by arabianbusiness.com – Prominent Lebanese designer Elie Saab said he is not considering an Initial Public Offering (IPO) for his multi-million dollar fashion house. However, Saab said he would consider equity injection in order to fuel the group’s ongoing expansion plans. Speaking to Arabian Business, the designer said he has “a lot” of plans for […]

 The long-term presence of refugees is a particularly sensitive issue in Lebanon where some politicians say the influx of mainly Sunni Syrians might destabilize the delicate sectarian balance with Christians, Shi’ite Muslims and others. As the Syrian government regains more territory from rebels and militants, calls have increased in Lebanon for Syrians to return. A series of ceasefire deals has reduced fighting to some extent in parts of western Syria. But rights groups have warned against forcing people back to a country still at war, and refugees have often said they fear facing arrest or conscription into the army. The U.N. refugee agency does not yet consider Syria safe for refugee to return to. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri has said there can be no forced returns. Aoun told the envoys there were parts of Syria not currently at war and territory where calm has returned, a spokesman said. “The return of displaced to stable and low-tension areas must be carried out without attaching it to reaching a political solution,” the president’s Twitter account said. Aoun said it was in the everyone’s interest to solve the refugee crisis so that political, economic and social problems in Lebanon do not get out of hand. Officials at the meeting thanked Lebanon for its generosity in hosting refugees. “They expressed their full understanding of the concerns that are being voiced,” a statement from the envoys said. “A return of refugees to their country of origin must take place in safety, dignity and voluntarily, in accordance with principles of international law,” it said. (Reporting by Lisa Barrington and Tom Perry; Editing by Richard Balmforth and Robin Pomeroy)

Pope Francis meets with Lebanese prime minister Saad Hariri and his wife, Lara Bashir Al Azem by Hannah Brockhaus  Vatican City, Oct 13, 2017 / 11:21 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis and the prime minister of Lebanon, Saad Rafic Hariri, discussed Friday the current situation in the Middle East and Lebanon, which has received a […]

by catholicherald.co.uk/ Christians today face worse persecution than at any time in history, yet the UN and the international community are largely ignoring them, a new report says. ‘Persecuted and Forgotten?’ by the UK office of Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) says the persecution of Christians reached a new high between […]

By Christine Persaud  – digitaltrends.com Netflix will be launching its first original production in the Middle East, and it will be a stand-up special with Lebanese comedian and actor Adel Karam. The still-to-be-named comedy special will be produced by Creative Arab Talent and will see Karam deliver his comedy stylings, which cover everything from relationships […]

by Jonathan Landay WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States on Tuesday offered multimillion-dollar rewards for two officials of the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah as the Trump administration prepared to unveil a strategy to counter Tehran’s growing regional influence. Washington will pay up to $7 million for information leading to the arrest of Talal Hamiyah, head […]

by Daily Star.com.lb Citing a senior military source, Al-Hayat newspaper said that in the coming week Lebanon would receive two of six Super Tucanos that the Army is set to obtain from United States’ support programs for the military. Lebanese pilots and support crew have been training in the U.S. for months. The source told Al-Hayat that the planes will travel to Lebanon from the U.S. by air, and will have to stop en route to refuel. It also added that “negotiations to strengthen the Army’s capabilities are in accordance with the plan prepared by the leadership.” It also noted that “Many countries have offered to provide assistance to the Army on several levels.” “The meeting held Friday with U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Elizabeth Richard and Britain’s Ambassador Hugo Shorter was excellent and promising,” the source said, adding that “military command presented the Army’s needs [in terms of] weapons, ammunition, equipment and expertise to the ambassadors.”

“[The request] received a positive response and willingness to approve it,” the source noted, reiterating that “Shorter assured the Army head Gen. Joseph Aoun that London had decided to increase its assistance to the army, stressing that his country is serious in enabling the Army to carry out its tasks, especially the preservation of borders.” Although there has been no official confirmation, the paper said Gen. Aoun was set to undertake his delayed visit to Washington “in the last week of this month” to meet with officials overseeing the development of military grants. The Lebanese Army was unavailable for comment on the reported trip Sunday. It was reported in April 2017 that Lebanese pilots in the U.S. had begun their first in-flight training on A-29 Super Tucanos. The planes will be the latest additions to the military’s small air force. Currently, the Army only operates a handful of armed fixed-wing planes – though those aircraft have seen heavy use. “It was [the pilot’s] first flight in the aircraft so it was a great opportunity for him to get oriented in the A-29 and how it flies,” an American trainer at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia, where the squadron is based, said in a statement provided by the U.S. military at the time.

Sources close to the Lebanese security forces confirmed that the training happened as part of a routine workshop that takes place between Lebanon and the U.S. The current program aims to train 12 pilots and 20 maintenance workers to independently operate the aircraft. “These guys will be fully trained, operational combat pilots in the A-29 aircraft,” the American trainer said. Training began March 2017 and once the program is complete, the Lebanese Army will receive six aircraft, each armed with a pair of .50-caliber machine guns. The original deal struck with the United States also includes 2,000 “Advanced Precision Kill Weapon Systems” – laser-guided missiles that can be added to the A-29. The Super Tucano was originally designed for close air support missions, light attack missions, and reconnaissance.

By Amol Rajesh — As the humanitarian crisis of the Syrian Civil War claims thousands of lives in the Middle East, it has also costed the economies of neighboring countries billions of dollars, including Lebanon, said Raed H. Charafeddine, first vice-governor at Lebanon’s central bank, Banque du Liban. “Taking into account an extended political deadlock, […]

By  Arab News –  A recent meeting of around 60 public Shiite figures in Beirut, including university professors, writers, journalists and business people, has triggered a series of negative responses on social media. The group said: “We are a group of democratic Lebanese citizens from the Shiite community, and our main concern is the establishment […]