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Landmark Lebanese hotel folds amid virus, economic crisis

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A car drives past Le Bristol hotel in Beirut, Lebanon, Saturday, April 18, 2020. One of the country's landmark hotels that has survived the country's bloody 15-year civil war is closing its doors due to a combination of an economic crisis and the global health threat of the COVID-19 coronavirus, one of its executives said Saturday. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

BEIRUT (AP) — One of Lebanon’s landmark hotels that survived the country’s bloody 15-year civil war and various other bouts of fighting is shutting down amid the country's economic crisis and coronavirus pandemic, a hotel executive said Saturday. The prestigious, nearly 70-year-old Le Bristol was closed temporarily as part of national measures to combat the spread of the virus. But Pascale Selwan Tabet, executive assistant manager, said the uncertainty gripping the world because of the virus coupled with the unprecedented economic crisis in Lebanon forced the owners to shut it down for good. Once a place where the country’s socialites mixed with royalty, the grand hotel was famous for its ballroom parties and distinguished cuisine. It also boasted the country's first ice skating ring. The hotel’s original design mixed eastern and modern styles preserved in a two-year renovation that added a contemporary touch. It is owned by the Doumet family, one of Lebanon’s richest. An official announcement of the closure, which affects around 120 employees, is expected next week, Tabet said. The hotel’s past and current staff already began posting messages of farewell on social media.

Lebanon has been facing its worst economic crisis in decades, with unemployment figures soaring and the local currency losing more than half of its value against the dollar. Protests broke out nationwide in October against government corruption, further deepening the economic slump. In February, the head of the hotel owners association said occupancy has fallen to between 10-15% in Beirut and much lower outside the capital. With the spread of the coronavirus, the country’s only airport was shut down and the government ordered Lebanon’s famous night clubs and restaurants to close, a major blow to the already staggering hospitality industry. “The succession of these dramatic events in town and globally has impacted the hospitality industry. Then the coronavirus pandemic ‘executed’ the tourism industry,” said Tabet. The decision to close wasn't an easy one for the owners. In 2013 the hotel closed for two years to undergo a major renovation, reopening with a major party attended by the country’s rich and famous and foreign dignitaries. The staff received their full salaries during those two years, Tabet said. It was the only two years the hotel shut its doors, with management resisting a shutdown during the country’s 1975 civil war, which lasted 15 years. The hotel is part of Lebanon’s history and political landscape, hosting weddings and meetings of the country’s political elites.

Lebanese women push back against domestic violence

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A woman hangs a banner from her balcony with the number of a domestic violence hotline during a national lockdown aimed at stemming the spread of coronavirus, in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, April 16, 2020.

by AP -- Lebanese women banged pots and pans from their balconies in Beirut on Thursday to voice a resounding rejection of domestic violence. Reports of domestic violence in the Mediterranean country have surged after a nationwide lockdown forced families to largely stay at home. "This month there have been more than 230 (distress) calls so far, which is double the number (for the same period) last year," said Ghida Anani, the director of Abaad rights group. As the echoes from banging on the pots filled neighbourhoods, some women hung up banners from their balconies. "Lockdown not lockup," one banner read.

Other banners pointed women to a phone number that they can call for help. Anani said the Lebanese government "has not made violence against women a priority." But Abaad has worked with multiple UN agencies to present the government with a plan to combat domestic abuse. "We are asking the cabinet to adopt alternative steps to offer life-saving services for women in Lebanon," Anani said. Reports on domestic violence across Lebanon in 2016 showed that 44 percent of Lebanese people know a victim of domestic abuse. These numbers are still high considering the Lebanese parliament introduced a law aimed at protecting women and families from domestic violence and physical abuse in 2014.

Lebanon's Bisri Valley Dam faces uncertain future after funding halt

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Lebanon Bisri Valley protest AFP

by middleeasteye.net -- A controversial dam project in a lush valley southwest of Beirut has suffered a major setback, after its main sponsor the World Bank called on the Lebanese government to hold an “open public dialogue” to address concerns raised by campaigners against the plan. The Bisri Dam Project, also known as the Lebanon Water Supply Augmentation Project, was first approved by the World Bank back in September 2014. The organisation had allocated funds for a loan amounting to $617 million, calling it one of their largest projects in Lebanon. By 2024, the World Bank promised in 2019, the dam would have helped the country secure “clean and reliable water supply to over 1.6 million people” living across the Great Beirut and Mount Lebanon region.

While the plan had received support from Lebanon's ruling political parties, it was met with uproar from environmentalists and local residents who feared irreversible damages to the region’s rich ecosystem. For years, campaigners have called for the project to be scrapped completely and for the site to be turned into a nature reserve. Now their voices seem to have been heard. On Thursday, the World Bank released a statement that put doubts on the project’s future. “Given strong stakeholder concerns about the [Bisri Dam] Project, the World Bank has requested the Government of Lebanon to launch an open and transparent public dialogue to address the concerns raised by citizens and civil society groups,” said Saroj Kumar Jha, World Bank Mashreq regional director. He also announced the re-channeling of $45.5m from two other projects' funding to help with Lebanon’s efforts to combat the coronavirus outbreak which - compounded by the ongoing economic crisis - has trapped the country in an “unprecedented crisis”. “The World Bank is open to government of Lebanon’s suggestions as to how the existing portfolio, including undisbursed amounts from the Bisri project, could be used more effectively to respond to the emerging needs of the Lebanese people,” Jha added. Small victories Prior to the latest announcement, the Lebanese government had begun work on the dam after receiving the first portion of the World Bank’s loans. The early stages of land clearance have already begun, although activists camping out in the valley during the country’s popular uprising that began last October have held back construction efforts. Lebanon’s collapsing economy and the Covid-19 outbreak have also helped stall the project.

