by AFP -- FAQRA: Amid designer sunglasses, champagne buckets and luxury cars, Lebanon’s economic crisis is not immediately obvious in Faqra. Digging into a salad at an exclusive country club in the Lebanese mountains, Zeina El-Khalil was glad to be there for the summer. “The atmosphere in Beirut has become heavy and depressing. Reality is everywhere. But here we feel like we’re in another country,” she said. Lebanon is mired in its worst economic crisis in decades, with the downturn sparking soaring inflation and plunging almost half the country’s population into poverty. For the wealthy, trips abroad were off as banks blocked dollar withdrawals or transfers and the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) complicated international travel. But some of Lebanon’s wealthiest families have escaped to the Faqra Club, perched 1,600 meters (5,250 feet) above the Mediterranean. “Usually we spend our holidays abroad, but this year we can’t travel for financial reasons and COVID-19,” said El-Khalil.

Nestled in a mountain resort town famous for its ski slopes, the Faqra Club is an oasis of luxury in an otherwise collapsing country. Its motto, according to the official website, is “Life at the top.” Expensive cars pack the parking lot, while club members shuffle between its many facilities, including stables, a tennis court and a 9D movie theater. Around a long swimming pool, bronzed bodies sprawl on sofas and sun loungers, sipping cocktails, as music blasts in the background. “Life must go on,” said Sara, a 26-year-old lawyer. “We won’t stay trapped in the house.” Sealed off from the woes plaguing the rest of the country, the Faqra Club has become a magnet for those looking to do brisk business.

by thenational.ae -- Sunniva Rose -- “Have you seen this?” asked "Walid", a generator owner in Beirut, as he held up a plastic bottle in disbelief. It was filled with two different liquids: yellow at the top, and transparent at the bottom. “This is diesel mixed with water that I bought on the black market last week," Walid said. "It broke four of my filters." Compounding Lebanon’s already existing electricity problems, its local “mafia” of private generators owners went on a one-hour strike on Tuesday. They threatened to turn off all of the country’s generators next week for an entire day. They are unhappy because the country’s economic crisis forces them to buy diesel, which is sometimes tainted, at inflated prices. “I have spent as much money last month as I usually do in six months," Walid said. "I don’t know if I’ll be able to continue to operate."

He stood in the dark in his small basement office, regularly wiping his brow with a handkerchief because of the sweltering heat. Walid saidhe had spent 2.4 million Lebanese pounds, or $315 at the black market rate, to repair the filters that were broken by the tainted diesel. A strike by generator owners would cause a massive electricity shortage in the country. Lebanon’s state utility Electricite du Liban’s output only provides two hours of electricity a day on average in Beirut. It has been unable to produce enough electricity to satisfy demand since the end of Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war, with average cuts of three hours a day in the capital. They can increase to 12 hours a day in the countryside. Private generator owners stepped in to close the gap. They are technically illegal but operate freely. “They are called a mafia because they divide neighbourhoods up like drug dealers,” said Nizar Hassan, a Lebanese political analyst. "People don’t have the option to choose who they will subscribe with. “Generator owners also impose much higher fees on people than they should and do not respect prices imposed by the Energy Ministry."

by arabnews.com -- NAJIA HOUSSARI -- BEIRUT: The Lebanese government agreed on Tuesday to reinforce coronavirus lockdown measures after a spike in new cases threatened to overwhelm the crisis-hit country’s health care system. Lebanon, a country of some 6 million people, has recorded a total of 3,879 cases of COVID-19, including 51 deaths. Activists on social media shared a video of a Lebanese man in his car arguing with security forces after being fined for failing to wear a face mask. Authorities decided to shut down the country again following an alarming increase in the number of COVID-19 cases. Ministers on Tuesday were tested for the virus before taking part in ministerial session at the Presidential Palace.

President Michel Aoun called for “stricter application” of the lockdown order to limit the “negative repercussions on citizens and residents,” criticizing “people’s disregard for the preventive measures.” Minister of Health Hamad Hassan said: “People are not abiding by the preventive measures, and people traveling to Lebanon are not respecting the isolation period.” From Thursday, the country will shut down for five days with another five-day lockdown next week. Bars, pubs, night clubs, malls, pools, gyms, churches, mosques and game centers will be closed, and all sports competitions, events and religious gatherings will be canceled. People over 65 will be told to stay at home and avoid social activity. Security forces have arrested two Syrians who allegedly forged PCR tests showing a negative result for sale to Syrians wishing travel to their homeland.

by aa.com.tr — The Turkish foreign ministry slammed allegations Tuesday by Lebanese politicians that claimed Ankara supported protests in Lebanon. “The allegations …