ETHIOPIA: Ethiopian Airlines Expanding Routes, Now Flying To Argentina

Ethiopian Airlines launched its inaugural trip from Addis Ababa to Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday with an all-female crew.

The flag carrier will fly five times a week between the two capitals.

The Buenos Aires route increases the airline’s destinations in the Americas to six.

Ethiopian flies to Washington, New York, and Los Angeles in the United States, Toronto in Canada, and São Paulo, Brazil.

Ethiopian flight to Buenos Aires will provide efficient connections to our network in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, including Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, Mumbai, Delhi, Dubai, Beirut, Nairobi, and Cairo, said Mr Tewolde Gebremariam, the CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group.

He said the airline’s expansion in terms of destinations and fleet in recent years would be instrumental in supporting Ethiopia’s rapid economic growth which is largely supported by industrialisation and tourism.

As the national carrier, we are fast expanding our global footprint, currently covering over 100 international destinations across five continents, to support the country’s growth by facilitating its access to investors and tourists,said Mr Tewolde.

Ethiopian Airlines, Africa's most profitable, has set up hubs in the continent with the latest agreement signed in January to acquire a 45 per cent stake in Zambia Airways that is set to be re-launched after more than two decades.

Ethiopian also operates Togo's Asky Airlines where it holds a 40 per cent stake, and Malawian Airlines, formerly Air Malawi, where it has a 49 per cent shareholding.

Ethiopian Airlines is seeking to set up hubs in southern Africa, Central Africa and the Horn that connect neighbouring countries leading to faster trade, investment and tourism within the continent.

We are working with Malawi and Zambia as southern Africa hubs. Another hub would be in central Africa, covering the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Brazzaville and Chad. We are also in talks with neighbouring Djibouti, said Tewelde Gebremariam, the CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group.

We have a successful hub in Togo, Asky Airline in which we hold a 40 per cent share, Mr Tewelde said.

Before we established Asky, the only way to travel to travel from Cote d’Ivoire to Benin was first to go to Paris and then from Paris to Benin, he added.

He made the remark in Addis Ababa on Wednesday at the launch of an Ethiopian Airlines app that enables customers to make transactions including downloading their boarding pass.

Explaining the significance of having multiple hubs in Africa, Mr Tewelde said: We are not entering a joint venture with these African countries just for the sake of making money. Addis Ababa is a very successful hub.

Out of the around 11 million passengers we transport every year, 70 per cent are not entering Addis. They are transit passengers to other African countries and the rest of the world.

We are connecting Europe with Africa, the Middle East with Africa and Asia with Africa. We want to expand this and be close to the customers.

With a very large landmass and around one billion population, Africa has a high growth opportunity. By expanding the hubs, we will be contributing significantly to intra-Africa connectivity, he said.

Although Africa is reasonably connected with the rest of the world, the continent is not well connected to itself. Internal transport within Africa has been a major challenge especially because there are no open skies.

Due to financial and managerial complications Ethiopian Airlines recently ceased negotiations with Nigerian government to take over the previously private owned Arik Airlines of Nigeria.

A few months ago Mr Tewelde announced that Ethiopian Airlines was working on getting registered as a local Airline in Mozambique.

In 2017, Ethiopian Airlines added 12 new destinations. We will be launching flights to 10 new destinations between now and June 2018, Mr Tewelde said.

Ethiopian Airlines has acquired a 45 per cent stake in Zambia Airways that is set to be re-launched after more than two decades.

Africa's most profitable airline said Tuesday it has finalised a shareholders agreement with Zambia in line with its vision of setting up multiple hubs in southern and central Africa and the Horn.

Under the pact, the Zambian government will be the majority shareholder with a 55 per cent stake.

The re-launching of Zambia Airways will enable the travelling public in Zambia and the southern African region to enjoy greater connectivity options.

Thereby facilitating the flow of investment, trade and tourism, and contributing to the socio-economic growth of the country and the region, said Mr Tewolde Gebremariam, the CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group.

In the statement, Mr Tewolde said Zambia Airways will serve national and regional destinations before embarking on international flights.

