Ontario township named after slave owner seeks new namesake


Nicole Thompson
The Canadian PressStaff
Published Saturday, June 13, 2020

Peter Russell, the 18th-century government official pictured above. The Mayor of the township of Russell has decided to change the 'Russell' that the town will be named after. (Photo courtesy of Ontario Archives)


An eastern Ontario township is preparing to turn its back on the slave owner it's named for.

It just won't turn its back on the name.


Mayor Pierre Leroux says Russell Township had been the subject of online scorn over the past week because it was named for Peter Russell, an 18th-century government official who delayed the abolition of slavery.Related Stories

Some called for the name to be changed, while others said it should remain the same.

Leroux says he and his 18-year-old son came up with a different solution: choose a new Russell.

Leroux plans to bring forward a notice of motion at a council meeting on Monday night, saying residents no longer want their home to be associated with Peter Russell.

He said members of the community will be asked to submit contenders named Russell.
]

“We don't share the values, we never have shared the values, of Mr. Peter Russell, and we're looking to move forward,” he said.

The question of whether to rebrand buildings, streets and towns is part of a broader conversation about systemic racism and Canada and around the world, sparked in part by the death of George Floyd.

Floyd, a Black man, died last month when a white police officer held a knee against his neck for nearly nine minutes, putting the anti-racist movement back in the spotlight.

Elsewhere in Ontario, there have been calls to rename Dundas Street, which was named for Henry Dundas, an 18th-century politician who delayed Britain's abolition of slavery by 15 years. The street runs through Toronto and numerous neighbouring cities and towns.

In Russell, Leroux said, there were a variety of reasons they didn't want to change the name altogether, including the business owners who have built their brands on the town name.

“And if you change the town name, what happens to all these organizations who've built up a reputation for being kindhearted loving people and incredible businesses? You're saying, well, that name is by default still tied to this guy 200 years ago,” he said.

While he said his son came up with the idea on the fly, they later learned there's precedent.

In 1986, King County in Washington State made the same move.

The county was originally named for the slave trader William Rufus DeVane King, but a motion to change the namesake explains that Martin Luther King Jr. is more in line with residents' ideals.

Leroux said he's hoping Russell's residents will also find their perfect namesake.

“I could see school projects where the students talk about what's going on in the world, and they're getting together and they're making submissions on how to move forward and who they think best represents the values we have and the history we have,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 13, 2020.

British Columbia
Anti-racism protesters block Vancouver viaducts for rally in support of Black Lives Matter

Peaceful protest is latest in series of nationwide demonstrations

CBC News · Posted: Jun 13, 2020
Anti-racism protesters walk along the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts on Saturday. (Cory Correia)


Anti-racism protesters lined up along the east and west ends of the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts early Saturday morning for a rally in support of Black Lives Matter and defunding police forces.

The protesters declined to comment to CBC News, but said the protest was peaceful, and held signs with slogans like "Care Not Cops," "Support Black Trans Women," and "Defund VPD."

Access to several adjacent roads has been blocked, though local residents are permitted access.

Vancouver police said in a written statement it is coordinating traffic around the disruption and would provide updates on its social media feeds.

 

People participate Saturday in a rally on Vancouver's viaducts to support Black Lives Matter. (Cory Correia)

The demonstration, which began around 7 a.m. Saturday, is the latest effort to protest anti-Black racism in the United States and Canada, and to demand defunding and reform of police departments.

A protest in Vancouver earlier in June drew a crowd of thousands, who gathered to highlight that racism and police brutality aren't just American problems.

Thousands have also demonstrated in other Canadian cities, including Victoria, Toronto, and Montreal.

Since the death of George Floyd in police custody in the U.S., police in North America have been facing greater scrutiny of their treatment of minorities and use of violence.

RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki said on Friday that she believes systemic racism exists in the police force she leads — after telling several media outlets this week that she was "struggling" to define the term.

