Tag Archives: Lebanon

Lebanon on Sunday hosted its annual famous music festival in the ancient northeastern city of Baalbek without an audience. The unprecedented move was dubbed by the organisers as “an act of cultural resilience” to the global coronavirus pandemic as well as the country’s unprecedented economic crisis. By Arthur Blok Held …

A Turkish jet executive on trial over Carlos Ghosn’s dramatic escape from Japan told a court on Friday that the former Nissan (7201.T) boss spoke about Hollywood making a movie of his getaway as he flew in a private jet to Beirut. Ghosn, once a leading light of the global …

Dozens of people lay flowers on a main Beirut street where a man killed himself on Friday, with some blaming his death on the country’s economic collapse that has left more and more Lebanese hungry. Reuters could not establish the motive for the apparent suicide. The 61-year-old man shot himself …

Almost 7 billion euros were pledged today to support war-torn Syria at a donor conference in Brussels. Around 60 countries and international agencies gathered to drum up financial aid for the Arab nation as the corona-virus and economic chaos wreak even more havoc in a country shattered by a conflict …

Lebanon: whenever you hear this word, it is usually in some American film, most probably linked to a terrorist group, a war, or something similar. Not the land of Cedars – which are almost gone anyways – not the bridge between east and west, not the land of the best …

The ongoing political and economic crisis in Lebanon is no longer news. The country is in a crisis that had been cooking since 1990, and finally came to its boiling point in recent months with new agents of corruption joining in 2005 under the motto of – ironically – “fighting …

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Wednesday that Israel is now concentrating its attacks in Syria on missile-manufacturing sites. Israel has conducted many raids inside Syria since the start of the civil war in 2011. It sees the presence of Hezbollah and its ally Iran there as a strategic …

At least a dozen Lebanese banks across the country were torched and vandalized during the third consecutive night of angry protests fueled by frustration over the national currency’s unfettered depreciation. While the country is on fire, wealthy Lebanese try to escape on their private jets. By Alberto de Luca Banks …

People all around the globe are currently directly, or indirectly, affected by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The Levant News publishes voices from a wide variety of people with different backgrounds. After stories from the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia and Italy today George Labaki writes from the mountains of Lebanon. As a …

While the infamous “curves” of the coronavirus infected are flattening, one by one the world governments are starting to get ready to move into phase 2 of the Covid-19 crisis. The plan is to progressively relax the lockdowns allowing the return of much needed economical activities, as well as allowing …

In October the financial banking system in Lebanon suddenly turned from provider to with-holder. A transformation from the good Dr Henry Jekyll, to the evil Edward Hyde. It happened so fast that people did not see it coming. No one understood what happened, and people still do not get it! …

The Global Compact Network of Lebanon (GCNL) launched a new campaign “الليرة بتشبع” in collaboration with the World Food Programme (WFP) Wednesday to support a two-month crowd-funding campaign. The campaign led by the private sector in Lebanon is in support of the National Poverty Targeting Program (NPTP). The NPTP is …

Lebanese police have seized about 25 tonnes of hashish. The drugs were set to be smuggled to an African state. According to Lebanese security forces it is the country’s biggest drug bust in recent history. The hashish was hidden in eight trucks which were stopped last month on their way …

As the deadly covid-19 pandemic spreads throughout the world, it is important to realize that there are many unknown heroes who are putting their lives and those of their families at risk while fighting the dangerous virus. More than we realize. By Haytham Mouzahem I am not only talking about …

Now that Hezbollah realizes its efforts to hide virus cases won’t work anymore, Washington should urge Beirut to put LAF medical and border-control personnel to work without resorting to a full state of emergency. By Hanin Ghaddar Hezbollah has been under serious scrutiny by the Lebanese people in the past …

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will pardon 10,000 prisoners including political ones in honor of the Iranian new year on Friday, state TV reported. “Those who will be pardoned will not return to jail … almost half of those security-related prisoners will be pardoned as well,” judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein …

by: Dr. Haytham Mouzahem | Today, Lebanon is witnessing an escalating Socio-economic crisis and financial collapse, in light of ongoing protests for two months and of the government’s resignation while disputes continue about the Prime Minister and the government form, as most of the protesters demand a government of technocrats. …

The U.S. Treasury added three top Hezbollah figures to its list of sanctioned individuals on Tuesday, including two members of the Lebanese Parliament and a security official responsible for coordinating between Hezbollah and Lebanon’s security agencies. It was the first time the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control had …

Lebanon will not be lured by a U.S. plan to invest billions in the country in return for settling Palestinian refugees, its parliament speaker Nabih Berri said on Sunday. U.S. President Donald Trump’s blueprint for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, set to be presented by his son-in-law Jared Kushner at a conference …

Gunmen in Nigeria’s oil-rich Rivers state kidnapped two Lebanese workers helping to build a road, a police spokesman told Reuters on Sunday. The workers were abducted on Friday from a site in the Andoni local government area, Rivers state police spokesman Nnamdi Omoni said. “Some people have been invited for …

Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah pledged on Friday to confront the U.S. Middle East plan that President Donald Trump has touted as “the deal of the century.” Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the heavily armed Shi’ite movement, said it was unlikely Washington and its allies would launch a war against Tehran …

By: Ibrahim AL Alou*   The sisters of Noah, Lebanon. They witnessed the rise and fall of civilizations, stood against plagues and epidemics, greeted the sun rising and setting down over thousands of days, yet stood defiant in glory and glamour. These are the oldest olive trees alive bearing their soulful …

