by al-monitor.com - Lebanon will impose a three-week curfew for unvaccinated residents beginning Dec. 17 and mandate vaccines for certain workers in an effort to stave off the new Omicron coronavirus variant. Those without at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose or a negative PCR test in the past 48 hours will be subject to a curfew from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Under new rules unveiled by Lebanon’s COVID-19 committee on Wednesday, public servants and workers in the security, military, health, education and tourism sectors must be fully vaccinated by Jan. 10 or pay for their own PCR test twice a week. The coronavirus committee also decided to extend by several days the winter holiday for schools and universities in order for students to have more time to get vaccinated. Bars and restaurants will be required to turn away customers who are not at least partially vaccinated or have tested negative.

The small Mediterranean country has yet to confirm any cases of the Omicron variant, but its strained health care system is still struggling to tamp down COVID-19 cases. On Wednesday, the Health Ministry announced 1,892 new infections and 10 deaths from the virus, raising the country’s total to more than 670,000 cases and over 8,700 deaths since the start of the pandemic. A number of other Middle East countries have rolled out travel restrictions and other containment measures to slow the spread of the new variant, which was discovered in South Africa and has since been identified in more than 20 countries.

By Sunniva Rose -- thenationalnews.com -- Lebanese officials are closing in on a $600 million World Bank loan to fund a regional power deal that would provide Lebanon with six more hours of electricity per day in the coming months, Energy Minister Walid Fayad has said. Egypt has committed to selling a minimum quantity of gas to Lebanon equivalent to 650 million cubic metres per year to provide 450 megawatts of electricity, said Mr Fayad. Jordan is expected to transfer 250MW from its power grid to Lebanon. The World Bank will fund the deal which is aimed at alleviating Lebanon’s worsening electricity shortages via a loan that will be disbursed over the next two years, Mr Fayad told The National on Tuesday.

“We are rounding the funding to make sure the full amount is available for both the Jordanian and Egyptian gas deals because they are likely to happen simultaneously rather than sequentially,” he said. “That would amount to about $300m in total for the Egyptian deal. For Jordan, my estimate is approximately about $200m. I’d say the total reaches about $600m,” he said. Following the mapping of the Arab Gas Pipeline, Egyptian gas sent to Lebanon must go through Syria.

Countries involved in the deal will be able to avoid US sanctions on Syria issued in 2019 via the Caesar Act by paying in kind instead of in cash for transit services, with Damascus keeping a small portion of the gas. “Jordan and Egypt received letters of reassurance from the US administration [regarding US sanctions] but they need to continue the due diligence process to make sure all companies are properly listed,” said Mr Fayad. Lebanon will pay Egypt between $7 and $10 per million BTU (British Thermal Unit) — a measure used for energy sources including natural gas — of which Syria would take the equivalent of $0.75 per BTU, said Mr Fayad. It remains unclear whether or not the 650 million cubic metres of gas will include the portion that goes to Syria.

By Timour Azhari and Maha El Dahan MAARAB, Lebanon (Reuters) – Lebanese Forces Political Leader Geagea accused foe Hezbollah and its allies of working to postpone a parliamentary election set for March over fears of electoral losses, warning such a move would condemn Lebanon to a “slow death”. Western donors that Lebanon is relying on to stem its financial implosion have said the vote must go ahead. Politicians from all sides, including Shi’ite Muslim Hezbollah, have repeatedly said it should happen otherwise the country’s standing would be dealt a further blow. But Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces and an ally of Saudi Arabia, pointed the finger at Hezbollah and its ally President Michel Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement for moves to delay it “because they are near certain that they will lose their parliamentary majority”.

Aoun said this month he would not sign authorisation for the vote, approved by parliament, to be held on March 27 as the date was too early. Asked whether a postponement would lead to more fighting after clashes last month between the Lebanese Forces and Hezbollah, Geagea, said: “Not fighting, but to more slow death.” “With the current way things are going, state institutions – and so the state – is dissolving day by day,” he told Reuters at his residence in the mountains overlooking the coastal town of Jounieh. Lebanon has no reliable opinion polling but should the election take place, Geagea’s party is widely expected to make gains, with the Free Patriotic Movement expected to lose seats, potentially robbing Hezbollah of its majority. Without an election to shake up parliament “you will see more of the same”, Geagea said. The United Nations says the economic meltdown has left nearly 80% of people in poverty.

الى من يعارض الحياد لانه لا يتناسب مع الموقف الوطني من العدو الاسرائيلي، كيف يفسر الانحياز والاصطفاف في محور اقليمي ضد الدول …