by Asharq Alawsat -- Prime Minister-designate Saad al-Hariri affirmed the Lebanese government’s firm commitment to implementing the necessary legal, financial and economic reforms to improve the business environment and enhance transparency. Hariri was speaking at the opening of the Lebanese-UK Business and Investment Forum at Savoy Palace in London, which was also attended by UK Minister of State for the Middle East and International Development Alistair Burt, caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, UK Trade Commissioner for the Middle East Simon Penny and the Lebanese ambassador to UK, Rami Mortada, as well as Lebanese ministers and economic officials. The forum saw the signing of an agreement between Rolls Royce and Middle East Airlines. Stalling in the formation of the Lebanese government imposed itself on the agenda of the forum, as a factor that affects the attractiveness of Lebanon to foreign investors and British private sector companies. In this regard, Hariri said: “The delay in government formation has not halted our progress on the implementation of the CEDRE projects and reforms.” “Admittedly, Lebanon’s economy is under tremendous pressure, due partly to continued regional turmoil. Moreover, our economic and social challenges are compounded by the continued presence of one and a half million Syrians displaced for the eighth year in a row,” he noted.

By Karoun Demirjian ---washingtonpost.com --The Senate on Thursday delivered back-to-back rebukes of President Trump’s embrace of Saudi Arabia, first voting to end U.S. participation in the Saudi-led war in Yemen and then unanimously approving a measure blaming the kingdom’s crown prince for the ghastly killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Together, the dual actions represent an unambiguous rejection of Trump’s continued defense of Saudi leaders in the face of a CIA assessment that concluded Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman likely ordered and monitored Khashoggi’s killing Oct. 2 inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. It suggests a bipartisan majority of senators will pursue broader punitive measures when Congress regroups next year — including sanctions and a halt to weapons transfers — despite the administration’s objections. “What we showed in this vote today is that Republicans and Democrats are ready to get back in the business of working with a president — and sometimes against a president — to set the foreign policy of this nation,” said Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) a longtime advocate for checking Saudi Arabia’s regional expansion. “The United States has said, through the Senate, that our support for the Saudi coalition is no longer open-ended.”

The unanimous vote to hold Mohammed responsible for Khashoggi’s killing reflects the extent to which senators in both parties have grown tired of Trump’s continued defense of Mohammed’s denials. It also puts significant pressure on leaders in the House — where the president’s Saudi policy is far more divisive — to allow for a similar vote to condemn the crown prince before the end of the year. Earlier this week, House leaders maneuvered to block rank-and-file members from forcing a vote on any Yemen-related resolutions, an attempt to stop the Senate’s effort to curtail U.S. involvement in the Saudis’ military campaign by invoking the War Powers Resolution. Senators voted 56 to 41 on Thursday to support the Yemen resolution, put forward by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah), after seven Republicans joined all Senate Democrats to back the measure. That figure strongly suggests a majority of the Republican-led Senate will challenge Trump on his Saudi policy next year, alongside a Democratic-led House, whose incoming leaders also have promised to be proactive about demanding changes to the status quo. Senators discuss ending U.S. support for Saudi-led war in Yemen Senators spoke on Dec. 12 after voting to start debate on a measure to end U.S. support for Saudi military actions in Yemen. (Patrick Martin /The Washington Post) “The current relationship with Saudi Arabia is not working for America,” said Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), a Trump ally who, nonetheless, is a driving force behind several efforts to punish Saudi Arabia. He often refers to Mohammed as a “wrecking ball.” Graham did not vote for the Yemen resolution Thursday, citing concerns about using the War Powers Resolution as a vehicle to call out Saudi Arabia, but he said resolutely this week that his past defense of the kingdom had come to an end. “I think you’re wrong about what’s going on up here,” Graham said late Wednesday in comments directed toward Trump. “I’m never going to let this go until things change in Saudi Arabia.”

Time magazine has named “The Guardians” — four journalists and a newsroom — as their person of the year for helping to …

(MENAFN) Caretaker Interior Minister Nouhad Machnouk declared that the Internal Security Forces (ISF) had foiled terrorist attacks during the parliamentary elections in …