By NAJIA HOUSSARI -- arabnews -- BEIRUT: Reports about the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Roumieh Prison, the largest in Lebanon, have caused panic among the families of inmates who fear disaster if quick measures are not taken. Several guards and inmates are reported to have contracted the virus. Lebanon’s prisons already suffer from severe overcrowding, running at 160 percent of capacity at the end of 2019. Roumieh, located east of Beirut, houses more than 5,500 prisoners and has a separate juvenile section. The prison was opened in 1970 with a capacity of about 1,500 prisoners, but the number has grown over the years, making social distancing impossible. The possibility of granting a general amnesty to all inmates is currently under discussion.

Lawyer Ghida Franjieh said: “The judiciary ordered the release of many detainees since the announcement of the general mobilization to avoid crowding in detention facilities.” She added that parliamentary intervention would be required to ensure the release of those convicted of minor crimes. “There are many questions that need answers: Were the infections discovered in the early stages?” she added. “Were the infected people isolated immediately?” “The increase of overcrowding could lead to a health disaster in Roumieh Prison that may cross prison boundaries if the internal security forces and the judiciary do not take all necessary measures to protect infected prisoners and those in contact with them, especially since many prisoners suffer from weak immunity due to poor living conditions and health.”

By AFP -- Hundreds of Lebanese marched Saturday on the presidential palace to denounce a lack of progress in a probe by authorities into a monster blast that ravaged swathes of the capital 40 days ago. Some marchers carried black versions of the Lebanese flag in a sign of mourning for the more than 190 people who were killed in the August 4 explosion at the Beirut port, and others demanded the president resign. Twenty-five suspects are in custody over the tragedy that occurred when hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser that had been left unattended in a port warehouse exploded.

The blast, which wounded thousands and destroyed homes and businesses across large parts of Beirut, was one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions ever. The government resigned in the wake of the disaster, but Lebanon has rejected an international investigation, saying it would carry out its own probe aided by foreign experts. Saturday’s march set off from the justice palace in Beirut to the hillside presidential palace, where there were also hundreds of supporters of President Michel Aoun and heavy army deployment. Troops fired warning shots into the air as brawls between rival demonstrators broke out, AFP correspondents said. “It is not possible that no one has been put on trial after an explosion like the one that happened on August 4,” anti-government protester Layal Tohme said. “The country is collapsing,” she added. Darine Hourani, a supporter of Aoun, said the president “cannot be held to account each time something wrong takes place” in the country. “He is the president and we must respect him,” Hourani added. But Carla Moukahal, a critic of Aoun, said the president must step down. “I came here to bring down this corrupt political system. We want to oust Michel Aoun. Enough is enough,” said the 19-year-old.

By Bassem Mroue, Associated Press -- BEIRUT (AP) — During his visit this month, French President Emmanuel Macron gave Lebanon’s politicians a road map for policy changes and reform, set deadlines for them to take action and told them he’d be back in December to check on progress. It was a hands-on approach that angered some in Lebanon and was welcomed by others. And it revived a bitter question in the tiny Mediterranean country: Can Lebanese rule themselves? Lebanon’s ruling class, in power since the end of the civil war in 1990, has run the tiny country and its population into the ground. Heading a sectarian system that encourages corruption over governing, the elite have enriched themselves while investing little on infrastructure, failing to build a productive economy and pushing it to the verge of bankruptcy. Anger over corruption and mismanagement has come to a peak after the giant Aug. 4 explosion at Beirut’s port, caused by the detonation of nearly 3,000 tons of ammonium nitrate that politicians allowed to sit there for years. Nearly 200 people were killed and tens of thousands of homes were damaged. Another large fire erupted at the port on Thursday, only further traumatizing and frustrating Beirutis.

Poet and journalist Akl Awit wrote in An-Nahar newspaper that he strongly opposes outside interference, but the political elite brought it on themselves. “This is a class that does not care about law, constitution, judiciary, morals, conscience, earthquakes or even about bankrupting people,” he wrote. “This class only wants to stay in power." Some worry that even outside pressure cannot force reform on politicians, for whom reform means an end to power and perhaps eventual accountability. “They are known to give empty promises whether to their people or the international community,” said Elias Hankash, a legislator from the right-wing Kataeb party who resigned from parliament following the port explosion. “Regrettably maybe President Macron does not know whom he is dealing with.”

BEIRUT (Reuters) – A senior Lebanese security official has held talks about the formation of Lebanon’s government with French intelligence chief Bernard …