By Ashley Stilson – ksl.com SALT LAKE CITY — The head of the Maronite Catholic Church visited Salt Lake City on …

CI has also affirmed the ‘B’ foreign currency issue ratings and ‘Stable’ Outlook assigned to Lebanon’s $3 billion global notes issued in three tranches ($1.25 billion due in 2027; $1 billion due in 2032; and $0.75 billion due in 2037) earlier this year. The ratings’ affirmation reflects the relative stabilisation of domestic political risk factors following the end of a two-year political stalemate and the endorsement of an electoral law that is expected to pave the way for parliamentary elections in May 2018. The policymaking environment has also improved, with parliament recently passing the annual draft budget law for the first time in a decade. The ratings affirmation also takes into account Lebanon’s stable buffer of foreign exchange reserves, which provide adequate coverage of the country’s external debt.

Lebanon’s ratings are fundamentally supported by: adequate international liquidity; a remarkably reliable (though undiversified) investor base and strong donor support; and an unblemished record of meeting debt obligations, even during difficult times. The ratings are constrained by: heavy indebtedness and large financing needs; a weak budget structure and limited fiscal flexibility; socio-economic challenges; the slow pace of economic and fiscal reforms; and local and regional political risks. Economic activity has picked up modestly in 2017 but remains relatively weak, with real GDP growth expected to reach around 2.1 per cent, driven by domestic consumption and a rebound in tourism. The short to medium-term outlook has improved slightly, supported by the prospect of a more stable domestic political climate and efforts to restore relations with GCC member states in order to attract tourism, inward investment and boost expatriate employment.

As a result, CI expects real GDP growth to increase to 2.4 per cent in 2018-2019. On the downside, the conflict in Syria continues to weigh heavily on the performance and stability of the Lebanese economy. The influx of refugees, who now comprise around one-third of the population, is placing significant pressure on the country’s limited resources and creating significant social challenges. The public finances remain weak, with the central government budget deficit expected to decrease to 7.9 per cent of GDP in 2017 from 9.7 per cent in 2016 due to a decline in the treasury transfers to municipalities. The primary budget surplus is expected to improve to 1.8 per cent of GDP in 2017, compared to less than 0.1 per cent in 2016, as the government has managed to secure its financing needs at more favourable rates. Public debt remains high and is expected at around 148 per cent of GDP in 2017. Refinancing risk remains significant, with the government’s gross financing requirement likely to exceed 35 per cent of GDP in 2017.

WAM (Emirates News Agency) – BEIRUT- Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, General Joseph Khalil Aoun, has praised the critical and constructive …

 khazen.org congratulate court decision for sentencing the criminal and terrorist Habib Shartouni and Nabil Al Alam to death.

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's top court on Friday sentenced Habib Shartouni to death for the 1982 assassination of president-elect Bashir Gemayel, an event that was a turning point in Lebanon's 15-year civil war. Shartouni, a member of the Syrian Socialist Nationalist Party (SSNP), admitted his part in the bombing in the 1980s and was tried in absentia after escaping from prison in 1990 following eight years in detention.

The Judicial Council, Lebanon's highest state security court, on Friday sentenced Habib Chartouni and Nabil al-Alam to death in absentia in the case of the 1982 assassination of President-elect Bashir Gemayel. The Council also stripped Syrian Social National Party members Chartouni and Alam of their civil rights. The in absentia trial had kicked off on November 25, 2016. During that session, the Judicial Council called on Chartouni -- who confessed to planting the bomb before escaping prison -- to turn himself in. It also decided to launch in absentia proceedings against the other suspect in the case, al-Alam, after media reports said he had died of illness in Brazil in 2014.

L'orient-lejour -Le 14 septembre 1982, Bachir Gemayel, élu président de la République 22 jours plus tôt, est assassiné peu après 16 heures dans une explosion qui détruit les locaux de la permanence du parti Kataëb dans le quartier beyrouthin d'Achrafieh. L'attentat coûte la vie au fondateur des Forces libanaises et à 32 autres personnes.   Vendredi 20 octobre 2017, la Cour de justice, présidée par Jean Fahd, condamne à mort Habib Chartouni, militant du Parti syrien national social (PSNS, pro-Assad), et Nabil Alam, ancien haut responsable du PSNS, pour l'organisation et l'exécution de cet assassinat.Retour, 35 ans après sa mort, sur la vie de Cheikh Bachir, dont l'héritage politique perdure jusqu'à aujourd'hui.