by NAJIA HOUSSARI — arabnews.com — BEIRUT: Former Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri has put himself forward as a potential leader in a bid to break the country’s growing political deadlock. He also began political consultations with other parties in order to revive the possibility of a successful French rescue plan on Monday. After a meeting with President Michel Aoun in the Presidential Palace, Hariri said: “We have no time to waste on political polemics. If someone wants to change the concept of the French initiative, let them bear the responsibility.” The French plan, launched by President Emmanuel Macron on Sept. 1 to help Lebanon cope with its crises, failed after Hezbollah and the Amal Movement demanded ownership of the finance portfolio and the presence of Shiite ministers in a new government. Hariri said that the government should be “formed of specialists who do not belong to parties and who will undertake specific reforms within a specific timetable, which does not exceed a few months.”

Lebanon is scheduled to begin negotiations with Israel on Wednesday to demarcate maritime borders amid an absence of government in the country, which is enduring one of its worst economic and financial crises to date. President Aoun said he “wants to form a new government as soon as possible, because the situation no longer tolerates further deterioration.” Aoun also urged “the necessity of adhering to the French initiative.” In a statement, Hariri said the consultations, which also included meetings with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and other former prime ministers, were designed to “float Macron’s initiative.” He added that the French plan “is the only and last opportunity to stop the collapse and rebuild what was destroyed by the Beirut Port explosion.”

by middleeastmonitor.com — A British-Lebanese man has cycled 4,200 kilometres from London to Beirut to raise money to support victims of the devastating blast that rocked the capital city. Nearly 200 people were killed and 300,000 were left homeless after the 4 August explosion which could be felt as far away as Cyprus. Horrified at images from the scene, 38-year-old Eddie El-Lamaa felt compelled to do something to help. The father of three, who moved to the UK from Lebanon with his parents in 1985, embarked on the challenge to cycle to Lebanon, a journey he completed in 40 days. “It was like a mammoth of a task. Even professional cyclists were saying ‘look don’t do it.’ Even speaking to the people at the bike shop were looking at me like I was mad.” El-Lamaa didn’t own a road bike prior to the challenge and had not cycled since he was a teen. However, he successfully pedalled 4,200 kilometres through nine countries in Europe including France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkey, before taking a ferry to Tripoli, Lebanon, and reaching his final destination. “I didn’t know how long it would take, how many miles it was. I didn’t even own a road bike at the time. I’m not a professional cyclist.”

By Razmig Bedirian — thenational.ae —Kevork Hadjian, an Armenian-Lebanese opera singer, has died while fighting on the Nagorno-Karabakh frontline. He was 49. Reports of his death first began circulating on social media on Wednesday, October 7. However, it is believed that Hadjian was killed in battle the day before. Hadjian was a member of a regiment of volunteers led by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation – an Armenian nationalist and socialist political party that is also active in Syria and Lebanon. The platoon had been fighting alongside the Artsakh Defence Corps and managed to overrun Azerbaijani positions on the Varangatagh (Lulasaz) height shortly after Hadjian was killed.

Who was Kevork Hadjian?

Born in Anjar, in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, in 1971, Hadjian’s musical prowess was evident from an early age. “He would sing the songs of Sayat Nova when he was just a few years old,” Nancy Hajian, a cousin of Hadjian says, referencing the 18th-century Armenian poet and musician. “The entire family was known for their powerful singing. Even his brother and three sisters have remarkable voices.” Hadjian attended Anjar’s Harach and Calouste Gulbenkian Primary School before being accepted at the Holy Sea of Cilicia’s Zarehian Seminary in Antelias, a town to the north of Beirut. “He would sing sometimes between classes,” Father Aram Deyirmendjian, the parish priest of the Armenian Church in Dubai and the Northern Emirates, says. “We grew up in the same neighbourhood in Anjar and then studied together in Antelias. We often spoke about music, even up to his final days.”

