Lebanon

Lebanon has been running short of infant baby formula for months as the country has been dealing with a severe economic crisis. A video showing the disposal of 20 tons of the baby milk substitute has been circulating on social media and has only added to the public’s frustrations. The …

Public prosecutors in Lebanon have been instructed to crack down on the monopoly on foodstuffs and oil derivatives as political, security and diplomatic concerns grow over explosive daily protests. The spontaneous protests are also demanding access to medicine, fuel, hospitalization and electricity. The Crisis Observatory at the American University of …

“How on earth do you get to the point where somebody like Carlos (Ghosn) has to hang out with shadowy figures to smuggle him out across an international border, halfway across the world, safely?” Nick Green, the director of an upcoming documentary about the former Nissan chairman called “The Last …

The Supreme Islamic Sharia Council, which represents the Sunni community and its leaders in Lebanon, has renewed its support for Saad Hariri, the prime minister-designate, amid an escalating dispute over the failure to form a government in the country. After a lengthy meeting on Saturday, in which Hariri participated, the …

In a speech seen as an act of defiance against the Lebanese state and the US, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Wednesday insisted that Lebanon should be “negotiating with Iran to buy gasoline and diesel with the Lebanese currency if Lebanon’s shortages persist.” Seemingly unconcerned about the possibility that this …

France will convene a virtual meeting of countries on June 17 to drum up support for the Lebanese army as it seeks to weather an economic crisis that has put the military on the verge of collapse, France’s armed forces ministry said on Tuesday. Paris, which has led aid efforts …

Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun approved an exceptional loan of up to 300 billion Lebanese pounds ($200 million) on Monday for the state electricity company to import fuel for generation before supplies run out, an official statement said. Lebanon is mired in a financial crisis, caused by a mountain of debt built …

An Israeli military spokesman said Monday that the army was carrying out a security sweep operation at the border fence with Lebanon and that it was still ongoing. The military are searching for two people who might have infiltrated from Lebanon: Al-Arabiya news reported. Source: Arab News

France has opened a probe into the personal wealth of Riad Salameh, central bank chief in crisis-hit Lebanon, sources told AFP Sunday. Paris financial prosecutors have opened a preliminary probe into criminal association and money laundering by Salameh, a source close to the investigation and a judicial source said, following …

Prime Minister-Designate Saad Hariri asked the Lebanese government on Saturday to pay its dues to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon and for the international community to shoulder its responsibility. The tribunal was set up to prosecute those behind the 2005 assassination of Hariri’s father, Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. It is …

Terrible things happen in war. Many ‘innocent’ people commit not so innocent acts. Humans are constantly at war, it must be our nature. Yet we romanticize heroic military acts and certain facets of it. While war is hell: not thrill and fun, it is a game of losers. Lebanese media …

Part of the file being considered by French investigating judges who questioned fugitive former car executive Carlos Ghosn in Beirut this week should be considered invalid, his defense team said on Friday. French judges have been holding hearings in Beirut’s Palace of Justice since Monday, in a process that Ghosn’s …

Lebanon’s central bank yesterday said depositors with accounts active as of October 2019 would be able to withdraw up to $400 a month plus the equivalent amount in local currency, marking a significant concession after a chaotic two days in Lebanese banking. Lebanese banks had locked depositors out of their …

Judges at a U.N. tribunal for Lebanon have scrapped a new trial against the man convicted of the 2005 assassination of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, because they expect the court to run out of money and be forced to shut down before it can finish. Last year the tribunal, located …

Lebanon’s army carried out large-scale military exercises on Monday to test its readiness to deal with a nationwide crisis. The “Lebanon Wide” exercise included units from the army, the Internal Security Forces, General Security, State Security, the General Directorate of Customs, the General Directorate of Civil Defense, the Lebanese Red …

Lebanon on Monday received a preliminary report from France regarding last year’s massive port blast in Beirut that killed and wounded thousands, judicial officials said. The officials said the French report is useful for the ongoing investigation in Beirut over the August blast, which decimated the country’s main port and …

Lebanon’s Maronite Patriarch Mar Bechara Boutros Al-Rahi on Sunday accused the state of colluding against its people and said the political elite was unable to form a government even “to secure medicine, a loaf of bread, electricity and fuel.” Al-Rahi, whose mediation efforts to unlock the impasse between President Michel …

Lebanese-British actress Razane Jammal is set to join the DC Universe. The “Paranormal” star was selected to join the cast of the new Netflix series “Sandman,” alongside fellow cast members Tom Sturridge, Gwendoline Christie, Vivienne Acheampong, Boyd Holbrook and Charles Dance. “What a dream come true! Thrilled to have joined …

Pope Francis said Sunday he would invite Lebanon’s Christian leaders to the Vatican on July 1 to reflect and pray for “peace and stability” in the stricken Middle Eastern nation. Lebanon is in the throes of a double economic and political crisis. It is experiencing its worst financial downturn since …

 Lebanon’s central bank said on Thursday that a system for importing subsidised medical goods could not be sustained without using its mandatory reserves and asked the relevant authorities to find a solution to the problem. Lebanon, which in the throes of a financial crisis that is threatening its stability, has …

After recently coming fifth in the UNESCO International Competition for the Reconstruction and Rehabilitation of Mosul’s Al-Nouri Mosque with his team, Samir Nicolas Saddi has big plans for heritage rehabilitation around the Middle East. The Beirut-born Canadian-Lebanese architect, who founded the Arab Research Center for Architecture and Design of the …

Russia has reiterated its “firm position and commitment to supporting Lebanon’s sovereignty, independence, territorial unity and stability.” Moscow has also indicated its support for Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri forming a government. The development came amid renewed initiatives from the speaker of parliament, Nabih Berri, to push toward the formation of …

