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Lebanese protesters want to revive their ‘revolution’

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A boy wears military-style camouflage khakis and waves two Lebanese national flags at an anti-government protest. EPA

by thenational.ae -- Sunniva Rose -- Nine months after nationwide anti-government protests shook Lebanon, a few hundred protesters rallied around several anti-establishment political parties in the capital Beirut on Friday afternoon to revive their “revolution” as the country’s economic crisis worsens. “We must continue our revolution and change all this system,” said protester Mohaj Chaaban, who attended a rally in Beirut’s Martyr’s Square. “It’s 2020 in Lebanon and we don’t have electricity, we don’t have access to good schools, we don’t have a medical system, we have nothing,” Mr Chaaban told The National, referring to the country’s crumbling infrastructure that has worsened with the current economic crisis. A dollar crunch that caused the local currency to devaluate last summer pushed hundreds of thousands of Lebanese on to the streets on October 17 in what many supporters of the anti-government movement have dubbed the ‘October revolution’. But protests petered out after Hassan Diab’s government was formed in January with the promise that it would address the country’s failing economy. However, little to no reforms were implemented and the government has hit a brick wall in negotiations for a bailout with the IMF.

Meanwhile, half the Lebanese have been pushed into poverty, the local currency has lost over 80 per cent of its value on the black market, and fuel shortages have disturbed everyday life with electricity cuts for about 20 hours a day and disturbances in mobile network coverage. Both former Labour and Telecom Minister Charbel Nahas and former commander of the Lebanese army’s rangers regiment, retired brigadier general Chamel Roukoz, organised the protest in downtown Beirut, in an attempt to encourage the Lebanese to take to the streets once again. “Our project is easy,” said Mr Nahas in a speech, saying his party wanted a “peaceful transfer of power to a government with legislative powers for a period of 18 months with two tasks: (...) managing the crisis fairly and (...) establishing the legitimacy of the only real possible state in our country, which is the civil state.” Both Mr Nahas’ party, Citizens in a State, and Mr Roukoz, who was accompanied by a delegation of retired soldier, advocate for the end of Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system and for the transition to a “civil state” in which government jobs would be based on competence uniquely and not on sectarian affiliations.

Top Lebanese Maronite cleric slams Hezbollah for taking part in regional wars

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by arabnews.com -- CAIRO: Lebanon’s leading Christian cleric has ramped up his condemnation of Hezbollah saying it has always sidelined the Lebanese state at times of war. The head of the Lebanese Maronite Christian Church Bechara Rai told Vatican News that the Iran-backed militant group has taken part in wars in countries such as Syria, Yemen and Iraq. His remarks are the latest in a string criticism of the heavily armed Hezbollah over its support for Iran in conflicts with Arab states. Rai said there was a “sort of control from Hezbollah on the Lebanese government and the country’s policies” with its role in regional wars. “Lebanon does not want this.”

Rai said Hezbollah’s interventions have “created a political crisis that contributed to a severe economic and living crisis in the country.” “Lebanon is a civil state that operates between the state and religion. Today, for the sake of Lebanon and all Lebanese without any exceptions, there is no solution other than neutrality,” he added. Lebanon is mired in an economic and political crisis that has left the economy close to collapse. Hezbollah backs the government of Prime Minister Hassan Diab, but its support has alienated Beirut from countries in the region and the West. The group is considered a terrorist organisation in the US, Europe and other countries.

Lebanon Increases Public Transport Tariff as Crisis Drags

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W460

by Naharnet -- Public Works Minister Michel Najjar announced on Wednesday an increase in public transportation fees as Lebanon's economic crisis drags on without any near government solutions. Najjar held a joint press conference with Land Transport Union head Bassam Tleis and made the announcement “after a thorough scientific study taking into consideration the interest of Lebanese,” he said. The new tariff increased by LL1,000 to reach LL3,000 per person for standard rides inside Beirut, while the tariff of vans and buses was raised by LL500 to reach LL1,500. In order to get from one place to another, Lebanese can either share a cab with other passengers for the above fee or get a taxi, which is less economical. Lebanon's is witnessing an unprecedented economic crisis pushing many into poverty and skyrocketing the prices of goods. In recent months, the Lebanese pound has lost around 80% of its value against the dollar, prices have soared uncontrollably, and much of its middle class has been plunged into poverty. Talks with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout have faltered, and international donors have refused to unlock $11 billion pledged in 2018, pending major economic reforms and anti-corruption measures.

Lebanon seeks fuel imports from Kuwait – newspaper

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Lebanese protesters rally in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Oct. 20, 2019. (AFP Photo)

Reuters -- Writing by Ghaida Ghantous -- Lebanon wants to negotiate fuel imports with Kuwait to help Beirut cope with an economic and financial crisis, Lebanon’s internal security chief said in remarks published on Tuesday. Abbas Ibrahim told Kuwaiti newspaper Al Rai he had discussed the matter with Kuwaiti officials during a visit to the oil-exporting Gulf Arab state this week along with other “shared ideas” that could help alleviate Lebanon’s crisis. “We want to purchase 100% of our requirements from Kuwait without going through agents or companies looking to make a profit … this is a purely commercial matter and I hope there will be no obstacles to it,” Al Rai quoted Ibrahim as saying. He said the request would be raised to Kuwait’s ruler.

