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Lebanon plans to charge for WhatsApp calls - Tipping Point Protests spread across Lebanon

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A 20-cent-per-day fee could potentially bring in up to $250m in annual revenues from Lebanon's estimated 3.5 million VoIP users [File: Rupak De Chowdhuri/Reuters]

Lebanese anti-government protesters clash with riot policemen on a road in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019. Scores of people are protesting in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon over the government's plans to impose new taxes amid a harsh economic crisis in the country. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

by reuters - Lebanon's cabinet has agreed to impose a fee on calls over WhatsApp and other similar applications, as part of efforts to raise revenues in the country's 2020 draft budget, a minister said on Thursday. Information Minister Jamal al-Jarrah said on Thursday that the cabinet had agreed a charge of 20 cents per day for calls via voice over internet protocol (VoIP), used by applications that include FaceTime, Facebook calls, and Facebook-owned Whatsapp. The fee could potentially bring in up to $250m in annual revenues from the country's estimated 3.5 million VoIP users. The country has only two service providers, both state-owned, and some of the most costly mobile rates in the region.

Lebanese TV channels cited Minister of Telecommunications Mohammad Choucair as saying the fee would "not be applied without something in return", which he would announce next week. Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil said last month there were no new taxes or fees in the draft 2020 budget he sent to the cabinet. Lebanon is under pressure to approve the 2020 budget to unlock some $11bn pledged at a donor conference last year, conditional on fiscal and other reforms.

Prime Minister Saad Hariri has said the government would work to further reduce the 2020 budget deficit. Foreign allies are not yet fully convinced the Lebanese government is serious about reforms, and a French envoy last month criticised the pace of work. The government only approved the 2019 budget halfway through this year. Lebanon had until 2017 had gone 12 years without a budget. Ahead of a cabinet session on Thursday, Jarrah said ministers would discuss a proposal to raise value-added tax (VAT) by two percentage points in 2021 and then another two percentage points in 2022, until the VAT reaches 15 percent. After ministers agree on the 2020 draft budget, they must send it to parliament for approval. SOURCE: REUTERS NEWS AGENCY

An anti-government protester makes victory signs in front a fire set to block a road during a demonstration in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019. Scores of people are protesting in Beirut and other parts of Lebanon over the government's plans to impose new taxes amid a harsh economic crisis in the country. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon erupted in protests Thursday over the government's plans to impose new taxes amid a severe economic crisis, with people taking their anger out on politicians they accuse of corruption and decades of mismanagement. The protests started with few dozen people gathering in central Beirut and quickly escalated into some of the largest demonstrations since an uprising over a garbage crisis in 2015 with thousands holding scattered protests across the country.

Hundreds of people gathered near the government headquarters and parliament building in central Beirut where riot police were deployed. The protesters chanted: "Revolution!" and "Thieves!" — the latter a reference to widespread corruption in a country that has one of the highest debt loads in the world. Some protesters threw stones, shoes and water bottles at security forces and scuffled with police. The protests could plunge Lebanon into a political crisis with unpredictable repercussions on the economy which has been in steady decline. Some of the protesters said they would stay in the streets until the government resigns.

Protesters closed major intersections with burning tires and garbage containers, causing traffic jams. As the protests escalated, the minister of education declared that public and private schools and universities would close Friday. Years of regional turmoil — worsened by an influx of 1.5 million Syrian refugees since 2011 — are catching up with the small Arab country. Lebanon has the third-highest debt level in the world, currently standing at about $86 billion, or 150% of its gross domestic product. "We refuse what's happening in Lebanon... The failure of our government to do at least the minimum ... has given us no other choice than to take the streets," said writer and director Lucien Bourjeily. "They are putting more and more taxes on us even though we cannot take any more taxes," he said.

Lebanon works to put out big fires for 3rd consecutive day amid criticism of gov't neglect

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Fire takes out forests in the mountainous area that flank Damour river near the village of Meshref in Lebanon's Shouf mountains [Hussam Chbaro/Anadolu Agency]

BEIRUT, Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- For the third consecutive day, Lebanon's civil defense, in cooperation with the Lebanese army, worked hard to put out the huge fires that swept a big number of Lebanese villages. Fires continued on Wednesday to affect hundreds of square meters in Akkar, Yanouh, Daqoun, Bekfaya and other villages. Earlier in the day, Lebanese President Michel Aoun announced that the Higher Relief Commission had been instructed to compensate people affected by the fires. Prime Minister Saad Hariri said the government exerted huge efforts to put out the fires while the Higher Relief Commission will take care of all houses impacted by the fires. "We are working 24 hours a day and the most important thing for me is that there were no casualties," he said. However, Lebanese citizens criticized the government through social media networks for not providing civil defense with the needed equipment to deal properly with such disastrous situations. They also blamed the government for not taking precautionary measures after the sudden rise of temperature to avoid the fires and the damage. Youssef Mallah, a member of the civil defense, told Xinhua that precautionary measures must be taken in such weather conditions. "For instance, we should not allow hunters to shoot from their weapons in such times," he said, explaining that shots from hunters' guns have a hot temperature and may cause fire when they fall on the ground. Camping must be also forbidden in such times, he added. Mallah emphasized the need to hire patrols to tour the place all night long while finding special routes for firefighters to reach fires in a fast way and not to use conventional roads.

The longest flight in the world

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by linkedin.com -- A Qantas jet is scheduled to take off from New York Friday on a flight to Sydney that, 20 hours later, would make it the longest in the world. The test flight is expected to include pilots, crew and passengers, along with researchers watching how everyone handles the ride. Success could pave the way for regular service between Sydney, New York and London. Airlines have recently been testing limits on long-haul flights, with Singapore Airlines reviving its 18.5-hour flight from Singapore to New York in 2018.

