by NAJIA HOUSSARI — arabnews.com — BEIRUT: As the UN hosted a second International Conference on Assistance and Support to Beirut on Wednesday, there was growing impatience among donors with Lebanese politicians. The virtual event, chaired by French President Emmanuel Macron and UN Secretary-General António Guterres, aimed to coordinate international aid efforts in support of the Lebanese people as the country continues to face political, economic and social challenges. The participants — including heads of state, international organizations, donors, NGOs and civil-society representatives — discussed the results of the first conference, which was organized by France after the Beirut port explosion and held on Aug. 9. It resulted in pledges of aid worth about $300 million in a fund managed by the World Bank that will be channeled through UN agencies and NGOs rather than Lebanese state institutions.

However, delegates expressed impatience with the failure of political factions in Lebanon to resolve their differences and work together for the good of their country. Four months after the Aug. 4 explosion in Beirut, and the subsequent resignation of Hassan Diab’s government, a new government has yet to be formed, delaying the economic and political reforms needed to begin efforts to resolve the financial crisis. According to Reuters, the French presidency on Wednesday said: “No measures required in the French road map for Lebanon have been implemented and the Lebanese Central Bank’s accounts haven’t been audited.” It added: “American sanctions imposed on the Lebanese political class have not had any effect so far and will not help in forming a government.” This came after the leak of a conversation in which Dorothy Shea, the US ambassador to Lebanon, asked Nabih Berri, speaker of the Lebanese parliament, to “distance himself from Hezbollah.” She also hinted that “Washington will reject any government in which Hezbollah is represented and there won’t be any foreign aid without radical change.”

by defensenews.com – Aaron Mehta — WASHINGTON — The U.S. State Department on Tuesday cleared six Foreign Military Sales cases, potentially worth a combined total of $1.55 billion. The six cases, spread across South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Croatia, Lebanon and Canada, were announced on the website of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. DSCA announcements mean that the State Department has decided the potential FMS cases meet its standards, but this does not guarantee the sales will happen in their announced forms. Once approved by Congress, the foreign customer begins to negotiate on price and quantity, both of which can change during the final negotiations. Here are the details on each case:

Lebanon: The country seeks to spend $55.5 million to procure 300 M1152 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles in two tranches of 150 each. Beirut currently operates more than 1,000 HMMWVs of various designs, according to the DSCA, which are primarily used to “counter violent extremist organizations and to secure its border.” The primary contractor would be American General, with work happening in its South Bend, Indiana, facility. This is the first FMS case cleared for Lebanon since the start of the Trump administration.

by naharnet — The new chief of Iran’s Quds Force, General Esmail Ghaani, asked Hizbullah during a recent secret visit to Lebanon to “avoid provoking Israel,” a media report said on Monday. “Ghaani, who succeeded General Qasem Soleimani as the head of the Quds Force, the elite unit of Iranian Revolutionary Guards in charge of […]

by NAJIA HOUSSARI — arabnews.com — BEIRUT: The fifth round of negotiations regarding the demarcation of the maritime borders between Lebanon and Israel has been postponed until further notice. This announcement came 48 hours prior to talks scheduled to take place on Wednesday. Reuters had quoted a Lebanese security source and an Israeli official saying that “the US-mediated talks were postponed until further notice,” with the Lebanese source blaming the delay on “Israel’s rejection of Lebanese proposals.” The office of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis refused to comment on this move, as did the US Embassy in Beirut. Israel’s Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz had accused Lebanon of “changing its position regarding the maritime borders demarcation seven times,” adding that its positions so far had been “provocative.” His comment came after the fourth round of negotiations, held on Nov. 11 at the UN Interim Force in Lebanon’s (UNIFIL) headquarters in Ras Al-Naqoura. “Lebanon’s position during the fourth round of negotiations not only contradicts its previous positions, but also contradicts Lebanon’s position regarding the maritime borders with Syria, which takes the Lebanese island near the borders into consideration,” he added.

