by reuters.com — Issam Abdallah, Alaa Kanaan – Sick of Lebanon’s political instability, Habib Rahhal had been mulling leaving since 2018 to seek a better future. But the final straw came in November when he was unable to get money out of the bank because of a national financial crisis. He stepped up his job search abroad and found one in Germany. The digital product designer left Beirut for Berlin this month, intending to build a new life and joining a growing wave of Lebanese driven abroad by the crisis. “Typically, if someone is leaving, you would be upset and try to persuade them not to. In Lebanon, it is the opposite… The first thing they say is ‘Congratulations!’,” Rahhal, 27, said as he packed his bag. “This is what makes Lebanese happy these days – leaving the country.”

Lebanon’s economic crisis is widely seen as the most acute since independence from France and worse than any it endured during the 1975-90 civil war. Long in the making, the crisis came to a head last year as flows of capital into the country slowed down and protests erupted against a ruling elite that has overseen decades of state corruption and bad governance. Banks have imposed tight limits on access to cash and transfers abroad, the Lebanese pound has slumped and firms have shed jobs and slashed wages. The economy shrank by 7% last year, according an estimate by the former economy minister. With no end in sight to the crisis, many people are considering where they might be able to go. Many Lebanese, including some of the most highly skilled, already have second passports, making it easier for them to leave.

by middleeasteye.net — An activist who became an icon after kicking a bodyguard of a Lebanese minister in the groin, has been told she will face trial in November. During demonstrations that erupted across Lebanon on 17 October last year, Malak Alawiye kicked the gun-wielding bodyguard of Education Minister Akram Chehayeb to prevent him from […]

by Naharnet — Lebanese-Saudi billionaire Bahaa Hariri, the eldest son of slain ex-PM Rafik Hariri, issued a rare statement Tuesday in which he denied playing behind-the-scenes roles in Lebanon’s troubled political life. “For a while now, Lebanese media outlets have been circulating news related to Sheikh Bahaeddine Hariri that have nothing to do with reality, […]

by arabnews.com – NAJIA HOUSSARI – BEIRUT: Meetings between Lebanese officials and a delegation from the International Monetary Fund began on Tuesday in an attempt to find a solution to the nation’s financial crisis. Lebanon asked the IMF six days ago for help to develop an economic rescue plan in light of a $1.2billion Eurobond debt that is due for repayment on March 9. It is the first of three looming debts due between now and June, worth $2.5bn in total, plus an additional $2bn in interest on a $30 billion debt portfolio.

The participants in the meetings will include Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab, central bank Governor Riad Salameh and representatives of the Banking Control Commission of Lebanon. “Lebanon’s economic and financial crisis is being addressed to mitigate its repercussions,” President Michel Aoun told the UK’s Senior Defense Adviser for Middle Eastern Affairs, Lt. Gen. Sir John Lorimer. “The IMF will provide its technical expertise in setting up a plan. “The unstable situation in several Middle Eastern countries in general, and in Syria in particular, has negatively affected Lebanon.” Amal Movement MP Yassin Jaber said: “Lebanon will wait for what the IMF delegation has to say. It will advise Lebanon and will not impose anything. It will then be up to the 20-minister cabinet to decide whether or not to take the advice.” The economic uncertainty has caused chaos in the money markets, and anger at what many see as profiteering by the banks and money changers. They have hiked the exchange rate against the dollar to 2,500 Lebanese pounds, even though the official exchange rate remains at 1,507, and in defiance of an agreement to limit the rate to 2,000 pounds. “The banks’ practices are a form of systematic fraud. They are confiscating the depositors’ money after having (imposed) high interest rates and reaped huge profits,” said MP Mohammad Kabbara.

by reuters –— BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab, who is getting the cold shoulder from Gulf Arab states, yesterday met Iran’s parliament speaker, the first senior foreign official to visit since Diab’s government took office. The heavily armed Hezbollah, an ally of Iran, is a main backer of Diab’s cabinet, which took office last month after efforts failed to strike a deal with Saad Al-Hariri, a traditional Western ally. Gulf Arab states had long channeled funds into Lebanon. But now, alarmed by the rising influence of Hezbollah, Lebanon’s rich neighbors appear loathe to help it out of an unprecedented economic and financial crisis. The crisis came to a head last year as slowing capital inflows led to a liquidity crunch and protests erupted against the ruling elite. Banks are curbing access to cash, the Lebanese pound has slumped, inflation has spiked and firms are shedding jobs. Foreign donors say they will only help once Lebanon enacts long-delayed reforms. Analysts say Hezbollah’s role in forming Lebanon’s new cabinet could make it harder to get aid from Western and Gulf states that are worried about Tehran’s clout in the region. Diab has said his first trip abroad would be to the Arab region, particularly the Gulf monarchies. But none of them have officially commented on the government nor extended public invitations to Diab. An Arab diplomat in the Gulf said only Qatar had invited Diab to visit so far. “No other government in the Gulf will invite him,” the diplomat said. Qatar did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it had sent an invitation.

