BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s president and prime minister-designate traded barbs Wednesday, accusing one another of obstruction, negligence and insolence in a war or words that has for months obstructed the formation of a new government as the country sinks deeper into economic and financial crisis. The power struggle between the premier-designate, Saad Hariri, on one side and President Michel Aoun and his son-in-law Gebran Bassil on the other, has worsened despite warnings from world leaders and economic experts of the dire economic conditions tiny Lebanon is facing. The World Bank on Tuesday said Lebanon’s crisis is one of the worst the world has seen in the past 150 years. In a reflection of the growing turmoil, scores of Lebanese lined up in front of ATM machines late on Wednesday, after a top court suspended a Central Bank decree that allowed them to withdraw from dollar deposits at a rate two and a half times better than the fixed exchange rate.

In a late night burst of anger, protesters blocked main roads in Beirut and north of the capital. A young activist told a local TV station the protest was against the constant humiliation of Lebanese who line up to fill their cars with fuel, increasing power cuts, search for medicine and deal with confused banking decisions that are robbing thousands of their savings. The Lebanese pound, pegged to the dollar for 30 years at 1,507, has been in a free fall since late 2019. It is now trading at nearly 13,000 to the dollar at the black market. Lebanon is governed by a sectarian power sharing agreement but as the crisis deepens, members of the ruling elite bicker over how to form a government that will have to make tough decisions. Hariri, who was tasked by Aoun to form a Cabinet seven months ago, blames the president for the months-long delay, accusing him of insisting on having veto power in the upcoming government.

  هل يكفي توقيع مرسوم تشكيل الحكومة ليتحسن الوضع؟ من هم الوزراء الذين سيعوضون الخلاف بين ركني السلطة الاجرائية ؟ كيف ستعالج القضايا السياسية والشؤون الحياتية دون ازدياد منسوب الاحباط لدى الناس ؟ وحدة القيادة كونها المبدأ الاساس لقيادة البلاد والمصالحة مع الدولة وسيادتها لهما الافضلية على اختيار الاسماء.

The World Bank said on Tuesday that Lebanon’s economic and financial crisis could rank as one of the three most severe the world has seen since the mid-19th century.

By BASSEM MROUE Associated Press  — BEIRUT — Lebanon’s severe economic and financial crisis is likely to rank as one of the worst the world has seen in more than 150 years, the World Bank said in a report released Tuesday. The World Bank said that since late 2019, Lebanon has been facing compounded challenges, including its largest peace-time economic and financial crisis, the spread of coronavirus and a massive blast at Beirut’s port last year that is considered as one of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history. The crisis has worsened in recent months amid a paralyzing power struggle between the president and prime minister-designate that has delayed the formation of a new government, The Cabinet of outgoing Prime Minister Hassan Diab resigned days after the Aug. 4 blast, and the country has been without a fully functioning government since. The explosion in the Port of Beirut killed 211 people, wounded more than 6,000 and damaged entire neighborhoods.

In the face of these colossal challenges, continuous policy inaction and the absence of a fully functioning government threaten already dire socio-economic conditions and a fragile social peace with no clear turning point in the horizon, the World Bank report said. “The economic and financial crisis is likely to rank in the top 10, possibly top 3, most severe crises episodes globally since the mid-nineteenth century,” it added. The report said the country’s gross domestic product is projected to contract 9.5% in 2021, after shrinking by 20.3% in 2020 and 6.7% the year before. Lebanon’s gross domestic product plummeted from close to $55 billion in 2018 to an estimated $33 billion in 2020, while GDP per capita fell by around 40% in dollar terms, the report said. “Such a brutal contraction is usually associated with conflicts or wars,” the World Bank said.

Beirut (CNN) — By Salma Abdelaziz —Inside a tiny middle school classroom, Georgette Abushahla has crammed all of her life’s belongings. Two small sofas double as beds for her and her husband. “Right now, I don’t have a home because it was destroyed in the port blast,” she told CNN, referring to the explosion that ripped through Beirut’s harbor last August. “What can I say? I thank God for what we have.” Pots and pans sit idle on shelves meant for schoolbooks. She has no kitchen in the closed school and relies on Nation Station, a grassroots charity, to bring her hot meals three times a week. The group’s young and trendy volunteers zip around on orange mopeds, knocking on the doors of their neighborhood’s neediest and most vulnerable.

