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Members of Lebanon’s diaspora test positive for Covid-19 after repatriation

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by Sunniva Rose -- thenational.ae -- Lebanon’s Health Ministry reported on Wednesday that 11 passengers who flew back to Lebanon from Spain and France the previous day tested positive for Covid19. These are the first cases of coronavirus among the hundreds of Lebanese who started flying home on Sunday from Africa and Europe on a special repatriation programme at their own expense. “Seven out of 108 passengers were infected with Covid-19 on board of a plane that transported expatriates and arrived yesterday from Madrid. Four passengers out of 118 aboard an aircraft arriving from Paris were also confirmed to be infected,” stated the Health Ministry in a press release. Infected passengers will be taken to hospital while others must self-quarantine for two weeks, the statement said. The Health Ministry will check that those who are not infected respect confinement orders. Lebanese expatriates started flying in from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Ivory Coast and Nigeria on Sunday. Passengers all tested negative until Wednesday, according to local authorities.

Lebanon Activists Launch Coronavirus Community Support Initiatives

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Nearly empty shelves are seen at a supermarket during a countrywide lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease …

By Nisan Ahmado -- voanews.com -- Hoda Kerbage, 39, starts her day by putting on gloves and a face mask, sanitizing her hands, and disinfecting her shoes and car before hopping behind the steering wheel for a journey to deliver aid packages to families in need all over Lebanon. Her new daily routine, started since the outbreak of coronavirus in Lebanon in March, is divided among collecting donations, sanitizing them and packaging them before their delivery to those in need. Kerbage, an activist and author from the Matn district of Beirut, is a part of a campaign known as A’Kadna Initiative run by dozens of Lebanese activists helping desperate Lebanese during a nationwide lockdown because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are a group of volunteers and activists from all walks of life who came together and started several initiatives to support families in need,” Kerbage told VOA. “We reach out to people who have lost their jobs because of the pandemic, the elderly in need of care and those who have weak immune systems and can’t go out to get what they need during the lockdown.” Already suffering from a severe financial meltdown and political instability, Lebanon has been hit hard by the contagious coronavirus in recent weeks. The World Health Organization has recorded 548 positive cases with 60 recovered and 19 deaths. The Lebanese government is registering new cases every day despite tough measures, including social distancing and a curfew from 7 p.m. till 5 a.m.

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Bill Gates Explains What Separates Successful Leaders From Everyone Else in 2 Words

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Bill Gates announces funding to develop 7 COVID-19 vaccines ... l

by inc.com -- If you call yourself a leader or aspire to be one, Bill Gates said something years ago that should resonate deep within the collective conscience of leaders everywhere. The co-founder of Microsoft pointed out:

"As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others."

In two words, Gates nailed a defining characteristic of true leaders years in advance: empower others. Let's now reframe his quote to match the surreal circumstances in which we find ourselves today. When you think of what great leaders may be doing to pivot and meet the demands of a stay-at-home economy, what comes to mind? For starters, more are waking up to the stark reality to make virtual collaboration the norm. And to Gates' point, whatever you thought about leaders before the outbreak, one thing still remains true for either office or remote settings: Great leaders set themselves apart by effectively influencing and empowering other human beings.

Coronavirus: Lebanon's MEA defends decision to charge stranded nationals for flights home

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By MEE staff -- The chairman of Lebanon's state-owned airline has defended a decision to charge nationals stranded abroad due to the coronavirus pandemic, at rates some have called exorbitant. Mohammad Hout, the chairman of Middle East Airlines (MEA), said on Monday that the company was "unable to support the expatriates returning from abroad" with free flights if it wanted to stay in business. On Sunday, Lebanese nationals stranded abroad began taking special flights home but Middle East Eye found that the tickets were being priced at prohibitive prices, ranging from $650-1,800 for economy class, and $1,300-3,900 for business. "Our priority is the continuity of the company," Hout said, explaining that "tickets are priced at cost without profit". But the cost of operating has skyrocketed due to global travel bans aimed at curbing the spread of the novel coronavirus, officially known as Covid-19. Last week, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned that airlines in the Middle East region had lost around $19bn in revenues since the start of the pandemic.

