Lebanon

08 Oct 2021; MEMO: The economic crisis in Lebanon and the accompanying developments at the humanitarian levels in addition to the COVID-19 crisis have had a negative impact on the lives of Palestinian refugees in the country, a member of the Palestinian Movement in the Nahr Al-Bared camp has said.

BEIRUT (AP) — A trove of leaked documents confirmed that for years, Lebanon’s politicians and bankers have stowed wealth in offshore tax havens and used it to buy expensive properties — a galling revelation for masses of newly impoverished Lebanese caught in one of the world’s worst economic meltdowns in decades.

Some of the newly outed holders of offshore accounts belong to the same ruling elite that is being blamed for the collapse and for derailing the lives of ordinary Lebanese who have lost access to savings and now struggle to get fuel, electricity and medicine.

30 Sep 2021; MEMO: Hezbollah today said it shot down an Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle in southern Lebanon, Anadolu reports.

In a statement, the group said its fighters downed the Israeli drone with "suitable weapons" in the Maryamin valley.

The Israeli army also admitted that one of its drone fell inside Lebanon.

"A short time ago, during routine activity, an IDF (Israeli army) drone fell within Lebanese territory," an Israeli army spokesperson said.

BEIRUT, Sept 30 (Reuters) - Israel said it was investing an incident on Thursday after Lebanon's Hezbollah group said it had shot down an Israeli drone in the south of Lebanon.

A statement by the armed group said it had brought down the drone on the outskirts of the village of Yater by targeting it with "suitable weapons".

“A short time ago, during routine activity, an IDF drone fell within Lebanese territory. The incident is being investigated,” IDF spokesman on Twitter.

BEIRUT, Sept 29 (Reuters) - Hundreds of relatives of victims of last year's Beirut port explosion, some chanting and some silent, took to the streets on Wednesday angry that an investigation into the disaster had been delayed for the second time this year.

Some carried miniature figures of people on death row with signs below reading "the end for anyone corrupt", while others stood in silence, carrying photos of their loved ones.

BEIRUT, Sept 27 (Reuters) - A probe into the catastrophic Beirut port explosion faced being derailed for the second time this year on Monday when a senior politician wanted for questioning filed a complaint doubting the lead investigator's impartiality.

The move followed a smear campaign by Lebanon’s political class against judge Tarek Bitar, who was appointed after his predecessor was forced out following similar accusations by officials he wanted to question about suspected negligence.

24 Sep 2021; MEMO: Lebanon's state electricity company said today it risked a total blackout across the country by end-September as its fuel oil reserves dwindle, Reuters reports.

Lebanon, in the throes of one of the worst economic meltdowns of modern history, has been plagued by worsening fuel shortages for the past few months with most Lebanese relying on private generators for power.

The company can generate less than 500 megawatts from fuel oil it secured through a deal with Iraq, it said in a statement.

BEIRUT (AP) — There was a time not long ago when uprisings and wars in the Arab world topped the agenda at the U.N. General Assembly meetings in New York.

With most of those conflicts in a stalemate, the world’s focus has shifted to more daunting global challenges such as the still raging coronavirus pandemic and climate change, as well as new crises in Ethiopia’s embattled Tigray region and the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan.

22 Sep 2021; MEMO:Lebanon raised gasoline prices by 16 per cent today, the second hike in a week, cutting a subsidy on imported fuel which the new Prime Minister Najib Mikati has said the nation cannot afford, Reuters reports.

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese lawmakers convened Monday to confirm the country’s new government following a power outage and a broken generator that briefly delayed the start of the parliament session.

It took some 40 minutes before electricity came back on. The incident, which underscored the deep crisis roiling the small Mediterranean country amid an unprecedented economic meltdown, was derided on social media.