Khazen

Netflix has just uploaded a whole bunch of iconic Lebanese movies

By Nimotalai Oki, Editorial Assistant – Netflix is paying tribute to Lebanese filmmakers by creating a collection of 34 locals films, available exclusively on the streaming platform. Lebanon is the home to some of the most iconic Arab movies, so this news is music to our ears! Netflix’s news to create the “Made in Lebanon” catalogue […]

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Lebanese economic bodies call for assistance amid government formation crisis

by NAJIA HOUSSARI — arabnews.com —BEIRUT: The new Lebanese prime minister to head the next government is expected to be named within two days. Meanwhile, questions are being raised regarding Thursday’s parliamentary consultations, with President Michael Aoun rumored to be considering delaying them for a second time. Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri is the only name proposed to form the new government, with the two Christian parties — the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and the Lebanese Forces — objecting to his nomination. Richard Kouyoumjian, former minister and serving member of the Lebanese Forces parliamentary bloc, said that his party’s objection does not mean it is refusing to participate in the binding consultations. “The mere participation of the bloc’s representatives in the parliamentary consultations makes it legal as per the common agreed values and laws, whether or not the bloc names the person who will be assigned to head the new government,” he said. Kouyoumjian called for “the implementation of the constitution” and said: “Enough bidding in the name of the sect.”

The stance of the Lebanese Forces means the FPM is the only bloc disrupting the parliamentary process. The Lebanese Forces’ decision not to propose anyone to head the government differed from its position in the two previous parliamentary consultations. In these consultations, the party proposed Ambassador Nawaf Salam. Future parliamentary bloc member Mohammad Hajjar hoped that the consultations would not be postponed as “it will not be in the interest of the country and the people.” He told Arab News: “The first postponement was not justified. We said that the French initiative is an opportunity to rescue the country and that it should not be wasted. We said that postponement does not change anything, but rather will be an obstruction that does not benefit the country. We hope to have a prime minister assigned on Thursday by a parliamentary majority.”

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إزالة التعديات عن أملاك الكنيسة المارونية في لاسا

khazen.org thanks the Lebanese Authority in taking prompt action against the thugs that has invaded lands that are owned by our Maronite Church.  by imlebanon.org —  أزالت عناصر الفهود بمؤازرة الجيش، فجر الاثنين، التعديات عن أملاك الكنيسة المارونية في لاسا. وفي هذا السياق، غرد النائب شوقي الدكاش على حسابه عبر “تويتر” قائلًا: “إن ازالة التعديات […]

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Senior U.S. officials self-isolate after meeting Lebanese spymaster who’s positive for Covid

Senior U.S. officials self-isolate after meeting Lebanese spymaster who’s positive for Covid

By Nahal Toosi — politico — Several U.S. officials, including a senior figure at the State Department, are now self-isolating after meeting with a Lebanese spymaster who has tested positive for the coronavirus. David Hale, the undersecretary of State for political affairs; CIA Director Gina Haspel; and national security adviser Robert O’Brien were among the Americans who met with Lebanon’s Major Gen. Abbas Ibrahim during his recent visit to Washington, people familiar with the situation told POLITICO. Hale, as well as several other employees from the State Department and other executive branch divisions, are now self-isolating for 14 days, a U.S. official said. It was not immediately clear whether Haspel is among them. O’Brien has already had the virus in the past.

Ibrahim, who leads Lebanon’s directorate of general security, has had to delay his return to Beirut and cancel meetings in France because of his Covid-19 results, his directorate said in a Twitter thread. He “is in good health,” his office said in the thread. The State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Neither did the National Security Council, nor the CIA. Ibrahim had told the Middle East-based news organization The National that he was visiting the U.S. in part to boost intelligence-sharing with Washington and work on releasing more hostages held in Iran and Syria. Ibrahim is believed to be involved in efforts to free Austin Tice, an American journalist who may be in Syrian custody. Lebanon has been in economic and political turmoil for months, a situation aggravated by a massive August explosion that devastated Beirut. A vast cache of improperly stored ammonium nitrate has been blamed for the blast, which killed more than 200 people, wounded thousands and left many more homeless. Daniel Lippman and Natasha Bertrand contributed to this report.