Steinitz also stressed the importance of “adhering to the principle of stability and settling the dispute according to what Israel and Lebanon had submitted to the United Nations. Any deviation from that principle will lead to a dead end,” he warned, hoping for a breakthrough in the upcoming few months. Middle East energy expert Marc Ayoub told Arab News: “The current suspension and postponement of the negotiations is for tactical reasons. Lebanon and Israel are clinging to their positions regarding the starting point of the maritime border demarcation. Lebanon wants it to be Ras Al-Naqoura, while Israel wants to go from unpopulated maritime ridges.” He added: “What is happening is just a rope-pulling process between the two sides. I think that the international community has to play an essential role in solving this issue, as it can benefit from the UNIFIL forces and their equipment to resolve the dispute and identify the coordinates according to international law. “I know that the American mediator will visit Lebanon and Israel to ease the tension and I think that what is happening is an attempt to win some time while waiting for the American decision.”

by dailystar.com — James Jabra — BEIRUT: Lebanon overcame a resilient Iraqi side 78-69 in an Asia Cup 2021 qualifier in Manama, Bahrain Sunday to book their place in next year’s continental showpiece event. It was the Cedars’ fourth win from as many games in qualification, maintaining their grip on Group D with eight points. Joe Moujaes’ side had limbered up nicely for Sunday’s vital encounter with a 115-60 trouncing of India Friday, but they were slow out of the blocks against table-proppers Iraq. Demario Mayfield was pulling the strings for Iraq in the first half, and a clutch of assists from the naturalized American saw Iraq take a narrow 40-36 lead into the break. But Lebanon, spearheaded by the talismanic Wael Arakji, swiftly regained the upper hand with a 19-5 run to open the third quarter

by aawsat.com — Inas Sherri — The Lebanese people are leading the worst live on earth, concluded a recent Gallup poll. Only 4 percent of Lebanese people surveyed assessed their life positively enough to consider it “thriving”, it added, making it the worst result in the poll that covered 2018 and 2019. The results are in no way shocking to any Lebanese citizen, even if they do cover 2019, before the emergence of the novel coronavirus pandemic that upended lives across the globe. Lebanon’s crises began to emerge shortly before the pandemic, in October 2019 and deepened in 2020 in wake of the virus outbreak and after the August 4 blast at Beirut port. Given the strains of daily life, it is no surprise that antidepressants are flying off the shelves in Lebanon amid speculation that they will no longer be subsidized. People have therefore, resorted to stocking up on the medication, causing a shortage in the market.

Head of the Pharmacists Syndicate Ghassan al-Amin told Asharq Al-Awsat that there has been a noticeable 20 percent rise in the use of antidepressants in the country since 2015. The use of antidepressants is understandable, said clinical psychologist Rania al-Boubou. The Lebanese people “have grown tired of searching for solutions and they have lost all hope of finding them.” Antidepressants are the only way to deal with their stress, she told Asharq Al-Awsat. “Everyone in Lebanon is living in fear. They are constantly worried and wrapped in dark thoughts,” she added, saying society is suffering from “collective depression.” Such negative feelings often play out in relationships between the people and in their daily lives, she went on to say. In such cases, she said it was not unusual to witness a rise in domestic violence and crimes sparked by minor incidents, such a traffic dispute. Suicidal thoughts also emerge.

by arabnews.com — DUBAI: Lebanese-Australian model Jessica Kahawaty has joined regional stars in promoting Valentino’s latest fragrance, Voce Viva, taking to social media as part of the #myvoicemystrength campaign. Kahawaty is featured alongside fashion gurus Laila Abdallah and Leena Al-Ghouti, who also took part in the campaign with their own posts and videos on Instagram. The Lebanese-Australian influencer posted a photo over the weekend in which she can be seen clutching the fragrance while sporting a peach sequined gown against the backdrop of a blue sky dotted with clouds. She captioned the post, “Voce Viva means to do something aloud for all to hear. Sometimes we think of our dreams, we write them down but what’s most important is saying them out loud for the universe to hear.”

Earlier in November, Kahawaty gave perfume lovers insight into the fragrance’s key notes, writing, “My voice takes on many forms: Serious, dreamy, funny… but most importantly, it always makes an impact. Meet Voce Viva fragrance with notes of orange blossom, mandarin and vanilla.” UAE-based Palestinian-Canadian influencer Al-Ghouti took to Instagram earlier in November with a video to promote the new scent. In it, she poses with the cubic bottle against a background of foliage and rocks while wearing a monochrome outfit, complete with a black hijab. “What does your voice mean to you?” Lebanese actress Abdallah asked in her caption, posted alongside a photo with an equally lush backdrop. In it, she poses in a sheer tulle top laid over an ochre slip.