Coronavirus — Cases in Lebanon Surging

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By Joyce David -- Communalnews.com --The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced that there were 166 new cases of COVID-19, a single-day high after the outbreak in February. According to National News Agency (NNA) statistics, so far, a total of 2,334 cases have been diagnosed and 36 died. The epidemic in Lebanon seemed to stabilize in recent weeks, but it began to heat up again on the 10th, and the number of people infected with the epidemic broke through 300 in 3 days. The Lebanese Red Cross tweeted that they had sent 131 confirmed employees of a cleaning company to the isolation center. The Lebanese Health Minister, Hamad Hassan, said that the 131 people were included in the 166 confirmed cases announced, and this data represents the “peak” of the epidemic. He also told the local media that it is not impossible for the epidemic to wreak havoc again, but the probability is “very small.” It seems that he wants to downplay the seriousness of the case.

Lebanon gradually loosened the lockdown measures at the end of April. It was locked down for another four days in May due to the return of the epidemic. In early July, the airport was restarted and closed for more than three months, allowing passengers to enter the country by plane. Lebanon’s economy has been crumbling, and this year has witnessed the impact of the epidemic. Not only has the exchange rate reached a record low, but nearly half of the population has fallen into poverty. Dr. Tedros: Many Nations Headed in Wrong Direction

Lebanon’s Casino Could Get Sold as Nation’s Economy Continues in Freefall

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Could cash-strapped Lebanon sell its iconic Casino Du Liban? – Ya ...

Ed Silverstein -- casino.org -- The government may sell its partial share of the gaming property, located about 14 miles north of Beirut, to raise money, according to a recent report from Middle East Eye. A leading gaming historian at UNLV, David Schwartz, concurred that Casino du Liban could be sold given the current dire economic conditions. I don’t see why it would be impossible,” Schwartz told Casino.org about a possible transaction involving Lebanon’s casino. “Everything is for sale at the right price.” He added that if a global casino operator took over the casino, “potentially” it could lead to more tourism in the once thriving nation. “It would depend on how much capital they were willing to invest in infrastructure and marketing,” Schwartz added.

When gross gaming revenue (GGR) was higher, the Lebanese government earned significant revenue from the gaming property. In total, 50 percent of all casino revenue goes to the Lebanese government, the report said. Some 80 percent of the venue’s revenue comes from 15 percent of its customers. That 15 percent is largely made up of tourists and players from foreign nations, Middle East Eye reported.

Lebanon Once Was “Monte Carlo of Middle East”

It's not safe to insult Erdogan, even from Lebanon

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al-monitor

By Amberin Zaman -- al-monitor.com -- Criticizing Turkey’s famously thin skinned President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a risky business. More than 100,000 people have been investigated and at least 30,000 others have been prosecuted for “insulting the president” since Erdogan rose to the presidency in 2014. The crime carries a penalty of at least four years in prison under Article 299 of Turkey’s penal code. Veteran Turkish comedians Mujdat Gezen and Metin Akpinar are among the most recent targets for airing disapproval over Erdogan’s autocratic behavior in a 2018 television appearance. Prosecutors sought up to four years and eight months in prison for the pair, who have entertained generations of Turks with their jibes at successive governments.

Now an ethnic Armenian Lebanese show host is to appear in court on Oct. 8 on similar charges, albeit in Lebanon, following pressure by Ankara on Lebanese authorities, in a further sign of how Turkey’s domestic fault lines are spilling beyond its borders and how Erdogan’s government is exploiting the divides to shore up support. Nishan Der-Haroutounian, the host of a popular live program on Lebanon’s Al Jadeed TV, will face charges of "insulting Turkey” before the Court of Publications Chamber in Beirut. Der-Haroutounian’s travails with Turkey began in June when a caller dialed into his show and made derogatory comments about the TV personality’s Armenian roots. The caller then went on to berate Der-Haroutounian for labeling Erdogan “an obnoxious Ottoman.” Der-Haroutounian retorted, “I am at complete liberty to call Erdogan and his regime obnoxious. A million and a half Armenians were killed.” He was referring to the mass slaughter of Ottoman Armenians in 1915, a massacre that for all of Turkey’s ferocious rebuttals is widely acknowledged as one of the earliest genocides of the 20th century. Lebanon’s estimated 150,000 ethnic Armenians are mostly descended from survivors of the genocide. Soon after Der-Haroutounian’s outburst, a small but rowdy group that claims ancestry from Turkey’s southeastern province of Mardin gathered outside the station and began chanting anti-Armenian slogans. Lebanese pro-Turkish activist Mounir Hassan simultaneously posted a video online calling Der-Haroutounian an “idiotic dog” and “gay.” Hassan said, “We and our Turkish and Ottoman ancestors are proud of the massacre that our Ottoman ancestors carried out against the Armenians, because you deserve it.” The video went viral.