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Lebanon daily suspends print edition over economic crisis

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by AFP --- BEIRUT: Lebanon’s English-language The Daily Star suspended its print edition Tuesday, the latest casualty in the collapse of the country’s once-flourishing press. The newspaper, which is co-owned by the family of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, said on its website the temporary halt of the printing presses was a result of the economic downturn. It cited “the financial challenges facing the Lebanese press which have been exacerbated by the deterioration of the economic situation in the country.” It said the temporary suspension came after “a drop to virtually no advertising revenue in the last quarter of 2019, as well as in January of this year.” In recent months, employees at the newspaper had complained of not being paid, with one departing journalist reporting in December that some were owed up to half a year in wages. A series of prominent dailies in Lebanon have disappeared from print due to funding shortages in recent years.

The Daily Star is the latest media outlet linked to the former premier to be struggling. In September last year, Hariri announced the suspension of Future TV, his ailing mouthpiece whose employees had been on strike over unpaid wages. In January 2019, the Hariri family’s Al-Mustaqbal newspaper issued its last print version, 20 years after it was established. Saudi Oger, a once-mighty construction firm that was the basis of the Hariri business empire, collapsed in 2017, leaving thousands jobless. Hariri stepped down as prime minister in late October following unprecedented natio

LEBANESE-AMERICAN WHO WORKED FOR ISRAEL CHARGED WITH MURDER

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Lebanese-American who worked for Israel charged with murder

By BASSEM MROUE and KATHY McCORMACK -- BEIRUT (AP) — A military investigative judge charged a Lebanese-American man with murder and torture of Lebanese citizens Tuesday, crimes he allegedly committed during Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon, judicial officials said. The accusations could carry a death sentence. Amer Fakhoury is accused of working as a senior warden at Khiam Prison, which was run by an Israel-backed Lebanese militia. The prison has been described by human rights groups as a center for torture. He was detained in September after he returned to his native Lebanon from the U.S., and Lebanon's intelligence service says he confessed during questioning to being a warden. However, Fakhoury's lawyer and family in New Hampshire say that, while he was indeed a member of the Israel-backed militia and worked at the prison, they insist he had no direct contact with inmates and was never involved in the interrogation or torture of prisoners

Fakhoury, 57, is also undergoing cancer treatment, and it remains unclear if he'll be able to stand trial. The restaurant owner from Dover, New Hampshire, became a U.S. citizen last year. “We have a dying American citizen there," said his lawyer, Celine Atallah. “By keeping him there, it's evident they're trying to kill him." The Lebanese judicial officials said Tuesday that the judge, Najat Abu Shakra, referred Fakhoury for trial in a military court. No date was set for the tribunal. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. The officials said Abu Shakra charged Fakhoury with "murder and attempted murder of prisoners inside Khiam Prison as well as kidnapping and torture." The prison, run by the so-called South Lebanon Army, was abandoned after Israeli forces pulled out of southern Lebanon in 2000, ending an 18-year occupation.

Lebanon PM signs 2020 state budget with $700m spending cuts

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Prime Minister-designate Hassan Diab gives a statement following his meeting with outgoing prime Minister Saad Hariri in Beirut on 20 December, 2019 [AFP/Getty Images]

by middleeastmonitor.com -- Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab has today signed off on the 2020 state budget and referred the plan to President Michel Aoun, with 49 members of parliament voting for the budget, while 13 voted against and eight abstained. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri signed off on the budget earlier today while MPs from Saad Hariri’s Future Movement bloc voted against the budget, despite heading the government that originally drafted the plan. MPs from the Lebanese Forces and Kataeb Party boycotted today’s session over the unconstitutionality of a government yet to gain a vote of confidence from the legislature, adopting a budget that was drafted by a fallen government. The 17-page statement was initially passed by the parliament on 27 January, despite the session being surrounded by anti-government protesters determined to prevent MPs from convening. The plan, approved by Berri today, provides between three and 100-day deadlines to carry out the policy proposals, forecasting a six per cent deficit, plans a $700 million reduction in spending, and intends to maintain public services. However, Lawmaker Ibrahim Kanaan, chairman of the Finance and budget Parliamentary Commission, said there are concerns that projected revenues from the budget might not be realistic after three months of political deadlock has led the country into its worst economic crisis since the end of the civil war in 1990.

