By Imad Creidi BEIRUT (Reuters) – On a beach in northern Lebanon, men and women swim in the Mediterranean’s warm blue waters close to a sewage outlet, while children play in sand that is strewn with litter. A sign warning against swimming because of pollution seems to have had little effect on this beach near […]

BEIRUT (REUTERS) – Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri on Tuesday signaled reservations about International Monetary Fund (IMF) proposals for Lebanon which he said included floating the Lebanese pound, which has been pegged at its current level for more than two decades. Hariri was speaking on the first day of a three-day parliamentary session that is expected […]

BEIRUT (AP) — Under tight security, Lebanese lawmakers on Tuesday began discussing the draft 2019 state budget that aims to avert a financial crisis in the heavily indebted country by raising taxes and cutting public spending. The discussions were being held amid limited protests against proposed austerity measures. The proposed budget aims to reduce the […]

by saudigazette.com.sa —JEDDAH — Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman received at the Al Salam Palace here Lebanese former prime ministers Najib Mikati, Fouad Siniora and Tammam Salam on Monday according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). During the meeting, they reviewed the bilateral relations between the two countries and highlighted the Kingdom’s keenness on Lebanon’s security and stability and the importance of preserving Lebanon within its Arab environment. Former Prime Minister Mikati, after meeting King Salman, said that Saudi Arabia will “extend a hand of support to Lebanon.” The King “stressed the necessity of preserving Lebanon and soon there will be Saudi steps towards the Lebanese state,” Mikati told Lebanon’s LBC TV. “Our concern is saving the country in light of the difficulties that we are going through,” he said. Another former prime minister Siniora told Al Arabiya that Saudi Arabia has always stood by “all of Lebanon with all of its components.”

BEIRUT, (Xinhua) — Prime Minister Saad Hariri vowed Monday to implement UN Resolution 2433 aimed at empowering Lebanon’s maritime forces, a statement by the PM’s office reported. “I am fully dedicated to further develop a plan to increase the Lebanese naval capabilities,” he said. One of the steps that will be taken by the government […]

by Joe Sommerlad in tech — Amazon, the all-conquering if lightly taxed online retailer, is celebrating its 25th birthday this month. The company was founded as “Cadabra” in Bellevue, Washington, by entrepreneur Jeff Bezos on 5 July 1994, initialling selling only books before branching out gradually into almost every other facet of commerce, shifting electronics, homeware and clothes, entering the […]

by thenational.ae –Hayley Skirka— Low-cost airline Ryanair has announced new direct flights from Beirut to Pafos. Commencing on October 30, the service will fly three times a week from the Lebanese capital to the southwestern city in Cyprus. Fares are currently on sale from just Dh90 one-way, with flights departing Lebanon on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. […]

By Aidan McLaughlin mediaite.com —– Boris Johnson, the mop-haired politician most likely to succeed Theresa May as U.K. prime minister, faced intense questioning from a BBC anchor over his response to President Donald Trump’s harsh words for a British ambassador. Trump leveled a brutal attack at Sir Kim Darroch, the U.K. ambassador in Washington, after […]