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'You think we care about masks?': anger and poverty grip Lebanese city

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Pedestrians walk past a bank that was attacked and burned by demonstrators in Tripoli.

by theguardian.com -- Martin Chulov -- In the heart of the city that used to drive Lebanon’s economy, workers were busy with a rare jolt of enterprise, bolting steel plates to the ruins of its scorched banks. By dusk on Thursday, all of Tripoli’s ransacked branches were encased in armour, shielding piles of smouldering ash and rubble, but coming far too late to protect what had been inside. Over two earlier, violent nights, rioters had looted what they could. Six months after a revolution demanding action from a corrupt ruling class, and with a global pandemic now thrown in, its people are returning to the streets in rage at an enfeebled state that has largely left them to fend for themselves as the middle class sinks into poverty. Tripoli, a hub of a nationwide peaceful uprising last October that electrified the country, is now at the centre of something more raw and desperate – an increasing struggle to survive. The extent of the economic predicament has been laid bare in unusually transparent financial statements that have cast new light on Lebanon’s political structures and left many pondering the viability of a state that has withstood decades of war, occupation and chaos, but now appears adrift.

“We have been executing something like this for 20 years, but not as bad as what we’re living,” said Fida Jundi Hajjeh, the manager of a Tripoli-based NGO, Sanabel Nour, which provides food and other aid to orphans and the impoverished. “The middle class has been demolished. In Tripoli, we’re all from the low socio-economic classes these days.” “As much as we can give is not enough,” she said as small crowds waited silently outside her office for food coupons. “The needs are so great that we sometimes feel we are not doing anything. There are so many employees who have stopped working.” Tripoli during daylight hours in Ramadan is usually subdued, but with the coronavirus closing shops and cafes and most arms of government shut down, its streets are sullen and still. That changes as night draws near, bringing with it the bustle of a normal day. There is no social distancin, and very few face masks to shield people from the virus. “You think we care about that when people can’t feed themselves?” asked Linda Borghol, as she stirred a large vat in a makeshift food kitchen. “Nobody has anything in Tripoli. Nobody can send money. Even if you can send, it’s not easy to collect it. People are literally starving.”

Diab: Govt. Will Seek IMF Assistance, Over $10 Billion in Foreign Aid

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by naharnet.com -- Prime Minister Hassan Diab said on Thursday that his government will go ahead and seek financial assistance from the International Monetary Fund based on an economic and financial reform plan approved earlier in the day. In an address to the nation, Diab described the plan adopted unanimously by the Cabinet as a comprehensive "roadmap" for dealing with the country's spiraling financial crisis, the worst since the 1975-90 civil war. "Today, I can say that we are going the right way to pull Lebanon out of its deep financial crisis," he said. International donors have long demanded that Lebanon institute major economic changes and anti-corruption measures to unlock billions in pledges made in 2018. "We want contributions from the fancy interests that were paid, from those who reaped profit from financial engineering operations and from those who violated the law and stole pubic funds," Diab said. "The plan will restructure the banking and financial sectors..., decrease the current account deficit to 5.6 percent and achieve a return to positive growth as of 2022," he added. Noting that the government will seek "more than $10 billion in foreign aid," Diab said the plan calls for "the instant implementation of the long-awaited reforms." "I call on all Lebanese to consider today a turning point for the future of our country," he said. "The central bank must address the spike in the US dollar exchange rate, because it is responsible for the national currency's stability," Diab suggested.

Former Lebanese Miss USA Is Using Her Position To Add A Chord Of Positivity

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by scoopempire.com -- Rima Fakih, a former beauty queen who made history a decade ago by becoming the first-ever Arab-American woman to be crowned Miss USA. Rima is internationally recognized not only for her beauty but also for her determination to become a global voice to proudly represent and shed a spotlight on her beloved country, Lebanon. Today she is using her voice to deliver a strong message of empowerment to all the Arab women and youth, both in Lebanon and abroad. She’s also using her position to advocate humanitarian causes. Recently, she was appointed as a 2020 Ambassador of the Children Cancer Center in Lebanon (CCCL), in the hope that she can help CCCL raise over $500,000 to treat 10 kids this year using a crowdfunding page.

Reports say “CCCL is totally dependent on donations, with a yearly need of $15 million. To try and meet this need amid difficult economic conditions, Lebanon has recently launched the CCCL Rescue Fund, with a target of $10 million, to help it overcome the current situation and continue its lifesaving mission.” Rima is not involved in just this one charitable cause though, she’s also a full-time volunteer at Southern California’s School on Wheels, a non-profit organization that educates children in need. She’s also on the board of Best Buddies, a global organization that aims to end the isolation of 200 million individuals that suffer from intellectual and developmental disabilities. Her sense of dedication and responsibility to give back to her community has proved that Rima has the will to face any challenges with an open heart.