In December, Zambia's Cabinet approved the revival of the national airline at an estimated cost of $30 million.

The airline was liquidated in 1994 after running broke largely due to patronage and abuse by the political establishment.

Ethiopia Airlines runs Togo's Asky Airlines where it holds a 40 per cent stake and Malawian Airlines, formerly Air Malawi, where it has a 49 per cent shareholding.

Ethiopian Airlines almost doubled its profit for 2016, buoyed by an 18 per cent jump in passenger numbers.

The Ethiopian carrier summed up a great year for the continent’s largest and only profitable airline, with revenues of $261.9 million in 2016, from $150.9 million the previous year.

This despite the challenging operating environment caused by slower global economic growth and weaker performance of Africa’s major economies.

Its revenues increased by 8.6 per cent to $2.3 billion, a development attributed to an increase in flight frequency and opening up of new routes.

But the airline group chief executive officer Tewolde Gebremariam says that it was exposed to high currency fluctuations, leaving more than $220 million of its funds stuck in several African countries that had forex challenges.

Ethiopian booked a currency loss of $18.1 million as a result of continuous currency devaluation in many African countries and the associated problems of repatriation.

Mr Tewolde said the airline had difficulties repatriating funds in some oil-producing African countries.

Repatriating funds held up in Nigeria, Egypt, Angola and Sudan as a result of the oil price declines was a problem.

We have more than $220 million stuck in these countries. This has hit our liquidity, Mr Gebremariam said.

The airline was forced to resort to a natural hedge; making payments in the currency of sales and maintaining a higher cash reserve in the stable currencies such as US dollar, the euro and the British pound.

Due to the fluctuation of most currencies against the US dollar, as well as critical shortages of forex in some of the major markers in Africa.

We are closely working with International Air Transport Association (IATA) for possible ways of hedging of selected currency risks in major financial markets with selected banks, Mr Gebremariam said.

Data from the IATA shows that last year, 20 African governments owed African and foreign airlines $1.4 billion in stuck funds.

Nigeria, which devalued its currency twice, held the highest amount, $339 million, followed by Egypt with $310 million, then Angola with $190 million, Sudan $250 million and Algeria $125 million.

In 2016, Ethiopian Airlines saw its operating expenses increase by 6 per cent, which was lower than the rate of revenue growth.

It spent $631.9 million on fuel equivalent to 32 per cent of its total costs during the period down from $739.4 million the previous year.

Its overflying and navigation, foreign overhaul and landing charges also increased by $54.7 million to $147.4 million because of the increased operations, and exchange rate impact.

The airline saved $81.73 million through the implementation of various structural and strategic cost-saving initiatives.

Facing stiff competition from Gulf carriers, Ethiopia Airlines transported 270,000 tonnes of cargo and 7.6 million passengers in 2016, 75 per cent of whom were in transit.

Its finance costs jumped to $1.97 billion, $1.8 billion being loans from foreign lending institutions, secured on aircraft, bearing interest at rates of up to 4.84 per cent annually, and repayable in quarterly instalments.

It also owes $121.3 million in secured and unsecured loans from local and foreign lenders and development agencies, bearing interest at rates of up to 6.9 per cent annually.

The airline spent $61.6 million on landing and parking, up from $48.23 million, as a result of the new routes.



Tourism Observer

BAHRAIN: Gulf Air To Implement Beirut Flights For Weekend Travelers

As of 19th January, Gulf Air, the Kingdom of Bahrain’s national carrier, will implement a modified daily flight schedule to and from the Lebanese capital Beirut in response to passenger demand from across the GCC region. Catering to weekend leisure and business travelers, the airline’s Beirut flights will, from 19th January, now include Thursday departures from Bahrain at 1710 arriving into Beirut at 1950, departing to Bahrain at 2035 to arrive at 0045+1.

The airline’s Saturday flights will now depart Bahrain at 1130 arriving into Beirut at 1410, departing to Bahrain at 1455 to arrive at 1905 (all times local). The changed flight schedule gives passengers from Bahrain and across the GCC greater flexibility and better connectivity when traveling to/from Beirut on those days.

