by reuters — Vincent al-Boustani’s local council, in a small town north of Lebanon’s capital, runs a tight ship: staff and volunteers conduct 24/7 patrols, cameras monitor the streets and motorcycles are banned after 9pm. Boustani believes this is the best way to offer security as the economy crumbles, people become poorer and fear of crime increases. “The need for money, for food, I believe things will get even worse. I hope I’m wrong,” he said. “That’s why we must remain alert, aware of the danger…We’re going towards the unknown.” A financial crisis that has swept Lebanon since last year means more and more families have little means to cope as the currency collapses and the state offers little or no help. The country faces what is seen as the biggest threat to its stability since the 1975-1990 civil war.

In the first four months of 2020, murders in Lebanon doubled from the same period last year. Car thefts jumped nearly 50% and burglaries 20%, according to a report by the Beirut-based research firm Information International, based on police data. As the currency plunges, more unrest is feared in a country with a tumultuous history and where sectarian tensions are never far from the surface. The prices of imported foods upon which Lebanese depend have been driven up by a 70% decline in the Lebanese pound’s value since October. A World Food Programme report this month found that 50% of Lebanese, as well as 63% of Palestinians and 75% of Syrians in the country, had feared they would not have enough to eat over the past month.

by alaraby.co.uk — The whereabouts of activist Kinda el-Khatib and her brother Bandar are still unknown after she was arrested by Lebanese state security for publishing comments on social media. It is believed that she was arrested because of a tweet that criticised President Michel Aoun, however security sources revealed that her arrest was based on suspicions that she was allegedly spying for Israel and entering Palestinian territories. A campaign was launched on social media accusing her of being an Israeli agent, and of opposing Hezbollah on social media. A security source told Al-Akhbar that Kinda’s arrest was based on “evidence from the General Security that proves her involvement in contact with people inside Israel,” and accused her of “providing information to the Israelis” as well as entering Israel during a trip to Jordan. The authorities have refused to provide further information about the allegations, and her whereabouts remain unknown. While her brother was released, Kinda remains in the authority’s custody.

Her family are convinced that “her file was ready before her arrest” and insist Kinda’s Twitter account was hacked and her opposition to Hezbollah was also fabricated. Kinda is not the first activist to be arrested by Lebanese authorities. An increasing number of activists in Lebanon are being arrested for social media posts criticising the government’s handling of the weakening economy, the currency crash and its handling of the coronavirus outbreak. According to Kinda’s sister Yasmine, the 23-year-old is currently completing her Masters studies in English literature at the Deanship of the Lebanese University in Beirut, and she is active on social media. She worked as a translator for a period of time with the “International Society for Parliamentary Elections” in the year 2018. The family are planning to get a lawyer to help with Kinda’s release. They have not been able to communite with her since her arrest. “There is complete ambiguity about her file, and they did not allow us to communicate with her, except for the moment she was transferred via the military police in Beirut,” her sister told Al Modon.

by menabytes.com — NymCard, a cloud-based card issuing and processing platform that was founded in Beirut in 2018 has relocated its headquarters to Abu Dhabi, it announced in a statement to MENAbytes, saying that move is aimed to support its regional expansion plans. The startup that allows financial institutions, banks, and fintechs to build virtual card programs for their customers, will continue to operate its Beirut office to serve their clients in Levant. Omar Onsi, the founder and CEO of NymCard in a statement, said, “Abu Dhabi has all the makings of a great fintech ecosystem and we’re very excited to be a part of it. Our headquarters in Abu Dhabi brings us closer to our customers, tech startups, and payment innovators looking for different types of modern payment solutions.” “We’re very honored to have been selected by Hub71 and are grateful to their team for the support they’ve extended to us for relocating our regional operations to Abu Dhabi,” he added.

