Source: Reuters
Security & Justice
State Action Signals Change in Tackling Longstanding Illegal Land Grabs in Jbeil District
For years, the serene villages of Jbeil's highlands have been far from peaceful. Ghabat, a Maronite village nestled between the predominantly Shiite towns of Afqa and Lassa, has become a focal point of growing tensions due to territorial disputes.
Friday, December 20, 2024
Mawlawi Ensures Strict Monitoring for Wanted Syrian Regime Figures at Beirut Airport
Caretaker Minister of Interior, Bassam Mawlawi, conducted an inspection tour of Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut to review the security arrangements and measures implemented by the Airport Security Apparatus ahead of the holiday season.
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Opinion
Lebanon After the Assads
The United States has important equities in Lebanon, including a desire for a generally friendly government’s economic and political stability; security cooperation; long-standing relations with the large Christian community in Lebanon and Lebanese diaspora in the United States; and ultimately peace between Israel and Lebanon within a broader regional settlement. Achieving these objectives will require navigating a tumultuous period in the country’s history following a war between Hezbollah and Israel that has devastated a large part of the country, exacerbating Lebanon’s already challenging economic conditions. But perhaps the most important dynamic will be how a likely Sunni-dominated state of uncertain composition in Syria will differ in its intentions toward Lebanon from the previous Alawite-led minoritarian Assad regime.
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Europe’s Syrian Dilemma
The news of the sudden and unexpected demise of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria has met a mixed response in Europe. The jubilation that a murderous dictator and close ally of Russia and Iran has fallen is not just good for the Syrian people but serves as a morale booster for Eastern Europeans wondering whether Russia can be defeated
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
Sports
Cristiano Ronaldo Unveils New Private Jet Worth $73 Million
Cristiano Ronaldo, one of the richest global athletes, has unveiled his upgraded private jet reportedly worth $73 million. With its top-notch design, exceptional speed and range of 7500 nautical miles, the Gulfstream G650 is among the fastest jets in the world.
Monday, December 16, 2024
Guardiola Accepts Man City May Need to Sign More Players to Cope with Schedule
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes he will need a bigger squad to handle soccer’s ever-expanding fixture schedule.
Saturday, December 14, 2024
Thursday 10 February 2022 17:33:20
Mikati Signals Difficulty in Agreeing Financial Plan
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati indicated on Thursday difficulties in agreeing a financial recovery plan for addressing the country's economic collapse, calling it a "difficult process".
A plan for addressing a $70 billion hole in the financial system is seen as the starting point for talks with the International Monetary Fund and vital to reviving the paralysed banking system.
“The economic recovery plan is not easy... we think it is a difficult process, a Kamikaze operation,” Mikati said in a televised news conference after the cabinet approved the 2022 state budget.
The Lebanese pound has slumped by more than 90% since the financial crisis erupted in late 2019.
Though the government has yet to formally cancel the old pegged exchange rate of 1,500 pounds to the dollar, the new budget applies a rate much closer to the market value for customs transactions of around 20,000.
The budget projects spending at 47 trillion pounds with a deficit of around 7 trillion pounds, Mikati added, equal to around $330 million at the parallel market rate on Thursday.
It still requires the approval of parliament.
