By Najia Houssari  — BEIRUT: The Lebanese Constitutional Council was unable to take a decision on Tuesday regarding the appeal submitted by President Michel Aoun’s team against the amendments introduced by Parliament to the electoral law, because it “failed to secure a majority of seven members,” according to spokesman Judge Tannous Meshleb. The amended electoral law is thus effective, and the parliamentary elections shall be held in accordance with the law after it is published in the Official Gazette. Meshleb denied “any political deal being proposed to the Constitutional Council in return for accepting the appeal.” Following the council meeting, he stressed: “The discussion was legal, and after seven sessions, we were unable to reach a unanimous decision. There was no sectarian division, but members had different opinions regarding expatriate voting. I regret not being able to reach a decision, but there wasn’t much else we could do. This is a failure on the Constitutional Council’s part. I don’t know if any of my colleagues interfered, but I don’t doubt anyone.”

Aoun and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) had objected to the amendments made to the electoral law in terms of changing the expatriate voting formula by canceling the six allocated seats and allowing expatriates to vote for the electoral lists, as well as canceling mega voting centers. Baabda Palace sources described was happened in the Constitutional Council as a “fail,” accusing “certain forces of disrupting the judiciary, the Constitutional Council, the procedural authority and the criminal auditing.” On Monday, the Lebanese heard rumors about a barter deal between Hezbollah, the FPM and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri; the Constitutional Council would approve Aoun’s appeal in exchange for stopping Tarek Bitar, the judge leading the probe into the Beirut port explosion, from questioning the politicians he accused of being involved in the crime. The deal also includes making new judicial appointments and appointing a new Central Bank governor.

في عصر العولمة وتطور تقنيات الاتصال وتكنولوجيا المعلومات من المعيب تخصيص محافظة للمنتشرين لاسيما ان عددهم يرتفع بإضطراد وتأثيرهم على العملية الانتخابية يتصاعد. كان من الافضل رد الطعن باجماع الاعضاء ولكن كحل المجلس الدستوري ( عدم التوصل الى قرار ) احسن من العمى ( قبول الطعن ) عندما فشل المحلس الدستوري عام ٢٠١٣ في التوصل […]

by news.un.org — The extent of the devastation has drawn comparisons within Lebanon, to the horrors endured by the residents of Hiroshima in 1945, after one of the two atomic bombs dropped on Japan at the end of World War Two, raised the Japanese city to the ground, killing tens of thousands. Locals refer to the infamous day on August 4, 2020, as “Beirut-shima”. UN News is travelling with UN chief António Guterres, and in a tweet during a hectic day of meetings and ​events, he paid tribute to the victims of last year’s Beirut Port blast, stressing that “an impartial and transparent investigation into this tragic event is crucial to ensure justice.” For him, “the Lebanese people deserve the truth.” According to seismologists, the pressure of the explosion was equivalent to an earthquake measuring 3.3 on the Richter scale.

The first explosion occurred at 6:08 pm local time, after a fire broke out in a storage area containing a large amount of ammonium, followed by another massive explosion that caused great damage to the port, and large areas of the city. The explosions killed some 217 people, injured more than 6,000, and displaced around 300,000 families, with losses estimated in the billions of dollars. In his remarks in the Lebanese capital to journalists, including UN News, the Secretary-General spoke about his visit to the Harbor, saying it was a very emotional moment. “The suffering of the people, first of all, those that perished, their families, the wounded, the dramatic impact in the lives of so many people is something that of course generates very deep solidarity”. On the other hand, he noted that he had been receiving messages from many victims demanding “the need for truth to be established, for the need for an independent investigation, that is able to produce that truth.” He said he fully understands their concerns and hoped that the country’s institutions will be able to guarantee that the truth will come to light.

لقاء تعارف ودي مع السيدة يمنى بشير الجميل حضرت خلاله الاوضاع العامة في البلاد وشخصية الرئيس الشهيد الاستثنائية ومواقفه الشجاعة. وقد جرى التشديد على تثبيت اسس اعلان بعبدا لاستعادة ثقة المجتمع الدولي بالدولة تمهيداً لاطلاق عجلة النمو وانتشال الشعب من الحالة المذرية التي اصبح فيها. هذا وقد تم التوافق على ضرورة رفع الصوت من اطراف […]

(Reuters) – Lebanon could reach a preliminary agreement for financial support with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) between January and February, the local Al Jadeed TV said in a tweet on Sunday, citing the deputy prime minister. Saadeh al-Shami was quoted by the broadcaster as saying a ministerial committee had agreed with the central bank […]

by AFP — “I have come with a simple message: the UN stands in solidarity with the people of Lebanon,” Guterres told a press conference with Lebanese President Michel Aoun. “Seeing the suffering of the people of Lebanon, Lebanese political leaders do not have the right to be divided and paralyse the country,” he added. He said the objective of his meetings would be “to discuss how we can best support the Lebanese people to overcome the current economic and financial crisis and to promote peace, stability and sustainable development”. Lebanon is in the throes of an economic meltdown dubbed by the World Bank as among the planet’s worst since the 1850s.

