Lebanese protests test Hezbollah’s role as Shiites’ champion

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By BASSEM MROUE and MARIAM FAM -- BEIRUT (AP) — Young men chanting the “people want to bring down the regime” gathered outside the office of Lebanese legislator Mohammed Raad, the powerful head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc. One shirtless man grabbed a metal rod and swung it at the sign bearing Raad’s name, knocking it out of place as others cheered. It was a rare scene in the southern market town of Nabatiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold. The protests engulfing Lebanon have united many across sectarian lines and shattered taboos, with some taking aim at leaders from their own sects, illustrating a new, unfamiliar challenge posed to the militant group.

Iranian-backed Hezbollah built a reputation among supporters as a champion of the poor and a defender of Lebanon against Israel’s much more powerful military. It and its Shiite ally, the Amal party, have enjoyed overwhelming backing among the Shiite community since the end of the 1975-1990 civil war, making them a political powerhouse that, along with allies, has dominated recent governments. But now many protesters group Hezbollah into the ruling class they are revolting against, blaming it for wrecking the economy with years of corruption and mismanagement. Protesters want that entire political elite out. Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and Amal’s chief, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, have not been spared. “All of them means all of them, and Nasrallah is one of them,” protesters have chanted at some Beirut rallies. The demonstrations that erupted Oct. 17 spread throughout the country, including predominantly Shiite areas in the south and the eastern Bekaa Valley. “The heavy participation of the Shiites ... posed a main challenge: that there’s a large number from the sect that doesn’t accept the current situation,” said Hilal Khashan, professor of political science at the American University of Beirut. “That’s why there was a swift and decisive decision to nip this in the bud.” In several instances, men suspected of being Hezbollah and Amal supporters beat up protesters and destroyed their tents. Some of those who had criticized Nasrallah and Berri on social media appeared in videos, after apparently being beaten, to apologize for what they did. Amal denied any link to those behind the beatings, saying in a statement that they should be arrested and that they violated the movement’s belief in freedom of opinion. Hezbollah has survived many threats over the past years, including charges by a U.N.-backed tribunal for the killing of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in February 2005 — an accusation Hezbollah strongly denies — a ruinous war with Israel in 2006 and the war in neighboring Syria, where Hezbollah has sent thousands of fighters to back President Bashar Assad, losing an estimated 2,000 men.

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Lebanon protests one month in: Demonstrators score electoral win but politicians still deadlocke

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by thenational.ae -- Sunniva Rose -- As Lebanese politicians seemed to be caught in a disastrous deadlock on Sunday, the anti-establishment protest movement scored its first electoral win, voting in an independent to lead the Beirut Bar Association. Melhem Khalaf won by a comfortable margin against Nader Gaspard, a candidate backed by the Free Patriotic Movement, Lebanese Forces, Progressive Socialist Party and the Future Movement. Pierre Hanna, previously backed by the LF, PSP and Future Movement, withdrew his candidacy in favour of Mr Gaspard to try to secure his win. “We hope this day will renew democracy within Lebanon’s institutions,” Mr Khalaf said in his victory speech. Until now, the Beirut Bar Association had not taken a formal stance on the month of mass protests against corruption, poor governance and a crumbling economy.

But as Mr Khalaf’s name was announced, many in the crowd of lawyers at the tally cheered and broke into chants of "thowra", or revolution. Meanwhile, a plan by parties to form a new government to tackle the dire economic situation and address the demands of protesters appeared to fall apart. Two days after he was chosen by Lebanon’s most powerful political parties to be the country’s next prime minister, veteran politician Mohammad Safadi withdrew his candidacy on Saturday evening. As the country faces a possible “total economic meltdown with potential violence”, its political system is “completely paralysed” by the mass protests that started on October 17, analyst Imad Salamey said. After resigning on October 29, caretaker Prime Minister Saad Hariri had reportedly agreed to meet protesters half-way by forming a small government of technocrats. An apolitical government is one of the key demands of protesters. Triggered by a suggested tax on WhatsApp calls, the protest movement quickly became a rejection of the entire Lebanese political system, based on sectarianism. But Mr Hariri’s proposal was reportedly dismissed by President Michel Aoun, who wants politicians to be part of the new government.