Commenting on the modified flight schedule, Gulf Air Chief Commercial Officer Mr. Ahmed Janahi said: “Our new flight timings on Thursdays and Saturdays cater to weekend passenger movement between the GCC, Bahrain and Beirut, giving travelers more convenient travel times and better connectivity across the region.

With consistently high load factors, Beirut is a popular destination and we are pleased to respond to passenger feedback and demand on this route and hope our valued passengers will take advantage of our new timings.”

Gulf Air operates daily flights between Beirut and Bahrain. Boasting one of the Middle East’s largest networks, the airline is well-positioned to connect the Lebanese capital to several key destinations in the Middle East, Asia and Europe with excellent connectivity via its efficient Bahrain International Airport hub.

JORDAN: Undiscovered Treasure

”My favourite time of day in Amman, no matter what season, is sunset,” Wendy Guyot says.
The Portland-native has been living in Jordan since autumn last year, so she's witnessed quite a few of them.

”The city is built upon hills, and as the sun drops down below them the buildings all change colour for a while, reflecting orange and red. Then you see the lights starting to come on in the houses, the warm glow of them inside – and a half hour later it's pitch black. It's a clear, crisp darkness, and you can see the stars shining across the hills.”

Wendy lives on the fifth floor of a building – high enough to enjoy the Amman sunset each night.

”There are a lot of bars and restaurants with rooftop bars too, though, where you can really feel the city change from day to night,” she says.

Wendy moved to Amman to work with humanitarian aid in Syria. But she says life in Jordan is nothing like what many Americans would expect of the Middle East.

”When I arrived in Jordan for the first time, my first impression was how modern everything was,” she remarks. ”People don't necessarily associate the Middle East with modernity.”

But for the most part, life in Jordan is like life well, anywhere else.

”The stop lights, the electricity, the water, the freeways it's all perfectly normal. A day in my life here is like a day anywhere,” she says. ”I walk to work, spend my day in the office, go out for dinner and drinks with friends, and walk home alone.”

But there are a few key differences – like how easy it is to meet people.

”When I moved to New York it took me a year to feel like I had a close group of friends,” Wendy explains. ”In Amman it was much quicker. It's very easy to talk to people."

And the social circles are more mixed, she says, than in many other cities. While many places develop separate ”expat communities”, Amman is a true melting pot.

”I was pleasantly surprised at how mixed the groups are,” she says. ”There are lots of aid workers from the US and Europe, but they hang out with locals who have grown up here, and people from Turkey and Lebanon who have ended up here. It's not segregated.”

In fact, she's never felt more welcomed in a city.

”Every single person, every shop keeper, says 'Welcome to Jordan!' when they meet a new foreigner,” Wendy informs The Local. ”And it feels very genuine. Jordanians are very hospitable and happy to have people living here.”

Even the local police go out of their way to make newcomers feel welcome.

”Once I was pulled over at a routine traffic stop,” Wendy recalls. ”And the policeman just looked at me and my car full of friends and exclaimed, 'Oh, welcome to Jordan!' and let us go.”

Put simply, it's easy to live there, she says.

”All of the things we're used to in the west are right here. The electricy always works; we have street lights and good internet. There's no sacrifice, no compromise in the quality of life, and yet it's unique and interesting.”

As an aid worker who has travelled around quite a bit, Wendy says that Jordan is one of the only places she has lived where she feels she can have her friends and family come visit – not just because of how safe it is, but how much there is to do.

”There's this fascinating vibe to Amman like it's still evolving,” she says. ”There are galleries, an emerging music and art scene, and a new skate park. Recently there was a little hiphop rap festival, and there's a hip vegan brunch and popup restaurants. And now the royal family is hosting a free film festival.”

Cultural life in Amman is subtle, she says. You might not see everything that's there at a glance – you have to scratch underneath the surface.

”It's not obvious like in Beirut or Istanbul. It's not in your face. But when you seek out these Jordanian-led events, they're really cool.”

One of the higlights of her day is when the dozens of mosques throughout the city sing the call to prayer.

