The daily Star Lebanon – BEIRUT: Economy Minister Raed Khoury called upon Lebanese expatriates Friday to grab the historical opportunity of investing in Lebanon. “Lebanon is witnessing today a positive turning point in economy
reflected in the great political consensus among the different political
parties and the great will to work on developing the economy and
creating job opportunities,” he said at a session held within the
framework of the fourth annual “Lebanese Diaspora Energy Conference” at
BIEL. Khoury encouraged expatriates to invest in Lebanon by
saying that the country’s current economic slowdown is only temporary
and it does not reflect the real capacity of the Lebanese economy. “For
instance, Lebanon was capable, five years ago, to register a growth rate
of 9 percent in addition to achieving record surplus in the balance of
payments while the rest of the world was suffering from the worst
financial crises,” he said.

Khoury attributed the economic slowdown to the political bickering
that took place in the past few years in addition to the negative impact
of the Syrian crisis and the flow of the hundreds of thousands of
refugees to Lebanon. Spillover from the regional turmoil in
combination with a deteriorating domestic political process, have led to
sluggish, below potential real GDP growth since 2011. According to the
World Bank’s latest Lebanon Economic Monitor, real GDP growth in 2016
underwent a slight acceleration to reach an estimated 1.8 percent,
compared to 1.3 percent in 2015. The report estimated real GDP
growth for 2017 to pick up somewhat to 2.5 percent as a result of
progress made in the domestic political process, continued revival of
the tourism sector and a slight improvement in real estate and
construction.

Khoury said that despite the several crises that
the country has been through it was able to maintain its position as a
safe haven for deposits and a pioneer in preserving the freedom of money
and capital transfers due to its sound financial and banking systems. The
minister said investment in the infrastructure, industry and trade
sectors remains of utmost importance for economic development.

by Sonam Sheth – business insider

The modern history of the “deep state” in American politics —
real or imagined — starts with real leaks of classified
information and ends as a conspiracy theory on popular yet
dubious websites. And how it got there raises serious questions about whether the
intelligence community is trying to subvert a new president or
whether it’s a convenient scapegoat for an administration that’s
had its share of early foibles.

A deep state is a network of influential members of a
government’s agencies or military who operate against a
democratically elected government. It might work to undermine an
elected president’s authority or legitimacy and has been common
in countries such as Egypt and Turkey. The concern in the US started shortly after Donald Trump took
office. In early February, The New York Times and The Washington
Post published a series of explosive
reports about the intelligence community’s investigations
into the Trump campaign’s communications with Russian officials
during the 2016 election.

The reports, citing anonymous officials, revealed that then
national-security adviser Michael Flynn had discussed US
sanctions on Russia with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak before
Trump took office, despite Flynn’s claims that he and Kislyak had
not discussed anything sensitive during their phone calls. The next day, The Times
broke a story on what it said were “repeated contacts” that
Trump associates had with Russian officials during the campaign.
CNN
published another report that night in which sources said
communication between Trump associates and Russian officials
during the campaign was “constant.” Flynn resigned a short time later.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions later had to recuse himself from
any Department of Justice investigations into the Trump
campaign’s ties to Russia after additional leaks revealed that he
had also had contact with Russian officials during the campaign.

An American deep state?

The steady drip of classified leaks about President Trump’s young
administration has led some to speculate about the
beginnings of an American deep state. The term is derived from the Turkish “derin devlet,” which refers
to an intricate network made up of government officials, often
including those from the military and intelligence communities,
whose primary goal is to subvert a democratically elected
leader’s agenda and ultimately remove that leader from power.

by Joseph A. Kechichian, Senior Writer gulf news  – Beirut: Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament and Amal Party leader Nabih Berri has called on political elites to approve his electoral law proposal, according to a report published in daily Al Akhbar on Saturday. The pro-Hezbollah newspaper clarified that the proposal “will not be valid after […]

by Daily Star Lebanon – BEIRUT: Prime Minister Saad Hariri Friday launched a promotional offer for mobile users who are university students in Lebanon. Hariri said in speech during a ceremony at the Grand Serail that the Lebanese state stands by its youth. “This is a vital and practical matter. Students who conduct research are […]