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Enraged Macron washes hands of Lebanese crisis

by dailystar.com.lb — Hussein Dakroub — BEIRUT: French President Emmanuel Macron is outraged by Lebanese political leaders’ failure to act quickly to form a new government to deliver reforms and has therefore decided to wash his hands of the Lebanese crisis for now, a Western diplomatic source said Sunday. However, despite Macron’s frustration with rival Lebanese politicians’ lack of seriousness in dealing with the country’s worst economic and financial crunch in decades, the French initiative to rescue Lebanon from a series of multiple crises is still alive, the source told The Daily Star. “President Macron has washed his hands of the Lebanese crisis, in a move reflecting his disappointment with Lebanon’s political leaders’ continued obstruction of the formation of a new government to enact urgent reforms. He has relegated to the French cell of former French ambassadors who served in Lebanon the job of following up on the implementation of the French initiative to save Lebanon,” the source said.

Macron’s fiery stance came after President Michel Aoun this week suddenly postponed until Oct. 22 binding parliamentary consultations to designate a new prime minister that were set to take place Thursday, apparently due to a lack of strong Christian support for former Prime Minister Saad Hariri’s nomination. Hariri had appeared assured of gaining the support of a parliamentary majority sufficient to designate him to form a new government despite opposition from the two main Christian blocs — the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces. Hariri, backed by France and regional powers, had emerged as the favorite candidate to form the next government in the absence of a serious Sunni rival. Aoun cited what he called “difficulties that need to be resolved” for his decision to postpone the parliamentary consultations. But Future Movement MP Assem Araji had told The Daily Star that Aoun acted at FPM leader MP Gebran Bassil’s behest to postpone the parliamentary consultations in a bid to block Hariri’s designation for the premiership. A source at Baabda Palace Sunday said the binding consultations would go ahead as scheduled Thursday. “So far, the consultations will take place as planned on Thursday. Barring last-minute hitches, Prime Minister Hariri is expected to be designated as prime minister Thursday,” the source told The Daily Star.

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Lebanese designers struggle to rebuild their brands following triple crisis

by euronews.com — Lebanon’s fashion industry is currently enduring a triple crisis. The current economic recession is the worst in the country’s history, COVID-19 has decimated sales and August’s port explosion has destroyed many outlets. To support the sector, a global crowdfunding campaign called “United for Lebanese Creatives” was established. The initiative identified & raised funds for more than 30 Lebanese designers & artists, many of them with ateliers & shops destroyed. Collection collateral Twenty-eight-year-old Lebanese designer, Roni Helou, is a recipient of the aid provided by United for Lebanese Creatives. Helou’s business suffered badly following August’s port explosion, with his atelier, equipment and machinery destroyed. The designer, who did not have insurance, estimates his losses will run to around $15,000.The young creative established his Beirut-based label in 2017, with a focus on sustainability, ethical & local fashion. His latest menswear collection, due for September release in the UAE, was also lost in the port blast. The pieces were made from environmentally friendly, discarded fabrics and so-called ‘dead stock’ materials. The collection took more than a month to construct at a cost of approximately $2,000.

Couturier comeback

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Lebanese Patriarch urges leaders to stop delays in forming government

by arabnews.com — BEIRUT: Lebanon’s top Christian cleric urged Lebanese leaders to stop delaying talks on forming a government in a scathing Sunday sermon in which he blamed them for the country’s financial crisis and political deadlock. Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, leader of the Maronite church, was speaking a day after demonstrators marched through Beirut […]

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U.S. Meets With Lebanon Security Head to Resolve Israel Dispute

Abbas Ibrahim

By Jennifer Jacobs — Bloomberg — Lebanon’s security chief held talks with top administration officials in Washington this week as the U.S. seeks to resolve his country’s energy dispute with Israel and free an American journalist kidnapped in Syria, according to people familiar with the matter. Abbas Ibrahim, the influential head of Lebanon’s General Security agency, spoke with Robert O’Brien, President Donald Trump’s national security adviser, at a dinner on Friday night, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private meetings. He also met Central Intelligence Agency Director Gina Haspel. Amid the Trump administration’s push to shift broader U.S. policy in the Middle East, the fate of Austin Tice remains unresolved some eight years after he was abducted in Syria while on assignment. Trump said in March that the U.S. is working with Syria — Lebanon’s war-wracked neighbor — to secure the journalist’s release.

