BEIRUT (Reuters)- Saad al-Hariri resigned as Lebanon’s prime minister on Tuesday, declaring he had hit a “dead end” in trying to resolve a crisis unleashed by huge protests against the ruling elite and plunging the country deeper into turmoil. Hariri addressed the nation after a mob loyal to the Shi’ite Muslim Hezbollah and Amal movements […]

BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanon needs a political solution to the country’s crisis in days to regain confidence and avert a future economic collapse, Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh told Reuters on Monday. He said a CNN headline did not reflect what he said in an interview with the broadcaster. “I am not saying that we […]

dw.com – German authorities are looking for a former embassy worker who allegedly sold visa documents to members of a Lebanese clan. The clan then used the documents to smuggle Syrian refugees into Germany, according to a report. A Lebanese man who used to work at the German embassy in Beirut is wanted by authorities over […]

(CNN) By Alaa Elassar, Protesters across Lebanon joined hands on Sunday to form a human chain that connected the country’s north and south, a symbolic display of national unity during a period of political turmoil. Nearly 170,000 people joined the chain, which ran from Akkar to Sidon, said Dr. Sally Hammoud, an event organizer. “It […]

yahoo.com — Hashem Osseiran and Anwar Amro — Beirut (AFP) – Demonstrators across Lebanon blocked roads and took to the streets Saturday for a 10th consecutive day, defying what they said were attempts by Hezbollah to defuse their movement and despite tensions with the army. The protesters — who have thronged Lebanese towns and cities since October […]

by aljazeera.com — Mersiha Gadzo – Beirut, Lebanon – Demonstrators in the Lebanese capital say their demands are “clear” and they will keep protesting until the government falls, disregarding a speech by Hezbollah’s leader who warned that the protest movement risked pushing Lebanon into “chaos” and “God forbid” civil war. In a televised address on […]

by naharnet — Scuffles renewed Thursday at Beirut’s Riad al-Solh Square between anti-government protesters and young men accusing them of “insulting” Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. The scuffles had first erupted Wednesday evening but took a more violent turn on Thursday with the increase in the numbers of both the protesters and the “Nasrallah defenders.” […]

bbc.com — Mr Ghosn, who was arrested last year over claims of financial misconduct, faces several charges in Japan. His lawyers say the Tokyo court should drop all charges against him because of “unlawful breaches” by prosecutors. Mr Ghosn, formerly a towering figure in the carmaking world, is out on bail awaiting trial. Mr Ghosn’s lawyers said in a statement that the prosecutors’ case was “politically motivated” and laid out some of the “illegal actions” they say were committed by the prosecutors. “The prosecution against him resulted from unlawful collusion between the prosecutors, government officials at METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) and executives at Nissan, who formed a secret task force to drum up allegations of wrongdoing,” the lawyers said, according to the statement.

They said the aim was to oust Mr Ghosn from his position as head of the Renault-Nissan alliance to prevent him from integrating the two companies “which would have threatened the autonomy of one of the jewels of Japanese industry under the French flag”. Mr Ghosn is credited with having turned around the fortunes of both Nissan and Renault over several years. Nissan declined to comment when contacted by the BBC. Carlos Ghosn’s lawyers certainly aren’t holding back. The man himself has already accused “backstabbing” executives at Nissan of conspiring with prosecutors to bring about his downfall.

  WASHINGTON (Reuters) Humeyra Pamuk – Lebanese people are “rightfully angered” with their government over its refusal to tackle corruption and Washington supports their right to demonstrate peacefully, a senior U.S. State Department official said on Wednesday. Lebanese army soldiers confront with demonstrators in an attempt to open a blocked road during ongoing anti-government protests […]

by AFP — BEIRUT: Lebanese protesters kept the country on lockdown on Tuesday (Oct 22) as they gathered for a sixth consecutive day demanding new leaders despite the government’s adoption of an emergency economic rescue plan. Demonstrations initially sparked by a proposed tax on WhatsApp and other messaging apps have grown into an unprecedented cross-sectarian street mobilisation against the political class. Rallies have spread to all major cities and into Lebanon’s vast diaspora. The cabinet was spurred into passing wide-ranging economic reforms on Monday but the move failed to win over protesters, who now seem bent on removing the entire political elite, which they see as corrupt.

In Beirut, volunteers donned gloves and cleaned up streets after euphoric crowds partied deep into the night Monday, dancing to impromptu concerts. Among them, Hussein al-Aliya, a 35-year-old bus driver, was sweeping away rubbish after a night of protests. “If it took just three days to approve (the reforms), why haven’t they done so for the past 30 years?” he asked. “We’ve come down to the street from all religious sects to bring the whole of the state down,” said the young man from the Shiite stronghold of southern Beirut. “The lawmakers and ministers are all thieves and the governor of the central bank is covering up for them,” he said. But “there are young women and men studying in the universities who could take on jobs in parliament and government.”

‘LET THE BANKS PAY’

Among the measures announced by Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday were a 2020 budget meant to bring the deficit down to 0.6 per cent of GDP, no new taxes, a privatisation programme and measures to support the underprivileged. It was also to slash by half the salaries of current and former lawmakers and ministers. With schools and banks closed since last week, a couple of dozen demonstrators chanted on in front of the central bank despite Monday’s announcement. “Down with the rule of the central bank. We won’t pay the taxes. Let the banks pay them,” they intoned.