by aljazeera.com -- Timour Azhari -- Beirut, Lebanon - Lebanon's former Prime Minister Saad Hariri has said he is charting a new political path from within his party after a 2016 deal with President Michel Aoun that brought him to power became "history". "I'm here, I'm not going anywhere; I'm staying in my country, in my house among my family and in political work," Hariri said on Friday, in his first public speech since resigning on October 29 amid widespread protests against a ruling elite blamed for corruption and steering the country into an acute financial crisis. Addressing a crowd of thousands of supporters outside his residence in the capital, Beirut Lebanon's leading Sunni politician said he had received criticism from within his party over the past months and acknowledged "shortcomings" - but said "the decision now is to enact change".

"The Future Movement will remain," he said, referring to his party. His comments came during a public event to mark the 15th anniversary of the assassination of his father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Rafik Hariri was killed along with 21 others when a massive bomb exploded as his convoy passed through the centre of Lebanon's capital, Beirut, on February 14, 2005. Prosecutors at The Hague-based Special Tribunal for Lebanon investigating Hariri's assassination have said that the Syrian government was at the heart of the plot, which was carried out by members of the pro-Iran Hezbollah group. Damascus and Hezbollah have denied involvement. A ruling in the case is expected this year. In defence of 'Haririism' Members of the leaderless protest movement, as well as Hariri's political opponents, have pointed to the policies of Hariri's father - termed "political Haririism" and dating back to 1992 - as the source of Lebanon's massive economic woes today. The country is saddled by the third-largest debt burden in the world as a percentage of its gross domestic product and is facing the worst financial crisis in its history, which may soon push it to default on debt repayments. Much of Friday's event was dedicated to responding to these claims. A video aired at the beginning of the commemoration blamed Lebanon's dire situation on a "series of obstructions" carried out by Lebanese parties allied with Syria over the years.

Finance Minister Ghazi Wazni BEIRUT (Reuters) – The Lebanese central bank has set an interest rate cap of 4% on dollar bank …

by thenational.ae -- Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab on Thursday pledged not to run in the future parliamentary elections or support any candidates. Deputy Prime Minister Zeina Akar and the other 18 members of Cabinet also signed up to Mr Diab’s pledge not to run in the next election. The current administration is a departure in Lebanon where the bulk of ministers are usually also MPs. In recent years, discussions have been raised about having a government not also elected to parliament as it prevents one body overseeing the work of the other. However, many senior figures – including former prime minister and Future Movement head Saad Hariri or former foreign minister and Free Patriotic Movement head Gibran Bassil – served multiple times in both chambers. No elections are scheduled until 2022 although some have suggested that a vote should be held early given mass anger on the streets since October.

Mr Diab stated his Cabinet's plan to astain from standing on January 21. “There are no MPs [in the government], and no candidates for the next parliamentary elections," he said. His would be "a government of specialists that will only be held accountable to the language of science, reason and expertise and the interest of the nation," he added. Months of anti-government protests have rocked Lebanon, with demonstrators calling for a change in political leadership.

by bbc.com -- Japanese carmaker Nissan has filed a civil lawsuit against its former chairman, Carlos Ghosn. The suit, filed at Yokohama District Court, seeks an initial amount of $90m (£69.5m). The company said it aims "to recover a significant part of the monetary damages inflicted on the company by its former chairman". Mr Ghosn, who faces financial misconduct charges in Japan, said the firm's "manoeuvres" were continuing. He is currently in Lebanon after jumping bail in Japan.

He said in response to the lawsuit: "Nissan's manoeuvres continue: this complaint is made public on the eve of the Japanese group's financial results. "We note that after months of announcing damages of 35 billion yen, Nissan is now claiming 10 at the moment. Mr Ghosn's lawyers will react on the merits of the case once the content of the claim has been brought to their attention." Nissan said it expects the amount claimed in damages to "increase in future" as it seeks to recover fines it expects to have to pay to regulators because of Mr Ghosn's alleged misconduct. The company also said that it may pursue separate legal action over what it called "groundless and defamatory" remarks made by Mr Ghosn in a news conference he held in Beirut. At the conference, Mr Ghosn said: "My unimaginable ordeal is the result of a handful of unscrupulous, vindictive individuals."