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Lebanon's Middle-East airline to seek market dollar rate for tickets bought locally

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Lebanon-based Middle East Airlines (MEA) has received its first A321neo aircraft from Airbus’ final assembly line in Hamburg, Germany.

by reuters -- BEIRUT — Lebanon’s national airline will require payment for tickets in U.S. dollars based on the central bank’s latest exchange rate from June 1, Chairman Mohamad El-Hout said on Sunday, a step that will make tickets more expensive. Middle East Airlines (MEA) chairman El-Hout said the move was necessary to ensure the financial well being of the state airline that is majority owned by the central bank. “If we don’t take (this measure) the company will be hit financially,” Hout told Reuters. The change, which applies only to tickets bought inside Lebanon, means ticket payments can no longer be based on a lower controlled dollar exchange rate. Tickets bought in Lebanon would now be based on a central bank benchmark launched this month, which is currently 12,000 Lebanese pounds to the dollar, a rate that is closer to the unofficial market rate rather than an official rate of about 3,900 Lebanese pounds for dollar account holders in the country.

Lebanese authorities had limited dollar withdrawals, with a few exceptions under that exchange rate, effectively cutting the value of those deposits as the unofficial dollar market rate is now more than 12,800 pounds to the dollar. Buying airline tickets was one way people could spend dollars held in local banks. Before Lebanon’s economic crisis that virtually locked depositors out of their dollar accounts in late 2019, the exchange rate widely used was 1,500 to the dollar. Hout said the state carrier, like other airlines, had been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic with a sharp drop in revenues but did not elaborate. “We will continue to make losses this year,” Hout added. (Writing by Maha Dahan and Suleiman Al-Khalidi. Editing by Jane Merriman)

Pope Francis invites Lebanese Christian leaders to Vatican to pray for peace

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By Courtney Mares - cna -- Pope Francis has invited Lebanese Christian leaders to the Vatican for a day of prayer on July 1 for “the worrying situation in the country.” The pope made the announcement from window of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace on May 30 after praying the Angelus with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square. The leaders of the main Christian communities present in Lebanon will “pray together for the gift of peace and stability,” Francis said. “I entrust this intention to the intercession of the Mother God, so venerated at the Shrine of Harissa, and from this moment, I ask you to accompany the preparation of this event with solidarity in prayer, invoking a more peaceful future for this beloved country.” Lebanon has faced a financial and political crisis for months, as political leaders have failed to form a government to implement reforms after the devastating explosion in Beirut’s port on Aug. 4. The blast killed nearly 200 people, injured 600 others, and caused more than $4 billion in damage. Before the explosion, the country was already facing severe economic pressure. Unemployment had soared and the national currency had lost at least 80% of its value against the U.S. dollar since 2019, according to AP.

Pope Francis met with Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri on April 22 at the Vatican, where the Lebanese leader also met with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Paul Gallagher. Saad Hariri was given the task of forming a new government last October following the resignations of the leaders Hassan Diab in August and Mustapha Adib in September. This development came less than a year after Hariri himself had resigned as prime minister, on Oct. 29, 2019, in the wake of mass protests. Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, the leader of Lebanon’s Maronite Catholics, has repeatedly urged the country’s political leaders to “overcome the logic of partisan interests” and form a government to rescue the country. Rai said in February that the international community had a responsibility to help prevent Lebanon’s collapse. The cardinal said that there was a “great chasm” between the people in political power, with their “personal interests and calculations,” and those who suffer “poverty, deprivation, and hunger.” The pope said March 8 that he promised Cardinal Rai that he would visit Lebanon in the future. Pope Francis also called for a renewed political commitment to fostering the stability of Lebanon in this year’s speech to diplomats accredited to the Holy See.

Lebanon ramps up COVID-19 fight with ‘joyful’ vaccination marathon

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Lebanon ramps up COVID-19 fight with ‘joyful’ vaccination marathon

By NAJIA HOUSSARI -- arabnews.com -- BEIRUT: Lebanese health authorities on Saturday launched a COVID-19 vaccination “marathon” to speed up the country’s inoculation drive, with a day-long campaign offering the AstraZeneca shot at 30 different locations. Long lines of people were seen in front of the vaccination centers and more than 7,800 were jabbed within seven hours (they have reach beyond 10K vaccination by end of day). Petra Khoury, who is the prime minister’s adviser for health affairs and heads the National Executive Vaccine Committee, called the turnout “joyful.” Khoury said the committee would come up with new ideas in the coming weeks to reach people who did not know how to register on the vaccination platform and those who were generally fearful of the vaccine. Around two dozen centers were offering jabs to people aged between 30 and 65 provided they were not suffering from any health issues or conditions that prevented them from receiving a shot.

The initiative also offered vaccinations to everyone who was registered on the vaccination platform but had yet to receive an appointment and those who were not registered on it, including those without identification papers. Lebanon began vaccinating its population, including more than 1.5 million Palestinian and Syrian refugees, on Jan. 28 with the elderly and healthcare workers getting priority. The country’s access to the AstraZeneca vaccine coincided with reports of deaths caused by strokes as a result of receiving this jab. Many of those registered on the platform declined to take the vaccine while others, including the media and university professors, agreed to take it. Nabil Rizkallah, a member of the National Executive Vaccine Committee, said that 64 percent of those who received the vaccine on Saturday were Lebanese and 36 percent were foreigners.

