By Najia Houssari -- arabnews.com -- BEIRUT: Economic and entertainment activities have been restarted in Beirut and other Lebanese tourist centers as the number of COVID-19 cases starts to fall. Some hospitals have announced that they will close their COVID-19 departments, and the Follow-up Committee on Coronavirus Preventive Measures has recommended allowing the reopening of cinemas and theaters, provided they only fill 50 percent of their capacity. Restaurants and cafes have also been allowed to extend their opening hours. Last Saturday, for the first time since Aug. 4, tents were set up in the center of Beirut under the banner “Souk Al-Balad,” an initiative started by Association Ardona, with the support of Beirut markets and in cooperation with Solidere Company to encourage small producers to promote their artisanal or agricultural production.

A women’s marathon was held on Beirut’s waterfront on Sunday, organized by the Beirut Marathon Association. During the coming weeks, downtown Beirut will witness numerous entertainment activities, including a children’s fashion show. Adib Al-Naqeeb, director of the marketing department at Solidere, told Arab News: “Beirut markets are now in a state of stagnation as a result of the lockdowns and the port explosion. Because the time is now more encouraging for people to get out of the lockdown, we wanted to host activities that make people happy and restore hope.” Jean Beiruti, secretary-general of the Tourism and Trade Unions Federation, said: “People decided to resist the crises created by the politicians and to move on with their lives, otherwise they may commit mass suicide.” He said: “People reject the situation in which they found themselves. Therefore, we see that with the relaxation of COVID-19 preventive measures, they have returned to restaurants and cafes and to the nightlife, as far as they can afford to. These tourist institutions have decided to price their dollar exchange rate at 5,000 Lebanese pounds to continue operating even though on the black market the exchange rate is more than double amount.”

by NAJIA HOUSSARI -- arabnews -- BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri said on Saturday that he will not form a Cabinet that simply caters to President Michel Aoun’s wishes. “I will not form a government as the team of the president wants it, or any other political faction,” Hariri told a parliamentary session. The prime minister-designate added that he “will only form the kind of government needed to stop collapse and prevent the big crash that is threatening the Lebanese.” Hariri’s remarks came in response to the president’s letter to parliament calling on MPs search for an alternative to the prime minister-designate. Parliament’s plenary session was broadcast live and lasted for about two hours. Lebanon has been without a government for seven months after Hassan Diab’s resignation as prime minister in the wake of the Beirut port blast which killed more than 200 people last August.

Hariri told parliament that “the truth of what is happening is that the president of the republic tells the deputies in his message: ‘You named a prime minister, I do not want him, and I will not allow him to form a government. Please, get rid of him.’ This is an attempt to absolve the president of the republic from the accusation of obstructing the formation of the government.” The prime minister-designate also said that Aoun sent messages to foreign capitals similar to his letter to parliament “to protect some of those around him and the political team from European sanctions.” He accused Aoun of “wanting us to amend the constitution. If we don’t, he wants to change the constitution in practice without amendment.”

by Joseph Haboush, Al Arabiya English -- US and Lebanese officials held the inaugural Defense Resourcing Conference Friday and the State Department announced $120 million in military aid for the Lebanese army. “In this virtual conference, the delegations highlighted the strength of the US-LAF partnership and discussed ways to deepen security cooperation,” the State Department said. Senior Official for Arms Control and International Security C.S. Eliot Kang headed Washington’s delegation while Lebanese army commander General Joseph Aoun led Beirut’s side. The delegations discussed the deteriorating economic, political, and humanitarian conditions affecting the Lebanese people and military, the State Department said. “The US Department of State renewed its commitment to the LAF by announcing $120 million in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) assistance to Lebanon for fiscal year 2021, subject to Congressional notification procedures, representing a $15 million increase over prior-year levels.”

Discussions also took place on ways the US could provide additional aid to the Lebanese army “as it grapples with the economic crises in Lebanon.” Decades of rampant corruption and mismanagement of public funds, coupled with sectarianism and clientelism, have led to unprecedented economic and social crises in Lebanon. Nationwide anti-government protests in 2019 also rocked the country, forcing the collapse of the government. The political elite was then unable to agree on a new government after Hassan Diab stepped down following the Beirut blast in August 2020.

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Scuffles erupted on Thursday between Lebanese and Syrians, who were on their way to cast votes at their embassy …