Access to several adjacent roads has been blocked due to the protest. (Cory Correia/CBC)

The area the viaducts occupy has historic significance to the city's Black community. The area — centred between Prior and Union and Main and Jackson — was known as Hogan's Alley.

Starting in the 1920s, it was a cultural hub for Vancouver's Black community, anchored by local businesses and the African Methodist Episcopal Fountain Chapel.

In the late 1960s, the neighbourhood's buildings were torn down for the development of an interurban freeway. The freeway was later dropped, but not until after the construction of the Georgia Street viaduct.

The protesters declined to comment to CBC News, but said the protest was peaceful. (Cory Correia/CBC)

Vancouver police face privacy lawsuit over mass surveillance units in neighbourhoods

SOCCER

Premier League approves kneeling protests, 'Black Lives Matter' on shirts

POOL/AFP / Patrik StollarzPremier League players will be allowed to take a knee before or during matches in protest of racial discrimination

The Premier League will support players taking a knee before or during matches in protest against racial discrimination, while "Black Lives Matter" will replace player names on the back of shirts for the first 12 games of the league's restart next week.

"The League supports the players' wish to have their names replaced by Black Lives Matter on the back of their shirts for the first 12 matches of the restarted 2019/20 season," the Premier League said in a statement on Friday.

"In addition, the League will support players who 'take a knee' before or during matches."

Protests have erupted across the globe since the killing of African-American George Floyd in the United States on May 25 when a police officer, who has been charged with second-degree murder, knelt on his neck for several minutes.

A statement by players from all 20 Premier League clubs said: "We, the players, stand together with the singular objective of eradicating racial prejudice wherever it exists, to bring about a global society of inclusion, respect, and equal opportunities for all, regardless of their colour or creed.

"This symbol is a sign of unity from all Players, all staff, all clubs, all match officials and the Premier League #blacklivesmatter #playerstogether."

Several matches in Germany's Bundesliga have been preceded by both teams taking a knee prior to kick-off in recent weeks.

England international Jadon Sancho was among the first players to protest by showing a t-shirt branded "Justice for George Floyd" during Borussia Dortmund's rout of Paderborn last month.

The Premier League will return with two matches on June 17 as Manchester City host Arsenal and Sheffield United travel to Aston Villa.

A full round of 10 fixtures will then take place between June 19 and 22 with Black Lives Matter on the back of players' shirts.

For the remaining 80 matches of the campaign a Black Lives Matter logo will feature on shirts along with a badge thanking Britain's National Health Service for their work during the coronavirus crisis.

Clubs in England's top flight have already made a number of gestures in line with the anti-racism protests.

Liverpool showed their support when their players posted a photograph at an Anfield training session, where they all took a knee.

Arsenal's players did likewise before Wednesday's friendly against Brentford and wore T-shirts with a variety of messages on them, such as 'I can't breathe', 'My skin is not a crime' and 'I'm not black but I stand with you'.

Salary cap review chief warns against English rugby strike

AFP/File / Glyn KIRKOwen Farrell's Saracens will be relegated from the English Premiership for salary cap breaches

The man behind the review of the Premiership's salary cap has warned English rugby union about being dragged into a players' strike.

Paul Myners' report, commissioned after the Saracens' scandal that will see the reigning champions relegated, prompted a unanimous announcement this week by the clubs to cut the cap from £6.4 million ($8 million) to £5 million for the 2020/21 campaign.

This has sparked a furious row between the clubs and the Rugby Players' Association (PRA).

The RPA warned of a "significant legal dispute unless meaningful and genuine dialogue takes place urgently".

That prompted the clubs to accuse the RPA on Friday of attempting to "sow division and create uncertainty".

But Myners, a former British government finance minister, said current spending on players' wages was unsustainable and urged both sides to pull back from the brink of a full scale dispute.

"Common sense would say we need to sit down and have constructive, respectful discussions," Myners told the Guardian.

