by middleeastmonitor.com — Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker, Nabih Berri, said, Wednesday, his country is under siege, amid a diplomatic crisis with Gulf countries …

By Najia Houssari -- arabnews.com -- BEIRUT: The Lebanese pound hit record lows this week, trading at almost LBP29,000 to the US dollar, leading to an intervention from the Banque du Liban that allowed the exchange rate to drop to LBP27,000. This spurred self-employed professionals to call for a national state of emergency to be declared, while the transport sector announced that Thursday would be a “day of anger.” Further exacerbating the situation in Lebanon, the director-general of telecom company Ogero, Imad Kreidieh, said he had applied for an urgent advance to purchase fuel to continue operating the electrical generators for telecom networks. In light of Lebanon’s increasing financial challenges, the purchasing power of Lebanese citizens has shrunk by 95 percent, while the minimum wage has become the equivalent of about $24. “But President Michel Aoun refrained from signing decrees since the Cabinet is not convening, which may lead to the suspension of our services and interruption of internet services,” he added.

The head of the Syndicate of Food Importers, Hani Bohsali, said: “The situation is too dangerous. It is not limited to the exchange rate or price increase. Food security is in danger. Regardless of the ability to secure dollars for imports, the problem has become in the consumer’s ability to purchase goods. Chaos is pervading markets.” The heads of professional syndicates met on Wednesday and expressed “deep concerns about the comprehensive deterioration that has crossed the line and is now threatening the country’s foundations.” The syndicates called for the need to declare a national state of emergency, accompanied by “vigorous work” to initiate a political solution to save the country and put in place a clear and effective rescue plan, especially “in the absence of serious solutions” for social and economic issues. “BDL and the Association of Banks in Lebanon ought to take urgent measures to make it easier for the professional syndicates to withdraw their deposits in Lebanese and foreign currencies as soon as possible,” the syndicates demanded, threatening to sue BDL and ABL, and carry out massive protests.

by reuters — Lebanon’s public prosecutor on Tuesday instructed the security forces to arrest a top politician over the Beirut port blast, …

By NAJIA HOUSSARI -- arabnews.com -- BEIRUT: Lebanese President Michel Aoun complained on Monday about the “continued failure” of the country’s Cabinet to convene, disrupting government and judicial work amid a widening rift between Hezbollah and the rest of the political establishment. Aoun, an ally of Hezbollah, made his remarks after Maronite Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi attacked “those who obstruct the Cabinet (from) meeting … against the interests of the state and the people,” in a sermon on Sunday. The continued stalemate over the Cabinet stems from a refusal by Hezbollah to adhere to a stance preventing Lebanon from interfering in the affairs of Arab countries. The Cabinet initially stopped meeting on Oct. 12, after Hezbollah and the Amal Movement decided to boycott its sessions in a bid to force the removal of Judge Tarek Bitar from the investigation into the explosion at the Port of Beirut last year. Lebanon is going through stifling economic conditions in light of the collapse of the Lebanese pound against the dollar.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Monday in the presence of the French presidential envoy, Ambassador Pierre Dukan, that “contacts are continuing to find a solution to the government’s situation.” But he added that “calling for a Cabinet session without securing the appropriate conditions may cause more political tension and complicate solutions more and more.” The French envoy — who is also coordinator of international aid for Lebanon — stressed “the necessity of laying down general principles to address the Lebanese crisis before reaching an agreement with the International Monetary Fund.” The ambassador said that the agreement with the IMF should be completed before the next parliamentary elections. On Sunday night, Mikati strongly condemned “affronting the leadership and the people of Bahrain,” after a complaint was lodged by Bahrain’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs over a press conference held in Beirut for “hostile elements classified as supporting and sponsoring terrorism, for broadcasting and promoting abusive and malicious allegations against Bahrain.”