Izzo, 78, greets her visitors with a smile and the bustle expected of a generous host. “I am sorry! We have no power. I don’t have a generator. Please come in,” she said. Lebanon’s national grid is failing, leaving the poorest without electricity for hours every day. “I tell them may God give them strength. Knock on wood,” Izzo said as she emphatically knocked on her table and gestured at the volunteers, “I wouldn’t eat without them.” Nation Station co-founder Josephine Abou Abdo said the group started when she and a few friends began handing out donations from an abandoned gas station two days after the port blast. Now, nine months later, that gas station has been transformed into a community kitchen that supports about 1,000 families. “We thought that slowly, slowly after the blast the need would diminish, but to our surprise, with the economic situation, the need actually increased,” Abou Abdo explained.

by reuters — BEIRUT — Lebanon’s national airline will require payment for tickets in U.S. dollars based on the central bank’s latest exchange rate from June 1, Chairman Mohamad El-Hout said on Sunday, a step that will make tickets more expensive. Middle East Airlines (MEA) chairman El-Hout said the move was necessary to ensure the […]

By Courtney Mares – cna — Pope Francis has invited Lebanese Christian leaders to the Vatican for a day of prayer on July 1 for “the worrying situation in the country.” The pope made the announcement from window of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace on May 30 after praying the Angelus with pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square. The leaders of the main Christian communities present in Lebanon will “pray together for the gift of peace and stability,” Francis said. “I entrust this intention to the intercession of the Mother God, so venerated at the Shrine of Harissa, and from this moment, I ask you to accompany the preparation of this event with solidarity in prayer, invoking a more peaceful future for this beloved country.” Lebanon has faced a financial and political crisis for months, as political leaders have failed to form a government to implement reforms after the devastating explosion in Beirut’s port on Aug. 4. The blast killed nearly 200 people, injured 600 others, and caused more than $4 billion in damage. Before the explosion, the country was already facing severe economic pressure. Unemployment had soared and the national currency had lost at least 80% of its value against the U.S. dollar since 2019, according to AP.

Pope Francis met with Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri on April 22 at the Vatican, where the Lebanese leader also met with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Secretary for Relations with States Archbishop Paul Gallagher. Saad Hariri was given the task of forming a new government last October following the resignations of the leaders Hassan Diab in August and Mustapha Adib in September. This development came less than a year after Hariri himself had resigned as prime minister, on Oct. 29, 2019, in the wake of mass protests. Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai, the leader of Lebanon’s Maronite Catholics, has repeatedly urged the country’s political leaders to “overcome the logic of partisan interests” and form a government to rescue the country. Rai said in February that the international community had a responsibility to help prevent Lebanon’s collapse. The cardinal said that there was a “great chasm” between the people in political power, with their “personal interests and calculations,” and those who suffer “poverty, deprivation, and hunger.” The pope said March 8 that he promised Cardinal Rai that he would visit Lebanon in the future. Pope Francis also called for a renewed political commitment to fostering the stability of Lebanon in this year’s speech to diplomats accredited to the Holy See.

By NAJIA HOUSSARI — arabnews.com — BEIRUT: Lebanese health authorities on Saturday launched a COVID-19 vaccination “marathon” to speed up the country’s inoculation drive, with a day-long campaign offering the AstraZeneca shot at 30 different locations. Long lines of people were seen in front of the vaccination centers and more than 7,800 were jabbed within seven hours (they have reach beyond 10K vaccination by end of day)​. Petra Khoury, who is the prime minister’s adviser for health affairs and heads the National Executive Vaccine Committee, called the turnout “joyful.” Khoury said the committee would come up with new ideas in the coming weeks to reach people who did not know how to register on the vaccination platform and those who were generally fearful of the vaccine. Around two dozen centers were offering jabs to people aged between 30 and 65 provided they were not suffering from any health issues or conditions that prevented them from receiving a shot.

The initiative also offered vaccinations to everyone who was registered on the vaccination platform but had yet to receive an appointment and those who were not registered on it, including those without identification papers. Lebanon began vaccinating its population, including more than 1.5 million Palestinian and Syrian refugees, on Jan. 28 with the elderly and healthcare workers getting priority. The country’s access to the AstraZeneca vaccine coincided with reports of deaths caused by strokes as a result of receiving this jab. Many of those registered on the platform declined to take the vaccine while others, including the media and university professors, agreed to take it. Nabil Rizkallah, a member of the National Executive Vaccine Committee, said that 64 percent of those who received the vaccine on Saturday were Lebanese and 36 percent were foreigners.