"It would be foolhardy for the players to feel they've been pushed into a situation where they have to strike.

"If you're an owner wondering how much longer you want to go on writing annual cheques, nothing's more likely to tip you over the line than being exposed to industrial action."

Many players in England's top flight had taken temporary 25 per cent wage cuts in response to the coronavirus outbreak, but some clubs are now aiming to reduce salaries permanently.

Meanwhile Myners suggested the current structure of the Premiership Rugby board, in which the chief executive does not have a vote, needed to be reviewed.

"Now is not a bad time to have a look at the governance of the Premiership," he said.

"What is missing from almost every echelon of rugby is the presence of independent voices. We don't really have one in Premiership Rugby.

"I think it would lead to better decision-making. Somebody has to say: 'What's good for the future of this game that we care passionately about?' That's the element that's currently lacking."

Return of the otter: How reintroduced predators benefit ecosystems

Aquarium of the Pacific/AFP/File / Robin RIGGSShellfish-munching sea otters have been the bane of fishermens' existence ever since they were reintroduced to Canada's west coast in the 1970s -- but a new study indicates they bring more economic benefits than losses

These little guys think there's something you otter know.

Shellfish-munching sea otters have been the bane of fishermens' existence ever since they were reintroduced to Canada's west coast in the 1970s -- but a new study indicates they bring more economic benefits than losses.

The research was led by teams from the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Island University and published in the journal Science on Thursday.

The study offers an example of what might happen if other endangered species -- from apex predators like wolves and sharks, to herbivorous bison which were once plentiful in the great plains -- are brought back to their original habitats.

Toward the end of the 19th century, otters in the northwest Pacific were hunted almost to the point of extinction due to a demand for their thick, luxurious fur -- the densest coat in the animal kingdom, used by the aquatic mammals for insulation in freezing cold waters.

Otters prey mainly on invertebrates such as crabs, clams, and urchins. Don't challenge these chonky critters to an eating contest, as they consume about a quarter of their body weight every day.

With the otters gone the shellfish fishing industry exploded.

The Canadian government however decided to reintroduce otters in the 1970s -- without consulting the local population, including the native First Nations.

The otters began devouring the main source of fishermen's livelihoods, in what initially seemed to be a textbook example of ecological-economic conflict.

But it's not so straightforward, said the new paper's authors. The return of the otters also led to indirect effects on the ecosystem known as "trophic cascade."

Otters eat sea urchins, which had devoured kelp on the ocean floor. The size of these algal forests have now multiplied by a factor of twenty, said the researchers.

And kelp provide protective habitats for a number of fish species like herring, which, in turn, benefits the fishermen.

Not only that, kelp also sequesters carbon dioxide, reducing ocean acidification and the amount of the greenhouse gas in the atmosphere.

- Wolves, foxes and ticks -

The biggest direct financial benefit has come through tourism.

"The sea otter is a very charismatic species," said Russell Markel, a co-author of the paper who runs Outer Shores Expeditions. "Tourists love being able to see them in the wild and, importantly, are willing to pay for this experience."

The study authors estimate the dollar profit from having the sea otters is seven times greater than the losses to the shellfish industry.

"When you restore a predator, it usually is controversial. And this arises largely because predators end up competing with people for resources," said Jane Watson, a professor at Vancouver Island University.

But the return of kelp forest "increases near-shore productivity" and "creates habitat for kelp dependent species," she said.

"Countless ecosystems around the world are a shadow of their former glory, held back by missing key ecological players just as the sea otters were missing from this coast for decades," added Kai Chan, the paper's senior author, from the University of British Columbia.

"Thus we are seeing elsewhere how reintroducing wolves can trigger ripples of benefits for a large number of species and also for humans across the US and even in Europe," he added.

How might bringing wolves back help humans? Their extermination from the midwestern and eastern United States benefited coyotes, which in turn led to a reduction in the population of foxes.