Lebanon ramps up COVID-19 fight with ‘joyful’ vaccination marathon

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Lebanon ramps up COVID-19 fight with ‘joyful’ vaccination marathon

Lebanon: Beirut lawyers call two-day strike after colleague’s arrest

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Melhem Khalaf, head of the Beirut Bar Association, gestures during an interview with The National at his office on October 15, 2020. Matthew Kynaston for The National

By Sunniva Rose -- thenationalnews -- The Beirut Bar Association called for a two-day strike in protest against what they described as the illegal arrest of lawyer Rami Ollaik on Thursday by unidentified men in civilian clothes. Mr Ollaik was recently at the centre of a politicised court case seen as a proxy power struggle between judges who support prime minister-designate Saad Hariri and those who side with President Michel Aoun. The two men have quarrelled openly for the past eight months over the formation of a new Cabinet. The High Judicial Council, Lebanon’s top court of 10 judges, advised public prosecutor Ghassan El Khoury to prosecute Mr Ollaik for slandering the High Judicial Council and state prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat, the National News Agency (NNA) reported on Wednesday. The state-run agency did not specify which comments the High Judicial Council was referring to. But Mr Ollaik refused to be questioned by the information division of the local police, or Internal Security Forces, and asked for a review of his case by the Beirut Bar Association.

The association said Mr Ollaik was arrested as he was walking to its offices near the Justice Ministry on Thursday. “Unidentified civilians took him violently towards an unknown destination,” they said, calling for a two-day strike on Friday and Monday. The arrest is illegal because Lebanese law stipulates that the public prosecutor must ask the Beirut Bar Association for authorisation before interrogating a lawyer, a source at the association told The National. The Tripoli Bar Association declared a one-hour strike on Friday morning in rejection of “transgression or violation of legal norms”, in an apparent reference to Mr Ollaik’s arrest.

Ambassador Shea Marks Conclusion of Resolute Union 21 Joint Military Exercises

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U.S. Ambassador Richard Meets Army Commander General Joseph Aoun | U.S. Embassy in Lebanon

by lb.usembassy.gov -- Ambassador Dorothy Shea joined Rear Admiral Curtis Renshaw and Chief of Defense Joseph Aoun to commemorate the conclusion of the Resolute Union 2021 Joint Military Exercise. Conducted May 17-28 in Lebanon and in the Eastern Mediterranean, the event is designed to enhance interoperability and fortify military-to-military relations between the U.S. Navy and the LAF, provide training between the U.S. Navy and regional partners, facilitate the future advancement of the Resolute series, maintain warfighting readiness, and demonstrate the U.S. Navy’s commitment to regional maritime security.

Following are Ambassador Shea’s remarks as prepared for delivery:

Good afternoon. Thank you for joining us today to commemorate the culmination of Resolute Union 21, the U.S. military’s largest annual exercise with the Lebanese Armed Forces. In particular, I want to thank Rear Admiral Curtis Renshaw, Deputy Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, and General Joseph Aoun, Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, for their strong support for the U.S.-Lebanese security partnership. This year, it is a distinct pleasure to welcome the participation of our colleagues from the Jordanian Armed Forces. In particular, I’d like to thank Major General Huneiti, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Colonel al-Jarrah, Head of the Jordanian Navy, for joining us today. Last but certainly not least, I’d like to thank the many U.S., Lebanese, and Jordanian military personnel who invested countless hours in planning and executing Resolute Union. Congratulations on the completion of another successful exercise!

Lebanon: Composer Samir Sfeir released from Saudi detention after 50 days solitary confinement

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by middleeasteye.net -- The Lebanese composer Samir Sfeir was released on Thursday from detention in Saudi Arabia and arrived in Lebanon's capital, Beirut. Sfeir, a celebrated musician and composer, had spent a month and a half in a Saudi prison after he was arrested over his political opinions and tweets regarding Saudi Arabia. His whereabouts remained unclear until 28 April, when Lebanon's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants tried to ask Saudi authorities about him and the reasons for his detention. Sfeir said on Thursday that he was for detained in solitary confinement for his “political opinions” for 50 days, and only saw his three interrogators.

Speaking at Beirut airport on Thursday, he said that he made “a mistake” in the way he criticised Saudi Arabia and expressed his support for Lebanese President Michel Aoun and Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Hezbollah movement. “I thank God, maybe he wanted this to happen to me, to bring me back to my consciousness,” Sfeir said in an interview with Al-Jadeed TV. “I don't say that my opinions are wrong, but I say that the way I defended and interpreted my opinions is wrong." He vowed to focus on music and leave politics to politicians, apologising to Lebanese pop stars for his past criticisms. He also thanked Saudi Arabia "for bringing me back to consciousness". Lebanese media reported that Sfeir was questioned about his political tweets criticising Saudi Arabia and mocking its war against Yemen, which has so far resulted in 233,000 deaths, according to a United Nations report. Sfeir is well-known for his ties to Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement party. He has been living in Saudi Arabia permanently for the past nine months and has visited Riyadh frequently in the past five years.