Daily Star Lebanon – BEIRUT: The United States delivered over 1,000 new machine guns to
the Lebanese Army Friday, as part of an effort to bolster security along
Lebanon’s border. During the handover ceremony, held at the Army’s
Logistic Brigade headquarters in Kfar Shima, U.S. Ambassador Elizabeth Richard highlighted “the important role the Lebanese Armed Forces play in addressing the serious challenges Lebanon faces.”

The equipment included 800 heavy machine guns and 320 other crew-served weapons. A
statement released by the embassy said that the weapons would be used
to increase the Army’s defensive capabilities along the Syrian border,
and to improve the Land Border Regiments’ ability to effectively defend
their positions. “We are confident [that the weapons] will be directly employed to
protect and defend Lebanon’s borders, and by the very nature of that
act, Lebanon’s most valuable asset: its people,” Richard said. She
also noted that the shipment was part of an ongoing U.S. program to
improve the capabilities of Lebanese security forces, and to increase
the Army’s ability to “carry out its mission as the sole defender of
Lebanon.” “We recognize that the challenges facing Lebanon are
serious,” she said. “Many of them emanate from outside your borders. But
the Lebanese are strong, as you have proven over and over through
history.”

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 […]