One dead as Lebanon struggles to control wildfire

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A fire tears through a forest in the mountainous area near the village of Meshref in Lebanon's Shouf mountains [Joseph Eid/AFP]

by gulftoday.ae - Maryam Al QasimiMassive fires took over Lebanon’s pine-tree covered mountains, forcing citizens in Al Shouf District to evacuate their homes on Monday night. Strong winds and unusual high temperatures intensified the blaze, as it made its way to residential villages, a refugee centre, and neighbouring areas. “Our forests burn and our hearts break just the same,” says a Lebanese citizen, Mansour. As Lebanon faces its first massive wildfire in years, reporter Halima Tabiaa cries in desperation, “The scene in Damour is dreadful. People are screaming, as the fire trapped them in their homes.”

Director-general of Civil Defence, Raymond Khattar, has said that the wildfire is the most drastic the country has seen for decades. Al-Khattar states that 104 fires have been recorded on Monday and Tuesday. Lebanon’s Interior Minister Raya Al Hassan confirms the assistance of neighbouring countries, Cyprus, Greece, and Jordan. “We have contacted several countries that could help us put out the fires and the Cypriot planes have been working to extinguish the fires since yesterday. We have activated a rapid response mechanism.” she tweets. “Greece has also answered our call and will send two planes to help. Jordan has also expressed its readiness to send us assistance.”

Lebanese political analysist David Issa states that the wildfire expanded due to the government’s lack of emergency response and ill-equipment of Sikorsky helicopters. Three Sikorsky S-70 firefighting helicopters were provided to the Lebanese government, but fell into poor condition due to a lack of maintenance. Frustrated citizens took to Twitter: “Houses have been destroyed, acres of trees have been razed. We don’t have the necessary equipment and tools to fight the raging wildfires. We need International help” (@romyjournalist). “We pray for our brave Civil Defence fighters and our military,” Issa states on social media.

Lebanese Figures Criticize Bassil’s Demand for Syria’s Return to Arab League

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by aawsat.com -- Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri responded Sunday to Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil’s demand that Syria returns to the Arab League, saying the Lebanese government must distance itself from regional conflicts. "The position of the government on the recent military developments on the Turkish-Syrian border is expressed in the statement issued by the Foreign Ministry and nothing else," Hariri indicated in a press release. During the Arab Foreign Ministers Extraordinary Meeting in Cairo last week, Bassil said: "Isn't it time for Syria to return to the Arab League?”

Syria’s membership has been suspended since 2011 over its crackdown on anti-regime protesters. However, Hariri said the policy statement has not mentioned Syria's return to the Arab League, and therefore, Lebanon should respect the dissociation policy. “Lebanon is committed to Arab consensus regarding the Syrian crisis,” the Prime Minister’s statement said. But Bassil disregarded the PM’s objections, saying late Sunday that he “will visit Syria so that the Syrian people return to it … and because I want Lebanon to breathe with its sovereignty and economy."

In an address to Free Patriotic Movement supporters, the FM threatened to “overturn the table” on opponents of President Michel Aoun if they continued to block his attempts to improve the worsening economic. Bassil’s calls to end the suspension of Syria’s Arab League membership have drawn criticism from political figures opposed to the Syrian regime, and praise from its allies. Hassan Murad, Minister of State for Foreign Trade, said Bassil’s demand comes at the right time. However, Social Affairs Minister Richard Kouyoumjian said that the FPM leader’s position expresses his own personal views as head of a party and not the Lebanese government’s stance.

Turkey-Syria offensive: US sanctions Turkish ministries

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by bbc.com -- The US has sanctioned two Turkish ministries and three senior government officials in response to the country's military offensive in northern Syria. President Donald Trump also phoned his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan to demand an immediate truce, Vice-President Mike Pence said. Mr Pence said he would travel to the region "as quickly as possible". Syria's army earlier entered areas in the north-east. This could result in a confrontation with Turkish-led forces. The Syrian army deployment followed a deal with Kurdish-led forces, who until last week were US allies. Turkey says its offensive aims to push Kurdish forces from the border region and establish what the government in Ankara describes as a "safe zone". With a "safe zone" reaching about 30km (20 miles) into Syria, Turkey wants to resettle up to two million Syrian refugees currently on its territory. Many of them are not Kurds and critics warn this could lead to ethnic cleansing of the local Kurdish population.

What about the US sanctions?

Speaking to reporters in Washington DC on Monday evening, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin described the sanctions as "very strong" which would have a severe impact on the Turkish economy. The US Treasury published a statement, which said that action was taken "against two [Turkish] ministries and three senior Turkish government officials in response to Turkey's military operations in Syria". "The Turkish government's actions are endangering innocent civilians, and destabilizing the region, including undermining the campaign to defeat ISIS [Islamic State]," the statement added. Appearing alongside Mr Mnuchin, Vice-President Pence warned that the sanctions "will continue and will worsen unless and until Turkey embraces an immediate ceasefire, stops the violence and agrees to negotiate a long-term settlement of the issues along the border between Turkey and Syria".

Chinese shoppers ditch US brands

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by linkedin.com -- American brands may be falling out of fashion with China. For years, companies in the U.S. saw China as the "land of new opportunity," says The Wall Street Journal, but today Chinese brands are getting stronger and Chinese consumers have grown increasingly turned off by foreign brands because of their conflicts with Chinese politics. Chinese smartphone makers, for example, have snatched up market share in the country. As more Chinese consumers shop domestically, McKinsey predicts up to $37 trillion of economic value — or 26% of global gross domestic product — could disappear.