By NAJIA HOUSSARI — arabnews.com — BEIRUT: Lebanese health authorities on Saturday launched a COVID-19 vaccination “marathon” to speed up the country’s inoculation drive, with a day-long campaign offering the AstraZeneca shot at 30 different locations. Long lines of people were seen in front of the vaccination centers and more than 7,800 were jabbed within seven hours (they have reach beyond 10K vaccination by end of day)​. Petra Khoury, who is the prime minister’s adviser for health affairs and heads the National Executive Vaccine Committee, called the turnout “joyful.” Khoury said the committee would come up with new ideas in the coming weeks to reach people who did not know how to register on the vaccination platform and those who were generally fearful of the vaccine. Around two dozen centers were offering jabs to people aged between 30 and 65 provided they were not suffering from any health issues or conditions that prevented them from receiving a shot.

The initiative also offered vaccinations to everyone who was registered on the vaccination platform but had yet to receive an appointment and those who were not registered on it, including those without identification papers. Lebanon began vaccinating its population, including more than 1.5 million Palestinian and Syrian refugees, on Jan. 28 with the elderly and healthcare workers getting priority. The country’s access to the AstraZeneca vaccine coincided with reports of deaths caused by strokes as a result of receiving this jab. Many of those registered on the platform declined to take the vaccine while others, including the media and university professors, agreed to take it. Nabil Rizkallah, a member of the National Executive Vaccine Committee, said that 64 percent of those who received the vaccine on Saturday were Lebanese and 36 percent were foreigners.

By Sunniva Rose — thenationalnews — The Beirut Bar Association called for a two-day strike in protest against what they described as the illegal arrest of lawyer Rami Ollaik on Thursday by unidentified men in civilian clothes. Mr Ollaik was recently at the centre of a politicised court case seen as a proxy power struggle between judges who support prime minister-designate Saad Hariri and those who side with President Michel Aoun. The two men have quarrelled openly for the past eight months over the formation of a new Cabinet. The High Judicial Council, Lebanon’s top court of 10 judges, advised public prosecutor Ghassan El Khoury to prosecute Mr Ollaik for slandering the High Judicial Council and state prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat, the National News Agency (NNA) reported on Wednesday. The state-run agency did not specify which comments the High Judicial Council was referring to. But Mr Ollaik refused to be questioned by the information division of the local police, or Internal Security Forces, and asked for a review of his case by the Beirut Bar Association.

The association said Mr Ollaik was arrested as he was walking to its offices near the Justice Ministry on Thursday. “Unidentified civilians took him violently towards an unknown destination,” they said, calling for a two-day strike on Friday and Monday. The arrest is illegal because Lebanese law stipulates that the public prosecutor must ask the Beirut Bar Association for authorisation before interrogating a lawyer, a source at the association told The National. The Tripoli Bar Association declared a one-hour strike on Friday morning in rejection of “transgression or violation of legal norms”, in an apparent reference to Mr Ollaik’s arrest.

by lb.usembassy.gov — Ambassador Dorothy Shea joined Rear Admiral Curtis Renshaw and Chief of Defense Joseph Aoun to commemorate the conclusion of the Resolute Union 2021 Joint Military Exercise. Conducted May 17-28 in Lebanon and in the Eastern Mediterranean, the event is designed to enhance interoperability and fortify military-to-military relations between the U.S. Navy and the LAF, provide training between the U.S. Navy and regional partners, facilitate the future advancement of the Resolute series, maintain warfighting readiness, and demonstrate the U.S. Navy’s commitment to regional maritime security.

Following are Ambassador Shea’s remarks as prepared for delivery:

Good afternoon. Thank you for joining us today to commemorate the culmination of Resolute Union 21, the U.S. military’s largest annual exercise with the Lebanese Armed Forces. In particular, I want to thank Rear Admiral Curtis Renshaw, Deputy Commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, and General Joseph Aoun, Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, for their strong support for the U.S.-Lebanese security partnership. This year, it is a distinct pleasure to welcome the participation of our colleagues from the Jordanian Armed Forces. In particular, I’d like to thank Major General Huneiti, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Colonel al-Jarrah, Head of the Jordanian Navy, for joining us today. Last but certainly not least, I’d like to thank the many U.S., Lebanese, and Jordanian military personnel who invested countless hours in planning and executing Resolute Union. Congratulations on the completion of another successful exercise!