Foxes prey on small mammals, whose population has exploded as a result -- leading to a surge in ticks, and of Lyme disease.

The new paper underscores the need to analyze ecosystems in their totality, rather than looking solely at what reintroducing predators will mean in terms of livestock losses.

 Pandemic shuts Earth's eyes on the skies

AFP/File / Martin BERNETTIAn aerial view of the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) La Silla facility in La Higuera in Chile's Atacama Desert, on June 6, 2019

It's as if the Earth has closed its eyes, some scientists say: the coronavirus pandemic has forced astronomers in northern Chile to shut down the world's most powerful telescopes, running the risk of missing out on supernovas and other spectacles in space.

Scientists have been unable to take advantage of the pristine skies over Chile's Atacama desert since late March, when its array of world-renowned observatories were shuttered.

That means humans will be oblivious to what astronomers call randomly occurring transitory phenomena, like Gamma-Ray Bursts (GRBs) or supernovas -- lost forever to the starry wastes.

"Any GRB or supernova that goes off while we're shut down, we can't really observe it. We will have missed the opportunity to observe it because it catches on so fast and then fades away, so it's these opportunities that are lost," says astronomer John Carpenter.

It's also a critical time to observe Betelgeuse, the giant red star in the constellation of Orion -- the 10th brightest in the night sky -- which has suddenly dimmed, prompting speculation that it could explode, though that could take decades.

"We were starting a campaign to observe and monitor it when we had to close -- so we couldn't continue," Carpenter told AFP.

- Eyes on the Skies -

AFP/File / Martin BERNETTIAn astronomer prepares equipment ahead of a solar eclipse at the La Silla European Southern Observatory in Chile's Coquimbo region, on July 2, 2019

Carpenter is chief scientist at the revolutionary Atacama Large Millimeter Array, or ALMA, an observatory whose 66 antennae combine to make it the world's most advanced radio telescope.

Carpenter said his observatory's operations have been on hold since March 18.

ALMA is just one of an array of observatories in Chile's arid north that comprise more than half of humanity's astronomical power. Just 400 kilometers (250 miles) away from ALMA is the Paranal Observatory and its Very Large Telescope, the world's most powerful.

The coronavirus pandemic has hit Chile hard, forcing a month-long lockdown of its capital Santiago. More than 2,450 people have died from Chile's 150,000 COVID-19 cases.

"There are a very small number of people who are taking care of the observatory but no observation is being carried out," said Itziar de Gregorio, head of the science office of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) which runs some of the key observatories.

De Gregorio voiced a more optimistic view over the opportunities for stargazing lost to the Earthly health crisis: scientists are likely to get another chance.

"These transitory phenomena are not usually unique. If they occur today, bad luck! But the next year surely many more will come by," he said.

- Stalled probes -

AFP / Martin BERNETTIA supermoon -- when the moon reaches its closest position to the Earth -- rises over Santiago, on April 7, 2020

Astronomers chose the vast Atacama desert for its pristine atmosphere -- there is little rain and low humidity year-round.

With telescopes shut down and antennas switched off, space watchers are instead focusing on processing the myriad data collected during long accumulated nights of observation.

Specialists have "several months" of work to keep them going until the pandemic passes and the planets are opened up to them again, said Caludio Melo, ESO representative in Chile.

"Of course, at any given point new observations will be needed but we cannot know yet when that will be," Melo told AFP.

In some ways, the biggest losers are young scientists working to finish research on doctoral studies, "because they have more critical deadlines," said Carpenter.

The long weeks of standstill mean a lag in their observation requests, he said.

"It will be a significant delay. We observe approximately 4,000 hours every year at ALMA with the 12-meter antenna complex, so if the shutdown lasts six months, it is 2,000 hours of lost observation."

Seoul court names birth father in landmark adoptee ruling

AFP / Jung Yeon-jeKara Bos -- who was abandoned at the age of two and adopted by an American family -- embarked on the legal battle to discover her birth mother's identity

A Seoul court on Friday officially recognised a Korean-born adoptee as the daughter of her biological father in a landmark ruling that she described as "momentous".