”I love it,” she remarks. ”Five times a day there is this great cacophany of the call to prayer, and it feels like everything slows down a bit. That's something you don't get in places like New York or somewhere else.”

There's a certain pride in Jordan, she adds – but it's humble, not arrogant.

”I really love working with Jordanians and living here,” she says. ”It's an undiscovered treasure, and when they say 'Welcome to Jordan', they mean it.”

POLAND: LOT Polish Airlines To Link Ljubljana And Warsaw With Six Weekly Flights

On March the first Ljubljana Airport will welcome a new carrier, LOT Polish Airlines that will connect Ljubljana and Warsaw with up to six weekly flights. Through its hub in the Polish capital, passengers will be able to take advantage of LOT's onward flights to numerous destinations in Europe, North America and Asia. To present the new route, LOT Polish Airlines and Aerodrom Ljubljana held a press conference on Wednesday 10 February.

Starting from the beginning of March LOT will be operating as much as 6 flights weekly from Ljubljana to Warsaw. With frequent flights and a convenient schedule the Polish national airline will enable passengers traveling form Ljubljana access to the worldwide network, including all major European destinations as well as Beijing, China and 3 major destinations in North America.

“Due to its excellent service and individual approach to the need of passengers, LOT has the greatest potential to become one the best alternative for travels to Toronto, New York, Chicago or Beijing for thousands of passengers starting their journey in Ljubljana. Flight to Warsaw last less than 2 hours, and total travel time to North America is only 13 hours including very convenient and short transfer at our hub, Warsaw Chopin Airport. Up to this moment Slovenian passengers had to travel via other crowded and complicated giant hubs in Western Europe” – says Adrian Kubicki, Corporate Communications Director.

On Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays flights to Warsaw will take off at 13:35; on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 17:05. Late afternoon flights give passengers access to the evening wave of domestic and European flights, i.e. to Krakow, Gdansk, Riga, Amsterdam, London or Brussels and many others. More accurate schedule is available here.

“For example transfer time to Copenhagen is 45 minutes only! This is not something we promise. This is something we deliver. Passengers traveling from Ljubljana deserve an airline, which will bring them closer to dozens destinations worldwide. Right now opportunities are limited, and we raise the bar of service and bring to the completely new level of travel experience” – Kubicki adds.

The commencement of LOT's flights to Slovenia was welcomed by his excellency, the ambassador of Poland to Slovenia, Mr. Paweł Czerwiński: “Direct flights are of key importance for relations between the two countries, that are almost neighbouring, considering the small distance between them. Polish and Slovene people still know too little about each other, even though the cooperation between their countries is strengthening on different levels each year. The trading of goods has already surpassed 1,3 billion euros and still growing. Warsaw is an attractive tourist destination, also for a weekend trip. The city offers renowned theatres, concerts, historic-cultural monuments, modern interactive museums, rich culinary experiences, disco clubs and many more.

All flights between Warsaw and Ljubljana are operated by modern and technologically advanced Bombardier turboprop aircrafts. They are appreciated by passengers for spacious cabin, no middle seat and quiet cabin. All long haul flights are operated by the state-of-art aircraft Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Mr. Janez Krašnja, Head of Airline Management at Aerodrom Ljubljana, welcomed the arrival of the new carrier with the following words: “Even before the summer timetable the flight network of Ljubljana Airport is expanding. We are looking forward to LOT arriving in March and greatly complementing the offer of scheduled flights from Ljubljana. We believe the service will be interesting for business and tourist passengers. Besides frequent direct flights to Warsaw, they will be able to take advantage of their onward flights to other European destinations and their transatlantic flights. Aerodrom Ljubljana expects the service to generate around 30,000 extra passengers on a yearly basis.”

Ljubljana is one of the first destinations to open by LOT after formal completing the successful restructuring process. The airline says that Slovenia is a very important market for both business, as well as rising number of leisure passengers. Together with Ljubljana LOT launched several other exciting routes, such as Luxemburg, Ljubljana, Athens, Beirut, Nice and many others.

Tickets for flights are already available on www.lot.com, via their mobile app, LOT’s Contact Centre and through other sales channels.

