The Lebanese army on Monday said it arrested dozens of people for vandalism after days of protests against a plunging local currency and the worst economic crisis in decades.
Hundreds of protesters clashed with security troops at the weekend across the country after days of rallies against a ruling class considered to be corrupt and impotent in tackling the worsening crisis.
"The total number of arrests made by military intelligence between June 11 and 15 in different Lebanese regions is 36 people for acts of vandalism", damaging public and private property and attacking troops, the army said.
The army launched raids in the northern port of Tripoli, Lebanon's second city, the official National News Agency reported.
For three nights, young men in Tripoli attacked banks and shops and threw rocks at security troops, who responded with rubber bullets and tear gas. Medical services reported dozens of wounded.
Protesters were angered by a steep drop in the Lebanese pound, the rocketing price of food and what they perceive to be the government's failure to rein in the country's economic collapse.
Relative calm returned on Sunday evening, with protesters holding a peaceful rally in the capital Beirut, while dozens marched to a central square in Tripoli.
President Michel Aoun on Monday discussed the protests with the country's top security body, including ministers and military officials.
"Such acts of vandalism will not be allowed after today," Mr Aoun said after the meeting of the Higher Defence Council.
He called for "a wave of arrests, including of those who planned and carried out" such acts, and ordered authorities to increase "pre-emptive" operations to prevent further violence.
Prime Minister Hassan Diab also condemned acts of "sabotage" committed by "thugs" in Beirut and Tripoli.
"Thugs have no other motive than vandalism and they should be thrown in jail, period," Mr Diab said.
On Saturday in Tripoli, protesters blocked lorries suspected of smuggling food into Syria.
But the UN World Food Programme said it sent the convoy of 39 vehicles carrying food aid.
People who blocked the "trucks carrying food staples on behalf of international agencies" were among those arrested, the army said on Monday.
The latest demonstrations come almost eight months after the start of a mass protest movement over Lebanon's crumbling economy and corruption.
The Lebanese pound hit new lows on Thursday at 5,000 to the dollar.
The next day, authorities said they would pump greenbacks into the market to limit the rout.
A Beirut money-changer told AFP on Monday that the dollar was selling for up to 4,400 pounds.
Mr Diab on Monday called for an investigation into the rapid devaluation of the currency, calling the fluctuation a deliberate act committed by manipulators.
Lebanon's economic crisis has led to soaring unemployment, with more than a third of people jobless, and in March the country defaulted on its sovereign debt for the first time.
The government has put together a reform package to relaunch the economy and is in talks with the International Monetary Fund to access desperately needed financial aid.
Inflation is expected to top 50 per cent this year, in a country where 45 per cent of the population lives under the poverty line.
The economy has been hit hard by years of war in neighbouring Syria.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.
About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
TRAINING FOR TOKYO
A typical week's training for Sebastian, who is competing at the ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon on March 8-9:
- Four swim sessions (14km)
- Three bike sessions (200km)
- Four run sessions (45km)
- Two strength and conditioning session (two hours)
- One session therapy session at DISC Dubai
- Two-three hours of stretching and self-maintenance of the body
ITU Abu Dhabi World Triathlon
For more information go to www.abudhabi.triathlon.org.
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
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