The Daily Star BEIRUT — : Israeli warplanes were seen flying over Beirut at unusually low altitudes Sunday, while also performing mock raids across other areas of the country in yet another violation of Lebanese airspace. Aside from the capital, the aircraft were reported to have also been spotted flying over Sidon, Hasbaya, Aarqoub, Jabal al-Sheikh, Shebaa farms, Metn, Keserouan, Nabatieh, and Tyre’s Palestinian refugee camps as well as other areas of the south, according to the state-run National News Agency. Although this has become commonplace in recent months, many took to social media to remark on how much louder and longer in duration it appeared to be than usual. “Just another Sunday afternoon in Beirut enjoying the sound of Israeli fighter jets,” one Twitter user said.

By: Egypt Today staff — CAIRO – June 2020: Lebanese megastar Elissa shared her song “Zakaria” on her official Twitter account and dedicated it to her dad. “For the love of my dad,” tweeted Elissa. The famed Lebanese singer previously announced via her official Twitter account that she will release her upcoming album very soon. Elissa’s album was delayed because of the spread of coronavirus. Elissa gave a dazzling performance in her latest online concert which took place on June 4. During the successful concert, Elissa’s fans launched the hashtag “Mekamleen Ma’a Elissa” (We will Continue with Elissa) and the hashtag trended in number 4 in Egypt. The fans interacted with her during the performance dubbing her the Queen, the charming, the icon and the legend. The concert was organised by Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Entertainment.

Elissa’s latest song “Ahwet El-Madi” (The Coffee of the Past) achieved huge success, amassing over 1 million views on YouTube. The song is written by Seham Sho’aa, composed by Mohamed Rahim and distributed by Kameel Khoury. The famed Lebanese star released her song “Hangany Kaman w Kaman” (We will sing again and again) on April 11. The heartthrob singer performed in Alexandria on December 12. This concert was Elissa’s first in Egypt after her previous decision to quit singing. Later, she performed a massive concert in Dubai on February 14.

by arabnews.com — NAJIA HOUSSARI — BEIRUT: Lebanon’s hookah fans are returning to bars and restaurants amid warnings that the smoky pastime carries even greater health risks because of the coronavirus. A few days ago Tourism Minister Ramzi Msharrafieh allowed restaurants and coffee shops to serve hookah, although some cafes had started offering it weeks earlier to attract customers. “Hookah alone is totally damaging to the health, and its damage is much higher now with the spread of the new coronavirus,” chest and emergency specialist Dr. Wael Jaroush told Arab News. He was irritated by restaurant owners who claimed they were protecting their customers’ health by throwing away leftovers but at the same time also offered them hookah. “As if smoking hookah alone does not pose a threat to people’s health,” Jaroush added. “The latest statistics in Lebanon have shown that 33 percent of girls between the ages of 16 and 18, and 42 percent of young boys of the same age range smoke hookah and this is a real disaster.”

Tony Ramy, who is president of the Syndicate of Owners of Restaurants, Cafés, Night-Clubs & Pastries, said that a quarter of people went to restaurants and cafes to smoke hookah. “Nothing can save restaurants and cafes from their financial crisis, but hookah will restore a certain atmosphere to restaurants that will procure added value for Lebanese cuisine,” he told Arab News, referring to the months of economic turmoil and hardships the country has endured. He said there were 2,500 cafes in Lebanon and that allowing them to serve hookah again might boost their business. Msharrafieh, who is himself a doctor, stipulated that hookah must be served outdoors and warned people about the health risks of smoking and the damage it had on the respiratory system.

By Miriam Jackson– theunionjournal.com —  Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Al-Hariri has recently met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman and admonished him for giving up his party, The New Khalij revealed on Friday. Informed sources reported by the headlines website stated that Al-Hariri met Bin Salman after completing one of many recent external tours, […]

by thenational.ae — Joyce Karam — A Hezbollah financier who was convicted in a US court and designated a “global terrorist” by the Treasury Department is due to be released nearly two years before the end of his sentence following a judge’s ruling, two Lebanese sources following the case told The National. Kassim Tajideen is a Lebanese-Belgian citizen and a multi-millionaire who was designated in 2009 for supporting Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant organisation labelled as a terrorist group by the US. He was sentenced to five years in prison in 2019 but is now expected to be released by the US government on grounds of “goodwill”. Mr Tajideen, 64, was arrested in Morocco in 2017 and pleaded guilty in December 2018 for making nearly $1 billion (Dh3.7 billion) in illegal transactions and evading US sanctions. In August of 2019, following his extradition, he was ordered to pay $50 million alongside his prison sentence.

