BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanon’s tourism minister unveiled a new slogan for the crisis-swept country on Thursday that aimed to portray the precarity of life there as a point of pride, roughly translating to “I love you in your madness”. Lebanon is suffering a financial and economic meltdown which the World Bank has labelled as one of the deepest depressions of modern history, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic and a massive explosion at Beirut’s port that destroyed large parts of the city and killed more than 215 people. “This will be our touristic identity that the world will see,” Tourism Minister Walid Nassar said at a news conference with other senior ministers in Beirut. The slogan was developed cost-free for Lebanon by Dubai-based advertising company TBWA, he said. TBWA Chief Creative Officer Walid Kanaan said it was “near-impossible” to find ways to market a country in the grip of multi-layered economic and political crises, but that he had found inspiration in Lebanon’s people. “This is our country, a crazy country … crazy in its nightlife, crazy in its food and generosity. And no matter how crazy the situation in Lebanon is, we can only say, ‘we love you in your madness,’” Kanaan said, unveiling the slogan.

Originally a lyric in a song by Lebanese star singer Fairuz released before the outbreak of Lebanon’s 1975-90 civil war, the new catchphrase will be displayed on planes of Lebanon’s national carrier Middle East Airlines and used in social media campaigns, Kanaan said. The official English translation will be “A crazy love.” Tourism, historically a major component of Lebanon’s economy, has dramatically declined since late 2019. Some 2 million tourists visited the country in 2018, according to the former tourism minister, while media reports citing official figures suggest that numbers fell to a few hundred thousand in 2020.

by english.alaraby.co.uk — Lebanese Jews on Monday attended a “family gathering” held by Beirut’s representation at the embassy in Paris, Lebanese news outlets reported on Thursday. The gathering was the first of its kind at the embassy, Annahar reported. About 50 invitees attended the event, according to Megaphone. The event took place while Lebanon is […]

by miragenews.com — Department of Defense Spokesperson Commander Jessica L. McNulty provided the following readout: Performing the Duties of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Dr. Mara Karlin and Lebanese Chief of Defense Gen. Joseph Aoun met today in the Pentagon to discuss the U.S.-Lebanon bilateral defense partnership and shared security interests. Dr. Karlin […]

طريق الانقاذ يمرً عبر الحكم الرشيد. الحكم الرشيد يرتكز على المصطلحات 3 D التالية : Démocratie  معطلة بسبب السلاح Développement  سلبي بسبب السلاح Dialogue  متعذر بسبب السلاح

BEIRUT,  (Reuters) – Restaurant owner Antoine Haddad has been in business for over 35 years but says he is running out of hope as Lebanon struggles with one of the deepest financial crises of modern times. The Lebanese pound lost around 90% of its value in the past two years, propelling three quarters of the population into poverty. For Haddad, the difference between this and other crises that Lebanon has experienced, including the 1975-1990 civil war, is that it feels like there is no end in sight. “Previously, you had hope that: ‘tomorrow the war will end, we do this and that and go back to where we were’, but this time there is no hope,” he said. “They (those in power) promised us we would have plenty of money in our hands, and we indeed have a lot of it to play with,” he said sarcastically referring to the growing stacks of banknotes needed for even basic purchases after the currency drop. Haddad, whose small restaurant has been in business since 1984, said he can only buy 10% of the olive oil he used to buy with the same money.

The government, facing an election in March as it tries to secure an IMF recovery plan, has tripled transport allowance for employees to alleviate some of the pain but most salaries, including the minimum wage, have not been adjusted. Pub-owner Moussa Yaakoub is also taken aback by the amount of cash he needs to run his business. “I have never before held in my hands this amount of money,” he said as he counted some 10 million pounds, worth $6,600 at the pre-crisis rate but now less than $500 at the market rate. That much money used to cover a pub’s operation for months, but now only pays a couple of bills, he said.