Kara Bos, 38, broke down in tears after the Seoul Family Court delivered its ruling entering her in the man's family registry, a move that could set a legal precedent.

His relatives had wanted nothing to do with her despite an online DNA match.

Bos -- who was abandoned at the age of two and adopted by an American family -- embarked on the legal battle to discover her birth mother's identity, and her lawyers say she will now be able to access official records on her father's family.

"This day is momentous for all of us adoptees just to have a right finally," she told reporters, visibly emotional.

"The struggles we faced with not having any rights whatsoever to be able to contact our family... and I hope this can change in Korea."

South Korea was once among the biggest sources for international adoption, having sent at least 167,000 children abroad since the 1950s.

But accessing records for returning adoptees is notoriously difficult due to laws prioritising birth parents' privacy over adoptees' rights -- the issue has long been shrouded in secrecy and linked to stigma.

Neither the man nor any of his relatives were present at the hearing.

- 'Please come' -

AFP / Jung Yeon-jeInclusion in the family registry gives Bos a legal entitlement to an inheritance

Growing up in Michigan, Bos, whose Korean name is Kang Mee Sook, rarely thought about her birth family, but when her own daughter turned two she started thinking about what her separation must have meant for her biological mother and decided to try to track her down.

After her initial efforts to trace her through adoption records and distributing leaflets proved fruitless, she submitted a DNA sample to an online genealogy platform in 2016 and found she was related to a young Korean man studying abroad.

With the match she was able to locate her half-sisters -- the young man's mother and aunt -- but they wanted nothing to do with her, barring her from meeting her father, the only person who could tell her who her mother was.

One of them called police when she begged on her knees at her door.

In November she filed a paternity suit -- according to her lawyers she is the first Korean-born overseas adoptee to have done so -- and a court-ordered DNA test showed there was a 99.987 percent probability he was her father.

Inclusion in the family registry gives Bos a legal entitlement to an inheritance, but she said all she wanted was to find out about her mother and the truth.

"If secrecy... hadn't shrouded my adoption story then maybe this could have all been resolved with my birth father's family with a five-minute phone call," she told AFP.

Bos said she plans to meet her father next week, and hopes he will finally reveal her origins.

"I hope... with this media attention, if my mother is watching, that she will step out and be an example of someone who can have courage just like I did to fight this fight," she told reporters outside the court.

"Omma, I want to meet you," she told the cameras in basic Korean. "Really, don't be sorry. Please just come."

Seattle mayor tells Trump to 'go back to your bunker'

AFP / Jason RedmondTrump sparked a spat with Seattle's mayor after he threatened to intervene in the neighborhood dubbed 'Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone,' or CHAZ

Seattle's mayor told Donald Trump to "Go back to your bunker" Thursday, escalating a spat after the president threatened to intervene over a police-free autonomous zone protesters have set up in the western US city.

The reference to a "bunker" was a nod to reports Trump was rushed by Secret Service agents to a secure area in the White House as demonstrations against racism and police brutality sparked by the death of George Floyd reached the president's residence.

Trump sparked the spat when he threatened to intervene in the neighborhood in Seattle dubbed "Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone," or CHAZ, which was agreed upon by demonstrators and the city's police department.

AFP / Jason RedmondPeople of all ages enjoyed the sunny weather in Seattle's Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ)

"Take back your city NOW. If you don't do it, I will," Trump warned mayor Jenny Durkan and Washington state governor Jay Inslee -- both Democrats -- in a tweet late Wednesday, calling the protesters "domestic terrorists" who have taken over Seattle.

"This is not a game. These ugly Anarchists must be stooped (sic) IMMEDIATELY. MOVE FAST," he continued in another tweet.

Mayor Jenny Durkan replied, urging Trump to "make us all safe. Go back to your bunker", with Inslee joining in the Twitter mockery of Trump.