Lebanese exporters hoping to send their goods to the lucrative Gulf market through the reopened Syrian-Jordanian border are grappling with higher Syrian customs duties and competition from producers who have taken their place. The Oct. 15 reopening of the Nassib border crossing holds out the prospect of a much-needed boost …

Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Wednesday the differences blocking a deal over a new national unity government were “not easy” and signaled he was at odds with his ally Hezbollah over the last outstanding issue. Five months since an election, prime minister-designate Saad al-Hariri has been unable to clinch …

Beirut – By Niyazi G. Atay* — EU Delegation in Lebanon organized a public event in Beirut Hippodrome to raise awareness on the importance of green spaces in the city. It was one of the sunniest days of Beirut autumn. Before the stormy rain season starts, probably the best day …

by Roudi Baroudi   It is now a very safe bet that the seabed off Lebanon’s coast and onshore Lebanon contains enormous amounts of oil and gas, and sound management of this resource could power a new era of unprecedented socioeconomic development. It’s not just scientific studies of our own …

Fifty thousand Syrians have returned home from Lebanon so far in 2018 and the number could reach 200,000 in a year’s time if it continues at this rate, a top Lebanese official said on Tuesday. Major General Abbas Ibrahim, head of Lebanon’s General Security directorate, told Reuters his security agency …

PRESS RELEASE – September 18, 2018 Under the Patronage of the Minister of Culture H. E. Dr. Ghattas Khoury, BEIRUT ART WEEK (September 18-25) was launched, continuing its annual tradition of bringing contemporary art to the heart of Beirut. BEIRUT ART WEEK is a unique offsite program of BEIRUT ART …

srael is building a massive wall along its northern border, saying the barrier is needed to protect civilians from Hezbollah attacks, but the project has raised tensions with Lebanon, which fears the fence will encroach on its territory. The Israeli military insists the entire barrier is being constructed in Israeli …

The UN Security Council voted unanimously Thursday to renew for another year the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon. The measure backing the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) calls on the Lebanese government to boost its naval capabilities, with the ultimate aim of drawing down …

By Ghassan Michel Rubeiz East Meredith, New York   This week a Swiss delegation led by President Alain Berset is visiting Lebanon to strengthen “bilateral relations”. The team is also discussing the pressing issue of the Syrian refugees. Lebanon hosts the largest refugee population in the world, per capita; and …

The renowned architect and urban planner Patrick Boustani has been assigned the design and layout of the 9th edition of BEIRUT ART FAIR, which will take place in Hall 3 of the Seaside Arena (formerly BIEL) during the September 20-23, 2018 period. Adopting the «mise en abyme» (city within a city) …

Press Release: BEIRUT ART FAIR 9th edition was announced during a press conference at Hotel Le Gray in the presence of the minister of Culture Dr. Ghattas Khoury, Gordon Campbell Gray, founder and chairman of CampbellGray Hotels, Zeina Zamel, Head of Marketing and Communication at Bankmed, the fair’s official partner, …

Environmentalists dumping 10 old army tanks off the coast of a city trying to deal with a massive rubbish problem may seem counterintuitive. However, that is exactly what one group in the Lebanese city of Sidon have done in the hope it will not only attract tourists to the region, …

An Egyptian court sentenced a Lebanese tourist to eight years in prison on Saturday after she posted a video tirade on her Facebook page that Egyptian authorities claimed had insulted the country and its leader. The news website Ahram reported that Mona el-Mazbouh was initially handed an 11-year sentence and …

Hala hugged her 10-month-old baby close as she sat in the front seat of the pickup truck piled with the family’s few possessions — thin mattresses, blankets, a small suitcase — as she waited to cross into Syria. She had dressed neatly for the journey, in a carefully pinned maroon …

When Syria’s Bashar al-Assad met ally Vladimir Putin in Sotchi last week, the Russian leader said all foreign forces would be pulling out Syria’s deputy foreign minister said Wednesday Damascus did not envisage Iran and Hezbollah participating in the withdrawal of foreign forces from the war-torn country as announced last …

Sultan Bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, and a senior Lebanese economic delegation, led by Mohammad Shuqair, chairman of the Lebanese Economic Authorities, discussed the ongoing economic and commercial ties between the UAE and Lebanon across a range of sectors. as well as their potential future development. They also …

The UAE Cabinet on Thursday added nine Iranian individuals and entities to the approved list of terrorism supporters. The move, which was taken according to the Cabinet decision No.24 of 2018, comes in line with the UAE’s keenness to target and disrupt networks associated with terrorist financing and activities. Individuals …

The Iran-backed Shiite group Hezbollah and its political allies looked set to win more than half the seats in Lebanon’s first parliamentary election in nine years, according to preliminary results cited by politicians and Lebanese media. The result, if confirmed by the final count, would boost Hezbollah politically, with parties …

Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah announced from Bekaa that votes in the upcoming parliamentary elections shall preserve the achievements and sacrifices of resistance martyrs in face of regional and international conspiracies. “The victories and achievements for which a very high cost was paid should be protected with your votes,” …

The voter turnout in the UAE for the Lebanese elections — held overseas for the first time on Friday — was the highest in six Arab countries where they were held, a media statement said. Lebanese expatriates flocked to their missions in Abu Dhabi and Dubai on Friday and made …

Saudi Arabia’s crown prince sounded the alarm to the international community that if action is not taken soon to rein in Iran’s mischief in the region and world, that war is inevitable. He called on world leaders to help check Iran’s blatant violations by squeezing it economically and politically. “If …

George Nader, a mysterious business executive with links to the United Arab Emirates and a key figure in Trumpworld, seems to be popping up more and more in reports about the Russia investigation. Nader, a Lebanese American who has acted as a mediator and back-channel diplomat in Middle Eastern affairs …