Khazen

New Saudi ambassador arrives in Lebanon

by Sunniva Rose —thenational.ae —   Walid Bukhari, Saudi’s latest ambassador to Lebanon has arrived in Beirut, the Lebanese national news agency reported. “We will strive together to preserve the security, stability and sovereignty of Lebanon”, said Mr Bukhari in a speech at the airport on Wednesdaty afternoon, in front of several top Lebanese officials […]

Read more
Lebanese military receives new batch of French arms

By Wassim Saif al-Din –infosurhoy.com — BEIRUT— The Lebanese army on Tuesday received a new batch of weapons from France, according to the French Embassy in Beirut. In a statement, the embassy said the army received ten VAB HOT Mephisto armored vehicles fitted with anti-tank missile launcher turret, 96 HOT powerful anti-tank missiles and 2 […]

Read more
New campaign targets Lebanese and UAE government sites

Written by  Sam Varghese — itwire.com — A campaign that targets government domains in Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the private Lebanese airline, Middle East Airlines, has been uncovered by Cisco’s Talos Intelligence Group, which claims that the attackers appear to have studied their intended victims’ networks well enough to remain inconspicuous. Researchers […]

Read more
Carlos Ghosn denies Nissan misconduct claims

by bbc.com– Mr Ghosn, seen as a titan of the car industry, was detained by police and dismissedby Nissan last week. Claims against the businessman, who led the Renault-Nissan alliance, include falsely reporting his earnings. Public broadcaster NHK, which first disclosed Mr Ghosn’s arrest, reported he had told investigators there was no intention to under-report his […]

Read more
Lebanese direct investments in Egypt hit $671.8M by end of June

by egypttoday.com — CAIRO – 25 November 2018: The total number of Lebanese companies investing in Egypt is about 1,645 companies with foreign direct investment of $ 671.8 millionuntil the end of June 2018, according to Minister of Investment Sahar Nasr. Nasr clarified that Lebanon occupies the 22nd place among the investing countries in Egypt. […]

Read more
Lebanon put Carlos Ghosn on its postage stamps. His downfall has stunned Beirut

Carlos Ghosn addresses an audience during a conference in Beirut in 2003.

 

By Tamara Qiblawi, CNN — Beirut, Lebanon (CNN Business)When Carlos Ghosn was arrested on suspicion of financial misconduct, a joke went around in Lebanon that the auto industry legend had finally qualified to be president of the tiny country with a reputation for corruption. But his detention in Japan and subsequent removal as chairman of Nissan (NSANY) have also stunned a country where he has been hailed as national icon for his business success. Many hoped the “white knight” who rescued Nissan could perhaps one day do the same for Lebanon, relieving the country of its debilitating debt, and cleaning up the economy. (Lebanon is ranked 143rd out of 180 countries on Transparency International’s most recent index of perceived corruption in the public sector.) “He wasn’t an ever present force in the Lebanese economy or political thinking. But whenever a president’s term was up, he was always one of the names that came up as a possible president,” said Lebanese blogger and commentator Gino Raidy. “But why would he even do that?”

Ghosn was born in Brazil but grew up in Beirut after moving with his Lebanese mother back home when he was six years old. He studied at Beirut’s College Notre Dame — a Jesuit school — and still serves on the Strategic Council of Saint Joseph University in the city. During a speech in Beirut in 2003, Ghosn said Lebanon could learn from his rapid turnaround of Nissan a few years earlier when restructuring its debt. Lebanon’s government continued to revere the business magnate over the years, and in 2017 it issued a postal stamp with his face on it. But Ghosn repeatedly shrugged off suggestions he should run for political office. “Naturally people looked at him and said ‘Well, here’s a guy who can help us restructure debt. He has Lebanese citizenship. Why doesn’t he get involved in politics?'” said Habib Battah, editor at beirutreport.com who interviewed Ghosn in 2003. “As Lebanese, we tend to really root for people of this tiny country who made it somewhere because the country has been through so many wars and difficult crises.” Government backing When news broke that Ghosn had been detained, reportedly after stepping off a flight to Tokyo from Beirut, Lebanon’s government spared little time declaring its support for him. And members of the business community, including some of Ghosn’s close friends, said they would defend his legacy.

Read more
Black Friday reveals Lebanese concern about political crisis

by arabnews.com — NAJIA HOUSSARI — BEIRUT: “Every day is Black Friday in Lebanon.” The term Black Friday in the Lebanese vocabulary has a different meaning when it comes to purchasing power. Ghada Buqshan, a Lebanese woman, told Arab News that she was among the first to go shopping on Black Friday in order to buy […]

Read more
Lebanon’s economy faces stark choice: Reform or collapse

This article does not necessarily represent khazen.org opinion  by Bassem Mroue – Associated Press — BEIRUT – Lebanon is marking 75 years of independence with a military parade Thursday in Beirut, but many anxious Lebanese feel they have little to celebrate: the country’s corruption-plagued economy is dangerously close to collapse and political bickering over shares […]

Read more
Lebanese president urges immediate gov’t formation

BEIRUT, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) — Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Wednesday night called for stopping “wasting time” and forming the cabinet immediately. “Lebanon is undergoing a government formation crisis … (which) makes us lose time irreversibly, and blocks our abilities to produce and follow up the interests and affairs of the country and the citizens, […]

Read more
Lebanese foreign ministry: will stand by Carlos Ghosn

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanon’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday it would stand by Nissan and Renault boss Carlos Ghosn, who is of Lebanese descent and holds Lebanese citizenship, a day after his arrest in Japan on financial misconduct allegations. Ghosn, one of the best-known leaders in the car industry, was arrested after Nissan Motor Co […]

Read more