by gov.uk — During his visit to the United Kingdom at the invitation of the UK Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter, Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun alongside General Sir Carter met with Rear Admiral Simon Asquith, Commander Operations for the Royal Navy, Mr David Quarrey, the Prime Minister’s International Affairs Adviser and Deputy National Security Adviser, and other senior Defence and security officials. The visit was an opportunity to appreciate the UK’s support to Lebanon and its army. Discussions focused on UK support to the LAF and ways to expand the partnership to fight terrorism and support land and sea border security. Discussions also covered the LAF’s role in protecting human rights and the right to peaceful protest, and the importance of the LAF upholding the highest standards and being transparent as a general principle in implementing all his missions. At the end of the visit Chief of Defence Staff General Sir Nick Carter said:

The Lebanese and UK Armed Forces have a long and proud history of working together. As part of today’s visit we discussed how best we can continue to build on our Defence relationship. Our personnel continue to serve and train alongside each other and we remain committed to providing support in the region on countering extremism and reinforcing border security. Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun expressed his deep thanks to his British counterpart for his invitation, reiterating the strong relationship between both armies and expressed his confidence in continuing cooperation in the interest of the two friendly countries: This visit is to thank the United Kingdom for its effective participation in supporting border security, and to reinforce cooperation and work towards continued support to the Lebanese Armed Forces amidst the huge challenges facing it, especially in fighting terrorism and border security.

by ttnworldwide.com — Lebanon-based Middle East Airlines (MEA) said it has taken delivery of Airbus’ A320 Family aircraft with manufacturer serial number 10,000 from the Airbus’ base in Toulouse. This is the third A321neo aircraft to join the all Airbus MEA fleet, thus taking its total to 18 aircraft. The Lebanese carrier received its first A321neo aircraft earlier this year and will be taking another six A321neos over the coming months. The handover of the aircraft took place in Toulouse in the presence of Mohamad El Hout, Chairman and Director General of MEA. Speaking on the occasion, El Hout said: “We are honoured to receive the state of the art A321neo with its distinctive serial number 10,000 coinciding with the 75th anniversary of Middle East Airlines and specially after receiving MSN5,000 back in 2012.” “Since we first acquired an A320 Family aircraft in 2003, we have not only benefited from the outstanding operational efficiency of the aircraft but were also the first airline to introduce the wide-body cabin product on a single-aisle aircraft which has become a trend in the airline industry afterwards,” he stated.

The new A321neo is powered by Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower PW1100G-JM geared turbofan engines and is configured in a comfortable two-class layout with 28 seats in Business and 132 seats in Economy Class. It is also equipped with the latest generation in-flight entertainment system and high-speed connectivity. Incorporating the latest engines, aerodynamic advances, and cabin innovations, the A321neo offers a reduction in fuel consumption of 20% as well as a 50% noise reduction. “Unfortunately, due to the current situation in Lebanon, this time we will not be able to celebrate the delivery of the MSN10,000 in Beirut, as we did with the MSN5,000, but I am sure that in these challenging circumstances, it is a ray of light, hope and motivation to surpass our nation’s difficulties,” he added.

by npr.org — In mid-September, a small fishing boat packed with 37 people was found drifting off the coast of Lebanon in the Mediterranean Sea. The passengers, all trying to reach Cyprus for a better life, had paid nearly $1,000 each and were on the boat for eight days without sufficient food and water. By the time rescuers, members of a U.N. peacekeeping mission, were able to reach them, at least 13 of the four dozen or so passengers — including two children — had been lost at sea or were dead. As an economic and political crisis worsens across Lebanon, a growing number of people are trying to get out any way they can. Those with the means emigrate legally, using traditional routes such as student or work visas, or marrying foreign spouses. Those who lack the education, money or connections to make it abroad legally have increasingly resorted to paying human smugglers to take them in boats across the Mediterranean Sea. Dangerous sea crossings are occurring in unprecedented numbers, according to Guita Hourani, director of the Lebanese Center for Migration and Diaspora Studies at the University of Notre Dame-Louaize. Hourani refers to the exodus as a “forced migration” caused by the negligence and corruption of Lebanon’s politicians.

