by reuters -- Vincent al-Boustani’s local council, in a small town north of Lebanon’s capital, runs a tight ship: staff and volunteers conduct 24/7 patrols, cameras monitor the streets and motorcycles are banned after 9pm. Boustani believes this is the best way to offer security as the economy crumbles, people become poorer and fear of crime increases. “The need for money, for food, I believe things will get even worse. I hope I’m wrong,” he said. “That’s why we must remain alert, aware of the danger...We’re going towards the unknown.” A financial crisis that has swept Lebanon since last year means more and more families have little means to cope as the currency collapses and the state offers little or no help. The country faces what is seen as the biggest threat to its stability since the 1975-1990 civil war.

In the first four months of 2020, murders in Lebanon doubled from the same period last year. Car thefts jumped nearly 50% and burglaries 20%, according to a report by the Beirut-based research firm Information International, based on police data. As the currency plunges, more unrest is feared in a country with a tumultuous history and where sectarian tensions are never far from the surface. The prices of imported foods upon which Lebanese depend have been driven up by a 70% decline in the Lebanese pound’s value since October. A World Food Programme report this month found that 50% of Lebanese, as well as 63% of Palestinians and 75% of Syrians in the country, had feared they would not have enough to eat over the past month.

by alaraby.co.uk -- The whereabouts of activist Kinda el-Khatib and her brother Bandar are still unknown after she was arrested by Lebanese state security for publishing comments on social media. It is believed that she was arrested because of a tweet that criticised President Michel Aoun, however security sources revealed that her arrest was based on suspicions that she was allegedly spying for Israel and entering Palestinian territories. A campaign was launched on social media accusing her of being an Israeli agent, and of opposing Hezbollah on social media. A security source told Al-Akhbar that Kinda’s arrest was based on “evidence from the General Security that proves her involvement in contact with people inside Israel,” and accused her of “providing information to the Israelis” as well as entering Israel during a trip to Jordan. The authorities have refused to provide further information about the allegations, and her whereabouts remain unknown. While her brother was released, Kinda remains in the authority’s custody.

Her family are convinced that “her file was ready before her arrest” and insist Kinda’s Twitter account was hacked and her opposition to Hezbollah was also fabricated. Kinda is not the first activist to be arrested by Lebanese authorities. An increasing number of activists in Lebanon are being arrested for social media posts criticising the government’s handling of the weakening economy, the currency crash and its handling of the coronavirus outbreak. According to Kinda’s sister Yasmine, the 23-year-old is currently completing her Masters studies in English literature at the Deanship of the Lebanese University in Beirut, and she is active on social media. She worked as a translator for a period of time with the "International Society for Parliamentary Elections" in the year 2018. The family are planning to get a lawyer to help with Kinda’s release. They have not been able to communite with her since her arrest. "There is complete ambiguity about her file, and they did not allow us to communicate with her, except for the moment she was transferred via the military police in Beirut,” her sister told Al Modon.

by menabytes.com -- NymCard, a cloud-based card issuing and processing platform that was founded in Beirut in 2018 has relocated its headquarters to Abu Dhabi, it announced in a statement to MENAbytes, saying that move is aimed to support its regional expansion plans. The startup that allows financial institutions, banks, and fintechs to build virtual card programs for their customers, will continue to operate its Beirut office to serve their clients in Levant. Omar Onsi, the founder and CEO of NymCard in a statement, said, “Abu Dhabi has all the makings of a great fintech ecosystem and we’re very excited to be a part of it. Our headquarters in Abu Dhabi brings us closer to our customers, tech startups, and payment innovators looking for different types of modern payment solutions.” “We’re very honored to have been selected by Hub71 and are grateful to their team for the support they’ve extended to us for relocating our regional operations to Abu Dhabi,” he added.

The Daily Star BEIRUT -- : Israeli warplanes were seen flying over Beirut at unusually low altitudes Sunday, while also performing mock raids across other areas of the country in yet another violation of Lebanese airspace. Aside from the capital, the aircraft were reported to have also been spotted flying over Sidon, Hasbaya, Aarqoub, Jabal al-Sheikh, Shebaa farms, Metn, Keserouan, Nabatieh, and Tyre’s Palestinian refugee camps as well as other areas of the south, according to the state-run National News Agency. Although this has become commonplace in recent months, many took to social media to remark on how much louder and longer in duration it appeared to be than usual. "Just another Sunday afternoon in Beirut enjoying the sound of Israeli fighter jets," one Twitter user said.