Lebanon PM: 98% of Depositors to be Unaffected by Economic Rescue Plan

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by aawsat.com -- Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said on Thursday that 98 percent of the country's depositors will not be affected by an economic rescue plan, the draft of which included a proposal to fund some losses with a contribution from deposits. "I can announce today that the percentage of those who will be unaffected will be not less than 98 percent of depositors," Diab said in a televised address. The plan, which was discussed during a cabinet session chaired by President Michel Aoun at Baabda Palace on Thursday, has drawn nationwide opposition after it was leaked to the press and included clauses on a severe haircut to restructure the public debt and banking sector as well as salvage the Lebanese economy. The leaked plan reportedly includes a reference to imposing fees on banks’ “large depositors” — people who deposit between $100,000 and $1 million or more — to pay part of the state's debt.

Lebanese government plans to repatriate citizens from the US

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Trump announces American Amer Fakhoury released from Lebanese ...

by arabnews.com -- NAJIA HOUSSARI --BEIRUT: In light of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, Lebanon has decided to operate evacuation trips to repatriate Lebanese citizens living in the US. The citizens will travel through European and Arab countries after April 26, following the second lockdown period. Minister of Foreign Affairs Nassif Hatti revealed that the government is also contacting Canadian authorities in an attempt to repatriate the Lebanese living there. In the 1980s, Lebanon’s Middle East Airlines (MEA) was restricted from the US. This blockade was toughened after the 9/11 attacks. MEA’s last trip was organized in 1985, and ever since, it has only operated presidential trips to the US.

In a Cabinet session held on Thursday, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Hassan Diab said: “The measures we are taking to fight the pandemic have proved to be very successful in containing the virus. We must continue implementing them to prevent things from getting out of control.” Diab has also denied rumors about easing the curfew in Lebanon. He said: “It is not true that we are about to ease the lockdown. We might even impose more restrictive measures to prevent the virus from spreading by imposing two additional weeks of lockdown on April 26, allowing only few businesses to reopen within the prevention plan.” According to the daily report issued by the Health Ministry, the number of COVID-19 cases in the country has reached 663, including 5 new cases in the last 24 hours. The number of cases recorded in Saida and its governorate has reached 12, including four citizens who lived abroad and recently returned to Lebanon.

Lebanon suspends repatriation flights for virus-stranded nationals until April 27

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by arabnews.com -- NAJIA HOUSSARI -- BEIRUT: Lebanon has suspended repatriation flights until April 27 for thousands of nationals trapped abroad by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. The Lebanese Cabinet committee tasked with bringing home stranded citizens said the move was designed “to maintain the capacity of hospitals and hotels designated for isolation and to re-evaluate the measures taken.” Meanwhile, Alwaleed Bin Talal Humanitarian Foundation announced that it would bear the costs of flying home students from Italy, France and Ukraine, while Middle East Airlines (MEA), Lebanon’s national flag carrier, has offered a 50 percent discount for students and allowed their family members to pay for flight tickets in Lebanese pounds. The number of recorded COVID-19 cases in Lebanon on Wednesday rose by 17 – including five nationals returning from abroad – to 658. There were 34 people newly infected by the virus among the 2,317 citizens returned to Lebanon between April 6 and 13 on 20 commercial flights, and 356 returnees on 53 private jets, that landed at Rafic Hariri International Airport on the permission of Lebanese authorities.

Lebanon’s austerity plan offers no real reforms

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by DR. DANIA KOLEILAT KHATIB -- arabnews.com/ -- The Lebanese government this week leaked its long-awaited “reform plan,” which is supposed to form the basis for its negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and international donors. The plan is well drafted with technical and professional language and it has many figures, numbers and charts that are guaranteed to impress at first sight. However, it is an austerity plan, where the average citizen will bear the brunt of bailing out the country while existing politicians get a free pass. At the outset, the plan states some realities that have long been denied by the political system. The plan admits that the currency is overvalued, which hinders competitiveness, and that the dollar peg is no longer sustainable. It recognizes that the central bank’s reserves are depleted — something the governor has repeatedly refuted. It also admits that a full-fledged IMF program cannot be avoided. The plan makes other important confessions. The first is to pinpoint the destructive role the central bank played by acting like the government’s cashier and the lethal instruments it utilized; namely the financial engineering that has been in use since 2016. It also admits that the banking sector is too big for the Lebanese economy, standing at about 425 percent of gross domestic product.

It also lays down clear objectives, such as fighting corruption, restructuring debt and the financial system, reforming the public sector, and streamlining expenditures. Though the report says the objectives will be attained if reforms are conducted and if external support is garnered, it still fails to offer a proper execution mechanism, a proper timeline or an indication as to how the Lebanese public and the international donors can verify that the reforms have been conducted. The plan says that the treasury will increase tax audits without giving any explanation about how. The plan talks about tighter control of customs, in ports, airports and at land borders. Again, there is no explanation of how compliance can be measured. Smuggling, which is a large part of Lebanon’s tax evasion, is conducted by influential political parties. It is almost impossible, in the current situation, for the Lebanese government or security forces to stop it. Reforms are impossible with the current political structure. This government was formed only when the corrupt politicians — those who brought the country to its knees — agreed on dividing the positions among themselves and putting their people in the key roles, while they rule from behind the scenes. Will they allow the government to prosecute them? Very unlikely.