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis raised 13 new cardinals to the highest rank in the Catholic hierarchy Saturday and immediately warned them not to use their titles for corrupt, personal gain, presiding over a ceremony marked from beginning to end by the coronavirus pandemic. Two new “princes” of the church, from Brunei and the Philippines, didn’t make it to Rome because of COVID-19 travel restrictions, though they were shown on giant screens watching it from home in the nearly empty St. Peter’s Basilica. Throughout the socially distanced ceremony, which clocked in at an unusually quick 45 minutes, cardinals new and old wore protective masks. Most removed their masks when they approached a maskless Francis to receive their red hats, but Cardinal Wilton Gregory, the first African-American cardinal, kept his on. Gregory also was one of the only new cardinals who kept his mask on when the group paid a singing courtesy visit to retired Pope Benedict XVI.

During his homily, Francis warned the new cardinals against falling into corruption or using their new rank for personal advancement, saying that just because they have a new title, “Eminence,” doesn’t mean they should drift from their people. His comments reflected Francis’ constant complaint about the arrogance of the clerical class, as well as his current battles to fight corruption in the Vatican hierarchy. “Let’s think of so many types of corruption in the life of the priesthood,” Francis told the new cardinals, deviating from his prepared text. If they think of themselves so grandly, “you won’t be pastors close to the people, you’ll just be ‘Eminence.’ And if you feel this way, you’ll have strayed off the road,” the pope warned. The ceremony, known as a consistory, is the seventh of Francis’ pontificate and once again reflected the Argentine pope’s effort to name cardinals from places that have never had them before or whose service to the church he wants to highlight. Nine are under age 80 and eligible to vote in a conclave to elect a new pope, further solidifying the majority of Francis-appointed, voting-age prelates in the College of Cardinals.

By NAJIA HOUSSARI — arabnews.com — BEIRUT: The Lebanese Parliament discussed on Friday a letter from President Michel Aoun requesting assistance in the forensic audit of the Banque du Liban’s accounts. The request overthrew the contract that the Lebanese government signed with the restructuring consultancy Alvarez & Marsal to conduct an audit of the central bank’s accounts. This is because the Banque du Liban is reluctant to provide information to the firm as it contradicts the Monetary and Credit Law and banking secrecy law. At the end of the session, members of Parliament endorsed a recommendation that “the accounts of the Banque du Liban, ministries, independent interests, councils, financial institutions, municipalities and all funds undergo a forensic audit in parallel without any hindrances and without invoking banking secrecy or anything else.” The debate in the UNESCO hall reflected a division between the parliamentary blocs. The Progressive Socialist Party, the Amal Movement, and the Future blocs supported “a comprehensive audit of all institutions,” while the MPs of the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces insisted on “auditing the accounts of the Banque du Liban first.”

The division was reflected in two bills, one of which was submitted by the Lebanese Forces bloc, suspending the banking secrecy law for one year, to be effective from the date of publication of this law in all matters related to financial audits and/or criminal investigations decided by the government on the accounts of the Banque du Liban. The bill of the Amal Movement MPs expands the scope of the forensic audit to include “all ministries, institutions, departments, funds, and councils without exception, discretion, changeability or maliciousness.” The Hezbollah bloc appeared to be the most embarrassed bloc among its two allies, the Amal Movement and the Free Patriotic Movement. The head of the bloc, MP Mohammad Raad, said during the session: “We support the forensic audit of the Banque du Liban, and we agree that the audit will be conducted in all public institutions, and we propose to endorse the temporary suspension of banking secrecy.”

by reuters — PARIS: France will host a video conference with international partners on Dec. 2 to discuss humanitarian aid for financially-strapped Lebanon, three sources aware of the matter said on Thursday. The meeting, in conjunction with the United Nations, will aim to have the highest-level representation possible with the objective of soliciting aid for […]