Photographs of LOT’s fleet, products and services available for download under this link: http://corporate.lot.com/pl/en/media-library

QATAR: How Safe Is Qatar From ISIS Attacks?

Following two high-profile attacks in France and Lebanon over the weekend, and threats from the alleged perpetrators that this was only “the first of the storm,” countries around the world are upping their security measures.

For its part, Qatar appears to have been on high alert even before the violence in Paris and Beirut, following separate bombings of two Shia mosques in Saudi Arabia and another in Kuwait City over the summer.

Nonetheless, in spite of last year’s threats on ISIS forums about bombing the 2022 World Cup, a foreign policy analyst said it’s unlikely that Qatar would be attacked by the group.

This is because the Gulf country has a “low profile” in the ongoing military campaign against ISIS, Andrew Hammond, a policy analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said

“ISIS’ list of places they’re interested in targeting is long and there’s no indication that Qatar features on the list, even at the bottom, or much reason to think that it would be.”

“I don’t think there is a risk to Qatar,” he added.

Violence

ISIS claimed responsibility for Thursday’s suicide bombing of a Beirut suburb, which killed at least 41 people, and the coordinated attacks a day later across Paris that killed more than 130 people.

There are also suspicions that the group was responsible for the bombing of a Russian airplane flying over Egypt late last month, resulting in the death of all 224 passengers and crew onboard.

Speaking recently,Will McCants, director of the Brookings Institution’s Project on US Relations with the Islamic World, and the author of The ISIS Apocalypse, said the attacks were the militant group’s way of “putting its major adversaries on notice that if they continue to impede its state building that they will pay a price.”

The recent violence has prompted some residents to question if a similar incident could happen in Qatar.

But Hammond said Qatar’s participation in aerial bombing campaigns against ISIS – ostensibly one of the reasons why militants attacked France on Friday – is unlikely to make the country a target:

“Qatar has kept a low profile in the US campaign against ISIS and does not attack the group. Westerners in Doha could be a target, however, and they form part of a Gulf development model that certainly makes them dens of sin in the jihadist view, so there is definitely reason for a country like Qatar to be on guard all the same.”

Not just ‘luck’

Civilians have not been attacked by militants in Qatar since 2005, when an Egyptian man detonated a car bomb outside the Doha Players Theater and killed British citizen Jon Adams.

The bombing is believed to be the only such incident in Qatar’s modern history.

According to one regional security expert, that’s not just good luck, but at least in part a reflection of the competence of the country’s security services.

The analyst, who asked to remain anonymous because his comments could make it difficult for him to continue working in the region, said that the country is paying more attention to who has been entering its borders over the past year:

“Qatar takes a safety first approach. If there are concerns, suspect people don’t get in. It has been more and more difficult to get a visa if you are Syrian or Lebanese” or, to a lesser extent, Jordanian or Egyptian, he said.

The US State Department offers a similar explanation for Qatar’s relative safety earlier this year, saying the historically low level of terrorism here was due in part to the country’s “restrictive” immigration policies and the monitoring capabilities of security forces.

The analyst added that Qatar’s relatively small population of nationals works in the government’s favor, as it would be difficult for a citizen to plan an ideologically-motivated attack without a friend or family member noticing and notifying the authorities.

A more worrying concern, he said, is that a GCC citizen – who can travel to other Gulf states more easily than non-Khaleejis – could enter the country to carry out an attack.

“(Qatar) can’t close the Saudi border,” he said, noting it was a Saudi national who carried out this year’s bombing in Kuwait City.

While civilians in Qatar have not been specifically threatened, several schools increased security measures last year following an alert from the US Embassy in Doha about potential attacks against teachers in the Middle East.

Keeping Qatar safe

Additionally, in the run-up to Eid Al Fitr this summer, many hotels and malls, as well as the Church complex in Qatar added new layers of security, such as putting more guards on duty, installing and using metal detectors at entrances and scrutinizing incoming vehicles.

However, Hammond said there is still room to make the country safer.

“Qatar would be an easy target in terms of implementation,” he said. “I don’t feel (security) is as tightly maintained as elsewhere.”