Lebanese banks to offer 2,600 pounds to dollar for small accounts: Report

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by middleeasteye.net -- Lebanese banks are to apply an exchange rate of 2,600 pounds per dollar for withdrawals from small accounts of up to five million Lebanese pounds ($3,300), a central bank source said on Monday, in the implementation of a new circular issued on Friday. Lebanon is still applying an official peg of 1,507.5 pounds to the dollar for bank transactions and critical imports, the governor said on Friday. The circular issued on Friday said deposits of $3,000 or less could be withdrawn in Lebanese pounds at a "market" rate, allowing small depositors to cash out despite tight banking controls. It also allowed for the paying out of deposits of five million Lebanese pounds ($3,300) or less. A senior banking source told Reuters the new rate would be fixed on a weekly basis and had this week been fixed at the 2,600 rate. Last month, Lebanon declared it could no longer pay its hefty foreign debt and launched talks with creditors. The currency has slumped since October, after capital inflows dried up and protests erupted against the ruling elite. Authorities sought in recent weeks to enforce a rate of 2,000 pounds per dollar on the parallel market, now people's main source of cash. However, traders still sold dollars at higher rates, with some shutting down.

Aoun: Lebanese economy in recession

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Lebanese President Michel Aoun in Beirut, Lebanon on 24 October 2019 [Presidency of Lebanon/Anadolu Agency]

by middleeastmonitor.com -- Lebanese President Michel Aoun announced today that his country has entered an unprecedented crisis characterised by an economic recession, a severe shortage of foreign currencies, high unemployment and poverty rates and inflation. Aoun’s remarks came in a speech he delivered before members of the International Support Group for Lebanon (ISGL), during their meeting at the Presidential Palace in east Beirut, in the presence of Prime Minister Hassan Diab. The Lebanese president stated: “For these reasons, and to stop the depletion of reserves, the state decided to suspend the repayment of Eurobonds, and the appointment of two international financial and legal consultants to act as government counsellors.”

The ISGL, which was founded in 2013, announced at its meeting in Paris last year that the international community is willing to assist Lebanon in overcoming the ongoing financial crisis, provided that an effective, credible and capable government is established to fight corruption. “We heavily rely on the $11 billion aid pledge we received at the CEDRE conference in Paris, which will mainly be devoted to investment in infrastructure projects,” Aoun said. He added: “Today we are facing all these crises and repercussions, and we welcome any assistance from the friends of Lebanon. (…) We are working to prepare a comprehensive economic and financial plan to mend the economy’s imbalances.”

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is in intensive care as his coronavirus symptoms worse

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by vox.com -- Jen Kirby -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been moved to an intensive care unit after his coronavirus symptoms worsened. “Over the course of this afternoon, the condition of the prime minister has worsened and, on the advice of his medical team, he has been moved to the intensive care unit at the hospital,” a spokesperson for the prime minister’s office said in a statement on Monday. This is a troubling development for the leader of the United Kingdom, who confirmed on March 27 that he had tested positive for the coronavirus. At the time, Johnson, who is 55, said he had “mild symptoms,” including a fever and persistent cough. He said he would continue to run the country in self-isolation. In the days since his initial diagnosis, however, Johnson’s condition has apparently worsened. On Sunday evening, the prime minister was admitted to St. Thomas’s Hospital in London for treatment, shortly after Queen Elizabeth II delivered a rare address to the country about the coronavirus crisis. Less than 24 hours later, his spokesperson said he had been admitted to the intensive care unit. According to reports, Johnson is still conscious, but he’s been moved to the ICU as a precaution, in case he requires the aid of a ventilator. ITV reporter Robert Peston said that Johnson required the aid of oxygen on Monday, but the prime minister is not currently on a ventilator, as of Monday 5 pm ET. Still, this is a startling development, as the leader of the United Kingdom is now dealing with the same debilitating virus that is causing an unprecedented national emergency. Johnson’s condition adds more uncertainty to a national crisis The UK has been under strict stay-at-home orders since March 23.