Lebanon central bank head Riad Salameh defends record amid crisis

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Lebanon's Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh speaks during a news conference at Central Bank in Beirut, Lebanon. Reuters

by thenational.ae -- Lebanon's central bank head Riad Salameh on Wednesday defended his record after being accused by the prime minister of failing to take action to stop a dire economic crisis and allowing a massive slide in the national currency. In a rare, hour-long live television speech, the head of Banque Du Liban complained that there was a coordinated campaign against him, arguing that the bank’s role was to finance the state but that ultimately, politicians controlled how it was spent. Mr Salameh called on politicians to take overdue economic reforms but said it was not BdL's fault if successive governments have failed to take action. Lebanese law states that the central bank must finance the government at its request, he said. “We have contributed to reducing the cost of public debt by lending to the state at low-interest rates… The central bank has funded the state but not spent its money,” he said. He said that BdL is attempting to stabilise the price of the Lebanese pound as much as possible as it trades at exchanges at nearly 60 per cent below the official peg. He added that it wasn't the bank's actions that had driven up the price of medicine, wheat or fuel and assured banks that their deposits with BdL are still there.

The central bank was not the only one to finance successive Lebanese governments, he pointed out. Lebanon has received financial support from international institutions and foreign countries in the past decades. While this might be Mr Salameh’s strongest argument, it does not explain who will bear the losses caused by the current financial crisis, Lebanese economist Sami Nader said. “Who will bear the losses of a state accused of corruption, depositors?” Rumours of a “haircut” – a reduction on holdings - on bank accounts have been circulating these past months in Lebanon, increasing fears that people’s hard cash has evaporated. Banks have restricted access to cash and banned international transfers since to the public since last October. The crisis sparked nation-wide demonstrations, with protesters accusing politicians of corruption.

75% of Lebanon needs aid after coronavirus, and hungry protesters are back on the streets

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Lebanese soldiers remove burning tires placed by anti-government protesters to block a road.

Beirut, Lebanon (CNN) -- By Tamara Qiblawi, CNN -- Cash-strapped Lebanon is facing growing turmoil after the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak sparked violent protests over rising hunger and poverty. Lebanon's economy, like many others around the world, was brought to a screeching halt by a government-imposed lockdown designed to stop the spread of Covid-19. But the restrictions have further exacerbated the country's deep and long-running financial crisis. Since a popular uprising gripped the country late in 2019, its currency has dropped and it defaulted on its debt for the first time. Now, after nearly two months of lockdown, food prices are soaring and the Lebanese lira is in free-fall.

Prior to the Covid-19 outbreak, the World Bank projected that 45% of people in Lebanon would be below the poverty line in 2020. Now, the government believes that up to 75% of people are in need of aid, Social Affairs Minister Ramzi Musharrafieh told CNN. "We are hungry," came the resounding cries from angry protesters as they faced off with security forces during demonstrations that swept through Lebanon's major cities on Monday. Lebanese soldiers remove burning tires placed by anti-government protesters to block a road. One demonstrator, Fawaz Fouad al-Samman, died on Tuesday morning after sustaining gunshot wounds during clashes with the army in the northern city of Tripoli, his sister and a fellow protester said. The hospital that treated Samman's wounds confirmed his death to CNN. Protesters dubbed the 26-year-old as "the martyr of hunger." In a tweet, the Lebanese army said it was "deeply sorry for the falling of a martyr" during Monday's protests and said it has opened an inquiry into the death. The military added that rioting was carried out by "infiltrators," and stated that it "will not tolerate any person in breach of security and stability." Tripoli protester Ghassan, who did not want to disclose his full name for security reasons, was with Samman when he was injured. Referring to Lebanon's uprising, which began in October, Ghassan told CNN: "It was the worst battle we've seen since the start of the revolution."