"A man who is totally incapable of governing should stay out of Washington state's business. 'Stoop' tweeting," Inslee wrote.

AFP / Jason RedmondDemonstrators in Seattle's CHAZ area set up a shrine to the memory of the late George Floyd, whose death at the hands of a white Minneapolis police officer triggered the recent wave of protests

Protests have taken place across the country following the death of Floyd, an unarmed black man killed in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.

Officials in Seattle have denied reports that left-wing activists are behind the setting up of the autonomous zone.

- 'Peaceful as hell' -

In the CHAZ area Thursday there were tents with supplies for volunteer medics as well as free gourmet food donated by local restaurants, along with fruit, snacks, and water bottles for the taking.

The sunny afternoon gathering had a relaxed air, with people of all ages, including mothers with children, milling around the car-free streets.

AFP / Jason RedmondHuman Rights Attorney Mike Withey, a veteran of major protests in 1999 against the World Trade Organization (WTO) protests, addresses demonstrators in the CHAZ zone

At one point a crowd locked arms and prevented two police officers from reaching a boarded up police station in the area. The officers failed to break in when they tried to enter through a different road.

"The scene here is peaceful as hell," said a demonstrator who identified herself as Jahtia B.

She wondered aloud what Trump meant by tweeting 'take back the city.'

"This is our city. I was born and raised in this damn city. Let's give it to the people, the people who live in Seattle and have been thriving here," she told AFP.

AFP / Jason RedmondA crowd gathers to listen to speakers in Seattle's Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone (CHAZ)

An African-American demonstrator, Rich Brown, said he was scared on Sunday when police used tear gas and flash bang grenades in an attempt to clear the area.

"Today I feel supported, welcomed," he said. "We're able to speak, it's what we've been wanting to do this whole time, without intimidation, without fear."

African countries call for racism debate 

at UN rights council

AFP/File / Fabrice COFFRINIUN Human Rights Council delegates are seen in silhouette outside of the assembly hall during a session in Geneva in March 2020

African countries called Friday on the UN Human Rights Council to urgently debate racism and police brutality amid the unrest in the US and beyond over George Floyd's death.

In a letter written on behalf of 54 African countries, Burkina Faso's ambassador to the UN in Geneva asked the UN's top rights body for an "urgent debate" on "racially inspired human rights violations, police brutality against people of African descent and the violence against the peaceful protests that call for these injustices to stop."

The letter, addressed to rights council president Elisabeth Tichy-Fisslberger of Austria, requested that this debate be held next week, when the council's 43rd session resumes, after it was interrupted in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The call came after Floyd's family, along with the families of other victims of police violence and over 600 NGOs this week called on the council to urgently address systemic racism and police impunity in the US.

For the council to consider such a request, it needs to have the backing of at least one country.

With the request now coming from a large group of states, "that increases the chances" it will take place, a council spokesman told AFP.

Friday's letter pointed to the case of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man who died in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25 after a white officer, who has since been charged with murder, pressed his knee on his neck for nearly nine minutes.

- 'Unchecked police brutality' -

His death, which was caught on video and has sparked massive protests across the United States and around the world, "is unfortunately not an isolated incident, with many previous cases of unarmed persons of African descent suffering the same fate due to unchecked police brutality," it said.

"Sadly, the fates of many other victims attracted no attention, as they were not captured on social media for all to see," Ambassador Dieudonne Desire Sougouri wrote on behalf of the African Group at the council.

While the letter called for a debate on racism around the globe, it in particular highlighted the situation in the United States.

"The protests the world is witnessing are a rejection of the fundamental racial inequality and discrimination that characterise life in the United States for black people, and other people of colour," it said.

Council President Tichy-Fisslberger will now announce Monday a proposed day for the urgent debate, and unless there are any objections, which is unlikely, it will go ahead.

A number of countries are expected to address Floyd's killing and concerns about police violence and racism in the United States during the resumed 43rd council session even without a special debate.