Little is known about Qatar’s state security apparatus, although officials often tout the country’s use of technology – a key tool given the limited number of nationals available to fill sensitive intelligence and senior law enforcement positions.

“Both external and internal security threats have become increasingly sophisticated. Accordingly, such sophistication must be met and addressed by even more sophisticated technologies and processes that are applicable to specific localities,” the Ministry of Interior’s Brig. Sheikh Nasser bin Fahad Al Thani told Qatar Today last year.

That includes blanketing the country with surveillance cameras.

Last year, the ministry increased its enforcement of a law that requires businesses around the country to install closed-circuit camera surveillance on their premises.

Additionally, the US State Department said Qatar conducts “extensive” background checks on work visa applicants and captures biometric information on everyone who enters the country – likely through the retina scan at immigration counters.

Qatar’s State Security Bureau has also been a customer of a German technology firm that sells software used to secretly monitor emails and other forms of online communication, according to documents published by WikiLeaks.

A decade ago, Qatar is also alleged to have employed a more unconventional tactic to keep the nation safe. A report in The Atlantic from 2010 claims Qatar paid al Qaeda millions of dollars so it wouldn’t bomb the Gulf state.

While there has been no credible suggestion that the Qatar government funds ISIS, the country is known to provide financial support to various rebels groups in the region.

This, the regional security expert said, may indirectly provide the country some extra protection.

“Qatar supports a vast array of these groups,” he said. “And (they believe that) you don’t bite the hand that feeds you.”

THAILAND: Safety Of Tourists Has Improved

The safety of tourists has improved markedly over the past few years, the Phuket Police Commander, Major General Teerapon Tipjalern, has said.

Major General Teerapon disclosed that a taxi driver on Phuket who beat a tourist last month had been arrested and would be punished.

There were fewer crimes against tourists because these days, ''social media goes very fast.''

His comment has fresh relevance following terrorist attacks in Paris and Beirut that appear to be aimed at frightening people into travelling less.

Major General Teerapon said that Thailand could certainly use more police but that ''we expect all residents to be law-abiding citizens.''

''Phuket is a very safe place for tourists,'' he said, speaking before the latest attacks. ''We have tackled the issue of tourism safety many times and safety has been improved each time.''

Residents and volunteers joined with police to make the holiday island a safer place, coupled with the more widespread use of security cameras.

''If we have everybody working with the police, we can guarantee a high level of safety,'' he said.

He added that the tourism industry was all about service and if tourists were treated well - without being subjected to rip-offs and scams.

''Everybody has to be professional in their approach, whether it be taxi or tuk-tuk drivers or jet-ski operators,'' he said.

Because of social media, ''if something wrong happens, the news spreads very quickly.''

''The number of complaints is well down on what it used to be,'' he said.

The general is a former superintendent at Kathu Police Station, which oversees the west coast holiday hub of Patong.

UAE: flydubai Launches Dubai Al Maktoum Operations

Offering six new routes and 63 weekly frequencies, flydubai’s new base at Dubai Al Maktoum was opened for business on 25 October.

flydubai launched its first flights from Dubai Al Maktoum (DWC) on 25 October.

Speaking about flydubai’s new operations, Ghaith Al Ghaith, CEO, said: “It is the same spirit that allowed us to develop significant potential for growth in the many markets within our geographic focus and now enables us to take advantage of the huge opportunity presented by DWC. We recognise the benefits and convenience that DWC offers, while at the same time continuing our operations at the world renowned Dubai International.

We are a young, dynamic airline and keen to increase opportunities for travel for our passengers across Dubai; DWC gives us that.”

On the same day flydubai’s inaugural flight landed in the capital city of Eritrea, Asmara (ASM). The Eritrean capital becomes the airline’s 13th destination in East Africa and the 18th destination flydubai has launched this year.

SYRIA: Cham Wings Airlines Flys Damascus To Muscat

Gift exchanges and cakes, two of the hallmarks of new route launches. This time these celebrations were convened for the start of Cham Wings Airlines’ new service from Damascus to Muscat on 3 September.