Lebanese protesters back on the streets as economy crumbles

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By Sarah Dadouch -- BEIRUT — Violence escalated Tuesday in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli as protesters angered by the collapse of the country's currency and spreading economic upheaval burned down a series of banks and countered volleys of tear gas by pelting security forces with stones. These latest arson attacks came at the end of a large funeral for 26-year-old Fawwaz al-Samman, who died Monday from gunshot wounds, which his sister said on Facebook he had suffered during clashes with the army. The army released a statement Tuesday expressing regret for his death, without claiming responsibility, and announced it is opening an investigation into the incident. As mourners filled the streets of Tripoli for his funeral, they dubbed him “Martyr of the Hunger Revolution.” But shortly after the government announced Friday a five-phase plan to reopen the country, the protesters — overwhelmingly young and frustrated with the severe lack of job opportunities — emerged from their quarantine. Molotov cocktails destroyed a bank branch late on Saturday in the southern city Tyre. The following two nights, more banks were attacked and set on fire across the country. Protesters shut down highways. The army retaliated with tear gas and rubber bullets.

by AFP -- TRIPOLI: Lebanese protesters angered by a spiralling economic crisis clashed with security forces in the country´s north overnight as a months-old anti government movement gained new momentum despite a coronavirus lockdown. A 26-year-old protester died on Tuesday from a bullet wound he had sustained during the confrontations between the army and hundreds of demonstrators that rocked Lebanon´s second city of Tripoli. Sixty people were injured, including some 40 soldiers, during the exchange which saw protesters throw stones at troops who fired live rounds into the air to try to disperse the angry crowds under clouds of tear gas.

The overnight violence was the latest in a string of anti-government protests and social unrest fuelled by unprecedented inflation that this week saw a free-falling Lebanese pound reach record lows against the dollar. Angered by the financial collapse, demonstrators across Lebanon have rallied, blocked roads and vandalised banks for two days, re-energising a protest movement launched in October against a political class the activists deem inept and corrupt. “I came down to raise my voice against hunger, poverty and rising prices,” Khaled, a 41-year-old protester, told AFP from Tripoli, adding that he could no longer support his three children since he lost his job selling motorcycle spare parts. - ´Social explosion´

Demonstrators block roads in Lebanon protest over dire economy

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Lebanese demonstrators wear face masks as they chant slogans during a protest against the collapsing Lebanese pound currency outside Lebanon's Central Bank in Beirut, Lebanon April 23, 2020.

Lebanese soldiers confront a demonstrator during a protest against the collapsing Lebanese pound currency and the price hikes, in Zouk, north of Beirut, Lebanon [File: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters]

by Al Jazeera -- Beirut, Lebanon - Lebanese authorities have started using forceful measures to try and bring the country's rapidly sliding national currency under control, as angry citizens block roads and attack banks in protest over rapidly eroding livelihoods. "My salary is now worth $100," a protester shouted during an attempt to block a road in Beirut on Monday as Lebanon witnessed its largest number of demonstrations since a nationwide COVID-19 lockdown was imposed in mid-March. An acute dollar shortage has sent the Lebanese pound tumbling from 1,500 to $1 - the official exchange rate peg since the late 90s - to about 3,000 to one $1 on parallel markets by mid-April - a drop that effectively slices the value of wages and savings by half, throwing millions of financial lives into uncertainty. But last week, the currency's slide started accelerating dramatically, with parallel market rates opening at around 3,400 Lebanese pounds to $1 on Friday - only to close nearly 12 percent lower, at 3,800 to $1. Some reports said the Lebanese currency plunged as low as 4,000 to $1 on Friday, or more than 17 percent in a single day.

by AFP -- Demonstrators blocked roads through Lebanon late Sunday to protest the deteriorating economic situation, despite a lockdown and curfew imposed because of the coronavirus, according to the official news agency. Police quickly intervened to reopen the highways where the demonstrators burned tyres to block roads, the ANI national news agency said. In Zalqa sector, northeast of Beirut, six people were injured, Lebanese Red Cross official Rodney Eid told AFP without providing further details. An AFP photographer saw protesters setting tyres ablaze on the highway north of the capital, in the suburbs of Dbaiyeh, before the army and police moved in. Protesters also mobilised in the main northern city of Tripoli, according to ANI.

And south of Beirut, young people set tyres ablaze on the Damour highway, the agency said. Protesters have staged several daytime demonstrations recently, including a convoy of cars in the capital last week, despite the coronavirus lockdown and nighttime curfew. A nationwide protest movement erupted in October last year, with hundreds of thousands of people demonstrating against the ruling elite and the rampant graft critics say has brought the economy to its knees. Lebanon's worst economic crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war is now compounded by the coronavirus lockdown. Poverty has risen to 45 percent of the population, according to official estimates. Its economy is forecast to contract 12 percent in 2020, according to the International Monetary Fund. The Lebanese pound has also plummeted against the dollar, resulting in high inflation. (AFP)