But since the deadline for tabling fresh resolutions during this session expired back in March, they will only be able to call for concrete actions within the confines of this extraordinary debate.

John Fisher, head of the Human Rights Watch's Geneva office, voiced hope earlier Friday, before the African Group letter went out, that the council would order some form of scrutiny of the US situation.

"There are underlying issues of systemic racism that need to be addressed and addressed meaningfully," he told journalists.

Lebanon to inject dollars as currency plunge revives protests

AFP / Mahmoud ZAYYATA

 Lebanese protester on a highway amid new demonstrations in multiple locations on Friday, in this instance in the southern coastal town of Ghazieh

Hundreds protested for a second night over the Lebanese authorities' handling of a deepening economic crisis, despite the government pledging on Friday to inject dollars into the market to bolster the sagging currency.

In one incident in central Beirut, roughly 200 young men gathered on mopeds, some of them defacinshg op fronts and setting fire to stores. Some chanted against sectarianism.

Security forces fired tear gas to disperse them and some of the young men threw stones and fire crackers back. Tension petered out after midnight.

In the northern city of Tripoli, the army dispersed hundreds shouting "revolution, revolution".

Demonstrators had thrown stones and Molotov cocktails toward the soldiers and damaged the facades of several banks and shops. Soldiers responded with tear gas.

After a crisis meeting on Friday, President Michel Aoun announced that the central bank would implement measures from Monday including "feeding dollars into the market", in a bid to support the Lebanese pound.

But 17-year-old Wael, protesting in Tripoli, was not impressed: "I just want a job so I can live. We don't believe all the measures taken by the government to improve the dollar exchange rate."

AFP / Ibrahim CHALHOUB

A man cleans up outside a bank that was vandalised by protesters in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli

Lebanese media reported that the exchange rate had tumbled to 6,000 per dollar on the black market early on Friday, compared to the official peg of 1,507 in place since 1997.

Protesters had initially taken to the streets after sundown on Thursday, railing against the spiralling cost of living and the government's apparent impotence in the face of the worst economic turmoil since the 1975-1990 civil war.

They had also rallied against the governor of the central bank, Riad Salame.

- Central bank chief under fire -

AFP / ANWAR AMRO

Demonstrators see Lebanon's political class as corrupt and incompetent

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who attended Friday's meeting with the president alongside Prime Minister Hassan Diab, said the government's measures aimed to bring the exchange rate to stronger than 4,000 pounds to the dollar.

The black market rate had appreciated to below 4,500 on Friday evening after the president's announcement, two dealers said.

Tensions have grown recently between the government, which is backed by Shiite movement Hezbollah, and the central bank's governor.

Experts say the cabinet would like to see Salame removed from the position he has held since 1993.

Protesters accuse him of having encouraged state borrowing over the decades that they say benefited only the banking and political elite.

Anger against banks has risen in recent months, after they banned all transfers abroad and gradually restricted dollar withdrawals, forcing those in need to buy the greenback at unattractive rates on the black market.

"Several currents taking part in the protests want to topple the central bank governor and hold him accountable for the financial" crisis, among them Hezbollah, Lebanese American University professor Imad Salamey told AFP.

Hezbollah supporters joined the demonstrations late Thursday, despite usually being against the protest movement that began in October.

The previous government stepped down under street pressure just weeks into the demonstrations that began in October, and Diab's cabinet began work earlier this year.

- 'Middle class obliterated' -

AFP / ANWAR AMRO

Lebanese soldiers rest during a lull in a demonstration in Beirut

"The economic situation has further deteriorated... The middle class has been obliterated," said Hilal Khashan, a professor at the American University of Beirut.

"But I don't think the government will collapse."

The central bank late Thursday hit out at "baseless" information on social media of "exchange rates at levels far from reality, which mislead citizens".

Lebanon -- one of the most indebted countries in the world with a sovereign debt of more than 170 percent of its GDP -- went into default in March.