BEIRUT, Nov 2 (Reuters) – The English-language Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star has told its staff they will all be laid off, joining a list of Lebanese media outlets that have been forced to close or scale back due to financial pressures. In a message to staff, The Daily Star management said the decision to […]

جريدة الوطن السعودية:
سعي حزب الله للإطاحة برئيس الجمهورية الأسبق ميشال سليمان، الذي أطلق بيان بعبدا المؤكد على حيادية لبنان ضد الصراعات في المنطقة، والرافض لتدخل حزب الله العسكري في سوريا والعراق.
https://www.alwatan.com.sa/ampArticle/1091253

نداء الوطن
كان ذلك الهامش موجوداً أيّام الرئيس ميشال سليمان الذي حاول، بمعزل عن الظروف الدوليّة والاقليميّة إلى إبقاء النقاش حول الخطة الدفاعيّة حيّاً بشكل أو بآخر. هذا ما لا يحصل اليوم.
https://www.nidaalwatan.com/article/amp/61079/لبنان-والعرب-العودة-حتمية

الشرق
فعلى الأقلّ الحياد الذي طالب به البطريرك الراعي ومن خلفه اللبنانيون نصّ عليه اتفاق بعبدا قبل تسع سنوات في بنده الثاني عشر الذي نصّ على “تحييد لبنان عن سياسة المحاور والصراعات الإقليميّة والدوليّة وتجنيبه الانعكاسات السلبيّة للتوتّرات والأزمات الإقليميّة، وذلك حرصاً على مصلحته العليا ووحدته الوطنيّة وسلمه الأهلي، ما عدا ما يتعلق بواجب التزام قرارات الشرعيّة الدوليّة والإجماع العربي والقضيّة الفلسطينيّة المحقّة، بما في ذلك حقّ اللاجئين الفلسطينيين في العودة إلى أرضهم وديارهم وعدم توطينهم”، وكذلك مطالبة البطريرك بتطبيق المقررات الدولية وهو بند الرابع عشر الذي نصّ عليه اتفاق بعبدا عام 2012 “إلتزام القرارات الدوليّة،

https://www.elsharkonline.com/هوامش-بقلم-ميرفت-سيوفي-الحياد-أو-النّأي-بالنّفس/2021/11/03/مقالات/

by Najia Houssari — arabnews.com — BEIRUT: Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati visited Saudi Arabia’s pavilion at the UN Climate Change Conference, amid attempts to ease the diplomatic and economic fallout triggered by a government minister’s remarks on the war in Yemen. Mikati was received at the pavilion by the Kingdom’s ambassador to the UK, Prince Khalid bin Bandar Al-Saud, who explained his country’s vision for the environment, a green economy, and climate change. The prime minister praised the green initiatives launched by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and he also visited the UAE’s pavilion at COP26. Lebanese Information Minister George Kordahi has caused anger by saying the Iran-backed Houthis were defending themselves in Yemen and that the war should stop. Gulf states, led by Saudi Arabia, have recalled their ambassadors from Lebanon and also instructed Lebanon’s ambassadors to leave.

Kordahi has not quit despite a request from Mikati, and his refusal to resign has the backing of Hezbollah and the Marada Movement. Saudi Arabia said Kordahi’s stance reflected Hezbollah’s hegemony over Lebanon. A delegation of economic bodies met Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Bechara Al-Rahi on Tuesday to express their concern about the damage being done to the country and its people. The secretary-general of the economic bodies, Nicolas Chammas, said: “We condemn all that is happening today between Lebanon and the Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom has been the leader of the Gulf Cooperation Council for the past 70 years. 

by reuters — Lebanon’s foreign minister said Saudi Arabia was dictating impossible terms by asking the government to reduce the role of Iran-backed Hezbollah, adding Beirut’s row with Riyadh be resolved if the kingdom agreed to a dialogue with the new Lebanese cabinet. “If they just want Hezbollah’s head on a plate, we can’t give them that,” the minister, Abdallah Bou Habib, told Reuters in an interview on Tuesday. “Hezbollah is a component of politics in Lebanon. It has a regional armed dimension, yes, but this is beyond what we can resolve,” he said. Lebanon is facing its worst rift yet with Gulf Arab states, spurred by a minister’s critical comments about the intervention in Yemen that described the war there as futile.

Saudi Arabia and some Gulf Arab allies have reacted angrily to the remarks made by the information minister in an interview last week, which he’d filmed before taking up his position in cabinet. Riyadh expelled Lebanon’s ambassador, banned all imports from Lebanon and recalled its envoy for consultations. Kuwait and Bahrain followed suit by expelling the top envoys in their own capitals, while the United Arab Emirates withdrew all its diplomats from Beirut. Saudi Arabia has said its actions were driven not just by George Kordahi’s comments but rather were rooted in its objection to the increasing dominance of Hezbollah over Lebanese politics. The row is part of a longstanding feud between Saudi Arabia and Iran that has played out in proxy conflicts across the region, from Yemen to Syria to Iraq. Gulf states are traditional aid donors to Lebanon but for several years have been increasingly dismayed by Hezbollah’s expanding power, and have so far been loathe to help rescue Lebanon from a devastating economic crisis.