The director of hostage affairs at the Syrian emergency taskforce, Nizar Zakka, welcomed the news of his impending release. Mr Zakka, who was held hostage in Iran for four years, told The National the release is “gesture of good will” from the US. A US official at the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed that Mr Tajideen had left the federal prison where he had been held since August 2019. “Kassim Tajideen left the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons on June 11, 2020,” the official said, adding that US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) may have more information.

by arabnews.com — NAJIA HOUSSARI — BEIRUT: An increasing number of activists in Lebanon are being arrested amid mounting criticism on social media of the government’s handling of the country’s worsening economy. In the latest such incident, activist Michel Chamoun was arrested on Thursday by state security for writing comments on social media that were deemed humiliating to President Michel Aoun. Dozens of protesters blocked the main road linking Beirut to Jbeil and Tripoli, demanding the immediate release of Chamoun and chanting slogans and insults against Aoun and Free Patriotic Movement leader Gebran Bassil. This led to clashes with security forces before army commandos and military police intervened. An army officer and a number of protesters were injured.

On Thursday evening, Chamoun was released after Melhem Khalaf, head of the Beirut Bar Association, intervened. Chamoun said he was released due to pressure from the protesters, and prior to his release he had “to sign a pledge not to insult the president of the republic anymore.” But he insisted: “I will criticize anyone I want as we live in a democratic republic.” After his release, Chamoun headed with Khalaf to join the protesters on Jounieh highway. Then the protesters opened the road for traffic. Lawyer Hassan Bazzi, a member of the Lawyers’ Committee to Defend Protesters in Lebanon, told Arab News: “Freedom of expression in Lebanon is sacred, as stressed by the Bar Association. It’s protected by the Lebanese constitution.” But, he said, “what activists on social media don’t know is that there are limits to criticism, and the law forbids insulting the president of the republic.” Bazzi added: “People can no longer stand the pressure they live under due to the dire financial and economic situation, which has made them lose faith in the country.” It is “unacceptable for the political authority to try to intimidate activists, or to threaten them with arrest unless they delete their comments,” he said. “This is something to be done only upon a ruling by a judge upon the request of the public prosecutor. However, all security agencies try to intimidate opponents.”

by NAJIA HOUSSARI — arabnews.com — BEIRUT: The US Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea met Lebanese Foreign Minister Nassif Hitti on Wednesday, as the country weighed the implications of the US Government’s Caesar Act, targeting people and businesses doing business with the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, for Lebanese companies operating in Syria. Rumors have circulated in Lebanon regarding an appendix in the Caesar Act holding a list of Lebanese entities set to be penalized for cooperating with the Syrian regime. It is unclear how the act will affect coordination between the Lebanese and Syrian militaries, as the two states share a border extending to nearly 375 kilometers. The future role of the Lebanese-Syrian Supreme Council, which coordinates relations between the governments of the two countries, is also unclear.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had called on the Lebanese people “not to submit to this act that aims to starve Lebanon and Syria.” In a speech, he said: “The Caesar Act harms Lebanon perhaps more than it harms Syria. Syria is (our) only passage toward the world, and what the Americans are trying to imply is that our only inland passage is Israel.” Nasrallah added: “To those who will make us choose between killing with weapons or starvation, we will hold our weapons in our hands, we will not starve, and we will kill them.” A Lebanese legal expert told Arab News that the act needed to be more closely examined to know for certain the effect it would have on Lebanon, but added that it did mean the US could impose sanctions. “The issue of sovereignty is not on the table and the decision-maker is the implementer. We have to look at this matter in real terms,” the expert said on condition of anonymity.