by dailystar.com.lb — BEIRUT: An Israeli online newspaper reported Monday that a Lebanese man, who worked for the Israeli Mossad, fears deportation to Lebanon, claiming that Israel refuses to help him. The Times of Israel says that Benjamin Philip-not his real name- worked for the Mossad since 2011, during which time he helped gather information on Lebanon’s Hezbollah. While the paper does not give his current whereabouts, it says Philip is seeking asylum in Europe.“However, if this [asylum] fails […] it appears he will be sent back to Lebanon,” the report said. He said that if deported, he will face years of imprisonment, “a scenario that he, a gay man, cannot accept, knowing that such a sentence in a Lebanese prison would mean rape and torture,” the paper said. Philip added that his decision to go public with his story came “out of a sense of desperation, hoping — as a last-ditch effort — that by making his case public, he could pressure Israel and the Mossad to help him, as he says they promised to do.”

by middleeasteye.net — Lebanon’s state-owned carrier Middle East Airlines (MEA) revoked a decision to accept payment only in US dollars after a backlash on Sunday, Lebanese media said. The country is in the throes of an economic meltdown and a biting liquidity crunch that has seen the local currency depreciate and banks impose stringent controls on withdrawals and transfers abroad, AFP said. News of the decision, which was first reported late Saturday, drew dozens of people to MEA’s ticket office at Beirut airport where they tried to buy tickets in Lebanese pounds before the decision was due to take effect on Monday, Reuters reported. Former foreign minister Gebran Bassil declared the decision illegal. Writing on Twitter, parliamentarian Fouad Makhzoumi said the move put the Lebanese under effective “house arrest” and must be cancelled. President Michel Aoun said airfares should be priced in Lebanese pounds in line with the law.

by thehill.com — John Craig is former U.S. Ambassador –Lebanon today can be likened to a bus without brakes, its driver hurtling toward a brick wall. One can see the impending collapse of the country’s economy and national currency, a perfect storm that’s been in the making for at least ten years. However, the passengers on this bus — the Lebanese people — are not sitting idly by. They have risen up against those who drove Lebanon toward its collapse, and many have abandoned it midway, taking from the country all they could carry. The Transatlantic Leadership Network held a conference earlier this month at the U.S. House of Representatives in Washington D.C. dedicated to Lebanon’s turmoil. All-star experts gathered in an effort to discuss best ways forward. One was one of the most reputable members of Lebanon’s parliament: Neemat Frem.

Frem left the comfort zone of a successful 25 years in the private business sector to run for parliament. After winning the seat, he began his public service with a simple question that ended up demonstrating the gravity of problems in Lebanon: How many paid employees were there in Lebanon’s public sector? Frem could not obtain the answer from anyone. Frem instructed the Central Audit Bureau to his parliamentary committee, officially requesting a bottom-up audit of all 150 governmental departments and directorates. The report displayed stunning results: Lebanon’s public sector workforce stands at 256,000 employees and 100,000 retirees — out of a total Lebanese workforce of 1.2 million. Almost a third of the country’s workforce was on the public sector payroll.

By Cat Ellis – techradar.com —

WhatsApp dark mode

  After a long, long wait, WhatsApp dark mode is now available to beta testers on Android and iOS, and hopefully a full global launch won’t be far behind. Soon, everyone will be able to catch up with the group chat in comfort when the lights are low, and maybe even save a little battery power in the process. It’s a big step for the messaging app, which now has over two billion active users, but there are lots more changes on the horizon. Here are some of the changes and new features we’re expecting to see in the coming months. Some of these are almost certainly on the way, based on hints found in the app’s install files, whereas others are speculation based on comments made by WhatsApp staff at conferences and trade shows. However many of them actually arrive on handsets, it’s set to be an interesting few months.

Ads (a few, at least)

 Originally, WhatsApp’s owner Facebook had intended to start slipping ads into your chats in 2020, but just a few weeks ago it emerged that the team tasked with this job had been disbanded. In January, The Wall Street Journal reported that Facebook had broken up a team responsible for finding ways to work advertisements into conversations – a move that would have been met with widespread annoyance. That doesn’t mean WhatsApp will remain entirely ad-free, thoughl Facebook is still planning to plug ads into the app’s Status feature. This works much like Instagram Stories, with posts that are only visible for a short time, but occupy your whole screen.

by washingtonexaminer.com — by Zachary Halaschak — A U.S. senator is threatening Lebanon with sanctions over the arrest and imprisonment of a cancer-stricken American citizen. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, who is reportedly working on a sanctions bill, told Fox News that Amer Fakhoury is being held by authorities despite no proof of wrongdoing. “There has been no evidence to substantiate the charges against Amer Fakhoury, and his health condition is dire,” the New Hampshire Democrat said. “Time is of the essence, and the Lebanese government needs to understand there will be consequences for his continued detention.” Fakhoury, who was born in Lebanon, was arrested there during a visit last September after a Hezbollah-affiliated publication alleged that he tortured people imprisoned by the South Lebanon Army, a majority-Christian militia group backed by Israel in its fight against Hezbollah and Palestinian militias during the 1980s and 1990s. He was held for six months before being charged with murder, kidnapping, and the torture of prisoners at Khiam detention center, which is located near Lebanon’s southern border with Israel. Celine Atallah, Fakhoury’s lawyer, said that the charges are made up and noted that the names of SLA members accused of torture have been publicly released and do not include Fakhoury. “Amer’s only crime is that he is a United States citizen, which is making the Lebanese government hold him hostage to gain leverage over the United States,” she said. “This is an egregious act of criminality by them.”