It started talks with the International Monetary Fund last month in a bid to unlock billions of dollars in financial aid. Dialogue is ongoing.

Unemployment has soared to 35 percent nationwide.

The country enforced a lockdown in mid-March to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, dealing a further blow to businesses.

Lebanon has recorded some of the pandemic's best declared metrics in the Middle East, with just 1,422 cases of COVID-19, including 31 deaths

Lebanese pound hits new low despite govt efforts, sparking protests

AFP / Patrick BAZ

Protesters block a highway in Jal el Dib during a demonstration against dire economic conditions in Lebanon

The Lebanese pound sank to a record low on the black market on Thursday despite the authorities' attempts to halt the plunge of the crisis-hit country's currency, sparking a flare-up in anti-government protests.

Lebanon is in the grip of its worst economic turmoil in decades and holding talks with the International Monetary Fund to secure billions in aid.

A prolonged economic downturn was the major grievance that sparked unprecedented mass protests in October last year against the political class, accused of corruption and incompetence.

Protests broke out again on Thursday, with roads blocked across the country, and security forces fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators.

A throng of protesters blocked a key road in the centre of the capital Beirut, an AFP journalist reported.

"Thief, thief, Riad Salame is a thief!" demonstrators chanted, referring to the governor of the central bank.

Demonstrators also chanted slogans of national unity, after sectarian clashes shook Beirut during protests last weekend.

"People can't take it anymore, that's enough," said Haitham, a protester in central Beirut.

"People have no work, no food to eat. They cannot buy medicines, nappies or milk for their children."

In the centre of the capital, near Riad al-Solh square, security forces fired tear gas to disperse protesters who threw stones, according to local television.

In the northern city of Tripoli, the army also fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators who had tried to take over the local branch of the Central Bank, according to the state news agency ANI, adding that eight people were wounded.

A Molotov cocktail set fire to trees in front of the building, an AFP correspondent witnessed.

- Tumbling currency -
The Lebanese pound remains officially pegged to the US currency at a rate of 1,507 per dollar but its value has tumbled on the black market.

AFP / Fathi AL-MASRI

Protesters burn tires as they demonstrate against dire economic conditions in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli
Rates from three money changers on Thursday morning indicated it had lost almost 70 percent of its value compared with the official rate.

One money changer who asked to remain anonymous said he was selling dollars at a rate of 5,000 pounds and buying them at 4,800. Another in Beirut's Dahiya neighbourhood was buying dollars for 4,850 pounds.

The new nadir came despite government pledges to halt the pound's devaluation, and the money changers' union issuing a maximum daily buying rate of 3,890 and selling rate of 3,940.

On Thursday evening, a central bank statement cited by local media hit out at "baseless" information on social media of "exchange rates at levels far from reality, which mislead citizens".

The office of Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced an urgent cabinet meeting would be held on Friday to discuss the situation.

Lebanese banks have gradually restricted dollar withdrawals since late last year, forcing those in need to buy them at a higher rate on the black market.

An AFP photographer said on Thursday that many money-changing shops had closed, citing a lack of dollars.

In an apparent bid to better oversee the exchange market, the central bank is set to launch an online platform on June 23 through which changers will be asked to register all operations.

- Buying power battered -

Lebanon's economic crunch has caused poverty to soar to 45 percent of the population and pushed unemployment up by 35 percent.

It has also sparked steep inflation, including on imported products.

Nabil, a retired 64-year-old, said his buying power had taken a blow.

"Yesterday I went to a home appliance store to buy a fridge, and the salesman asked me for $1,200 in cash, or the equivalent at an exchange rate of 5,000, which is six million pounds," he said.

"That's twice my monthly pension."

Lebanon needs "emergency external assistance to ward off the worst social consequences of the crisis", analysts from the International Crisis Group warned on Monday.

The country defaulted on its debt in March for the first time in its history.