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US embassy tweets support for protesting Lebanese & Former Minister Safadi Withdraws from PM Candidacy

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by AFP -- BEIRUT: The US embassy in Lebanon said on Saturday it supported the one-month-old anti-government protest movement in Lebanon. “We support the Lebanese people in their peaceful demonstrations and expressions of national unity,” the embassy said on Twitter. Lebanon has since Oct 17 been swept by an unprecedented cross-sectarian protest movement against the entire political establishment, which is widely seen as irretrievably corrupt and unable to deal with a deepening economic crisis. The government stepped down on Oct 29 but stayed on in a caretaker capacity, and an economic crisis has also battered the country.

Some local players, notably the powerful pro-Iranian Shiite movement Hezbollah, have accused “external parties” and Western embassies of supporting the popular uprising, including through financial backing. Several mass rallies are planned for Sunday in cities across Lebanon to keep up the pressure on the country’s ruling class. On Saturday, an initiative dubbed the “revolution bus” traversed the country. Leaving Akkar region in the north in the morning, the bus – decorated with the names of protest hotbeds in the multi-confessional country – arrived early in the evening in the southern city of Sidon. According to protesters, the initiative sought to break down geographical and sectarian barriers and overcome the collective trauma of the 1975-1990 civil war. In an incident that became emblematic of inter-sectarian schisms during that deadly conflict, a bus was strafed by gunfire.

by Nicky Harley -- thenational.ae -- Former finance minister Mohammad Safadi has withdrawn his candidacy to be prime minister of the next Lebanese government. In a statement, Mr Safadi said it would have been difficult to form a “harmonious” cabinet supported by all parties. He said he hoped outgoing prime minister Saad Hariri would be designated again for the post. On Thursday, three of Lebanon's main political parties agreed on the 75-year-old billionaire businessman as their choice to become Lebanon’s new prime minister. Caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), had confirmed on Friday that Mr Safadi would be nominated for the post when formal deliberations on forming the next government begin in parliament on Monday. But on Saturday evening Mr Safadi said in a statement that he had decided to withdraw following consultations with political parties and a meeting on Saturday with Mr Hariri. "It is difficult to form a harmonious government supported by all political sides that could take the immediate salvation steps needed to halt the country's economic and financial deterioration and respond to the aspirations of people in the street," the statement said.

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Bill Gates tops Jeff Bezos as richest person in the world

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By Ahiza Garcia, CNN Business - San Francisco (CNN Business)Bill Gates is back on top. On Friday, Gates surpassed Amazon (AMZN) CEO Jeff Bezos to reclaim the distinction of richest person in the world, with a net worth of $110 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. It's the first time the co-founder of Microsoft (MSFT) has held the top spot in over two years. He briefly topped Bezos last month after Amazon reported that its profit for the three months ending in September fell nearly 28% from a year earlier. But Gates' time at the top was short-lived. He has regained the lead because Microsoft (MSFT) shares are up nearly 48% this year, which helped boost the value of his stake in the company. In October, Microsoft beat out Amazon for a $10 billion cloud-computing contract with the Pentagon, adding some additional drama to the Gates/Bezos wealth race.

Bezos, who this year paid out a significant portion of his Amazon stake in his divorce from his wife of 25 years MacKenzie Bezos, now sits at second with a net worth of $108.7 billion. Gates recently commented on his wealth in response to a wealth tax proposed by some Democratic political candidates, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren. He said he's paid more than $10 billion in taxes already and it would be fine with him to up that to $20 billion. However, having to pay $100 billion would prompt him to start "to do a little math about what I have left over."