During all of 2019, there were 17 sea-crossing attempts. But in the last three months alone, the U.N. Refugee Agency says there were 21 recorded attempted crossings from Lebanon to Cyprus, a European Union country some 160 miles away. Most passengers on the boats are Lebanese or Syrian nationals, according to UNHCR. With Lebanon’s Ministry of Economy predicting that 60% of the population will live in poverty by the end of this year and no solutions in sight, Hourani warns that soon, even professionals and educated youth may begin attempting the dangerous route to Cyprus. Not even during Lebanon’s 15-year civil war or the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah were sea crossings attempted from Lebanon in such high numbers, she says. Lebanon’s economic collapse resulted from government debt and mismanagement. Unemployment is high, even among educated youth. The country’s currency, the Lebanese pound, lost 80% of its value in the past year. Businesses have closed. Poverty is overtaking the middle class, after bank-imposed capital controls trapped people’s savings. 

By Sunniva Rose — thenational.ae — A coronavirus committee in the town of Hasbaya in South Lebanon has raised the alarm, saying the spread in the area is out of control. Covid-19 has killed 433 and contaminated 48,377 people in Lebanon. Nine died in the past 24 hours, according the Health Ministry’s statement on Wednesday. […]

by alkhaleejtoday.co — Prime Minister Saad Hariri emphasized that “the French initiative has not ended,” noting that “this initiative wanted Lebanon to succeed and get it out of the impasse, and I do not know why they failed it.” His government is provocative names, and whoever brought down Hassan Diab’s government was the Beirut explosion. “ In an interview with the “Time Has Come” program, Hariri said: “The President of the Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, the head of the Lebanese Forces Party, Samir Geagea, and the head of the powerful Lebanon Bloc, Gebran Bassil, refused to take over the initiative government, so I decided to step aside.” He continued: “I am a candidate for prime minister without Jamila anyone. I have a parliamentary bloc and it is known who I am, but I do not threaten and promise as others do. Some critics and bidders want me to threaten and I will not do that, I am the son of moderate Rafik Hariri.” “I am the natural candidate for prime minister and I will make a round of contacts this week, and if all the parties are still agreeing on the program of the Pine Palace in terms of negotiations with the IMF and the required reforms then I will not close the door on the only hope to stop the collapse.

And he added, “I will conduct a round of contacts with all political parties to find out the stability of their position and their approval of the French reform paper, and if everyone agrees, I will not close the door.” He continued:I refuse to return according to the formula, either Saad Hariri and Gebran Bassil are inside or outside the government, but I think it is no longer on the table. “ He said, “We agreed in the Pine Palace that political parties would leave this government and not interfere in naming ministers and allow the new government to complete and rebuild Beirut, and everyone agreed to privatization and increase taxes.” Hariri assured that “the formation of a government of one color, as well as the government of Hassan Diab, will not obtain any support from the international community for Lebanon.” He added, “I was accused of forming the government of Dr. Mustafa Adeeb, but my job was only to warn Adeeb not to name people that provoke any political team, and to adhere to Saad Hariri’s nomination by Amal Movement and Hezbollah is only to avoid the Sunni-Shiite tension.”

by arabnews.com — PARIS: France will hold a humanitarian aid conference for Lebanon in November, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Wednesday. The conference was initially planned for the end of October. Le Drian also told the French National Assembly that the Lebanon international contact group would meet in the coming days to reiterate the need for the formation of a government.

By NAJIA HOUSSARI — arabnews.com — BEIRUT: The streets of Baalbek have been in chaos over the past two days because of violent clashes between the Jaafar and Shamas clans. Video footage released on social media showed dozens of armed men walking the streets to an inflammatory soundtrack. State security forces are conspicuous by their absence from the footage. The two clans are spread throughout the Baalbek-Hermel region, up to the Syrian border. Both have been the source of hundreds of Hezbollah militants over the years.

The current violence was sparked by the killing of Abbas Shamas on Sunday by four members of the Jaafar clan. Abbas was the brother of two Shamas members imprisoned for the killing of Issa Ali Jaafar in 2017. Following that murder, the two clans established a wary peace agreement to prevent further bloodshed. But following the murder on Sunday, the Jaafar clan celebrated its revenge by taking to the streets and firing missiles in the air. Governor of Baalbek Hermel Bashir Khadr told Arab News: “People were going about their normal lives. Tourists were visiting the castle and the city when the firing of automatic and missile weapons suddenly started, and this terrified people. People are already frustrated and restless as a result of the difficult economic conditions the country is going through.”