Outgoing Prime Minister Hassan Diab chairs a high-level meeting on subsidies yesterday at the Grand Serial. (Dalati & Nohra)
The Economy Ministry’s director-general for grains denied that any decision has been made regarding cuts to subsidies for flour. But the head of the Syndicate of Bakeries, Ali Ibrahim, told L’Orient Today that authorities “will only keep subsidizing the Arabic bread” loaf at the official rate of LL1,515 to the dollar, while wheat and other baked goods such as “manakeesh, kaak and baguettes will be paid at the black market rate,” currently around LL8,200. The Economy Ministry will host a meeting today on wheat subsidies with flour mill owners.
A high-level meeting on subsidies at the Grand Serail ended with no decision. Banque du Liban Gov. Riad Salameh presented the cost of imports for 2019 and 2020 to participants, including caretaker Premier Hassan Diab and Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni, our sister publication L’Orient-Le Jour reports. Diab said that the cabinet is studying mechanisms to “rationalize” imports in order to reduce their cost without harming people. Different caretaker ministers are set to hold meetings today regarding their areas of responsibility.
Fears of impending subsidy cuts spurred renewed protests yesterday evening. A few dozen protesters gathered at the ring bridge, one of the iconic sites of the Oct. 17 uprising, blocking the thoroughfare before moving on to the Economy Ministry in downtown Beirut and then to caretaker Economy Minister Raoul Nehme’s residence in nearby Achrafieh. Meanwhile, protesters also hit the streets in Tripoli, returning to Al-Nour Square, another iconic protest site from last year’s mass movement against the political elite that helped topple Saad Hariri’s government at the time.
Saad Hariri did not present a complete cabinet lineup to Michel Aoun as had been expected during their meeting, sources at the Presidential Palace told L'Orient-Le Jour. After consulting with the president for about half an hour, the prime minister-designate said that the two will meet again Wednesday afternoon to continue discussions. Despite the cataclysmic crisis facing Lebanon, Hariri and Aoun have failed to agree on the basic outline of a new government since Hariri was designated more than a month and a half ago.
The head of the Order of Physicians said that six doctors in Lebanon have died from COVID-19, while three are in intensive care and around 200 are quarantining at home. As for nurses, “the number is three times greater,” Charaf Abou Charaf said. He added that about 400 doctors have already emigrated from the country, saying that the number will increase as the economy deteriorates. Lebanon witnessed 16 COVID-19 deaths yesterday, bringing the death toll to 1,115. Bar and nightclub owners blocked the highway at Casino du Liban, protesting against disruption to their businesses caused by COVID-19 measures, including curfews and closures. Firass Abiad, the head of Rafik Hariri University Hospital, warned that indoor gatherings during the upcoming holiday season will result in a surge of COVID-19 cases in January.