Since Lebanon’s currency collapsed in October 2019 — thrusting the nation into its deepest economic crisis in recent memory — a growing number of its citizens have been forced to rely on private generators to power their homes. The alternative is to go without electricity for several hours every day. …

Pizza Hut is closing in Lebanon as the fast food chain succumbs to the country’s deepening economic crisis. The family food favorite posted a notice on social media thanking its customers for their support and asking them to “hold on to these memories until we make new ones.” Rocketing inflation, …

Lebanese President Michel Aoun did not intend to revoke prime minister designate Saad al-Hariri’s mandate when he wrote to parliament last week declaring that Hariri could not form a government, Aoun’s son-in-law said on Saturday. Veteran Sunni Muslim politician Hariri was nominated in October to form a cabinet after Hassan …

Lebanon’s prime minister-designate Saad Hariri said on Saturday he will not form a cabinet that simply caters to President Michel Aoun’s wishes. “I will not form a government as the team of his Excellency the President wants it, nor any other political faction. I will only form the kind of …

Lebanon’s parliament will convene on Friday to discuss a letter written by the president saying Prime Minister-designate Saad Al-Hariri had shown he was incapable of forming a government that could pull the nation out of financial crisis. The letter, seen by Reuters, follows months of political negotiations in a country …

Lebanese Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe has quit after provoking widespread anger and condemnation for suggesting that Gulf states were to blame for the rise of Daesh, with lawyers submitting a complaint against him for breaching his duties and “committing crimes that threaten national unity.”  Wehbe faced a barrage of criticism …

The UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation has strongly decried the derogatory and racist statements made by caretaker Lebanese Foreign Minister, Charbel Wehbe, against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) States. The Lebanese ambassador to the UAE was summoned by the MoFAIC and …

Six shells were fired from Lebanon towards northern Israel on Monday but fell short of crossing the border, the Israeli military said. It said that in response, artillery was fired at “the sources of the launches” in Lebanon. A Lebanese security source said shells were heard being fired from south …

Ibrahim Al-Dika had raised his Belgian shepherd Lexi since she was a tiny pup, but then Lebanon’s economic crisis made him jobless and he had to sell her to repay a bank loan. “It got to the point where I was no longer able to feed her, the bank was …

Political and economic figures have expressed their opposition to dragging Lebanon into a regional conflict amid the Palestine-Israel crisis and violent clashes. The Vice President of the General Labor Confederation Hassan Fakih warned against “taking the country into total chaos that will wipe out what is left of Lebanon.” His …

Turkey’s Karpowership, which provides electricity to Lebanon from two barges, said on Friday it was shutting down supplies over payment arrears and a legal threat to its vessels as the nation grapples with a deep economic crisis. The company, which supplies 370 megawatts (MW), or about a quarter of Lebanon’s …

Lebanon’s response to the violence in Gaza and its relationship with Palestine is the subject of angry debate after rockets were fired from southern Lebanon toward Israeli settlements. Former MP Nadim Gemayel warned that “Lebanon is neither a military base nor a missile platform for Palestinian factions or Iranian militias.” …

A Lebanese man was shot and killed by Israeli troops after he and others protesting in support of Palestinians tried to cross a security fence on the border with Israel, Lebanon’s state news agency NNA reported. NNA said another youth had been wounded after protesters gathered along the border in a show of …

Three rockets were launched from Lebanon toward northern Israel on Thursday but landed in the Mediterranean Sea, causing no damage or casualties, the Israeli military said. The rocket firing threatened to open a new front in the escalating fighting between Israel and the militant Palestinian Hamas group in Gaza. The …

The situation in Lebanon is deteriorating. People are increasingly desperate amid the political deadlock, the financial meltdown, the rising poverty, and COVID-19. In this unprecedented economic crisis there is still room for success proves Lebanese entrepreneur Rony Abou Saab (43). By Arthur BlokAbou Saab started working when he was only …

The EU is drawing up sanctions on politicians in Lebanon seen as blocking the formation of a government, readying the bloc’s first penalties on its Middle Eastern ally in frustration at the ruling elite’s mismanagement, diplomats said. Led by former colonial power France, the bloc is seeking to ramp up …

The US Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed sanctions on seven Lebanese nationals it said were connected to the Iran-backed militant Hezbollah movement and its financial firm, Al-Qard al-Hassan (AQAH). The Treasury in a statement said it had blacklisted Ibrahim Ali Daher, the chief of Hezbollah’s Central Finance Unit, as a …

Driving through one the villages of Mount Lebanon to get my car serviced. I stopped at a particular mechanic shop to get Freon put into my air conditioner. The mechanic on duty referred me to another workshop in the neighboring village as not all places provide such a service apparently. …

While Lebanese people gathered to stand up against corruption and oppression almost two years ago in October 2019, you could hear all around the country that “the revolution is a woman”, “the future is a woman” and “the revolution is feminist”.By Abbas TalebIndeed, the most notable thing about the Lebanese …

BEIRUT: France’s top diplomat wielded the threat of more sanctions in Beirut Friday to prevent what he described as a “collective suicide” organized by members of Lebanon’s ruling political class. Lebanon’s leaders had promised reform in the aftermath of a deadly explosion at Beirut port last year but, nine months …

Lebanese pop star Nawal Al-Zoghbi has resigned from the Syndicate of Professional Artists after the body told members they could not criticize politicians. Al-Zoghbi posted a two-page resignation letter on her Twitter account on Wednesday slamming the country’s ruling elite.  She said there was a “negative influence” from all Lebanese …

France’s foreign minister said on Wednesday he would carry a strongly worded message to Lebanese politicians when he visits Beirut on Thursday and warned of punitive measures against those who are hindering the political progress. The trip comes after Paris said it had started putting in place measures to restrict …