Lebanese banks increase restrictions on USD withdrawals by depositors

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BEIRUT, (Xinhua) -- Lebanese banks on Monday slashed by 50 percent the U.S. currency amount allowed to be withdrawn by depositors from their dollar banks accounts, local media reported. Depositors are not allowed to withdraw more than 600 U.S. dollars monthly, according to Elnashra, an online independent newspaper. Lebanon has been facing for the past few months a shortage in cash, namely U.S. dollar, due to drop in banks' liquidity, prompting banks to impose unofficial capital control and restrict withdrawals by depositors to a few dollars weekly with the capacity to withdraw bigger amounts in Lebanese pounds. This has sparked anger among Lebanese people who feared the loss of their deposits while blaming the central bank's policies for depriving people from their money. The central bank is currently asking the cabinet to legally enforce capital control in a bid to prevent people from filing lawsuits against banks while asking to fully withdraw their U.S. dollars.

Super Bowl halftime: The internet can't stop talking about this one thing Shakira did

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Image: Pepsi Super Bowl LIV Halftime Show

by today.com -- By Alexander Kacala Jennifer Lopez and Shakira wowed audiences with their co-headlined halftime show on Sunday night at Super Bowl 54. The Super Bowl halftime show was full of fabulous moments, but the internet can't seem to stop talking about one thing Shakira did. It wasn't with her hips, it was with her tongue. One (sassy) user commented that the tongue moment was "the only thing Shakira did live." Other people were actually fans of the "tongue thing." One person tweeted, "Ima be doing that Shakira tongue thing randomly now without hesitation 👅👅👅 blblblblb!"

Some pointed out the moment was referencing Shakira's Middle Eastern heritage. NBC News reporter Doha Madani tweeted, "You can’t watch this and deny Shakira is at least half Lebanese." The moment already became a meme by Sunday night, with many Twitter users using the viral video to crack jokes about whatever they wanted, Super Bowl-related or not. This is called zaghrouta. It is a way to express joy or happiness in Arab culture. Elements of it can also be found in other cultures even as far as music in the Balkans.

Exclusive: Draft of Lebanese financial rescue plan promises "painful" steps

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BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon’s new government will look to reduce interest rates and recapitalise banks as part of a broad plan that includes taking “painful” steps to escape a deep financial crisis, according to a draft policy statement seen by Reuters. The 17-page statement, which may still be amended, will form the basis of a confidence vote in parliament. It was agreed on Saturday by a cabinet committee that will meet again on Monday to give it final approval.

Prime Minister Hassan Diab’s cabinet was formed with the backing of the powerful Hezbollah group and its allies on Jan. 21, nearly three months after the previous one was toppled by sweeping protests against an elite seen as corrupt and wasteful. Diab must contend with dire financial strains including a dollar shortage that has shattered confidence in banks and prompted them to impose tight withdrawal limits, a sharp fall in the currency, and rising prices. The policy plan said the banking system could be stabilised by recapitalising banks and dealing with a growing number of non-performing loans, though it did not specify how. It urged quick action to avoid a “total collapse that will be difficult, if not nearly impossible, to get out of”. It said the steps would be painful but that Lebanese would “come to know one day that it was necessary”.

Arab League rejects Trump administration's Middle East peace plan

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by news.yahoo.com --Tim O'Donnell -- The foreign ministers of the 22 member states of the Arab League unanimously rejected the Trump administration's proposal to end the Israeli-Palestine conflict unveiled last week. The resolution said the plan "does not satisfy the minimum of the rights and aspirations of the Palestinian people." It's considered a win for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who threatened to cut security ties with Israel and the U.S. on Saturday, and the Palestinian Liberation Organization because it means the White House can't claim to have support from neighboring Arab countries. To clarify, not every country condemned the plan. Some, like the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and Morocco have suggested it could be the basis for future talks and applauded Washington's efforts, but they don't think the current iteration is viable. The plan has been criticized in several circles, with many analysts arguing it does little to curb Israeli settlements in the West Bank — one of the main grievances held by Palestinians — and could increase tensions.