‘Crazy love’: Lebanon slogan promotes tourism on back of crisis

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BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanon’s tourism minister unveiled a new slogan for the crisis-swept country on Thursday that aimed to portray the precarity of life there as a point of pride, roughly translating to “I love you in your madness”. Lebanon is suffering a financial and economic meltdown which the World Bank has labelled as one of the deepest depressions of modern history, compounded by the COVID-19 pandemic and a massive explosion at Beirut’s port that destroyed large parts of the city and killed more than 215 people. “This will be our touristic identity that the world will see,” Tourism Minister Walid Nassar said at a news conference with other senior ministers in Beirut. The slogan was developed cost-free for Lebanon by Dubai-based advertising company TBWA, he said. TBWA Chief Creative Officer Walid Kanaan said it was “near-impossible” to find ways to market a country in the grip of multi-layered economic and political crises, but that he had found inspiration in Lebanon’s people. “This is our country, a crazy country … crazy in its nightlife, crazy in its food and generosity. And no matter how crazy the situation in Lebanon is, we can only say, ‘we love you in your madness,'” Kanaan said, unveiling the slogan.

Originally a lyric in a song by Lebanese star singer Fairuz released before the outbreak of Lebanon’s 1975-90 civil war, the new catchphrase will be displayed on planes of Lebanon’s national carrier Middle East Airlines and used in social media campaigns, Kanaan said. The official English translation will be “A crazy love.” Tourism, historically a major component of Lebanon’s economy, has dramatically declined since late 2019. Some 2 million tourists visited the country in 2018, according to the former tourism minister, while media reports citing official figures suggest that numbers fell to a few hundred thousand in 2020.

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Lebanese Jews attend first-ever 'family gathering' at Paris embassy

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by english.alaraby.co.uk -- Lebanese Jews on Monday attended a "family gathering" held by Beirut's representation at the embassy in Paris, Lebanese news outlets reported on Thursday. The gathering was the first of its kind at the embassy, Annahar reported. About 50 invitees attended the event, according to Megaphone. The event took place while Lebanon is in the grips of the worst economic crisis in its modern history, and amid a spat with several Gulf countries over a Lebanese minister's criticism of their involvement in the war in Yemen. "This state is currently in danger, and all its citizens belonging to different sects must unite to save it," Annahar reported Ambassador Rami Adwan as telling the attendees of Monday's event. Some Lebanese on social media questioned the timing, dismissing is it as an attempt by Beirut to whitewash its public image at a time of crisis.

Most of Lebanon's Jewish community left the country after the Arab-Israeli war of 1967. Less than 30 Jews are currently believed to be living in Lebanon, although population figures are unreliable because the census has not been updated in years. Lebanon has taken other symbolic steps in recent years towards the recognition of its Jewish heritage. Beirut's oldest synagogue, the Maghen Abraham, reopened in 2014 during a grand ceremony attended by dignitaries from all sects. The synagogue was badly damaged by the Beirut blast, but repaired a few months later.

Performing Duties of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Dr. Mara Karlin Meeting With Lebanese Chief of Defense Gen. Joseph

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by miragenews.com -- Department of Defense Spokesperson Commander Jessica L. McNulty provided the following readout: Performing the Duties of Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Dr. Mara Karlin and Lebanese Chief of Defense Gen. Joseph Aoun met today in the Pentagon to discuss the U.S.-Lebanon bilateral defense partnership and shared security interests. Dr. Karlin commended Gen. Aoun for the Lebanese Armed Forces’ (LAF) role in enabling Lebanon’s internal stability, in facilitating humanitarian efforts following the August 2020 Beirut Port Explosion, and in supporting Lebanon’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Karlin praised the LAF’s key role as a widely respected institution, including representation from all of Lebanon’s 18 religious and ethnic groups. Both parties reaffirmed the importance of maintaining the right of the Lebanese people to peaceful protest.

Dr. Karlin emphasized the United States’ steadfast support for the LAF. The United States is the LAF’s primary security partner and has provided the LAF with over $2.5 billion in security assistance since 2006. This assistance supports the ability of the LAF to secure Lebanon’s borders, counter terrorist threats, and build a professional defense institution. Both leaders committed to strengthen the strategic partnership and to continue close cooperation on regional security issues. Gen. Aoun expressed appreciation for the United States’ support to the LAF.

President Michel Sleiman: طريق الانقاذ يمرً عبر الحكم الرشيد

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طريق الانقاذ يمرً عبر الحكم الرشيد.
الحكم الرشيد يرتكز على المصطلحات 3 D التالية :
Démocratie  معطلة بسبب السلاح
Développement  سلبي بسبب السلاح
Dialogue  متعذر بسبب السلاح

Lebanese carry 'worthless' stacks of cash after currency crash

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BEIRUT,  (Reuters) - Restaurant owner Antoine Haddad has been in business for over 35 years but says he is running out of hope as Lebanon struggles with one of the deepest financial crises of modern times. The Lebanese pound lost around 90% of its value in the past two years, propelling three quarters of the population into poverty. For Haddad, the difference between this and other crises that Lebanon has experienced, including the 1975-1990 civil war, is that it feels like there is no end in sight. "Previously, you had hope that: 'tomorrow the war will end, we do this and that and go back to where we were', but this time there is no hope," he said. "They (those in power) promised us we would have plenty of money in our hands, and we indeed have a lot of it to play with," he said sarcastically referring to the growing stacks of banknotes needed for even basic purchases after the currency drop. Haddad, whose small restaurant has been in business since 1984, said he can only buy 10% of the olive oil he used to buy with the same money.

The government, facing an election in March as it tries to secure an IMF recovery plan, has tripled transport allowance for employees to alleviate some of the pain but most salaries, including the minimum wage, have not been adjusted. Pub-owner Moussa Yaakoub is also taken aback by the amount of cash he needs to run his business. "I have never before held in my hands this amount of money," he said as he counted some 10 million pounds, worth $6,600 at the pre-crisis rate but now less than $500 at the market rate. That much money used to cover a pub's operation for months, but now only pays a couple of bills, he said.

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Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star closes

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BEIRUT, Nov 2 (Reuters) - The English-language Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star has told its staff they will all be laid off, joining a list of Lebanese media outlets that have been forced to close or scale back due to financial pressures. In a message to staff, The Daily Star management said the decision to lay them off had been taken "with a heavy heart". It said arrangements were being finalised for compensation, and wished them luck "during these difficult times". Lebanon is in the throes of a depression described by the World Bank as one of the sharpest of modern times. Founded in 1952 by Lebanese journalist Kamel Mrowa, The Daily Star is currently owned by the family of Sunni Muslim politician and former prime minister Saad al-Hariri, according to Reporters Without Borders' Media Ownership Monitor.

Hariri-owned media outlets began shedding jobs and closing down about five years ago, reflecting financial difficulties caused by the demise of the family's Saudi construction firm, Saudi Oger. The Daily Star, which stopped updating its website on Oct. 13, has ceased publication on several occasions in the past including for periods of the 1975-90 civil war. It is the latest title to disappear in a country whose news media, while highly politicised, has traditionally operated more openly than in many other Arab states. In 2016, financial problems forced As-Safir newspaper to close. Reporting by Timour Azhari; Writing by Tom Perry, Editing by Angus MacSwan