In Lebanon, a renowned central bank governor faces attack

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by reuters.com -- - It was 2008 and unlike many countries, Lebanon was sailing through the worst global downturn in 80 years largely unscathed. With a booming economy and resilient banks, central bank governor Riad Salameh confidently talked up Lebanon’s success. “I saw the crisis coming and I told the commercial banks in 2007 to get out of all international investments related to the international markets,” Salameh, now one of the world’s longest-serving governors at 26 years, told the BBC at the time. Those efforts were lauded by the IMF and accolades followed. More than a decade later, however, his record is under attack. Detractors partly blame Salameh’s policies for Lebanon’s worst economic crisis in 30 years, including strains in the financial and banking system not seen even during the 1975-90 civil war. Defenders view the central bank as the linchpin of stability and one of few institutions that has operated effectively through years of bad government by politicians whose corruption is the underlying cause of the crisis.

Protesters on the streets, who once revered Salameh’s ability to steer the financial system through bouts of unrest, now daub graffiti on the walls of the central bank. “People used to think the governor was a god but now they know what is happening,” said Leila, a 30-year-old entrepreneur. The policies that largely defined his tenure include the Lebanese pound’s peg to the dollar and, in recent years, so-called “financial engineering”, involving siphoning dollars from local banks at high interest rates to keep the government’s finances afloat. His approach has drawn increasing criticism in the wake of anti-government demonstrations that erupted on Oct. 17 and led Saad al-Hariri to step down as prime minister, panicking depositors to pull billions of dollars from banks. This week banks shut again, after being closed for much of October, and have restricted transfers abroad and curbed U.S. dollar withdrawals.

DWINDLING INFLOWS

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Lebanon protesters react angrily to finance minister’s appointment as new PM

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By AFP -- BEIRUT: Lebanese protesters who have been demanding radical reform reacted with anger Friday to the reported designation of a new prime minister they regard as emblematic of a failed political system. According to senior officials speaking on condition of anonymity and Lebanese press reports, key political players agreed that Mohammed Safadi should be tasked with forming the next government. Outgoing Prime Minister Saad Hariri resigned on October 29, nearly two weeks into the unprecedented nationwide protests demanding the wholesale removal of a ruling elite seen as corrupt and incompetent. President Michel Aoun has said he will support the formation of a government including technocrats but he has not yet announced consultations over a new line-up and there was no official confirmation that Safadi had been designated.

Demonstrators in his hometown of Tripoli wasted no time in rejecting Safadi, however, and gathered in front of one of his properties to protest against a reported nomination they regard as a provocation. "Choosing Mohammed Safadi for prime minister proves that the politicians who rule us are in a deep coma, as if they were on another planet," said Jamal Badawi, 60. Another protester said that as a business tycoon and former minister, Safadi was an embodiment of the kind of political class the protest movement wants to remove. "He's an integral part of this leadership's fabric," said Samer Anous, a university professor. "Safadi does not meet the aspirations of the popular uprising in Lebanon."

A protest was planned in the afternoon at Zaytuna Bay, a luxury marina in central Beirut which is fun by a company that Safadi chairs and which many say encroaches on public land. Several dozen private hospitals across the country closed their doors to patients -- except for emergencies -- to protest shortages of essential goods following delays in payments by the state. Last week the head of the syndicate of private hospitals, Suleiman Haroun, said that current medical "stocks in the country will not last more than a month". A lack of access to the US currency meant the situation could deteriorate fast, he warned.

Banks, which have restricted access to dollars since the start of the protests, remained closed after employees went on strike over alleged mistreatment by customers, while many school and university classes were disrupted again. For two decades the Lebanese pound has been pegged to the greenback at around 1,500 to the dollar, with both currencies used interchangeably in daily life. The army meanwhile said it had arrested 20 demonstrators on Friday after soldiers were targeted as they attempted to reopen roads closed by protesters. Nine were later released, seven were held for questioning and four were transferred to the military police, the army said without giving further details.