off with a fireworks display in Jounieh bay on June 27.

“It will be … synchronized with musical effects,” Beano revealed, adding that it would be “broadcast on several television channels.”

Unlike some other editions of the festival, this year’s line-up includes concerts and events catered to a wide range of musical tastes.

Elias Rahbani will conduct his orchestra on July 2, performing famous hits including “Diala,” “Endless Love” and “Love Words,” among others. A member of the legendary Rahbani family, he has written many songs for diva Fairuz and has also composed music for plays and television programs.

Aficionados of French music will be pleased to know that young French singer Zaz will come to Jounieh on July 3 to regale audiences with her greatest hits. Her talent was recently recognized with an award, presented by French musician Jean-Michel Jarre at the Grand Prix SACEM last November. Born Isabelle Geffroy, Zaz’s rich voice will immerse the audience in her joyful mood through songs including “Je Veux” and “On Ira.”

The concert that seems likely to be the biggest hit with local fans will be Imagine Dragons’ performance on July 7. The Grammy and AMA-winning American alternative rock band rose to fame with tunes such as “Radioactive” and “Demons.” They will be performing for one night only in Lebanon, amid their European tour.

On July 10, the stage of the Fouad Chehab Stadium will be invaded by the singing team behind the French version of “The Voice.”

The finalists of the show will interpret the tunes that made them famous in their third consecutive performance in Lebanon.

As in previous years, the organizers of the festival have also programmed many diverse activities into their festival schedule. Roads will be car-free and parades, carnivals and other events for children are scheduled to take place.

The Jounieh Festival aims to show that, unlike many of Lebanon’s summer festivals, the event is not only about concerts and performances, but also about making audiences discover or re-discover their city through social events.

The Jounieh International Festival runs from June 27 until July 10. For tickets, please call 01-999-666.

Source: The Daily Star

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 Lifestyle

EU awards secret sum to four Lebanese artists

BEIRUT: Four projects by Lebanese artists were chosen as the winners of an undisclosed sum of money at an award ceremony at the French Cultural Center Tuesday afternoon.

Founded by the European Union National Institutes for Culture, the prize fund was created to promote cultural exchange between Lebanon and the European Union.

Goethe Institute Director and President of the EUNIC Ulrich Nowak was at Tuesday’s news conference to congratulate the four recipients and present them with their winnings. Mohammed Rifai, Nather Halawani, Patrick Mouzawak and Chady Abousleiman were chosen as the winners from among 26 entrants.

The prize money is intended to help the artists in the completion of a specific artistic project. The purpose of the press conference was for the media to witness the artists receive their winnings, but the sum of money awarded to each one was not revealed, leaving those attending in the dark over both the total value of the prize money and how it had been divided among the recipients.

Rifai was selected as a winner for his project “Beirut time without consequences,” a combination of photography and painting that aims to shed light on the artist’s vision of Beirut, one in which reality and the unreal mingle.

Before receiving the envelope containing his winnings, Rifai explained that his project is intended to show the transformations in the city from 1975 to the present.

Halawani’s video work, “Ordinary Days,” sketches a triptych formed of Beirut, its citizens and their intimacies. The wanderings of the population in the city and their interactions with one another will be highlighted in this short film.

Mouzawak’s project, “In Memory With,” is a photographic series studying the correlations between Lebanese living in Lebanon and those living outside of the country. Through a series of more than ten photographs, Mouzawak will try to recreate reality through memories.

Mysteriously, Mouzawak did not receive his winnings at the ceremony. The money donated to fund his project is being sent to him by an undisclosed external source, Nowak explained.

As for Abousleiman, his “Secret Walls” analyze battles between street artists all over the world. His project has been giving life to the walls of Tokyo, New York, London and Beirut for the last six years.

The EUNIC funding will enable him to stage an artistic competition in which viewers can witness two artists battle for 90 minutes. This year’s challenge is happening in Beirut and will take place this August.

With their envelopes in hand, the artists were invited to begin the realization of their projects – presumably in thrall to a deadline that has yet to be announced.

 
Source: The Daily Star

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 Business

Property owners call for sit-in near National Museum

The Syndicate of Property Owners called on Tuesday for a sit-in to reject attempts by inhabitants to block the approval of the new rent law, which was endorsed by the parliament.

A statement issued by the Syndicate stressed that the “sit-in is aimed at refuting fabrications by the tenants , who are staging suspicious demonstrations.”

The sit-in will be held on Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. near the national museum in Beirut.

The statement demanded President Michel Suleiman to ink the law, which was passed by the national assembly on April 3.

A dispute had recently emerged between owners of building and inhabitants over a controversial law endorsed by the parliament.

The law, which is opposed by renters, stipulates an increase in rents over a six-year period until they reach 5 percent of their current value.

The inhabitants argue that many won’t be able to afford it, prompting them to leave their homes.

The old rent law pertains rent contracts carried out before 1993.

“All the suspicious endeavors by those who claim to represent tenants should be investigated by the prosecution and we reserve the right to file charges against them,” the Syndicate’s statement pointed out.

“They are outlaws and impersonating needy and poor people while they are rich,” the statement considered.

The Syndicate called on inhabitants “to abide by the law.”

 

Source: Naharnet

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 Odd News

Missing Nebraska Toddler Found Safe in Claw Machine

A 3-year-old boy feared missing by his mother was found safe and sound inside an arcade claw machine in Nebraska on Tuesday.

Police were called to a home in Lincoln, Neb., on a report of a missing child, according to NBC affiliate WOWT. At the same time, employees at nearby Madsen’s Bowling and Billiards found the missing child playing with toys inside their claw machine, where he became stuck after apparently crawling inside.

The boy’s mother told police she was in the bathroom and that the boy must have slipped out of an unlocked apartment door. The boy was freed from the claw machine without injury and reunited with his mother.

 

Source: NBC News

Original Article

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