Cham Wings Airlines, a privately-owned, Damascus-based, Syrian scheduled and charter carrier, began offering two direct weekly services between Damascus (DAM) and Muscat (MCT).

The first flight was operated by its 156-seat A320 on Tuesday 3 September, making it Oman Airports’ 63rd destination worldwide in a network spreading across 31 countries.

The airline offers flights to other regional and international destinations from Damascus, such as Baghdad, Najaf, Beirut, Malmo and Istanbul.

In the future, Cham Wings is hoping to launch services to cities such as Kuwait, Doha, and Khartoum. The 2,386-kilometre sector faces no direct competition.

LEBANON: Dozens Hurt As Beirut Rubbish Demos Turn On Government

Lebanese riot police fire tear gas towards protesters during clashes following a "You Stink" rally

Protesters demanding the Lebanese government resign over its failure to remove uncollected rubbish from the streets clashed on Sunday with police in Beirut for a second day, leaving dozens injured.

The demonstration in downtown Beirut turned violent when around 200 youths entered Riad al-Solh Square, hurling projectiles at security forces who responded by firing tear gas and water cannon.

Officials said 43 protesters were hospitalised while 30 members of the security forces were also injured.

It came hours after Prime Minister Tammam Salam pleaded for calm and said he was ready to meet members of the "You Stink" protest movement which blames political divisions for the crisis.

Anger about rubbish overflowing in the streets since Lebanon's largest landfill was closed on 19 July boiled over on Saturday when thousands rallied outside the prime minister's office in central Beirut.

But Saturday's peaceful demonstration turned violent as protesters pelted police with water bottles and firecrackers, and police retaliated with tear gas, water cannon and apparent gunfire. Sixteen people were injured.

In response, Salam pledged to hold accountable those responsible for using "excessive force against civil society and against the people", but violence erupted again on Sunday.

Around 200 youths, some wearing scarves or masks to cover their faces, threw stones and bottles filled with sand at police and tried to pull down security barricades.

They also set on fire a motorcycle and tried to erect their own barricades.

Police retaliated with water cannon and tear gas.

A Red Cross official said 43 protesters were injured and taken to hospital, while another 200 people were treated on the spot.

A security official said 30 members of the Internal Security Forces were also injured, one seriously.

Shots also rang out near the prime minister's office, where thousands of people had also clashed the day before. It was not immediately clear if the shots were live fire, blanks, or rubber bullets.

Protesters chanted "Down with the regime" and "Freedom", slogans borrowed from the Arab Spring uprisings that toppled several governments in the region.

One demonstrator held up a placard with a message that read "Some trash should not be recycled" and below it the pictures of more than a dozen politician.
‘Political trash'

Videos posted online by protesters showed members of the security forces firing into the air and beating the demonstrators.

The "You Stink" movement insisted they were opposed to violence and distanced themselves from those attacking security forces.

"They're not among us they're a very small group of troublemakers," said Joey Ayoub, who sits on You Stink's organising committee.

He said his movement had moved the protest from Riad al-Solh Square, where the clashes occurred, to nearby Martyrs Square "to show that we are not involved in this violence".

Ayoub said the movement's most pressing demand was for security forces to be held accountable for Saturday's use of force.

An online statement also called for the prosecution of Interior Minister Nuhad Mashnuq.

Furious demonstrators have posted videos and photos on social media of security forces firing into the air and beating back protesters during Saturday's unrest.

The prime minister tried to ease tensions, saying he was ready to meet with a You Stink delegation, saying "I am ready to listen to you and sit with you".

"We cannot allow yesterday's events to pass without accountability and follow-up," said Salam.

He called on Lebanon's cabinet to meet this week to find a solution to the crisis, railing against political divisions that have paralysed the country's institutions

Profound political rifts have kept Lebanon without a head of state since May 2014, leaving a caretaker cabinet -- also deeply divided -- in charge.

Salam said the country's trash crisis was the "straw that broke the camel's back."

"But the story is bigger than this straw. This is about the political trash in this country," he said.

Furious demonstrators have posted videos and photos on social media of security forces firing into the air and beating back protesters during the weekend's unrest.