Lebanon’s parliament is likely to elect Army Chief Joseph Aoun as president on Thursday, ending a leadership vacuum since 2022. This decision shows Hezbollah’s reduced influence, as it previously supported a different candidate, Suleiman Frangieh. The presidency, reserved for a Maronite Christian, has been vacant since Michel Aoun’s term ended in October 2022. No group … Read more
Lebanon’s pristine north coast is witnessing opposition to a seafront development as a rare marine visitor, the Mediterranean monk seal, has taken refuge in a sea cave. Local environmental group Terre Liban warns that the proposed development could cause the cave to collapse, endangering the secluded site and the seal’s habitat. The Mediterranean monk seal … Read more
Seven bodies found in wreckage of helicopter that disappeared in northern Italy. Helicopter went missing after leaving the city of Lucca on Thursday. Turkish foreign ministry says four of its citizens were on board. Seven bodies were discovered Saturday in the wreckage of a helicopter that went missing two days ago in the mountains … Read more
An Israeli missile attack early Friday targeted numerous targets south of Damascus, hurting at least one civilian, as per state media. Strikes near Damascus airport targeted arms stockpiles connected to Hezbollah, a Lebanese Shiite outfit, as well as other Iran-backed forces. A number of individuals were injured. An Israeli missile attack early Friday targeted numerous … Read more
Lebanese authorities on Monday began removing concrete barriers around the country’s parliament building after the election of former protesters as MPs. The security measures had been put in place at the outbreak of massive anti-government protests in 2019. They are to be relaxed following the election of a dozen reformist newcomers to the 128-member legislature, … Read more
Fearing that visa issues would cost him his job in Dubai, and with no other options for returning home, Lebanese executive Jad spent around $135,000 on new citizenship for himself and his wife. The 43-year-old businessman received a small package in his mailbox less than a month after making the payment last year. Inside were … Read more
The cabinet of bankrupt Lebanon passed a financial recovery plan needed to gain international aid in its final session on Friday, but its implementation would be dependent on the turbulent next parliament. The meeting took place five days after Lebanon held its first election since an economic crisis, widely blamed on the ruling elite’s corruption … Read more
Lebanon holds National Elections first since the financial crisis Electors in Lebanon have gone to the surveys in the primary public political race since a grievous financial breakdown and a blast that destroyed the Beirut waterfront in 2020, in the midst of low assumptions that the pioneers they consider dependable will confront a genuine test … Read more
State media stated that Lebanese expatriates in 48 countries, including France and the United Arab Emirates, voted on Sunday ahead of the May 15 parliamentary elections. The crucial election takes place in the midst of an unparalleled financial crisis that has prompted a mass departure, with opposition politicians resting their hopes for change on the … Read more
Expatriates in Lebanon voted in parliamentary elections on Friday, kicking off a crucial election that comes amid an unparalleled financial crisis that has prompted a major migration. While opposition figures have placed their hopes in the diaspora, experts predict that the elections will maintain the status quo despite years of economic turmoil. Expatriates in nine … Read more
BEIRUT: Once the economy’s crown jewel, Lebanon’s banks are shutting branches and laying off employees in droves, resizing to the bleak reality of a crisis they are widely blamed for. Before the onset in 2019 of a financial collapse deemed one of the world’s worst since the 1850s by the World Bank, the small Mediterranean … Read more
WASHINGTON: IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said on Thursday the fund would only support a “comprehensive programme” for Lebanon that would tackle all the country’s ills, including corruption. “Our team is working very closely with their Lebanese counterparts,” Georgieva told reporters. “We are stressing that it has to be a comprehensive program.” Lebanese officials began … Read more
SINAY, Lebanon: At 28, Thurayya left behind the Beirut neighbourhood where she was born and moved to the family farm, not because of environmental concerns but forced there by Lebanon’s bruising crises. “Living in the city has become very miserable,” she told AFP from the lush south Lebanon farmland planted with avocado trees that is now … Read more
BEIRUT: Lebanese President Michel Aoun urged on Wednesday the International Red Cross (IRC) to help Lebanon by securing the return of displaced Syrians to safe areas in their homeland, a statement by Lebanon’s Presidency reported. Aoun’s remarks came during his meeting with the newly appointed representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross in … Read more