O’Brien and Ibrahim also met at the White House during the Lebanese official’s visit, according to one of the people. The two know each from when O’Brien served as Trump’s hostage envoy in 2018 and 2019. Ibrahim played a role in the release of three hostages, including Sam Goodwin, a U.S. citizen released from Syria last year, and Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese businessman and U.S. resident who was let go by Iran and accompanied by Ibrahim on his return to Beirut. The White House and a CIA spokeswoman declined to comment. A General Security spokesman in Beirut said he had no information on any meetings. Read more: Senators Urge Pompeo to Press for Release of Americans Overseas Guests at the Friday night dinner included Diane Foley, the mother of American journalist James Foley, who covered Syria’s civil war and was beheaded by Islamic State in 2014. She presented Ibrahim with an award, according to one of the people.

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Lebanon: Anti-government protesters mark one year of ‘revolution’

Protests in Lebanon (Hassan Ammar/AP/picture-alliance)

by AP — Lebanese protesters are still calling for the downfall of the political elite, although a year of rallies has so far failed to spark a full-blown revolution. The country is still reeling from the deadly Beirut blast. Anti-government protesters rallied across Lebanon on Saturday, marking a year since hundreds of thousands of people first came out on streets to protest taxes, corruption and poverty. “We will continue no matter what,” read one placard at the protests in Beirut, as thousands of people chanted “Revolution, revolution.” The protests first broke out after people people disappointment with the government boiled over last October. With minor changes, the ruling elite has been in power since Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war. While the rapidly deteriorating economic crisis and a collapse of the currency were the main driving force for the protests that rocked the country, the situation has only gotten worse since then.

The country faces an uncertain future with no stable government in place, which has further amplified the damage caused by the coronavirus and the massive August 4 explosion at the capital city’s port. The blast has killed over 190 people and injured 6,00 more. While marches seem to have taken a backseat in the current political and economic climate, protesters maintain that the movement will continue. They demand the resignation of President Michel Aoun. “The revolution did not die,” said activist Rabih al-Zein, as protesters took to the streets of Beirut, Tripoli, and other cities. “We can hold this corrupt authority accountable and the proof is we brought down two governments.” In Beirut, protesters marched near the central bank and parliament, before continuing down to the site of the devastating August blast. A candlelight vigil marked the exact time when ammonium nitrate exploded at the port.

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US Embassy in Beirut: Schenker did not praise Aoun

US Embassy in Beirut: Schenker did not praise Aoun |

by alkhaleejtoday.co — Beirut – The US embassy in Lebanon had to issue a notice to explain what was said by US Assistant Secretary of State David Schenker during his meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, where it said that Schenker urged President Aoun to use the sword of transparency “figuratively”, and he did not mean any courtesy. In a statement, the US embassy spokesman in Beirut Casey Bonfield said that Schenker referred to the sword hanging in President Aoun’s office, which was written on it: Transparency is the sword that eliminates corruption. Commenting on the phrase, Schenker urged President Aoun to use the sword of transparency (a metaphorical use) to change the governance approach. The Baabda Palace statement indicated that Schenker “praised the positive role that President Aoun plays in leading the fight against corruption and changing the approach that prevailed in the past, considering that reforms in Lebanon are essential, especially since there is no difference between politics and economics.”

Lebanese political circles saw in the words of the US embassy spokesman a clear denial of the statement issued by the Republican Palace, denying the existence of any intention by Schenker to polish the image of Michel Aoun and to show it in the guise of those working to combat corruption. David Schenker’s words to President Michel Aoun were not intended as courtesy Schenker arrived in Beirut last Wednesday to participate in the opening of the Lebanese-Israeli negotiations on the demarcation of the maritime borders. It was expected that the American official would leave Beirut for Rabat immediately after the opening session of negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, but he decided to stay in Lebanon for other days to hold talks with politicians and activists in the political field, who listened to their views and views.

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