The Daily Star BEIRUT: Marada Movement leader Sleiman Frangieh has said that the political crisis in Lebanon is a presidential election battle and not an electoral law debate, adding that the new presidential term didn’t achieve its purpose. “This is a presidential battle and not one to restore the rights of Christians,” Frangieh, the former […]

by Naharnet Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi held talks Friday in the Vatican with Pope Francis I and handed him an official invitation to visit Lebanon, the National News Agency reported. “The invitation is signed by Lebanon’s Catholic patriarchs and it follows another official invitation that was handed to the pope by President Michel Aoun during […]

by Daily Star:By Joseph Haboush President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Saad Hariri signed a decree Thursday in front of an audience of over 1,000 members of the Lebanese diaspora with the aim of encouraging them to reclaim their Lebanese citizenship. The decree was signed as part of the fourth annual Lebanese Diaspora Energy Conference, […]

english.aawsat.com Beirut – Lebanese President Michel Aoun called on expatriates to return to their country and contribute to its reconstruction. Aoun’s comments came during the 4th edition of the “Lebanese Diaspora Energy” (LED) Conference, which kicked off on Thursday at the Beirut International Exhibition and Leisure Center (BIEL). The conference saw Aoun Prime Minister Saad […]

by Benjamin Sutton – hyperallergic.com Strollers along Beirut’s waterfront in the rapidly developing Biel area have been noticing an odd feature of the local landscape: hundreds of apparently ancient columns and capitals, piled piecemeal and left at the mercy of the elements. Lebanon’s General Directorate of Antiquities (GDA) confirmed to local French-language newspaper L’Orient Le Jour that they date from Beirut’s […]

by Josephine Deeb – Al Monitor

To some legislators’ consternation but to no one’s real surprise, Lebanon’s parliamentary elections have been delayed yet again for at least three months. On April 12, the day before parliament was scheduled to meet, President Michel Aoun
invoked Article 59 of the Lebanese Constitution, which allows him to
postpone a parliamentary session for one month. He may do so once during
the legislative term. Speaker Nabih Berri had called for the session to discuss extending parliament’s term, as members failed to agree on a new electoral law before a constitutional deadline expired.
Aoun wants a new law implemented before elections are held for
parliament, whose term ends June 21. He doesn’t want the legislature to extend its own term
without elections, which he considers illegal, but he also doesn’t want
a legislative vacuum. However, the constitution requires that voters be
given 90 days to prepare for an election, so — because of repeated
delays — one now can’t be scheduled before August at the earliest. In a televised speech, Aoun addressed the Lebanese people, saying, “I
have warned repeatedly against the extension since it is
unconstitutional and will definitely not be the path toward the recovery
of the government and its authorities and institutions on a sound
constitutional basis.”

Minutes after Aoun announced his decision, Berri set another session for May
15. In the meantime, Lebanese political forces continue their quest to
agree on an electoral law by then. Simon Abi Ramia, a member of
parliament’s Change and Reform bloc, told Al-Monitor that despite
differences between the parties, political forces seek to agree on a new
electoral law and his political bloc will strive to prevent a
parliamentary extension by all means. Aoun wants to replace the contested 1960 Electoral Law,
which is based on a majoritarian (winner-take-all) district electoral
system with limited exceptions. That law allows Muslim leaders to select
Christian parliament members in some constituencies. Aoun, a Maronite
Christian, along with Hezbollah
and the Amal Movement, are insisting on a “total proportionality”
system, while others want either a hybrid law or the majoritarian
system.

On the eve of April 13, the date set for the session to discuss the
extension, the specter of civil war came back to haunt the Lebanese amid
a sharp division of political forces and a serious threat by Christian political forces to take to the streets to prevent the session. They threatened to block the roads to prevent legislators from even reaching parliament.