It is widely blamed on nepotism and corruption among the country’s ruling class. Around 80 percent of Lebanon’s population is now estimated to be living under the poverty line. “Lebanese people also expect their political leaders to restore the economy, provide the functioning government and state institutions,” Guterres said. Cabinet has failed to meet since mid-October because of infighting, in particular over the judge charged with investigating the catastrophic August 2020 explosion at Beirut’s port that killed at least 215 people, injured thousands and devastated swathes of the capital. The UN chief urged politicians to work together to resolve the crisis and called on the international community “to strengthen its support to Lebanon”.

احد مبارك “الواقع أنّ إيجاد الحلول الدائمة لا يمكن أن يأتي إلا من قلب لبنان” انطونيو غوتيريس امين عام الامم المتحدة في ١٧/١٢/٢٠٢١ لذلك نرى ان العودة الى مقررات هيئة الحوار الوطني، التي تبناها مجلس الامن وانشئت على اساسها المجموعة الدولية لدعم لبنان ISG، تبدو مفيدة لنا.

by voanews.com — AMMAN, JORDAN — Lebanon’s parliamentary election will be the first held since the popular uprising in late 2019, when hundreds of thousands took to the streets demanding an end to the entrenched political and economic patronage system, blamed for multiple dire crises engulfing the tiny Mediterranean country. A spiraling economy has plunged three-quarters of Lebanese into poverty as their local currency has lost some 93 percent of its value. Medicine and electricity are in short supply, while food prices have skyrocketed due to inflation. The economic meltdown, coinciding with the coronavirus outbreak, has posed the worst threat to Lebanon’s stability since the 1975-1990 civil war, observers say.

Over the course of 2021, the heavily-armed Iran-backed Hezbollah Shiite militia and political party, along with its allies, have repeatedly tried to remove the judge responsible for investigating the deadly 2020 Beirut port explosion, accusing him of political bias—a charge independents deny. Many Lebanese are angry that no senior official has yet been held accountable for the country’s worst peacetime disaster. Meanwhile, Gulf Arab states accuse Hezbollah of trying to proliferate drugs into their region via fruit and vegetable imports, straining historic ties with Lebanon. Several activist platforms fielding candidates have formed, analysts say, such as Minteshreen, meaning “from October” and “coming from different backgrounds,” to break down divisions the political elite have fostered, such as voting along sectarian lines.

By Najia Houssari – arabnews.com — BEIRUT: Lebanese security services have imposed a three-week curfew for unvaccinated residents, with fines for those who break it, from 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. until Jan. 9, 2022, amid rising cases across the country. The committee that follows up on coronavirus disease preventative measures said it would exclude those “with at least one vaccine dose or a negative PCR test in the last 48 hours and children under 12.” On Friday, the Ministry of Public Health reported 1,912 new COVID-19 cases, mostly in people between 30 and 39 years old, some of whom had received three vaccine doses. In addition, 14 deaths were recorded. The ministry said: “We have had 22,168 active cases these last 14 days,” adding only 34 percent of people had received two vaccine doses, with the lowest vaccination rate recorded in the Bekaa region.

Lebanese Red Cross Secretary-General George Kettaneh said that “ambulance teams transport 80 to 100 cases to hospitals every day, while over 1,200 oxygen concentrators have been distributed.” So far, Lebanon has had 60 cases of the new omicron variant, but Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad noted it is “rapidly spreading … two and a half times faster than the delta variant.” Those who have received three vaccine doses have greater protection against omicron, he added. Lebanon fears yet another outbreak over the holidays, particularly since the medical sector is exhausted amid shortages in staff, fuel, oxygen, medical supplies and medicines.

by arabnews.com — EPHREM KOSSAIFY — NEW YORK: Ahead of his visit to Lebanon next week, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the country’s leaders to step up their efforts to root out corruption and promote accountability and transparency. “Lasting solutions can only come from inside Lebanon,” he said on Friday in a video message. “It is essential for leaders to put the people first and implement the reforms needed to set Lebanon back on track, including efforts to promote accountability and transparency, and root out corruption.” Guterres expressed his concern for the Lebanese people and the hardships they are facing. He praised them for their “generosity, resourcefulness and hospitality,” qualities he said he has seen first-hand during his visits to the country as head of the UN Refugee Agency.

Lebanon faces multiple crises. In addition to an ongoing financial and economic collapse, it is struggling with the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and still reeling from the devastating explosion at Beirut’s port on Aug. 4 last year, which claimed more than 200 lives, injured more than 6,000, left many more homeless and cost the country up to $4.5 billion in damages. “The United Nations mourns with you,” Guterres told the Lebanese people. “Among the youngest victims were two children of UN staff members.” The explosion happened when a large amount of ammonium nitrate, stored at the port for six years without proper safety precautions, ignited. Tensions remain high in Lebanon over the investigation into the blast, and last month this spilled over into street violence that left at least six people dead. Activists and relatives of the victims say that the official inquiry is being hampered by the Lebanese political leadership in an effort to shield politicians and officials from scrutiny. “I know the Lebanese people want answers and I hear your demands for truth and justice,” Guterres said.